Wabash Avenue *** (1950, Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Phil Harris) – Classic Movie Review 13,635

The 1950 American musical film Wabash Avenue starring Betty Grable is a remake of her 1943 hit Coney Island. 20th Century Fox were in a jam and had to come up with something fast.

Director Henry Koster’s 1950 American Technicolor musical film Wabash Avenue stars Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Phil Harris, Reginald Gardiner, Margaret Hamilton, James Barton, and Barry Kelley.

The 1940s US Forces wartime pinup Betty Grable is seen at about her estimable best here as Ruby Summers, a singer and dancer in the Chicago of the 1890s, who finds herself pursued by both hulkingly handsome show producer Andy Clark (Victor Mature) and cheery dance hall saloon owner Mike Stanley (Phil Harris).

Mike has cheated his ex-partner Andy out of his half interest in the successful Chicago dance hall business. So Andy plots to ruin Mike and make Ruby a star and his girl.

This bright and breezy remake of Grable’s own 1942 hit Coney Island was just the thing to take audiences’ minds off their troubles way back then and even now can be a sweet old-time nostalgic time-passer even today.

The sets, costumes and photography (Arthur E Arling) are an escapist riot of colour, there is plenty of sparkle in the performances, and the songs (especially Joseph Myrow and Mack Gordon’s Oscar-nominated Best Original Song ‘Wilhelmina’) still bring good cheer.

The film features five new numbers plus some old favourites.

It is an impressive production by 20th Century Fox, with 87 sets, including a re-creation of Wabash Avenue, a major Chicago street.

Grable and Koster immediately reunited for My Blue Heaven.

It started life as a biopic of Chicago songwriter Gus Kahn but negotiations to do it fell apart and it didn’t happen at that time at 20th Century Fox. However the studio had promised exhibitors a film called Wabash Avenue, so 20th Century Fox hastily came up with the idea of rewriting their 1943 hit Coney Island. The Gus Kahn biopic was made next year by Warner Bros as I’ll See You in My Dreams, with Danny Thomas as Kahn.

This one was a hit too, taking $2,050,000 at the North American box office. It premiered, oddly enough, in Chicago on 31 March 1950.

Cast: Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Phil Harris, Reginald Gardiner, Margaret Hamilton, James Barton, Barry Kelley Jacqueline Dalya, Robin Raymond, Hal K Dawson, Dorothy Neumann, Alexander Pope, Henry Kulky.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,635

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