Movie of the Week: Boy! What a Girl! (Review)

This week, I watched our seventh "Movie of the Week"--1947's Boy! What a Girl!--a movie whose title was often repeated in the film.

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I really, really enjoyed this film and although Tim Moore has been made out to be the "star" and the "show-stealer", I have to disagree with those who share that sentiment. Each actor--particularly the comedic ones (Moore, Alan Jackson as "Tim Cummings", and Warren Patterson as "Donaldson the Landlord")--held their own in this movie and all made me "L-O-L". 

Mr. Cummings spending some time with "Madame Deborah".

Boy! What a Girl! is your average "Guy-Tells-Girl-Lie-About-Being-Rich-and-Has-to-Tell-More-Lies-to-Cover-That-Lie" kind of story, but that doesn't stop it from being an entertaining film. It was very much a Marx Brothers-meets-Eddie Murphy (in the 80's) kind of movie, and a tight budget and racist country are probably the only things that prevented it from becoming a well-known Comedy Classic today.

Small-time producers Jim Walton and Harry Diggs discussing matters.

My only problem with this movie was the lack of imagination that came with Tim Moore's character, Bumpsie. Bumpsie--a comedian who performs in drag--has to turn his act into something real to save his bosses' (Jim Walton and Harry Diggs--played by Elwood Smith and Duke Williams) hides. Somehow, the characters were convinced that Bumpsie--a man in a dime store wig and Grandma Hattie's dress--was actually a woman. Only in the movies!

Two of the "International Jitterbugs"

Other than that, this movie was hilarious and cleverly written. There's some "breaking-of-the-fourth-wall", physical comedy, awesome Jazz music, and some high-energy Jitterbugging!

I HIGHLY recommend that you watch this film!

Click Here 

to watch Boy! What a Girl! (1947) on Youtube.