Hit Parade of 1951
Cast & Crew
John H. Auer
John Carroll
Marie Mcdonald
Estelita Rodriguez
Frank Fontaine
Grant Withers
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Las Vegas, gambler Joe Blake finds himself $200,000 in debt after losing a double-or-nothing craps wager to his friend, casino owner "Smokey." As fellow gamblers Two-to-One Thompson and Garrity own a 25 percent interest in Smokey's operation, Joe owes them $50,000, and they demand payment within forty-eight hours. To repay the money, Joe and his loyal friend, The Professor, head for a Los Angeles radio station to request a loan from an acquaintance, but are unsuccessful. While in the studio, they overhear Eddie Paul, a radio crooner who is Joe's exact double, discussing plans with his manager, Chuck, to go to Las Vegas to meet women. Unlike the manly, womanizing Joe, the clean-living Eddie is devoted to his girl friend, singer Michele, but she has become frustrated by his lack of passion and rejected him. Chuck convinces Eddie that he can get Michele back, as well as generate publicity for himself, by publicly flirting with beautiful women and making Michele jealous. After Chuck leaves to arrange for the trip, The Professor tricks Eddie into going with him to Las Vegas, while Joe remains in Los Angeles and poses as Eddie. Joe is immediately tested by Michele, who is confused but pleased by the changes in "Eddie's" behavior. Calling her "Mike," Joe impresses Michele with his romantic ways and his strong, hard kisses. In Las Vegas, meanwhile, Eddie is spotted on the street by Joe's girl friend Chicquita, a nightclub performer. In private, The Professor explains to Chicquita that Joe suffered a blow to his head and is now convinced he is crooner Eddie Paul. The Professor persuades Chicquita to go along with Joe's delusion, and Chicquita is charmed by "Joe's" thoughtful, gentle manners. Later, at Smokey's casino, Smokey informs The Professor that he is willing to give Joe a $10,000 stake in order to recoup some of his losses from the previous night. Prompted by The Professor, the non-gambling Eddie tries his hand at craps and wins twenty-seven straight passes, then unwittingly pays off Joe's debt by winning a double-or-nothing bet with Smokey. When Joe, who as Eddie, has accepted Michele's marriage proposal, learns about Eddie's good luck, he hops on the next plane to Las Vegas. At the same time, however, Chicquita takes Eddie to the airport, fearing that he will lose all his winnings if he stays in Las Vegas. Moments after Chicquita puts Eddie on a Los Angeles-bound plane, Joe arrives in another plane and joins a confused Chicquita. The next morning, in Los Angeles, Michele telephones an exhausted Eddie and baffles him by discussing the romantic evening they spent together the night before and their upcoming marriage. Eddie's bewilderment soon ends when Joe, who has returned to Los Angeles with Chicquita, appears at his door. Joe admits his impersonation to Eddie and tells him that if he wants to keep "Mike," he needs to have more confidence and kiss her like a real man. Eddie, in turn, informs Joe that if he wants to keep Chicquita, he should treat her with respect and consideration. The reunited couples then head for Las Vegas for a quick double wedding.
Director
John H. Auer
Cast
John Carroll
Marie Mcdonald
Estelita Rodriguez
Frank Fontaine
Grant Withers
Mikhail Rasumny
Steve Flagg
Paul Cavanagh
Edward Gargan
Gus Schilling
Rose Rosett
Wade Crosby
Duke York
Al Murphy
Firehouse Five Plus Two
Bobby Ramos
Chester Clute
William Forrest
Willard Waterman
Al Rhein
Don Dillaway
Terry O'sullivan
Jess Kirkpatrick
John Hart
Sam Sebby
Pierce Lyden
Charlie Sullivan
Jack Raymond
John Albright
Lee Bennett
Luther Crockett
Robert Bice
Dorinda Clifton
Milton Corey Sr.
Candy Mcdowell
Judy Sochor
Frank Mcfarland
Tom Dugan
James Craven
Gino Corrado
Chuck Courtney
Harry Brown
Edythe Elliott
Patricia Wright
John Vosper
Ann Cavendish
Ed Hinton
Ellen Lowe
Crew
John H. Auer
R. Dale Butts
Earl Crain Sr.
Betty Garrett
Peggy Gray
Floyd Huddleston
Harry Keller
Lawrence Kimble
Reggie Lanning
Howard Lydecker
Theodore Lydecker
Bob Mark
John Mccarthy Jr.
Sy Miller
Richard Mohr
Adele Palmer
Val Raset
Elizabeth Reinhardt
Al Rinker
John A. Stransky Jr.
James Sullivan
Charles Thompson
Howard Wilson
Warren Wilson
Aubrey Wisberg
Aubrey Wisberg
Herbert J. Yates
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Hit Parade of 1950. Although six songs by Al Rinker and Floyd Huddleston are listed in reviews and news items, only five of their numbers were heard in the viewed print. Frank Fontaine's onscreen credit reads: "Frank (John L. C. Sevony) Fontaine." For information on other "Hit Parade" films, see entry for The Hit Parade in AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.1934
