Every era has had its variation of the influence of teenagers on American culture, whether it be Mickey and Judy in the early 40's or the Sweet Apple kids of "Bye Bye Birdie" in the early 60's. Today's High School Musical series, "Glee" and "Smash" owe a lot to these, but never is the importance of teen culture more obvious than in the series of low budget musicals that Universal filmed in the 1940's. Usually starring the team of Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan, they were jazzy, peppy and fast moving, made on lower budgets than what MGM was doing with "Babes in Arms" and "Strike Up the Band!".
The storyline here surrounds a dramatic school where the kids prefer jazz over what school owner Florence Bates prefers them to do-Sophocles' "Antigone", which has no interest whatsoever for the kids. There are a dozen musical numbers that prove that the kids talent lies elsewhere, but will highbrow Bates see that? Typical teen romantic adventures only are a shadow in this story, so the music is the thing. Some blackface numbers seem really unnecessary, although when a young group of black teens (the Ben Carter Choir) sing "We'll Meet Again", it is really touching. This is the type of musical to just accept as a product of its time, one that will never be a classic but filled with plenty of what would influence the arrival of rock n' roll just a decade later.
The storyline here surrounds a dramatic school where the kids prefer jazz over what school owner Florence Bates prefers them to do-Sophocles' "Antigone", which has no interest whatsoever for the kids. There are a dozen musical numbers that prove that the kids talent lies elsewhere, but will highbrow Bates see that? Typical teen romantic adventures only are a shadow in this story, so the music is the thing. Some blackface numbers seem really unnecessary, although when a young group of black teens (the Ben Carter Choir) sing "We'll Meet Again", it is really touching. This is the type of musical to just accept as a product of its time, one that will never be a classic but filled with plenty of what would influence the arrival of rock n' roll just a decade later.