Gals, Incorporated (1943) watch online HD

Produced by Will Cowan, who produced most of Universal's musical two-reelers, this is basically one of Cowan's band parades with a perfunctory story sprinkled in between numbers. It's typical Leon Errol bedroom farce - he has to pretend to be married or his sister will cut off his inheritance. So he feigns marriage to a showgirl from a club he supports singlehandedly. But the showgirl falls in love with Errol's grown son. Grace McDonald is the showgirl and Harriet Hilliard gets to play a villainess (sort of) as well as sing a couple of songs. But the BIG surprise in GALS INCORPORATED is Betty Kean. Betty, whose sister was Jane Kean, was married to Lew Parker. This is one of her few films and it's a pity she didn't do more. Not only does she have great deadpan dogface delivery but she dances up a storm too. Betty and Jane must have had some swell night club act. Anyway, it's doubtful this little programmer will ever find its way onto DVD or even TCM, but if you should happen across it (I recently bought a 16mm print) be sure and watch. It's worth an hour of your time.

"I'm not rude. I'm rich!" exclaims Leon Errol, and indeed, he is. Rich, at least. He's the toast of the nightclub circuit, the desire of every money hungry chorus girl in the lavish nightclub he frequents. It doesn't matter that he's past middle aged, bald and rather abrasive, not with that wealthy sister of his providing for his estate and wild night life. But when the money grubbing sister decides to cut him off unless he can find a wife to change his spendthrift ways, the girls all for a space in Errol's pocket book...er, heart.

There's plenty of music mixed in with the comical plot that also involves Errol's hunky son (David Bacon) who drops the jaw of the chosen bride (Grace McDonald) and the four other opportunistic chorus girls who play maids in order to fool the imperious sister (Minna Phillips) who acts more like his mother more than his sister. The music is jazzy, the cast is snazzy, and the comedy quick and cutting, both for the verbal wisecracks and visual farce. Much of the supporting cast is unknown, even to a classic cinefile like me, so this ends up being a nice surprise filled with some nice finds. Harriet Nelson gets plenty of opportunity to throw in some songs and bitchy dialog as the biggest gold digger of them all.