Make 'Em Laugh (The Funny Business of America)
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Released January 23, 1945
Featuring Joe Besser (Solo)
Featuring Joe Besser (Solo)
Columbia
67 min. (Feature Film)
67 min. (Feature Film)
Boston socialite Edithea Alden (Ann Miller) is away at college in New York, and unknown to her family and her old-fashioned Aunt Priscilla (Kathleen Howard), spends her nights pursuing a dream of acting. But the only stage job she can find is as a dancer in a Broadway burlesque theater, under the name of Eadie Allen. Theater manager Tommy Foley (William Wright) notices her dancing in the chorus line, and when he promotes her to the top spot, Eadie soon becomes the headlining toast of New York burlesque. This places Eadie in a tough spot, trying to keep her show business career a secret from the college's stuffy Dean Flint. And the ex-star of the show, Rose Allure (Marion Martin), wants to settle a score with Foley and arranges a police raid.
Joe Besser costars as Prof. Diogenes Dingle, an ex-burlesque comic hired as the University's drama professor with false credentials, thanks to his old straightman Jim Tuttle (Jimmy Little), the school's athletic director. Besser and Little dust off an old burlesque standard, and perform the "Buzzing the Bee" routine.
The characters of Diogenes and Jim are producing a Greek musical for the upcoming commencement, and the student dancers are played by The Jack Cole Dancers. The Cole troupe was under contract with Columbia for several years in the mid 1940s, and several of the girls went on to supporting player status with The Three Stooges... Nita Bieber, Gloria Patrice and Ruth Godfrey, the three costars of RHYTHM AND WEEP (1946).
Kathleen Howard ('Aunt Priscilla') is best remembered as W. C. Fields' shrewish wife in IT'S A GIFT (1933) and THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE (1934).
Avg. Rating: 
[8.00/10]
[8.00/10]
Ann Miller
Eadie Allen
Joe Besser
Prof. Diogenes Dingle
Jimmy Little
Jim Tuttle
William Wright
Tommy Foley
Kathleen Howard
Aunt Priscilla Alden
Marion Martin
Rose Allure
Jeff Donnell
Pamela 'Pepper' Parker
Tom Dugan
Hannegan
Hal McIntyre and His Orchestra
Themselves
Douglas Wood
Dean Flint
Jessie Arnold
Charlotte
Pat Parrish
Mary
Mary Gordon
Maggie
Carla Balenda
Doris
Charles C. Wilson
Mitch Berger
Mary Newton
Mrs. Flint
Sarah Edwards
Mrs. Meeker
George Lessey
Reverend Ames
George Meeker
Caleb Van Horn VIII
John Tyrrell
Police Sergeant
G. Raymond Nye
Policeman
Jack Hendricks
Policeman
Edward Earle
University Board Director
Ernest Hilliard
University Board Director
Forbes Murray
University Board Director
John Elliott
Butler
Bess Flowers
Dean's secretary
George Lloyd
Candy butcher
Mildred Law
Student messenger
Betty Hill
Student showgirl
Virginia Hunter
Student showgirl
Wanda Perry
Student showgirl
Judy Malcolm
Student showgirl
Toni Eden
Student showgirl
Jean Foreman
Student showgirl
Kaye Dowd
Student showgirl
Gloria Patrice
Student showgirl
Nita Bieber
Student showgirl
Marilyn Johnson
Student showgirl
Donna Dax
Student showgirl
Jack Cole
Dancer
Teddy Mangean
Bellboy
Ida Moore
Maid
Harry Semels
Man in burlesque audience
Bobby Barber
Man in burlesque audience
Arthur Dreifuss
Director
Michael Kraike
Producer
Jack Henley
Script
Monte Brice
Story and Screenplay
Burnett Guffey
Director of Photography
James Sweeney
Film Editor
Carl Anderson
Art Director
Louis Diage
Set Decoration
Edward Bernds
Sound Engineer
Morris W. Stoloff
Musical Director
George Duning
Orchestrator
L. Wolfe Gilbert
Music
Harold Dickinson
Music
Howard Gibeling
Music
Phil Moore
Music
Marlin Skiles
Music
Saul Chaplin
Music
Sammy Cahn
Lyrics
Buddy G. DeSylva
Lyrics
Jack Cole
Choreographer
Ray Nazarro
Assistant Director
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