Fushichô (1947)

Fushichô: Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. With Kinuyo Tanaka, Keiji Sada, Isamu Kosugi, Toyo Takahashi. A young war widow remembers her short time with her husband.

“Slightly reminiscent of Metrou0026#39;s later Red Skelton musical, u0026quot;Bathing Beautyu0026quot; in that most of the action centers around a lone male in a girlsu0026#39; school, u0026quot;Forty Little Mothersu0026quot; is much less funny. Indeed most of the comic opportunities in the script seem to have been deliberately bypassed. This accent on the dramatic rather than the comic is unfortunate, as the drama becomes corny and sentimental. True, Cantor is allowed to make a few quips and sing a song, entitled u0026quot;Little Curly Hair in a High Chairu0026quot; by Harry Tobias (or his brother, Charles Tobias, depending on which reference book you consult) and Nat Simon. On the other hand, although the movieu0026#39;s direction is credited to Busby Berkeley, anyone expecting lavish Berkeley production numbers here is going to be mightily disappointed. There are none!”