Ray Bolger is most remembered for his ungainly dancing as the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Oz (1939). But those ragdoll dance moves were actually full of unseen skill and control, a fact that can't be seen until compared to the grace and suavity he displays when properly attired in tux and tie in Four Jacks And a Jill (1942). A remake of the Lily Pons vehicle That Girl From Paris (1936), it follows band leader Nifty (Bolger) and his brush with fate when he pulls Nina (Anne Shirley) from the path of a car, kicking off a series of adventures that include June Havoc (sister of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee) in her first role as a torch singer, and Desi Arnaz as a cab driver impersonating a king (!). Songs like "Wherever You Are" and "I'm In Good Shape" are ably performed by Bolger and company, and if not immortal melodies, they are still sweetly entertaining.

By Violet LeVoit