Thousands Cheer would have been more aptly named Thousands Cameo. This thin plotted film is more of an excuse to feature a plethora of MGM stars than it is to actually tell a story. As a movie buff it was nice to see so many stars in one film, even under such preposterous devices.
Gene Kelly plays the star of a family trapeze act who gets drafted into the army. The prima donna has a hard time learning to be just another soldier in the Army. He makes matters even worse when he falls in love with the Colonel’s singing daughter.
The entire point of the film is to get to an extended show, put on for the troops. Mickey Rooney emcees it and introduces each act. His best moment is when he imitates Clark Gable and Lionel Barrymore from Test pilot. When he first walks on stage the entire audience of soldiers yell, "Hi-ya Mickey!"
The show features a huge cast of stars and several different bands. It was obviously all filmed on different stages. Red Skelton shows that Jim Carrey was not the first comedian to make money by making faces. Lena Horne does a number that would later be used in That’s Entertainment. Lucille Ball was some 10 years away from television stardom, and looks very attractive in technicolor. Judy Garland has the best song as she sings boogie boogie to a piano player who likes to play classical music. The best performance of the movie though, is Gene Kelly dancing by himself with a mop. His athleticism is still amazing all these decades later.
Thousands Cheer is a patriotic film, meant to inspire and uplift the American soldier during World War II. By the end, Kelly at a court martial, is begging to go overseas and serve his country. The lesson of duty and honor to serve as a member of the U.S. armed forces rings very loud and clear.
