I've always been curious to see this film after reading about it in The RKO Story which gave it a decent spread and pointed out how popular it was, despite being little remembered today. I think this was because the movie so clearly and simply just wants to entertain, has a bright spirit and must have tickled the fancy of audiences who glanced at the poster and thought "that looks easy to watch".
It's a ramshackle piece, stuffed with various acts, bits and pieces, like an old vaudeville show, with a wonky plot to keep it all together, full of scenes, tropes and characters familiar from other movies and musicals. Soldier Victor Mature inherits some money but has to marry the descendant of a certain general - who happens to be Lucille Ball who happens to be engaged to a stuffy man. She's got a wisecracking sister who breaks out into song; he's got some wisecracking friends, including an impersonator (who does Ronald Colman, Charles Laughton, Lionel Barrymore), some guy with a weird Jerry Lewis like voice (Arnold Stang) and a spitfire fiancee who breaks into song; they attend various concerts and shows together, featuring real life stars forgotten now, such as Ralph Edwards (smug game show host who makes gags about fat female audience members) and Les Brown.
There's plenty of energy and high spirits. Mature, who was then making a lot of musicals, is lively - he even sings and dances. The odd person out is actually Lucille Ball, who is miscast - or at the very least wasted. She's got energy, quirk and comedy talent to spare but the part only requires a stiff straight woman, and Ball never quite pulls it off. (Come to think of it, you could do a sex role reversal and have Ball play the Mature part - she would've been great.)
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