Riding High

Story

Synopsis

No relation to the 1950 Frank Capra film of the same name, the 1943 Technicolor musical Riding High is a by-the-numbers vehicle for Dorothy Lamour and Dick Powell. Lamour stars as Ann Castle, a former burlesque queen who heads westward to claim her father's silver mine. Powell plays mining engineer Steve Baird, who like Ann has a vested interest in the worked-out mine. With the help of genial counterfeiter Mortimer J. Slocum (Victor Moore), Steve and Ann are able to peddle mining stock, thus saving her from bankruptcy. The stockholders are in a lynching mood when it appears that they've been flim-flammed, but a last minute "miracle" saves the day. Featured in the cast are Paramount stalwarts Cass Daley and Gil Lamb, the former doing her quasi-Martha Raye act and the latter swallowing his harmonica for the millionth time. Production values are excellent and the songs are exuberantly performed; it's only in its hackneyed plot that Riding High slows to a clip-clop.

Director

George Marshall

Writers

Arthur Phillips, Art Arthur, Walter DeLeon

Language

English

Country

United States of America

Release date

11 November 1943

Ensemble

Cast

• 

  Dorothy Lamour

  Ann Castle

• 

  Dick Powell

  Steve Baird

• 

  Victor Moore

  Mortimer J. Slocum

• 

  Gil Lamb

  Bob 'Foggy' Day

• 

  Cass Daley

  Tess Connors

• 

  Bill Goodwin

  Chuck Steuart

• 

  Rod Cameron

  Sam Welch

• 

  Glenn Langan

  Jack Holbrook

• 

  Roscoe Karns

  Shorty

• 

  Douglas Fowley

  Brown

• 

  Stanley Andrews

  Reynolds

• 

  James Burke

  Pete