Osa Massen

Rocketship X-M -- YouTube - Full movie (Flash)

Rocketship X-M -- Astronauts (Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery, Jr., and Hugh O'Brien) blast off to explore the moon on...

An eccentric New York theater owner has his eye on the beautiful chorus girl Sheila Winthrop (Rita Hayworth). His wife has her eye on him. Sheila has her eye on the show's choreographer Robert Curtis(Fred Astaire). Having been discovered, the boss throws Robert into the middle of a comedic cover-up that eventually forces Robert to flee into the Army. Robert will never get rich as a private, but at least he's out of his predicament - or is he? When Rita Hayworth was paired to star opposite FredAstaire in the musical comedy "You'll Never Get Rich," the press speculated that the two might be mismatched. Then Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohen insisted on the pairing, and correctly so. All skeptics were silenced as Hayworth more than proved her dancing abilities, establishing her as one of the best partners Astaire ever had - Ginger Rodgers notwithstanding. She quite literally became Columbia's hottest property of the '40s with LIFE magazine quickly dubbing her the "Love Goddess" of Hollywood. The film's many accolades include Academy Award nominations for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and the featured hit song "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" by Cole Porter.

This ambitious filmed biography of writer-adventurer Jack London is somewhat compromised by its too-tight budget. Michael O'Shea is well cast as London, whose rugged adventures range from the high seas to the Klondike. London's insatiable wanderlust causes friction in his marriage to the lovely Charmian (Susan Hayward), but she stands nobly by his side in good times and bad (it should be noted that the script is based on Mrs. London's memoirs). In the interests of topicality, the film contrives to have London endeavor to warn America of Japanese military expansion some four decades before Pearl Harbor. It is this story element that makes Jack London a bit difficult to watch today, despite the strong performances of O'Shea, Hayward and a superb supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi