Hit The Deck

Based on the 1927 Broadway hit that ran 352 consecutive performances, HIT THE DECK is a lackluster rendition of the original show. This was RKO's second attempt at a big musical, but they didn't have the success that their first effort, RIO RITA, did. Even the 33% two-color Technicolor sequences seemed of little help. The meager story concerns a sailor, Oakie, and the owner of a seaside cafe, Walker, who falls in love with him. The small plot seems an excuse to stage many musical numbers. Songs include "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Hallelujah," "Why, Oh Why" (Vincent Youmans, Clifford Grey, Leo Robin); "Keeping Myself For You" (Youmans, Sidney Clare); "More Than You Know...