The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady

Nowhere near as satisfying as Stage Door as a backstage epic, this period musical attempts to evoke the good old days of vaudeville, an era for which Hollywood had an extravagant, irrational affection. June Haver plays an ingenue who hits the boards against her father's wishes; the ensuing drama tends towards wide-eyed sentimentalism. Still, it's worth watching if only to witness the struggle to get into the next big musical number, and for a sterling performance from SZ 'Cuddles' Sakall, the rotund, white-haired comedian who duplicated this bumbling, fatherly role in dozens of films, including Casablanca.