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MOVIEGOER

At the U.T.

Kay Kyser is a pretty fair orchestra leader. Harold Lloyd was a very funny comedian. But when Kyser drops his baton and tries to gallop along in Loyd's footsteps, he's not only a horribly un-funny comedian, but an anemic imitation of an orchestra leader as well.

In "My Favorite Spy," Kyser's band plays about one and a half musical numbers, and spends the rest of the time following its one-lunged maestro around through an aimless plot involving--surprise!--Nazi spies and saboteurs, and an assorted bunch of blondes and brunettes. If Kyser is worried about his future, he can eliminate acting as a possibility. He'd better hold on to that orchestra.

Ellen Drew and Jane Wyman--the brunette and the blonde respectively--Robert Armstrong, and a weird character called Ish Kabibble are along, apparently, for the ride, and don't seem to enjoy it.

The other half of the U.T. program isn't its better half, either. Texans aren't going to like "Men of Texas," and everybody else is going to hate it. A lot of business about "those hot-blooded Texans gettin' rid of those damyankees" winds up, ironically enough, with Sam Houston appearing out of the clouds, and orating wildly with a lush New England accent. That'll give you a rough idea of what goes on for an hour and a quarter, Texas Standard Time. Broderick Crawford manages to portray a refreshingly different sort of villain, but aside from that--well, Houston had the right idea.

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