| Make Mine Laughs | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Fleischer |
| Starring | Joan Davis |
| Cinematography | Jack MacKenzie Robert De Grasse Frank Redman |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio |
Release date |
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Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Make Mine Laughs is a 1949 Americanmusical comedy film directed byRichard Fleischer. The film was a compilation of comic scenes and musical numbers fromRKO Radio Pictures' feature films and short subjects of the mid-1940s. It was the second of RKO's four "musical revue" features, composed largely of musical and comedy highlights from previous RKO productions. ComedianGil Lamb hosts the proceedings, finding time to make satirical comments about the opening credits and to perform his "swallowing the harmonica" specialty.
The film clips include two short subjects,Leon Errol'sBeware of Redheads and two clips from RKO'sFlicker Flashbacks entries (a 1920 fashion show narrated by radio's Ward Wilson and a dramatic playlet narrated byKnox Manning). Other clips from the vaults areFrances Langford singing "Moonlight Over the Islands" (fromThe Bamboo Blonde),Anne Shirley andDennis Day duetting on "If You Happen to Find a Heart" (fromMusic in Manhattan), comedy bandleaderFreddie Fisher (fromSeven Days Ashore), dance team Rosario & Antonio (fromPan-Americana), and pianist-bandleaderFrankie Carle from an RKO short subject. New specialties filmed especially forMake Mine Laughs are performed bypuppeteer Robert Lamouret and his duck figure Dudule, Manuel & Marita Viera and their trained-monkeys act, and acrobatic trio The Titans (with Gil Lamb worked into their act).
Ray Bolger andJack Haley brought suit against RKO for unauthorized use of their performances (Bolger's boxing pantomime fromFour Jacks and a Jill and Haley's "Who Killed Vaudeville?" number fromGeorge White's Scandals). By the time the suit was settled in 1951, both Bolger and Haley had been paid off, and RKO withdrew the picture from distribution. The studio avoided any future lawsuits by confining its remaining variety-show featuresFootlight Varieties andMerry Mirthquakes to new numbers staged especially for the films, and comedy sequences from RKO's backlog of short subjects.