Zis Boom Bah

Zis Boom Bah, also known as College Sweethearts, is a 1941 American film directed by William Nigh and starring Grace Hayes, Peter Lind Hayes, and Mary Healy.

Zis Boom Bah
Grace Hayes, Peter Lind Hayes, and Mary Healy in Zis Boom Bah (1941)
Directed byWilliam Nigh
Produced by
  • Sam Katzman (producer)
  • Peter A. Mayer (associate producer)
Written by
Screenplay by
Starring
CinematographyMarcel Le Picard
Edited byRobert Golden
Production
company
Release date
1941
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Grace Hayes, as herself essentially, has been content to play the vaudeville circuit, and support her son and the wealthy family who shunned her.

Tired of the road, she goes incognito to visit her son, played by her real-life son Peter Lind Hayes, as Peter Kendricks, with her personal assistant, played by her real-life daughter-in-law, Mary Healy, as Mary Healy.

Once there, she finds her son and the college "going to Hell in a hand basket", despite the earnest efforts of the kind hearted Dean, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, as Professor Warren. The college and the old families are running out of money and spirit.

Grace buys the local diner, turns it into a version of her real-life club, encouraging the kids to give it the old college try and put on a show to raise the funds and spirit the college needs to survive. It doesn't take long, with a little elbow grease, for the kids’ heart to shine through.

The question remains whether the college will survive, or if the Dean, Peter and the kids will be joining Grace and Mary on the road.

Cast

Soundtrack
  • "Annabella" (by Johnny Lange and Lew Porter)
  • "It Makes No Difference When You're in the Army" (by Johnny Lange and Lew Porter)
  • "I've Learned to Smile Again" (by Neville Fleeson)
  • "Good News Tomorrow" (by Neville Fleeson)
  • "Put Your Trust in the Moon" (by Joan Baldwin and Charles R. Callender)
  • "Miss America" (by Earl Hammand and Lee Ellon)

Production

Grace Hayes was famous as a performer, and for opening the "movie stars' hang-out", Grace Hayes Lodge, and the chic Las Vegas nightclub, The Red Rooster.[1]

Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy were married from 1940 until Hayes' death in 1998, and regularly worked together, notably on the film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953).

Benny Rubin, who tap dances his way through the film, as young college kid Nick, was 42 when the film was made.[2]

Katzman hired a musical troupe to perform numbers live to promote the film.[3]

References
  1. "Nightclub Hostess Grace Hayes Dies". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 1989.
  2. Zis Boom Bah (1941) at IMDb
  3. R.K.O. Pacts Goldwyn Los Angeles Times 28 Apr 1941: A14.
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