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Small-time producers Jim (Elwood Smith) and Harry (Duke Williams) try
to talk moneyman Cummings (Alan Jackson) - whose daughters (Sheila Guyse,
Betti Mays) they date - into financing half of their show, having the
other half financed by Madame Deborah (Sybil Lewis) from Paris. But when
Cummings insists to meet Deborah first, she fails to show up - which is
why the two producers decide to have Bumpsie (Tim Moore), the female
impersonator of their show, pose as Deborah ... and it works too, Cummings
falls in love with Bumpsie pretty much at first sight, but not only, him,
Jim and Harry's landlord (Warren Patterson) as well. A short time later,
the real Deborah shows up after all, but learning she is allegedly already
here, she decides to lay low and see how things develop. Then Gaston
(Milton Wood), her lover from Paris, shows up as well, trying to catch up
with her, but chasing after the wrong Deborah. Everything is ultimately
resolved in a garden party with much music, most of it quite amazing. As
this is an all-black film from the 1940's, it was of course produced on a
shoestring, with only a limited number of sets, but with music that would
make many all-white films look pale in comparison (excuse the silly pun).
But Boy What a Girl is actually also a pretty funny comedy, funny
not so much because of its plot (which must ahve seemed old even then) but
because of Tim Moore as the probably worst female impersonator ever - I
mean, this guy diesn't even try to look feminine in the slightest, and
since the film every now and again picks up on exactly that fact it is
(intentionally) hilarious. Add to this a fine ensemble cast and (have I
already mentioned it ?) good music, and you have a quite enjoyable film.
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