Publicity photo for Raoul Walsh’s COLLEGE SWING (1938) featuring cast members (top) Bob Hope, Ben Blue, and John Payne (bottom) Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, George Burns, Betty Grable, and Florence George.
Virginia O'Brien performing ''Fresh as a Daisy'' with Red Skelton, Rags Ragland and Ben Blue in “Panama Hattie”, a 1942 American film based upon the Broadway musical of the same name. It was produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Norman Z. McLeod.
For International Taxi Driver's Day: On "The Taxi Boys"
March 22, by some mysterious decree, has been designated International Taxi Drivers Day, the ideal time, it would appear, to introduce Hal Roach’s “Taxi Boys” comedies. The Taxi Boys were a late attempt to replicate the successes Roach had had with such series as Our Gang (the Little Rascals), The Boy Friends, and the Hal Roach All-Stars, which had produced the team of Laurel and Hardy. The…
John Payne, Gracie Allen, George Burns, Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Florence George, Ben Blue, Betty Grable, and Jackie Coogan are in agreement in College Swing / Swing, Teacher, Swing (1938)
1. “Betty Grable and Jackie Coogan give teacher a Big Apple”
2. “Martha Raye and Ben Blue listen carefully to a college lecture”
3. “Singing Sweethearts of Hidehi (Martha and Bob)”
4. “Gracie says even teacher’s pet so why can’t Georgie. . .”
i keep seeing headcanons of hi as trans and i am HERE for it so here are my headcanons
ben [he/him]: straight/cis, but experimented with men, especially at wando. he is also the most protective stoic bodyguard when they go to pride and is the most aggressive ally.
hi [he/him until age 16, and then he/any]: trans man/queer. started transitioning at a really young age. identified as pan for a while but then decided he likes the label queer more.
shelton [they/he, experiments with neopronouns]: demiboy/asexual/demiromantic. denied being ace for a really long time and finally accepted it when they walked in on tory and ben by accident.
tory [she/any]: cis/bi, but doesn't really care how anyone perceives her. had a huge crush on ella, regularly points pretty girls out to ben when they're out in public.