Step Lively

Frank Sinatra has his first onscreen kiss in this joyful showbiz comedy about fly-by-night producers who dodge bill collectors while trying for one big hit. Gordon Miller (George Murphy) struggles to keep his production and cast together, despite severe financial deficiencies. Before long, playwright Glenn Davis (Sinatra) is swept up in a desperate plot hatched by Miller and his underlings to stay in a hotel despite the manager's efforts to oust them. Everything hinges on Glenn's hitherto untapped singing ability, which might save the day if he overcomes a bout of psychosomatic laryngitis. Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn's songs include "As Long as There's Music," "And Then You Kissed Me," and "Some Other Time." The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.