The freedom of the press is in jeopardy and it takes a hot-blooded redhead to preserve it. She is Rhonda Fleming, the daughter of a murdered newspaper man up in the Klondike. Along with her mother and three sisters (as well as a pregnant cat named President McKinley), they travel up north from Seattle into the Canadian wilds and face the horrifying truth about the corruption there. Blaming the wrong man for murder (as he owns the sinful saloon her father was writing about), Fleming prints a series of exposes and accusations when the accused (Gene Barry) tries to clear his name. Of course, the two also happen to be in love, and this leads to further complications.
While nicely filmed in Technicolor, this musical lacks in humor, and has only a few rather mediocre musical numbers, generic in tone, and ultimately forgettable. One saloon number, though, is interestingly staged, utilizing only the gloved hands and tight-covered legs for the chorus girls as Teresa Brewer sings the sultry song "Baby Love Me Do". Resembling a slightly more feminine Ethel Merman, she is supposed to be the stereotypical saloon singer with proverbial heart of gold hidden by wisecracks (think Angela Lansbury in "The Harvey Girls") but her character isn't really well developed, at least personality wise.
Agnes Moorehead is appropriately strict but loving as the mother of the four girls, all redheads except one. There's an exciting final where the villain is exposed but unfortunately even with different themes than most musicals, the results are rather standard.
While nicely filmed in Technicolor, this musical lacks in humor, and has only a few rather mediocre musical numbers, generic in tone, and ultimately forgettable. One saloon number, though, is interestingly staged, utilizing only the gloved hands and tight-covered legs for the chorus girls as Teresa Brewer sings the sultry song "Baby Love Me Do". Resembling a slightly more feminine Ethel Merman, she is supposed to be the stereotypical saloon singer with proverbial heart of gold hidden by wisecracks (think Angela Lansbury in "The Harvey Girls") but her character isn't really well developed, at least personality wise.
Agnes Moorehead is appropriately strict but loving as the mother of the four girls, all redheads except one. There's an exciting final where the villain is exposed but unfortunately even with different themes than most musicals, the results are rather standard.