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Although it's really only a mediocre little tuner, Song of the Islands does have a sequence that musical film mavens will appreciate. This is Betty Grable's introduction to the film, sailing into the action from out at sea while trilling "Sing Me a Song of the Islands." In this moment, Islands proclaims what can be wonderful about musicals: their presentational style. The number is not a big production number and is pretty much just one shot, but it has a size (in spirit) that captures the joy, even the giddiness, that defines a musical at its best. Unfortunately, there's little else in Islands that matches this moment. The other numbers are certainly entertaining and are for the most part staged well; no one's going to really complain about them. But they lack that little spark, a charge which can be laid against the film as a whole. The story, of course, is ridiculous, but better musicals have been derived from lesser ones. Certainly Grable does her best, and her engaging presence and pleasant manner make her as always a joy to watch. Victor Mature looks great, although his performance is on the lifeless side, and Jack Oakie, Thomas Mitchell and Hilo Hattie provide adept support. If the rest of the film matched its best moment, it would be something special rather than the overall average film that it is.