Song of the Open Road

Song of the Open Road is a 1944 musical comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, from a screenplay by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier. It was the debut film of teenage singer Jane Powell. Powells real name was Suzanne Burce, but prior to the release of this film MGM assigned her the stage name Jane Powell the name of the character she portrays in this film.

Director S. Sylvan Simon had terrible difficulty filming scenes with W. C. Fields due to Fields alcoholism. After lunch hour he was often nowhere to be found. This problem was solved by luring Fields into his truck early in the day and removing the ladder. Fields would often rant and complain before eventually falling asleep.citation needed Although Fields often made fun of singers and singing in general, he had a fondness for the promising young singer Jane Powell and even referred to her as little Janie Powell on one of his CBS radio broadcasts preserved on transcription discs. Powell sang several songs in the film and made such an impression that MGM signed her to a contract to make a number of musical comedies for them, through the mid1950s. Powells real name was Suzanne Burce, but prior to the release of this film, MGM assigned her the stage name Jane Powell, the name of the character she portrays in this film. ........

Source: Wikipedia