Starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff, and David Bruce
Directed by Frank Ryan
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg
Other than the 1936 Show Boat, Universal didn't really do any major musicals after the early talkie era...until they signed teen soprano Deanna Durbin later that year. Her first vehicle 100 Men and a Girl was such a massive hit, it helped save Universal from bankruptcy. By 1944, they were ready to give Durbin the full glamor treatment, with Technicolor, their most expensive production yet, outdoor location shooting, and a Jerome Kern score. How does this Gold Rush romance look today? To find out, we begin in Washington DC in 1844, just as a political rally begins, and find out...
The Story: Caroline Frost (Durbin) is the willful daughter of Senator Martin Frost (Ray Collins). She's so in love with Calvary officer Lt. Robert Latham (Bruce), she takes a train and a steamboat to follow him west after he's assigned to guard gold owned by wealthy Jake Carstairs (Thomas Gomez) in California. The only way for her to get to California is by wagon, but she's swindled out of her money almost as soon as she finds passage. She hitches up with notorious gambler Johnny Lawler (Paige) when it turns out he's bought part of the wagon, too. They also end up saddled with two stowaways who think there's money in her trunk, Prince Gregory Strovanosky (Tamiroff) and his servant Koppa (Leonid Kinsky).
Hoping to join a wagon train, Johnny tells the leaders that Caroline is married to the prince. She's not thrilled about having to share her wagon and her quarters with Johnny...but realizes on the road that he's not such a bad fellow. She told Johnny she's engaged to Carstairs to get him off her back, but there's repercussions when they all make it to California and she realizes which man now truly has her heart.
The Song and Dance: I'm glad they took this outside. It was worth any headaches and delays in filming. Durbin looks gorgeous, singing with the real Utah and California glowing in the background. She has a great deal of fun here as the spoiled and naïve politician's daughter who learns a lot about herself and her own strengths during her long trek. Tamiroff and Kinsky have some nice moments as the two hustlers who are convinced there's gold in Caroline's trunk and keep trying to take off with it. Collins is even funnier as her blustery father, who is just as much of a fish out of water on the wild trails. The costumes and sets ably recreate the world of 1844, with its rickety wagons, grizzled prospectors, and tough ladies in hoopskirts as wide as the scenery.
Favorite Number: Of the many times we hear the title song, my favorite version is the sequence with Durbin singing it while she washes in a tub full of bubbles...not knowing that we're being introduced to Paige doing the same in the stall next-door. "Elbow Room" and "Swing Your Sweetheart" are the big chorus numbers for the folks on the wagon train. The first is sun as Durbin explores the group and they prepare to depart. The second is at night, as they enjoy music and a hearty meal by the fireplace. Durbin gets to introduce two lovely ballads. She sings "More and More" after she falls for Johnny, and later with Johnny before he sends her off with the train. "Any Moment Now" is the one she performs while exploring the glorious emerald scenery of Utah, looking like an angel against the rugged backdrops.
Trivia: Durbin's only color film.
What I Don't Like: At heart, this is a glorified romantic comedy set in the Wild West, with all the attendant clichés, from the runaway rich girl falling for the "bad" boy to their meeting cute in the saloon. It's western fluff that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Neither Paige nor Bruce match Durbin in charisma or vocals. Paige does try hard, but Bruce is so bland, you wonder what Caroline saw in him to begin with.
The Big Finale: Worth hitting the trail for if you love Durbin, big 40's musicals, or are willing to give a musical western a shot.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only, as a solo Universal Vault title and as part of a Deanna Durbin collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment