Starring Jane Frazee, William Marshall, Kenny Baker, and Gail Patrick
Directed by Allan Dwan
Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Harold Adamson
Let's return to New York on a sultry summer's afternoon for our next entry. The major studios weren't the only ones who created nostalgic fantasies of an idealized past in the 40's and early 50's. Republic normally specialized in low-budget westerns and crime and comedy series, but as we saw back in June, they did occasionally put out musicals without singing cowboys. How does the story of two young men seeking their fortunes in Greenwich Village in 1900 fare now? We begin with their arrival in New York and their greeting at Lulu Varden's (Irene Rich) boarding house, and their interest in one of her boarders...
The Story: Penniless composer Johnny Bennett (William Marshall) and wealthy artist Steve Adams (James Ellison) have just arrived in New York from Boston, determined to make their fortunes. The two fall for sweet Patricia O'Neill (Frazee) after seeing her dance on the patio behind their brownstone. Steve manages to convince Patricia to model for a racy calendar portrait he's going to send to a contest. She intends to buy a silver trumpet for her police officer father (Victor McLaglen), but he's more scandalized by the brief artwork. Steve manages to seduce her with a night on the town, but it's the struggling Johnny who really loves her...and Steve has a secret he's not exactly willing to share with Patricia.
The Song and Dance: I'm impressed with how good this is for a B musical, especially the hummable songs by Hollywood pros McHugh and Adamson and Dwan's imaginative direction. Frazee is a bit less pushy and funnier here than she was in Rosie the Riveter. Rich and McLaglan really ham it up as the tough old lady and the old-fashioned Irish cop who would rather his daughter chose a more respectable way of making a living. The costumes and sets are surprisingly up to the task of representing both the seamier and more traditional sides of New York as the 19th flipped to the 20th century as well. The low-budget production has a sweetly intimate feel that goes along well with the era.
Favorite Number: It's "A Lovely Night to Go Dancing" when Johnny, Steve, and Johnny's singer friend Byron James (Kenny Baker) catch Patricia gliding across the patio in a lovely solo dance and fall for her at first sight. The cast gets to perform the adorable novelty number "At the Fireman's Ball" at said location; Frazee and the (dubbed) Marshall chime in by describing how "New York Is a Nice Place to Visit." We get another fun chorus routine at the local beer hall, "Let's Have Some Pretzels and Beer. Marshall's dubber David Street introduces the ballad "Have I Told You Lately?" at the beer hall with Baker and his girl Janet Martin; Street reprises it solo later after Johnny thinks he's lost Patricia.
What I Don't Like: First of all, Marshall is stiff and dull in the boring love-interest role and was dubbed to boot. He's definitely not up to the rest of the cast in the numbers or the histrionics. Other than his two songs, radio star Baker probably could have been given more to do. The black and white on scratchy copies like the one at Amazon Prime and those intimate sets are a stark reminder of this movie's low-budget origins.
The Big Finale: If you want to check out a Republic musical that doesn't involve cowboys crooning to their horses, this isn't a bad place to start. Recommended for fans of 40's musicals or those looking for something sweet and smaller-scale.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere. The copy released on DVD last year is said to have a better print than the barely-watchable one at Amazon Prime.
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