Starring Pat O'Brian, James Melton, Jane Froman, and Jean Muir
Directed by William Keighley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin
Even Warners, home of tough-guy gangster films and dark "message" dramas, got on the opera star band wagon of the mid-30's, but their approach to finding their singers was a bit different. James Melton and Jane Frohman were two of the most popular singers on radio in 1935, each with their own shows and legions of fans. The were big enough by 1935 for Warners to take a chance on starring them in a movie with major star Pat O'Brian and up-and-comer Jean Muir. How does this backstage drama about a manager and his two singing hopefuls look nowadays? Let's begin at Danceland in New York City, just as Al McGillevray (O'Brian) is told he's washed up in show business, and find out...
The Story: Al's saved from suicide when he hears the porter in his hotel room performing a country song with a stunning voice. He convinces the young man, Jan King (Melton), to try becoming a major opera star. Al does manage to get him singing lessons with Italian teacher Minotti (William Riccilardi), but it'll take years of study before Jan's ready to really hit the big time.
Al doesn't want to wait that long to make money. He pushes Jan into radio and nightclub work instead as a crooner and idol. At an amateur contest, he meets Nora Wyman (Muir), who also wants to be a singer. Al points out that she's really too much of a sweetheart for the business.
He's having his own problems with Jan, anyway. Jan's having far too much fun as a successful radio star to even consider opera now. He meets nightclub star Joan Garrett (Frohman) during a performance and becomes her partner, living it up with booze and women. The extracurriculars start to effect his performance, until he's fired after missing a performance. Al wants him to study opera and Nora to be out of show business all together, and will do anything to save the two people he cares about most from themselves.
The Song and Dance: I'm surprised at how dark this one is, especially for the era. Kudos to Warners for getting away from the fluffy romances and showcasing their stars in a slightly different light. The story is actually quite touching, especially how Al will literally do anything for his proteges and even blames himself for Jan's downfall. O'Brian is more at home with the backstage melodrama here than he was with the comedies Flying High and In Caliente. Frank McHugh and a young Marie Wilson have a few good moments as a whiny songwriter and the receptionist at the amateur show.
Favorite Number: The song that stops Al from ending his life is "Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie," which Melton sings unknowingly while attending to his room. Jane Frohman sings the intense ballad of anger and hatred "You Let Me Down" at Witmark's. She joins Melton for "At Your Service, Madame," at the nightclub in a comic story of a butler who falls for his mistress. An unidentified vocal trio at the nightclub perform the rousing "Coney Island." Melton ladles his romantic tenor into "Where Am I (Now That I've Found Heaven)" at Luigi's and later during the montage of his success.
Trivia: Marie Wilson's first credited role.
Melton did later sing with the Metropolitan Opera, but his real passion was antique cars. He collected over 125 of them and showed them off in a museum in the 1950's.
The standard "September In the Rain" was written for this film, but cut from the final print. It finally made it into Melton's next movie, Melody for Two.
What I Don't Like: Wish the ladies had more to do. Frohman sings three numbers but otherwise disappears after Jan becomes a success. Likewise, would have liked to hear more from Muir, who had a gorgeous voice as well. Melton sings a lot better than he acts, too. While I commend Warners for dealing with subjects like suicide and alcoholism in a musical, the story still occasionally gets too melodramatic for its own good. This is a major problem in the second half, when Jan starts drinking and Nora has her own sudden attempt at suicide towards the end. It's a lot slower and not as fun as when Al tried to push Jan to the top.
And you'd never know Busby Berkeley choreographed this movie if you didn't check the credits. "At Your Service, Madame" is really the only number that remotely evinces his touch. Most of the others are performed in a church or a nightclub or in front of a microphone on the radio. Apparently, there were other larger numbers, but they were dropped from the final print.
The Big Finale: Don't let the generic title fool you. If you're looking for something a bit meatier in your musicals and don't mind some operatic warbling, you might want to check out TCM and give this star a chance.
Home Media: And this is another one that's only found on TCM at the moment.
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