Lucky Me

Warner Bros, 1954

Starring Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Phil Silvers, and Nancy Walker

Directed by Jack Donahue

Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

Our next vacation was anything but smooth sailing for Day. By 1954, she was suffering from panic attacks and delayed filming several times to rest. Even when she did resume filming, the panic attacks continued, making things difficult for everyone involved. On the upside, this would be the first musical film to make use of the new wide CinemaScope screen and featured a great cast that included later TV favorites Silvers, Walker, and Cummings. How well do they do with the rather strange story of a superstitious singer who falls for a songwriter and tries to help her troupe get in his show? Let's begin in Miami, as Candy Williams (Day) admits just how superstitious she is, and find out...

The Story: Candy and the members of the troupe she belongs to - Flo Needly (Walker), Hap Schneider (Silvers), and Duke McNeely (Eddie Foy Jr) - are stranded in Miami without a penny to their names after their show folds. They end up working off a huge dinner in a lavish hotel. Maid Flo sees songwriter Dick Carson (Cummings) working on songs for a new Broadway show and thinks they might be able to audition. Candy already met him. She thought he was an auto mechanic named Eddie, thanks to the name on the jalopy he was driving when he met her. 

She's furious when he does finally admit who he really is, thinking he was just trying to take advantage of her. The others do finally arrange to sing one of Dick's songs so Candy can audition for the show. It works, and though Candy is still skeptical, he does hire them...until Lorraine Thayer (Martha Hyer), the daughter of the show's backer Otis Thayer (Bill Goodwin), walks in and sees them together. She has her own interests in Dick and refuses to let her father back the show with Candy in it. Dick's ready to give up, but Candy and the others finally disguise themselves and enter Otis' birthday party to show him what he's missing if he doesn't give Dick and this shows a chance.

The Song and Dance: For all the trouble during filming, Day is honestly rather charming. She and the three comedians are most of the show and really do carry the day here. Silvers and Foy have their own fun as the conniving head of the group and the more elegant one, while Walker does her best with the material as the other female member. The costumes are lovely, too, with some attractive 50's gowns for Day and Walker and suits for the men. 

The Numbers: We open with Candy relating everything she worries about as she wrecks havoc in downtown Miami with "The Superstition Song." "High Hopes and Men" is Silvers and Day's number at the empty show downtown, with the two of them relating how they distrust the opposite sex. "I Speak to the Stars" was a hit at the time, and no wonder with this lovely production. Candy literally "speaks to the stars" as she dreams of singing the number in a silvery landscape, with glittering specs of stars over her. "Bluebells of Broadway" is the troupe's Scottish-themed audition number. The romantic "Take a Memo to the Moon" the ballad Lorraine catches Candy and Dick performing that convinces her Candy is a threat. Candy performs the title song in the end.

What I Don't Like: I'm afraid Day was right. No wonder she had panic attacks while filming this piffle. No amount of CinemaScope or pretty dresses can cover the fact that the story is utterly preposterous and annoyingly silly, even by musical standards. Cummings is more smarmy than charming, and despite some location filming in Miami, most of the movie is incredibly studio-bound. The songs are cute but nothing special as well. 

The Big Finale: Definitely not Day's best; recommended mostly for her fans or fans of the three comedians. 

Home Media: Can be found on DVD via the Warner Archives and streaming; the latter is currently on Tubi for free with commercials. 

DVD

Tubi

Romance On the High Seas

Warner Bros, 1948

Starring Janis Paige, Don DeFore, Doris Day, and Jack Carson

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

This week, we go on vacation with Doris Day in her first movie, and one of her lesser-known ones. Day started off as a singer with several big bands during the mid-40's. She was called in by Curtiz to replace a pregnant Betty Hutton. Curtiz was so impressed with her emotional performance of "Embraceable You," he gave her a contract on the spot. Janis Paige was another last-minute addition and was technically the star, but it was Day who got the spotlight and the great songs. How well does she do with her first film, a complicated romantic comedy involving misunderstanding and fear of infidelity? Let's begin with the wedding of Elvira (Paige) and Michael (DeFore) Kent, which they spend suspecting each other of looking more at the wedding party than them, and find out...

The Story: Three years later, Elvira is setting up a cruise to Rio de Janeiro for their third anniversary. Michael canceled vacations for their previous anniversaries, supposedly to handle various deals. Elvira believes he's really having affairs at his office. She gives her tickets to singer Georgia Garrett (Day), who hangs around the travel agency dreaming of the vacations she can't afford, as long as she goes under her name. 

Georgia is delighted to do so at first, but then she falls for charming Peter Virgil (Carson). He's a private detective Michael hired to make sure Elvira wasn't having her own affairs on vacation. Not only does he really think Georgia is Elvira and he's having an affair with his client's wife, but Georgia's would-be boyfriend Oscar Farrar (Oscar Levant) turns up on-board looking for her. When Georgia gets a singing job onboard in Elvira's name, that finally brings Elvira and Michael to Rio to see this for themselves, too.

The Song and Dance: You can easily see why Day made such a big impression with both Curtiz and audiences. You'd never guess this was her first movie. She's just as ease in front of the camera as she is with a ballad and an uptempo dance number. Carson and Levant both play off her well as the private eye and nightclub owner who get caught up in the deception in spite of themselves. The gorgeous ballad "It's Magic" was a massive hit and remains associated with Day. Gorgeous production, too, including some really lovely gowns and hats for the ladies and attractive Technicolor cinematography in a romantically recreated Rio.

The Numbers: The Samba Kings get the title song over the credits. "It's You or No One" is Georgia's first number in the club. She sings the more uptempo ballad "I'm In Love" with the musicians on the ship. Avon Long sings about "The Tourist Trade" after the ship docks in Brazil. Georgia first sings  the standard "It's Magic" with Peter, and later reprises it on her own. Oscar shows off his piano skills with "Brazilian Rhapsody." Peter admonishes the Samba Kings to "Run, Run, Run" from women. Georgia's opinion on men is "Put 'Em In a Box, Tie 'Em With a Ribbon, an' Throw 'Em In the Deep Blue Sea," the other hit from this film. Georgia sings about how "She's a Latin from Manhattan" in the club near the end.

What I Don't Like: Paige and DeFore are the big problem here. Not only do they actually have less to play than the supporting cast, but their distrustful and obnoxious characters are so unlikable, you wonder how they ever got married in the first place. DeFore in particular comes off as more of an idiot than anything. In fact, the story can get both too silly and too convoluted at turns. By the end, you stop wondering what's going to happen and wish Georgia and Peter would give that spoiled, silly couple a good shaking.

The Big Finale: Even with the annoying story, there's enough good music here for Doris Day's first movie to be recommended to her fans and fans of smaller-scale 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on all major formats. The Blu-Ray is from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Happy Easter! - My Dream Is Yours

Warner Bros, 1949

Starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, Eve Arden and Lee Bowman

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Ralph Blaine

We celebrate Easter with Doris Day's third starring vehicle. Warners saw potential in her after her success in Romance on the High Seas the year before and wanted to build her into a major star. Day started out as a radio and big band singer; it made sense to star her in a film where she played a struggling radio singer, with Carson as her devoted manager. How does this on the air romantic comedy look now? Let's begin on the air, as the radio program The Hour of Enchantment reaches its conclusion, and find out...

The Story: Gary Mitchell (Bowman) is the star of Hour of Enchantment...and now that he's reached the top, he claims to no longer need the services of his fast-talking agent Doug Blake (Carson). Angry at being fired, he swears he'll find a singer that's even better. He finally discovers Martha Gibson (Day) singing while spinning records in a jukebox factory and convinces her, her son Freddy, and their scruffy dog to move west to California. Trouble is, sponsor Felix Hofer (S.Z Sakall) doesn't think she's a big enough name to star in the show. Doug won't give up on Martha and keeps trying and trying to get her through to him, or at least find her work. Meanwhile, Gary has his own interest in her...and is equally unwilling to take "no" for an answer...

The Animation: Mel Blanc voices Bugs and Tweety and joined Ralph Blaine to write spoof lyrics to Hungarian Rhapsody #2 for an Easter dream sequence. Bugs (and Tweety, who pops up later for a "puddy tat" joke) move pretty well, and there's birds in Easter bonnets who flutter over Freddy's head.

The Song and Dance: Charming look at how one became a star in radio, just as the industry was transitioning from audio to visual media. Though Day and Carson do well enough as the sassy widow who wants a better life for her son and the determined talent agent, Eve Arden walks away with the movie. The assistant to sponsor representative Thomas "Hutch" Hutchins (Adolph Menjou), she gets most of the best lines and ends up with a lot of the funniest scenes, including having to share her apartment with Martha and her family, wash her dog, and sell her car to get Martha on the air. This is also an early glimpse of Day before her later sunny screen persona really began to gel - indeed, she gets to play several dramatic scenes here, especially with her son. 

Favorite Number: The two big ballads "My Dream Is Yours" and "Someone Like You" are performed several times through the course of the film, by Day and by Hal Derwin (who dubbed Bowman). Day gets an especially nice run through of "Someone Like You" in the end, when she's realized which man she truly loves. "Tic, Tic, Tic" is the goofy upbeat number Martha sings when she initially auditions for producers, a very strange spoof comparing love to atomic bombs. 

"Freddy Gets Ready" is the dream sequence the night before Easter where Martha's young rabbit-obsessed son Freddy dreams Bugs Bunny comes and sings to him. The sequences with Bugs, Tweety, and the birds who twitter over Freddy are adorable, but it gets a little too strange when Day and Carson pop up, dressed as two of Freddy's stuffed bunnies in rather silly suits.

Trivia: Remake of the 1934 Warners musical Twenty Million Sweethearts.

What I Don't Like: Despite its unique radio setting, the plot is a mess of backstage and romantic comedy clichés we've seen many times before. Bowman is pretty obviously a heel from the moment we see him give Doug the brush-off after he's made the big time. It's a wonder Martha takes as long as she does to figure that out. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough way to pass the time on Easter Sunday if you're a fan of Day, Arden, Bugs Bunny, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, the former via the Warner Archives.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Tea for Two

Warner Bros, 1950

Starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Billy De Wolfe, and Gene Nelson

Directed by David Butler

Music and Lyrics by various

Doris Day's career began to pick up steam in the early 50's with fluffy hit musicals like Lullaby of Broadway. She became Warner Bros' number one musical star in the 1950's, especially in nostalgic romps like this one. Nostalgia for the 20's and 30's was also becoming big business at this point, with silent films showing up on late-night TV, older musicals adapted for the big and small screens, and vintage ballads recorded by popular doo-wop bands of the era. Day appeared in several musicals that looked back to an earlier, gentler era, including this one. How does this Roaring 20's backstage tale look now? Let's begin in 1950 with a group of kids making fun of the clothes and music of an earlier time and find out...

The Story: Their Uncle Max (S.Z Sakall) scolds them for their teasing, telling them the story of how their parents got together in 1929. Nanette Carter (Day) is hoping to back a show put on by smarmy Larry Blair (Billy De Wolfe), her ex-boyfriend. He told her he's going to give her the lead role, to the annoyance of his current girlfriend Beatrice (Patrice Wymore). However, the Stock Market just crashed, and Nanette is now broke. She makes a bet with Uncle Max that she can't say 'no' to every question that comes along that weekend, even as she invites the cast of the proposed show to her house for rehearsals. Now she has to figure out how to earn the money for the show, and explain to handsome singer and songwriter Jimmy Smith (MacRae) that she likes him as more than a singing teacher.

The Song and Dance: And the song and dance carry the day here. Day broke her leg in a car accident in the early 40's, ending her originally planned dance career. Gene Nelson and his choreographer wife Marian helped her regain her confidence to tackle the routines here. They did a splendid job. There's some really cute and vibrant dance numbers here, and Day more than matches Nelson in them. Billy De Wolfe has a few funny moments as the smarmy Billy, especially when he tries to climb into Nanette's second-story window at her house on a ladder and gets pushed into a tree by the jealous Beatrice. There's also him showing off his amazing flexibility to several chorus girls, to Uncle Max's surprise! Sakall also has some good moments as Nanette's flustered uncle.

Favorite Number: Nelson joins Wymore for the jungle themed "Crazy Rhythm," with chorus members playing bongos and Nelson dancing on a huge drum. MacRae performs the lovely "I Only Have Eyes for You" to show Nanette and the investors what the show's ballads will sound like at the backer's audition. Billy De Wolfe gets to show off some pretty damn good dancing skills himself as he leads the cast through the "Charleston." The actual songs from the original No No Nanette turn up in the finale, including "The Call of the Sea" with Wymore and the chorus in flowing ribbon-like bathing outfits and the title song, with Nelson, Day, and the chorus tapping frantically around suitcases.

Trivia: The original No, No Nanette did appear on Broadway in 1925...but it was a huge hit in Chicago and London months before it made it to New York. It was successfully revived on Broadway in 1971 and in London in 1973. It hasn't been seen in New York since, though the 1971 version continues to be popular with regional and school productions.

What I Don't Like: This has nothing to do with No No, Nanette besides a few songs and the 20's setting. The energetic finale makes me wish they'd adapted the original show, rather than concocted a silly and often dull story. It also has nothing to do with the 20's, no matter how much they play it and the clothes the kids wear up in the opening prologue. Other than references to mah jong (a major fad at the time) and the stock market crash, the costumes and sets pretty much stay in the 50's up until that finale. 

The Big Finale: Pleasant bit of nostalgia if you're a fan of Day, MacRae, or the Technicolor confections of the 1950's. 

Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming. The DVD is currently released by the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Billy Rose's Jumbo

MGM, 1962

Starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Stephan Boyd

Directed by Charles Walters

Music by Richard Rodgers and others; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and others

MGM tried for years to get this one off the ground, ever since the Broadway version debuted in 1935. They were first going to it in the 40's with Stanley Donen or Walters directing and Howard Keel starring, and then in the 50's with Debbie Reynolds, but that fell through. It wasn't until 1960 that Doris Day and her then-husband Martin Melcher thought it would be the perfect musical vehicle for her and for Busby Berkeley, who created the circus routines. How does this old-fashioned tale of "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" look today? Let's head to the Wonder Circus as they set up for a show in Iowa and find out...

The Story: Kitty Wonder (Day) loves the circus life and her father, Anthony "Pop" Wonder (Jimmy Durante), but she's tired of him constantly gambling away their finances. Their performers haven't been paid in weeks, and creditors are breathing down their necks. The only ones who are really faithful are Lulu the palm reader (Raye), who is in love with Pop, and the talented elephant Jumbo who is (literally) their biggest asset. 

Enter Sam Rawlins (Stephan Boyd), a strapping young man and virtuoso tightrope performer who insists on a job. Kitty resists him at first, but Pop sees him perform in place of an aerialist who left and hires him on the spot. Sam and Kitty eventually fall for each other, but Sam has his own agenda. Pop's rival James Noble (Dean Jagger) would do anything to get Jumbo, even use a few dirty tricks up his sleeve. Even when the Warners are down, it'll take Sam to remind them that the show must go on, and there will always be "sawdust, spangles, and dreams."

The Song and Dance: An adorable confection with some decent numbers and wonderful sets and costumes. MGM really threw themselves into recreating the circus world of the early 20th century. You can almost smell the peanuts and sweat and feel the sticky cotton candy on the floor. Durante in particular has a lot of fun recreating his Broadway role, including his infamous "What elephant?" line when he tries to hide Jumbo towards the end. Raye more than matches him as the loud-mouth psychic whose lines more often than not seem to be crossed. Day's spunky as ever playing Pop's strong-willed daughter who loves her father, but wishes he'd spend more time pushing the circus and less throwing dice. And I do give them credit for keeping the majority of the original score and plot, with two additional Rodgers and Hart numbers ("Why Can't I?" and "This Can't Be Love") that fit in pretty well.

Favorite Number: We kick off the movie with the romantic "Over and Over Again," as Kitty rehearses with the circus performers, and everyone gets to show their stuff in a Berkeley big-top extravaganza. Berkeley has even more fun with "Circus On Parade," as Raye plays a roaring lion in a cage and a monkey escapes his cage and ends up in the crowd. "Why Can't I?" lament Kitty and Lulu as they wish their men would just pay attention while traveling to the next town. Sam tells Kitty she's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" as he works on the merry-go-round, then waltzes gracefully around the sawdust with her. "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is the big finale, as Kitty, Lulu, Sam, and Pop show off different acts and explain why they love what they do.

Trivia: This was Busby Berkeley's last film, Jimmy Durante's last major role in a movie, and Doris Day's last musical. 

No one seems to know who dubbed Stephan Boyd, or if he was, indeed, dubbed. Studio singer James Joyce was credited, but he has no listing for any other musical, and no one is credited on the soundtrack.

The original Broadway Jumbo debuted at the massive Hippodrome Theater in 1935, the last show to play there before it was demolished in 1939. Despite the success of the Rodgers and Hart score, it only ran six months. To my knowledge, it hasn't been seen since, though "My Romance," "Little Girl Blue," "Over and Over Again," and "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" remain standards. 

What I Don't Like: Let's start with that plot. If it was old-fashioned in 1962, it's cliched as heck now, and nothing you haven't seen before in dozens of backstage and circus-themed films as late as the live-action Dumbo from last year. Stephan Boyd is basically cardboard, too stiff and dull to make one believe he could ever liven up a real circus (and was dubbed to boot). The finale "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is a bit odd, as the four leads play every circus role, from clowns to bareback riders. Is it their imagination? Is the Pop Warner Circus back on top? We never find out. Doesn't help that the song isn't up to the rest of the score - it was written by Richard Rodgers with Roger Edens. 

Not to mention, this movie is just plain too long. A lot of the circus routines and the draggy middle section could have been cut with no one the wiser. 

The Big Finale: This was a flop in 1962, and it was really the wrong movie at the wrong time. It was just too old-fashioned for the streamlined early 60's. If you love Day, Raye, or Durante, or are looking for a fun musical for the whole family, I'd grab a ride on Jumbo and head on down to the Warners' tent. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Happy Labor Day! - The Pajama Game

Warner Bros, 1957
Starring Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney, Eddie Foy Jr.
Directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen
Music by Richard Adler; Lyrics by Jerry Ross

We celebrate a holiday about working with the only musical I know of that revolves around a labor dispute. The Pajama Game debuted on Broadway in the mid-50's, when many Americans still worked blue-collar jobs in small factories in the north and Midwest like the Sleep-Tite Pajamas. How does the story of how Sleep-Tite's employees fought for a raise - and how one employee fell for a new manager - look today? Let's start at Sleep-Tite, just as it's new superintendent Sid (Raitt) is arriving, and find out...

The Story: On Sid's first day at Sleep-Tite, he insults a man who goes to the grievance committee. The head of the committee is Katherine "Babe" Williams (Day), who clashes with him at first before ultimately dropping the complaint. The other women in the factory think she's in love...and they eventually turn out to be right. She and Sid finally admit their feelings at the company picnic.

Babe, however, doesn't think it'll work out. She's an employee, and he's management. The garment union is pushing for a 7 1/2 cent raise, but the factory's manager ignores it. Fed up with his not listening, the factory workers slow down production. Babe jams the equipment, forcing Sid to fire her. Hoping to make amends, Sid turns to Gladys (Haney), the manager's secretary, to get her key and find out what he's hiding in his ledgers...and how he can help get the factory their raise and Babe back into his arms.

The Song and Dance: The unique story is the hook for some classic numbers, especially chorus routines. Day is absolutely dynamic as Babe, especially in the second half, when she thinks she has to give up Sid for the good of the union. Reta Shaw is hilarious as Sid's tough secretary Mabel, and Thelma Pelish is equally fun as Mae, the biggest member of the union (in all senses of the word). The color's gorgeous, especially during the "Once a Year a Day" chorus routine outside, with its brilliant swirling rainbow petticoats and gleaming gold light.

If the delightful choreography looks familiar, this was Bob Fosse's first full film assignment, having done the dances for the Broadway version as well. "Steam Heat" in particular shows off the dramatic, knock-kneed Fosse style that would become more familiar on Broadway and in Hollywood in the 60's and 70's.

Favorite Number: Babe claims "I'm Not at All In Love" after meeting Sid for the first time, but the ladies of Sleep-Tite know better. "Hey There" was the big hit ballad, and it gets an interesting number too, with Sid singing it into the Dictaphone, then playing it back and singing to scold his romantic notions. "Once a Year a Day" is that colorful, swirling number at the picnic that gets so wild, it ends with everyone collapsing! "Steam Heat" is extraneous, basically existing for Haney and the male dancers to do their bowler-and-knock-knees thing, but it still looks pretty darn good. "Hernando's Hideaway" has Haney bringing Raitt to Iowa's most infamous dive bar...so infamous, everyone needs to light matches to find their way around.

Trivia: Frank Sinatra was considered for the male lead that eventually went to original Broadway cast member Raitt.

Pajama Game debuted on Broadway in 1954 and was a huge hit, running just shy of three years. It made it to just under two on the West End. It was revived briefly on Broadway in 1978, and more successfully with Harry Connick Jr. as Sid in 2006. Three new songs were added to the 2006 version. It's said to be popular with community and high school theaters.

What I Don't Like: As unique as the story is, it really hasn't dated well in spots. Sid comes off as a bit of a jerk early-on and kind of forces himself on Babe, who kept saying 'no.' Gladys and Hines' subplot is even worse. Hines actually throws knives at Sid in the end when he's drunk and thinks Gladys has been with him - frankly, I'm amazed Gladys even considers returning to him after that. Speaking of Sid, Raitt is really kind of stiff in front of a camera when he's not singing. No wonder this would be his only film.

The Big Finale: Lively background music for your Labor Day barbecue if you're a fan of Day or 50's musicals.

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD; most streaming services have it for purchase only.

DVD
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Lullaby of Broadway

Warner Bros, 1951
Starring Doris Day, Gene Nelson, SZ Sakall, and Billy DeWolfe
Directed by David Butler
Music by various

After the war, Broadway remained as important as ever, helped by new inventions like the long-playing LP that could preserve almost an entire show's worth of music and excerpts of shows performed on early TV. The movies tried to regain their previous dominance with audiences by showcasing new performers and technologies. One of those new performers was Doris Day, who rose to prominence in the late 40's and early 50's in frothy musicals after a stint as a big band singer. She and another newcomer, dancer Gene Nelson, joined old hams like Sakall and De Wolfe for this tale of an English performer who comes to America to find the mother she never knew. We begin on-board a cruise ship bound for the US, as Melinda Howard (Day) prepares for that long-desired meeting...

The Story: Melinda thinks her mother, Broadway singer Jessica Howard (Gladys George), is a major star who lives in a New York mansion. The mansion is really owned by kindly businessman Adolph Hubbell (Sakall). Jessica is an alcoholic who performs at a saloon in Grenwich Village. Adolph's butler Lefty (DeWolfe) lies and says Jessica is away on a tour. He offers Melinda a room and reveals that many Broadway performers will be at a party that night. Among them is dancer Tom Farnham, whom Melinda met - and brushed off - on her trip to the US.

Adolph isn't happy about Melinda being there at first, until Lefty tells him what's going on. After Jessica fails to arrive at the party (she was really in the hospital), Adolph offers to take her to dinner. He also brings her to the attention of the producer of the Broadway show Lullaby of Broadway, who takes her as his female star alongside Tom in order to get Adolph as his backer. Adolph buys Melinda a fur coat...but then his wife thinks it's for her. When she learns who it was really for, she names Melinda in a divorce suit. Not to mention, Tom thinks Melinda's relationship with Adolph may be more than it seems. It'll take Lefty and his fiancee Gloria (Anna Triola) to bring mother and daughter together and keep Melinda from leaving the country.

The Song and Dance: Better than you'd think from the fluffy story. Nelson and Day make a cute couple, and De Wolfe and Triola may be even cuter as the former vaudevillians who are determined to help at least one person make it to the big time. Nelson has a few amazing dance routines, especially near the end of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." Gladys George is also excellent as Melinda's blowzy mother who thinks she's better off hiding her sordid past from her angelic daughter. Their eventual meeting in the last ten minutes is melodramatic but still heart-rendering.

Favorite Number: Day gets a perky rendition of the classic Cole Porter song "Just One of Those Things" in the opening seconds, wearing a tuxedo while singing onstage. De Wolfe and Triola have two hilarious duets, "You're Dependable" at the party, and "We'd Like to Go On a Trip" later on. Nelson shows off that amazing split while jumping off a piano at the party during "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." He and Day join the chorus for the charming courtship number "I Love the Way You Say Goodnight" that includes some odd slow-motion special effects towards the end and the big title song finale, with Day in a flowing golden gown.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention that story? Alternatively fluffy and melodramatic, it's very predictable and can get kind annoying, especially towards the end. It also seems like kind of a mish-mash, almost a jukebox musical for previous Warners musical films. There's only three new songs - everything else is mostly from Warners musicals of the 1930's.

The Big Finale: Charming backstage tale with several decent numbers is worth checking out for fans of Day or Nelson.

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD from the Warner Archives.

DVD
Amazon Prime

A Salute to Doris Day - Love Me or Leave Me

MGM, 1955
Starring Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell, and Robert Keith
Directed by Charles Vidor
Music by Nicholas Brodzsky and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others

First of all, this is my last review for the next week and a half. I'll be on vacation from tomorrow through Thursday, May 23rd, which is when regular reviews will resume.

Though she's best-known for her comedies, Day could be a credible dramatic actress when called on to be. Probably her best-known foray into drama was this mid-50's hit, one of her two pairings with James Cagney. This dark gangster musical is unusual territory for MGM, who usually preferred their musicals on the fluffy side. The gamble paid off - it won Best Writing at the Oscars and received a truckload of good reviews for Cagney and Day. Let's head to a dance hall in Chicago during the Roaring 20's to see if it's worthy of that acclaim...

The Story: Ruth Etting (Day) may work in a dance hall, but she has every intention of going places. She catches the eye of Chicago big shot Martin "The Gimp" Snyder (Cagney) when she kicks a customer who's getting fresh. He's smitten with her and promises that he'll get her into the big time. He starts with pushing her into a nightclub act, then a stage show when the regular act gets drunk. He wants her to go to Miami with him, but she insists she's not anyone's  plaything and declines. He's initially angry, but eventually gets her and her loyal pianist Johnny Alderman (Mitchell) first a radio show of her own, then a spot in the Ziegfeld Follies. Ruth may be doing well, but Snyder isn't. Each move takes him further and further away from his accustomed turf, and puts Ruth's career further out of his control.

She marries him out of gratitude, even though she doesn't love him. It turns out to be a mistake. He becomes increasingly jealous and violent as he micromanages every aspect of her life and career, from her radio show to her recordings. Tired of being told he's riding her success, he opens his own nightclub. She's making movies in Hollywood and is renewing her feelings for Johnny, who returns them. Martin doesn't like this at all...and the resulting shooting and scandal would damage Etting's career and make her realize that, no matter how much she appreciates what Martin did for her, she can't live with his abuse anymore.

The Song and Dance: This is familiar turf for Cagney, one of his last gangster roles...but who knew Day could be this tough? She matches him snarl for snarl in what's probably one of her best performances as the singer who will do anything to further her career. Cagney's just as good as the gangster who refuses to admit that he's in over his head in show business. Keith's also excellent as Snyder's friend and Etting's agent Bernie Loomis.

MGM spared no expense on this one. The costumes are gorgeous, especially early-on, when they're still running with the twenties flapper aesthetic. The movie was shot in Cinemascope, and it looks great.

Favorite Number: Day's famous "Shakin' the Blues Away," the sole chorus number, really benefits from the wider screen, with wind machines and chorus boys in tuxes and canes flanking Day. Her other songs are mostly sung behind a microphone or a piano. "Ten Cents a Dance" was an Etting staple, and Day knocks it out of the park in the other major stage number. Her "I'll Never Stop Loving You" (which was Oscar-nominated) gets a tender run-through late in the film, when she's realized how much she loves Johnny.

Trivia: Spencer Tracy was originally going to play Martin, but turned down the role. Ava Gardner and Jane Russell were considered for Etting until Cagney suggested Day.

Unlike earlier singer biographies such as Lillian Russell, this one at least somewhat sticks to the facts. Etting really did marry Snyder to further her career, and she really was a popular singer in the late 20's and early 30's who appeared briefly in the Ziegfeld Follies, had her own radio show, and recorded dozens of hits. Snyder really did control her career that much, even starting fights and pulling pranks backstage at her shows.

The shooting scandal, however, was even nastier than what they depicted here. Johnny was married with children at the time, and Martin actually threatened them along with him. His wife even sued Etting for damages - it was dropped in 1939. Etting married Johnny after he recovered, and they happily retired to Colorado Springs for the rest of their lives.

What' I Don't Like: Despite the happy ending, this is not a feel-good movie. Those who are expecting Day's usual fizzy comedies will likely be baffled. These are not the nicest people, even Etting, and some harrowing scenes of verbal and physical abuse makes it hard to watch occasionally towards the end.

The Big Finale: If you're looking for a different Day or are a fan of her, Cagney, or gangster tales, you'll want to give this one a try.

Home Media: As one of Day's biggest hit musicals, this is easily found on all formats; the Blu-Ray is available from the Warner Archives.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

A Salute to Doris Day - Calamity Jane

Warner Bros, 1953
Starring Doris Day, Howard Keel, Allyn Ann McLerie, and Phillip Carey
Directed by David Butler
Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

In honor of Doris Day, who passed away today at age 97, my last reviews before my vacation hiatus will be devoted to two of her most popular musical vehicles. She appeared in movie musicals for Warners years before she starred in her famous series of romantic comedies in the late 50's and 60's. Today, this movie is probably best known for the Oscar-winning ballad "Secret Love," but there's a lot more to this girl-power western than a sweet tune. How much more? Let's take a stagecoach to Deadwood City in Dakota Territory to find out...

The Story: Calamity Jane (Day) is the toughest-talking, hardest-drinking "shotgun" messenger (stagecoach guard) in the Dakota Territory. She's got a ton of tall tales to tell about  her exploits fighting outlaws and Indians off the coach, and she's always as good as her word. When she tells the boys she'll go to Chicago to get a famous actress to play at the Golden Garter Saloon, she does it. Turns out that the actress is on her way to Europe. What Calamity finds is Katie Brown (McLerie), her maid, who wants to be a performer. Calamity can't tell one bustle-wearin' female from another and brings Katie back to Deadwood.

The boys aren't happy about the switch at first, but Katie wins them over with her girlish charm and sweet voice. She even gains two suitors in the handsome cavalry officer Lieutenant Daniel Gilmartin (Carey) and Calamity's guy friend Wild Bill Hickock (Keel). She and Calamity move in together; she helps her fix up her tumbledown cabin and gives her a dress to wear. They attend a ball with the menfolk to show off Calamity's new, daintier style. That lasts for barely ten minutes before she catches Gilmartin and Katie kissing. Calamity has had her eye on Gilmartin, and she's angry enough to threaten Katie there and at the Saloon. After Bill tells her that he defended Katie during her act, she realizes that he's really her "secret love," and she has to keep Katie from leaving town.

The Song and Dance: It's rare to see a strong female hero in a western even nowadays, never mind in the 50's. Day's Calamity may be willing to submit to Katie's "Woman's Touch," but in a refreshing turn, she never quite loses her tomboyish spirit. Indeed, she wears simple western trousers and a lacy blouse during her "Secret Love" number, showing that while she have embraced her feminine side, she's going to do it her way. She and Keel make a nifty couple; she's even better with the tougher-than-she-looks McLerie. Dick Wesson has some funny moments as a tenderfoot actor whom the owner of the Golden Garter mistakes for an actress due to his feminine name, Francis.

Favorite Number: The opening "Whip-Crack Away/Very Good Friend of Mine" smoothly takes us from Calamity on the stagecoach to Deadwood City to the discovery of the mistake with Francis in an extended musical sequence that's a smooth and robust way to kick things off. Calamity and Bill express their antagonistic friendship in "I Can Do Without You." Wesson's drag number, "A Hive Full of Honey," when he's trying to convince the audience in the saloon that he's a woman, is hilarious.

The standard here is "Secret Love," the simple and lovely ballad Day sings towards the end of the movie, after she's realized that she really cares about Bill. The number that goes along with it is equally simple and sweet, just Day beautifully performing the song in a glowing Technicolor valley.

Trivia: The real Calamity Jane did have many adventures, and she was inclined to tell tall tales...but it's not really known what her actual relationship with Wild Bill Hickcock was. Historians say they were likely just acquaintances and Calamity exaggerated their relationship, the way she did many of her stories.

There's a stage version of this one around. It hasn't made Broadway at press time, but it did turn up on TV in 1963 with Carol Burnett as Calamity and in London's West End.

What I Don't Like: At times, this feels like it was cobbled together from other, better-known musical westerns. "I Can Do Without You" sounds like "Anything You Can Do" from Annie Get Your Gun, which also provides the general idea of a musical about a famous female sharpshooter. "Just Blew from the Windy City" bears more than a passing resemblance to "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City" from Oklahoma. Carey's Gilmartin is so dull, he barely registers, making you wonder exactly what the ladies see in him.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Day or musical westerns, this is a whip-cracking good tale that Calamity herself might have approved of.

Home Media: As one of Day's most popular musical vehicles, this is easy to find in all formats, including Blu-Ray and on several streaming services.

DVD 
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

April In Paris

Warner Bros, 1952
Starring Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin, and Eve Miller
Directed by David Butler
Music by Vernon Duke; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Sammy Cahn

Although it was originally released at Christmas, this fluffy Day vehicle is the perfect lightweight romantic comedy for a warm spring day. Given the title, it was practically mandatory for me to get it in this month. Is it as romantic and dreamy as Paris in the spring? Let's first take a trip to Washington DC's state department and check in with the government to find out...

The Story: Assistant Secretary Winthrop Putham (Bolger) is in a tizzy. He's putting on a huge art exposition in Paris, but the invitation he meant to send to Ethel Barrymore instead was mailed to chorus girl "Dynamite" Ethel Jackson (Day). He initially tells her about the mistake, but his boss, Secretary Robert Sherman (Paul Harvey), actually decides he likes the idea. Ethel would be happier about the whole thing if her big ocean voyage to France didn't most involved being grilled in French by stuffy government officials. She sneaks down to the galley to party with the crew, including waiter Phillipe Fouquet (Dauphin). Winthrop is order to tell her that she's done...but ends up getting drunk and marrying her, to the horror of his bossy fiancee, Secretary Sherman's daughter Marcia (Miller). Now the two have to figure out how to get out of this mess...and then if they actually want to.

The Song and Dance: There's some charm to be found in this fizzy tale. Bolger does get a few funny moments, especially spoofing the US governments' fondness for titles and underlings. Harvey's even funnier as the stuffed-shirt senator. Day has her moments as well, especially sniping with Bolger early-on and when she gets into a cat fight with Miller during the art exposition.

Favorite Number: The best song from this one by far is "We're Going to Ring the Bell Tonight," Day and Bolger's big dance routine with Dauphin and the crew in the gallery. There's more verve and energy in that number than there is in the entire rest of the movie. Bolger also has a nice solo dance in his boss' office, when he's dreaming of making it to the top of the White House.

What I Don't Like: Bolger and Day are mismatched. They have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. You'd never believe she'd fall for him so quickly, especially after the whole thing with the letter was his fault. Bolger never did work well as a romantic leading man. Dauphin is way over the top as the mischievous French waiter who causes a lot of the trouble, to the point where he's more annoying than anything. Other than Dauphin, the movie doesn't have a drop of French flavor. It looks and sounds like something that was filmed on an American sound stage in the 50's. The romantic comedy contrivances veer between cliched and ridiculous. By the end, you start to wish the two would either get a room or just part, given how long they draw it out.

The Big Finale: In the end, a few good numbers can't be redeemed by miscasting and a dull plot. Worth seeing once for fans of Day, Bolger, romantic comedies, or 50's musicals. Everyone else is probably better off looking up their favorite recording of the title song.

Home Media: The solo DVD is currently available via the Warner Archives; it can also be found as part of a Doris Day DVD set.

DVD
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection
Amazon Prime

I'll See You In My Dreams

Warner Bros, 1951
Starring Doris Day, Danny Thomas, Frank Lovejoy, and James Gleason
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Music by Walter Donaldson and others; Lyrics by Gus Kahn

If you've never heard of Gus Kahn, you're in good company. His name may not be as recognizable today as that of Jerome Kern, but you've probably at least hummed one of his songs once in your life. "It Had to Be You," "Carolina In the Morning," "Makin' Whoopie," and "Ain't We Got Fun" are among the famous songs he wrote the lyrics for. Let's see if this biography soars like so many of his most popular lyrics...

The Story: In the early 1910's, warehouse worker Gus Kahn (Thomas) brings his pile of songs and patriotic musicals to a song company to have considered for publication. He shoves them into the arms of one Grace LeBoy (Day), who promptly tells him to write less patriotism and more romance. He's angry at the criticism at first, but then goes over to her house in a tie and tells her and her parents that he's reconsidered. They create a partnership for a few years, but their publisher (Gleason) tells them that Grace isn't a good enough songwriter. He joins with composer Egbert Van Alstyne, writing the hits "Pretty Baby" and "Memories."

Grace keeps pushing the reluctant Gus into bigger and better things, even after they finally get married in 1916. She's plugging his latest hit when she's pregnant with their first child, a son. By the time she's having their second child, a daughter, she's pushed him into a big Ziegfeld show in New York and a partnership with perpetually drunk bachelor Walter Donaldson (Lovejoy). Grace is worried that he may be making a play for the show's star Gloria Knight (Patrice Wymore), but to Gloria's annoyance, he's only interested in his family.

The Depression wipes out the Kahn's savings and the style of upbeat tunes that Gus specialized in. Grace eventually convinces him to go to Hollywood, but while he does write music there, he's too temperamental to stick with one studio for very long. It takes a heart attack and the revival of film musicals in 1933 for Kahn to finally settle down and appreciate his wife and just how much his music has touched others.

The Song and Dance: Kahn died of a final heart attack in 1941, but Grace and his children were still alive, and their input makes this biography more honest than most. This is refreshingly domestic and small-scale compared to most musical film biographies, with it's emphasis on Grace and Gus' relationship and their home life with their children and their maid Anna (Mary Wickes). Anna's long and contemptuous relationship with Gus is the film's funniest running gag. Even the Chicago setting and the simple black and white cinematography marks this as something a little different.

Favorite Number: Day and Thomas are at their most charming in their duet of "Makin' Whoopee." Grace and Gus perform it on a train going back to Chicago. No backstage fuss, no melodrama, just two wonderful performers having fun together. Wymore gets the film's sole production number, "Love Me or Leave Me." Day also does a really touching version of the title song towards the end of the movie, when Grace is starting to worry about Gus and his health.

Trivia: Kahn's son Donald grew up to become a songwriter and musician in his own right. His most famous composition was the pop hit "A Beautiful Friendship."

What I Don't Like: This is absolutely not for people who like their musicals big, colorful, and bold. It's a small-scale story with songs mostly performed by the two leads and one major chorus number. The story itself is fairly cliche, hitting all the usual beats of a musician's rise and fall; while the family angle is an interesting twist, the plot itself is nothing you really haven't seen before, particularly in the angst-ridden second half.

Like most musical biographies of this time, once we get out of the early part of the 20th century, the costumes and sets stop reflecting the actual setting and start looking too modern. No one looks like they're dressed for the 20's and 30's during the segments set during those time periods. Once Gus' songs get popular, it looks like 1951 for the rest of the movie.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Day or Thomas or like your musicals on the smaller side, this charming tale of one of the most beloved lyracists of the early 20th century and his strong-willed wife is definitely worth a watch.

Home Media: This was one of Day's biggest hits (and was Warners' second-biggest hit of 1951) and can easily be found for streaming and on DVD via the Warner Archives.

DVD
Amazon Prime

Happy Thanksgiving! - By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Warner Bros, 1953
Starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Billy Gray, and Leon Ames
Directed by David Butler
Music by various composes

On Moonlight Bay was a huge hit for Warners, enough to warrant one of the very rare musical sequels. The sequel features a sequence set at Thanksgiving, which, along with the same warm and fuzzy feeling it shares from the original film, is reason enough to review it on a holiday known for tradition and nostalgia. Does it deserve a place at your Thanksgiving table, or should it be sent out to be stuffed? Let's return to the Wakefield home, just in time for Armistice Day...

The Story: It's a few days before Thanksgiving, 1918. Bill Sherman (MacRae) is finally home from the war, to the delight of his mechanic girlfriend Marjorie (Day). Marjorie wants to get married right away, but Bill is determined to earn enough money to live before jumping into a wedding. They quarrel over the change, but after Bill gets a job at the bank, agree that it's the smart thing to do.

Meanwhile, Marjorie's little brother Westley (Gray) is having his own growing pains. First, he gets so attached to the Thanksgiving turkey, he steals one from another house rather than let the butcher kill his new favorite pet. Shortly after the turkey incident, he finds a note from his father to an actress and thinks he's having an affair with her. Marjorie is so upset, she won't marry Bill... and Bill thinks Marjorie is the one having an affair with her dull suitor Chester Finley (Russell Arms). Everything finally comes out during a skating party for Mr. and Mrs. Winfield's (Ames and Rosemary DeCamp) anniversary.

The Song and Dance: Westley's wild imagination and some cute numbers provide most of the fun in this one. As someone who is also a big fan of both mysteries and old-time pulp fiction, I got the biggest kick out of the scene where he imagines himself to be a detective who rounds up a whole nest of thieves. DeCamp, Ames, and Mary Wickes as the ever-sarcastic maid Stella have more to do this time around, especially when they all think Mr. Winfield is cheating on his wife in the second half. I also love the opening, with Stella breaking the fourth wall to provide her own commentary on each member of the family.

Favorite Number: Along with Westley's daydreams, my favorite part of this one is the adorable "Ain't We Got Fun" number, with Stella, Marjorie, Bill, and Mr. Winfield having a great time getting the food ready for Thanksgiving dinner. You have to agree with Mr. Winfield when he says that preparing the food is just as much fun as eating the meal! MacRae and Day also get to have fun with "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee," which Chester starts in an attempt to woo Marjorie...only to have her end up with Bill when he gets in on the song.

What I Don't Like: Despite some twists in the plot, this is more-or-less a rehash of the first movie. Once again, we have Bill opposed to marrying Marjorie, either because of his own ambitions and opinions or a rumor Wesley (inadvertently) started about his father. We have an annoying suitor that Wesley helps get rid of, all leading up to a big party. I can understand Bill wanting to start a nest egg, but pretty much everything else that leads the two of them to their on-again, off-again nuptials is just ridiculous, and it gets annoying after a while. And though Doris Day throws her all into the "King Chanticleer" number in the local show, it's defeated by odd choreography and some really strange costumes. (Though, to be fair, it is supposed to be just a little number in a local show.)

The Big Finale: Same deal here. If you loved the first one, are a fan of Day or MacRae, or enjoy musical nostalgia or coming-of-age stories, this is one Thanksgiving table you'll want to join...whether the turkey is on it, or running around it.

Home Media: The sequel was almost as big of a hit as the original film, and is equally easy to find. Your best bet may be to buy the TCM two-pack that includes both movies.

DVD
DVD - TCM 2-Pack: On Moonlight Bay/By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Amazon Prime

And I hope all of my US readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their own families!

On Moonlight Bay

Warner Bros, 1951
Starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Billy Gray, and Leon Ames
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Music and Lyrics by various composers

This is the second of three nostalgic musicals Day made during the period where she was America's girl-next-door and the biggest musical star at Warner Bros. It's loosely based after the Penrod novels by Booth Tarkington, which was a series of stories about a mischievous little boy in the early 20th century. While the movie does focus mostly on the romantic exploits of his sister, the boy does have his own important plots. Does this excursion into times past float along like the lyrics in the title song, or should it be sent out the door with a slingshot? Let's head to a small Indiana town in 1916 and find out...

The Story: The Winfield family has just moved across town to a far larger home in an upwardly-mobile neighborhood. Mr Winfield (Ames) is the only one who thinks it's a good idea. His son Wesley (Gray) misses his friends, and his tomboy daughter Marjorie (Day) would rather be playing baseball than courting some dull young man. That changes when she meets handsome college boy William Sherman (MacRae) after almost shooting him when she was trying to keep Westley from playing with a gun. They go on a date and fall in love, but William has a lot of high-minded ideas about capitalism and the role of money and marriage in society. Marjorie claims that she agrees with them, but her banker father isn't as thrilled. He'd rather see Marjorie married to the steady but bland Hubert (Jack Smith). He's even less happy when Bill joins the army to head for France.

Eleven-year-old Westley has his own problems, most of them stemming from his attempts to avoid schoolwork and his wild imagination. He accidentally brings a love note from Marjorie to Bill to school for a class assignment; his attempts to get back at her and send Hubert packing make his sister happy instead of angry. He gets between Marjorie and Bill when the lie he tells his teacher (Ellen Corby) about his father being a drinker gets back to Bill, and he thinks Marjorie's father has hurt her. Wesley is ultimately the one who finally changes his father's mind about his sister and her beau when he uses a slingshot that used to belong to his father...and reminds Mr. Wakefield that he was a boy once, too.

The Song and Dance: Gray's antics and Day's feisty personality really give this one a lift. Marjorie may give up baseball for romance, but she's going to have it her way, no matter what her father says. Wesley's daydreaming is mostly what causes the problems, especially during one sequence in school where he imagines he's flying that reminds me a lot of A Christmas Story. Leon Ames and Rosemary DeCamp as his wife are fine as the Winfield parents; Mary Wickes is hilarious as the sarcastic maid Stella, whom everyone keeps running into when her hands are full.

Favorite Number: Day and MacRae have a charming version of "Cuddle Up a Little Closer" early in the film that's disrupted by Wesley's attempts to sing along. Day's tearful "Till We Meet Again" and "Tell Me" after she and Bill have been separated the first time and "Christmas Story" after the incident with Wesley and the lie about his father are her best solo numbers.

What I Don't Like: Wesley is seriously lucky he never got more than a scolding for any of the trouble he caused, including spreading a rather nasty rumor about his father and stealing his sister's letter. Mr. Winfield was a bit of a jerk throughout much of the movie; not only would some people today probably agree with Bill's views on marriage, but I suspect many fathers in the 21st century would be proud to have a soldier for a son. And yeah, a lot of this isn't anything you haven't seen before in dozens of coming-of-age stories going as far back as the Winfields' time.

The Big Finale: Charming and cute if you like the cast, Day, or nostalgic tales of growing up in the 20th century. This ended up being a huge hit for Warners, enough to warrant a sequel in 1953.

Home Media: As one of Day's most popular films, this is easily found online, both on streaming and on DVD.

DVD
TCM: On Moonlight Bay/By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Amazon Prime