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!
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
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
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
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Family Fun Saturday - Summer Magic
Disney, 1963
Starring Haley Mills, Dorothy McGuire, Burl Ives, and Deborah Walley
Directed by James Neilson
Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman
This was the musical I originally planned on reviewing Thursday night in honor of the summer season coming to a close. I'll use it to inaugurate Family Fun Saturday instead. On some Saturdays, instead of reviewing an animated film, I'll cover a live-action musical that your whole family can enjoy. We're heading to Maine in the 1910's for our first entry, one of four live-action musicals Walt Disney made in his lifetime. Is this as magical as his animated classics, or does it fizzle like a stale lemonade? Let's find out...
The Story: Nancy Carey (Mills) lives with her brothers and recently widowed mother (McGuire) in Boston in the early 1910's. She's a romantic and fanciful teen girl who never stops talking about her favorite books and her many ideas. One of those ideas is writing to the caretaker of an old house in a small town in Maine. The caretaker is Oshum Popham (Ives), the laid-back owner of the the town's general store. He's a bit surprised to see them at first, as Nancy's letter greatly exaggerated their situation, but he and his son Digby (Michael J. Pollard) and shy daughter Lallie Joy (Wendy Turner) welcome them anyway. The original owners of the house are rich people who are out of town and supposedly gave Popham carte blanche to do whatever he liked with it.
They're settling in nicely, including the huge sheepdog that little Peter (Jimmy Mathers) adopts, when they receive a message that their cousin Julia (Walley) is moving in with them. Julia is spoiled and obnoxious, constantly talking about her foster family's money and position. Her refusal to help the family fix up the house and constant arguing with Nancy doesn't help matters. Their rivalry comes to a head when handsome Charles Bryant (James Stacy) moves to town. Frilly Julia is the one who gains his favor, leading Nancy to lash out. The girls do make up from their quarrel, and Julia even agrees to help her cousin with her wardrobe.
On the day of their big Halloween party, Nancy discovers that the owner of the house (Peter Brown) has come back...and he's not entirely happy with what Popham has done or with the Careys living there. But as Osh tells his sour wife Mariah (Una Merkel), things always work out in the end...
The Song and Dance: The movie is mostly carried by Mills, who is adorable as the chatty and excitable Nancy, and Ives as good-natured, eternally optimistic Popham. McGuire also makes a warm, firm-but-gentle Mrs. Carey, and Walley is appropriately haughty as snobbish and insecure Julia. I really like Pollard's stoic Digby and wish he hadn't disappeared to Boston for most of the movie. The fine widescreen cinematography and lovely costumes ably capture rural New England of a hundred years ago. I
Favorite Number: "The Ugly Bug Ball," which Popham sings with Peter as they work on the house, is probably the best-known song from this film (thanks to it's inclusion on the old Disney Sing-A-Long Songs videos). The charming "On the Front Porch" has Ives singing with the cast on the porch of the old house. It and "Summer Magic," performed by McGuire and her children early in the film (once again on the porch), are two of the Shermans' best slower numbers. "Femininity," which has Julia and Nancy giving advice to Lallie Joy on how to win the man of her dreams, is a very cute trio that shows off the Shermans' love of playing with big words. Julia is introduced before we even meet her by the hilarious "The Pink of Perfection," which shows just how unimpressed her cousins are with her high-falutin' airs.
What I Don't Like: This isn't for people who like their musicals big, brassy, and bold. There's no noise or elaborate chorus numbers, and the story is pretty much just a small family drama. Some of the views of city slickers vs country folk and how women should behave (especially when in pursuit of the opposite sex) may look a bit dated to many viewers today.
The Big Finale: All of Disney's live-action theatrical musicals deserve more love, and this one is no exception. If you're a fan of Mills or Ives or loved other musical excursions into early 20th century nostalgia like Meet Me In St. Louis, you'll want to spend a magical summer with the Careys in Maine at the Little Yellow House, too.
Home Media: Not on Blu Ray at press time, but it is on DVD (in widescreen, a rarity for Disney's older movies) and on Amazon Prime.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Haley Mills, Dorothy McGuire, Burl Ives, and Deborah Walley
Directed by James Neilson
Music and Lyrics by Richard and Robert Sherman
This was the musical I originally planned on reviewing Thursday night in honor of the summer season coming to a close. I'll use it to inaugurate Family Fun Saturday instead. On some Saturdays, instead of reviewing an animated film, I'll cover a live-action musical that your whole family can enjoy. We're heading to Maine in the 1910's for our first entry, one of four live-action musicals Walt Disney made in his lifetime. Is this as magical as his animated classics, or does it fizzle like a stale lemonade? Let's find out...
The Story: Nancy Carey (Mills) lives with her brothers and recently widowed mother (McGuire) in Boston in the early 1910's. She's a romantic and fanciful teen girl who never stops talking about her favorite books and her many ideas. One of those ideas is writing to the caretaker of an old house in a small town in Maine. The caretaker is Oshum Popham (Ives), the laid-back owner of the the town's general store. He's a bit surprised to see them at first, as Nancy's letter greatly exaggerated their situation, but he and his son Digby (Michael J. Pollard) and shy daughter Lallie Joy (Wendy Turner) welcome them anyway. The original owners of the house are rich people who are out of town and supposedly gave Popham carte blanche to do whatever he liked with it.
They're settling in nicely, including the huge sheepdog that little Peter (Jimmy Mathers) adopts, when they receive a message that their cousin Julia (Walley) is moving in with them. Julia is spoiled and obnoxious, constantly talking about her foster family's money and position. Her refusal to help the family fix up the house and constant arguing with Nancy doesn't help matters. Their rivalry comes to a head when handsome Charles Bryant (James Stacy) moves to town. Frilly Julia is the one who gains his favor, leading Nancy to lash out. The girls do make up from their quarrel, and Julia even agrees to help her cousin with her wardrobe.
On the day of their big Halloween party, Nancy discovers that the owner of the house (Peter Brown) has come back...and he's not entirely happy with what Popham has done or with the Careys living there. But as Osh tells his sour wife Mariah (Una Merkel), things always work out in the end...
The Song and Dance: The movie is mostly carried by Mills, who is adorable as the chatty and excitable Nancy, and Ives as good-natured, eternally optimistic Popham. McGuire also makes a warm, firm-but-gentle Mrs. Carey, and Walley is appropriately haughty as snobbish and insecure Julia. I really like Pollard's stoic Digby and wish he hadn't disappeared to Boston for most of the movie. The fine widescreen cinematography and lovely costumes ably capture rural New England of a hundred years ago. I
Favorite Number: "The Ugly Bug Ball," which Popham sings with Peter as they work on the house, is probably the best-known song from this film (thanks to it's inclusion on the old Disney Sing-A-Long Songs videos). The charming "On the Front Porch" has Ives singing with the cast on the porch of the old house. It and "Summer Magic," performed by McGuire and her children early in the film (once again on the porch), are two of the Shermans' best slower numbers. "Femininity," which has Julia and Nancy giving advice to Lallie Joy on how to win the man of her dreams, is a very cute trio that shows off the Shermans' love of playing with big words. Julia is introduced before we even meet her by the hilarious "The Pink of Perfection," which shows just how unimpressed her cousins are with her high-falutin' airs.
What I Don't Like: This isn't for people who like their musicals big, brassy, and bold. There's no noise or elaborate chorus numbers, and the story is pretty much just a small family drama. Some of the views of city slickers vs country folk and how women should behave (especially when in pursuit of the opposite sex) may look a bit dated to many viewers today.
The Big Finale: All of Disney's live-action theatrical musicals deserve more love, and this one is no exception. If you're a fan of Mills or Ives or loved other musical excursions into early 20th century nostalgia like Meet Me In St. Louis, you'll want to spend a magical summer with the Careys in Maine at the Little Yellow House, too.
Home Media: Not on Blu Ray at press time, but it is on DVD (in widescreen, a rarity for Disney's older movies) and on Amazon Prime.
DVD
Amazon Prime
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