Starring Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Clarence Muse, and Raymond Walburn
Directed by Frank Capra
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and others; Lyrics by Johnny Burke and others
Bing Crosby's other release of 1950 also had him playing a guy who preferred a "lesser" career or no career to working in an office and was a remake of an earlier non-musical comedy, but is otherwise a different animal...literally, given this one has Bing as the caretaker to a beloved race horse. It was a subject near and dear to Bing's heart. He was a huge horse racing fan and owned many horses in real-life. Capra originally filmed this in 1934 Broadway Bill with Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy, but he was never happy with that version. How well does he do with this retelling? Let's begin after seeing horses racing in the credits with a secretary calling all of the sons-in-law of J.L Higgins (Charles Bickford) for a family meeting...including one who isn't on the job...and find out...
The Story: Dan Brooks (Crosby) gives up managing Higgins' box company and marrying his daughter Margaret (Frances Gifford) so he can devote himself to racing his newest horse Broadway Bill. He and his partner Whitey (Muse) want to race Bill in the Imperial Derby, but they need money. They try to get it from Professor Pettigrew (Walburn), but he's a con-man who doesn't have much more than they do. Even when they do get the money, Bill ends up throwing his rider and running from the track.
Dan is determined to try again, but they're even more broke now. Whitey tries gambling, but he's beaten instead. Alice does manage to get the money, but it's no use. Bill is carted away and Dan winds up in jail...until a sick but wealthy man (Gene Lockhart) thinks Bill is a sure shot and bets on him. Now gangster Eddie Howard (Douglas Dumbrille) would rather his own horses win. Dan still insists that his jockey Ted Williams (Frankie Darro) get Bill across the finish line...but pushing the horse to do so ends up having tragic consequences.
The Song and Dance: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. Bing fits in far better here as a race track fan who loves his horse than he did as a songwriter in Mr. Music. He's more than matches by a terrific cast of character actors, many of them reprising their roles from the original film. Walburn is a delightfully twinkly and befuddled Professor, Muse manages to be dignified even when he's been ripped to shreds for gambling, and William Demarest gets some very funny lines as one of Dan's race track buddies. I even like that the ending gets a little bit dark. It does ultimately end on a happy note, but most of the final twenty minutes are more bitter than sweet.
The Numbers: Our first song isn't until almost ten minutes in, but it's the lovely ballad "It's a Sure Thing," which Dan sings as he dresses for the family meeting. Whitey starts off "Someplace On Anywhere Road" while he and Dan drive Broadway Bill to the races. Dan eventually joins in. He and the Professor sing Yale's "Whiffenpoof Song" to get out of paying their restaurant receipt. Alice, Whitey, and Dan cheerfully sing and dance as they make a "Sunshine Cake" in the guys' ramshackle shack...before it starts raining. "The Horse Told Me" is a chorus number for Dan and everyone at the track the night before the big race. Dan, Alice, and Whitey are joined by a group of kids for "Camptown Races" as they walk Bill to the track.
Trivia: Look for Oliver Hardy in a rare solo cameo as a gambler at the first race.
Final film for venerable character actor Harry Davenport, who died three months after filming ended, radio comedian Ish Kabibble (M.A Bogue), and Frances Gifford.
What I Don't Like: Capra's not quite firing on all cylinders here. Apparently, a lot of footage is reused from the original Broadway Bill, including scenes at the track and sequences with Dumbrille and Walburn. It was due to budget concerns, but many people online complain that it looks cheaper. Gray is cute and does "Sunshine Cake" well with the guys, but she's certainly no Myrna Loy, who originated the role. Gifford has even less to do. Muse's dignity and Dan treating him like an equal partner does make his slightly stereotypical role a lot easier to take.
The Big Finale: Not Capra's greatest achievement, but this is one of Bing's better musicals from later in his career. Check it out this Kentucky Derby weekend if you're a fan of Capra, Crosby, or the original Broadway Bill.
Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD.
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