When we first heard "Lullaby of Broadway" in "Gold Diggers of 1935", it told the story of Broadway Babies who said goodnight early in the morning. One of them must have been the character played here by Gladys George, "Greenwich Village Gertie" she calls herself, a torch singer in Washington Square who sings such songs as "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone". George's character could also be the speakeasy lady she played in "The Roaring Twenties", now a drunken shell of herself whose daughter (Day) thinks that her mother is a great star. Doris comes back from being away in Europe, moves into what she believes is her mother's Beekman Place home (right next to Mame Dennis, of course!), and proceeds to innocently cause scandal for a Hungarian beer manufacturer (S.Z. Sakall) and his imperious wife (Florence Bates). A mix-up over a mink coat causes Bates to think that something more is going on between hubby Sakall and newcomer Day. Then, Doris learns the truth about her mother, reels over the accusations of the press, and prepares to return to Europe.
That storyline is more than a lullaby, it is a torch song! But thanks to a light-hearted presentation by Warner Brothers, "Lullaby of Broadway" ends up being one of their better early 50's musicals, not lavish like MGM's crop, but unpretentious and fun. There's a bit of dated comedy (Billy DeWolfe & Anne Triola's routines reek of vaudeville, particularly their song, "You're Dependable") but when Doris sings and Gene dances, the film shines. Doris is a fine dancer too, but for some reason, Gene (who did his own singing in the movie version of "Oklahoma!") is dubbed by a bass singer that doesn't fit his speaking voice. Sakall can sometimes be a bit too cutesy, but Bates is delightfully comic. Her society matron manages to win sympathy because it is obvious that she only gets domineering with Sakall to prevent him from getting involved in creating disaster and truly loves him.
As for the musical numbers, Day's "Just One of Those Things" is the stand-out (she looks great in a tux!), while Nelson's athletic dancing in "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is amazing. There's some special effects thrown into the dancing during "I Like the Way You Say Good Night" (slowing down of the film, like Fred Astaire did in "Easter Parade"), and the mechanical doll number is truly funny as well. The title song lacks strong choreography but has a great opening of only Day's head being seen until the lights come up on her in a beautiful gold dress. It is her personality exploding on screen that the audience can describe, like her first movie song hit, "It's Magic!"
That storyline is more than a lullaby, it is a torch song! But thanks to a light-hearted presentation by Warner Brothers, "Lullaby of Broadway" ends up being one of their better early 50's musicals, not lavish like MGM's crop, but unpretentious and fun. There's a bit of dated comedy (Billy DeWolfe & Anne Triola's routines reek of vaudeville, particularly their song, "You're Dependable") but when Doris sings and Gene dances, the film shines. Doris is a fine dancer too, but for some reason, Gene (who did his own singing in the movie version of "Oklahoma!") is dubbed by a bass singer that doesn't fit his speaking voice. Sakall can sometimes be a bit too cutesy, but Bates is delightfully comic. Her society matron manages to win sympathy because it is obvious that she only gets domineering with Sakall to prevent him from getting involved in creating disaster and truly loves him.
As for the musical numbers, Day's "Just One of Those Things" is the stand-out (she looks great in a tux!), while Nelson's athletic dancing in "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is amazing. There's some special effects thrown into the dancing during "I Like the Way You Say Good Night" (slowing down of the film, like Fred Astaire did in "Easter Parade"), and the mechanical doll number is truly funny as well. The title song lacks strong choreography but has a great opening of only Day's head being seen until the lights come up on her in a beautiful gold dress. It is her personality exploding on screen that the audience can describe, like her first movie song hit, "It's Magic!"