Copyright 19 March 1951 (in notice: 1950) by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Strand: 27 March 1951. U.S. release: 24 March 1951. U.K. release: 29 December 1951. Australian release: 26 March 1953 (sic ). 92 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Arriving in New York from London, an unknown musical comedy actress discovers that her mother is not the Broadway star she's supposed to be.
NOTES: A re-make of "Honky Tonk" (1929) which starred Sophie Tucker and Lila Lee in the roles now played by Gladys George and Doris Day. The film was directed for Warner Bros by Lloyd Bacon.
COMMENT: Doris looks absolutely stunning in this brightly colored Technicolor musical. She's in fine voice too. And though many critics complained about the story I thought it served its musical, comic and dramatic purposes well. Besides being an obvious peg for the wonderful songs, it allows both Billy De Wolfe and S.Z. Sakall some wonderfully comic opportunities, of which naturally they take full advantage.
In addition to the dancing of the principals, I also enjoyed the ingenious De Mattiazzi specialty. Florence Bates and Anne Triola are both stand-out in the support cast. Gladys George is almost too convincing. Production values are lavish and credits A-1.
OTHER VIEWS: Gorgeously costumed and presented, here's that ultra- pleasant, effervescent and highly photogenic Doris Day, singing and dancing with great vitality and style. Mr. Nelson offers agreeable support and has one vividly choreographed solo number that cleverly leads up to a spectacular finale. Aside from the lively title number (the opening of which has been cribbed from Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933) and a nice duet with Day on the other side of a glass door, the other musical numbers are staged in a somewhat more routine, straight style, though still most agreeable.
Unfortunately the story on which the numbers are pegged is somewhat less inventive. It's a simple variation on that old Apple Annie routine which Frank Capra filmed a couple of times and also rears its changeling head in such movies as "Lady For a Day". Still, the old story does allow S.Z. Sakall to delight his fans with unashamed mugging, and also provides a similar work-out for Billy De Wolfe (who seems somewhat jaded and understandably bored with his part here). It even slots in two songs for Gladys George. Plus some comic business for our favorite, Florence Bates.
All this seems agreeable and even promising. But why does the silly story take itself so seriously? Why do the players act it out with such straight faces? Why is the direction so heavy-handed and tortuously paced? The wind-up is brief enough, so why is the lead-in to the plot so elaborately long-winded?
Butler is certainly not the right director for this sort of frothy material. He has neither a deftly light touch nor a sense of pace and movement. He's too over-conscientiously routine. Fortunately, the movie is attractively photographed, costumed and set, even if the budget seems none too expansive. - JHR writing as George Addison.
SYNOPSIS: Arriving in New York from London, an unknown musical comedy actress discovers that her mother is not the Broadway star she's supposed to be.
NOTES: A re-make of "Honky Tonk" (1929) which starred Sophie Tucker and Lila Lee in the roles now played by Gladys George and Doris Day. The film was directed for Warner Bros by Lloyd Bacon.
COMMENT: Doris looks absolutely stunning in this brightly colored Technicolor musical. She's in fine voice too. And though many critics complained about the story I thought it served its musical, comic and dramatic purposes well. Besides being an obvious peg for the wonderful songs, it allows both Billy De Wolfe and S.Z. Sakall some wonderfully comic opportunities, of which naturally they take full advantage.
In addition to the dancing of the principals, I also enjoyed the ingenious De Mattiazzi specialty. Florence Bates and Anne Triola are both stand-out in the support cast. Gladys George is almost too convincing. Production values are lavish and credits A-1.
OTHER VIEWS: Gorgeously costumed and presented, here's that ultra- pleasant, effervescent and highly photogenic Doris Day, singing and dancing with great vitality and style. Mr. Nelson offers agreeable support and has one vividly choreographed solo number that cleverly leads up to a spectacular finale. Aside from the lively title number (the opening of which has been cribbed from Busby Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933) and a nice duet with Day on the other side of a glass door, the other musical numbers are staged in a somewhat more routine, straight style, though still most agreeable.
Unfortunately the story on which the numbers are pegged is somewhat less inventive. It's a simple variation on that old Apple Annie routine which Frank Capra filmed a couple of times and also rears its changeling head in such movies as "Lady For a Day". Still, the old story does allow S.Z. Sakall to delight his fans with unashamed mugging, and also provides a similar work-out for Billy De Wolfe (who seems somewhat jaded and understandably bored with his part here). It even slots in two songs for Gladys George. Plus some comic business for our favorite, Florence Bates.
All this seems agreeable and even promising. But why does the silly story take itself so seriously? Why do the players act it out with such straight faces? Why is the direction so heavy-handed and tortuously paced? The wind-up is brief enough, so why is the lead-in to the plot so elaborately long-winded?
Butler is certainly not the right director for this sort of frothy material. He has neither a deftly light touch nor a sense of pace and movement. He's too over-conscientiously routine. Fortunately, the movie is attractively photographed, costumed and set, even if the budget seems none too expansive. - JHR writing as George Addison.