I am a Frank Morgan fan. So my review is for this movie and his performance in it. You won't see the prototypical Frank Morgan role as the Wizard of Oz. Or any of the other many movies featuring him as the congenial, slightly confused, bumbling erstwhile con-man. Frank Morgan's role ranges here from a slightly pompous father figure to a serious man of justice in a dramatic courtroom scene that was totally unexpected and may astonish you as it did me. It is one of the two best dramatic roles I've seen him in. (The other is in "The Kiss Before the Mirror", 1933. I recommend that movie, as well.) A minor distraction for me is Kathryn Grayson's singing. She was popular when this movie was made and the producers no doubt saw her as attracting a wider audience. For me, her singing style was a little too operatic for this movie's time and place. But that does not detract from the core of the movie. I won't pretend that any movie that involves racial relations in the old, post-war South will adequately cover all variations that existed. No such movie can please everyone. But if you are willing to view this movie as a legitimate slice of life for this family, you may enjoy a daughter's memories of her father and his extraordinary life. It is more than just nostalgia for "the old South". It is a story about a different time when people not only thought differently, but struggled with changing concepts of morality and equality and justice that we take for granted today.
Review of The Vanishing Virginian
