Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.
Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins
- Louis Keller
- (as Butch Jenkins)
Page Cavanaugh
- Trio Leader
- (as Page Cavanaugh Trio)
David Bair
- Boy
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Bobby Barber
- Fighter
- (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone
- Mike - the Bartender
- (uncredited)
George Calliga
- Rabbi
- (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
- Drunk Barfly
- (uncredited)
George Davis
- The Florist
- (uncredited)
Dolores Donlon
- Bride
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilm debut of Betty Garrett.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Blue Lamp (1950)
- SoundtracksGod Bless America
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Marles Noie, Margaret O'Brien, Robert Preston, Danny Thomas, George Murphy, Betty Garrett, Karin Booth, Edward Arnold and Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins
Featured review
Contrived....of course. But entertaining as well.
For one reason alone, I adore "Big City". This is because it marks the final screen appearance of Butch Jenkins, perhaps the least talented child star of all time. I always thought it odd that MGM, the biggest and most prestigious studio at the time, put so much energy into trying to make young Jenkins a star...and after 13 films the experiment was (thankfully) over!
The story is a very contrived and hard to believe....so I suggest you just turn off that pesky brain of yours and watch! It begins with three bachelors finding a baby girl and all three agreeing to raise her. To make it more tough to believe, one's a Jewish cantor (Danny Thomas), one's a Protestant minister (Robert Preston) and one's a Catholic cop (George Murphy). However nice this arrangement is, it cannot continue forever, as the men start meeting women and want to marry and settle down. So what is going to happen to little Midge (Margaret O'Brien)?
This is an odd film because although the plot doesn't sound like there should be tons of music, the film is chock full of musical numbers...mostly by Thomas and Betty Garrett...though you also hear from George Murphy and O'Brien (though she's dubbed). I honestly think having a few less songs would have helped the story, as it really didn't seem conducive to so much music. Other than that, the film is enjoyable...even if O'Brien is a bit older and not quite as cute as she'd been in prior films. I was prepared to give it a 7 but the end was so schmaltzy that I couldn't see scoring it this highly.
The story is a very contrived and hard to believe....so I suggest you just turn off that pesky brain of yours and watch! It begins with three bachelors finding a baby girl and all three agreeing to raise her. To make it more tough to believe, one's a Jewish cantor (Danny Thomas), one's a Protestant minister (Robert Preston) and one's a Catholic cop (George Murphy). However nice this arrangement is, it cannot continue forever, as the men start meeting women and want to marry and settle down. So what is going to happen to little Midge (Margaret O'Brien)?
This is an odd film because although the plot doesn't sound like there should be tons of music, the film is chock full of musical numbers...mostly by Thomas and Betty Garrett...though you also hear from George Murphy and O'Brien (though she's dubbed). I honestly think having a few less songs would have helped the story, as it really didn't seem conducive to so much music. Other than that, the film is enjoyable...even if O'Brien is a bit older and not quite as cute as she'd been in prior films. I was prepared to give it a 7 but the end was so schmaltzy that I couldn't see scoring it this highly.
helpful•00
- planktonrules
- Sep 15, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Brothers of the East Side
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,725,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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