Looks like was intended as a follow up on the Will Rogers-starring "Steamboat Round the Bend" of the previous year. Unfortunately, Rogers was killed in the meanwhile. Veteran charismatic actor Walter Brennan takes on the typical Rogers role here, and is the main heart and soul of the film, as the patriarch of a small family of mostly illiterate Mississippi 'river rats'. Sort of a low-brow "Showboat" which was released in one of its film versions this same year. The combination of Brennan and Buddy Ebsen, in their typecast personalities, with some help from Helen Westley, as pipe-smoking granny, and Spencer Charters(judge) provide most of the authentic feel. The music is mostly clustered in several segments, beginning with the celebration of the wedding of land-based Pearl(Barbara Stanwyck) and river rat Ernie(Joel McCrea). The music includes 3 original numbers by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Anderson, and a host of traditional favorites, including several by Stephen Foster. 3 songs are featured at least twice: the title song, "Where the Lazy River goes By", and "St. Louis Blues" Brennan, with his crazy-looking one-man band instrument: 'the contraption', is the featured player in most of these episodes.
Neither McCrea nor Stanwyck, nor the jealous Leota(Katherine De Mille), as Ernie's wanna be wife, come across as very believable illiterate 'river rats'. In fact, Ernie soon becomes a footloose world-traveling marvel, after running away from a possible murder charge from pushing a wedding guest in the river, who then can't be found(until later). When Earnie finally returns, he proposes that the extended family move to the Caribbean island of Aruba.. The catch is that he wants to go ahead by him self to set things up. But Pearl vehemently objects to being left alone for another long spell. They split over this matter, both independently landing in New Orleans(N.O.). Ironically, at one moment , both are present in a restaurant: Ernie as customer intent on getting drunk, and Pearl as the dishwasher, in the back. However, Ernie presumably goes off to Aruba, as can't find Pearl. Meanwhile, Pearl strikes up a friendship with the young restaurant singer(Tony Martin, as Chick).. For the rest of the film, we go back and forth a few times as to whether Pearl is going to end up with Ernie or Chick., and whether Ernie is going to end up with Pearl or still hopeful Leota. The latter thinks she finally has Ernie cornered when she is the only one with enough money to bail Ernie out of jail in N.O., after he started a melee in that restaurant upon returning, presumably from Aruba. Meanwhile, Pearl again agrees to go with Chick to Chicago, but first wants to go home to retrieve her cherished kimono. She finds Leota wearing it, as she and Ernie are in the middle of their wedding ceremony! A cat fight ensues, and guess who winds up in her underwear. After more excitement from a raging storm, Brennan gets an opportunity to lock Ernie and Pearl in a room by themselves, so they can fight out their differences without one leaving. Finally, the light goes off, with the implication that they have agreed to their future together. Thus, maybe grandpa will eventually get his hoped-for grandchild.
Bespeckled Walter Catlett has a part worked in where he hires vulnerable young women to be his 'touch up artist' for his photographs, in his N.O. studio. Pearl briefly agrees to this role, but sensing that she is expected to perform other services, quickly leaves for a dishwashing job in a restaurant. Nonetheless, both Ernie and Brennan initially assume that she is with him, and beat him up(on separate occasions) before learning otherwise. In a running gag, he gets beat up again by Ernie, who sees him with Pearl in the restaurant, upon returning from Aruba? Meanwhile, Leota probably has taken Catlett's job as a 'touch up artist', thus has the money to bail Ernie out of jail.. Not being familiar with Catlett, I assumed he was the silent film star Harold Lloyd, whom he much resembled, even wearing Lloyds typical outfit.
Spencer Charters plays the usually inebriated judge, who marries Ernie and Pearl, in a role that Edgar Buchanan would later inherit.....Minna Gombell plays the sleazy-looking,but actually nice, blond owner of the restaurant, who takes an interest in trying to straighten things out for Ernie and Pearl.
One of Ebsen's dances showcases his 'rubberman' dance style, also displayed in several other films of this era. In the absence of Ray Bolger, he would have been perfect as 'the scarecrow' , in 'The Wizard of Oz". In fact, he was the original choice for 'the scarecrow', before it was decided to switch him to 'the tin man'. But, he nearly died from an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used for his makeup, thus missed out in the final production.
20 years later, Brennan would again play an old 'river rat', in the romantic drama "Tammy and the Bachelor".
In a N.O. dockside street scene, we have the equivalent of the "Old Man River" scene in "Showboat", featuring the Hall Johnson African American choir, in a rendition of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues", while Pearl is feeling low.
Stanwyck gets to sing and/or dance a bit with Martin or Ebsen, as part of their acts for the restaurant. While he had a great voice and was handsome, Martin had Perry Como's problem of being a stiff, bland, film actor.
Presently viewable in its entirely at YouTube. I saw it on the Fox movie channel.
Neither McCrea nor Stanwyck, nor the jealous Leota(Katherine De Mille), as Ernie's wanna be wife, come across as very believable illiterate 'river rats'. In fact, Ernie soon becomes a footloose world-traveling marvel, after running away from a possible murder charge from pushing a wedding guest in the river, who then can't be found(until later). When Earnie finally returns, he proposes that the extended family move to the Caribbean island of Aruba.. The catch is that he wants to go ahead by him self to set things up. But Pearl vehemently objects to being left alone for another long spell. They split over this matter, both independently landing in New Orleans(N.O.). Ironically, at one moment , both are present in a restaurant: Ernie as customer intent on getting drunk, and Pearl as the dishwasher, in the back. However, Ernie presumably goes off to Aruba, as can't find Pearl. Meanwhile, Pearl strikes up a friendship with the young restaurant singer(Tony Martin, as Chick).. For the rest of the film, we go back and forth a few times as to whether Pearl is going to end up with Ernie or Chick., and whether Ernie is going to end up with Pearl or still hopeful Leota. The latter thinks she finally has Ernie cornered when she is the only one with enough money to bail Ernie out of jail in N.O., after he started a melee in that restaurant upon returning, presumably from Aruba. Meanwhile, Pearl again agrees to go with Chick to Chicago, but first wants to go home to retrieve her cherished kimono. She finds Leota wearing it, as she and Ernie are in the middle of their wedding ceremony! A cat fight ensues, and guess who winds up in her underwear. After more excitement from a raging storm, Brennan gets an opportunity to lock Ernie and Pearl in a room by themselves, so they can fight out their differences without one leaving. Finally, the light goes off, with the implication that they have agreed to their future together. Thus, maybe grandpa will eventually get his hoped-for grandchild.
Bespeckled Walter Catlett has a part worked in where he hires vulnerable young women to be his 'touch up artist' for his photographs, in his N.O. studio. Pearl briefly agrees to this role, but sensing that she is expected to perform other services, quickly leaves for a dishwashing job in a restaurant. Nonetheless, both Ernie and Brennan initially assume that she is with him, and beat him up(on separate occasions) before learning otherwise. In a running gag, he gets beat up again by Ernie, who sees him with Pearl in the restaurant, upon returning from Aruba? Meanwhile, Leota probably has taken Catlett's job as a 'touch up artist', thus has the money to bail Ernie out of jail.. Not being familiar with Catlett, I assumed he was the silent film star Harold Lloyd, whom he much resembled, even wearing Lloyds typical outfit.
Spencer Charters plays the usually inebriated judge, who marries Ernie and Pearl, in a role that Edgar Buchanan would later inherit.....Minna Gombell plays the sleazy-looking,but actually nice, blond owner of the restaurant, who takes an interest in trying to straighten things out for Ernie and Pearl.
One of Ebsen's dances showcases his 'rubberman' dance style, also displayed in several other films of this era. In the absence of Ray Bolger, he would have been perfect as 'the scarecrow' , in 'The Wizard of Oz". In fact, he was the original choice for 'the scarecrow', before it was decided to switch him to 'the tin man'. But, he nearly died from an allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used for his makeup, thus missed out in the final production.
20 years later, Brennan would again play an old 'river rat', in the romantic drama "Tammy and the Bachelor".
In a N.O. dockside street scene, we have the equivalent of the "Old Man River" scene in "Showboat", featuring the Hall Johnson African American choir, in a rendition of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues", while Pearl is feeling low.
Stanwyck gets to sing and/or dance a bit with Martin or Ebsen, as part of their acts for the restaurant. While he had a great voice and was handsome, Martin had Perry Como's problem of being a stiff, bland, film actor.
Presently viewable in its entirely at YouTube. I saw it on the Fox movie channel.