8/10
A major treat for music lovers!
22 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Songs by Arthur Schwartz (music) and Leo Robin (lyrics): "I Happened To Walk Down First Street" (Carson, Morgan, Paige and Greene), "A Solid Citizen of the Solid South" (Carson and Paige), "Through a Thousand Dreams" (Morgan and Vickers, accompanied by Cavallaro), "A Gal in Calico" (Morgan, Carson, Paige, Vickers), "A Rainy Night in Rio" (Morgan, Carson, Paige, Vickers), "Oh, But I Do" (Morgan). Miss Vickers' singing voice dubbed by Sally Sweetland. Dances directed and staged by LeRoy Prinz. Music adapted by Frederick Hollander, arranged by Dudley Chambers, orchestrated and conducted by Ray Heindorf. Music director: Leo F. Forbstein.

Copyright 28 December 1946 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. A Warner Brothers-First National picture. New York opening at the Strand: 26 December 1946. U.S. release: 28 December 1946. U.K. release: 26 May 1947. Australian release: 22 January 1948 (sic). 9,483 feet. 105 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: A musical highbrow (well played by Donald Woods) tries to stop the next-door nightclub from putting on a show.

NOTES: "A Gal in Calico" was nominated for the year's Best Song award, but lost out to "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South.

COMMENT: Engagingly acted by all concerned (especially by the lovely Martha Vickers and gold-digging Angela Greene), this is a bright, colorful musical comedy with two standout songs: "A Gal in Calico" and "A Rainy Night in Rio".

The plot provides some amusing variations on the standard putting- on-a-show ploy and does tend to become a bit overloaded with material, presumably to ensure that all six of the principals (Morgan, Carson, Vickers, Paige, Sakall and Greene) enjoy a fair share of the action.

Intending viewers are warned, however, that S.Z. Sakall manages to figure in rather more than a strictly equitable shake. For instance, he's not just a spectator of the musical numbers, but also tries to conduct the orchestra (whilst getting dressed, yet). I thought he was entertaining, but if you're not particularly partial to S.Z.'s visual and aural shenanigans, better give this Place a miss.

On the other hand, everyone's favorite pianist (and mine), Carmen Cavallaro (later to win fame for his superlative dubbing for Tyrone Power in "The Eddy Duchin Story") is present both in person and on the sound track — and that is a major treat that surely no fan in his right senses would want to miss.
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