1h 9min | Drama, Musical | 11 July 1941
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Stars: Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin, Anne Bennett .
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034279/
Watched on AmazonPrime; decent print.
The 6th in a series of Dr. Christian (not Dr. Kildare) films, the 1st that is a musical. Probably should have tag Music instead. As the synopsis says, the little girl sings (operatically), 3 songs according to the Soundtracks, and 2 more are sung by others.
She's a semi-orphan, whose father is sent to prison for embezzling money from his employer, but he didn't do it. And Dr. Christian dispatches an amateur to uncover facts about their favorite suspect, while he convinces the governor to grant mini-furloughs for dad.
The whole thing gets resolved cinematically (with no audible dialog) while the girl is singing an aria at a state competition/exhibition attended by the governor. I couldn't read the hand-written note quickly enough, but the governor ends up releasing dad from custody based solely on whatever evidence the amateur has gathered - without adjudication. She witnesses this back and forth between boxes at the concert, and finally smiles again after n reels.
If there weren't a Jean Herscholt Humanitarian award, I wouldn't know anyone's name in this film, and wouldn't be attracted to its story. I'd previously rated this 6, but I don't recommend a re-viewing.
Stephens-Lang Productions, distr. RKO, dir. Kenton; 5
