1h 34min | Comedy, Musical | 29 June 1949 | Color
Director: Walter Lang
Stars: Dan Dailey, Anne Baxter, Anne Revere.
Nick Castle ... choreographer
bootleg, poor color
In the Tap! Appendix for Berry Brothers (Ananias and Warren Berry), Dan Dailey. The Berrys dance with DD at a train station (they're redcaps), on a couple of suitcases, on a RR car, and up and down a couple of slanted foundations. The song: Chattanooga Choo Choo. It's highly derivative of Sun Valley Serenade ('41) mixed with a suitcase dance that might even have been performed by the Berrys. (I searched my notes for "suitcase", but no match.) This is the last film credit for each Berry. I wasn't crazy about the number; like the Nicholas Bros dancing with G.Kelly in The Pirate ('48), the blending of styles made it less interesting. What was interesting about it: there would be no way to preserve DD's dancing if BBs were excised. They were always in close proximity, and DD plus 1 BB often shared a standard-size suitcase underfoot.
But this film goes to a very offensive place too: DD plays a black butler in scenes stolen from Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson.
The plot of this film is very strange: DD plays a working hoofer, starring(?) in a musical play. AB is a socialite who is fascinated by him, attends the show daily. She is NOT stage-struck, she's crushing on him. She finally waits for him in the rain by the stage door after a performance, and manages to share some shelter with him. The conversation turns to food and she invites him home for dinner with her parents and aunt. They date, break up (her idea), the aunt pulls them back together, they marry, and travel for his work.
He gets invited to screentest for silent films, the director pulls AB up to test with him, and the wrong star is born. DD goes back on the road while AB soars, but she manages to get pregnant. While on maternity leave, the talkies take over, and she bows out of films. But the studio is trying to make a musical, she insists her husband gets a shot, and a new star is born. Hence the extremely unlikely number with the Berry Brothers. The DD/AB daughter goes to the set with him, and they must dance at home. AB is angry that DD encourages her stage-struck inclinations. (The child actress here only has 3 film credits.)
Musicals fade, and DD decides he's done with movies. They get a farm, but still subscribe to Variety. When a prominent child star is put out of commission by appendicitis, DD has the bright idea that his daughter could take the role, and suggests himself as the black butler to help her along. AB only agrees after DD promises this is a 1-picture deal.
So they do the scenes with DD in dark, dark blackface, all stolen from Shirley Temple, mostly from The Littlest Rebel (1935), and creates a production number for The Good Ship Lollipop (which ST never did, although she sang it in 1.5 films.)
But this film goes to a very offensive place too: DD plays a black butler in scenes stolen from Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson.
The plot of this film is very strange: DD plays a working hoofer, starring(?) in a musical play. AB is a socialite who is fascinated by him, attends the show daily. She is NOT stage-struck, she's crushing on him. She finally waits for him in the rain by the stage door after a performance, and manages to share some shelter with him. The conversation turns to food and she invites him home for dinner with her parents and aunt. They date, break up (her idea), the aunt pulls them back together, they marry, and travel for his work.
He gets invited to screentest for silent films, the director pulls AB up to test with him, and the wrong star is born. DD goes back on the road while AB soars, but she manages to get pregnant. While on maternity leave, the talkies take over, and she bows out of films. But the studio is trying to make a musical, she insists her husband gets a shot, and a new star is born. Hence the extremely unlikely number with the Berry Brothers. The DD/AB daughter goes to the set with him, and they must dance at home. AB is angry that DD encourages her stage-struck inclinations. (The child actress here only has 3 film credits.)
Musicals fade, and DD decides he's done with movies. They get a farm, but still subscribe to Variety. When a prominent child star is put out of commission by appendicitis, DD has the bright idea that his daughter could take the role, and suggests himself as the black butler to help her along. AB only agrees after DD promises this is a 1-picture deal.
So they do the scenes with DD in dark, dark blackface, all stolen from Shirley Temple, mostly from The Littlest Rebel (1935), and creates a production number for The Good Ship Lollipop (which ST never did, although she sang it in 1.5 films.)
When the film is done, a studio boss starts talking about the next one, AB gets mad and takes the girl home to mother. The aunt creates a reconciliation (hooray for telegrams, which anyone can send and sign with any name they please), and we close the film on supposedly happy terms, with no real resolution to whether the child will have a career or not.
The weird/refreshing parts were: AB has no love of her career, and drops it easily. DD has no jealousy about her career, and doesn't stray with other women on the road. He, too, drops his career readily when musicals fade for a couple of years. However, showbiz mom wanting a "normal" life for her child is not new. They didn't send her off to boarding school, which is also refreshing.
But stealing from Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson was nauseating to me. The ... Lollipop number even included a staircase that they tapped their feet against briefly. In no way was any of the DD/child dancing an homage to the ST/BR dances. The style was completely different: very fast and lots of traveling back and forth around the stage.
I'm happy to have as many Berry Brothers movies as I do. Without them in this film, the rating would be lower.
The weird/refreshing parts were: AB has no love of her career, and drops it easily. DD has no jealousy about her career, and doesn't stray with other women on the road. He, too, drops his career readily when musicals fade for a couple of years. However, showbiz mom wanting a "normal" life for her child is not new. They didn't send her off to boarding school, which is also refreshing.
But stealing from Shirley Temple and Bill Robinson was nauseating to me. The ... Lollipop number even included a staircase that they tapped their feet against briefly. In no way was any of the DD/child dancing an homage to the ST/BR dances. The style was completely different: very fast and lots of traveling back and forth around the stage.
I'm happy to have as many Berry Brothers movies as I do. Without them in this film, the rating would be lower.
Fox, dir. Lang; 6
