The Star Maker

When Paramount decided to make The Star Maker, stage mothers all over the country must have been grateful for the opportunity to get their little pride of joys a break into show business. Bing Crosby who had some of his best film moments with children never had to contend with so many of them.

The beginning credits state quite plainly that the film is "suggested by the career of Gus Edwards." Crosby's character is named Larry Earl so no one gets the idea this is biographical.

Gus Edwards was one of America's finest turn of the last century songwriters who did in fact hit on the idea of forming a theatrical troupe of talented youngsters, many of whom became stars in their own right in adulthood. Coming to mind immediately are Eddie Cantor and George Jessel who started out as adolescents with Edwards.

One of the scenes funniest moments involves a bit by Billy Gilbert trying to get one of his kids an audition. Of course that's redundant because Billy Gilbert was one of the funniest men in film and any moment with him is by definition, funny. Another moment involves a mother trying to get her daughter to sing for Crosby, giving him the opportunity to warble, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now. I'm sure the real Gus Edwards went through thousands of moments like these.

Young Linda Ware was introduced here, presumably as Paramount's answer to Deanna Durbin. She sang some classical stuff real nice, but after another film was never heard from again.

Next to Ned Sparks, W.C. Fields was a Pollyanna, especially with children. Sparks was another of Hollywood's funniest men with those lines dripping with sarcasm and ill will. He has one very funny scene trying to read a bedtime story to Crosby's traveling troupe.

Jimmy Monaco and Johnny Burke wrote some new tunes for Bing and these were mixed in with some stuff by Gus Edwards and others of the period in a nice confection.

Others in the cast include Louise Campbell as Mrs. Crosby, Laura Hope Crews as Ware's mother and Thurston Hall as a theatrical producer.

Ms. Crews had a banner year in 1939, she was given her signature part as Aunt Pittypat Hamilton in Gone With The Wind.

One of the things I always criticize Paramount for is not giving Crosby's films the elaborate Busby Berkeley like numbers. Same is true here, especially with the show business background of the film. But I think that kind of theatrics would have overwhelmed the story about children.

I won't dispute Paramount when they say this is only suggested by Gus Edwards career.

"The Star Maker" is a film that will catchy you by surprise. At first, you'll like it and it seems enjoyable...but then the second portion hits and the going gets tough! How much you agree with this will certainly depend on your tolerance for watching a children's' talent show.

When the film begins, Larry (Bing Crosby) is a dreamer with huge plans of making it big on stage. Despite his being a fat-head, Mary (Louise Campbell) believes in him and marries him. But they are headed for tough times as Larry's musical career doesn't take off and they are living hand to mouth. However, his career explodes when he begins performing with a group of talented kids....so what's next?

I really enjoyed the first group of child performers--their tap dancing routine was lovely. But the rest of the acts were a real mixed bag...and most of the bag was awful! I have little patience for bad child actors...and the film really pushed this to the limit. Fortunately, Linda Ware was talented...although I didn't particularly love her operatic stylings...but at least they weren't painful!! The only bright spots were Ned Sparks' little digs about how he hated kids! Those were pretty funny.

Overall, a real mixed bag and it's sad that the movie didn't give us more Ned Sparks and more of Crosby's lovely crooning. On balance, it's a film for really devoted fans of Crosby as well as folks who LIKE child pageants!

By the way, be sure to prepare yourself for the incredibly racist song "The Darktown Strutter's Ball"...sung about midway through the picture.

Bing Crosby is Larry Earl -- actually a thinly disguised Gus Edwards, song writer, vaudeville star and producer of dozens of kiddie shows on the vaudeville circuit, ending a major star of 1930s radio. Like many a movie of this sort, it is a story of a rocky start, and then triumph after triumph, interspersed with musical numbers, most of which had their scores composed by Mr. Edwards.

It's very enjoyable for the music as Bing, loyal wife Louise Campbell and kid-hating publicity man Ned Sparks discover hundreds of talented young singers, dancers and young comics. Chief among them is 14-year-old Linda Ware, whom Paramount was clearly positioning to be their answer to Deanna Durbin and Judy Garland; she sings swing and classical music and winds up debuting for Walter Damrosch and his symphony orchestra.

Like many a movie of this type, it has only a hazy connection with any real time line. Everything seems to happen in a world that combines elements of the Mauve Decade with the 1920s and even 1930s, as the Child Welfare people shut down the kiddie shows across the nation on the same evening that Bing discovers radio and foresees its endless possibilities -- and a triumphant finale for him.

Anyone who likes movies with young discoveries will really enjoy The Star Maker, a movie about a man who attained fame and fortune by discovering children's talents. Bing Crosby takes the lead in this loose biopic of Gus Edwards, the songwriter who wrote "In My Merry Oldsmobile", "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", "School Days" and many others. Bing teams up with Ned Sparks and children all over the country show off their talents. He presents the kids on Broadway, then it starts all over again. There's very little conflict in this movie, but there are tons of songs! Newcomer opera singer Linda Ware enjoys a lot of screen time, but it's a little awkward when she and Bing talk to each other. They give each other such moony eyes, it seems like they might have been romantically involved. Then, when she calls him "uncle" and nothing's going on between them, it just feels weird.

After the sixth song, the movie gets a little long in the tooth, but those of you who like Baby June or other kid shows probably won't think so. I liked the production number "An Apple for the Teacher" which was cute and had different words than I was used to hearing on my Bing Crosby CD, but the plot really could have used a little kick. Plus, every time Ned opened his mouth and tried to be funny, I just rolled my eyes. I'm not really a fan of his deadpan monotone.

I would suggest that anyone interested in the story of the Star Maker, read the following book:

Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams - The Early Years 1903 - 1940 by Gary Giddins

It explains why the Star Maker which WAS supposed to be about the life and career of Gus Edwards, turned into a movie that was only suggested by the life of my GREAT UNCLE! Naturally I am a bit prejudiced, but I feel that this man was such a unique entertainment personality, that for Bing Crosby to use a different name in the movie, that is Larry Earl, rather than Gus Edwards, was truly a disgrace.

He could write songs, he could sing, he could act, he could produce. And could he ever find talent........... the greatest entertainment talent this country has ever known: Cantor, Jessel, Bolger, Hildegarde, Phil Silvers, Eleanor Powell, Georgie Price, Lila Lee....................

Perhaps a better appreciation of his abilities and achievements can be seen in the MGM classic with its all-star cast, "The Hollywood Review of 1929", for which he wrote most of the score and actually appeared in the movie several times, a movie nominated for Best Picture, no less.

Gus Edwards truly did it all, and yet the one movie about him did not tell the true story. Maybe a re-make is in order.

Evan, his great nephew, NYC 10/15/07