April Showers

Came across movie by chance on Turner Classics. Joe Tyme takes to drink. Man loses wife, man, etc. etc. etc. Could have been a better story if more focus on Joe Tyme and his inability to cope with his problems. However, entertaining, light musical is really the genre of this picture despite the dark side.

The Happy Tymes are flopping as a vaudeville act until they add their 12-year old son to the musical act. But then the family runs into trouble causing a brief split.

As long as the three principals are on stage singing and shaking legs, the movie shines, and that's despite the rather dour b&w. The melodramatic side, however, is overdone for a musical, especially the acrobatic fistfight that reminded me of a cowboy matinée. Then there's that really ill-advised impersonation of a midget, that, as another reviewer aptly put it, comes across as tasteless. Still, little Bobby Ellis is remarkable as the third Happy Tyme. His utter fluidity as a teen dancer made me think I have a deficient gene. As the two adult Tymes, Sothern and Carson are real troupers, their chemistry unforced and lively. Carson was really an underrated actor, adept at drama, comedy, and musicals, as he shows here. I'm not sure, however, that Alan would be proud of dad Robert Alda's role here as a sneaky opportunist. And, of course, no musical of the period would be complete without that giggling marshmallow, Cuddles Sakall. No, the musical may not be anything special, but it does have its musical moments.

(In passing—I caught several episodes of the old TV series Meet Corliss Archer (1954-55) that also featured Bobby Ellis, then about age 20. There he shows what an excellent comedic actor he was, in addition to his musical talents. In short, he made that show work, short-lived though the series was. I suspect his short stature and average looks prevented his eventually reaching stardom. Nonetheless, he certainly had the talent.)

The 1948 Warner Brothers film April Showers is a satisfying little picture about show biz troupers. Jack Carson and Ann Sothern make the best of their roles however it is Robert Ellis as their son Buster who steals the show. With his "little man" antics and show biz talents he also steals your heart. Ann Sothern is lovely to look at in most of her numbers. With a little melodramatics sprinkled in the film remains wholesome family entertainment. This film is usually shown on Turner Classic Movies.

I am an inveterate movie fan and am astonished that this little gem of a flick managed to escape my attention. I only saw it today (10/26/03) for the first time. Although Warner's Forties period musicals ("Shine On, Harvest Moon," "Daughter of Rosie O'Grady," et alia) couldn't quite match those of 20th Century-Fox's, especially those of Grable and Faye, this was a a valiant effort and totally watchable. The 15-year-old Billy Ellis' portrayal of the 12-year-old Small Tyme was a stretch, but he was such winning presence and so talented that one can forgive the producers for not making the character closer to the actor's true age. Sothern was wonderful. Even Jack Carson, an actor whose screen personality can often be grating, performed winningly in a starring role. Robert Alda rounded out the cast in a not very sympathetic part. This film gets my thumbs up.

Jack Carson and Ann Sothern are such capable professionals that even when they are cast in something like APRIL SHOWERS they are worth watching. Carson rarely got leading roles, except in the "B" film or programmer such as this one and Ann Sotheran was just winding up all of her "Maisie" roles at MGM to do this unpretentious little musical at Warner Bros.

Together they're fun to watch as a married couple, a pair of show biz hoofers who give out with a song and dance patter when they're not having domestic troubles over the legitimacy of using an underage boy (their son) in their vaudeville act.

It's all done in a formula way with no big surprises, no characters that are more than conventional and without the kind of production numbers that studios like Fox and MGM gave their musicals. And yet, with a nice balance between some serious drama and mostly lightweight singing and dancing, it's the kind of musical that's easy to take.

The usual supporting players under contract at Warner Bros. are used to fill out the supporting roles, including Robert Alda and S.Z. Sakall.

Carson and Sothern are both capable enough to make us believe this sort of thing could easily have happened and both of them have a nice way with a song and dance. Little Robert Ellis is very adept as their talented youngster.

Summing up: A nice, unpretentious little film to watch on a rainy day.