There's a Girl in My Heart

"There's a Girl in My Heart", set in New York City at the turn of the century, is surprisingly well done. The plot makes sense, the dialog is realistic to the era, and the sets and costumes are authentic. The acting is excellent, with such luminaries as Lon Chaney Jr., Irene Ryan, Lee Bowman, and Elyse Knox all plying their trade well, accompanied by character actors such as Ludwig Donath and Paul Guilfoyle.

The story itself isn't anything new: a scheming man tries to buy up a block in the tenement area of New York with the idea of tearing it down and building a fight arena. Others, who don't want to see the residents and businesses put out in the street, try to stop him. The usual complications ensue, and eventually the man sees the error of his ways, repents, and everybody lives happily ever after. Although the story follows a well-trodden path, it's carried out in a tasteful way.

The music and dance sequences are charming, while respectful to the era. Peggy Ryan and then husband Ray McDonald perform a few dance routines, and while they aren't as energetic and charismatic as Ryan and Donald O'Connor were, they're still nimble and graceful. Gloria Jean (who is also an excellent actress) sings three songs, including an excerpt from Scubert's version of "Ave Maria". While her voice, which deepened somewhat as she entered her twenties, doesn't hit the higher notes that it did a decade earlier, it's still very agile, has quite a bit of range and perfect quality.

I haven't seen this movie on television in quite a while, which is sad, since it's very well done. It's hard to find this movie anywhere, but you can get a copy of it from Gloria Jean herself on her website. IMDb policy doesn't allow the posting of URLs, but you can find her website by using a search engine and her full name of "Gloria Jean Schoonover.".

If you're a fan of the old-fashioned family-oriented musicals, don't miss this one.

1949's "There's a Girl in My Heart" may have been a Poverty Row musicomedy, but served as a reunion of sorts for several players popular during Universal's wartime heyday, several of which were winding down their screen careers: Lee Bowman ("Buck Privates"), Gloria Jean ("Never Give a Sucker an Even Break"), Peggy Ryan ("Here Come the Co-Eds"), and in particular, the stars of "The Mummy's Tomb," Elyse Knox and Lon Chaney. Allied Artists (formerly Monogram) was the studio that produced this extremely rare title, utilizing one impressive street set representing the Bowery of 1899, with Lon Chaney channeling Lennie Small yet again, in the fairly sizable role of Johnny Colton, who leases a popular music hall run by shady Terrence Dowd (Lee Bowman), seeking to bilk his partner and the entire neighborhood to build a sports arena. Claire Adamson (Elyse Knox) is the property owner, joining the show rather than selling out, more than a match for Dowd's charisma-free womanizing (Chaney's gruff but lovable Colton lets his fists teach him a lesson). Director/producer Arthur Dreifuss, a former choreographer himself, does a fine job on a minuscule budget, Gloria Jean sings, Peggy Ryan tap dances, Iris Adrian ("Horror Island") puts in a brief appearance as well. Most delightful of all is Elyse Knox, already the mother of two (still two years away from giving birth to son Mark Harmon), really strutting her stuff on stage in what turned out to be her final film. It's just a shame that such a harmless little musical should be so overlooked for so many years, but it is at least available.