Mademoiselle Porte-bonheur

Fairly expensive Warners musical, the then-novelties of which are a) CinemaScope and b) location filming in Miami, which does look '50s-luscious. These are tied to a very tired screenplay about superstitious Doris Day and her pals Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker, and Eddie Foy Jr. going from revue work to kitchen work to Broadway, courtesy of songwriter Robert Cummings, whose songs all sound like second-rate Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. Much talent that had just turned out "Calamity Jane"--Day, Webster, Fain, choreographer (and here director) Jack Donohue, screenwriter James O'Hanlon--worked on this one, but it's nobody's best work, though Doris is as spirited and golden-voiced as ever, and you don't really want to see her end up romantically with someone as uninteresting as Robert Cummings. Silvers and Walker certainly deserved better material, and Donohue doesn't know how to pace a plot, even one as fragile as this. Martha Hyer is another casualty, overplaying Cummings' shrew of a girlfriend, and the other supporting players are no-name. It's worth sitting through once for a couple of nicely staged numbers (especially the opening) and some alluring glimpses of Florida, but it's the Warners musical at its most labored and uninspired.

"Lucky Me" gives you everything you want in a musical and more. All the songs are catchy; the banter is quick and witty; there are some big dance productions; and of course, the one and only Doris Day.

Most films from Doris Day leave me wishing there were more musical numbers, but "Lucky Me" has just the right amount. The plot is thin and the romance does not start until about halfway through, but who cares? This film is a whole lot of fun.

If you are a Doris Day fan, this is a must. If not, then this is a good a place as any to find out about one of the greatest entertainers of all time. She can sing. She can dance. She can be really funny.

If you like upbeat, colorful musicals, then check out "Lucky Me."

The first time I saw this film I was distracted for a few minutes and missed the intro credits. Being in a lazy mood I just sat down to watch and if it hadn't been for the setting (Miami) and the star (Doris), I'd have sworn this were one of the early MGM CinemaScope films, since someone was obviously emulating a certain kind of Arthur Freed approach. But while elaborate visually at times, no, it was Warner Bros., but for what it was, not bad. In fact, the only real debit I can make against LUCKY ME remains its very conventional and predictable plot conventions. That, and the one-note roles of Phil Silvers (a ham) and Robert Cummings (handsome but bland nice guy). Songs? Okay, nothing special, perhaps, but serviceable. So for anyone who simply wants an old, spiffy if brainless musical, they still can't go wrong here, even if someone like Howard Keel might have brought more to the Cummings role (for better and worse).

As for the film process itself, did this film really need such elaboration? Probably not, but Scope does continue to lend it a certain novelty.

LUCKY ME is a prettily Technicolored musical outing from Warner Bros., one that DORIS DAY was obligated to make because of arrangements made by her producer hubby. She should have stuck to her guns and refused to do the film, which doesn't do much for anyone--including its talented supporting cast--ROBERT CUMMINGS, PHIL SILVERS, NANCY WALKER, MARTHA HYER and EDDIE FOY, JR.

Day is the singer in a team of stranded players working in the kitchen of a fancy Miami hotel because of a prank played by the obnoxious PHIL SILVERS, whose strident comedy technique is overworked here.

When ROBERT CUMMINGS needs a singer for his upcoming Broadway show, he discovers Doris can sing and from then on he and his girlfriend (MARTHA HYER) squabble over her dad's backing for the show and his interest in Doris. That's all there is to the plot.

Songs by Sammy Fain and Paul Webster have been tacked onto this slight story with less than impressive results. Only one ballad--done as a dream sequence--has any real worth and it's a beauty called "I Speak to the Stars" which is the only genuine first class song in the movie. A catchy first number, "The Superstition Song," at least gets some interest for the way Doris Day manages to sing it through a lengthy opening sequence.

If you're a Doris Day completist and must see all her films--well, that's the only reason for catching up with this one. It's a dud--a real dud. Trite and unfunny as can be.

In sunny Miami, superstitions showgirl Doris Day (as Candy Williams) and her musical troupe find themselves destitute after their show "Parisian Pretties" closes. This is strange, because Ms. Day and performing manager Phil Silvers (as Hap Schneider) appear captivating on stage. The troupe is forced to take menial jobs. While working as a maid, tap-dancing Nancy Walker (as Flo Neely) meets famous songwriter Bob Cummings (as Dick Carson) and learns he is producing a new Broadway show...

Day hopes Mr. Cummings could provide her with a lucky break. Perhaps romance will follow. "Lucky Me" was meant to be a follow-up to the crowd-pleasing "Calamity Jane" (1953), but fell short. The earlier film featured Day's million-selling #1 "Secret Love" single. This film's song highlight is "I Speak to the Stars", a sleepy #16 hit. The closing party is mildly interesting, beginning with Day in a convincing disguise. This is where you can spot black-haired Angie Dickinson, in her big screen debut.

**** Lucky Me (4/9/54) Jack Donohue ~ Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Phil Silvers, Nancy Walker