Cavalcade d'avril

The 1957 film 'The Buster Keaton Story' was ostensibly a biopic of silent-film comedian Keaton, but went far out of its way to tell Keaton's life story inaccurately ... and came up with a fiction that wasn't even very entertaining. A vastly better film, 'The Comic' (1969), depicted the life and career of an allegedly fictional silent-film comedian but actually gave a largely accurate account of Keaton's adult life and career. The 1948 Warner Bros musical 'April Showers', conversely, would seem to have been inspired by Buster Keaton's adolescent years as a star performer in vaudeville. As Keaton's major work in the Hollywood studio system was done for MGM, I'm intrigued that someone at Warner Brothers knew enough about Keaton's early life to create this film ... especially in 1948, when Keaton's career was at a low ebb.

The official stars of this film are Jack Carson (excellent!) and Ann Sothern as married vaudevillains Joe and June Tyme. (Keaton's vaudevillain parents were named Joe and Myra.) The act isn't doing well, and the Tymes can barely afford to pay the tuition for their son Buster who's in military school. Eventually, Buster Tyme is reunited with his parents in a theatrical boarding-house. Young Buster is played by Robert Ellis, a teenaged actor previously unknown to me. What a dynamic talent! (Why didn't this movie make Ellis a star?) In the boarding-house, Buster goes into a rousing rendition of 'Are You from Dixie?'. He sings, he dances, he turns cartwheels. Ellis gives a good acting performance as well; he shows real chemistry in his scenes with Carson, as they affectionately address each other as 'Big Tyme' and 'Small Tyme'.

Naturally, Joe and June put Buster into their small-time vaude act ... and they swiftly become a big-time hit. (In real life, Buster Keaton was part of his parents' stage act almost from birth ... and he quickly became the act's star.) But just when times are changing for the Tymes, along come a bunch of do-gooders who want to keep children off the stage. There's an implausible and unfunny scene here in which Buster tries to defuse the do-gooders by pretending to be a midget, smoking a cigar and talking in a deep voice. It doesn't help that the 'midget' voice is badly post-dubbed, and is clearly supplied by Mel Blanc doing his usual Barney Rubble turn. At the edge of these proceedings, a real midget (actor Billy Curtis) only emphasises the tastelessness of this scene.

With Buster out of the act, Joe and June are back in the small time again. Joe's drinking starts to jeopardise the act and the family (as was the case with Joe Keaton's alcoholism). June Tyme encounters suave stranger Billy Shay (Robert Alda, in an unsympathetic role), who seems to have designs on June. The ending is predictable and unconvincing.

Modern audiences might have trouble believing this film's central plot device: namely, that a talented and eager performer would be kept off the stage merely because he's not an adult. Actually, 'April Showers' gets this right. In America's vaudeville era, there was a powerful organisation called the Gerry Society, dedicated to preventing children from performing before age 16. At one point, Buster Keaton's parents actually considered passing him off as a midget to escape the Gerries' scrutiny. The Gerry Society's power extended beyond vaudeville: in the 1940 Broadway musical 'Panama Hattie', Ethel Merman was supposed to sing and dance a duet with child performer Joan Carroll, but the Gerries prevented Carroll from singing or dancing ... so she had to march in tempo with the music while chanting the lyric.

'April Showers' is weakly directed by James V Kern, a former musical comedian (one of the Yacht Club Boys) who lacks a sure touch. This movie should have been helmed by Warners contract director David Butler, who is woefully underrated. I'll rate 'April Showers' just 5 points out of 10, despite Robert Ellis's dynamic performance.

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.

When I think of April Showers, I think of my aunt. It was one of the songs she sang to me. I also think of this movie. It's too bad that so many actors in this movie have passed on, even the kid that played Small Tyme. And recently, Ann Sothern. I saw Jack Carson as second banana in other movies, especially as a sidekick, that it is good that Jack could be the leading man for a change (in "April Showers"). It's too bad he had to play such a drunk, but I guess that's real life. I always love to watch The Tymes dance in this movie. I could watch them forever. I hate the part where Billy Shay beats up Small Tyme, although the part about Shay with the glamourous women is nice. I love old time tap dancing, but in today's tap classes I take at university the emphasis is on modern rhythm tap, with a lot of hip-hop added in. Females wear flat oxfords, and emphasis is not on "Broadway tap". That's a shame. I am of the old school, from the days of vaudeville and old movie musicals.

"April Showers" is a film that supposedly is based on the life of Buster Keaton and his family during Vaudeville. However, despite the studio paying Keaton for rights to the story, the story is, essentially INSPIRED (kinda) by the Keatons. It is NOT a biographical film and is pretty sanitized. I don't know the full extent of it, but the REAL Keatons used Buster from a very, very young age (not 12 like in the movie) and the act was filled with violent slapstick (such as tossing the young Buster about the stage)! I think the sensitization, in part, was because 1940s audiences probably would have been horrified with how Buster's family treated (and mistreated) him. As for the family, they repeatedly told authorities Buster was a midget (which is mentioned once in the film)...hence no need to send him to school or protect his safety!

Joe and June Tyme are down and nearly out Vaudevillians. Their son is off somewhere in a boarding school while his parents work...but Buster wants to join them and runs away from school. He happens to arrive at the right time...as his parents are out of work. But Buster is so talented he immediately helps them get jobs. And, from then on, the act gains popularity and prestige. Unfortunately, Joe becomes a drunk and ruins the act...and June and Buster are forced to go on without him. This part of the film is rather unpleasant to say the least.

The odd thing about this film is that it is trying to get you to root for the Tymes to fool the authorities in New York into thinking Buster is a midget. It really is an example of horrible parenting!

This movie is entertaining because of young Robert Ellis (as Buster) is an amazingly talented young man--with great athleticism. His dancing scenes are pretty incredible to watch and it's a real shame the actor died when he was only 40. As for the rest of it, it's a bit too maudlin and downbeat to me anything more than a time-passer..that is until the rousing fist fight ending! Overall, it's not a bad film...just not a particularly enjoyable one during much of the time.

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.