Rainbow on the River

This is one of the earliest movies that Canadian child singer Bobby Breen made during the last years of the Great Depression. The plot and setting for "Rainbow on the River" is very interesting, especially for that time. Breen's soprano to tenor voice in this film reminds one of the recordings of the great boys choirs. The songs in this film are superb, and the cast is excellent.

With his short-lived acting career, Breen later did the nightclub circuit. He made some guest appearances on TV and hosted a TV show. He eventually moved to Florida where he opened his own talent business.

Even among movie buffs, the name of Bobby Breen is hardly known today. He made only nine films in the late 1930s. But these films give a look at a young singer who, for a time, had a voice that could captivate audiences. And, his acting was quite good as well.

This gorgeous famiy film was a smash success in Australia and I assume everywhere else in first release. My late mother Patricia keenly remembered seeing it at out local 1500 seat Marina Theatre in Rosebery at a session so packed she had to sit on the steps upstairs. I had the 78rpm record for years (still have, actually) and it is astonishing what a great voice Bobby Breen had. His series of Musicals really should be re packaged and dvd released as they are excellent, and I am astonished to find came from Principal Pictures (Chandu, anyone?) who I thought had folded into Republic in 1935. This film like all the others was released by RKO on a world wide plan so I guess all were a kid series to their Astaire Rogers musical series concurrent.

In his second film boy soprano Bobby Breen got the song that would be his signature number for the rest of his short career before puberty kicked in and the lyric soprano was no more. Rainbow On The River was both the film and the song that gave Breen his stardom for the rest of the 30s.

Bobby is a Civil War orphan being raised in New Orleans by Louise Beavers who was a former house slave along with Stymie Beard her real son. Despite living in poverty Breen's a happy go lucky kid.

Father Henry O'Neill does some investigating and finds that Breen has some Yankee relatives in New York, chiefly grandmother May Robson. She's also got relatives like Benita Hume and Alan Mowbray who could lose all or part of their inheritance if Breen is accepted in the family.

This view of the south and the great lost cause makes Gone With The Wind seem like Roots. Even if young Master Breen had not a prejudiced thought in his head I doubt even the Yankee carpetbaggers would allow him such a living arrangement.

Bobby at this stage was doing a male Shirley Temple act. Her films were better because Fox had a lot more money to spend on them than RKO did for Breen. But the young man could sing though.

The finale where Rainbow On The River is reprised with the backing of the former slaves, now sharecroppers singing happy in those cotton fields is way too much.

The film is entertaining with a rather repudiated historical premise as its base.

I think they should bring back movies like this again.

I loved it. It's a GREAT!!!!!!!!! movie for kids today to start watching . It will leave you feeling up and happy.

Not like some of the movies today.

WE NEED MORE OF THESE MOVIES!!! I loved this movie! :-)

The movies years ago made you feel happy. The musicals were better than the trash they put out today. I hope the movie CO. Start looking into these musicals again.

I found this obscure musical from the '30s under the "Louisiana" section in my local East Baton Rouge Parish Library under the title It Happened in New Orleans. What a wonderful discovery of a young juvenile singer named Bobby Breen from a time when most of America was enchanted by Shirley Temple! He plays a New Orleans boy raised by former slave Louise "Imitation of Life" Beavers after his parents died in the Civil War. Besides her, Breen also has Matthew "Stymie" Beard as a friend. Then he finds out about his Yankee relatives and moves to New York. Only the butler can relate to him there. Wonderful songs from the 19th century dominate the film with the then-new title song sung at least three times. Wonderful support from May Robson, Charles Butterworth, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as a superstitious doctor, and the Hall Johnson Choir. Nice humorous touches throughout. Worthy of rediscovery for old-time movie fans.