Hello Frisco, Hello

Alice Faye's reign at 20th Century Fox, which overlapped with Betty Grable's, started earlier than Grable's and ended sooner - and on a sour note.

Faye actually came with the old Fox Film Corp. When Zanuck founded 20th Century Fox and was at first a Harlow type, eventually developing into the Alice Faye moviegoers came to love. When she was given a dramatic role, in the 1945 "Dark Angel," the film was re-edited to favor Linda Darnell, and a disgusted Faye left Fox and never returned.

Here she's on top in "Hello Frisco, Hello" also starring John Payne, Lynn Bari, Jack Oakie, June Havoc and Laird Cregar, a big, colorful turn of the century musical in the Fox tradition.

Alice plays Trudy Evans, the linchpin in a group formed by the ambitious Johnny Cornell. Johnny isn't content with the Barbary Coast - he wants Nob Hill.

After opening a series of clubs, he becomes interested in a beautiful widow (Bari) who can give him the respectability he wants. When she goes broke, he tries to buy her house. To the heartbreak of Trudy, who's been in love with him all along, the two eventually marry.

There's one song after another in this musical, including Faye's beautiful rendition of "You'll Never Know," which became a smash hit. Faye's voice was so unusual - low, sultry and smooth, and it fits the music here perfectly. She is beautifully photographed and costumed as well.

Oakie and Havoc provide comic support, and Bari is excellent as the woman who wins Johnny away from Trudy.

The big problem with the film is the character of Johnny (Payne), who is a real louse and a user to boot as he strings Trudy along. Personally, I would have let him stew in his own juice but this is Hollywood after all. And the plot is so secondary to the wonderful music and stars. Highly entertaining.

There's a reason for watching an antique like this, and that's Alice Faye. She was at the top of her form here, in what was to be her final Fox musical. Basic plot: John Payne is a vaudevillian with his eye on greater things. His troupe consists of Faye, Jack Oakie and June Havoc. The Gay 90s costumes are a riot and, I assume, reasonably authentic. I also imagine some audience members in 1943 might have lived long enough to remember the period in real life. Faye belts out an endless number of great tunes, including her signature song, "You'll Never Know." Payne is stiff as usual, but veteran comic actor Oakie and his predictable antics help make up for that. The plot is as thin as a piece of tissue paper, so enjoy the movie for its many and memorable musical numbers. With her deep voice and striking looks, Faye really shines here. One caution: It is slightly jarring to watch the "rag" number, as all the performers are white but acting as if they were Stepin Fetchit-type blacks. This old-time minstrel baloney is certainly not uncommon in old musicals. You can see similar numbers in even later fare such as "Holiday Inn" (Bing Crosby in black face!) and "Jolson Sings Again." The offending "Abraham" number in "Holiday Inn" used to be cut for TV viewing. But there wasn't much TV could do about "The Jolson Story" and "Jolson sings Again" without emasculating the movie, as Al Jolson rose to fame singing "Mammy" and other numbers in black face.

Charming period musical with Alice Faye as a saloon singer in love with social-climbing John Payne who has his eyes on Lynn Bari. The Barbary Coast is aglitter in Fox's brightest technicolor. The slim plot allows Alice to sing one of her most famous songs: "Hello, Frisco, Hello" which won the 1943 Oscar for best song.

With a sparkling supporting cast including Jack Oakie, June Havoc, Laird Cregar and Ward Bond, it is probably the best film teaming Faye with one of her favorite leading men, John Payne. He doesn't get as many chances to sing as she does, but he was regarded as Fox's most dependable leading man in musicals and matches her every step of the way. But it's her wistful rendering of the title tune, photographed in loving camera close-ups, that shows what star quality is all about.

Pleasant and tuneful, this is what war-weary audiences wanted back in 1943. A nice comeback for Faye who had been off the screen for a year.

Of all Alice Faye's 20th Century-Fox musicals, "Hello Frisco, Hello" is probably my favorite. It is certainly the one that deserves to be called enchanting. The only other memorable Faye musicals that come to mind are "On the Avenue"(1937), "Alexander's Ragtime Band"(1938), "That Night in Rio"(1941) and "Wake Up and Live"(1937). "Hello Frisco" is a feast for the eyes and ears, breathtakingly photographed in Technicolor. The colors, the period costumes, and director Bruce Humberstone's nostalgic evocation of San Francisco's Barbary Coast at the turn of the century - are sublime. It also abounds in one gloriously tuneful song or dance number after another. There are lots to choose from including "Strike Up the Band," "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" and "Ragtime Country Joe", but Faye's memorable rendition of "You'll Never Know" is the best of them all. IT works as a perfect combination of Faye's sweet vulnerability and honesty. Faye's co-star John Payne is equally marvellous as Johnny Cornell. Contrary to a previous reviewer's remarks about Payne's stiffness, I didn't find him really that stiff. A bit stoic, maybe, but his Johnny Cornell is in perfect harmony with Faye's sweet Trudy Evans. And I can't imagine anyone else playing that role or doing a better job.

In all, a Glorious delight.

Totally delightful Fox musical in glowing Technicolor with many lavishly staged songs. (My particular favorite is `Ragtime Cowboy Joe') The only new tune is an Oscar-winner - `You'll Never Know' sincerely rendered by Alice Faye. On the dancing side there's a sneak-preview of `Starlight Express' with a number on roller skates proving that there's nothing new under the sun.

It is easy to see why Alice was such a bright star for so long; she has looks, charm and a beautiful deep singing voice. On the other hand I've never really warmed to John Payne, I find him very stiff and he does nothing to change my opinion here. Laird Cregar overacts outrageously to great effect cast against his usual menacing or sinister type.

`Hello, Frisco, Hello' is actually a reworking of 1935's `King of Burlesque' which also featured Jack Oakie and Alice Faye. What the film is not is any sort of feminist tract. We are expected to believe that Alice's character, beautiful and talented enough to conquer London's West End Musical Mecca, is incomplete without the love of Payne's Barbary Coast promoter, a cad who has previously dropped her callously to marry a socialite for her status in the community.

However, nuances of character are hardly the thing in these Hollywood musicals and I can assure you that `Hello, Frisco, Hello' is a total treat.