E ora chi bacerà

My favorite musical next to the Jolson Story. The songs send tingles to the spine- a yearning for the carefree life at the turn of the century. Mark Stevens and June Haver are outstanding as the leads. Reg Gardiner and Martha Stewart are also great in their supporting roles. The songs- I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now, Hello My Baby, Honeymoon, etc. are true classics.

I remember this as being one of my all time favorite movies as a child. Haven't seen it since the late 40's. I would really like to find a source to purchase this wonderful musical, but haven't been successful. The music, dancing, romance, it was from a great time in our country.

I notice that five of the six people who commented before me on "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" spoke of the lasting impression it made on them. In 1947, when it came out, I was 13; I didn't see it again until 1975 or '76, when it was shown on TV, and I watched it with a young woman in her early 20's. In 1975-'76 I was eager to see if it would give me the pleasure it had as a teenager. It did, and it has stuck with that young woman, too, who has been my wife for more than 25 years. Both of us regard it as second only to "Singin' In the Rain." The music IS wonderful, as others have said, and the stars are at least adequate, but I remember best the color and the nostalgic mood, a sweetly innocent and beautiful aura. I looked it up on IMDb hoping that it might still be available on video. I see that others before me had the same hope, only to be blighted. Pity. It should be reissued and treasured.

Based on a true story, the movie traces the career of song-writer Joe Howard and his difficulties, especially in the romance department.

The first half almost sizzles with screen chemistry as Kate (Haver), Lulu (Stewart) and Joe (Stevens) bounce off one another backstage. And what a conniving little ingénue is Kate, always using her innocent wiles to get her way. Then there's toughie Lulu who would like to win Joe if only Kate would let her. Poor Joe's in the middle, but would rather write songs than anything else. Their simmering well-scripted set-to's amidst the stage show music had me thinking a real sleeper.

But then Joe joins another troupe and Lulu is replaced by Fritzie (Aubert) who unfortunately doesn't generate the same chemistry, causing the movie to settle into a more routine mode. Nonetheless, the production is lavish, the Technicolor beautiful, the signature songs memorable, along with a solid story better developed than most. But for me, it's a deceptively innocent Haver whose Kate shines most of all. Her presence not only lights up the stage, but amounts to one of the most unusual ingénues in musical history. And catch that great last scene that drives home the point.

All in all, the movie may not be the best musical on record, but that sizzling first half remains in the running.

This is a story, in conventional sense, not the etymological "Narration/ Recital of True Events". But this happens when one tries to make a "True Story" on some one still living - or some one dead so long back that the life is shrouded in mystery. Any story naturally have to have TRP, and especially in case of living person, people have to be doubly careful, not to hurt the feelings, and suppress/ modify truth to the audience and the person's choice. This seem to be a glaring example of that.

As a truth or biographical sense, based on the information I could access, it ranks somewhere around 1 out of 10, but on entertainment value, it is 7.

The only thing that seem to be true in it, is the name of the male protagonist, Howard, and links to his musical numbers, except the name-sake "I wonder Who Is..." which he had appropriated from other (Harold Orlob) and if there was one, may be...

But except Howard, the other protagonists, thank fully the names (screen) don't ring bell - I Wonder who were they ?

Katie could have been his second wife Ida Emerson - the ages almost match (3-4 years younger), but who was on screen Mabel Barrison, on whose tour he had tasted first success ? Lulu ? Doesn't seem to be based on Mabel's biography - since she did marry Howard in 1906 - and stayed married till her death in 1912 of TB. Second though already successful on Vaudeville, she was much younger than either Joseph or Ida - in fact by age standard she would have been Katie (Joseph-12 to 15) - only that here there was no child-hood romance - she was Canadian. Of course if one goes by the timeline of I wonder.... (1909).... it would be she.

With so many contradiction, I will remove the claimed "True" and "Story" and consider it to be a fiction with no relation to any one (then) living or (now) dead. But once that is removed, probably, it is any other Musical Romance. Enjoyable, thanks to the musical number, but nothing too out of the way as far as the plot is concerned - now HAD it been really true... !