Pazza per la musica

One of Jane Powell's earliest films was "Delightfully Dangerous" and I was not exactly bowled over by it. Apparently, it was a remake of "Mad About Music" but instead of starring Powell, it starred Universal's big young singing star, Deanna Durbin.

The film finds young Gloria at an exclusive girls school in Switzerland. It seems her mother is a Hollywood star who has dumped her there where she is very lonely. This is made worse by the school bully who inexplicably hates this sweet young lady. So, to combat boredom and being so alone, Gloria creates a fictional father...complete with all sorts of exploits. She tells the girls that he's a big game hunter in Africa...and the bully demands Gloria show that he's real, as the bully suspects Gloria's made him up...which she has. So, she could either come clean about him or continue with the lie...and so she doubles down and tells everyone he's coming for a visit! So, she then heads to the train station and convinces a total stranger (Herbert Marshall) to accompany her. He has no idea about the lie and her classmates, at least temporarily, are appeased. But this certainly can't go on forever...so what's next?

This is an enjoyable film, though if you watch it there are two nagging problems that are bound to enter your mind. First, the man she convinces to be her father. He agrees to help her but there is no logical reason for this. Second, if you think about it, the idea of an adult man hanging out with a 14 year-old he doesn't even know AND tells everyone he's her father...well, that's mega-creepy! If you can manage to look past this, the film is enjoyable and fun...and weird.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** "Mad About Music" (Universal, 1938), directed by Norman Taurog, is Deanna Durbin's third feature film, and ranks one of her finest in many ways, especially with a delightful storyline and Durbin's likable charm, but unfortunately, this is one overlooked treasure from the golden age of teenage musicals.

The story opens with Gwen Taylor (Gail Patrick), a celebrated movie actress, placing her hand prints in the cement block at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Unknown to many, Gwen has been separated from her daughter for ten years because of her great popularity, and finds that she cannot reveal to her fans that a glamor girl like herself is a mother of a 14-year-old girl. Gloria Harkinson (Deanna Durbin), the daughter in question, is being educated at a Swiss school for girls. Well liked by her classmates, she is immensely disliked by one in particular, Felice (Helen Parrish), who is not only jealous of her popularity around school, but is very eager to learn more about Gloria's questionable family background, especially when she refuses to believe that Gloria's father is a famous African explorer. To cover up her lies, Gloria has her middle-aged friend, Pierre (Christian Rub) back her up by writing letters to her, signing them from "her Dad." Because her little white lies are getting her deeper and deeper in trouble, Gloria, realizing that she is being followed by her classmates as she is heading for the train station, suddenly approaches a man named Richard Todd (Herbert Marshall), and his valet, Tripps (Arthur Treacher). Before Todd realizes what has happened, the distinguished gentleman finds himself suddenly acting as Gloria's father and coming to her school where he impresses the girls by talking about his "hunting adventures in Africa." More problems arise when Gloria learns that her mother is visiting in Paris, and must manage to sneak away from the school without arousing any more attention.

The storyline to "Mad About Music" may sound corny in print, but in reality, it is highly amusing and entertaining throughout its 98 minutes screen time, and it's easy to see why Durbin became such a box office attraction, having both voice and personality. The supporting cast consists of a younger William Frawley playing Dusty Turner, Gwen Taylor's agent; Marcia Mae Jones as Olga, Gloria's best friend; Elisabeth Risdon as the school official; Jackie Moran and Charles Peck as military academy students interested in Gloria and Olga; Franklin Pangborn seen briefly as the hotel manager; plus a cameo appearance by Sidney Grauman of Grauman's Chinese Theater in the opening segment of the story. One scene finds Frawley's character in a sentimental moment as he tells Gloria that she mustn't see her mother, as much as he knows in his heart that seeing her mother would mean a lot to her. The way this scene is handled is well done, showing the warmer side of Frawley, a fine character actor known for his grumpiness and his sarcastic comedic one-liners, especially used to great advantage in the immortal long running TV series from the 1950s, "I Love Lucy," starring Lucille Ball. It is also interesting to see the young and sassy Gail Patrick cast against type playing a mother.

New songs by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh include: "I Love to Whistle," "Ave Maria" (by Charles Francois Gounod); "Chapel Bells" "I Love to Whistle" and "Serenade to the Stars." Aside from Durbin's singing, the Capps Barros Harmonica Players also participate in a song number.

"Mad About Music" resembles the story lines used by MGM, especially those Jane Powell Technicolor musicals of the late 1940s, mainly because it was produced by Joe Pasternak, who brought over his charm of teenage musicals from Universal to MGM, revamping the formula he originated in the Durbin films. Universal-International would remake "Mad About Music" as "The Toy Tiger" (1956) featuring Jeff Chandler, Laraine Day and Tim Hovey in the Marshall, Patrick and Durbin roles. While "The Toy Tiger" did get some television exposure on American Movie Classics in the 1990s, "Mad About Music" at present, did not. This Durbin original is available on video cassette and DVD, and made its Turner Classic Movies cable channel premiere September 11, 2022. After watching this, it would be impossible not to become "Mad About Deanna." (****)

One of Deanna Durbin's early films, and one that showcases her acting and singing abilities like few others do. Watch out for how her facial expression changes when Herbert Marshall is about to expose her storytelling and then re-considers, or when she sings the serenade to the stars and is about to burst into tears. She was definitely one of the best teenage actors Hollywood ever attracted. Her singing is awesome, too, especially Gounod's Ave Maria: I never heard it sung better. Herbert Marshall is perfect for the role of willing Ersatz-father, and it is a pleasure to see Gail Patrick cast against type. Still, it is Deanna's film - next to her, all others, no matter how experienced, are no more than supporting actors.

Movie star Gwen Taylor (Gail Patrick) has a secret daughter, 14-year-old Gloria (Deanna Durbin). Gloria lives in an all-girls boarding school in Switzerland. She never met her late navy pilot father but has fabricated a fictional living father to the other girls. She is forced to construct more and more elaborate lies until she picks Richard Todd (Herbert Marshall) at random to play the part. Luckily, he is willing to play along.

This got four smaller Oscar nominations. Deanna Durbin is cute and sweet. She's showing off her operatic voice. The whistle song is pretty catchy although too much of it can be very repetitive. The story has some teen girl mayhem which reminds me of various Disney teen misadventures. It's a very touching story of family dysfunction with an emotional ending.

Widow Gail Patrick shows up at agent William Frawley's office, anxious to work for her and her babe in arms. Frawley tells her she can't be a young, glamorous movie star with a baby, so they park the infant in Switzerland. Fourteen years later, Miss Patrick (who was ten years older than Miss Durbin) is a successful glamor star, and her daughter is Deanna Durbin at a girls school in Switzerland, who makes up stories about her father, the explorer.

After some issues with her fellow student, Miss Durbin is with them at the train station, and announces Herbert Marshall is her father. He goes along with the gag, but Miss Durbin keeps showing up, much to the confusion of his valet, Arthur Treacher. They part, but then Deanna learns her mother is going to be performing in Paris, so off she goes, only to run in again to Marshall.

Little Miss Fix-it eventually fixes everything, sing "Ave Maria" and "I Love To Whistle", charms groundskeeper Christian Rub, and so does everything that her fans loved to see her doing. It's pleasant, it's fun, and will surprise no one.