Quero Casar-me Contigo

Anyone who has ever paid a visit to the mountain-cradled village of Sun Valley, Idaho knows that one of the luxuries of staying in its well know resort, of the same name, is that you can view this charming "boy-meets-girl, and then another girl" romantic-musical-comedy, 24 hours a day! If you are very lucky, as I was during my most recent visit, you can do so from a room overlooking the very ice rink that Sonja Henie performed upon, in this snowbound, big-band era classic "Sun Valley Serenade".

When war refugee Karen Benson (Henie) arrives from Sweden to meet her sponsor Tom Scott, the piano player for a big band played by John Payne, it is clear that she has her romantic sites set on our non-assuming hero. Scott has met, fallen in love with and proposed to Vivian Dawn (Lynn Bari), a tempestuous big band diva, just days before Karen's arrival. The band gets a gig in Sun Valley, Karen tags along, and the fun begins.

Henie's unshakable effervescence and contagious smile allow you to forgive, and even admire, her calculated attempts to win Scott's attention. Henie charms you and Scott with her thick accent and graceful fetes on both the ice and slopes. Although never recognized as an actress by the industry's standards, Henie's comedic timing is so surprising, at times, you may laugh out loud.

John Payne, as Tom Scott, is your typical 40's leading-man-- down-to-earth, charming, handsome, talented and a trust-fund baby. While the band struggles for engagements and its public relations manager needs to re-sole his shoes, the Princeton grad does not seem to have a care in the world, other than which girl to marry. He manages to keep his head just below the radar of the discrete feminine barbs at all times, with a relative air of oblivious confusion.

Milton Berle, as the band's self-deprecating public relations manager (who cooked up the adoption scheme as a publicity stunt to get Walter Wenchell's attention), keeps this comedy light-hearted despite the feeling that there is a `catfight' slowing brewing. Glen Miller's line delivery, as bandleader Phil Corey, is forgivable once the band kicks into high gear with `Chattanooga Choo-Choo', among other dance and romance tunes of the day. And now we know that Jimmy Stewart must have studied this performance prior to doing his bio-pic "The Glenn Miller Story" (1953).

Watch for cameo appearances by the adorable 18-year-old Dorothy Dandridge, the show-stopping Nicholas Brothers, and Joan Davis as Berle's gad-fly.

If you are a fan of romantic-comedies, the big-band era, ice-skating, or just an old film buff there are special moments for all. Beware, however this heart-warming comedy is addictive and you may be humming "It Happened in Sun Valley" in your sleep before you know it.

If you're looking for a good Sonja Henie movie, this is the one to see--and hear. It's got Glenn Miller in full swing with some of his big toe-tapping favorites--including 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' danced by Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Brothers, 'I Know Why' and 'In the Mood'. Sonja's skating routines seem tame compared to what's expected of today's skating competitors but she's graceful as ever on ice and not too bad in the acting scenes. Her comic timing had vastly improved by the time she did this one. Her scenes with John Payne where she deliberately has them stranded for an overnight stay in a cabin (due to her fake skiing accident)are good for laughs. Payne actually pulls off a couple of slapstick stunts while attempting to sleep across two chairs--definitely one of his best romantic comedy roles. With all of the skating, skiing and great Miller music, this one can't miss. Once you see it, you'll understand why it was such a huge hit in the early '40s. Glenn Miller fans will be grateful for all the screen time he is given. Lynn Bari plays it straight as the jealous woman trying to keep Sonja away from Payne and her singing is obviously dubbed--but her song, 'I Know Why', is given a great treatment with the Miller band. Enjoyable entertainment is probably Sonja's best film. Fans of the skating star may be interested in the career article I've written due for publication soon in FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE.

What's not to like about the movie? The great soundtrack, featuring then-new now-classic Glen Miller orchestra sounds? The bubbly Sonja Henie in a completely agreeable innocuous script? The same Miss Henie gamely trying to sing a few bars here and there? John Payne (Miracle on 34th Street) crooning in alternation with the song stylings of Lynn Bari? The amazingly young Uncle Miltie Berle playing the second man? Dorothy Dandridge in her prime, singing "Chattanooga Choo Choo" with full orchestral accompaniment, and the Nicholas Brothers doing a dance to boot? The skiing, the skating, the soundstage snow shenanigans?

Answer: nada. One of the lesser known (possibly because of the short running time and limited number of songs, but probably just because it's black and white and incredibly quaint), but absolutely classic movie musicals.

For the first time the 'Sun Valley Serenade' was shown in the USSR at the time of WW2. It was never forbidden by the Soviet censorship, so it could be watched in the following years as well.

The film made formidable impression on Soviet citizens. It conjured up 'the American dream' in which the USA appeared as a country where everything is excellent, all women are beautiful, life is extremely easy and cheerful, where money lies on the streets - bend down and take!

Opposite to that paradise picture they saw around them a surly Soviet reality, lack of liberty, empty shops, shabby life in overcrowded communal apartments where people had to stand in turns to get to WC, etc.

Surely, Stalin made a great mistake permitting his subjects to see this film.

A friend of mine watched this film 46 times. Glen Miller became the greatest composer to him. I saw it twice, and at the second time left the cinema long before the end.

That dream about America continued to live in hearts and minds of many people in the Soviet Union. It had been one of the factors which gave birth to the dissident movement, and at the end, made a contribution to the fall of Communism in Russia.

I'm sure that there are some people who participated in creation of the movie who are living now: do they know about their part in the History?

From the point of view of pure art, the rating, I think, is 6 out of 10.

John Payne plays the pianist/arranger for a big band led by Glenn Miller and managed by Milton Berle. They pick up singer Lynn Bari enabling them to get a big contract in Sun Valley, Idaho, at which point, a past publicity stunt comes back to bite them. They offered to sponsor a war refugee, thinking taking care of a baby would be publicity, and now the refugee arrives... in the form a of fully grown-up Sonja Henie. For Henie, it's love at first sight with Payne, and she vows to break up Payne's relationship with Bari. (And we're supposed to sympathize with her!) There's some good scenery of Sun Valley, at least the best they could do in black-and-white, and some absolutely horrid rear-projection. With Glenn Miller around, you know the music is going to be top-notch; the movie introduced the Oscar-nominated "Chattanooga Choo-Choo". That number also offers a scene for a young Dorothy Dandrige and the Nicholas Brothers.

Like is often true in Fox musicals, this one is a split decision The story I give just a 5/10. However, the music, at 10/10, drags the total rating to 7/10 IMHO.