Here Is My Heart

This film is a good look at a young Bing Crosby. He was then 30 and was in his 20th film since his start in 1930. His J. Paul Jones is an established crooner of radio and records, and he's cruising in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where he soon lands a small fish. He checks off one more item on his list that he had made when 11 years old. The list is "Things I'll do after I've made a million bucks." Well, one of those was, "Fish in middle of Atlantic." So after the captain and others of his crew determine they are smack dab in the middle, they let Jones know and he drops a line into the water and retrieves the small fish. This was all to the delight of his passengers.

Onboard are some guests whom Jones "rescued" from the gambling tables of Monte Carlo. One of his attractive guests, Claire, is drawn to him and he to her. She fulfilled one other item on his list - to rescue a damsel in distress. Another item on his list regards the pistols that Catherine the Great of Russia gave to the famous John Paul Jones. By now, the audience realizes that Jones is a real relative of the legendary American naval hero - who was a great uncle or something, because the real Jones never married or had any children. The opening scene shows the name of the Jones yacht, the "Bon Homme Richard" out of Yorktown, Virginia. So, Jones already owns one of the pistols and is in pursuit of the other, after which he plans, on his list, to present them to the U. S. Naval Academy. Now he gets a radio message from a news hound he knows, James "Jimmy" Smith. The other pistol is reputed to be in Monte Carlo, in the possession of a former Russian princess.

Yep - this is one of the many films made in the 1930s in which characters played displaced and refugee royalty of the former Russian Empire. I don't know if Americans or the movie public in general were that enamored with the thought of the Imperial ranks that had to flee for their lives after the Bolshevik Revolution. But they did provide fodder for interesting stories; and for more that two decades after that event, Hollywood kept the interest alive with films.

So, back they go to Monte Carlo, but just to drop Jones off. His boat and guests are to cruise over to Italy where he will meet them later. The comedy now takes off with the entourage of the Princess Alexandra. Kitty Carlisle is in just her third role of a very short career in films. She became prominent on radio and TV, and sang on Broadway; and was later a popular game show panelist. I remember watching "To Tell the Truth" frequently from the mid-1950s on, and Carlisle was one of the featured panelists for some 20 years.

But, I have to say, in this film she not only isn't anything special - she sings one short song and just voices a couple of stanzas almost as a duet with Crosby. It's not very good, and other than portraying a snobbish upper crust princess, she's not even attractive. Claire, back on the boat, was much more alluring. So, I suspect that audiences at that time also had a hard time swallowing any romantic attraction of Crosby's Jones to the princess. Even though Crosby plays his part as an almost lovesick puppy in pursuit of a princess, it's hard to buy that. But then, that in itself may be part of the comedy.

I rate this film six stars for two reasons. One is the comical situation that develops as Jones becomes a hotel waiter in his effort to get close to the pistol to acquire it. And, with that comes the other -- the comedy that is provided by the stellar supporting cast of actors. Reginald Owen as Prince Vladimir, Roland Young as Prince Nicholas, William Frawley as Jimmy Smith, and Akim Tamiroff as the hotel manager provided many of the occasions for laughter in "Here is My Heart."

Modern audiences probably wouldn't care much for this film, and its portrayal with the displaced Russian royalty doesn't really give a feel for the history or the times of the film. But, film buffs - those who enjoy all aspects of the cinema, including its early history and prolific production of movies over the decades, may be interested and enjoy it some. And, how many of us remember our history - that John Paul Jones actually got permission from the U. S. to serve in the Russian navy? Catherine the Great asked him to help the Russian fleet in the Black Sea against the Ottoman Empire.

Here are a few of the better lines from this film.

J. Paul Jones, "You're right, Jimmy. They're a couple of snobs. I think I'll stay over and tell her so." James Smith, "That's right. Stand outside her door and yodel, 'Snob!'"

Countess Rostova, mistaking Jones for the drunken waiter who passed out, "Waiter? What are you doing there? Why don't you bring in the dinner?" After an indignant look, Jones sees the princess behind the countess. The countess continues, "Well, are you stupid, or impertinent?" Jones, bowing "Stupid, madame." Countess, "And, impertinent. Hurry, please."

Jones, after he buys the hotel and audits the books, "Don't people ever pay their bills?" Hotel manager, "Oh, well, uh, the lower classes, uh sometimes. The middle class, always. But the upper classes, monsieur, never!"

James Smith, seeing Jones acting as waiter, "Boy, oh, boy, is this good. What a story. I can see it now. 'Warbling Waiter Outwits Royalty.'" Later, "Ah, 'Poisons Princess, Purloins Pistol."

Someone once said that every singer who came after him either learnt, borrowed, or stole something from Bing Crosby. Here he is at his vocal peak, the man who virtually invented 'Pop' singing, in one of the many wonderful little musicals he churned out in the 1930's, all of which are a sheer pleasure to watch, several have still to make it onto DVD, we can only hope and pray they do! Here is My Heart take you back to another time, a time when life was simpler, and Hollywood was entering it's Golden Era, no messages, just enjoyment, pity it didn't stay that way!

HERE IS MY HEART (Paramount, 1934), directed by Frank Tuttle, stars Bing Crosby in a fairy-tale type romance not so much in the Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald flavor of LOVE ME TONIGHT (Paramount, 1932), but something re-platted from Alfred Sevoir's stage production, "The Grand Duchess and the Waiter," and the 1926 silent Paramount comedy featuring Adolphe Menjou and Florence Vidor. As with many silent movies, most were remade or recycled with sound. For this sound edition, the grand duchess is now a princess and the waiter not only sings but offers a flare for comedy as well.

The story revolves around a 28-year-old John Paul Jones (Bing Crosby), songwriter and former radio singer who, after inheriting a million dollar fortune, makes a list of things to do, fulfilling his lifelong fantasies. Checked off is one where he rescues a damsel in distress, a damsel who happens to be Claire Hastings (Marian Mansfield), one of the guests upon his yacht, the S. S. Bon Homme Richard. His next check off on his "bucket list" is fishing right in the center of the Atlantic Ocean. Later that evening, J. Paul receives a telegram from his friend, James Smith (William Frawley), a reporter from the Paris Chronicle, notifying him that he's located the owner of the second pistol once owned by the American Revolutionary hero, John Paul Jones (whose name is, according to J. Paul, "a coincidence, not descendant"), the pistol he hopes to buy and add with the one he currently owns to present to the U. S. Naval Academy. Heading for Monte Carlo to make arrangements with the gun owner, J. Paul, after registering at the luxurious Hotel D'Athene, encounters an attractive but snobbish woman (Kitty Carlisle) in the elevator. He is later told by Smith that the woman in the elevator happens to be the Princess Alexandra, owner of the second pistol who refuses to sell the item to anyone who's not royalty. Because of J. Paul's background, he is told the princess refuses to sell it to him at any price. After a drunken waiter (Arthur Housman) loses consciousness while delivering a tray of food to the Princess's room, J. Paul, mistaken for the waiter, assumes the role so to be closer to the princess and her upperty family consisting of the Countess Ristova (Alison Skipworth), Prince Nicholas (Roland Young) Prince Vova Vladimir (Reginald Owen) and their talking parrot. J. Paul even goes to the extreme measures with every breath he takes by buying the hotel for himself. Learning the princess to be extremely bored with life, J. Paul also finds the royal family not what they seem to be Others featured in the cast are: Cecilia Parker (Suzette); Akim Tamiroff (The Hotel Manager); Charles Wilson (The Yacht Captain); and Charles Arnt (Higgins).

The musical soundtrack composed by Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin and Lewis Gensler include: "June in January" (sung by Bing Crosby); "Love is Just Around the Corner" (sung by Crosby and Marian Mansfield); "June in January" (reprise by Crosby while listening to his own recording); "Italian Opera Song" (sung by Kitty Carlisle); "With Every Breath I Take" (sung by Crosby); "With Every Breath I Take" (Crosby and Carlisle); "Love is Just Around the Corner," "With Every Breath I Take" and "June in January." Of the few songs written for the screen, "June in January" gets the most and best treatment here. As much as the title, HERE IS MY HEART might have some indication of this being a medical story involving heart transplants, or a romantic comedy set on Valentine's Day, it's a wonder whether or not such a song bearing its movie title might have been considered as another song interlude that was scrapped. Considering the movie title sounding more like a song tune than having any connection with the plot is somewhat typical for its time as movie titles go.

Unseen and unavailable for decades, HERE IS MY HEART has become the least known of all the Bing Crosby/Paramount musicals from the 1930s. Sometime in the 1980s during a pledge drive from WNET, Channel 13's New York City based public television station, it was Kitty Carlisle, Crosby's co-star from this and SHE LOVES ME NOT (Paramount, 1934), who mentioned in an interview that her second film with Crosby, HERE IS MY HEART "isn't around anymore." Though it wasn't fully expressed whether the movie was officially lost with no surviving prints available or not, HERE IS MY HEART has fortunately survived and available in full glory on DVD in 2000 as part of the "Bing Crosby Collection", with MISSISSIPPI (1935) on its flip side of the disc. Though Crosby seemed to have better on-screen chemistry with Mary Carlisle than he did with the sophisticated Kitty, HERE IS MY HEART, at 76 minutes, is a worthy rediscovery and one to check off your list of Bing Crosby movie titles to see. (***1/2)

Playing J. Paul Jones certainly was no stretch for Bing Crosby. After all, Jones is supposed to be a world famous crooner and radio star...just like he was. Hopefully, otherwise Crosby wasn't too much like this sap!

So why did I call Jones a sap? Well, while at a hotel, he sees and instantly falls in love with a Russian princess (Kitty Carlisle)...even thought she'd never give such a 'commoner' the time of day. So, he pretends to be a waiter and even buys the hotel to be near her and her band of moochers...a bunch of dirt poor ex-royals. Considering she's a bit haughty and these Russians don't pay their bills, you wonder why Jones is so smitten...which is THE big problem with the movie. If you love royalty and think they are somehow better than the rest of us, the film works much better. I just thought these folks were jerks and could never exactly understand why Jones cared about any of them...which is a problem with a romantic comedy. Crosby is fine in the role...but I just think the writing was fair at best.

Ever hear the phrase "They don't make 'em like that anymore"? Unfortunately, this delightful bit of charming musical whimsey is so far removed from our brutal, jaded, modern world that the recipe for making such films is probably lost forever. But then, that's part of what makes Here Is My Heart so appealing. It's a slice of movie past that to 21st century sensibilities may appear to come from some lovely, secluded, lost place in time.

Bing Crosby somehow deftly owns the film, despite sharing the screen with such veteran scene stealers as Roland Young and Reginald Owen, who are at their best here. The fact that Bing was arguably at his vocal peak as a singer certainly helps, as he proves why he was the number one male vocalist for two decades, flawlessly crooning "June In January" and "With Every Breath I Take". But it's the way he commands the screen with little visual bits of business that is a revelation. This type of love story was Der Bingle's stock in trade prior to his Father O'Malley days, and it's evident why he rose quickly to the list of top ten box office stars during the 1930s. Sadly, most of his films from this period are sitting in vaults somewhere, gathering dust.

Be sure to catch this charmer of a movie if and when the opportunity arises.