Saint-Louis Blues

What Banjo on My Knee lacks in original story or compelling themes, it makes up for with warm, funny characters brought to life by delightful actors. Barbara Stanwyck shines as the uneducated "land girl", who marries Joel McCrea's "river boy" despite significant differences in their background and world view. Walter Brennan assays one of his best roles as McCrea's good-natured, contraption-playing father. ("When I'm low, it's music I need " he says, before launching into a song with his one-man band.) Buddy Ebsen, singing and dancing to the title tune, Walter Catlett, as a would-be lothario in hapless pursuit of Stanwyck, and Katherine DeMille, as a voluptuous harpy after McCrea, all turn in fine performances. One of the best elements in the film, however, is the music. We not only have Brennan 's rousing renditions of "Dixie" and "St. Louis Blues", but the latter tune rendered to perfection by the marvelous Hall Johnson Choir. The film doesn 't maintain the same level of charm found in its opening scenes throughout its length, but there is enough comedy and music to make Banjo on My Knee a film worth seeing.

This film is a rarity seldom seen on cable. It came as a total surprise, but the casting looked intriguing. John Cromwell directed this 1936 film with sure hand. He takes us to meet the river people that populate the banks of the Mississippi, eking a living out of their fishing. The cinematography of Ernest Palmer does wonders to give us a realistic view of the majestic river and New Orleans.

Barbara Stanwyck proves to be the biggest surprise of all, singing and dancing with great verve in a few of her scenes. She plays Pearl, the city girl that comes to marry Ernie Holley, an uneducated man, but who clearly loves her. Joel McCrea is the stubborn man who doesn't realize he has a gem in Pearl.

The best thing though is Walter Brennan, who is Ernie's father and a man that looks forward to a grandchild to dote on. He is a river musician who plays a strange contraption. Mr. Brennan gave a great performance as Newt, who warms our hearts with his simple melodies.

Buddy Ebsen is Buddy, a river boy who loves to dance to the tunes that Newt produces. Tony Martin is perfect as the star of the cafe in New Orleans where he is heard singing some beautiful songs. Katherine DeMille is Leota, the girl in love with Ernie who will do everything to get Pearl to leave her man.

The movie will warm the viewer's heart because its simplicity and the great direction Mr. Cromwell got from this cast.

I have not only seen the movie but also had the privilege of reading the book. The book was well written and as in most cases was better then the movie. I am a bit partial seen as how I also knew the writer. He was my great uncle on my Mothers side. I would spend the summers with him & would read his other works. Sadly Uncle Harry passed away Thanksgiving 1975. It's a shame no other movies were made from his works as they to would have been very good as well. My mother still has a set of Harry Hamiltons complete works But won't let anyone touch them for fear of being destroyed. If you haven't seen the movie then you're missing out and if you have then you no what I'm talking about.

BANJO ON MY KNEE (20th Century-Fox, 1936), directed by John Cromwell, teams Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea for the second of six times on screen. It may not be the first motion picture in which Stanwyck sings and dances (barely), but her initial one to be classified as a musical. Following the pattern taken on the idea from Edna Ferber's story, "Show Boat," later a legendary Broadway musical followed by two screen based versions (1929, 1936), BANJO ON MY KNEE, based on the novel by Harry Hamilton, has a pattern all its own.

Opening title: "Island Number 21 is little more than a sandbar in the Mississippi River, but to the shanty boat people moored there it is the world. Of what happens on shore they know little or care less. Shanty boat people firmly believe that if God had intended folks to live in towns, He would have created towns at the same time He created rocks and trees and rivers." The story opens with on a shanty boat on the Mississippi River where Judge Pope (Spencer Charters) officiates the wedding for bride and groom, Polly (Barbara Stanwyck), a "land girl," to Ernie (Joel McCrea), a "river man" and son of Newt (Walter Brennan), whose biggest wish before he dies is to become a grandfather. Among those not present at the wedding is the jealous Leota Lang (Katherine DeMille), Ernie's former girlfriend. Following a ceremony where Buddy (Buddy Ebsen) does some dancing, Mr. Slade (Victor Kilian), one of Newt's biggest buyer of animal feed, arrives, wanting to kiss the bride. The forceful kiss forces Ernie to sock Slade into the river. Fearing that he has drowned, Leota, seeing her chance to ruin Ernie's wedding night, notifies the police so he can be arrested for murder. The police arrive, forcing Ernie to leave his bride and swim away to shore. Not soon after Ernie's escape, the soaked and dripping Mr. Slade reappears, having survived drowning by floating upstream. Six months later, after traveling around Europe, Ernie returns to Pearl only to get into a heated argument causing Pearl to walk out on her "bullheaded" husband. After Pearl goes away with photographer, Warfield Scott (Walter Catlett), on a promise of a job in Louisiana, both Newt and Ernie go after her. During their search, Pearl encounters a new career and partnership with Chick Bean (Anthony "Tony" Martin), singer at the Creole Cafe.

While the words and music by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson are far from Oscar Hammerstein's immortal songs from "Show Boat," the songs are satisfactory for easy listening. The motion picture soundtrack includes: "With a Banjo on My Knee" (sung by Buddy Ebsen and Walter Brennan); "Where the Lazy River Goes By" (sung by Barbara Stanwyck to Joel McCrea); "There's Something in the Air" (sung by Tony Martin); W.C. Handy's "The St. Louis Blues" (sung by Theresa Harris/the Hall Johnson Choir); "Four Leaf Clover" "Oh, Susannah" (by Stephen Foster/ played on "contraption" by Walter Brennan); "Swanee River" (by Stephen Foster); "Where the Lazy River Goes By" (reprised by Stanwyck and Martin); "With a Banjo on My Knee" (sung/danced by Ebsen)"Swanee River" (danced by Ebsen and Stanwyck); and "With a Banjo On My Knee."

Though not in the same level as Universal's second presentation of SHOW BOAT (1936) starring Irene Dunne and Allan Jones, nor the curiosity of the seldom seen MISSISSIPPI (Paramount, 1935) featuring the likes of Bing Crosby and WC Fields, BANJO ON MY KNEE is routinely done. Song interludes provide good showcases for its performers, and a great surprise for many getting a glimpse of Stanwyck singing a song or two in ballad style, and dancing with Buddy Ebsen. Of the many tunes, Tony Martin's rendition of "There's Something in the Air" comes off best. The "St. Louis Blues" number, done in black spiritual style, begins in a similar fashion of "Ol' Man River" from SHOW BOAT. There's no Paul Robeson to stop the show here this time around, but Theresa Harris sharing her vocals with the Hall Johnson Choir, and quite effectively, too. Another highlight is Walter Brennan playing an assortment of old time tunes on his "contraption," and Walter Catlett constant avoiding a sock on the jaw.

In support is Helen Westley, through her limitations, stands out as the old granny in a rocking chair smoking a corn cob pipe and screeching a hideous laugh in the manner of an old hag. Then there's Minna Gombell, whose characterization is a close reminder of Gladys George. In the role of Ruby, a tough talking café girl, she becomes romantically involved with Ernie (McCrea) at one point, unknown that he's a married man.

Even during the broadcast TV generation of the 1960s and 70s, BANJO ON MY KNEE had its limitations, especially when last seen on the afternoon movie presentation in the New York City area where it was last seen as far back as 1970 on WOR, Channel 9. I didn't get to see this one again until the early stages of American Movie Classics cable channel prior to 1988, where it hasn't been revived since. BANJO ON MY KNEE did have some broadcasts in later years on the Fox Movie Channel. Even with occasional revivals, particularly Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 12, 2012), it's still not enough to become a well-known factor of thirties cinema.

BANJO ON MY KNEE may not win any merits as the finest musical with the most original story ever put on film, but does benefit greatly from some fine atmospheric settings depicting both Mississippi and Louisiana, folksy humor and fine chemistry between Stanwyck and McCrea to make this rarity something to consider. (*** banjos)

"Banjo on my Knee" is a 1936 film that will keep you guessing as to which direction it's headed nearly every time there's a scene change. McCrea plays a shantytown boy who marries a land girl (Stanwyck). The patriarch of McCrea's family, played by Walter Brennan, is desperate for a grandchild. Unfortunately, Stanwyck and McCrea can't seem to get their marriage consummated. On their wedding night, they think McCrea has murdered someone (he hasn't), so McCrea takes off for six months and sees the world while his wife waits none too patiently. The day he comes home, he talks about moving the family to Aruba and says he'll go down first for a month and then send for her. The couple get into a terrible fight because Stanwyck doesn't want to be left again. The two of them then split up again - that instant. She goes to New Orleans to work for a slimy photographer, but no sooner does she get to his apartment that she bolts and takes a job as a dishwasher in a bar.

Soon, the entire population of Shantytown is in New Orleans looking for her and for McCrea. At the bar, Tony Martin is a saloon singer who falls for Stanwyck, and soon, Buddy Ebsen, another Shantytown resident, and Walter Brennan are big hits performing there, and Stanwyck is doing duets with Martin. It goes on from there.

Some of the music is great, the highlight being "St. Louis Woman" with Brennan and the Hall Johnson Choir. Martin looks and sounds like an angel - his voice is just stunning in "There's Something in the Air" and "Where the Lazy River Goes By." Stanwyck sings just like she talks - her voice is low, pleasant, and natural. The cast is uniformly good, and Katharine DeMille has a showy role as Leota, who's in love with McCrea. McCrea, of course, is tall, handsome, and boyishly gorgeous.

I wasn't expecting a musical, and in the beginning, "Banjo on My Knee" seemed like a drama, so I never was sure what I was watching. Odd though the film may be, it was loads of fun.