The Heart of New York

While this film may seem, at first glance, to be unremarkable, it does have several things going for it, the greatest of which are the Vaudeville comedy team of "Smith and Dale". Also it is true to the plot of much of Yiddish theater, (At least, what I have read of it.)in that the two children are "up-to-date" and not exactly respectful of their parents . . . Mom agonizes over their many trials, but in the end (Happy endings a must!) Dad triumphs, only to lose everything. But wait!!All is not lost! The fiancee that no one in the family likes (except poor Dad)comes to everyone's rescue. And, as before mentioned, throughout are Joe Smith and Charlie Dale in their prime--comic relief with a vengance!!

The biggest names in this one were the supporting actors -- Aline MacMahon was oscar nominated for Dragon Seed, always the down-trodden, poor woman, struggling to survive. Oscar Apfel was the sidekick in about every film in the 1930s and 1940s. The Marantz family lives in the jewish neighborhood down in the village, and times are tough! all the kids need new shoes and new clothes, and the dentist. so many expenses. but Pops (George Sydney) is an inventor with big big plans. all his bills are coming due, and his wife is constantly nagging him to pay the bills. lots of word play, as they all massacre the english language and spout spoonerisms. fast talking. the leads are listed as Shtrudel and Schnaps (Joe Smith, Charles Dale). They have a pretty good schtick going at the dinner table. apparently they were quite the Vaudeville team for YEARS ! according to wikipedia dot com, Neil Simon's Sunshine Boys is based on this duo. we see about half their comedy act in this film! Gotta give this one high marks, not for the script or the acting, but just for the chunk of history contained here. Directed by Mervyn Leroy. worked on some huge films.

It was great to see an apparently faithful Yiddish style play on screen. The humor is good but not remarkable.

Unfortunately no-one told the actors to tone down the delivery for the camera so it seems like everyone especially the comedy team are yelling constantly.

"The Heart of New York" is an adaptation of a play and it shows. However, one scene that appears to stray outside the set is interesting. It takes place in an automobile, with stock footage in the background showing a slice of city life.

The story is about a Jewish family in New York City. This is a stereotypical depiction of Jewish life and personalities, but it rings true. It feels like a vaudeville act and it should as it features some notable vaudeville talents, like Smith and Dale, who (according to notes in IMDb) were the basis for Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys." In typical fashion, they bend and abuse the English language with non sequiturs and malapropisms in almost every sentence. Better you should watch other films instead if a constant barrage of one-liners you should find annoying.

But the film does capture a moment in comic history and the distinct style of Yiddish vaudevillians. I kept thinking that the actors, though authentic, were better suited to stage than screen. If, for example, some of the same lines were delivered by Groucho Marx and Charles Grodin, I think they would be funnier and feel more integrated into the story.

This film brought back great memories of my growing up in NYC and enjoying the wonderful relationships of Jewish families and friends. Their funny jokes and good humor every day. This picture showed in great detail how people struggled and took care of each other no matter who you were. Joe Smith and George Sidney(Mendel) gave excellent performances and his wife Ruth Hall(Lillian) It is a must see picture, especially when the washing machine is invented!