Up in Central Park

UP IN CENTRAL PARK (Universal-International, 1948), directed by William A. Seiter, stars Deanna Durbin in her next to last movie of her career. For her first 1948 release, she stars in a light-hearted period piece based on a popular 1945 musical play of the same name by Dorothy and Herbert Fields. Aside from some changes from stage to screen regarding both story and selected song tunes, the film in general is livably typical Durbin material which allows her to change from teenage Irish girl in pig-tails to attractive young woman. What's most interesting here is casting Durbin opposite Vincent Price (then not quite the horror film actor he was to become years later) in his rare occasion cast in a musical story. Though Price would have done very well in the singing category, all major vocals go to the pleasing voices by Durbin and 20th Century-Fox alumni, Dick Haymes.

In spite of the title, the 88 minute story is not set entirely in Central Park. However, it takes place in 1870s New York City where the plot introduces William Marcy Treed (Vincent Price), a corrupt political boss of the Tammany Hall Society advocating the re- election of weak and drunken candidate, Mayor Oakley (Hobart Cavanaugh,) back in office so to resume his crooked deals. Going against Treed is New York Times reporter John Matthews (Dick Haymes) out to expose him, but because of his lack of evidence that would stand up on court, he's unable to do so. Later on a boat arriving from Europe to Ellis Island are immigrants, including that of Rosie (Deanna Durbin) and her widower father, Timothy Moore (Arthur Sharpe) coming to their land of opportunity where Rosie hopes to become a great opera singer. Soon after, Mr. Moore is met by Regan (Tom Powers), one of Tweed's associates offering naive immigrants extra money voting straight candidate tickets under names of those unable to cast a ballot, namely the sick and deceased, even without being American citizens. Offered $2 a vote, Mr. Moore earns $50 for voting 23 times for Oakley. Having fallen asleep in Tweed's office while awaiting to meet with him, Treed, believing Rosie has overheard him discussing with the board about embezzling funds through unnecessary renovation of Central Park, gets on her good graces by offering her father a $3,000 a year job as park superintendent plus living accommodations inside Central Park. As much as Rosie feels Tread to be a great man of honor, it's up to Matthews, who has taken an interest in the young lady, to convince her otherwise.

With music and lyrics by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Fields, the motion picture soundtrack is as follows: "Vote for Treed" (sung by candidates); "Oh Say Do You See What I See" (sung by Deanna Durbinb); "Carousel in the Park" (sung by Dick Haymes and Deanna Durbin); "The Ice Skating Ballet" (photograph come to life sequence choreographed by Helen Tamiras); "When She Walks in the Room" (sung by Dick Haymes); "Pace, Pace Mio Mio" and Giuseppe Verdi's Opera LA FORZE DEL DESTINO (sung by Durbin); and "The Waiter/Can-Can Dance" (instrumental). Though the songs are proved satisfactory, including Durbin's "Oh Say Do You See" number and a couple of Dick Haymes song interludes, they are, in the most part, unmemorable.

While the legacy of Universal Studio rests mostly on its reputation for horror films and/or Abbott and Costello comedies, one of the biggest money makers for the studio since 1936 were those films starring Deanna Durbin. Making no attempt speaking with an Irish brogue, which is left to the Barry Fitzgerald sounding voice of co-star, Arthur Sharpe, Durbin's Rosie is less typical Irish stereotype than most, though her Irish temper does flare up on a couple of occasions with her giving face slaps to those who make her angry. When watching Durbin playing opposite Vincent Price, one would have to feel their missed opportunity for not being cast together in the sound remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943), in place of the casting of Susanna Foster and Claude Rains. Interestingly with this combination for UP IN CENTRAL PARK that Price presence gathers the most attention with his scene stealing performance, while Arthur Sharpe gets some moments to himself in a scene where he attempts to get his education by learning to read by attending school seated in a classroom surrounded by third grade students.

A satisfactory presentation with authentic recreated costumes and settings that blend in perfectly with its time frame, it's a wonder why it wasn't produced in Technicolor. Though UP IN CENTRAL PARK did have some limited TV revivals in the 1980s, especially on public broadcasting television, it did become available on video cassette in 1998 and years later on DVD as part of the Deanna Durbin collection, simply indicating the Durbin name isn't as unknown or forgotten as legend may have it believed to be. (***)

"Up in Central Park" is set in New York City in the 19th century. Boss Tweed (Vincent Price) and his political machine (Tammany Hall) have been in charge of the city for years...and cheating, graft and voting irregularities will keep him in power. At the time of the election, an Irish man and his daughter, Rosie (Deanna Durbin), arrive in the city...and are paid to vote the Tammany Hall candidates even though they aren't citizens. Tweed himself takes a special interest in them...mostly because he finds Rosie to be gorgeous. She, in turn, is smitten with him...unaware or perhaps unwilling to accept the man's evil reputation might just be true. A reporter (Dick Haymes) is fighting Tammany Hall and he tries to get Rosie to see the light...but getting her attitude to change will be a tall order, as around her he's the perfect gentleman. What's going to come of naive Rosie and Boss Tweed?

This is an enjoyable film but not without its problems. The first one I noticed was that although Rosie's dad has a thick Irish accent, Rosie sounds like a native-born American! She didn't even attempts a trace of the Irish accent...and it made little sense. The second was that even for a Durbin film the musical numbers were dull and too high brow...especially the ballet sequence. Third, and worst of all, the ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying. On the positive side, Vincent Price was great as the slimy Tweed and the story mildly interesting. But to me, the negatives slightly outweigh the positives.

Up In Central Park marked a successful return to Broadway for Sigmund Romberg as this musical about the Tammany Hall era of Boss William Marcy Tweed ran for 504 performances during the 1945-46 season on Broadway. Instead of the elegant Vincent Price as the powerful Boss of Tammany Hall Civil War and post Civil War, the part was played by Noah Beery, Sr. Now that certainly would have called for a different kind of Boss Tweed.

Musically what Universal Studios gave us is a half baked version of the Broadway Show. Dick Haymes and Deanna Durbin are in good voice for th Sigmund Romberg-Dorothy Fields numbers still left, but because the music is cut the emphasis of the film turns to Price.

Young Deanna Durbin and her father Albert Sharpe are freshly arrived from Ireland and immediately as was the tradition back in the day, welcomed to the shores by the Tammany political machine. Sharpe takes to the repeat voting the way that Brian Donlevy did in The Great McGinty, but his rise only consists of becoming the superintendent of Central Park which the Tweed Ring plans to 'improve' with many kickbacks for themselves.

In the meantime Durbin comes to the attention of Price, but she also comes to the attention of crusading reporter Dick Haymes. They make beautiful music together and apart in what little is left of the Romberg-Fields score.

If Up In Central Park had been done at MGM it surely would have gotten the production needed for this musical. Unforgivably the big hit song of the film Close As Pages In A Book was not performed and it's a duet which I'm sure Haymes and Durbin would have been great at. I'm betting it ended on the cutting room floor. Close As Pages In A Book is heard on the soundtrack as background music

There's another nice song called It Doesn't Cost You Anything To Dream that was also cut. But what I was most disappointed in was a number called The Fireman's Bride that was not included. It's a rollicking number that I have a recording of Jeanette MacDonald and Robert Merrill doing and I'm sure it must have been great on stage. When it wasn't in the film I was truly disappointed.

Casting Vincent Price as Tweed was a stroke of genius. I truly think that a young woman's virtue would have been far more in danger from him than from Noah Beery. Remembering the villains Beery played on screen, he would have to get really overbearing and physical which he must have on stage.

As a musical Up In Central Park is disappointing, but fans of Vincent Price will appreciate this actor displaying the fact he could do far more than horror films.

The dialogue and the overflowing production values of 'Up in Central Park' are two pleasurable surprises so many years afterwards to someone who is only just discovering the legacy of Deanna Durbin.

What never ceases to amaze me is the high standard of her films. They were, actually and in the flow of things, pretty run-of-the-mill, but the majority of them work incredibly well today, and 'Up in Central Park' is one of the most delightful. It has a magnificent script about a magnate, in actual fact a kind of dictator of New York City who whitewashes his money through Central Park, has the puppet mayor elected by bribing immigrants just off Ellis Island to vote in the names of dead constituents, and is just overall a very bad guy. He is played by Vincent Price, of course, soft-voiced, seductive and insinuating. An utter gentleman even at the end. "I wish more patriots like you would come to this country", he says, debonairly and hilariously. Deanna Durbin is the young Irish girl with dreams of becoming an opera star. She has just arrived in New York with her illiterate father who is given the position of superintendent of Central Park, because Vincent Price thinks his daughter overheard his evil plans for the city. Then enters young, ambitious reporter Dick Haynes with his lovely tenor voice, and he wants to bring the mighty down.

So we have young budding love, we have the older lecher, we have filial duty, and we have scathing political satire, believe me. "If you're strong enough to take something, it belongs to you", Vincent Price says, and the film takes him seriously as it well might, and the jokes aside Price's character is not too far off the mark.

The music is pleasant, the acting a sheer joy, and the pacing admirable.

Durbin and Price are in top form; both are charming, and hit just the right light note in their acting style. Dick Haymes sings very well, but lacks charisma and spark as an actor. The actor playing Durbin's Irish father is strictly from the Barry Fitzgerald school of ersatz Blarney.

Contrary to what another reviewer said, this 100% soundstange shot film shows all to clearly that Universal didn't spend much money on it. Sets are unusually limited in scope for a musical. One example: In one number immigrant Durbin on the deck of a boat coming to America sings about the new countries glories. Not only is the boat deck tiny with the only backdrop a painted sky, but there is not one shot showing what she is singing about, what is supposedly inspiriting her song.

The plot and characters are hardly realistic, but work just fine for a musical. The dialog is well written, better than in the majority of musicals of this era.

The music, what there is of it, has big, well written orchestrations, and the fidelity is excellent on the VHS tape. Johnny Green is credited as composer- music director, and I believe he was head of MGM's music department at the time, so I suspect Universal farmed out musical duties to MGM (L.B. Mayor was father in law to Universal's chief). If so, it was a good decision.

As was standard practice in this era, only a few of the songs written for the stage show on which the film was based made it to the film. The glaring omission is "We'll Be Close As Pages In A Book", which I believe is the only song from the theater production to become popular and have a life outside of the show. It's not in the film, but is very prominently featured in the instrumental title music and is the music which closes the film. Makes me suspect they filmed the song, but cut it before the film was released.