4 reviews
During 1951 to 1955 Jonie Taps made wonderful light hearted musicals for Columbia Pictures. They all had familiar songs and you always felt good when leaving the theatre. Frankie Laine was always the lead and this time he had Terry Moore of "Come Back Little Sheba" and tall Jerome Cowan singing and the love interest. This film was about the radio/television industry with early color television. I just saw this cute musical and it brought a smile to my face. I wish Columbia would release these Frankie Laine/Jonie Tap musicals. Others in the musical series are "Rainbow Round My Shoulder," "Bring Your Smile Along," and "He Laughed Last."
I came across this delightful film about 10 years ago. Long after Jonnie Taps was producing B musicals at Columbia Studios. I had always enjoyed Frankie Laine's singing style and have been attempting to collect his musicals. They all have good familiar songs and two have Billy Daniels who became more popular in England than in the U.S. I believe that it is the biggest role that Ida Moore has ever had. You get a glimpse of the Columbia screening room, recording studio and inside a sound stage. Released in Technicolor gives the film extra points and the fact that I live in Pasadena brought a smile on my face. I've been waiting for Columbia to release these B musicals on DVD.
UCLA Archives screened this movie some years ago, and I have never heard an audience laugh so much in a movie. They were laughing so loud that you missed some of the jokes. Channel 9 in Los Angeles use to show this film 5 nights a week and I would watch it every night. The film has never been released on DVD due to the Olsen/Johnson estate, but while in England there was a copy in a store. If you ever get a chance to see this move, watch it, it is completely screwy and has a couple of nice songs. I always liked Jane Frazee's singing voice. Martha Raye's version of "Watch The Birdie" became a big hit and was featured in other films.
I just saw this film for the tenth time. I enjoy Brian Ahern as the scatter brain murder mystery book writer who, with is wife, Loretta Young, move into a basement apartment of an apartment building where the tenants all live there because they are being blackmailed. The whole cast has solid character actors you've seen in so many other films. It is nice to see Lee Patrick as a café owner with out her high pitched voice that she later became known for. A dead man is found in their back yard, that they had seen while eating dinner the night before and the two start their own investigation as to who the man was and why is everyone being blackmailed. The story continues to move so easy through its 91 minutes that I was sorry to see it end.