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Let's be realistic.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Great Film overall

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Not bad early musical based on a flop Broadway show by Rodgers and Hart.Willful Betty (Bernice Claire) thinks she loves flashy Steve (Lawrence Gray) because Terry (Alexander Gray) is boring and because her father wants her to marry him. But with a little coaching from her dizzy mom (Louise Fazenda), Terry turns into a lover and wins the day.Set among the "Long Island set," this breezy little film is full of smart retorts and good songs. It also features a funny performance by Ford Sterling as the frantic father and good work by Inez Courtney (from the Broadway show) and Frank Albertson as the younger set.Claire has a pleasing soprano and the Grays (not related) also sing well. Best known song here is "With a Song in My Heart." The Brox Sisters show up at the party and sing the hit "Cryin' for the Carolines." Also noted in the cast are Natalie Moorhead as the vamp, Bess Flowers as a guest, Gretchen Thomas as Maude, and Wilbur Mack as the vicar.While Lawrence Gray gets top billing here, it's Bernice Claire and Alexander Gray who are really the stars. They starred together in 3 films in 1930.

Most of the movies from this period are bad, stabs in the eye. But you have to watch your quota in order to register the form.These early ones are pretty fascinating because with the onset of sound, filmmakers veered away from story for a while and accommodated the stage show. This is an early musical following the pattern used on Broadway, set by opera centuries before and still somewhat followed. Its song stitched together in the slightest of ways.The songs here seemed dreadful to me, absolutely dreadful. Just changing tastes on which drek we tolerate, I suppose.The story is about a girl, and someone who loves her, and her confusion over him and another boy. Which is less boring is the question. She and all the supposed sexy girls here have that mannish, short hairdo that was popular for only a couple years, invented by film.There's a blustery father whose job it is to keep things moving. The origin of his role is belied in the middle of the movie when in the midst of his patter he says of a joke: "I just tell em, I don't explain em." Everything else about this is from the stage as well, a strange deviation for cinema as it tried to discover what it would be. Its precode, so while there is nothing overtly sexy is shown, its clear that there are sex acts all around the story.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Actually, the songs for this film; Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (For Somebody Else), Bad Baby, Cryin' For The Carolines, Have A Little Faith In Me, How Shall I Tell?, What's The Big Idea? were not written by R&H but by Harry Warren. This was Harry's big break into Hollywood songwriting for the silver screen. Due to the success of his music in this film, Harry Warren was brought out to Hollywood for a second film, "42nd Street", which is by and large considered to be the "grand daddy of all musicals". Harry then left Tin Pan Alley, and signed on to write the music for another 32 Warner Brothers films. Many of these were co-written with Al Dubin, and then later on with Johnny Mercer.In the end, this was the first film that Harry wrote music for. He went on to be the most successful songwriter in Hollywood, and that success propelled him to the top of the pop charts as well, writing 81 top ten hits, along with eleven Oscar nominations for best song.

I was pleased that TCM had this on the other morning. Bernice Claire and Lawrence Gray sang beautifully. The old man got off a few great one liners, but the singers and especially the lyrics stole the show. Such beautiful sentiments. This show had the feel and atmosphere of one of my favorite movies, "Sally", so I looked it up in my 4/03 Now Playing and "Sally" was directed by John Fracis Dillon too. If they show this again, and they inevitably probably will, I will tape it to keep. Dillon was a master at these early 30s musicals. I've kept "Sally". TCM is to be thanked for putting this on. It is much appreciated. I never miss any pre-7/34 precode movies they show and they are the main reason that TCM is the greatest station showing.