LULLABY OF BROADWAY: Blu-ray (Warner Bros., 1951) Warner Archive
I have always felt Gene Nelson was
sorely overlooked for Hollywood stardom. For those unfamiliar, Mr. Nelson –
best recalled today as the rambunctious Will Parker in 1955’s Oklahoma! –
was a ‘mere’ raw talent in Tinsel Town, the kind the West Coast seemed to draw
in like a magnet during those halcyon days of yore, and then, just as easily,
disposed of before all of its potential had been tapped. A lanky-built, but broad-shouldered Seattle-native,
Gene Nelson (born Eugene Berg), who in his youth positively worshipped Fred
Astaire, possessed the rugged jaw of a leading man, the voice of an angel and
the legs of a high-stepping gazelle (think, Ray Bolger with leg muscles). That
all of these assets were rarely put to definitive use in the movies is a
distinct shame. And when he died of cancer in 1996, Mr. Nelson’s promise was,
as ever, unfulfilled. A Broadway hybrid,
Nelson made the transition into pictures, first at 2oth Century-Fox, then, in
1951, with a move to Warner Bros., costarring opposite Doris Day in director,
David Butler’s Lullaby of Broadway – in hindsight, very much an attempt
to launch him as a leading man opposite a gal who had already broken through to
popular appeal and was well on the way to her own super-stardom. Alas, like Frank Sinatra’s early tenure at
MGM – chronically cast as the scrawny ‘before’ to Gene Kelly’s ‘after’,
Mr. Nelson’s allure at Warner Bros. was continuously being overshadowed by his
contemporary, Gordon MacRae, with whom he generally appeared as the ‘sidekick’,
destined to lose the girl in the finale reel or wind up with the second-string
ingenue as his booby prize. Unlike
Sinatra, Nelson’s failure to break free of this hermetically sealed image eventually
forced him off the screen. He turned to directing (a pair of lesser received
Elvis pics) and acting on the small screen, as well as a return to the stage.
All of this is food for thought, or
water under the bridge, depending on one’s point of view, as Lullaby of Broadway
is nothing more than another A-list effort to promote Doris Day into the upper
echelons as America’s sweetheart. And Day, contented with this studio-crafted
virginal image for a time, herein proved the impression of that buoyant and
bubbly ‘goodie two-shoes’ was precisely what the public needed, and, moreover,
how they chose best to remember her. Day is, of course, given the lion’s share
of the vocals in Lullaby of Broadway – the old Harry Warren/Al Dubin
pop-tune of the Depression era, dusted off and polished in glossy Technicolor. The
song’s debut in Gold Diggers of 1935 sported a mind-boggling mass of
chorines, staged with intricate perfection by the studio’s resident ‘master
builder’ of the Hollywood musical – Busby Berkeley. Alas, the choreographic duties
in Lullaby of Broadway, split 3-ways between Eddie and LeRoy Prinz, and,
Al White Jr. are a fairly pedestrian affair, relying on the eye-popping gloss
of Technicolor and Day’s winsome personality to sell the song. To be sure, Lullaby
of Broadway has its moments; Day’s silken smooth rendition of another
Warren/Dubin classic, ‘You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me’ as well as
Cole Porter’s ‘Just One of Those Things’ – among them. For some reason,
the studio had Hal Derwin dub for Gene Nelson during his duets with Day – ‘Somebody
Loves Me’, and ‘I Love The Way You Say Goodnight’, as well as his
solo, ‘Zing Went the Strings of My Heart’, while Gladys George was allowed
to warble under her own steam, ‘Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone’
and ‘In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town’, leaving two delightfully bouncy ‘specialty
numbers, ‘You're Dependable’ and ‘We'd Like to Go on a Trip’ to tertiary
talents, Billy De Wolfe and Anne Triola.
Given Doris Day’s formidable
strengths as a singer, Lullaby of Broadway also promotes the notion Day is
one hell of a good dancer. And, to Ms. Day’s credit, she is equal to the tap-tap-tapping
tasks at hand. Our story kicks into gear with the transatlantic crossing of one
Melinda Howard (Doris Day) to Manhattan after spending most of her formative
and adolescent years abroad in private school. Aboard ship, Melinda meets Broadway
star, Tom Farnham (Gene Nelson) who not only keeps his profession a secret,
but also makes a cheap pass at Melinda – almost immediately shot down. Besides,
Melinda has no time for love, having returned home a fully grown, if thoroughly
naïve woman, still believing her mother, Jessica Howard’s (Gladys George) halcyon days as the
toast of Broadway are ongoing. Problem: the age of sunny Jim-Dandies is gone
and so is Jess’s legendary run, the now-alcoholic has-been reduced to appearing
in seedy speakeasys in Greenwich Village to support herself. Ex-Vaudevillians,
Lefty Mack (Billy De Wolfe) and Gloria Davis (Anne Triola) know the score but
do all they can to conceal this ugly truth from Melinda, assisted by their
wealthy boss, Adolph Hubbell (the irrepressibly charming S.Z. Sakall) who,
having taken an immediate liking to Melinda, naturally decides to back a
Broadway show built around her. Regrettably, Adolph’s patronage is misconstrued
by his long-suffering wife, Anna (Florence Bates). Lefty lies to Mel’, the
manor has been rented to the Hubbells while Jess is ‘on tour’. As the go-between, Lefty informs Jess of her
daughter's arrival and then finagles a way for her to attend a grand party
being given by the Hubbells where many a great star of the Great White Way will
be in attendance. Tom lights up the room with his song and dance, and, Melinda
discovers he is the lead in George Ferndel’s (Hanley Stafford) newest
production, Lullaby of Broadway.
Ferndel proposes Adolph invest in
his show, something he absolutely refuses to do unless he is involved in the
casting. Jessica is a no-show to the party, hospitalized with delirium tremens.
Lefty does damage control, inferring Jess’s show is so popular she cannot leave
it. Disheartened, Melinda agrees to go to dinner with Adolph instead. He
immediately promotes her to Ferndel as a budding new talent on the cusp of
stardom. Melinda wows Ferndel with her singing chops and Adolph decides to buy
her a fur coat to celebrate. However, Gloria is horrified by the gesture,
believing Adolph’s intentions are far from fatherly. Deeply disturbed by the
notion Adolph may be straying from his wife, Melinda insists on returning the
fur, but also staunchly promises there will be parts in the new show for Lefty
and Gloria. More misdirection: the coat finds its way to Mrs. Hubbell who, believing
it was meant for her, wears it to a charity ball. Unaware of how she might
complicate matters, Melinda confides in Tom the coat was originally bought for
her. The couple quarrels. Meanwhile, fearing her daughter’s disappointment, Jess
– newly released from hospital – refuses to see her. On opening night, Mrs.
Hubbell, believing her husband has been unfaithful with Melinda, files for
divorce. Tom decides to ‘forgive’ Mel’ but she now realizes he too believed the
worst about her and Adolph and is unimpressed by Tom’s charity. Melinda’s world
caves in when an overzealous reporter (Paul McGuire) informs about her mother’s
condition. Utterly devastated, Melinda plots a hasty retreat to England.
However, Gloria and Lefty intervene, escorting Melinda to a reconciliation with
her mother. Mrs. Hubbell learns her husband was never unfaithful and sets aside
her suspicions. Melinda is rushed to the theater where she and Tom patch things
up and then, wow the audience.
Lullaby of
Broadway is pure Hollywood hokum. That said, it is rather neatly stitched together
by screenwriter, Earl Baldwin’s crazy quilt of false starts and misdirection intermittently
interrupted with devastatingly handsome production numbers to charm, lull and
distract us from the ridiculousness of the plot. The real/reel star here is
Technicolor – making even the most careworn story elements sparkle in its plush
hues. Doris Day, in Milo Anderson’s classy couture, looks every inch the
immaculate star who, flung down from the heavens to 5th Avenue,
bounces from one pink cloud of exuberance to the next with effortless aplomb. Day
and Gene Nelson have genuine screen chemistry here. It is a tragedy they were
never again to reunite. Ultimately, the
movie’s modus operandi – to make Day (then, a relatively ‘new find’) an even
bigger star – clicked with audiences. Her popularity soared. Hal Derwin’s dubbed vocals for Nelson, while
solid, do not entirely line up with Nelson’s own speaking voice, and thus
reveal themselves to be false. Veteran hams, Billy De Wolfe and S.Z. Sakall
give us more than a handful of reasons to smile. Lullaby of Broadway is
a disposable entertainment, leant the appropriate studio-sanctioned flash to
sell its wares. There is fun to be had here, especially in the ‘good time’ had
by all on the screen. Clearly, the stars are doing their best to impress. So, professionalism
plus, prevails in the end.
The same might be said of the
Warner Archive’s (WAC) new-to-Blu reincarnation of Lullaby of Broadway.
Original elements have been given a splashy upgrade in 1080p, the realigned 3-strip
Technicolor radiating oodles of warmth off the screen. Prepare to be dazzled
here because this is a gorgeous and superior presentation – one of many
Technicolor gems that WAC has been promoting of late in flawless condition. Contrast is exceptional and a light smattering
of film grain looks very indigenous to its source. The DTS 2.0 mono is very
solid with one minor exception – the taps in Nelson’s solo ‘Zing Went the
Strings of My Heart’ have an echo quality, with too much reverb. Odd
sounding. Otherwise, dialogue is front-and-center crisp and the score sounds
incredible. No age-related damage. We get a theatrical trailer here, and that’s
about it. Bottom line: Lullaby of Broadway has been given a reference
quality presentation in hi-def. It’s still a second-tier Doris Day movie, but
looking every bit as A-list as any produced to promote the star at Warner Bros.
So, this one’s a blind purchase for Day purists and casual fans alike. Highly
recommended!
FILM RATING (out
of 5 – 5 being the best)
3.5
VIDEO/AUDIO
5+
EXTRAS
0
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