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TopBilled

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    Neglected films...how would you define a film that's neglected?

    in General Discussions

    Posted

    Today's neglected film is from 1939. It has aired 17 times on TCM.

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.32.58 AM

    My guess is this film is neglected, because it features Jeanette MacDonald on her own. She is drenched in plenty of MGM glamour, but nearly all her musical numbers are solo. If any other male singers do accompany her, they’re part of a larger chorus.

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    No Nelson Eddy in sight. As an experiment, to see if the singer-actress can do well by herself, this picture mostly succeeds.

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.30.33 AM

    The leading men are Lew Ayres, who has temporarily removed his scrubs as Dr. Kildare; and British import Ian Hunter. Hunter had recently signed with Metro after several successful years at Warner Brothers, both in his native England and in Hollywood.

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.27.23 AM

    Hunter is cast as a playboy who decides to back a touring show that features Miss MacDonald singing one important tune. She becomes an overnight sensation, and the entire show is built around her after the previous leading lady (Katharine Alexander) leaves the company due to creative differences.

    Meanwhile, Ayres– who portrays Miss MacDonald’s husband– gets sidelined since he remains in the shadows as a composer when wifey’s career takes off, and she reaches the stratosphere.

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    Ayres gets to struggle. He gets to pout and throw temper tantrums. And he gets to throw some punches– most of them directed at Hunter– when he becomes intensely jealous. He is mostly jealous of MacDonald’s newfound success, and he is bothered by her growing closeness to Hunter on the road.

    Character actor Frank Morgan appears as a Broadway producer who has discovered Miss MacDonald and turns her into a star with Hunter’s help. Mr. Morgan is his likable self. He had better roles at this time (see THE WIZARD OF OZ and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER).

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.25.48 AM

    In addition to Morgan, there is Al Shean as a musician friend of the main couple. As well as Franklin Pangborn as another composer, doing what he does best in this kind of light entertainment, playing his flamboyant self.

    The plot contains no real surprises. We know that a million arguments may occur in the MacDonald-Ayres marriage, but they will manage to stick it out and find a happy ending together.

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.56.17 AM

    None of the dialogue is what you’d call provocative. It’s all carefully hewn in by the production code, sure to offend no one. The only risky thing the studio did was to shoot the entire thing in sepia. This gives the story more of an old-fashioned nostalgic feel, though it is set in modern day times.

    The best part of BROADWAY SERENADE, and what makes the long 114-minute running time worthwhile and more than tolerable, is the energy on display in MacDonald’s many numbers. She performs with customary pizzazz, and it’s obvious she’s having a fun time.

    Screen Shot 2022-10-09 at 11.26.36 AM

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