toddo Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 I must admit I wasn't expecting much out of this movie. With the top billing being John Payne and Sonja Henie I expected nothing more than a couple ok songs. The music alone was superb enough to make this a must for my collection. This movie actually made me wish I had grown up in the big band era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tikisoo Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This film was screened as the last of the season holiday movie a few weeks ago and the house was packed! The audience sang along and even danced in their seats to the great music included. Many younger people enjoyed seeing the horn players swing their instruments to the music too. Did Payne even get to sing? The criticisms were "too much skiing" kind of slowed the story down and the wry observation of, "If I can't marry the one I love, I'll just marry the annoying one instead" silly ending. Did you notice the black ice used for optimum reflection in that last number? Sonja Henie was the Madonna of her day, dictating creative control for the best effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM108 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 I generally can't stand musicals, but I happened to catch the part where Tex Beneke and his backup chorus were gathering around a table, singing their classic version of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", followed by another version by the Nicholas Brothers with Dorothy Dandridge. I'm now thoroughly disgusted with myself that I didn't record it, but as Jack Webb used to say, "In America, there's always a tomorrow." And for anyone who hasn't seen the sequence I'm talking about, you *have* to see it: P.S. Does Beneke have a twin brother or something? Look at the scene right at the beginning of the song and check out the guitar player to the left of the pianist. Until I then saw Tex playing a saxophone before whistling his way over to the table to begin the vocal part, I thought that he was the guitar player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swithin Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Another great film rendition of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," this one sung by Carmen Miranda in Springtime in the Rockies: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceinthecrowd Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I don't know whether Tex Beneke had a twin brother, but I always thought he had a remarkable resemblance to Fred MacMurray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrence1 Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 I noticed another boo-boo in Robert Osborne's introduction to this movie. He referred to Sonia Henie as "Swedish-born". She was from Norway! Doesn't anyone check these details before they give them to Osborne? That's really careless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceinthecrowd Posted December 30, 2013 Share Posted December 30, 2013 Speaking of careless, a TV newscaster reporting on Bette Davis's death said that she received her first Oscar for OF HUMAN BONDAGE. She should have, but she didn't. So much for the station's research department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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