Can't Help Singing (1944)

A senator's daughter (who can't help singing) follows her boyfriend West in the days of the California gold rush.

Director:

Frank Ryan

Writers:

Lewis R. Foster (screenplay), Frank Ryan (screenplay),

Stars:

Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deanna Durbin	...	Caroline
Robert Paige	...	Lawlor
Akim Tamiroff	...	Gregory
David Bruce	...	Latham
Leonid Kinskey	...	Koppa
June Vincent	...	Miss McLean
Ray Collins	...	Senator Frost
Andrew Tombes	...	Sad Sam
Thomas Gomez	...	Carstairs
Clara Blandick	...	Aunt Cissy
Olin Howland	...	Bigelow (as Olin Howlin)
George Cleveland	...	Marshal

Storyline

With the California Gold Rush beginning, Senator Frost's singing daughter Caroline loves a young army officer; the Senator can't stand him, and has him sent to California. Headstrong Caroline follows him by train, riverboat, and covered wagon, gaining companions en route: a vagrant Russian prince and gambler Johnny Lawlor, who just might take her mind off the army.

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Plot Keywords:

covered wagon | woman in bathtub | bryce canyon | saloon | male in bathtub | 

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Taglines:

THE THRILL YOUR EYES WILL PRIZE FOREVER! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Musical | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

29 December 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Caroline

Filming Locations:

Duck Creek, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is Deanna Durbin's only Technicolor vehicle. Unfulfilled plans to showcase Miss Durbin in color, proposed between 1938 and 1953, included these eventually produced films: First Love (which starred Miss Durbin in black and white), Phantom of the Opera (Susanna Foster in Technicolor), Up in Central Park (Miss Durbin in black and white), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Rhonda Fleming in Technicolor), Melba (Patrice Munsel in Technicolor), Kiss Me Kate (Kathryn Grayson in Anscocolor), The Student Prince (Ann Blyth in Anscocolor) and Song of Norway (Florence Henderson in Color by DeLuxe). As reported by A.H. Weiler in The New York Times on August 3, 1947, Deanna Durbin was being offered a black-and-white filming in Britain of The Beggar's Opera, which ultimately featured Dorothy Tutin portraying Polly Peachum in Technicolor.

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Goofs

After her bath Caroline changes into a clean white dress. However, she has had no access to her trunk where she would have kept her clothing. Such a voluminous dress couldn't have been stored in her hat-box or her small case, her only other luggage.

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Soundtracks

"SWING YOUR SWEETHEART"
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Sung by Olin Howland and chorus

User Reviews

Deanna Durbin in Technicolor, glorious Jerome Kern score, lavishly produced, and totally unappreciated musical diamond.

For reasons beyond comprehension, "Can't Help Singing" is a film no one I know has even heard of, much less seen, probably because Deanna Durbin, a child actress of the mid-1930s who blossomed into an alluring,witty, beautiful young woman in the 1940s, suddenly chucked her career in 1948, started a new life in the French countryside with her husband and subsequent children, and has never been heard from since. But, within a little more than a decade, she not only saved Universal studios from bankruptcy but was the most popular female star of her time. Watching her films today, one is amazed at how contemporary they--and she--are, particularly when she graduated from child star ("100 Men and a Girl," "Three Smart Girls") to a spunky young lady with a voice of pure velvet and a melting range of emotions (from rueful to sensual). "Can't Help Singing" is a luscious introduction to the timeless charm of Ms. Durbin. Her first--and only-- film in Technicolor, this lighthearted musical Western must have cost Universal a fortune--filmed mainly on outdoor locations in the Northwest, with one of Jerome Kern's most beautiful (and underappreciated scores). Forget the plot about a politician's daughter who, against her father's orders, heads West to track down her handsome cavalry lover (David Bruce) but, en route via covered wagon to the wild, wild West, finds herself locking horns--and finally arms--with a dashing, sarcastic cowboy (Robert Paige--whose good looks and soaring baritone are more than a match for Ms. Durbin's beauty and exquisite soprano).

What counts is the ravishing color photography of Kern's songs--filmed on location in the great outdoors (the highlight, for me, is Ms. Durbin's soaring rendition of "Any Moment Now" filmed as she wanders through the breathtaking backdrop of Bryce Canyon--truly one of the most exquisite musical interludes in movie history). Add "More and More" (Oscar-nominated), "Californiay," and the knockout title song (performed by Ms. Durbin & Mr. Paige in adjoining outdoor bathtubs--don't ask!)and there's little more you could wish for in a movie--musical or otherwise. I've read that the film was a boxoffice disappointment and hastened Ms. Durbin's decision to call it quits a few years later. And most of the reviews I occasionally come across are generally lukewarm, if not hostile. Movie scholars might argue that, from an historical viewpoint, "Can't Help Singing" was an unintentional precursor of all the zesty, musical Westerns that were to enchant movie audiences during the next decade. Perhaps so. Who cares. I can't see how anyone can resist the once-in-a-lifetime glories of Deanna Durbin in her dazzling prime, the most beauteous use of Technicolor imaginable, and the entrancing melodies of probably our finest American composer, Mr. Kern. Thank you all very much.