Ding Dong Williams (1946)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

William Berke

Writers:

Richard English (magazine stories "Strictly Ding Dong" and others in Collier's magazine)
Brenda Weisberg (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 April 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Ding Dong Williams (Glenn Vernon), a clarinet player who can neither read nor write music is employed at a motion picture studio...

Plot Keywords:

Motion Picture | Secretary | Band | Music Conductor | False Accusation

Cast

Glen Vernon	...	Ding Dong Williams (as Glenn Vernon)
Marcy McGuire	...	Miss Angela Jones
Felix Bressart	...	Hugo Meyerheld
Anne Jeffreys	...	Vanessa Page, aka Mary McCoy
James Warren	...	Steve Moore
William B. Davidson	...	Mr. Saul Dana (as William Davidson)
Tommy Noonan	...	Zang (as Tom Noonan)
Cliff Nazarro	...	Zing
Ruth Lee	...	Laura Cooper
Jason Robards Sr.	...	Director Kenmore (as Jason Robards)
Bob Nolan	...	Bob Nolan, Sons of the Pioneers leader
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Sons of the Pioneers Band
Richard Korbel	...	Richard Korbel, piano specialty

Also Known As:

Melody Maker (UK)

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #10899)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The onscreen credits for the source are "Collier's magazine stories" by Richard English, but the Screen Achievements Bulletin credits only "Strictly Ding Dong" in the Collier's issue of 25 June 1938. Perhaps "Ding Dong Gives" in Collier's issue of 28 October 1939, and other Richard English stories were also sources.

Soundtrack:

Cool Water

Music for the movies

Director Kenmore is in trouble because his latest film has no musical score. Never fear, enter Angela, the daughter of the man in charge of the musical department of the studio. She has fallen in love with the music of a young clarinetist, Ding Dong Williams, who she thinks is a genius creating his own melodies. The only problem is, Ding Dong has no idea what notes to put on paper because he is not professionally trained to write music that way. Everythng he plays comes from memory.

Angela gets Ding Dong to come to the studio, where he is surprised to see some of his idols, like Steve Moore, the cowboy star, and other favorites. Angela gets an idea to engage two talented guys in the studio who can transcribe to paper Ding Dong Williams' compositions, something better said than done. Getting Ding Dong in the right mood, and or, in a quiet place where he can play becomes the biggest challenge Zang and Zing have ever encountered in their lives.

This RKO "feel good" comedy of 1946, came out following WWII, as audiences wanted to be entertained, which is the sole purpose of this comedy with music. Directed by William Berke, it has some good performances by the perky Marcy McGuire, who is seen as Angela, and Glen Verdon, a talented musician. Also in the film we see Felix Bressart, James Warren, Anne Jeffreys, the funny Tommy Noonan and Cliff Nazarro, as Zang and Zing, the music transcribers, Ruth Lee and Jason Robards Sr.

There is a great rendition of "Cool Water" by James Warren and his cowboy friends. Also the child prodigy, pianist Richard Korbel, appears playing the first movement of Grieg's Piano Concerto, and excerpts from Beethoven and Chopin's Fantasy-Impromptu with great flair.