Although the title of this entertaining fanciful Fox biop of turn-of-the-century Tin Pan Alley composer Joe Howard, spotlights one of his best remembered songs, my review title provides a better summation of the romantic merry go round between the songs, from the point of view of fictional Katie(June Haver), Joe's 16 y.o. younger non-biological sister, who is determined to marry him and become the star in his musical productions.(As one of Katie's competitors quipped, 20 y.o June looked awfully mature for a 16 y.o.). Although Joe(Mark Stevens) clearly has a very close relationship with Katie, he considers her yet too young for marriage and the start of a show business career. Thus, he goes off touring as the pianist, songwriter, and lover boy for a prima dona(Martha Stewart, as Lulu Madison). Katie eventually shows up with the whopper that 'uncle' John died, thus she has no apparent place to live, except maybe with Joe. Joe and Lulu very reluctantly agree to take her in for a while. The constant animosity between Katie and Lulu makes for entertaining drama for a while, until Lulu kicks them both out, realizing that Katie means more to Joe than she does.
Joe and Katie then go on the road as a performing team. Their hit song is Howard's "Goodbye, My Lady Love". Several times, Katie dawns a mulatto get up, with black wig and light blackface, in imitation of a similar character Betty Grable played in one of her numbers in "Coney Island". Soon, they meet Fritzi Barrington(Lenore Aubert), an Austrian -raised prima dona, who is billed in the same show with them. Katie soon rightly smells another Lulu in Fritzi. Fritzi and Howard team up for several performances, with Fritzi singing the non-Howard "Love's Own Sweet Song", and Howard's "What's the Use of Dreaming". During this last performance, Katie, who is a minor player in the show, has a daydream where she is the prima dona, romanced by a bevy of men. She also dances to the non-Howard 'Glowworm", the last portion with new dancing specialist Gene Nelson. This is one of 2 major June performances in the film. Gene would go on to be teamed with singer Gordon MacRae in a series of low budget Warner musicals, culminating in the mega hit "Oklahoma". They would be teamed with June in "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady"
Katie tells Joe that Fritzi suddenly quit the show and married her old flame musical producer. Joe doesn't believe that this wasn't a Katie-engineered development, and announces that he is closing the show and going off on a tour of the US as a piano player and singer. He reprises various Howard songs along the way. Eventually lands in SF, preparing to hide in Alaska. But, he hears various street people singing words to his previously wordless song "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now". Discovers that the remainder of his old show staff wrote words to this tune, put together a new show, starring Katie, and have been quite successful. He sees their elaborate finale show, with French ladies in mega-whoop skirts, then a troop of Russians. Katie then has to move fast and deviously to snare her man before he gets on the boat for Alaska.
Martha Stewart(Lulu) and Lenore Aubert(Fitzi) remained minor supporting actresses. Lenore said this was her favorite film role, as her character supposedly was modeled after the historic Fritzi Scheff, both having spent their formative years in Austria. I have no info on who actually sang the parts and who were dubbed. June, Martha and Mark had singing talent. However, June and Mark were dubbed in their second film pairing, in another biop of a turn-of-the -century composer in "Oh, You Beautiful Doll".
Mark has often been criticized as too bland and dominated by his female leading ladies. I found his character pleasant, if excessively shy and emotionally inhibited. He clumsily kept trying to deflect Katie's obvious romantic interest in him, claiming that she was still just a girl! I'm sure the real Joe Howard was much more gregarious....Other easily recognized actors include Bill Frawley, as Lulu's agent, George Cleveland, as 'Uncle John', and Britisher Reginald Gardner as Fritzi's sometimes boyfriend.
June spent her rather short film career in the shadow of Betty Grable, being groomed as her possible replacement, and as a check on Betty's financial and role demands. As it happened, another blond: Marylyn Monroe, would inherit Betty's crown, although June also has her following, including me. See them both in the drama "Love Nest".
It's unfortunate that the dramatic death of Howard couldn't be included. This happened at the closing curtain call of a musical performance, at age 83: an event that 'only happens in the movies'. 7 of his songs were featured in the film, along with several non-Howard period songs. The film originally was going to be titled "Hello, My Baby", after probably his best remembered song, which is the lead off song. The finale stage production also features several songs newly composed by Charles Henderson and producer Georgie Jessel.
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