Once again, Allan Dwan has made a silk purse out of a potential sow's ear. This could have been a syrupy, maudlin picture but the musical selections are done tastefully and the dramatics are pulled off with great sincerity. Ray Middleton has always been a little scary to me as a leading man (his best role was in MERCY ISLAND where he wound up being devoured by crocodiles!) and he comes close to going over the top here. But he reins himself in and does fine. Also very good is Bill Shirley, late of A&C MEET CAPTAIN KIDD. Harry Carey Jr. sings for himself for the most part - though I believe he is dubbed in his stage number with the quartet. Lucille Norman is good and Eileen Christy is very sweet as her daughter. The medicine show is a bit more ambitious than actual venues of the period, but that's okay. It's a great excuse for some classy Nick Castle dance routines. I recently acquired a 16mm B&W print of this film. I would love to see it in color some day. But it seems very low on Paramount's restoration horizon (they now own the Republic library). Still, it deserves a revival. It's definitely a charmer worth seeing.
Review of Sweethearts on Parade
