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 by), Frank Ryan (screenplay by)

Stars:

Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Deanna Durbin	...	Caroline Frost
Robert Paige	...	Lawlor
Akim Tamiroff	...	Gregory
David Bruce	...	Dr. Robert Latham
Leonid Kinskey	...	Koppa
June Vincent	...	Miss McLean
Ray Collins	...	Senator Martin Frost
Andrew Tombes	...	Sad Sam
Thomas Gomez	...	Jake 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:

daughter | 

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Taglines:

DEANNA...in her first TECHNICOLOR triumph!

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Genres:

Musical | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Over its December 1944-January 1945 run at Lowe's Criterion Theatre in Manhattan, this film broke the attendance record.

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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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Quotes

Miss McLean: [to Latham] You know the first time I saw you, you were riding in the park on a beautiful white steed. It was love at first sight. I'm convinced now it was the horse.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood on Trial (1976)

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Soundtracks

CALIFORN-I-AY
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Sung by chorus, Robert Paige, Deanna Durbin
Danced by 2 uncredited specialty dancers

User Reviews

"Can't Help Singing" filmed in Utah

I wanted to second the comments of Sdiner that "Can't Help Singing" is a lavishly produced and totally unappreciated color movie from the early 1940s. A local showing a couple of years ago brought out dozens of fans in Southern Utah, including many who remember seeing it in the 1940s and 2-3 people who were extras in the film. Many scenes were shot in the meadows of the Markagunt Plateau, near Navajo Lake, in southwestern Utah, and Deanna Durbin was filmed against the backdrop of nearby Cedar Breaks National Monument (not Bryce Canyon), not far from the resort town of Brian Head. A number of movies between 1938 and the mid-1950s used this "studio" for real-life scenery, movies like "The Outriders," "My Friend Flicka," and "Drums Along the Mohawk." These movies did much to open up the interest of Americans in the West and its national parks, but it was the glorious Technicolor that made and makes "Can't Help Singing" truly special.

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