Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)

Biography of songwriter and Broadway pioneer, Jerome Kern (Robert Walker). Unable to find immediate success in the U.S., Kern sought recognition abroad. He journeyed to England where his dreams of success became real and where he met his future wife Eva Leale (Dorothy Patrick).

Directors:

Richard Whorf, Vincente Minnelli (uncredited)

Writers:

Guy Bolton (story), George Wells (story adaptation)

Stars:

Robert Walker, Van Heflin, Lucille Bremer

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
June Allyson	...	Jane (segment: "Leave It to Jane")
Lucille Bremer	...	Sally Hessler
Judy Garland	...	Marilyn Miller
Kathryn Grayson	...	Magnolia Hawks (segment "Show Boat") / Kathryn Grayson
Van Heflin	...	James I. Hessler
Lena Horne	...	Julie LaVerne (segment "Show Boat") / Lena Horne
Van Johnson	...	Bandleader in Elite Club
Tony Martin	...	Gaylord Ravenal (segment "Show Boat") / Tony Martin
Dinah Shore	...	Julia Sanderson / Dinah Shore
Frank Sinatra	...	Frank Sinatra
Robert Walker	...	Jerome Kern
Gower Champion	...	Dance Specialty (segment "Roberta")
Cyd Charisse	...	Dance Specialty (segment 'Roberta')
Harry Hayden	...	Charles Frohman
Paul Langton	...	Oscar Hammerstein II

Storyline

Light bio-pic of American Broadway pioneer Jerome Kern, featuring renditions of the famous songs from his musical plays by contemporary stage artists, including a condensed production of his most famous: 'Showboat'.

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Plot Keywords:

jukebox musical | stage | lusitania | singing | singer | 

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Taglines:

The mammoth musical of Jerome Kern's dramatic life story!

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Genres:

Biography | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 January 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Silver Lining

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,841,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The opening verse to "Ol' Man River" ("Dere's an ol' man called the Mississippi,/Dat's the ol' man that I'd like to be...," et cetera) is never sung in this movie, not even in the "opening night" sequence of "Show Boat".

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Goofs

A close up the Playbill shows the number "Till the Clouds Roll By" is the 3rd song in Act One, yet when the number is over, the curtain comes down and everyone leaves the theatre.

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Quotes

James I. Hessler: The trouble with you songwriters is all you ever think about is making money.

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Crazy Credits

[Scrolling Prologue] This story of Jerome Kern is best told in the bars and measures, the quarter notes and grace notes of his own music - - that music that sings so eloquently his love of people, love of country, love of life. We who have sung it and will sing it to our children can only be grateful that he gave his life to music - - and gave that music to us.

On December 27, 1927, the curtain went up on the most exciting night of his life - the opening of his immortal "Show Boat." And there we join him -

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: Lena Horne: In Her Own Voice (1996)

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Soundtracks

A Fine Romance
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Sung by Virginia O'Brien

User Reviews

Inspired Musical Numbers For Lightweight Bio-Pic

Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers.

The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpiece, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien, and then quickly segues into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.

Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.

Unfortunately, TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY has slipped into public domain. DVD releases abound, but none seem to offer respectable picture or sound; if you can find the original MGM video release, grab it.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer