~~~7/10~~~
I liked this film a lot, but I can't claim that I loved it. This film, released in 1938, reflects the new image Bing was moving towards after the pre-code era ended.
I must confess a liking for his light, romantic comedies, which often featured more adult comic relief and innuendo. Bing went from being green and enduring in films like 'College Humor', to the man-of-the-world crooner of 'Going Hollywood', 'We're Not Dressing', and 'Here Is My Heart'. This pre-code sophisticated ladies man image, which happens to be my favorite Bing Crosby incarnation, continued for a few films past Hays Code enforcement, but it was eventually replaced with the lovable outsider present in films like 'Mississippi'.
The Bing Crosby we get here began in the likes of 'Mississippi' and 1936's 'Pennies from Heaven', but in 'Sing, You Sinners' the romantic backdrop is replaced with family melodrama. Now obviously he continued to do comedies, such as the "Road" pictures, and he still had romantic leading roles after this film, but I believe this film is a precursor to his great films for family audiences, the religion-themed dramas of the 1940's, for which he is so known for. While films like 'Going My Way' and 'The Bells of St. Mary's' are great classics of the era, I can't help but lament the passing of the pre-code ladies man crooner I love so much in his earlier films.
Now, I guess I should get to the film at hand! 'Sing, You Sinners' is a lovable little family comedy-drama about the Beebe family that features two leading men in their prime and one future leading man, a pre-teen Donald O'Connor, in what I consider a breakout role. Fred MacMurray, while occasionally being a bit one-noted, still brings a great deal of feeling into the role of the responsible older brother looking out for his widowed mother and two younger brothers. Bing Crosby once again plays a lovable screw-up, but I think you can find hints of depth and pathos that were later realized in his supreme acting achievement, 1954's 'The Country Girl'. In particular, the scene where Fred MacMurray's character takes a drunken Bing home after a fight between them plays with enough seriousness that Bing gives you a sense that his character's devil-may-care exterior is hiding genuine issues. Of course the drama is lightened with a few typical drunken 'comedy' relief moments that, in my opinion, takes away from the scene.
Elizabeth Patterson and Donald O'Connor both add their fair share to this film. Elizabeth plays 'Mother Beebe' and she definitely gets the viewer to relate to her, with both her character's strength and humor. Donald O'Connor plays the only minor child of the Beebe family and while he hasn't quite honed his acting skills in this film, he plays it with enough subtlety that his shortcomings as an actor are easily overlooked. He particularly adds a lot to the musical numbers. There is also Ellen Drew, playing Fred MacMurray's love interest, but although she looks pretty her role could have been handled by any competent ingénue.
The musical numbers in the film were supremely entertaining, even if most were a bit unnecessary to the plot. But one can forgive that when it is Bing Crosby singing! I particularly liked the song heard throughout, "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" and also Bing's solo song, sung in the 'jazz' club scene, "Don't Let That Moon Get Away". While I thought the "Small Fry" song was funny and cute, it did sort of grind the story to a halt. But I only noticed this the second time I saw the film because I was too busy enjoying it the first time around.
~MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH~ My main complaint with the film is the whole race track subplot that occurs after about two-thirds of the film is over. While I understand there needs to be a last dramatic occurrence to finally bring the Beebe's together, the whole thing just seemed so contrived. And I was very confused as to why the happy ending involves them staying at a night club where their boss was involved in bribing O'Connor's character and then tried to trick Bing's character out of 10 weeks pay! But I guess maybe he learned his lesson and actually paid them the $2000 that Bing won in the bet. Obviously I'm not expecting gritty realism from a musical comedy from 1938, but that had to seem a bit odd even upon release. I wish they could have been offered $100 a week for singing at a nicer club or on the radio or something; that seems a bit more of a happy ending. But these minor plot holes don't really take away from the enjoyment while actually watching the film, so they are easily ignored.
This film is mainly meant to be a comedy, but I think it could have been a really good and original film, had it been more of a straight family drama, with perhaps a few comedy situations, with say Donald O'Connor. But I guess the audiences of 1938, weren't quiet ready for a drama on family dynamics from their crooner Bing Crosby and leading man of light romantic comedies, Fred MacMurray. And that's OK! The comedy angle works well enough and this film is very fun to watch.
For me, it is only the perhaps missed opportunity of exploring the family dynamics further and the few plot contrivances that kept this film from being an 8 or 9. But that doesn't make it a bad movie in the slightest. 'Sing, You Sinners' works on many levels, the actors do a good job and interact well, the story is fun and heart-felt at the same time, and the singing from Bing Crosby is great as usual. A thoroughly enjoyable film reflecting Bing's changing image of the late-1930's.
I liked this film a lot, but I can't claim that I loved it. This film, released in 1938, reflects the new image Bing was moving towards after the pre-code era ended.
I must confess a liking for his light, romantic comedies, which often featured more adult comic relief and innuendo. Bing went from being green and enduring in films like 'College Humor', to the man-of-the-world crooner of 'Going Hollywood', 'We're Not Dressing', and 'Here Is My Heart'. This pre-code sophisticated ladies man image, which happens to be my favorite Bing Crosby incarnation, continued for a few films past Hays Code enforcement, but it was eventually replaced with the lovable outsider present in films like 'Mississippi'.
The Bing Crosby we get here began in the likes of 'Mississippi' and 1936's 'Pennies from Heaven', but in 'Sing, You Sinners' the romantic backdrop is replaced with family melodrama. Now obviously he continued to do comedies, such as the "Road" pictures, and he still had romantic leading roles after this film, but I believe this film is a precursor to his great films for family audiences, the religion-themed dramas of the 1940's, for which he is so known for. While films like 'Going My Way' and 'The Bells of St. Mary's' are great classics of the era, I can't help but lament the passing of the pre-code ladies man crooner I love so much in his earlier films.
Now, I guess I should get to the film at hand! 'Sing, You Sinners' is a lovable little family comedy-drama about the Beebe family that features two leading men in their prime and one future leading man, a pre-teen Donald O'Connor, in what I consider a breakout role. Fred MacMurray, while occasionally being a bit one-noted, still brings a great deal of feeling into the role of the responsible older brother looking out for his widowed mother and two younger brothers. Bing Crosby once again plays a lovable screw-up, but I think you can find hints of depth and pathos that were later realized in his supreme acting achievement, 1954's 'The Country Girl'. In particular, the scene where Fred MacMurray's character takes a drunken Bing home after a fight between them plays with enough seriousness that Bing gives you a sense that his character's devil-may-care exterior is hiding genuine issues. Of course the drama is lightened with a few typical drunken 'comedy' relief moments that, in my opinion, takes away from the scene.
Elizabeth Patterson and Donald O'Connor both add their fair share to this film. Elizabeth plays 'Mother Beebe' and she definitely gets the viewer to relate to her, with both her character's strength and humor. Donald O'Connor plays the only minor child of the Beebe family and while he hasn't quite honed his acting skills in this film, he plays it with enough subtlety that his shortcomings as an actor are easily overlooked. He particularly adds a lot to the musical numbers. There is also Ellen Drew, playing Fred MacMurray's love interest, but although she looks pretty her role could have been handled by any competent ingénue.
The musical numbers in the film were supremely entertaining, even if most were a bit unnecessary to the plot. But one can forgive that when it is Bing Crosby singing! I particularly liked the song heard throughout, "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams" and also Bing's solo song, sung in the 'jazz' club scene, "Don't Let That Moon Get Away". While I thought the "Small Fry" song was funny and cute, it did sort of grind the story to a halt. But I only noticed this the second time I saw the film because I was too busy enjoying it the first time around.
~MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH~ My main complaint with the film is the whole race track subplot that occurs after about two-thirds of the film is over. While I understand there needs to be a last dramatic occurrence to finally bring the Beebe's together, the whole thing just seemed so contrived. And I was very confused as to why the happy ending involves them staying at a night club where their boss was involved in bribing O'Connor's character and then tried to trick Bing's character out of 10 weeks pay! But I guess maybe he learned his lesson and actually paid them the $2000 that Bing won in the bet. Obviously I'm not expecting gritty realism from a musical comedy from 1938, but that had to seem a bit odd even upon release. I wish they could have been offered $100 a week for singing at a nicer club or on the radio or something; that seems a bit more of a happy ending. But these minor plot holes don't really take away from the enjoyment while actually watching the film, so they are easily ignored.
This film is mainly meant to be a comedy, but I think it could have been a really good and original film, had it been more of a straight family drama, with perhaps a few comedy situations, with say Donald O'Connor. But I guess the audiences of 1938, weren't quiet ready for a drama on family dynamics from their crooner Bing Crosby and leading man of light romantic comedies, Fred MacMurray. And that's OK! The comedy angle works well enough and this film is very fun to watch.
For me, it is only the perhaps missed opportunity of exploring the family dynamics further and the few plot contrivances that kept this film from being an 8 or 9. But that doesn't make it a bad movie in the slightest. 'Sing, You Sinners' works on many levels, the actors do a good job and interact well, the story is fun and heart-felt at the same time, and the singing from Bing Crosby is great as usual. A thoroughly enjoyable film reflecting Bing's changing image of the late-1930's.