How could a major MGM musical be so bad? That's the question that should face any sensible person sitting through more than two hours of excruciating melodrama and often mediocre musical numbers. The script is simply dreadful and should be used as a model for film students who seek a bad example. The casting is poor (e.g. Lucille Bremer). The makeup is weak; to age Robert Walker, his hair is made to look like he's wearing a skunk. The story line is sappy and unbelievable. And June Allyson and Virginia O'Brien are wasted. Still, there are a few good musical moments, and one can't deny the beauty of Jerome Kern's music. Dinah Shore, Tony Martin, and Lena Horne are impressive. But these features are insufficient to endure the awkward dullness that haunts this turkey from beginning to end. What were the MGM studio heads thinking in 1946? What were they smoking?
Review of Till the Clouds Roll By
