Every time vaudeville comic El Brendel says those words, I felt the urge to scream. His bad Swedish accent, overused in many early Fox musicals, is blatantly obnoxious here, and ruins what is essentially a Deanna Durbin Universal musical film without Ms. Durbin present. Gloria Jean, a slightly younger newcomer, takes over, and while she is sweet, ever ready to help (like Durbin's "Miss Fix It" of the dozen movies she had made at Universal up to this point), her voice is not up to the quality of Ms. Durbin's. It is sweet enough to sing operetta style songs at parties, but to hold together an entire movie of 90 minutes, she just isn't up to the task. Bing Crosby, on loan from Paramount, is his usual easy going self, and has the hard task of telling the sweet Ms. Jean that she is now an orphan. As they take her from the Golden Gate Bridge setting of San Francisco to the 59th Street (Queensborough/Ed Koch) bridge of New York City, they find out that her selfish uncle (Allyn Joslyn) wants no part of her, but a loving great uncle (Charles Winninger) from the same address on the West Side of 59th Street does.
Everything would be fine plot line wise (for what plot there is) if El Brendel wasn't so heavily involved in it. This ninny of a pal gives away all of Crosby's money so they can purchase a failing Swedish restaurant which they intend to turn into a swank nightclub for fading Broadway stars. Then, they plot to con Jean's uncle into buying some worthless stock so they can keep the restaurant from being closed. Some real life faded Broadway stars appear, doing their old acts, so there is some historical value in that. But every time El Brendel appears, the corny vaudeville type comedy just reeks of its old age. There is one good jazzy song that Gloria Jean fails to deliver as Durbin would have. Otherwise, Crosby really doesn't have any good material other than the acting scene of telling the poor young girl of her father's fate. "A Tale of Two Cities" actor Donald Woods appears briefly as the doomed dad. A forgotten Broadway star named Blanche Ring appears briefly to warble her still performed hit, "Rings on My Fingers".
Crosby fans may enjoy this, but for those who want to limit their sugar intake, this one is not recommended.
Everything would be fine plot line wise (for what plot there is) if El Brendel wasn't so heavily involved in it. This ninny of a pal gives away all of Crosby's money so they can purchase a failing Swedish restaurant which they intend to turn into a swank nightclub for fading Broadway stars. Then, they plot to con Jean's uncle into buying some worthless stock so they can keep the restaurant from being closed. Some real life faded Broadway stars appear, doing their old acts, so there is some historical value in that. But every time El Brendel appears, the corny vaudeville type comedy just reeks of its old age. There is one good jazzy song that Gloria Jean fails to deliver as Durbin would have. Otherwise, Crosby really doesn't have any good material other than the acting scene of telling the poor young girl of her father's fate. "A Tale of Two Cities" actor Donald Woods appears briefly as the doomed dad. A forgotten Broadway star named Blanche Ring appears briefly to warble her still performed hit, "Rings on My Fingers".
Crosby fans may enjoy this, but for those who want to limit their sugar intake, this one is not recommended.