On the surface, this is a poor man's SWANEE RIVER (1939) the big-budget 20th Century Fox biopic of celebrated American songwriter Stephen Foster (played in that film by Don Ameche); actually, there had been an even earlier film version of the same events entitled HARMONY LANE (1935) and starring Douglass Montgomery!
This Republic production is, nevertheless, a colorful diversion with a third-rate cast scoring quite nicely with their enthusiastic performances, and especially Ray Middleton (as famous minstrel man, E. P. Christy portrayed in SWANEE RIVER by Al Jolson, and whom Middleton appears to be mimicking throughout), Muriel Lawrence (as Foster's snobbish fiancée) and Eileen Christy (as her earthier younger sister, the Jeanie of the title). However, the actor who portrays Foster here Bill Shirley is rather weak and fails to do real justice to the troubled, short-lived composer! Rotund character actor Percy Helton has a nice supporting role as Foster's sarcastic employer during his day job as a book-keeper.
The film starts off amiably enough, but the second half is mostly bogged down by an uninterrupted succession of musical numbers although Middleton's forceful, slightly campy portrayal of the flamboyant Christy does a lot to enliven proceedings nevertheless. Prolific Hollywood veteran Dwan dabbled in practically every genre; this, in fact, wasn't his first musical having earlier made the 1939 version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS (also known as THE SINGING MUSKETEER, and whose recently-released DVD edition I need to pick up, especially now that I've just acquired a number of his work via budget releases from VCI). For the record, three cast members from the film Middleton, Shirley and Christy were re-united with their director here for next year's SWEETHEARTS ON PARADE.
This Republic production is, nevertheless, a colorful diversion with a third-rate cast scoring quite nicely with their enthusiastic performances, and especially Ray Middleton (as famous minstrel man, E. P. Christy portrayed in SWANEE RIVER by Al Jolson, and whom Middleton appears to be mimicking throughout), Muriel Lawrence (as Foster's snobbish fiancée) and Eileen Christy (as her earthier younger sister, the Jeanie of the title). However, the actor who portrays Foster here Bill Shirley is rather weak and fails to do real justice to the troubled, short-lived composer! Rotund character actor Percy Helton has a nice supporting role as Foster's sarcastic employer during his day job as a book-keeper.
The film starts off amiably enough, but the second half is mostly bogged down by an uninterrupted succession of musical numbers although Middleton's forceful, slightly campy portrayal of the flamboyant Christy does a lot to enliven proceedings nevertheless. Prolific Hollywood veteran Dwan dabbled in practically every genre; this, in fact, wasn't his first musical having earlier made the 1939 version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS (also known as THE SINGING MUSKETEER, and whose recently-released DVD edition I need to pick up, especially now that I've just acquired a number of his work via budget releases from VCI). For the record, three cast members from the film Middleton, Shirley and Christy were re-united with their director here for next year's SWEETHEARTS ON PARADE.