Copyright 22 January 1948 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture. New York opening at the Capitol: 12 February 1948. U.S. release: March 1948. U.K. release: Not recorded (announced for possible December 1947 opening). Australian release: 8 April 1948. Cut to 10,354 feet or 115 minutes in Australia. 119 minutes. U.K. release title: The BIRDS AND THE BEES.
SYNOPSIS: We are asked to believe that a very attractive fashion magazine editor (where have we seen this character before? Answer: Lady in the Dark) is so light of brain that she has brought her three teenage daughters up to believe their estranged father is a fine man who will return to them some day, even though (a) he's been gone at least twelve years and (b) in actual fact he's a heel she was glad to divorce. (Where does this plot hail from? Answer: Mostly from producer Pasternak's own Three Smart Girls). NOTES: The stage play opened at the Cort on 26 September 1946 and was yanked after only 28 performances. Barbara Robbins played Louise Morgan. The daughters were enacted by Sybil Stocking, Rosemary Rice and Joyce Patten.
Although panned by all New York's influential critics (except Wanda Hale of the Daily News), the movie did mighty well at the domestic box-office, achieving 28th position for the year. Overseas, however, the movie bombed. Significantly it was one of the few MacDonald movies not re-issued by M-G-M in response to the great Jeanette MacDonald revival of the late 1950s, even though prints were available. (The other films that fell into this category were Broadway Serenade, Cairo and I Married an Angel which were packaged for television instead).
COMMENT: A disappointment all around. There so many things wrong with the movie, it's hard to know where to begin. Let's just say that Miss MacDonald (often beautifully gowned) struggles gamely with both the unbelievably sudsy yet sexless character she's forced to enact in this incredibly vapid script plus a diverse collection of players headed by Jose Iturbi and Jane Powell who offer her little or no support.
Flat, disinterested direction by Fred Wilcox doesn't help either. To his credit, producer Pasternak wanted Deanna Durbin for the Powell role, but Universal refused to loan her out. Although the screenplay was then re-written for Powell, she makes an poor substitute. What's worse, she's very ineptly recorded here. She doesn't sing so much as screech.
At least Jeanette MacDonald's songs are more faithfully rendered, but acting-wise, she is stuck opposite the egotistic Iturbi, who not only stupidly insisted on using his real name for what is a character part (thus creating audience irritation and confusion), but on making believe that he conducted the M-G-M studio orchestra from his piano. In actual fact, of course, Georgie Stoll conducted.
Despite his competent piano-playing, Iturbi is such a thorough pain-in-the-neck, he builds up little sympathy.
OTHER VIEWS: A thin, crawling story of mother love and second romance which leaves one bleary-eyed and exhausted from bright colors and dull, girlish talk. - New York Herald Tribune.
SYNOPSIS: We are asked to believe that a very attractive fashion magazine editor (where have we seen this character before? Answer: Lady in the Dark) is so light of brain that she has brought her three teenage daughters up to believe their estranged father is a fine man who will return to them some day, even though (a) he's been gone at least twelve years and (b) in actual fact he's a heel she was glad to divorce. (Where does this plot hail from? Answer: Mostly from producer Pasternak's own Three Smart Girls). NOTES: The stage play opened at the Cort on 26 September 1946 and was yanked after only 28 performances. Barbara Robbins played Louise Morgan. The daughters were enacted by Sybil Stocking, Rosemary Rice and Joyce Patten.
Although panned by all New York's influential critics (except Wanda Hale of the Daily News), the movie did mighty well at the domestic box-office, achieving 28th position for the year. Overseas, however, the movie bombed. Significantly it was one of the few MacDonald movies not re-issued by M-G-M in response to the great Jeanette MacDonald revival of the late 1950s, even though prints were available. (The other films that fell into this category were Broadway Serenade, Cairo and I Married an Angel which were packaged for television instead).
COMMENT: A disappointment all around. There so many things wrong with the movie, it's hard to know where to begin. Let's just say that Miss MacDonald (often beautifully gowned) struggles gamely with both the unbelievably sudsy yet sexless character she's forced to enact in this incredibly vapid script plus a diverse collection of players headed by Jose Iturbi and Jane Powell who offer her little or no support.
Flat, disinterested direction by Fred Wilcox doesn't help either. To his credit, producer Pasternak wanted Deanna Durbin for the Powell role, but Universal refused to loan her out. Although the screenplay was then re-written for Powell, she makes an poor substitute. What's worse, she's very ineptly recorded here. She doesn't sing so much as screech.
At least Jeanette MacDonald's songs are more faithfully rendered, but acting-wise, she is stuck opposite the egotistic Iturbi, who not only stupidly insisted on using his real name for what is a character part (thus creating audience irritation and confusion), but on making believe that he conducted the M-G-M studio orchestra from his piano. In actual fact, of course, Georgie Stoll conducted.
Despite his competent piano-playing, Iturbi is such a thorough pain-in-the-neck, he builds up little sympathy.
OTHER VIEWS: A thin, crawling story of mother love and second romance which leaves one bleary-eyed and exhausted from bright colors and dull, girlish talk. - New York Herald Tribune.