Dad's Movies: "A Song Is Born" (1948)

Up today:  A Song Is Born (1948)

This is an odd one; a musical remake of the classic 1941 Howard Hawks/Billy Wilder film Ball of Fire. The earlier film is one I haven't seen yet but I have to imagine that it's a lot better than this one, despite it also being directed by Hawks. The remake seems to exist to update the older version in color and add a lot of musical stars of the era. The non-musical scenes are pretty goofy, and not in a good way. I generally found myself waiting for the next appearance of one of the music world stars though it was funny to see Benny Goodman having to read dialogue as one of the "professors".

However, if you're a fan of jazz/pop music from the 1930s-40s, the movie is worth watching for all of the famous people who show up including Louis Armstrong (whom I'd watch in just about anything), Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, and Tommy Dorsey.

I've come to the conclusion that Danny Kaye, while a big draw in his day, hasn't aged well for me. He can be charming in small doses but for me wears out his welcome in leading roles. He's one of the reasons I find the film White Christmas so inferior to its earlier version, Holiday Inn, but that's another story.

Virginia Mayo and the other non-musical cast are fine in their fairly stock characters. We really just want to hear more jam sessions with the musicians; there's way too little time spent with them.