BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

jacobs-greenwood Based on Booth Tarkington's 'Penrod' stories, this sequel to On Moonlight Bay (1951) reunites much of its cast to portray a delightfully dated version of post World War I small town America; a family musical comedy directed by David Butler with a screenplay from Irving Elinson and Robert O'Brien that stars Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Billy Gray, Leon Ames, Rosemary DeCamp, and Mary Wickes (among others). Songs featured include "Ain't We Got Fun", "King Chanticleer", and the title song, which is also reprised for the finale.Day plays tomboy auto mechanic Marjorie Winfield, who waits for her doughboy sweetheart Bill Sherman (MacRae) to return from the war. Though not formally engaged, everyone in rural Milburn has expected them to get married shortly after being reunited. Gray plays Marjorie's barely teenaged brother Wesley, who fancies himself a detective as much as he likes playing with his dog Max and his pet turkey that's intended for Thanksgiving dinner. Ames and DeCamp play their picture perfect parents, and Wickes is the longtime maid Stella that's practically part of the family. While Bill was away, Wesley's bespeckled nerd piano teacher Chester Finley (Russell Arms) escorted (supposedly nineteen year old) Marjorie to all the social functions. Though she thinks of him as no more than a friend, Chester would love for Marjorie to be his fiancée. When Bill returns from Paris with a more mature outlook on life - he now thinks that having a nest-egg and a firm financial footing is necessary before rushing into a wedding - Marjorie is temporarily upset to the point that Chester hopes to find an opportunity. But the lovebirds' separation is short-lived, Bill gets a job working at Mr. Harris's bank where Marjorie's father is vice president, and the two begin planning a surprise for the Winfields' twentieth anniversary.To move the story along, there's a misunderstanding about a letter written by Mr. Winfield which involves an attractive French actress Renee LaRue (Maria Palmer) - whose troupe is coming to town to perform a play that might be a bit too risqué for Milburn without some censorship - such that everyone thinks Ames's character is guilty of having an affair with the woman. Of course, everything is resolved in time for a happy ending.

SimonJack "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" is the natural follow-up to the 1951 film, "On Moonlight Bay." Warner Brothers must have known early that it had a hit on their hands with the first film, to have it end the way it did – begging for a sequel. And, thankfully, the whole troop from the first film could be cast again to pick up where life with the Winfield's left off. This second film has some more interesting situations that lend to the humor. The first involves thanksgiving dinner and private-eye Wesley's pet turkey, Gregory. The second involves a French actress, Renee LaRue (played by Maria Palmer), who's coming to town to put on a stage show. Another is a hilarious scene at the ice skating pond toward the end. Listen carefully for the announcer at the pond – that's the voice of Merv Griffin. Then there's the wedding of Marjorie (Doris Day) and Bill (Gordon MacRae) that one or the other of them puts off and then on again. That happens a few times in the movie. As in the first film, the cast is superb – each actor does a wonderful job. I think Leon Ames did a banner job in the personality changes of his role. And, I agree with other reviews that have noted Billy Gray's portrayal as Wesley. I like the way the script created situations of interest for him, and how he portrayed them. It brings back memories of how I too liked to play detective and private eye as a boy, and found other things of interest. Movies don't show those kinds of things anymore, but I see my grandkids with similar interests and pursuits. I suppose the hands-on, self-exploration interests of kids growing up – especially boys, is giving way today to the electronic information age and games of fantasy. Again, Doris Day and Gordon MacRae have some wonderful songs. They made four musicals together, and they were as perfectly matched as any couple of singers over the years. One other very good pairing for singing with Doris was Howard Keel in "Calamity Jane," the same year that this film was made.MacRae went on to star in more musicals, including two lavish Rodgers and Hammerstein films, "Oklahoma" in 1955 and "Carousel" in 1956. As musicals declined after the 1950s, MacRae did occasional movies and TV appearances. I saw and heard him sing the national anthem before a Midwest college football game in the early 1980s. Gordon MacRae died at age 64 of cancer of the mouth and jaw. This is another wonderful movie for the whole family. Life, culture, manners, pursuits and interests were quite different in those days. Most people didn't have housekeeper cooks though. But everyone could dream. And we today can enjoy the humor, romance and fun of those times long ago, that we get a taste of in "Silvery Moon."For a comic parting, here's an exchange in one scene about the turkey. George Winfield: "For the last time, that turkey does not belong in this house." Wesley: "Well, if he's good enough to be 'on' the table, he's good enough to walk around it."

mark.waltz A turkey named George threatens to steal the scene here in this Thanksgiving holiday musical which is a follow up to the earlier made "On Moonlight Bay", based upon Booth Tarkington's Penrod stories, itself a remake of a few movies which Warner Brothers made in the 1930's. It is also one of those rare movie sequels which is even better than the original. The film starts off in fine form with that delightful wisecracker, Mary Wickes, narrating directly to the audience who everybody is (just in case you forgot or hadn't seen "On Moonlight Bay"), but telling the audience not to be so nosy when it comes to revealing her own identity. It's just after the end of the first World War and soldier Gordon MacRae is on his way back (with a song on the train of course...) to claim his girl Doris Day from the nerdy neighbor who safeguarded her while MacRae was away.Brother Billy Gray is a detective in training trying to save turkey George from the wrath of the Henry VIII like butcher while parents Leon Ames and Rosemary De Camp prepare for their 20th anniversary. A misunderstanding concerning a visiting actress has Day, Gray and Wickes in a tizzy (treating Ames like a pariah rather than a patriarch) and town gossip (started by telegraph office operator Minerva Urecal) is spreading, leading to the ice-skating scene finale where the entire cast joins together in singing the title song.Innocuous fun, this gives the beloved Wickes one of her best roles and endeared her to audiences even more who had loved her ever since she told Monty Woolley off in "The Man Who Came to Dinner". Day is combination tomboy (initially seen in overalls fixing a car) and lady (she certainly knows how to tone down her feistiness while singing a love song with MacRae), then bombastic in the outrageous on-stage set "King Chantacleer", a campy production number set in a hay-stacked barn with chorus boys dressed up as a variety of foul.Day and MacRae get to help Wickes and DeCamp prepare for Thanksgiving dinner while singing "Ain't We Got Fun?", giving Wickes an amusing moment where she tangos with MacRae, and MacRae serenades passerbys while singing "Just One Girl", his declaration of love for Ms. Do-Da Day. Another musical highlight is the sappy sweet "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee", a ditty which may gag some listeners with its hokey lyrics, but is funny and amusing for people who appreciate all styles of music.Winter never looked so pretty with its Norman Rockwell like photography, and nostalgic viewers may long for a simpler time with sleigh rides, old fashioned Thanksgivings and Ice Skating on ponds with all your neighbors (no matter what their age) on skates. Day and MacRae, in their last screen appearance together, are as classic a screen couple as Fred and Ginger, Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson and Betty Grable and Dan Dailey, and really should get more credit and appreciation in the historic annals of the movie musical.

Paul Terry I saw this again recently on British TV. It's a great film, with plenty of nostalgia, nice period atmosphere, and the lovely Doris Day. One slight oddity, though: her boy-friend returns from World War 1 in time for Thanksgiving (23rd November?), and says the Germans surrendered the day his unit got to Paris (11th November), so he must have got on a boat back to the States & been demobilised pretty quick to be home in less than 2 weeks (unless it took a year for that to happen!). Nonetheless, I recommend this very much to anyone interested in the Golden Age of American film musicals, the decade from 1945 to 1955, and the wonderful stars who beguiled us with their gentle escapism.