Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

rdfarnham This is purportedly the story of Stephen Foster but bears no resemblance to his real life. It is more than 80% pure fiction and its only saving grace is a load of his music and some very good performances of it. Foster is portrayed as a wimp who is so besotted with a girl who is so obviously a self-centered brat that he swears that he will give up writing music if she will marry him (she doesn't). Many of the facts of Foster's life are portrayed here, his association with Christy, his lack of copyrights, his not being paid royalties, etc., but the basic story is pure Hollywood. Watch it for the good old music but beware, there is a long black face Minstrel show which will jolt many who grew up in recent years. Tacky by today's overly sensitive standards the minstrel show was still alive and well in the 1940s and into the 50s. Foster died, penniless and alone, at an early age but his music lives on and is well represented in this film.

MARIO GAUCI 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.

kwahamot An interesting film, despite the slightly overblown sentimentality and romance. Great music and ballads. Disturbing slave-era imagery, and even more disturbing, but historically accurate black face performances in the portrayal of Christy's Minstrels.The one thing I would like to know is how accurate are the portrayals of E.P. Christy and Stephen Foster? Christy's Minstrels was a black face troupe, and their performances are among the more disquieting moments in the film...you want to enjoy the music...but can't due to the irreconcilable racist undertones.All in all it's an enjoyable film, but be cautioned that your kids might ask "why are those people wearing black paint?" an honest question and worthy of in-depth dialog to help "foster" respect for all people in upcoming generations.It feels like a film from the early thirties, surprisingly it's from '52. I bought it for the performance of "Beautiful Dreamer."

play78rpms No, this ain't "The Stephen Foster Story." That's in Bardstown, Ky, a place that Stephen Foster never saw in his short and tragic life. Foster's real life was tragic and depressing and might make an interesting "All That Jazz" style film. But this ain't it. This is a razzle dazzle musical comedy with the music of Foster as an added plus.This is the kind of musical film that used to be common but are now long gone. It's an attempt by Republic Picures producer Herbert J. Yates to cash in on the success of MGM's 1951 hit "Showboat" but with the lowest budget possible. In view of that the film manages to look much more lush than it really is. Of course the use of the Foster song catalog didn't cost Repbulic anything. Surprisingly the color quality of the print the DVD I viewed was mastered from held up surprisingly well considering the obvious neglect it was subject to.The production has the feel of the composer bio pics MGM used to churn out during this era. You could easily recast the film in your imagination with Metro contract players from that time.Director Alan Dwan obviously had the expertise to make a cheap programmer like this look better than its budget should have allowed. The pic is almost set bound with few exteriors and limited interiors. But Dwan keeps the pace moving at a brisk clip with the musical numbers occurring so rapidly you have little time to think about the silliness of the plot.The songs have been given arrangements more suited to the 1950s and are not the reverential treatments that might be expected. They are instead bright Hollywood musical comedy numbers. These numbers were staged by associates trained by Nick Castle (I guess Republic couldn't afford Mr. Castle himself) and are brisk and lively. There has obviously been an attempt to integrate some of the songs into the action but if some of the cues and other proceedings seem laughable, well go ahead and laugh. It's all in fun, so enjoy it for what it is. The cast perform competently and seem to be enjoying themselves which helps to make the film more enjoyable to the viewer. Of course Ray Middleton, the original Broadway Frank Butler opposite Ethel Merman in "Annie Get Your Gun" almost steals the proceedings with his bombastic performance.The film was of course made in a more politically incorrect era. But it is not much more incorrect than ...say.."Holiday Inn'.The film is a perversely delightful relic of a by gone era and well worth the dollar the DVD sells for in many areas.