everyone is having fun... Some familiar names: the awesome Edna May Oliver, and Rudy Vallee, who could sing without moving his lips! and sonja henie, who could skate better than she could act. T Power, who died quite young.
You were watching TCM yesterday. Good for you. Tyrone Power and Sonja Henie started a torrid love affair with this movie according to her biography written by her brother after her death. Her romantic scenes couldn't have proven it, though; Sonja didn't act well--her career was based on her cuteness. The only romantic role she played well was in Sun Valley Serenade opposite John Payne.
The principal theme song of this movie, "Back to Back," was played instrumentally as the lead-in and run-out for the film but sung by Mary Healy 32 minutes in, and was also recorded vocally by Marion Hutton with the Glenn Miller orchestra during the filming in 1939.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=marion+hutton
The song was one of several used in the movie and was not written by Irving Berlin, as the opening credits might lead one to believe. He only wrote three new songs for this musical.
Who played the orchestra leader in this film? Dark-haired man with mustache. He looks familiar but I can't place him or find his name in the cast list.
Forget it. Just looked at the "complete cast list" and found his name--Robert Lowery. Fox used him in several supporting roles in A-films like "Drums Along the Mohawk." Wonder why they never groomed him for stardom. He looked more mature with that mustache.
It does look like the whole cast is having a blast. Definite feelgood movie. (I often watch it when I need a pick-me-up.)
Although I sometimes wonder if it actually was as much fun as it appears. Power and Henie apparently had a relatively short lived, but *very* physical affair when they made the first film they did together (Thin Ice), but by the time this one was made, that was done with, and Power had met his first wife, Annabella.
(Not that that would have stopped him necessarily having a fling, except that according to what I've read he was completely smitten with his soon-to-be-wife at this point - The Rains Came was made around the same time, and Myrna Loy said that he wasn't interested in her, because of Annabella (though she refers to her as 'that French woman' or something like that).)
Having heard of Tyrone Power's gay tendencies, you wonder if the rumored affair was as fictive as the one in this movie... life imitating art?
I liked this, especially for the behind the scenes look at how Hollywood works, especially on the publicity side. Thought the movie remarkably frank about all that, especially for 1939. They were telling their own industry's dirty little secrets.
According to some surviving friend and co-stars, Mr. Power was not gay. However, he was good buddies with Caesar Romero, who by all accounts was gay. Maybe by him having LBGT pals, which does not surprise me, considering he is remembered as a very nice person, people wanted to slander him.
shareFrom what I've read it seems pretty clear he was gay. People who said otherwise were probably not aware, in denial or thinking they were helping him. Those kinds of motivations were quite common back in the day.
shareAccording to reports, he even adopted Annabella's daughter.
Sadly, both had marital flings, according to Wiki, she fooled around with R. Dahl who wrote Willie Wonka. Tyrone had a fling with Judy Garland and according to rumors, got her pregnant. Wiki stated that Tyrone asked his wife for a divorce to marry her, but she refused. Judy later aborted the kid.
I recently saw "The Rains Came Down", I really liked it.
shareThat's sweet he was so committed to Annabelle early in their relationship. Wow according to what you stated, Ms. Loy comes across as a scorned woman. I have to watch the movie again,in regards to interaction. You could sense the heat between Sonja and Tyrone in their films.