MovieChat Forums > The Big Store (1941) Discussion > The woman singing 'Rock-a-Bye Baby'

The woman singing 'Rock-a-Bye Baby'

posted 11 years ago by troodon311
1 reply | jump to latest

It struck me on my most recent viewing of this movie how truly strange this performance is. The woman is singing without any sign of emotion on her face and throughout the song she only occasionally looks inside the cradle, otherwise she's just staring blankly into space (at the camera).

She comes off as if she's going insane, and as if she loathes or at the very least is completely indifferent to her infant. The changed lyrics and the erratic and repetitive nature of the song are the result of her going crazy. There's an unhinged "end of her rope" feeling to it; motherhood is driving this woman mad. I could totally picture her smothering the infant after she finished the song.

It's strange that I didn't notice how bizarre this part was in any of my previous viewings. Obviously I'm reading too much into the song, but did anyone else find this performance to be weird and disturbing?

Edit: I just looked up the singer (Virginia O'Brien) and apparently singing stone-faced was her trademark. I wonder how weird her other performances are.

[–] nycruise-1 11 years ago

She was a familiar character actress/singer during the 1940s.

Years and YEARS ago, I saw her on a talk show (Steve Allen's - but I doubt you recognize that name), and she explained how her "technique" came to be: she was in a talent contest and she got a big case of "stage fright," she ended up singing her song perfectly but didn't move a muscle. People laughed and she became a singing novelty.

She's in "Harvey Girls" with Judy Garland but she doesn't do too much of her style of singing, although she does sing some nice songs with Judy.

If you think she's strange in "The Big Store," you should see that "Our Gang" episode from the early 1940s where the kids imitate famous movie stars as part of a staged show. One little girl imitates Virginia - and not only sports a classic 40s adult do, but is also heavily made-up. She comes off like a child prostitute who's been drugged by a pedophile!

"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"