Song of the Open Road

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Movie
Original title Song of the Open Road
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 93 minutes
Rod
Director S. Sylvan Simon
script Albert Mannheimer
production Charles R. Rogers
for United Artists Corp.
music Charles Previn
camera John W. Boyle
cut Truman K. Wood
occupation

Song of the Open Road is a 1944 American musical film directed by S. Sylvan Simon , based on a story by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier .

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards.

action

In gratitude for being featured in a commercial, teenage film star Jane Powell is offered membership of American Youth Hostels. The members of this corps are on their way to Salinas to learn about the local culture and ask Jane for assistance. Her dominant mother refuses to agree and Jane feels helpless. When the young woman gets a new role and her mother cancels a long-promised vacation, this is a reason for Jane to flee. She ends up in Salinas with friends. She dyes her long blond locks brown and poses as Jane Price at the Camp Civilian Conservation Corps hostel . She is greeted there by the manager Jack Moran and his girlfriend Bonnie.

Meanwhile, Jane's mother, Connors, has recruited a representative from American Youth Hostels to look for the girl. However, he teams up with Jane's former teacher, Miss Caspar, who believes that Jane was robbed of her childhood by her mother.

Trying to help, Jane also takes on tasks in the camp that overwhelm her. In the following years there are all sorts of entanglements between Jack and his girlfriend Bonnie as well as between Jack's friend Bill and his girlfriend Peggy. When Jane sees Jack kissing Peggy and reacting angrily, she is not only marginalized by Jack and Bill for their interference. In order to win back the friends, she identifies herself as Jane Powell. However, Jack and the others don't believe her and think she is lying. In tears, Jane wants to return home, whereupon Jack asks her to prove her claim. When Jane sings a song from her latest film, you believe her. Just as the young woman wants to go back to her mother, Jack learns that a storm is approaching his brother's orange farm and the harvest there is in danger if the oranges are not picked within a short period of time. Jane pledges her support and, with the help of her influential friends, mobilized an announcement over the radio. Rewards for active help are also guaranteed by the stars WC Fields, Charlie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen and Sammy Kay. Soon, crowds of people crowd the Moran Ranch to catch a glimpse of the celebrities. Picking the oranges becomes a minor matter. WC Fields reminds his compatriots that the oranges also benefit the fighting soldiers, whereupon those present see it as their patriotic duty to help. Bonnie and Jack also end well when Bonnie agrees to marry Jack.

Production and Background

Filming began on November 22, 1943 and ended in early February 1944. According to the Hollywood Reporter , the film was shot in Date Gardens in Palm Springs , California and in the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles . The film premiered on June 2, 1944 in Portland , Oregon , and then opened in New York theaters on June 6, 1944 . The distribution company was United Artists Corp., production company Charles R. Roger Talking Pictures Corp. In addition to Charles Previn as music director, the composers George Dobbs, Walter Kent , Kim Gannon , Leleiohaku and Johnny contributed noble music.

Jane Powell made her screen debut in this film. MGM loaned the then fourteen-year-old actress to the company Charles R. Rogers on the condition that their music numbers could be used in an advertising campaign. The film then premiered in Powell's hometown of Portland. Powell, whose maiden name is Suzanne Lorraine Burce, was assigned the name of her film character as a stage name by MGM. Director S. Sylvan Simon had great difficulties filming the scenes with WC Fields, as he was repeatedly canceled due to his alcohol addiction and was often not seen again after the lunch break. Jane Powell and Fields have a scene together in the film, while Fields improvises everything. For Fields, who died in 1946, it was his penultimate film.

Music numbers

  • Rollin 'Down the Road (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon) performed by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra, sung by Jane Powell and choir
  • Delightfully Dangerous (Walter Kent) performed by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra, danced by The Condos Brothers
  • I'm Havin ' (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon) sung by Jane Powell, whistled by Edward Gargan
  • Too Much in Love (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, sung by Jackie Moran)
  • Hawaiian War Chant ( Ta-Hu-Wa-Hu-Wai - Prince Leleiohoku, Johnny Noble)
  • Carmena (H. Lane Wilson, Ellis Walton) sung by Jane Powell
  • Here It is Monday (Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, sung by Jane Powell, accompanied by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra)

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Song of the Open Road (1944) - Notes. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved June 9, 2019 .
  2. ^ Song of the Open Road (1944) - Trivia. In: Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved June 9, 2019 .