Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

MUSIC IN MY HEART

Tony Martin and Rita Hayworth
MUSIC IN MY HEART (1940). Director: Joseph Santley.

"The bicarbonate interferes with the brandy."

Wealthy Charles Gardner (Alan Mowbray of Dante) considers himself engaged to the beautiful Patricia O'Malley (Rita Hayworth), but despite Gardner's kindness she might have other plans, especially when she runs into handsome Robert Gregory (Tony Martin), who ingratiates himself with her family. To break up the budding romance between those two, Gardner's butler, Griggs (Eric Blore of Swiss Miss), comes up with a nasty scheme to separate them by employing a fake newspaper article. Will true love find a way? The cast is game, the plot is thin, the songs by Wright and Forrest are unmemorable, but there are some bizarre developments at the very end. Tony Martin [Here Come the Girls] looks great, is not a bad actor, and has a very, very good voice; he should have had a much bigger career in pictures.

Verdict: Easy to take Columbia musical that you'll forget five seconds after it's over. **1/2.

2 comments:

angelman66 said...

Agreed, this is not a memorable musical at all, but it is fascinating to watch Hayworth prior to her full star treatment in those Astaire musicals, Blood and Sand and of course Cover Girl with Gene Kelly. Unfortunately Tony Martin was never a transcendent musical talent himself, though he did marry the radiant Cyd Charisse...
- Chris

William said...

I liked Martin's voice very much but he may not be everyone's taste.