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| Sing out: Shirley Jones and Patty Boone |
APRIL LOVE (1957). Director: Henry Levin.
Nick Conover (Pat Boone of State Fair) is supposedly a "bad boy" who was sent from Chicago to Kentucky by his mother after his being arrested for taking a joy ride. Living with his Aunt Henrietta (Jeanette Nolan) and grumpy Uncle Jed (Arthur O'Connell of Anatomy of a Murder) on their farm, he fixes the old man's tractor and develops a crush on the neighbor gal, Fran (Delores Michaels). This doesn't sit well with Fran's sister, Liz (Shirley Jones), who develops a yen for Nick herself. And besides, Fran already has a boyfriend in Dan (Matt Crowley). Before a major triangle can develop, however, Nick bonds with a beautiful horse named Tugfire, who used to belong to Jed's son (who was killed in the war), and before you know it he's off to the races! But will his bad behavior back in Chicago catch up with him?
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| Off to the races! |
Hardly a classic,
April Love succeeds on sheer amiability and the likability of its players. With a credible Boone in the lead the film becomes a musical, with him and others warbling several numbers. A couple of these are instantly forgettable but "A Gentle Girl" and the title tune are pleasant numbers, very well-sung by Boone, who now and then reminds one of Crosby. Delores Michaels [
The Wayward Bus] was an attractive and talented actress who had a limited number of credits. Second lead Matt Crowley mostly had television credits. Henry Levin was a very busy director who worked with Boone on three films.
NOTE:
April Love is a remake of
Home in Indiana, which has a bit more pathos and sentiment but is not as smooth and entertaining as this. This version turns the two rivals for the hero's affections into sisters, and also gives the uncle a son who died in the war. It eliminates the likable if stereotypical black characters. There are no musical numbers in the original film.
Verdict: The horse nearly steals the show! ***.
2 comments:
Have never seen this one though I'm a fan or Shirley Jones and of Pat Boone, and of course I am familiar with the wonderful title song here. Will give it a look. Boone was sexy in a very white bread way; have you seen those 'naughty' exhibitionist shots of him disrobed on the Internet; prototype selfies...?
But then he found God. ;-)
-C
I thought he was always sort of very religious, but was not aware of these naughty photos you refer to. I remember when in an attempt to get attention for his career he went all black leather and recorded punk rock or heavy metal songs. Probably not a good idea, but at least he was in there sluggin'! He had a nice voice and manner and I found him pleasant when I once interviewed him for an article.
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