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Hallelujah, I'm A Bum

1933, Movie, NR, 83 mins

Hallelujah, I'm A Bum: Review

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Based on a story by Ben Hecht, S.N. Behrman's screenplay for this deeply touching Depression love story was written (with help from Lorenz Hart) almost exclusively in rhyming couplets. This may disturb some, but will delight others, as the writers' wit is evident in every line. The incomparable Al Jolson is Bumper, a happy tramp who lives in New York's Central Park, and who happens to be friends with the mayor (Frank Morgan, who replaced Roland Young when he fell ill). When Mayor Hastings' distraught mistress, June Marcher (Madge Evans), attempts suicide by jumping in a lake, Bumper rescues her. Stricken with amnesia, she falls in love with the tramp, and Bumper, feeling likewise, decides to make a home for her and takes a job. They are ecstatically happy, until Hastings tells Bumper of his dire need for his former flame. Out of a sense of honor toward his old friend, Bumper brings the two together again. HALLELUJAH, I'M A BUM (which had to be renamed for British distribution, since "bum" has a very different connotation in the UK) was a bold film for Jolson, who, until this role, had been content essentially to play himself. Here, he's a sort of benevolent Mack the Knife, with additional shades of Chaplin's Little Tramp. The integration of the tunes by Rodgers and Hart (who appear briefly in the film as bankers) is perfectly handled by director Lewis Milestone, though this fine film has much else to involve the viewer. Songs include: "You Are Too Beautiful," "I'll Do It Again," "I've Got to Get Back to New York," "What Do You Want with Money?" and "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" (which had to be re-recorded for the British market). leave a comment
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