Opening in 1906 on San Francisco's Barbary Coast, this entertaining musical biopic offers Betty Hutton in the role of famed vaudevillian Blossom Seeley. In the wake of the famous quake, Blossom takes to the vaudeville stage, and after WW I achieves success on Broadway. When she decides to
return to vaudeville, she falls in love with the manipulative Benny Fields (Ralph Meeker), another entertainer who is looking for his big break. After Benny leaves Blossom to take a shot at the big time on his own, his career continues to go nowhere, while hers plummets; however, true love
triumphs in the end as the two reunite, and, with Blossom's guidance, Benny finally makes his mark, much to the delight of Blossom, who, true to the feminine mystique of the time, is now content in her role of helpmate.
The story, though highly fictionalized, is nonetheless enjoyable, and Hutton's performance, in what was to be her penultimate film, is delightful. Loaded with enjoyable musical numbers, the tale is presented simply, and a surprise cameo by Jack Benny adds to the fun. The songs include: "Rose Room"
(Harry Williams, Art Hickman), "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (Henry Creamer, J. Turner Layton), "Teasing Rag" (Joe Jordan), "Dixie Dreams" (Arthur Johnston, George W. Meyer, Grant Clarke, Roy Turk), "On San Francisco Bay" (Vincent Bryan, Gertrude Hoffman), "Somebody Loves Me" (Buddy De Sylva,
George Gershwin), "Jealous" (Jack Little, Tommy Malie, Dick Finch), "June Night" (Cliff Friend, Abel Baer), "I Cried for You" (Gus Arnheim, Arthur Freed, Abe Lyman), "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" (N.J. Clesi, Theodore Morse), "Toddling the Todalo" (E. Ray Goetz, A. Baldwin Sloane), "Smiles" (J. Will
Callahan, Lee S. Roberts), "Wang Wang Blues" (Gus Mueller, Buster Johnson, Henry Busse), "I Can't Tell You Why I Love You" (Will J. Cobb, Gus Edwards), "Love Him," "Thanks to You," and "Honey, Oh My Honey" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston). leave a comment
