Billy Rose's Jumbo
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Movie Reviews of Billy Rose's Jumbo
Movie Review: musical version of The Greatest Show on Earth
Summary: 5 Stars
It's unfortunate that this delightful circus musical comedy tends to live in the shadow of Cecil DeMille's non-musical "The Greatest Show on Earth", made nearly a decade earlier. I definitely find the present film more enjoyable, with its intertwining of music, comedy, drama and romance. It certainly didn't lack for star power. Doris Day may have been approaching 40, but she could have passed for 25 and was perfect for the lead role. Of course, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye were veteran entertainers of the vaudeville style. Perhaps, as some reviewers suggest, their comedic talents were underutilized. Jumbo is self explanatory. The casting of Stephen Boyd as the lead male is more questionable. He was a good looking hunk, but was no singer and had no special charisma to match that of Doris. Perhaps we would have to look to Elvis or Robert Goulet for an ideal male singer on par with Doris at this time. On the other hand, Boyd did come across as a believable premier circus performer. His acting and singing were sometimes understated, but I didn't find this annoying in most scenes. He(or his dubber?) did a fine job with the introductory tune in the first scene, a perfect number for Robert Goulet. The preceding overture should have been deleted, as it was not memorable and was overlong.
In the romance department, we have an implied double wedding in the finale, one the culmination of a stale 14 year engagement between Durante and Martha, the other a whirlwind affair between Doris and Boyd. Prior to this, Boyd found himself in the increasingly uncomfortable position of being a spy for his father who plans to take over this circus, yet is falling in love with Doris, the owner's daughter. Meanwhile, Doris has the unpleasant job of trying to hold off the creditors, due to the irresponsible gambling of Durante. Boyd helps her satisfy the creditors for a while by giving her loaded dice to win big in a crap shoot.
Doris's first number is the fun "Over and Over Again". After she begins to strike up a romance with Boyd, she sings the upbeat "This Can't be Love" and "My Romance". Then, after the announcement that their circus had been taken over by Boyd's father, she sings the somber haunting "Little Girl Blue". Both Boyd and later Durante sing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" to their respective sweethearts. Of the several choreographed circus routines, the swarm of flying butterflies was perhaps the most spectacular. Unfortunately, it was cut short by the failure of the tent roof during a violent storm.
After Boyd joins the other stars with their traveling medicine show, things turn fanciful, as we see them again inside a big circus tent, eventually dawning clown outfits. The guy's boxing match is dull, but the girl's routine is more comical. The fanciful finale follows.
Movie Review: great family entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
Doris Day shines in this extravaganza, which was to be her last big musical; she is flawless vocally, and the melodic score contains some of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's most loved songs.
Her co-stars are equally strong, with the rambunctious pair of Jimmy Durante (as Doris' father) and Martha Raye (as Durante's ever-patient fiancée), and when either of them are on the screen, it is mega-kilowatt entertainment. Nearly 30 years before this film, Durante had been in cast of the original 1934 Broadway production, and it's also wonderful to hear Martha Raye sing the "Why Can't I ?" duet with Doris, as her great talents as a singer were rarely recognized.
Always a favorite of mine, Stephen Boyd is excellent as Doris' love interest. His beautiful speaking voice, mellow with a slight tinge of Irish, does well with the spoken/sung intro to "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams", but his two songs (the other being "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"), are dubbed in by the rich voice of James Joyce.
Many genuine circus acts perform throughout the film, and the stunt work for the stars is seamlessly edited in. Jumbo the elephant of course, is the 5th star of the film, and he gives a "thumbs up" performance.
The lavish production has many magical moments, and though most of it is pure fantasy, it captures the feel of "on the road performers" that anyone who has done a lot of touring in any theatrical field will appreciate.
Kudos to director Charles Winters, and cinematographer William H. Daniels for their work in this film, which is superb family entertainment. Total running time is 123 minutes.
The song list is:
1: "Over and Over Again" ~ Day
2: "The Circus is on Parade" ~ Durante/Raye/Day
3: "Why Can't I ?" ~ Day/Raye
4: "This Can't be Love" ~ Day
5: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" ~ Boyd (Joyce) reprise: Durante
6: "My Romance" ~ Day
7: "Little Girl Blue" ~ Day
8: "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" ~ Boyd (Joyce) and cast.
Movie Review: Doris Day's Charming!
Summary: 5 Stars
This may not be Doris Day's best musical, but it is enjoyable and fun to watch! This was her last musical, though, which is unfortunate because she is such a talented singer!
Doris Day plays Kitty Wonder who's father, Pop Wonder (Jimmy Durante), owns a struggling circus that's main attraction is a huge elephant, Jumbo. Their rival circus - The John Noble Show - wants the elephant so the owner sends his son Sam (Stephen Boyd) over to the Wonder circus to get it. Sam gets a job working at Pop Wonder's circus and ends up falling in love with Kitty. One night while they are doing a show, Sam saves Kitty from a near-fatal accident and decides to tell his father he's not going through with the plan to steal the elephant. While Sam is gone his father comes and closes down their circus and takes Jumbo. But off course, it all ends well when Sam recovers Jumbo and returns him to Pop and Kitty.
My favorite part of this movie would have to be "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" number that Doris Day and Stephen Boyd do together!
Movie Review: A pleasure fest!
Summary: 5 Stars
Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye. How could it be bad? The story is simplistic as a good romance should be. Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, conflict arises, conflict resolved, happy ever after.
The JOY is how they get there. The songs are now classics: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," "My Romance," and "Little Girl Blue," to name a few. While Doris Day is beyond her first bloom, the story is well served by a woman over 30. Stephen Boyd is as breathtakingly manly and georgeous as always. (I don't know if he actually sang his songs, but if he did, what a wonderful surprise!)
Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye strike the perfect balance of comic relief and believable characters. While their schtick is delightful, their personalities are fully deloveloped.
This has been a favorite movie of mine for many years. It's so nice to be able to watch it whenever I want instead of waiting for a movie channel to show it.
Movie Review: Pound for pound, top notch entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
One of my all time sentimental favorites (did Doris Day record Sentimental Journey), and it's as good today, as it was when I first saw it in the single feature movie houses, which made your night out at the movies feel like a broadway theater engagement outing. Perhaps that is why they focused more on charm, wit, and comedy rather than mass produced non-stop action movie meyhem, competing under a single multi plex. When the lights shined bright on the marquee to focus on spectacle features such as this, with real movie stars to bank upon, rather than headliner directos who hail their savvy with mega blockbusters. JUMBO is a great movie in the tradition of what was class cinema. Drawn against the ever entertaining world of the privately owned circus, mixed with knockout songs, and "wonder" acts, this movie entertains from start to finish, and with never a dull moment. JUMBO is as big as he looks, inside and out!