Billy Rose's Jumbo
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Movie Reviews of Billy Rose's Jumbo
Movie Review: Doris Day's Last Musical
Summary: 4 Stars
By 1962, the MGM movie musicals that made up one of the genre's golden ages had disappeared. GIGI in 1958 was the last great musical from the old masters at that studio (in GIGI's case it was Arthur Freed and Vincente Minnelli), and JUMBO was pretty much the end of the trail for Joe Pasternak and Charles Walters. Walters would go on to direct 1964's popular MOLLY BROWN, but that film is a shadow of what it could have been if the right cast had been secured (some think Doris Day was meant for Molly, and she would have been good no doubt, but it was really designed for Shirley MacLaine). Day's last musical film was JUMBO, and, as such, it's a nifty way to say goodbye to the sunny, ebullient, effortlessly engaging actress's musical career. Day was one of the screen's most popular and talented actresses by any standards, and seeing her in this lightweight, funny, romantic slapdash of Rodgers and Hart tunes, circus troubles, and other songs interpolated from newer sources is not a bad way to spend an evening. The cast is very fine indeed, even the stiffer than wood Stephen Boyd, and how can you go wrong with both Jimmy Durante AND Martha Raye? It's all very bright and has nothing at all to do with reality, which makes it work well as a movie musical. The film includes one of the best circus numbers ever put on film - "Over and Over Again" - with an entire circus rehearsing their various acts to a sweeping waltz that builds and builds to ecstasy. But there are also "My Romance", "Little Girl Blue", and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World".
This new DVD has a sparkling picture and terrific stereo sound, and the long forgotten overture is now back in place. Wonderful, old-fashioned family entertainment of the best sort from an era when film musicals were undergoing a change from MGM glory to big-budget roadshow extravagance. It also gives us that triple-threat talent Doris Day front and center, and what more could one ask for?
Movie Review: Never!
Summary: 2 Stars
The last song in it was not written by Rodgers and Hart. It was I think written by Roger Edens (of Judy Garland fame?), and is a mediocre imitation of Hartesque rhymes, at least in its feverish attempt at multiple rhymes at the start. Several of the songs from the stage show were left out, as were all the verses. Extra lyrics (not by Hart) were added to "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" for Durante to sing and Martha's Raye's "The Circus Is On Parade." Songs from other R&H shows were interpolated. Did someone high up like god know better than R&H what songs should be in a R&H show? Finally, and absolutely humiliating for Martha Raye and I suspect Doris Day had a hand in it but maybe not, the line sung by Doris "Two feet are ever cold" is followed by Martha Raye with "Four feet are never cold" which in turn is followed by an embarrassed flustered "I only mean to imply" by Raye. Goodness. She said something wrong. I am beginning to dislike Doris Day intensely. She disgusts me. The title of this shocking little song is "Why Can't I?" also not from the original show and with much excised. The story (such as it is) is a predictable drag. The DVD is cheap on Amazon (until you add postage), it's a flat $20 everywhere else + tax. If you must, buy it from Amazon. I wouldn't take it for free. This is truly wholesome family entertainment, and that's about as nauseous a recommendation as I can give it. If you like Rodgers and Hart, forget it. Durante was in the original on stage. I gave it 2 stars for the pretty tunes (and almost Roger Edens').