Romance on the High Seas
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Movie Reviews of Romance on the High Seas
Movie Review: Flyweight, Technicolor Glossy, & Charming: The Movie That Launched Doris Day Film Career
Summary: 4 Stars
By the late 1940s, Warner Brothers was no longer a major producer of lavish musicals--but in 1947 they decided to return to the field with ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS, a lightweight tale of luxury liner romance and comic confusion. Lacking a major musical star, the studio sought to borrow Judy Garland from MGM--but MGM, notoriously possessive of its musical leading lady, refused. Warner then went to Paramount and did indeed secure the services of Betty Hutton--but Hutton became pregnant and would be visibly so by the time cameras began to roll. With deadlines looming, it seemed ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS was dead in the water.
Enter Doris Day. An attractive blonde from Cincinnati, Day had begun her career with the aspiration to become a dancer, only to find her teenage hopes dashed when a car in which she was traveling was struck by a train. Told she would never dance again, she spent her recovery singing along with the radio and ultimately emerged as a noted "girl singer" on the big band scene, recording one of World War II's most beloved hits, "Sentimental Journey." But the life of a girl singer with the band was not an easy one, and Day was close to hanging it up when she was invited to a Los Angeles party and favored the crowd with a song or two. Director Michael Curtiz was among those present and although Day was not greatly enthusiastic he quickly coaxed her into a screen test.
Out of such unlikely circumstances are great stars sometimes born. In her autobiography Day writes that she wasn't wild about the film-making process, that she greatly disliked the heavy make-up and hair gel required to create the glossy image then in vogue, and that she was horrified and embarrassed when she saw herself on screen. All things considered, she didn't expect much that was positive to come out of the experience. ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS made her into an overnight sensation, the viable musical star Warner Brothers sought, complete with fan mail and hit records.
As already noted, the film that launched her career was indeed flyweight. Michael and Elvira Kent (Don DeFore and Janis Paige) are a married couple who are habitually jealous and suspicious of each other--and when Janis decides to take an ocean voyage her husband hires private detective Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to tag along and spy upon her. But unbeknownst to Michael, Elvira has sent lounge singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day) on the cruise while she remains in New York to spy on Michael. Needless to say, romantic and comic complications ensue, with the film's most amusing moments fueled by such memorable character actors as S.Z. Sakall, Oscar Levant, Eric Blore, Franklin Pangborn, and Sir Lancelot.
No one would accuse Curtiz of having a knack for musicals, and although Busby Berkley handled the musical numbers he was significantly past his prime. Nonetheless, the film moves at fast clip, the musical numbers are engaging, the performances are expert, and the whole thing looks as lush as late 1940s Technicolor can make it--and there is Doris Day, fourth billed but clearly the star, blonde and beautiful and singing "It's Magic." It was magic indeed, and although ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS isn't in the forefront of the musical genre it is nonetheless a truly charming, completely unpretentious movie that both fans of the genre, the stars, and most particularly of Doris Day will truly enjoy. MGM had Garland; Paramount had Hutton; 20th Century Fox had Betty Grable. But now Warner's had Doris Day, and although she was a slightly unwilling star, her film career would outlast the film careers of all of them.
The DVD offers an excellent print of the film that plays to its Technicolor brightness and the sound elements are quite good as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the way of bonuses: a Warner cartoon staring Tweety and Sylvester is fun, of course, and a sing-along short gives us the likes of Ethel Waters, but with the exception of the original theatrical trailer there's nothing to pertaining to the film itself.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: Good clean fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
I was prepared to hate this movie. One of Day's biographers had written that it was her worst film, but being a diehard fan I thought I'd give it a try. I was surprised at how much I liked it. The plot was silly (but so were most plots in 1940 comedies!) but the songs were lovely. Some of the movie was VERY funny. The scene where the two boyfriends get drunk without drinking a drop is a classic! I also enjoyed the wise-cracking tomboy-type Doris that opened the movie. Shades of the Calamity Jane figure she was to do many years later!Movie Review: Romance on the High Seas
Summary: 4 Stars
Romance on the High Seas
This is Doris Day's first movie and she really had an excellent debut. The movie is very indicitive of that period in time and although some people may think it a bit dated, it must be viewed in context with that period.
Great Songs, Great Artist.......Great Movie
Movie Review: Fun movie
Summary: 4 Stars
A big fan of old movies, comedies and romantic comedies in particular, it was fun to "discover" this Doris Day movie. After buying it, I vaguely remembered seeing it once a number of years ago. If you like Doris Day it is worth adding to your DVD collection.Movie Review: Mad About Doris
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a mega fan of Doris Day. So, I loved watching -for the first time- 'Romance on the High Seas... It's refreshing, light hearted and very watchable.
Simple story, delightful characters and a young Doris.
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