The Helen Morgan Story
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Movie Reviews of The Helen Morgan Story
Movie Review: Entertaining, In Spite of it's Flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
Helen Morgan was a torch singer from the 1920s and 30s. She was well-known for her sappy ballads, and went on to play Julie, the tragic mulatta in Show Boat. Her addiction to alcohol ruined her career, but she was a very big star in her day. This is a celebration of her life and musical career.
There are many problems. One, it completely ignores Morgan's film career. Next, although Ann Blyth has short dark hair and emotional eyes, she is much too beautiful to play Morgan, who got very fat toward the end of her career. Also, the film makers alternate between authentically portraying the 20s with costuming and vocabulary and completely disregarding the period and making everything look like the 50s. This is distracting. Finally, neither Morgan's voice or Blyth's is used for the musical numbers. Gogi Grant, a singer whose voice resembles Judy Garland's in maturity, dubs the songs, and she sounds nothing like Helen Morgan. Morgan's voice was more subdued and filled with a quiet passion. The dubbing was a bad choice and detracts a great deal from the tribute to Morgan.
That being said, this is still an entertaining movie. Blyth does a good job toggling between the emotional highs and lows of Morgan's life. She carries the movie well. Paul Newman is very good as her attractive loser boyfriend. His charisma makes him a likable character in spite of all the bad things he does. The music is outstanding, from the songs that Grant sings to the ones that are played in the background. This is really a film for music lovers, and it delivers.
3 1/2 Stars
Movie Review: Deserving of more attention
Summary: 4 Stars
An excellent print of a movie that has been obscure for too many years. Newman (not always the brilliant actor many claimed he was) fills the bill superbly. And Blyth, carrying a difficult, cliché-ridden role, does a fine of making Morgan credible and sympathetic.
A major pleasure in this film is the soundtrack of Gogi Grant singing for Ann Blythe which I have always considered to be one of the finest "female vocal" albums of the 50's.
Movie Review: The Helen Mogan Story
Summary: 4 Stars
First saw "The Helen Morgan Story" when it was released in the Fifties. Have been waiting to include it in my private collection.
Love biographical stories, especially musical ones. Also, love the songs from the Thirties to the Sixties. Any movie starring Paul Newman is a must for me. Saw them all at their time of release and now have many in my collection to replay at my leisure, thanks to Amazon.
Movie Review: Quality Story of a Torch Singer of Yesteryear
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an ideal Biographical Film of a "Torch Singer", Helen Morgan and her rise to stardom. Ann Blythe and Paul Newman are great in their roles to make this a film of interest. Great and memorable songs to enjoy and remind you of quality. A must for all Collectors of Biographical, Musical Lovers!Movie Review: The Helen Morgan Story
Summary: 3 Stars
The reason I purchased this video was this is my mothers Mom. She was adopted at birth but was told later that Helen Morgan was her real mother. So I wanted to see it but they did not mention the baby she had out of wedlock in 1926 and gave up for adoption. It was an interesting movie, mainly because Paul Newman was in it. When my 84 mother watched it she was singing along with the movie. (she is a pretty good singer herself)