Everybody Sing (film)

Everybody Sing

Film poster
Directed by Edwin L. Marin
Produced by Harry Rapf
Written by Florence Ryerson
Edgar Allan Woolf
James Gruen
Milton Merlin (uncredited)
Bert Kalmar (uncredited)
Harry Ruby (uncredited)
Dalton Trumbo (uncredited)
Starring Allan Jones
Judy Garland
Fanny Brice
Reginald Owen
Billie Burke
Music by William Axt
Cinematography Joseph Ruttenberg
Edited by William S. Gray
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • February 4, 1938
Running time
 91 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $795,000[1]
Box office $1,003,000[1]

Everybody Sing is a 1938 musical comedy film starring Judy Garland, Allan Jones, Fanny Brice, Reginald Owen and Billie Burke.

Plot

Young Judy Bellaire (Judy Garland) has trouble fitting in at school, causing trouble by introducing her jazzy style into music class and being expelled as a result. Returning home to her dysfunctional and financially challenged family, where her playwright father, actress mother, and beautiful elder sister compete for attention along with the funny Russian maid, Olga (Fanny Brice) and the hunky cook, Ricky (Allan Jones), who is not-so-secretly in love with Judy's elder sister, Sylvia (Lynne Carver). Judy foils her father's attempt to ship her off to Europe by escaping from the ship and then trying out for a musical show as a blackface singer, taking advantage of her love of jazz to enchant the show's producer, who hires her and makes her a star of his new show. Meanwhile, Ricky cuts a personal album musically expressing his love for Sylvia. Nevertheless, Sylvia is forced into engagement with another man.

When the distraught parents discover their younger daughter is appearing in a musical show, Sylvia rejoins her love, who is also appearing in the show. Finally, all the cast members are reunited, including the Russian maid, who finds her lost love, Boris. The movie's happy ending includes an extravagant stage piece with gorgeously attired chorus girls, happily reunited parents and child, and the happy kiss between Sylvia and Ricky, who is now the producer of a successful musical show.

Cast

Allan Jones Richard "Ricky" Saboni
Judy Garland Judy Bellaire
Fanny Brice Olga Chekaloff
Reginald Owen Hillary Bellaire
Billie Burke Diana Bellaire
Reginald Gardiner Jerrold Hope
Lynne Carver Sylvia Bellaire
Helen Troy Hillary's secretary
Monty Woolley John "Jack" Fleming
Adia Kuznetzoff Boris, the bus driver
Henry Armetta Signor Giovanni Vittorino, Cafe Nappo
Michelette Burani Madame Le Brouchette
Mary Forbes Miss Colvin

Music

In this film Allan Jones introduces the pop standard "The One I Love", with lyrics by Gus Kahn and music by Bronisław Kaper and Walter Jurmann. The film includes three other songs from the same composing team: "(Down On) Melody Farm," "Swing Mr. Mendelssohn," and "The Show Must Go On". The St. Brendan's Boys Choir provided the singing voices for the schoolgirl chorus that backs Judy on her numbers.

Production

After a stalled career at M-G-M, this was one of the films marking the picking up of momentum in Judy Garland's ascent to stardom. Following the sensational audience reaction to her singing "You Made Me Love You" to a picture of Clark Gable in Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), she was rushed into shooting two films back to back, Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937) and this film, which was held for later release.[2]

Box Office

According to MGM records the film earned $655,000 in the US and Canada and $348,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $174,000.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. ↑ Hirschhorn, Clive (1991) [1981]. The Hollywood Musical (2nd ed.). New York: Portland House. p. 139. ISBN 0-517-06035-3.

External links

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