On Moonlight Bay (1951)

Perfect cast and a good story

Awesome Movie

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Despite the Day-MacRae pairing the movie's not exactly a musical, the numbers being few and far between. Instead, the storyline is more like a down-home romantic comedy set in 1917. In fact, young Billy Gray gets as much screen time as Day. That's not to say the results are not generally delightful, especially the first part. But MacRae later disappears for a surprising period, while Day's presence is also intermittent. Somehow I suspect there may be a backstory here, even though the results are consistently entertaining.It's a fine cast, Day never fresher nor lovelier, MacRae as handsome as ever, along with stuffy dad Ames and sweet mom DeCamp. And for comedic effect, it's a surprisingly accomplished Gray as the impish son and Wickes as the sarcastic cook. On the other hand, there's tuneful singer Jack Smith in thankless role as nerdy extra man. It appears he's taking up some slack in MacRae's absence. Nonetheless, the pairing of the leads is almost picture perfect.The plot has daughter Day falling for unconventional neighbor McRae of whom her conventional banker dad (Ames) disapproves. So how can their true love blossom, especially when her mischievous little brother (Gray) is always up to something amusingly disruptive. Somehow, though, you know things will work out.A couple of points to note—catch Mom's pressing Day to enhance her natural attributes with a pair of falsies worn for the big dance. That really surprised me. After all, the 50's were the big airbrushed decade; plus, falsies amount to an ironic comment on the Monroes, Mansfields, and Russells of the decade. Also, having hero MacRae talk down our conventional economy, primarily the role of banks, seems a risky move for the movie's hero in that Cold War period. Then too, unless I missed something, he never recants those sentiments.Despite the occasional edginess, it's still a fun film full of candybox colors and the two charming leads. But fans looking for big production numbers may be disappointed.

The 1910's may have not had the comforts of today, but they sure had an innocent sense of fun. In the days before World War I got the United States involved, there certainly were plenty of issues, but what appears to be the truth is that an innocent sense of living had society in the thought that hard work and clean living lead to a decent life. A naive view to be sure, but it is a nice fantasy.The team of Doris Day and Gordan MacRae were the 1950's answer to Mickey and Judy, and the lovely innocence of their films still holds a promise for happiness and joy. Day is a sweet but tomboyish teenage girl, falling in love with the boy next door and dealing with family issues no more serious than a misunderstanding caused by the prankish younger brother, Billy Gray, who is actually very well meaning if still immature.Leon Ames, Judy's father in MGM's "Meet Me in St. Louis" and Rosemary DeCamp, Cagney's mother in "Yankee Doodle Dandy", are typical classic American parents, while Mary Wicked is delightfully funny as the wise- cracking housekeeper. She hot so much praise for this film that her role in the sequel "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" was greatly expanded. Esther Dale has an amusing cameo as Ames' imperious aunt who has a surprising zest for life.Certainly by the early 1950's these simple storied had been done over and over, but some of them were too good to be dismissed. With Doris Day having taken over Bette Davis's spot as queen of Warner Brothers, she seemed to be able to do no wrong. As top female box office champ for 15 years, she had a career on film that often seemed to follow the same formula, but her continued popularity has not dwindled.

I found this gem after searching for movies like "Meet me in St. Louis", it was listed as a movie made in the turn of the century era. This movie does compare to 'St. Louis'(in which Leon Ames also plays the father). It was amazing to see Doris Day and Gordon Macrae so young and fresh! Then there was a younger Mary Wickes(of numerable roles, standing out as Sister Mary Lazerus of 'Sister Act'), and behold Ellen Corby(grandma Walton of 'the Waltons' fame! Previous reviewers describe it perfectly! a Norman Rockwell, turn of the century, pre-WW1 movie, a gaslight romance perfectly wholesome. It's sweet and nostalgic.I am eagerly awaiting to see the sequel, 'By the light of the Silvery Moon'! If you like this style of movie, I recommend: 'It's a Wonderful life', 'Meet me in St. Louis', 'Life with father', 'Belles on their toes', 'The Bishop's Wife', and 'Shop around the corner'(1940).

Its not often I give a film 10 of out of 10 but Doris Day movies consistently rate that high for me. If you are in a depressed or foul mood, her smiles, her singing, and the cast members around her always can lift you to another place. This is much like a Technicolor Judy Garland film in a lot of ways, with homespun family values and courting. At first, I had a problem with the leads, who seemed too old, playing teenagers. The actors grow on you, especially Doris. The actor playing her annoying kid brother is terrific. The parents are well portrayed and protective. The housekeeper is a wiley classic. Even the family dog gets in the act in several scenes. I recommend the film heartily especially if you want to smile and sing along. Doris Day is and has always been a national treasure. I am very glad I got a chance to spend the afternoon with her in this film.