The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (1950)

Wow! Such a good movie.

A Disappointing Continuation

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This is a delightful glimpse of New York show business in the early 20th century. The story is appropriately corny and satisfyingly well acted, offering some charming songs and dances with some of the best performers in the 1950s, and a virtuoso turn by an old vaudevillian (James Barton) doing the kind of work we don't see onstage (or in movies) anymore. Barton's touching "drunk" dance in the bar, and his hilarious eccentric skating number at the end of the film show us a vivid picture of the kind of performing that was expected in the best days of vaudeville. The plot is predictable, but Gordon McCrae, June Haver, and Gene Nelson are a pleasure to behold, and Debbie Reynolds' debut gives a hint of what we could have expected from her. Also, it's as good as S.Z. Sakall ever was, and that's saying a lot. Watch it to experience a wave of nostalgia like none you've ever known.

The good news is that the story line here, though predictable, is rather entertaining. Three Irish daughters are looking for romance (actually one is secretly married, another has fallen in love with vaudevillian Tony Pastor -- a real historical character, and the third is a little too young but dreaming of her future). However, their father hates show business, claiming that its stress and challenges took his wife's life when they were both vaudevillians.The bad news here is that memorable songs are few and far between...in fact, only the title song is dandy. The rest are forgettable.June Haver is the nominal star here as the daughter in love with Tony Pastor. She was a passable dancer, not quite so good on the singing.Marcia Mae Jones is the daughter who is already married, and again, does nicely here.Gordon MacRae is good as Tony Pastor. Too bad he didn't have very good songs to sing.Before watching the film, look up James Barton (the father) on Google. His is an interesting little biography.Gene Nelson is excellent as a dancer friend of Tony Pastor. I was never sure why he wasn't more of a star. Handsome and excellent dancer. S. Z. Sakall is here as a family friend, but unfortunately doesn't have much to do. Irene Seidner, a little known character actress, was good as the wife.Debbie Reynolds as the youngest daughter didn't have much to do here, although her role was tailored for her; she was 17-years-old at the time; it was her first speaking role in a film. BTW, according to Google, she had to have her ears glued back for the film!Jane Darwell has a small role as a neighbor...and it was nice to see her.It's a decent film. Not great. Not bad. Old-fashioned.

Here is a delightful musical comedy movie that should be put out on DVD so everyone can enjoy viewing it during the Christmas holiday season. If nothing else, it should be released in a box set of Christmas movies. In our opinion this film is drastically underrated by other critics. This is June Haver's best movie and Gordon Macrae is also outstanding and in excellent voice. Debbie Reynolds, in her film debut, and Gene Nelson are also very good. All of the songs are well done and memorable and we would like to see a CD soundtrack release, also. It has a strong plot that takes place during the 1890's. Some of the characters may have come from real life, but the plot, I am sure, is pretty much fiction. This movie is very entertaining all the way through to the wonderful grand musical and comedy finale. We try to watch it every year around the holiday season.

Rosie O'Grady's daughters (Marsha Jones as Katie, June Haver as Patricia, Debbie Reynolds as Maureen) live with their father (James Barton), a former vaudevilian who is still in mourning for their mother and harbouring a grudge against the theatre.Really the interest of the film is in the musical sequences, featuring Haver with co-stars Gordon MacRae and Gene Nelson, but the story, although entertaining in parts, is so slight as to be nonexistent. It is a pleasant enough way to pass the time, though.