Lullaby of Broadway (1951)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Overlooking the slight and highly improbable storyline, LULLABY OF Broadway is a minor showcase for Doris Day during her early years at Warner Brothers.She acts, sings and dances with consummate ease, does some good routines with co-star Gene Nelson, and makes it easy to see why she was such a natural in front of the Technicolor cameras. Songs are sprinkled throughout to overcome the uninspired plot which has her searching for her long lost mother (Gladys George), unaware that her mother is on the skids singing in cheap bars for a living.A reunion of mother and daughter sponsored by friend Billy DeWolfe paves the way toward a happy show biz ending, highlighted by Day and Nelson doing a nifty tap-dancing routine up and down a staircase with dozens of extras while rendering the title tune in bright fashion.Nelson's zesty rendering of "Zing Went The Strings of My Heart" shows off his ability to sing and dance with the best of them. Too bad his career at Warners never reached full potential.S.Z. Sakall and Florence Bates are on hand for comedy relief, making this a pleasant diversion for Doris Day fans who relish her kind of sunny disposition in musicals.

Overstuffed Warner Bros. vehicle for Doris Day, here playing a nightclub singer who travels from England to New York to be reunited with her mom, a former Broadway star who has fallen on hard times; meanwhile, an elderly B-way producer hires Day for his new show, causing rumors that he's her lover! Since the many musical numbers consist of musty oldies (even for 1951) and the plot is a drag, that only leaves the stars to carry this second-biller, and Day, Gladys Cooper, S.Z. Sakall and Billy de Wolfe are all fun. Gene Nelson is off-putting as Day's romantic lead (he harbors a strangely creepy side which was probably unintentional), although his tap-dance with Doris up a steep flight of steps is breathtaking. An adequate time-filler, and Doris sparkles as usual. ** from ****

At a scant 92 minutes, 'The Lullaby of Broadway' (1951) manages to get its job done without overstaying its welcome. The film is really a throwback musical. Based upon the 1930s extravaganzas a la Busby Berkeley, Warner Bros. trundles out a dated flick in glorious Technicolor, with an atypical backstage yarn. The film stars Doris Day – then a relatively new protégée – as Melinda Howard. Coming to America to visit her mother, whom she believes is a great star, Melinda is treated to the truth in short order. Not that that stops her from becoming a Broadway sensation, donning the top half of tux like the great Eleanor Powell, and exploding onto the screen with Cole Porter's 'Just One Of Those Things'.Yet there's a total lack of romantic chemistry between Melinda and her dancing partner, Tom Farnham (Gene Nelson). Not that any of this stops director, David Butler from force feeding his audience the prospect of a grand amour that never genuinely materializes on screen. What saves the film from becoming a colossal gag is its score. Jam packed with a cornucopia of production numbers, including 'You're Getting to Be A Habit With Me' and Gene Nelson's tour de force, 'Zing Went the Strings of My Heart', and coupled with a supporting cast of contract players that include S.Z Sakall and Florence Bates, "The Lullaby Of Broadway" manages to keep its artistic merit above the water line of mediocrity.Warner's DVD is a mixed blessing. As with many of its other vintage Technicolor features, there are problems with mis-registration of the three strip process that occasionally create disturbing halos and blur the image. For the most part, there is a frothy, rich look to the film that is in keeping with the magical quality of Technicolor. Rich blacks and clean white and a decided lack of film grain make the presentation quite pleasing on the eyes. The audio is mono but nicely rendered. A gallery of theatrical trailers from this and other Doris Day films is all we get for extras.

Another of my most enjoyable movie musicals with my favorite star, Doris Day, singing and dancing with Gene Nelson. I'll never forget the tap dance they did together going up a staircase-fantastic! An excellent cast includes Gladys George, and two of the funniest men around in the 50s: cute S.Z. Sakall and that buggy-eyed looney Billy DeWolfe who will tickle your funnybone. Sakall played in most of Doris' musicals and he is a character to remember! Whatever happened to Gene Nelson? He was surely a fine dancer!