By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Good idea lost in the noise

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

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, at least, equally entertaining sequel to the story of the Winfield family, in "On Moonlight Bay". Most of the major characters are played by the same people who previously played them. However, Russell Arms replaces Jack Smith, as the character Hubert, now called Chester. Leon Ames reprises his role as family father, begun in the rather similar MGM hit: "Meet Me in St. Louis". The story takes place in Milburn , Indiana, as WWI is ending. Rosemary Decamp is the mother, while Doris Day and Gordon McRae are the sometimes lovey dove song birds, who become reunited upon Gordon's release from the army, with the end of the war. Their marriage plans, however, are still controversial, as the story develops. The songs are generally more memorable and more frequent than those in the prior "On Moonlight Bay". Also, Doris stars in a memorable musical skit. Billy Gray is the 12y.o. scene-stealing brat brother of (supposedly) 18y.o. Doris. Mary Wickes again is the family maid and cook, and introduces the family members at the beginning. Poor Chester is the nerdy, if pleasant, longtime wannabe boyfriend for Doris. Probably from a rich family, he is father Ames' choice. Despite being a good piano player, and decent singer, and song writer, Doris generally finds him boring and often too stuffy. But, with the on again, off again, nature of the Doris + Gordon romance, he never gives up hope......At the film's beginning, Doris, with grease-smeared face, is under the family car fixing something: an indication of the tomboy side of her personality. In "Calamity Jane", released the same year, she was an even more extreme example of a tomboy, finally learning to be feminine at times, in order to please her boyfriend, as in the present film. Later, Doris has to fix Gordon's car, stalled in the boonies, as he has no idea what is wrong. .....The family Thanksgiving turkey, thanks to Billy Gray's meddling, creates an embarrassing situation at Thanksgiving dinner......Miss Renee LaRue, wants to rent a theater owned by the bank that father Ames works for. A written communication between them is hijacked by delivery boy Billy Gray. He creates a complex of imaginary scandals that dominates the last half of the film, and is only resolved in the ending. An addition, he has become obsessed with Sherlock Holmes-style detective work. At one point, Miss LaRue is fingered as his imaginary Dangerous Dora, with hilarious results......A family outing in a horse-pulled sleigh, to celebrate the 20th wedding anniversary of the parents, turns up a few surprises, as they end up at a favored skating pond, with the film's ending in sight. .......Songs with lyrics sung include: "I'll Forget You", "Just One Girl", King Chanticleer", "If You Were the only Girl in the World", "On Moonlight Bay", "Ain't We Got Fun", and "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee", the latter supposedly composed by Chester, who plays and sings it.......I don't want to reveal any more details. Just see it if you can., Presently, it comes with "On Moonlight Bay, in a 2 DVD packet. Gordon and Doris went on to star in several more pictures together, including "Tea for Two".

The cast and the beautiful scenery make this movie so endearing. It is one of those I could see over and over. Doris Day is a cute tomboy is this movie, and is her pretty self. Gordon McCrae is the pleasant man with his strong singing voice. These two seem to shine out more than the others. Mary Wickes is her comical self as the comically unpleasant housekeeper. Billy Gray, who would later play in the popular TV series "Father Knows Best" was, here at an early teen-age stage the "young detective" in the family. Leon Ames, as he was in so many other movies, was a stereotype father, here by the name of George Winfield. The sweet and lovely Rosemary DeCamp was excellent in her role as the mother named Alice Winfield; Billy Gray and Doris Day play the children of the family. Gordon McCrae plays the part of the soldier returning from WWI who wants to marry the Winfield girl, though not until he's more financially settled. In this movie, the setting of which is a small town in northern Indiana in 1918, a play is going to be held by a French actress and her repertoire company, sponsored by the bank where George Winfield is an officer. In the play there is a line which, though not vulgar, is objectionable; the line in the script is taken from the script and George places it in his pocket. Then, he asks his boy to take his clothes to the cleaners, and while the boy is emptying the pockets finds the script. And it is done on the day of the Winfields' twentieth anniversary, of all times.(!) It is enough to say that this "starts the ball rolling." The final scene is at the local ice skating pond on a cold winter night by the light of the silvery moon. The movie is wholesome, has a very talented cast, and the Technicolor is beautiful. In many ways it is, I feel, one of Warner Brothers very best.

For about the millionth time and it's right up there with The Sound of Music. I love Doris and I love Gordon. There is such a chemistry between them that shines through on the screen it is remarkable. I really can't decide which is the better of the two, By the light of the silvery moon or On moonlight bay. Sheer brilliance.

I happen to be a fan of Doris Day's so I tend to watch anything of hers I can manage to snag on television or rent from the video store. When I saw this, I was not disappointed. It was cute, funny and some of the songs in the movie were great (like Be My Baby Bumblebee..haha). Gordon McRae, as always, has a wonderful voice and it was nice to see him paired up w/ Doris. Billy Gray as Welsey made me chuckle with the turkey scene..and Mary Wickes as Stella the housekeeper even threw in a few lines that made me chuckle as well. I love watching it any time of the year, but it happens to air around the holidays more..which actually appeals to me. It's nice to be able to relate to a movie especially when it is based around the same time of the year that you are experiencing at that moment. If you have a chance to see it, I would definitely recommend it.