My Dream Is Yours (1949)

If you've ever seen the famous clip of Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Bugs Bunny singing together, you've seen part of My Dream is Yours. It's the cutest scene in the movie, a lyrical version of "Hungarian Rhapsody", that reminds audiences of Gene Kelly's adorable dance with Jerry the Mouse in Anchors Aweigh. If you can't find a copy of My Dream is Yours, you should at least watch that song on YouTube. It's very cute.Lee Bowman plays a big radio star, but his ego gets in the way of renewing his contract, so Jack Carson makes it his mission to find a new star to replace Lee. He finds the unknown, beautiful Doris Day, but she has a son in tow and the radio station doesn't like the idea of signing her on. As Jack tries to help her, they fall in love.Jack and Doris are always adorable together, and whenever I watch one of their films together, I pretend that they got married in real life and lived happily ever after, even though that's not what really happened. They just have a magical chemistry together that puts you in a good mood and makes you believe in true love. So, for an adorable couple, some memorable songs, and an all-around cute story, rent My Dream is Yours. It's great to watch when you're feeling blue; it's guaranteed to cheer you up!

Per IMDb, this is Day's second movie. Since I know her mostly from her work in the 60s in movies and TV, it was fascinating to see her a bit younger in a 1949 flick. Full disclosure, I am a huge Doris Day fan. Her sweet and sometimes sassy personality combined with her beauty and voice strike the troika of near perfection for me.I am not a big fan of "musicals" but this one was entertaining. The music was blended smoothly into the movie and advanced the plot. Day had great chemistry with the other actors, and I found myself rooting for her and her agent and pulling for a happy ending. This movie had a 50's-60's feel to me, a little ahead of its time. I enjoyed being immersed in the culture of 1949. I was also surprised that I did not find Day as attractive at this age as I found her when she was 10-20 years older.I suppose this is a pretty traditional drama/musical for its time and not particularly groundbreaking, but I found it entertaining, unexpectedly so.About my reviews: I do not offer a synopsis of the film -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A Classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating)

A considerably reworked remake of "Twenty Million Sweethearts" (1934), this one features Doris Day in the Dick Powell part. Most contemporary critics found it disappointing after Romance on the High Seas, but there are plenty of songs (even if there are no musical production numbers at all – let alone Busby Berkeley set- pieces). Most contemporary critics also complained that the script lacked wit and originality. Frankly, the lack of production numbers didn't worry me. The songs themselves are put over with a great deal of verve and bounce – with the exception of the Lee Bowman numbers which are delivered at a slower pace but sung quite pleasantly by Hal Derwin. Doris Day handles herself with the same pep and confident charm she displayed in "Romance on the High Seas". As for the script, I found it very amusing. True, the plot is old-hat, but it makes a good vehicle for witty lines. Furthermore, there are so many inside jokes, that it's a real fun picture for those of us who know our Hollywood. For instance, the guy who pesters Carson for money is his real-life brother, Robert. In real life, of course, it was the other way around. And I love the bit when Doris Day's "Martha Gibson" is so anxious to meet a radio talent scout at her uncle's bar that she brushes aside one of Hollywood's greatest directors, William Wyler! And how about when Doris is gonged by Ray Heindorf (here playing a night club owner) and Carson advices Doris to take no notice: "That guy is tone deaf!" In another sequence, Curtiz himself can actually be glimpsed – smiling yet! – behind Carson's right shoulder at a radio rehearsal. Unfortunately, the film comes to a good climax when our heroine finally breaks into the big radio time – but, alas, it doesn't end there but continues for a sluggish twenty minutes or so in order to tie up all the romantic loose ends. This last portion of the film deserved to be considerably trimmed. Also rather uninspired, in my opinion, is the very well thought-of cartoon sequence in which Carson and Day cavort in juvenile Easter Bunny outfits with a technically mediocre and harmlessly unfunny Bugs Bunny. The song for this sequence, "Freddie, Get Ready", was easily the least tuneful in the whole movie. I really enjoyed all the others and – as I said above – Doris Day both sings and acts with presence and charm. She gets great support from Jack Carson and the rest of the cast, particularly Eve Arden, S.Z. Sakall, Lee Bowman, Edgar Kennedy, Sheldon Leonard and Franklin Pangborn. Menjou is only moderately effective (and despite his high billing, his role is relatively small). Curtiz's direction is certainly admirably polished. But, aside from a long take in Menjou's office, it is technically uninventive – but that's the way most fans like it!

Yes, we've seen this plot a million times. No, this isn't a remake of "Smash-Up" (not sure where an earlier user came up with that), but it does have a bit in common with a film like "Holiday Inn" and the various "Star is Born" incarnations. Eve Arden is always a pleasure, playing her usual stock character. Jack Carson also plays the same smarmy guy, but this time he gets the girl, surprisingly. Perhaps I missed a line of dialogue, but I am shocked that the film doesn't explain Day's young son; to my knowledge, no mention is made of who the father is/was. Being that this film was made in 1949, that's quite amazing. Unwed mother? Father died in the war? At one point, the kid even asks Jack Carson's character if he's the father! The dream sequence with Bugs Bunny isn't much, as I was expecting a full-fledged animated scene. Overall, though, worth a watch I wonder how many times they used that Coconut Grove set at Warners?