April Showers (1948)

Family picture from Warner Bros. hasn't enough comedic or dramatic elements to make an impression. A vaudevillian song-and-dance couple, barely surviving on one mediocre bill after another, finally hit pay dirt after bringing their precocious son into the act--but when the husband gets discouraged and hits the bottle, it may mean the end of his marriage. Jack Carson adds a little kick to the proceedings, but it's a half-empty star-vehicle. Production is surprisingly low-rent, while the athletic boy-star hardly seems the type to lay theater audiences in the aisles. Carson and Ann Sothern appear to have a rock-solid marriage (with lots of backstage smooching), so the addition of a potential romantic replacement for the husband is ludicrous. This scenario was ripe for satire and bite, however the handling is as mawkish and musty as the music. *1/2 from ****

Simply a wonderful filming with Jack Carson in top form as a song and dance man with his family. The real joy to watch here is Robert Ellis, who portrays his 12 year old son and sings and dances up a storm. Ann Sothern plays Carson's faithful wife.The story centers around the trials and tribulations of the dancing trio. How fast Sothern comes around to the fact when Ellis leaves school to join the duo. It does become annoying at times when he refers to his father as Big Tymes, as they're the Tymes family.That being said, the tale becomes endearing when a series of problems leads Carson down the road to alcoholism and the trio fades.Robert Alda plays the heavy here as Sothern's new dance partner. Does he show his true character when he begins to physically abuse Ellis in a memorable scene.A story of faithfulness to his dad, and final redemption. As a sympathetic hotel owner, S.Z. Sakall doesn't do his usual fracturing of the English language, but the film is a solid gem.

Jack Carson and Ann Sothern are such capable professionals that even when they are cast in something like APRIL SHOWERS they are worth watching. Carson rarely got leading roles, except in the "B" film or programmer such as this one and Ann Sotheran was just winding up all of her "Maisie" roles at MGM to do this unpretentious little musical at Warner Bros.Together they're fun to watch as a married couple, a pair of show biz hoofers who give out with a song and dance patter when they're not having domestic troubles over the legitimacy of using an underage boy (their son) in their vaudeville act.It's all done in a formula way with no big surprises, no characters that are more than conventional and without the kind of production numbers that studios like Fox and MGM gave their musicals. And yet, with a nice balance between some serious drama and mostly lightweight singing and dancing, it's the kind of musical that's easy to take.The usual supporting players under contract at Warner Bros. are used to fill out the supporting roles, including Robert Alda and S.Z. Sakall.Carson and Sothern are both capable enough to make us believe this sort of thing could easily have happened and both of them have a nice way with a song and dance. Little Robert Ellis is very adept as their talented youngster.Summing up: A nice, unpretentious little film to watch on a rainy day.

The 1948 Warner Brothers film April Showers is a satisfying little picture about show biz troupers. Jack Carson and Ann Sothern make the best of their roles however it is Robert Ellis as their son Buster who steals the show. With his "little man" antics and show biz talents he also steals your heart. Ann Sothern is lovely to look at in most of her numbers. With a little melodramatics sprinkled in the film remains wholesome family entertainment. This film is usually shown on Turner Classic Movies.