Music in My Heart (1940)

Operetta star today, deported tomorrow. or at least that's how it's supposed to be, but thanks to a class with Russian restaurant waitress Rita Hayworth, he ends up missing the boat that she was supposed to leave New York on. Ending up on the East side of Manhattan disguised as a Russian waiter, Martin has to deal with the man Hayworth was engaged to, Alan Mowbray, and his overly efficient valet, Eric Blore. But the friendly Russian immigrants keep Martin protected, when Hayworth's younger sister, Edith Fellowes does everything to keep Mowbray away and Martin and Hayworth together.A couple of decent songs make this a passable time filler with a rather absurd plot but some fun character performances especially the effete Blore and an over the top George Tobias. There's also an adorable spider monkey who gets a song dedicated to her. Hayworth is under- done with her makeup at a minimum. Martin gives an exuberant performance that could be his best.

Robert (Tony Martin) is due to be deported and so he is rushing to the harbor to board the boat. Sharing his cab is Patricia (Rita Hayworth) is a woman rushing to marry a rich guy (Alan Mowbray). However, when there is a wreck and the cab is delayed, both miss the boat and it changes the rest of their lives.It's strange. For years, I haven't liked singing in most movies and hated that so many classic Hollywood films have songs planted right in the middle of them for no apparent reason. However, recently I have noticed that this doesn't bother me as much as it used to--particularly when the singer has such a beautiful voice. This is definitely the case with Tony Martin. While he didn't make a ton of movies, when he did, his singing was just amazing--among the best you could find. So, as I watched "Music in My Heart", I enjoyed the musical interludes, as Martin's crooning was quite nice.So, apart from Martin's singing, is there anything else that could make this movie worth your time? Well, it might be worth seeing just to see Rita Hayworth in one of her films before her HUGE make-over. This is because she was a favorite actress of studio head Roy Cohn and he personally groomed both her career and her face. He ordered her hairline to be adjusted (owch!), her skin to be lightened and her hairstyle and color changed. Here in this film, she's about midway through her makeover--not as ethnic as she had been but definitely not the glamor girl she soon was to become.Another reason to watch the film is the nice little touches. Lots of wonderful supporting actors are in this one--such as Eric Blore and George Tobias. And, more importantly, their dialog is excellent--providing the sort of clever and cute colorful touches that make a film memorable.So, despite this being a B-movie (due to its short running time and budget), it's very, very good B--almost like a 'B+' film! Enjoyable, fun and well worth your time. And while I'll admit that the ending is hokey, it sure is fun!

MUSIC IN MY HEART is the kind of predictable little programmer that Columbia churned out on a regular basis during the late '30s and early '40s. It's not exactly an A-film--more like a classy B flick--but it's strictly formula stuff all the way with a predictable plot based on the boy meets girl--boy loses girl--boy wins girl idea.TONY MARTIN, looking great and in good voice, gets a chance to dominate the proceedings with his strong vocal abilities, especially on a little number called "It's A Blue World." RITA HAYWORTH, with dark hair and low hairline, is attractive and fetching as his girlfriend, but she barely gets a chance to do more than shake her hips in her one dance number. It's easy to see that she was photogenic in all of her close-ups and on the verge of becoming a big star.The supporting cast is a good one, including ALAN MOBRAY, ERIC BLORE and GEORGE TOBIAS. I'm not keen about EDITH FELLOWS (as Rita's younger sister), sorry to say.It's pleasant, light entertainment with a silly story and some humor that is only mildly amusing, involving a rascal of a monkey.

It's good to see a very young Rita Hayworth (before her Columbia make-over) looking terrific and having a lot of fun along with young and handsome Tony Martin who's in excellent voice singing pleasant songs including the Oscar nominated IT'S A BLUE WORLD. They give delightful performances and work well together.A fine supporting cast is headed by the charming, underrated Edith Fellows who assists Martin in two numbers. While Alan Mowbray, Eric Blore, George Tobias and George Humbert all do well in the kind of parts they had played many times before but which was welcomed with glee by audiences of the thirties and forties.Rita gets a chance to dance a little but her exceptional terpsichorean talents are wasted here. A most enjoyable way to pass an hour.