Can't Help Singing (1944)

In perhaps her only color appearance on film, Deanna Durbin is at her prettiest, spunkiest, wittiest and romantic best. Long before Doris Day sang about her secret love to the clouds and daffodils and Jane Powell sang in a glorious meadow about a wonderful, wonderful day, Durbin sang a love song overlooking the grand canyon. She's in love with army officer Robert Paige over the objections of her senator father (Ray Collins) and runs away to follow him to California. But missing her stagecoach, she ends up on a wagon train, involved with Indians, two phony European noblemen (really petty thieves) and a handsome cowboy, pretty much winning the affections of her traveling companions, winning over the audience as well.Some lovely Jerome Kern songs aide Durbin in her scintillating performance, surrounded by a great supporting cast. The former Aunt Polly and Auntie Em (Clara Blandick) gets some great lines in her small role as Durbin's understanding aunt. Akom Tamiroff, Leonoid Kinskey and David Bruce are also memorable in supporting parts. A subplot involving a supposed arranged marriage between chunky Thomas Gomez provides an amusing misunderstanding between Durbin and Paige. The beautiful photography, witty script and Durbin's charm makes this one a complete winner. The final reprise of the title song makes this absolutely magical.

CAN'T HELP SINGING (Universal, 1944), directed by Frank Ryan, is a musical, naturally. What the title doesn't imply is that it's also a western. Starring Deanna Durbin, Universal's star attraction, who was earlier MAD ABOUT MUSIC (1938), here CAN'T HELP SINGING, is often classified as a movie inspired by the then current stage musical sensation of "Oklahoma," which lead to MGM's own musical western theme of THE HARVEY GIRLS (MGM, 1946) starring Judy Garland. While this edition lacks the singing flavor of "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from "Oklahoma" or "The Atchison Topeka and the Santa Fe" from THE HARVEY GIRLS, it does have the brunette turned blonde Deanna Durbin, in glorious Technicolor for the only time in her movie career, vocalizing new songs composed by the legendary songwriter, Jerome Kern, with story passages to have avid film buffs think of Frank Capra's Academy Award winning "It Happened One Night" (1934), minus the bus, road camps and hitchhiking.Based on the story, "The Girl of the Overland Trail" by Samuel J. and Curtis B. Warshawsky, the narrative opens in Washington, D.C., 1849, where the first shipment of gold from California is presented to the President James Knox Polk (Edward Earle) at a crowd gathering. Caroline Frost (Deanna Durbin), having been away in the country, arrives early to meet with the man she loves, Lieutenant Robert Latham (David Bruce), forgetting she's scheduled to later sing at the White House reception. Her father, Senator Martin Frost (Ray Collins), disapproves of Caroline's involvement with Latham because he believes him to be an opportunist, thus, doing everything possible keeping them apart. Learning Latham has been stationed to California with his Fourth Calvary, Caroline sneaks away from home to follow and marry him. Tracking him down to Missouri, Caroline is told by Army officers that Latham has gone to Fort Richards. Learning her father has posted in newspapers a $5,000 reward for her return, Caroline keeps herself from being noticed by avoiding any personal contact. During the course of her travels, Caroline encounters such characters types as Gregory (Akim Tamiroff) and Koppa (Leonid Kinskey), a couple of Russian stowaways who help carry her trunk they believe to have its weight in gold; and Sam Archer (Andrew Toombes), a confidence man who swindles Caroline of her money for a horse and buggy belonging to somebody else. She then meets Johnny Lawlor (Robert Paige), a card sharp who, aware of her true identity, agrees to help the runaway heiress on a 2,000 mile trip to California at his asking price of $1,000 to be paid to him by her fictional fiancé, Jake Carstairs (Thomas Gomez) of Sonora, labeled "the best shot in the world," a man she knows about but has never met. If that isn't enough, Johnny, who detests liars, has Gregory act the part of her husband in order to gain passage on a wagon train. Once everyone reaches their California destination, further complications ensue.Others in the cast include: Clara Blandick (Caroline's Aunt Cissy); June Vincent (Frances McLean); George Cleveland (The Marshal); and in smaller roles, Irving Bacon, Roscoe Ates, Renie Riano and Arthur Housman. As much as Universal might have placed such accomplished male singers as Dick Foran or Allan Jones as Durbin's co-star, Robert Paige, basically an actor of forgettable second features, is acceptable in his John Payn-type of performance who surprisingly gets to sing, and quite well at that.In between doses of misunderstandings and comedy passages, such as a running gag of a little boy named Warren constantly twisting his hair and being disciplined by his mother, song interludes take place, including: "Can't Help Singing" (sung by Deanna Durbin); "Elbow Room," "Can't Help Singing" (reprise by Durbin with Robert Paige and others); "Any Moment Now," "Swing Your Sweetheart," "More and More," "Californ-I-Ay," FINALE: "Californ-I'ay," "More and More" and "Can't Help Singing." Regardless of Jerome Kern and E.Y. Harburg's collaboration with the composition, and the Academy Award Best Song nomination for "More and More," the songs in general are forgotten. "Can't Help Singing" is lively, with latter reprise set in a bath- house with Durbin singing in the bath-tub covered with bubbles, while the Award nominated "More and More" seems slow and dull, not living to any expectation to other song nominees. Durbin's solo song number of "Any Moment Now," with blue skies and visual mountain background in the manner of Julie Andrews' opening of THE SOUND OF MUSIC (20th Century-Fox, 1965), is the film's most diverting highlight.CAN'T HELP SINGING has some fine moments, but no lasting appeal once the movie is over. Aside availability on video cassette in 1997, and on DVD years later, television broadcasts have been few and far between over the years, ranging from public television (1980s), to cable's American Movie Classics (1996-2000); Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: May 3, 2010), RetroPlex and occasionally Encore Westerns. For those who enjoy Durbin, the girl who can't help singing, will find this 89 minute western musical/comedy pleasing, enjoyable fluff. (***1/2)

A very silly production is "Can't Help Singing." This 1944 film did not give the opportunity for Deanna Durbin to showcase her talent. Her voice was good; in fact, too good for this inane film. Her singing was way above the plot where a senator's daughter flees her father to run off with an army officer. This time dad is right. The only reason why the guy is interested in her is to further his career via her political father.Along the way, she meets a card shark and the two hit it off. The ending becomes silly when Durbin is forced to admit the stories she has made up along the way.Durbin sings the title song "Can't Help Singing" with great enthusiasm but the other songs, especially California-y are ridiculous as is the plot.

Can't Help Singing featuring Deanna Durbin singing those wonderful Jerome Kern-E.Y. Harburg songs either solo or with Robert Paige is nice musical entertainment. So entertaining it can even be forgiven some very illogical plot premises.Deanna's the daughter of a United States Senator who's run away from home to catch up to her beau, cavalry lieutenant David Bruce. On the wagon train west to California she hooks up with gambler Robert Paige and a couple of Russian con artists, Akim Tamiroff and Leonid Kinsky.Maybe I am being picky, but I cannot understand for the life of me why Deanna's father Ray Collins had such a problem with David Bruce. He sees him as an opportunist, but at the time of the California gold rush when this film is set, there was in fact a very famous marriage by an army lieutenant to a prominent Senator's daughter. That would be John C. Fremont wedding Jessie Benton, daughter of Senator Thomas Hart Benton. Of course an ambitious army lieutenant is no match for his sugarplum, but hooking up with a gambler is all right. Doesn't make any sense no matter how many times I see Can't Help Singing.Still when Jerome Kern writes the music, a whole multitude of sins are forgiven. Universal spent quite a bit of money on this film, probably more than they'd spend on three Abbott and Costello films and those two were Universal's bread and butter at this time.In fact Kinsky and Tamiroff make a very funny pair. Maybe they should have teamed more often.Can't Help Singing is good musical entertainment, just learn to live with the ridiculous plot.