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Till the Clouds Roll By | Year: 1946 Classification: Musical Directed: - George Sidney (II) - Vincente Minnelli - Richard Whorf Actors/Actresses: - Lucille Bremer - Van Heflin - Robert Walker Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra. Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection. Good musical with many Kern songs Overall, a very good biography of Jerome Kern that tracks his career as a songwriter. So-so script, talented cast, and great Kern music. A pregnant (it's hard to notice at first) Judy Garland is featured as a Broadway star who perform's Kern's songs. Also in the cast are Lucille Bremer, (Garland's older sister in "Meet Me In Saint Louis," her playing someone younger than Garland, Van Johnson, Van Heflin, June Allison, Angela Lansbury, Lena Horne, and Frank Sinatra (singing Ol' Man River). GREAT BAWULS OF THUNDAH!!!! This poor stepchild of a movie ......saw it barely as an infant centuries ago and mama was not impressed by the length [got a bit of a whipping for staying out too late that time] ..... then years later in a 3rd world country in a musty little cinema with locals barely understanding what was going on - movie broke down a few times - gunshots from the projectionist's booth ..... [!] HOWEVER, this DVD print is DREADFUL [but it IS CHEAP] and upon occasion - somewhere towards the end in a non-crucial moment, the same happens ... we don't decode .... cheap stuff! CAN ONLY HOPR THAT SOMEONE RESTORES THIS ONE TO FULL DOLBY 5.1 and CLEANS UP THE NEGATIVE> WHY? Well, there's LENA HORNE as the doomed JULIE singing "Can't Help Loving dat Man of Mine" in "Showboat" [looking spectacular in Egyptian II a shade developed especially for her by Max Faxtor - alas in the full lenth Miss Ava Gardner inherited the skin tone from Factors]. However, this is just ONE of the reasons to get this DVD .....there's also Judy Garland, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, old blue eyes Frank, Cyd Charisse, Eather William and a truckload of stellar talent. It's a lavish production - very lavish - currently snubbed by this poor version - but destined to be resurrected in spelndor [please?] Footnote ...Whatever Happened to LUCILLE BREMER? She's a pivot character in this saga, looks and dances great - especially with Van Johnson [wow!] Pity - ah, but that's Hollywood..... Buy Till The Clouds Roll By at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Till The Clouds Roll By Search with the Priority Search Engine on Till The Clouds Roll By This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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