7/10
Westward the Woman
13 November 2016
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)
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