Harmony Lane (1935) User Reviews

Surprisingly Good Gower Gulch Musical Biopic

[boblipton · 7/10 · 26 December 2018]

Stephen Foster songs are no longer part of the Great American Songbook, but for more than a century they were. Movies like this were inevitable. What was less inevitable that it would come from a Poverty Row Producer like Mascot and be so good.

Certainly director Joseph Santley does a good job. He is one of the many directors who came into the movies, turned out good work, and rarely rose out of the Bs. Here he offers good performances and set-piece camera set-ups that are quite lovely. While none of the actors are great. they are certainly up to the rigors of their roles, and it is a bizarre pleasure to see William Frawley playing Edwin Christy.... and playing him as William Frawley.

In this modern age we sneer at artists like Foster because they accepted the standards of their era, instead of the superior standards of our era. Even with that proviso, and understanding that Foster's commercially successful music didn't make him a wealthy man, because he would typically sell a song for $30, and glad to get it, because copyright enforcement was virtually non-existent.

So why was his music so popular that when I was taught the piano as a child, several of his songs were still standards? Their simplicity was one reason. The tune could be picked out with a single finger. However, their original popularity was due to the same sort of thing that made Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL and Sha-Na-Na's doo-wop so popular: nostalgia. In the tumult of the 1850s, with the industrialization of the North, many of the new urban population yearned for a simpler, rustic existence, and Foster's songs gave it to them, three minutes at a time.

Harmony Lane review

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 20 April 2020]

The life story of songwriter, Stephen Foster, whose songs have now fallen largely into disrepute. Surprisingly good biopic from Poverty Row outfit Mascot, anchored by a strong performance from Montgomery who walks the tightrope between naïve, idealistic youth and embittered, disillusioned drunk without once losing his footing. Poignant and moving if you can get past our modern-day aversion to racial stereotyping. And there must be many, many men would have permitted the lovely Adrienne Ames to destroy them...

Surprisingly good for a film from Mascot Pictures, but this film is bound to not sit well with modern audiences.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 19 May 2011]

Think about it. Stephen Collins Foster was a HUGE influence on minstrel shows in the middle of the 19th century--minstrel shows! So how can you do a film that does his career justice without offending a whole lotta folks?! Well, during the 1930s, this was easy--the public didn't blanch at the antics of the 'happy Negroes' seen throughout the film not at groups of men in black-face performing his tunes. But today, this is bound to ruffle a few feathers--and rightfully so. However, he was a brilliant composer and deserves to be remembered...in context.

This biopic stars Douglass Montgomery--an actor pretty much forgotten today. In fact, the only readily recognizable star is the film is William Frawley--though he's in black-face for several scenes. As for the most important part of the film, its historical accuracy, the movie naturally plays a bit fast and loose with the details of his life--but less so than the typical biopic of the era. What you are left with is a reasonably interesting and watchable film--considering it was made by a low-budget studio. But it is by no means a noteworthy film--except for the moments that it makes you cringe! I particularly loved the film showing how gosh-darn happy and well-treated all the black people were during the days of slavery! So, if you do watch it, hold on to your seats...it might be a very bumpy ride!

The old folks at Foster's home didn't like his music

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 18 June 2017]

Poverty Row Mascot Pictures probably because the songs of Stephen C. Foster were all in public domain decided to produce this cheaply done musical about Foster. It cost the studio not a dime to buy rights to his work.

Douglass Montgomery played the tragic composer who came from a middle class background and whose father disapproved of his interest in a musical career.

The tragedy of Foster as shown here is that the woman who truly loved him, Evelyn Venable refused to wait for him and he married society conscious Adrienne Ames. When she left him he takes to drink and eventually can't find his muse.

William Frawley played minstrel performer and impresario E.P. Christy. Frawley before he became best known as the irascible Fred Mertz was a vaudeville performer. He was also one of the great drunks in Hollywood as you see here.

The musical numbers are done on the cheap, but the acting is not too bad. Montgomery does well as the frail and tragic Foster.

Still you can see it all done better at 20th Century Fox with Don Ameche as Foster and Al Jolson as E.P. Christy in Swanee River.

Who?

[Spuzzlightyear · 5/10 · 7 April 2006]

This is a biography on the famous songwriter, Stephen Foster. If you don't know who that is, he's the guy responsible for Old Folks At Home, I Dream Of Jeannie and Swanee River among other compositions. This biography doesn't really tell you much in terms of gossip about the guy (he had a failed marriage that turned him to drink!) and the acting here is just OK, with Douglass Montgomery's hideous age makeup overpowering his performance here. I guess the main focus is the music. I guess that's not bad, but mind you, we're talking the later 1800's hit parade here. So like we're talking about like 'Beautiful Dreamer" territory here. One thing though, I just love how the main music is strains of 'Old Folks At Home'. I mean, you've never heard the song used as a background to a man under a drink's spell!

Lovely tribute to Stephen Foster

[kjkildow · 7/10 · 9 February 2021]

Very moving account of American composer Stephen Foster's life and how he came to write his memorable and heartfelt songs. Lots of music included. It's a dated and idealized presentation in some ways but a great way to learn about this talented man. Also learned something about once-popular minstrel shows, where white men painted their faces black and sang and danced in an imitation of slaves - but not as well as they did it! Learned that Stephen Foster found early musical inspiration in a black church, as did Elvis Presley a century later.

Tragic story of a great early American musician

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 26 November 2010]

For all of the poor product quality of the film as produced and preserved all these years, "Harmony Lane" has some redeeming aspects that make it worth seeing and keeping. The short list of viewers and commentors have noted the flaws of production. Even for 1935, the producers gave too little care to the technical quality of the film. But one can overlook that with the stellar performance by Douglass Montgomery of composer and song writer Stephen Foster. And, with the number of his memorable songs that are performed so very well in the film.

Foster's life was one of heartbreak and despair. He lost the love of his youth to another man. His family disliked his musical interests and played down his musical talent. His later marriage failed. His wife was a conniving, jealous and bitter woman who preferred social position and fine things in life to family and her husband's talent and interests. All of this was portrayed, more or less, with very good acting by the entire cast. Montgomery especially portrayed the emotional turmoil of Foster very well.

One other small item I found of particular interest was a day Foster spent with his former fiancé and her husband when they came to visit him in New York. They went to the Barnum American Museum, and the scenes showed some interesting displays or characters as the threesome strolled through the museum. Remember — the time that this film covered was the mid-19th century. It was during that time, 1841 to 1865, that P.T. Barnum's famous five-story museum on Broadway was a major attraction. It had strange acts as well as educational exhibits. Barnum would include some of the strange and unusual attractions in his equally famous circus which came later.

But our interest here is the visit to the museum in this film, produced in 1935. The old American Museum burned down in 1865. While there may have been a few people alive in 1935 who remembered the museum when they were children 70 years before, the inclusion of a set for scenes in the old museum showed public interest and awareness yet for the former attraction. And, I doubt there have been many other movies, if any, that included scenes showing P.T. Barnum's famous tourist attraction. I'm not aware of any such films anyway.

Other films have been made about Stephen Foster, but I'm not comparing this one with others. This film can stand on its own, as a fine portrayal of the beloved Foster. The singing of several of his songs makes the film worthwhile as well. A remastered and cleaned up copy would make this fine historical film one of wider appeal to more people.

Better than I thought

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 10 January 2021]

I got my hands on a copy of Harmony Lane because it was Hattie McDaniel week on Hot Toasty Rag, but even though she was in the movie for about ten seconds, I'm still glad I watched it. Douglass Montgomery, the star and portrayer of Stephen Foster, impressed me! I'd only previously seen him as Laurie in my favorite version of Little Women, but I didn't like his performance. He must have taken the two years to take some acting lessons, because he was completely capable handling the lead role and making us believe he was the legendary composer. He was captivated by music, often hearing a tune in his head and needing to plunk it out on the nearest piano no matter what the situation; he loved and lost; and he suffered and died of a broken heart.

I thought this was going to be a rinky-dink, low-budget movie I'd want to turn off, but I enjoyed it very much. I got to hear both Montgomery and William Frawley sing, and I learned the heartache behind Stephen Foster's life. It was very sad to see him sell the rights to his songs for hardly any money, but I already knew that piece of trivia before watching the movie, so I was prepared. If you like "Beautiful Dreamer" or "Camptown Races", check out this well-acted biopic.

An Outstanding Biography From Mascot!!!

[kidboots · 8/10 · 9 July 2012]

I really like Douglass Montgomery. He has an appealing boyishness in most of his roles. He came from the prestigious Theatre Guild and MGM were happy to snap him up - but his name had to be changed to Kent Douglass (they already had a Robert Montgomery) and they also wanted to dye his hair - but decided not to. So he was very pleased when Universal offered a contract - and let him use his real name. Montgomery was also more ambitious than his roles showed and he was particularly keen on an ambitious effort by the smaller Mascot studio - the life of Stephen Foster, called "Harmony Lane". It seemed in the mid thirties every studio was "classics crazy", even the smaller ones - Monogram had already filmed "Jane Eyre" with Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive and it was their most prestigious film to date. Like the other versions to come, Mascot stuck with the romanticized version of Foster's sad life - but much of the basic elements were true.

Eager young Stephen Foster (Montgomery) wants to have the world singing his songs - he owes a debt to an old black preacher ("Old Black Joe") who always believed in him (Clarence Muse) and he starts with "Oh, Susannah!". As usual in these biopics, apart from the preacher, his true love Susan (Evelyn Venable) is the only one who has faith in his songs, his music master (Joseph Cawthorn) is waiting for him to produce a great symphony. When he is forced to go to Cincinnati, to work with his brother, "Oh, Susannah!" takes off and it seems the whole world is singing it!! He does go to Cincinnati and, in no time at all, his ring is returned by the fickle Susan, who marries another (Lloyd Hughes, who only a few years before had been a leading man). She had been told by the artful Jane (Adrienne Ames, who else?) that Stephen has been carousing and drinking and with Susan now out of the picture, Jane steps in to capture the man she has always wanted. But he soon finds out she is grasping and mercenary and she looks down her nose at minstrels, which is how Stephen makes his money. When he introduces "Old Folks at Home" at the Christy Minstrel Concert, she walks out in disgust. Christy (William Frawley) introduces the song as his own composition but friends in the audience (Susan included) recognise the song as Stephen's own.

Even though Foster's story is highly dramatic, the movie opts for story over songs. Onlya few of the songs are heard in their entirety - certainly not the haunting "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair" (probably because in real life he wrote it for his wife Jane). When Stephen realises that Jane is at the bottom of all his unhappiness he leaves and in his effort to earn enough money to send home to his little daughter, Marion, (Cora Sue Collins) he works himself into a breakdown and eventual dissipation as the fad for minstrel songs becomes old hat. He does have one last song in him, the very beautiful "Beautiful Dreamer" which, along with the countless others he wrote, proves to be a lasting legacy to him.

The very under-rated Montgomery rose above the banal script as he went from starry-eyed youth to a drunken pauper. Sensible, matter of fact Evelyn Venable always impressed and she was just perfect as Stephen's first love.

Stagey and cheap, but atmospheric and entertaining

[joachimokeefe · 8/10 · 19 January 2015]

A simplistic tale of how iconic old-time US songwriter Stephen Foster drank himself into an early grave because of a faithless fiancée and a nagging wife. A superb, memorable portrayal of our hero by Douglass Montgomery, who starts to look like Nicholas Cage in the later, grubby scenes. The portrayal of the contemporary lot of black people is outrageously sentimental - this was 1935 - but the middle-class parlours and chiselling impresarios are a little more accurate in a Dickensian, caricatured way.

Foster wrote the song 'Old Black Joe', among many other standards and classics which are still performed today. I saw Eric Clapton and his band do the song a few years ago and it's still borderline racist, but Foster was turning out catchy, moving ditties apart from his 'plantation songs' long before Irving Berlin got started.

Make allowances for the cultural and commercial context and it's no worse than many other Tinseltown biopics. Montgomery, though, is a revelation, and the two female leads are no slouches either.

Freely available at the Internet Archive and well worth 90 minutes of your life if it's raining, you're snowbound, or you're an alcoholic songwriter in need of admonition. Odd title though.