... 1929's Dance of Life? I could be wrong, plus that original film was Paramount, not Fox, but the scripts are loosely the same, although this film lacks the pathos of the original, if that was indeed the pattern for this one.
From 20th Century Fox comes this 1948 musical comedy-drama about a married pair of vaudeville performers. Betty Grable stars as the showgirl wife, with Dan Dailey as the hard-drinking rising star husband, whose song-and-dance comedy routines have caught the attention of Broadway producers who want him to headline a new revue. He goes, but the wife stays with the smaller troupe, and Dailey's increasing fame is only matched by his drinking. Eventually things fall apart, but only after numerous stagebound musical numbers, including one terrible bit with Dailey surrounded by several female back-up dancers in brown-skin make-up as blackface shoeshine girls. That last bit is probably a big reason why this film is rarely shown anymore.
Grable once again fails to make an impression on me: she's not terrible, but in no way memorable either. Dailey earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and he has a big, manic meltdown scene, followed by a pitiful bit in the Bellevue drunk tank. He's good, but most of his performance is just his usual large and loud musical shtick. Richard Arlen plays a level-headed alternative for Grable's affections, and there are welcome supporting parts by James Gleason, Jack Oakie and June Havoc. This may be better appreciated by more avid musical fans than myself, but for me it's a one-and-done.
From 20th Century Fox comes this 1948 musical comedy-drama about a married pair of vaudeville performers. Betty Grable stars as the showgirl wife, with Dan Dailey as the hard-drinking rising star husband, whose song-and-dance comedy routines have caught the attention of Broadway producers who want him to headline a new revue. He goes, but the wife stays with the smaller troupe, and Dailey's increasing fame is only matched by his drinking. Eventually things fall apart, but only after numerous stagebound musical numbers, including one terrible bit with Dailey surrounded by several female back-up dancers in brown-skin make-up as blackface shoeshine girls. That last bit is probably a big reason why this film is rarely shown anymore.
Grable once again fails to make an impression on me: she's not terrible, but in no way memorable either. Dailey earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and he has a big, manic meltdown scene, followed by a pitiful bit in the Bellevue drunk tank. He's good, but most of his performance is just his usual large and loud musical shtick. Richard Arlen plays a level-headed alternative for Grable's affections, and there are welcome supporting parts by James Gleason, Jack Oakie and June Havoc. This may be better appreciated by more avid musical fans than myself, but for me it's a one-and-done.