Customer Reviews

Up in Central Park [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Deanna Durbin's charm saves this otherwise paint-by-the-numbers operetta, based on the Broadway musical. One of the last major works of famed composer Sigmund Romberg, UP IN CENTRAL PARK (1948) showcases Deanna in a lush period setting.

Irish immigrants Rosie Moore (Deanna Durbin) and her Papa (Albert Sharpe) arrive in New York City with promises of wealth and prosperity. New York is under the corrupt hand of Boss Tweed (Vincent Price), who holds powerful sway with the Mayor and all the public officials. Accidentally stumbling in on one of Tweed's business meetings, Rosie helps her father get the position of the Central Park superintendent. With promises of kick-starting her career in opera, Rosie becomes another pawn in Tweed's web of corruption...can she be saved by crusading reporter John Matthews (Dick Haymes)?

Deanna's second-last movie appearance ("For the Love of Mary" would be released several months later in the year), UP IN CENTRAL PARK is a cute diversion but hardly stands among Durbin's all-time best movies. The 1870's period setting suits her to a tee, and while she doesn't try to attempt an Irish accent, the role of Rosie completely becomes her in every other way. Vincent Price oozes urbane charm and guile as the corrupt Tweed; Albert Sharpe ("Darby O'Gill and the Little People") is perfection as Rosie's Papa. Suave crooner Dick Haymes (1945's "State Fair") makes beautiful music with Ms Durbin.

If you're a Deanna completist you'll definitely want to have UP IN CENTRAL PARK, casual viewers might be advised to think twice.

Up In Central Park is my favorite Deanna Durbin film. Deanna is in an all grown up plot and is in a role that is completely different to anything she's done. "Oh Say Can You See" is one of the catchiest songs she's ever done. An added plus is that the beautiful Deanna looks like the beautiful Scarlett O'Hara.

Universal could not have known how poorly this Deanna Durbin film release would be received by many, but Durbin fans know it isn't so. While this Deanna film set in the New York of the 1880's has some of that artificial feel later musicals of the 1950's would have, it also has its charm. Based on a long-running Broadway musical play of the time written by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, some nice performances and a warm and sweet ending more than make up for that "they're going to sing now" feeling you get at times.

Deanna is Irish immigrant Rosie Moore. She and her father Timothy (Albert Sharpe) come through the gates of Ellis Island with big dreams for Rosie, who wants to be an opera singer. Rosie's joy abounds as they get within sight of America and its most colorful city, New York. But she and her father have the misfortune to arrive at a time when New York politics is at its most corrupt, thanks to William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, portrayed with zest by Vincent Price.

You can tell Price is having fun playing Tweed, a smarmy and corrupt politician who runs New York by proxy and has no conscience about it at all. When Rosie's dad falls into a plumb job as the Superintendent of Central Park after voting multiple times for Tweed's candidate for Mayor of New York, Rosie and her dad seem to be living out the dreams they'd had when boarding the ship for Ameica. Then in steps John Matthews.

Dick Haymes is excellent as the reporter for the New York Times out to expose Boss Tweed and his corrupt cohorts to the people of New York, most of whom know what a crook Tweed is but don't dare say anything. The sweet and naive Rosie is fooled by Tweed, of course, and the smitten John does everything he can to protect her from the fallout. He must also convince her dad, who doesn't see what's so bad about Tweed either until a school teacher and the constitution itself opens his eyes.

The songs are relatively few, as it is my understanding that some were dropped for the film version of this popular play. The beautiful duet of Deanna and Haymes on "Carousel in the Park" ranks very high with the best film songs of Durbin. The sets are lovely, as is Deanna in the fashions of the day. Even the gates of Ellis Island look gorgeous as it's just that kind of film. Price's Tweed remains a scoundrel even in defeat, but he's a scoundrel so awful you have to admire his tenacity!

A brief but wonderful last few moments of this film with Rosie and her father and John reconciling in the snow in Old New York makes this a good one for Durbin fans to pick up. Others may give it only a three or four star rating, depending on your taste for this type of musical. But it does grow on you a little more each time you watch it. Collectors of Deanna's films have another chance to see their favorite in a snowy 1880's New York, so will want to give this film a look for themselves. Not her best, but still charming.

For once, movie critic Leonard Maltin was on target when he called this black and white musical from 1948 disappointing. It is, in the extreme. Durbin is getting a bit too heavy to place innocent young girls any more. (This is among her last films.) Vincent Price is a parody of himself playing Boss Tweed (who in reality weighed 325). The dance sequences are alarmingly cheap and uninspired. And the music is just plain bad. The film was based on a play, and some of the music was omitted. Why? In short, Universal has done it again: a very mediocre film that wastes the great talents of Deanna Durbin and Dick Haymes.

There's only so many films that stars Deanna Durbin, and to me they are all good. Some better than others but most of them have Deanna singing along
in nice little stories that are easy to digest.
Deanna, sure had that golden voice to make you stop and stare and listen.
In this movie she is a Irish Immigrant looking for a better life for her
father and herself. Still a good movie, even if they dropped a few songs.
I cringe when i read that there would be a evil person, played by
Vincent Price, but i forgot these are the 50's and evil does not point to
gun, blood, exploding heads and foul language...crooked and evil in the 50's
movies the characters were more cunning and after material and money. So
Vincent Price played quite a ' Nice' bad person,,especially compared to today
movies.
They dont and cant make these anymore as the younger audience would probably
would'nt have the patience...and probably results to texting in the cinema as
they are doing now with their electronic toys.

So to whoever enjoys these types of movies....consider yourself lucky as
some of them are still around..

Enjoy

Despite fine singing by Durbin and Haymes, who also handle well their acting assignments, and the acting of the always appealing Vincent Price, this is a mediocre film translation of a Broadway musical hit with a score by the reliable hit-maker, Sigmund Romberg. There is nothing outright terrible about it, performers do a professional job with the script and direction with which they had to work but they simply could not overcome the defects inherit in decisions made by the production chiefs. Color would have helped appreciably to take ones mind off the cliched dreariness of the script, but it had not yet become standard in the time period in which it was made. So, Deanna Durbin fans, here is one you will want to see since it contributed to her decision to end her career before she was able to transform herself into an adult performer. Dick Haymes, too, soon began a downward slide which aborted the career that might have been for a singer with one of the best baritone voices among the former band singers of the forties.

Deanna Durbin's charm saves this otherwise paint-by-the-numbers operetta, based on the Broadway musical. One of the last major works of famed composer Sigmund Romberg, UP IN CENTRAL PARK (1948) showcases Deanna in a lush period setting.

Irish immigrants Rosie Moore (Deanna Durbin) and her Papa (Albert Sharpe) arrive in New York City with promises of wealth and prosperity. New York is under the corrupt hand of Boss Tweed (Vincent Price), who holds powerful sway with the Mayor and all the public officials. Accidentally stumbling in on one of Tweed's business meetings, Rosie helps her father get the position of the Central Park superintendent. With promises of kick-starting her career in opera, Rosie becomes another pawn in Tweed's web of corruption...can she be saved by crusading reporter John Matthews (Dick Haymes)?

Deanna's second-last movie appearance ("For the Love of Mary" would be released several months later in the year), UP IN CENTRAL PARK is a cute diversion but hardly stands among Durbin's all-time best movies. The 1870's period setting suits her to a tee, and while she doesn't try to attempt an Irish accent, the role of Rosie completely becomes her in every other way. Vincent Price oozes urbane charm and guile as the corrupt Tweed; Albert Sharpe ("Darby O'Gill and the Little People") is perfection as Rosie's Papa. Suave crooner Dick Haymes (1945's "State Fair") makes beautiful music with Ms Durbin.

If you're a Deanna completist you'll definitely want to have UP IN CENTRAL PARK, casual viewers might be advised to think twice.

Up in Central Park is the story of two Irish immigrants who are duped by a corrupt politician. It was a popular musical before it was turned into a film, so it is filled with songs and dance sequences, elaborate costumes, and a weak story.

Deanna Durbin is beautiful in her period costumes and hairstyles. Her personality is not as vibrant as always, but she is still likable.

Dick Haymes plays a reporter out to expose the corrupt politician for what he is. He is generally good, but not greatly memorable. His best scenes are those played opposite Durbin. They have some cute dialogue with each other, like when he says, "I think you're wonderful," and she replies, "I'm not, but I'm glad you think so."

Vincent Price plays the sinister politician with ease. He plays the part with a good balance of social class and subtle darkness.

The music presented is very forgettable. It opens with a song about America sung by Durbin to an audience of enthusiastic adults and terribly bored children (shouldn't it be the other way around?). Durbin has a few other minor songs, but she is not the only singer in the film. Haymes sings a love song, probably the best of the lot. There are also a few dance sequences set to orchestral music, including one frivolous and unnecessary but fun number begun when Durbin looks at some stereoscopic cards. It has a feel of Christmas and is very well done.

Based on a well-known Broadway musical, this Durbin outing has more plot than usual but about as much charm as a blister. Vincent Price just oozes obnoxiousness but otherwise no one, including Durbin, knows just what do with this film which sits there and refuses to budge. A lot of beautiful snow falls outside, so much you'd think New York City was the snow center of the world. This trolley never leaves the station and most of the show's score is missing, too. Worth getting for the horror of it all.