Customer Reviews

With a Song in My Heart - The Jane Froman Story

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4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
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This movie has never been released in ANY format so this is a cause for celebration for this highly sought after flick. Many fine reviews have already preceded mine (considering it is not yet available) so I will not rehash the plot but give what I hope will be interesting insights into the making of this fine film.

Susan during her contract with FOX were her most visible superstardom years and it has always struck me a bit odd little has been released by the studio considering a quarter of their budget was wrapped up in her movies alone. She was the only star at Grauman's to place her hands, footprints and signature in cement embedded in gold dust. Hayward's famous long red tresses were insured for a million dollars and could only be trimmed a half inch. She was allowed to have it cut shoulder length since she bore some resemblence to Jane Froman. She spent hours in the recording booth watching Froman sing the songs used on the soundtrack, noting her every gesture and movement which explains why her lip syncing job is one of the best on celluloid. Her lavish wardrobe was not for glamor but character, as Froman was voted consistently one of the top 10 best dressed women of her time. Her elaborate dance routines took weeks of rehearsal and during one shot, her breast was flashed during a daily rush and and had to be reshot. A young Bob Wagner credits his success to Hayward for taking him under her wing. This was his first major film albeit a small part and he had to cry in one scene while Hayward was singing which he found difficult to execute. Hayward deliberately had the camers focused on the back of her head during the scene as she prompted him to tears. In the 70's he remarked on THE TONIGHT SHOW what a tremendous help she was to a young struggling actor. Susan was not one for making friends with her peers; however, the ascerbic Thelma Ritter as her nurse and companion became life-long friends. Ritter who was also nominated for an oscar should have won. She was overlooked by the Academy 6 times and never received an award of any type. Poor judgement indeed.

Susan made many top money making films for Fox and was always voted one of the top 10 most popular movies during her tenure with FOX yet few have been released and this is her only Oscar nod during her contract with the company. She was cast in big budget movies and given interesting scenes to appeal to her creative talents and despite the overblown budgets, she always managed to bring a close intimacy to the moviegoing public. The next year after SONG she was given her best and most overlooked role as the maligned Rachel Jackeson in THE PRESIDENT'S LADY co-starring a fairly junior Charleton Heston. He was one of her better male leads as their chemistry on screen crackled with electricity.

This grand scale musical was the biggest moneymaker in it's category for 1952 and she was voted the "Most Popular Female Star of 1952" and won a Golden Globe award. Here it is...and it's a long time coming. This one woman show leans towards sentimentality at times, but Hayward never allows it to become maudlin. Under her cabable hands she has managed to give one of the finest musical performances in film history.

This is a classic movie for everyone in the family to enjoy. Sit back and watch a real pro at work here. She is that rare combination of beauty and talent that is seldom found in Hollywood.

A one of a kind movie with a one of a kind actress--the great Susan Hayward. And it is tragic she died at the age of 56 just as she was returning to movies and having great success in important made for TV movies (at a time when this medium was usually silly fare).

ABOUT TIME!!!! More FOX, please!!!

"With a Song in My Heart" is one of those films that has never been released on VHS or DVD. It's about time 20th Century-Fox plans to release it to coordinate with what would have been Jane Froman's 100th birthday. The film features a superb performance by Susan Hayward as Froman, who lip synchs to Froman's actual singing flawlessly. The script is standard Hollywood biopic, but the music is absolutely terrific, from Rodgers & Hart's "Blue Moon" to an elaborate production number of the title song to a rousing medley of patriotic and state songs. A new biography of Froman, "Say It With Music: The Life & Legacy of Jane Froman," fills in the gaps the movie doesn't cover and traces Froman's life from her return to performing in the States to her TV show of the 1950's to her years of retirement in Columbia, Missouri. Other songs in the film include "I'm Thru With Love," "Embraceable You," "The Right Kind," "They're Either Too Young or Too Old," "On the Gay White Way," and "That Old Feeling."

I'm jumping the gun; this film won't be available for another three months, but I honestly felt "With A Song In My Heart" would never be released in any format, this November release being its first. My understanding was that there were so many obstacles created by the myriad of songs and composers used throughout the film that being able to one day own this film might be an impossibility. I saw this movie in l952 with my grandmother. I was nine years old. I don't know that I knew who Susan Hayward was at the time (though I loved movie magazines) and I certainly didn't know who Jane Froman was. Well, the movie has remained, all of these years later, one of my favorites; I've only been able to catch it on AMC, Turner, or HBO or Showtime from time to time. The film, all of these years later, remains fresh and affecting; Susan Hayward's performance is a classic, the music has become part of our American heritage, the costumes still stun, and this deeply affecting musical biography will only help to reignite interest in Miss Hayward and Miss Froman. I can't wait to order my copy!

Without a doubt, this is the best musical biography ever made! Susan Hayward worked closely with Jane Froman, studying her gestures, delivery, and style. The two became close friends in the course of the project. The result is a seamless lip-synching of songs by Hayward over the most perfect mezzo voice of Ms. Froman. (The voice is an instrument with perfect vibrato.)

Thelma Ritter was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress and delivers a tremendous performance as Nurse Clancey. She was a very special actress!

The combination of songs from a variety of composers is stellar. The dance production for "With a Song in My Heart" is gorgeous and simply soars! The strings are marvelous, and the male dance lead is brilliant.

I thought I was destined to enjoy this classic only on a grainy VHS recording made from a TV broadcast. Thank goodness for a restored DVD! I can hardly wait for my copy to arrive. Then I, too, will have a song in MY heart!

I first saw "With a Song in my Heart" when I was 12 years old. I was so enthralled by Jane Froman's voice and her story that I saw the movie 14 times. The movie was my first introduction to the beautiful old standards such as Blue Moon, Tea for Two, Embraceable You, and I'll Walk Alone. I have been a fan of Jane Froman's since 1952 and have only had the opportunity to see the movie on a video that I recorded from the TV set. I look forward to the release of the movie on DVD so that I can enjoy a professional version of this inspiring movie.

I watched "With a Song in My Heart" the other day and I wouldn't have bothered to write a review of it except that I was blown away by the USO-style musical finale. The movie itself was a standard Hollywood inspirational biography and, in this case, I hadn't even heard of the subject. However, I got to hear a lot of Jane Froman because it was her voice that we heard coming out of Susan Hayward's mouth. (Incidently, wasn't that an awesome lip-sincing display Miss Hayward put on!?!) Anyway the movie moved along with the help of David Wayne and a lot of very good songs (but not much else). However, the last major scene was of Miss Froman singing to GI's at a hospital (somewhere in Europe if I'm not mistaken). The resulting assortment of American-themed music and the style it which it was delivered stole the show. I watched it on Veteran's Day and, inasmuch as I didn't do much else to celebrate the day, I came away glad I watched "With a Song in My Heart".

Upon first seeing this movie as an early teenager, I knew there was something unique about Jane Froman's voice. Over the years, I've come to believe that her courage in dealing with incredible obstacles and pain is what I hear in that voice!
It was exciting to see this movie again on cable about 20 years ago and now after more that 50 years, we will be able to own it and watch it anytime. It is being released for what would have been Jane Froman's 100th birthday, which will be celebrated by her fans in Columbia, Missouri, November 9-11, 2007. For fans who want to know more details about Ms. Froman's life and how the story ended, Barbara Seuling's biography of Ms. Froman, "Say It With Music" will also be published this November.

Susan Hayward gives a superb performance as heroic singer Jane Froman( Froman 's sultry voice is used in the soundtrack),the score,Froman's voice and the songs are a delight sets,direction and costumes too,the technicolor photography ,if restaured, will pay full tribute to Susan Hayward's exquisite redheaded beauty,with her flamboyant auburns hair and her highly spiritual face.

More than Rita Hayworth,Clara Bow,Maureen o'Hara or even Lucille Ball, Susan Hayward should be regarded as THE hollywood redhead of her era cause she was both a great beauty and a magnificent actress who could also dance and sing (superbly as in "I'll cry tomorrow" ,1955) .




Hopefully 20 century Fox will release more titles on DVD starring Hayward ,in the very near future -she made 16 movies for Fox,most of them big hits - and she was one of the biggest box office stars of the fifties.

She totally deserves a DVD boxed set with 5 or 6 of her great movies for Fox....and I am not the only one to wonder what 20 Century Fox is waiting for to do that ,since they release boxed sets of less prestigious and popular stars than Susan Hayward!!!

If there's one star of the golden era who deservrs a BIG revival : it is Susan .

Finally the voice of the superb Jane Froman has been released on this wonderful home video! Truly the greatest American singer! And what a selection of songs in the most exciting musical arrangements that she ever recorded!
This movie depicts Jane Froman's life from the time of her early radio career up through 1945, the time of her USO tours, two years after her plane crash.
Jane Froman worked on the film set as technical advisor, and the result was that this probably was the most factual of the Hollywood biographies of that time period.
Susan Hayward, Thelma Ritter, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, Una Merkel are superb in their roles. Robert Wagner's first film appearance. Robert Easton has the comic role of a Kansas soldier who didn't know who Eisenhower was and who was one of a group of soldiers who go AWOL to follow Jane Froman throughout Europe. (Yes, this really happened.)
Buy this movie for the ultimate Froman and Hayward experience!

I first saw 'With a Song in My Heart' 33 years ago at the tender age of 14. For me, it was a life-changing experience. I discovered a voice which to me is the most beautiful and perfect voice in the history of popular music. The voice belonged to Jane Froman, whose story is told in the movie.The movie has it all: drama, humor, big production numbers and above all a great selection of songs sung superbly on the soundtrack by Jane Froman. It makes you laugh and shed a tear or two and the music sets your feet tapping. Susan Hayward gives a gutsy performance in the title role and Thelma Ritter almost steals the show.We Froman fans have waited a long time for this DVD. Thank you Fox. It was worth the wait. For those people who have never seen the movie, you are in for the time of your life. It will both move and entertain you and, like the song, it will stay in your heart.