29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired Musical Numbers Will Appeal to Musical Fans, April 9, 2002
Jerome Kern died while MGM's bio-pic TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY was still in the pre-production stage--and while Kern had been more than willing for MGM to tell all, his estate was considerably more reticent. In order to avoid any legal issues, MGM scrapped their original intentions, wrote up a fluffy script that bore little similarity to Kern's life, and crammed the film with every musical star available in a non-stop series of drop-dead-stunning production numbers. The result may be extremely bad biography, but leading man Robert Walker and co-star Van Heflin keep the sentimental story moving--and the musical numbers are piled on top of each other so quickly that one doesn't really question it. The film opens with a lengthy montage from SHOWBOAT, Kern's innovative masterpeice, that features knock-out performances from Lena Horne, Katheryn Grayson, and Virgina O'Brien and then quickly seques into a series of star-solos that feature June Allyson, Gower Champion, Cyd Charisse, Angela Lansbury, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra.
Along the way we are also treated to an extended cameo by Judy Garland, performing "Look For The Silver Lining" precisely as Marilyn Miller played it on stage and singing "Who?" to a staircase of chorus boys--which Garland was said to find most amusing, considering that she was pregnant at the time. Also notable is Lucille Bremer in the role of Robert Walker's stage-struck ward; although her star quickly faded, Bremer is an attractive performer and shows her talent for song and dance here by teaming with Van Johnson for a spirited version of "I Won't Dance." TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY will not appeal to most casual viewers, for the story line and script are much too weak. But musical fans will love this one all the way from Lansbury doing a Cockney "Spoon With Me" to Sinatra belting out "Old Man River." As a Jerome Kern song-and-dance fest, the movie can't be beat, and it should have a place in every musical fan's collection.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a star-studded musical "bio", November 14, 2004
Though only marginally a biography of Jerome Kern, and with a corn and syrup plot, anyone who likes traditional American musical theater will appreciate this film, which is a great showcase for Kern's wonderful songs.
Robert Walker as Kern, and Van Heflin as his arranger James Hessler are good, but this film is all about the music and the singers, especially Judy Garland. Lena Horne, and Frank Sinatra.
Directed by Richard Whorf, with Vincente Minelli directing the Judy Garland portions, and musical numbers staged by Robert Alton. Total running time is 132 minutes.
I own a cheap DVD edition (released by Vina) which is remarkably clear considering the price, though it has a slight "bootleg" quality to it.
Musical numbers include:
Excerpts from "Showboat", with Lena Horna exquisite singing "Can't Help Loving that Man of Mine". Others include Kathryn Grayson, Tony Martin and Caleb Peterson.
"Howja Like to Spoon Me" from the "London Gaieties" with Angela Lansbury.
"They'll Never Believe Me", Dinah Shore.
"Till the Clouds Roll By" from "Oh Boy" with Ray McDonald.
"Leave it to Jane" with June Allyson and Ray McDonald.
"Look for the Silver Lining" from "Sally" with Judy Garland. This may be the most interesting song of the film.
"Who" from "Sunny" with Judy Garland.
"I Won't Dance" with Lucille Bremer and Van Johnson.
"Smoke gets in Your Eyes" from "Roberta" with Cyd Charisse (a short but lovely dance).
"The Last Time I Saw Paris" with Dinah Shore.
"The Land Where Good Songs Go" with Lucille Bremer.
"Yesterdays" by the chorus (one of my favorite songs).
"Long Ago and Far Away" with Kathryn Grayson.
"A Fine Romance" with Virginia O'Brien.
"All the Things You Are" with Tony Martin.
"Why Was I Born ?" with Lena Horne.
"Old Man River" with a remarkable vocal performance by a very bushy-haired Frank Sinatra.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
MGM Stars In Their Glory, June 16, 2006
TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY has never been considered one of MGM's greatest musicals. The film is a somewhat syrupy biographical account of the life of Jerome Kern. In some ways this cannot be seen as a criticism. The film begins with the opening night of SHOWBOAT. After the performance Kern gets in a taxi and tells the driver his life story. Of course if he's telling the story it's going to be a nice account. And Robert Walker, who plays Kern, presents Kern as a likable guy and a hero we want to root for and hope will succeed.
More than likely MGM didn't release this film to tell the story of Jerome Kern. If anything, it was just an excuse to showcase it's stars and as viewers have discovered, it is a showcase of MGM's great talent. Musical numbers include Judy Garland as Marilyn Miller performing on of Garland's showpieces "Who?" The SHOWBOAT sequence at the beginning is probably one of the film's greatest moments and includes Kathryn Grayson as Magnolia, a role she'd reprise a few years later when MGM released a newer version of SHOWBOAT. It's interesting to note that the staging of SHOWBOAT in this film is less stereotypical than the later version released by MGM and has Lena Horne as Julie Laverne, a far more accurate casting (no offense to Ava Gardner). Dinah Shore and Angela Lansbury appear as well as do MGM favorites June Allyson, Virginia O'Brien, Gower Champion, Lucille Bremer and a young Cyd Charisse. It also has a finale that showcases the talents of many of the major players and includes an appearance by Frank Sinatra.
My guess is that most people who purchase this film will watch it in its entirety once or twice, but it will not sit on the shelf and get dusty. With remote in hand, people will put this film in the player and watch their favorite clips over and over again and will be entertained time and time again. Sat least that's what I've done and I'm sure will continue to do.
Enjoy!
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