So why not watch the original?!
Annoying intro bit with bookish Kaye and the dopey song opening is VERY similar to "Ball of Fire"--and with subpoenaed boyfriend--awfully soon for a remake. strong focus on black musical acts of the day--including Louis Armstrong and Lionel Hampton is that Mayo singing? If so, nice voice liked the music but it did make the film meander a lot--which is bad, as the original film was about the same length WITHOUT the music very multi ethnic"Ball of Fire" is a fantastic classic film. In my review, I gave this one a 9--but nearly gave it a 10 because it was THAT good. The film is a very clever reworking of the Snow White story--set today and with gangsters!! It is an adorable film from start to finish. "A Song is Born" is a remake, and, like too many remakes during this era, it came out not all that long after the original. Now considering that the original was just about perfect and starred Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, what sane person thought this Danny Kaye remake was a good idea?! Sure, it's pleasant enough--but not nearly as good as the real thing.
Both films have plots that are just about identical. A gangster's moll (Virginia Mayo) is hiding out from the police because they are trying to make her testify against her scum-bag boyfriend (Steve Cochran). On a lark, she moves in with a group of professors. In the original, they were working on an encyclopedia--here they are music professors cataloging music. One of them, the youngest (Danny Kaye) eventually falls for this lady--which is a severe problem since her boyfriend is a nut! How does it all work out--see the film.
Because this film is less a comedy and more a musical, the film has guest appearances by some pretty amazing musical talent--such as Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman! It was also impressive because this was a very multiracial cast who interacted like old friends--something unheard of in 1948. The problem with this, however, is that because there is so much music, there is far less time with comedy--and the adorable old professors were far less adorable and lovable here. The only major plus of this ensemble cast of professors was Danny Kaye. While he was not nearly as good as Cooper, it was sure nice to see Kaye in a MUCH more understated and subtle role than usual. Overall, I'd give this one a 6 (which might be a bit generous--my wife thinks it only earns a 3). It is entertaining but is so unoriginal and unfunny that I say just watch the original and be done with it.
score 6/10
MartinHafer 25 January 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2742844/35522
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