Everyone who was everyone in Hollywood (with the exception of David Niven) made an appearance in “Till the Clouds Roll By,” a look into the life of noted composer, Jerome Kern. Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, June Allyson, and Judy Garland are just a few of the names that grace this show’s playbill.
Jerome Kern (Robert Walker) was a young song writer with a dream – he wanted to look out over the city, behold people he’d never met, and know that they were singing his songs. His first go-round didn’t go over so well, and he was encouraged to seek the help of James Hessler (Van Heflin) a man known for his talent with arranging. Together they worked on Kern’s music and formed a friendship as well. When Hessler went to England to work on a symphony, Kern followed a short time later, and ended up meeting the love of his life, Eva. He doesn’t propose right away, and regrets it, traveling back later to collect her.
When Hessler’s headstrong daughter Sally gets her feelings hurt in show biz, she runs off, and Kern vows to find her. Hessler is, by now, very frail with age and illness, and his daughter’s disappearance is making his health worse. Kern’s finding of Sally and subsequent feelings of relief coincide with his discovery of the novel called “Show Boat.” He is asked to write the score for a play based on the book, and comes up with the music that will influence generations.
Kern was also responsible for a lot of other songs we’re well familiar with. “A Fine Romance,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and many others, including some that were introduced by Fred Astaire in his films, such as “Never Gonna Dance.”
This movie is heavy on musical numbers and very light on plot. While interesting, if you’re looking for a lot of story, you’re not going to get that from this film. What you will get is a long string of well-done musical numbers, including Frank Sinatra singing “Old Man River.”
An interesting side note: When the movie “Show Boat” was being filmed, Lena Horne auditioned for the part of Julie. They needed a mulatto actress, and Lena was. However, Hollywood at the time didn’t feel ready to give a mulatto a starring role in a film, and so unfairly, the role went to Eva Gardner. In “Till the Clouds Roll By,” though, Lena Horne was cast as Julie in the reprisal of “Show Boat.” This is rather odd, because the movie “Show Boat” was filmed in 1951, and “Till the Clouds Roll By” was filmed in 1946. You’d think that one would pave the way for the other, but I guess not.
This film was not rated.
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