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My Blue Heaven
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| Year: |
1950
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Director: |
Henry Koster
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| Stars: |
Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, David Wayne, Jane Wyatt, Mitzi Gaynor, Una Merkel, Don Hicks, Louise Beavers, Laura Pierpont
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| Genre: |
Musical, Comedy, Drama |
| Rating: |
  7 (from 1 vote) |
| Review: |
Kitty Moran (Betty Grable) and her husband Jack (Dan Dailey) are radio stars expecting their first baby until a car crash causes a miscarriage. To make matters worse, Doctors tell Kitty she can never conceive another child. Bouncing back from this tragedy, the Morans move their act to television, working with their close friends, screenwriting couple Walter (David Wayne) and Janet Pringle (Jane Wyatt). While visiting the Pringles at their house in the country where they have a slew of boisterous, lovable kids, Kitty and Jack discover two of the children are adopted. Craving a child of their own, they decide to give adoption a try, but getting a baby proves far harder and emotionally draining than they had imagined.
My Blue Heaven marked the third time Betty Grable and Dan Dailey were paired together in a musical, preceded by Mother Wore Tights (1947) and When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) and swiftly followed by Call Me Mister (1951). Following the direction established by Mother Wore Tights, arguably Grable’s finest film, My Blue Heaven steered Grable a little further away from her pinup babe image towards a more wholesome, motherly persona although she does not ditch her sex appeal entirely. It opens with a teasing scene that finds Betty in a state of undress quizzed by an unseen male eventually revealed as her doctor. Fittingly for the post-war audience the film draws subtle parallels between the Morans’ struggle to start a family and the efforts of everyday folks readjusting to normal life after the turmoil of the past decade. The title song ably evokes a warm and wistful yearning for suburban stability, yet the path to happiness proves hard won.
Hitting some of the same themes as Mother Wore Tights, this scrutinises the prejudice sections of the establishment harbour against showbiz folk. In the most heartbreaking scene, a raucous party thrown by friends in Kitty and Jack’s honour proves all the excuse snooty adoption agency maven Mrs. Johnston (Laura Pierpoint) needs to remove their newly-adopted baby boy. Even after the Morans land a cute baby girl, they have to contend with a stern, dictatorial nursemaid before the child is kidnapped by its birth parents. If all this sounds hopelessly grim for a musical comedy, not to worry, the happy ending blesses the resilient Morans with an unexpected bounty. The plot is contrived and episodic but with a layer of human warmth that proves undeniably affecting, whilst the gags and musical numbers are lively and inventive, bathed in lush Technicolor pastels by cinematographer Arthur E. Arling. Musical supervisor Alfred Newman somehow ensures this is among the few musical comedies to feature songs about cosmetics, Halloween and tax deduction!
Grable and Dailey sparkle throughout their song-and-dance numbers and evoke considerable sympathy for their plight. And yes, true to form, Betty flashes those million dollar gams, not only in a saucy French maid’s outfit but throughout a mildly racy spoof of South Pacific, wherein Dailey performs a hilarious parody of Rossano Brazzi. Ironically, My Blue Heaven also marked the screen debut of a key cast member in the film adaptation of South Pacific and one of the most enduring musical stars: Mitzi Gaynor. Gaynor brings real zest to her role as the Moran’s ambitious TV co-star Gloria, particularly in the amusing spoof commercial for Cosmo Cosmetics. While Kitty stays at home looking after the baby, sexy Gloria performs on television alongside Jack and makes a play for his affections. Again, this adds a rather contrived element but the unexpectedly good-natured manner in which this is resolved proves refreshing and, like the film as a whole, amuses and delights.
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| Reviewer: |
Andrew Pragasam
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