I'll See You in My Dreams (1951 film)

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I'll See You in My Dreams
I'll See You in My Dreams (1951 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Written by Jack Rose
Melville Shavelson
Story by Louis F. Edelman
Grace Kahn
Produced byLouis F. Edelman
Starring Doris Day
Danny Thomas
Frank Lovejoy
Patrice Wymore
James Gleason
Cinematography Ted D. McCord
Edited by Owen Marks
Music by Ray Heindorf
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • December 6, 1951 (1951-12-06)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Budget$1,404,000 [1]
Box office$2.9 million (US rentals) [2] .

I'll See You in My Dreams is a 1951 musical film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Doris Day and Danny Thomas. It was Warner Brothers' second-highest-grossing film of 1951. Curtiz teamed with Thomas again the following year for a remake of The Jazz Singer . [3]

Contents

The film is a biography of lyricist Gus Kahn and includes a number of songs written by him, including the title song. The story, which avoids Kahn's Jewish origins, is told from the point of view of his wife Grace, who was alive when the film was produced. Kahn had died in 1941. He was a prolific songwriter who met Grace LeBoy in 1908. His career ascended to spectacular heights with popular money-making hits like "Pretty Baby", "My Buddy", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie" and "Makin' Whoopee". But he lost his savings in the 1929 stock-market crash. [4]

Plot

Insecure Gus Kahn wanders into the musical publishing house where Grace LeBoy is a talent judge of some influence. She challenges him to write a love song, but she doesn't expect him to deliver it to her home the same evening. Grace's parents take an instant liking to Kahn, even after his borrowed necktie trails into his soup bowl. Grace eventually quits her job to plug Kahn's songs on her own. Their first song, "I Wish I Had a Girl," is a hit. But after failed follow-ups, Grace turns publicity over to Fred Thompson.

From there, Kahn embarks on a series of successful collaborations with composer Egbert Van Alstyne. And when tenor John McCormack makes their song "Memories" a hit, the tongue-tied Kahn finally proposes to Grace. Later, when she is expecting their first child, her pregnancy inspires Kahn and Van Alstyne to rework the Tony Jackson tune, "Pretty Baby". Then, Grace sneak-auditions Kahn's songs for New York producer Sam Harris, gaining her husband entry into the world of Broadway. From there, it is one hit after another--the one bump being his partnership with composer Walter Donaldson, despite their best-selling numbers, including "Carolina in the Morning." But Donaldson is an incorrigible playboy, and Kahn finds it tough going to adjust to his off-and-on schedule. They eventually break up. Kahn subsequently suffers serious losses in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and goes through a long period of writer's block.

Grace gets him a Hollywood contract--but her proud husband considers this needless "charity" and decides to travel to California alone. His mental block continues, and he suffers a major heart attack. This brings Donaldson to his side with a promise to be a more reliable partner. Their re-teaming leads to renewed success. At a concluding testimonial dinner, Kahn finally says publicly what the film's audience has known all along--that Grace is the "brains" of the family and he couldn't have succeeded without her.

Cast

Music

A soundtrack album was released by Columbia Records. It contains songs sung by Day (including duets with Thomas) in the film.

The film has been cited by Berry Gordy as an inspiration for his start in songwriting. [5]

References

  1. ↑ Rode, Alan K. Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2017.
  2. ↑ 'Top Box-Office Hits of 1952', Variety, January 7, 1953
  3. ↑ "Articles". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ "I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) – Michael Curtiz | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
  5. ↑ George, Nelson. Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985.
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