| I Surrender Dear | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Arthur Dreifuss |
| Produced by | Sam Katzman |
| Starring | Gloria Jean |
| Cinematography | Vincent Farrar |
| Edited by | Richard Fantl |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $140,000 |
I Surrender Dear is a 1948 American musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Gloria Jean. [1] It was the first of two films the singer made for producer Sam Katzman. [2]
Radio stations across America are signing big-name disc jockeys like Dave Garroway, Jack Eigen, and Peter Potter to entertain listeners with running chatter while playing the latest pop-music records. Los Angeles radio station KXIW has a problem: its own record spinner Russ Nelson plays sedate classical music. Meanwhile, Nelson's daughter Patty auditions for a job as a singer, under the alias "Patty Hart." She is hired by bandleader Al Tyler and goes on tour with the orchestra. The KXIW management signs Tyler as a disc jockey, replacing Nelson. Patty leaves Tyler abruptly and joins her father on the air as a vocalist. The "Patty and Russ" program catches on during Nelson's last days at the station, so much so that the sponsors want to forget Tyler and keep Patty and Russ. Tyler is angered by Patty's sudden defection and the station's change of heart, but Tyler's assistant Tommy Tompkins pulls some strings behind the scenes to iron out the difficulties. The Tyler orchestra goes on the air as scheduled, with Patty singing and Russ announcing.
I Surrender Dear was originally the title of what became Glamour Girl (1948). [3] The title was reused here. Producer Sam Katzman budgeted the film at $140,000.
The film turned out nicely, and no one was more surprised than the star, Gloria Jean: "The biggest audience reaction, more so than anything I can ever remember — laugh if you like — was I Surrender Dear... People were all enthusiastic, everybody went crazy. Then when they saw me, they cheered and applauded... They never had that reaction with my other movies. I Surrender Dear gave me a new lease on life." [4] Katzman reused the I Surrender Dear formula, repeating many of the script situations and some of the staging, for his very successful Columbia musical Rock Around the Clock (1956). [5]
I Surrender Dear was meant to be followed by a film called Sweetheart of the Blues, [6] which became Manhattan Angel . When producer Katzman's Superman became a blockbuster in 1948, Columbia insisted that Katzman should make more action pictures, so Columbia's Gloria Jean series stopped after only two films. Director Arthur Dreifuss and Gloria Jean continued the musical series for other studios. [7]
Margaret O'Rene Ryan was an American dancer and actress, best known for starring in a series of movie musicals at Universal Pictures with Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean.
Sam Katzman was an American film producer and director. Katzman's specialty was producing low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers.
Serpent of the Nile is a 1953 Technicolor historical adventure film produced by Sam Katzman and directed by William Castle. The film starred Rhonda Fleming, Raymond Burr, William Lundigan and Michael Ansara. In an early role, actress Julie Newmar appears as an exotic dancer clad only in gold paint. It also stars William Lundigan as Lucilius and Michael Fox as Octavius.
Gloria Jean was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances. She may be best remembered for her appearance with W. C. Fields in the film Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941).
"I Surrender Dear" is a song composed by Harry Barris with lyrics by Gordon Clifford, first performed by Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra with Bing Crosby in 1931, which became his first solo hit. This is the song that caught the attention of William Paley, president of CBS, who signed him for $600 a week in the fall of 1931.
Lorna Doone is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Barbara Hale and Richard Greene. It is an adaptation of the 1869 novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore, set in the English West Country during the 17th century.
Arthur Dreifuss was a German-born American film director, and occasional producer, screenwriter and choreographer.
The Lost Tribe (1949) is the second Jungle Jim film produced by Columbia Pictures. The film features Johnny Weissmuller in his second performance as the adventurer Jungle Jim, co-starring Myrna Dell and Elena Verdugo, along with Joseph Vitale and George J. Lewis as the film's antagonists. It was directed by William Berke and written by Don Martin and Arthur Hoerl.
The Prince of Thieves is a 1948 American adventure film nominally inspired by Alexandre Dumas' 1872 novel Le Prince des voleurs. Produced by Sam Katzman for Columbia Pictures and starring Jon Hall as Robin Hood with stuntwork by Jock Mahoney, the film was shot in the Cinecolor process that features an inability to reproduce the colour green. Sequences were shot reusing several of the sets of Columbia's The Bandit of Sherwood Forest and at Corriganville. Patricia Morison and Adele Jergens co-star.
A Yank in Indo-China is a 1952 American war film directed by Wallace Grissell and starring John Archer, Douglas Dick and Jean Willes. It was produced by Sam Katzman for distribution by Columbia Pictures. The film's sets were designed by the art director Paul Palmentola. It was one of the few American films to be set during the First Indochina War. It was inspired by the success of A Yank in Korea (1951), also by producer Sam Katzman.
Manhattan Angel is a 1949 American comedy musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Gloria Jean, Patricia Barry and Thurston Hall.
The Mutineers is a 1949 American adventure film directed by Jean Yarbrough starring Adele Jergens, George Reeves and Jon Hall. It was produced by Sam Katzman for release by Columbia Pictures. The film was also known under the alternative title Pirate Ship.
Sweet Genevieve is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Jean Porter, Jimmy Lydon and Lucien Littlefield. It was produced by Sam Katzman for distribution by Columbia Pictures.
Little Miss Broadway is a 1947 American musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Jean Porter, John Shelton and Ruth Donnelly. Dreifuss also co wrote the screenplay.
Betty Co-Ed is a 1946 American musical comedy film starring Jean Porter, directed by Arthur Dreifuss and produced by Sam Katzman.
The Teen Agers is a series of seven coming-of-age musical comedy-drama films made by Monogram Pictures from 1946 to 1948. A follow-up to the East Side Kids, the series stars Freddie Stewart and June Preisser.
"I Surrender Dear" is a 1931 jazz song.
Easy to Look At is a 1945 American comedy film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Henry Blankfort. The film stars Gloria Jean, Kirby Grant, J. Edward Bromberg, Eric Blore, George Dolenz, and Mildred Law. The film was released on August 10, 1945, by Universal Pictures.
There's a Girl in My Heart is a 1949 American musical comedy film directed by Arthur Dreifuss, starring Lee Bowman, Elyse Knox, and Gloria Jean. It was made by Allied Artists with many former contract stars from Universal.
An Old-Fashioned Girl is a 1949 American musical comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Gloria Jean.
