By the Light of the Silvery Moon (film)

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By the Light of the Silvery Moon
By the Light of the Silvery Moon poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Butler
Written by Booth Tarkington (Penrod stories)
Screenplay by Irving Elinson
Robert O'Brien
Produced by William Jacobs
Starring Doris Day
Gordon MacRae
Cinematography Wilfred M. Cline (as Wilfrid M. Cline)
Edited by Irene Morra
Music by Gus Edwards (By the Light of the Silvery Moon)
Max Steiner (music adapted by)
Distributed by Warner Brothers
Release date
  • March 26, 1953 (1953-03-26)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,125,000 (US) [1]

By the Light of the Silvery Moon is a 1953 American musical film directed by David Butler and starring Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. [2] [3] As with the film's predecessor On Moonlight Bay , the film is based loosely on the Penrod stories by Booth Tarkington.

Contents

Plot

The Winfield family lives in small-town Indiana as daughter Marjorie's boyfriend William Sherman returns from military duty in World War I. Their unstable romance provides the backdrop for other family crises, caused mainly by son Wesley's wild imagination.

Cast

Music

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times , critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "Despite the obviousness of the humor and the conventionality of the small-town tone—achieved and directed by David Butler as though he were reading from a prop department catalogue—the singing of several old song hits by Miss Day and Mr. MacRae is agreeably melodious. (We won't mention the anachronism of the songs.) ... As usual, the two young people have that musical comedy sparkle and splash that is utterly artificial but consistent with the sort of work they do. On one point, however, we will quibble: that is, when someone says, "Would you care to go to the nickelodeon with me?" In 1919? Warner Brothers, for shame!" [4]

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References

  1. 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953', Variety, January 13, 1954
  2. Variety film review; March 25, 1953, page 6.
  3. Harrison's Reports film review; March 28, 1953, page 50.
  4. Crowther, Bosley (1953-03-27). "'By Light of the Silvery Moon,' Warners Family Musical, Opens at Music Hall". The New York Times . p. 28.