A Song Is Born (1948)
-
50% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(856 ratings)
A Song is Born is a musical remake of the 1941 comedy Ball of Fire, with the same producer (Sam Goldwyn) and director (Howard Hawks) at the helm. It will be recalled that the original film, co-scripted by Billy Wilder, was an amusing spin on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," wherein seven… More A Song is Born is a musical remake of the 1941 comedy Ball of Fire, with the same producer (Sam Goldwyn) and director (Howard Hawks) at the helm. It will be recalled that the original film, co-scripted by Billy Wilder, was an amusing spin on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," wherein seven pedantic professors, working on a dictionary of slang, "adopted" an authority on the subject, breezy burlesque dancer Sugarpuss O'Shea. In the remake, the septet of scholars are working on an encyclopedia of music, but they're held up on the subject of "swing." When nightclub singer Honey Swanson (Virginia Mayo), escaping from her gangster suitor Tony Crow (Steve Cochran), takes refuge in the professors' home, she offers to introduce them to the world of popular music. This proves to be quite a tuneful undertaking, since two of the professors are played by Danny Kaye and Benny Goodman! The tang and zest of original plotline has been muted to the point of harmlessness, but the film is saved by the presence of Goodman, his fellow bandleaders Charlie Barnet, Tommy Dorsey and Mel Powell, and specialty performers Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton and Buck & Bubbles. A Song is Born was Danny Kaye's final starring vehicle for Sam Goldwyn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Howard Hawks
- Written By
- Harry Tugend
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 19, 1948 Wide
- Studio
- RKO Radio Pictures
Critic Reviews
-
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
The whole picture, which is done in color (we don't know why), reflects the tedium resulting from the restriction of Mr. Kaye.
-
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
This comedy with jazz music is uneven, but it has rich production values and likable numbers.
-
Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
So-so musical based on the brillaint "Ball of Fire" -- see that one instead.
-
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Musical remake of Ball of Fire. Better than you'd think.
-
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
the original Ball of Fire is 10 times better.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Danny Kaye
as Prof. Robert Frisbee
-
Virginia Mayo
as Honey Swanson
-
Benny Goodman
as Prof. Magenbruch
-
Hugh Herbert
as Prof. Twingle
-
Steve Cochran
as Tony Crow
-
J. Edward Bromberg
as Dr. Elfini
-
Louis Armstrong
as Himself
-
Felix Bressart
as Prof. Gerkikoff
-
Ludwig Stossel
as Prof. Traumer
-
O.Z. Whitehead
as Prof. Oddly
-
Esther Dale
as Miss Bragg
-
Mary Field
as Miss Totten
-
Howland Chamberlain
as Mr. Setter
-
Paul Langton
as Joe
-
Sidney Blackmer
as Adams
-
Peter Virgo
as Louis
-
Tommy Dorsey
as Himself
-
Lionel Hampton
as Himself
-
Charlie Barnet
as Himself
-
Mel Powell
as Himself
- Page Cavanaugh Trio
- The Golden Gate Quartet
- Shirley Ballard
-
Louis Bellson
as Drums
- Buck and Bubbles
-
Lane Chandler
as Policeman at Inn
-
Ben Chasen
as Ben
-
Joseph Crehan
as District Attorney
-
Joe Devlin
as Gangster
-
Robert Dudley
as Justice of the Peace
-
Jack Gargan
as Stenotypist
- Karen X. Gaylord
- William Haade
-
Will Lee
as Waiter
- Russo and the Samba Kings
- Jeffrey Sayre
- Irene Vernon
-
Patricia Walker
as Photographer at Dorsey Club
-
Ben Welden
as Monte
- Barbara Hamilton
- Diana Mumby
- Muni Seroff
- John Impolito
- Marjorie Jackson
- Martha Montgomery
- Alice Wallace
- Donald Wilmot
-
Susan George
as Cigarette Girl
- Gene Morgan
- The Samba Kings
