Today, the offspring of business tycoons or executives involved in ponzi schemes are often held as responsible for the crimes as their parents. But for the daughter of a confessed embezzler, Gloria Jean is removed from her private school when her father tries to make restitution for his partners crime, and is left penniless and vulnerable as a result. This drama with songs shows how she manages to rise above her situation and prove that she can make it past being a rich man's girl and a singing success on her own. She becomes a pawn between agent Millburn Stone and radio personality Kirby Grant, the one who discovered her. Edward Brophy provides the humor (probably the ugliest drag queen I've ever seen), Jacqueline de Wit the bitchy sophistication, and Samuel S. Hinds regret as her father who finds himself in real trouble with a violent twist concerning the partner's betrayal.
The lovely childhood singing star started off well enough, but being under contract at Universal studios was considered a "poor man's Deanna Durbin." Certainly, a few of her older films saw her not photographing with any real spark, and a string of B movies kept her outside the forefront of stardom. But there's a sudden spark alive here, and in spite of this being a B film, she shows that the awkwardness of those in between years has disappeared. She's turned out quite lovely, making me curious to see what she did in her remaining dozen films after this.
In earlier films, I found her teen voice to be somewhat shrill, but something has changed in this aspect as well. Perhaps, it's the film company she keeps, maybe not right for Fields, Crosby or O'Connor. It's a shame that there wasn't more detail put into the relationship between Jean and her father, or the struggles that she faced after her father's downfall, which would have been revealing of what happens in real families, and a drama that shows why the children should not be affected by the sins of the parent. The mixture of business scandal, some good music (including a dance number with some sailors) and sprinkles of comedy makes this a unique sleeper.
The lovely childhood singing star started off well enough, but being under contract at Universal studios was considered a "poor man's Deanna Durbin." Certainly, a few of her older films saw her not photographing with any real spark, and a string of B movies kept her outside the forefront of stardom. But there's a sudden spark alive here, and in spite of this being a B film, she shows that the awkwardness of those in between years has disappeared. She's turned out quite lovely, making me curious to see what she did in her remaining dozen films after this.
In earlier films, I found her teen voice to be somewhat shrill, but something has changed in this aspect as well. Perhaps, it's the film company she keeps, maybe not right for Fields, Crosby or O'Connor. It's a shame that there wasn't more detail put into the relationship between Jean and her father, or the struggles that she faced after her father's downfall, which would have been revealing of what happens in real families, and a drama that shows why the children should not be affected by the sins of the parent. The mixture of business scandal, some good music (including a dance number with some sailors) and sprinkles of comedy makes this a unique sleeper.