WITH A SONG IN MY HEART
US, 1952, 117 minutes, Colour.
Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, Robert Wagner, Helen Wescott, Una Merkel.
Directed by Walter Lang.
With A Song In My Heart is a biography of singer Jane Froman. She came to fame in the radio era, managed in Cincinnati by Don Ross (played by David Wayne). She had a successful career prior to World War Two but was involved in a plane accident in Lisbon and lost the use of her legs. However, she made a physical comeback as well as a career comeback and entertained the troops during World War Two. A complication of romance is added with Rory Calhoun as an air pilot who falls in love with her.
Susan Hayward received an Oscar nomination for her performance, as did Thelma Ritter as best supporting actress. Robert Wagner appears in an early role as a GI who is being entertained.
Whether this is an accurate biography of Jane Froman is hard to know because it is really a memoir and a tribute to her. There is a great range of popular American songs in the soundtrack and Alfred Newman won an Oscar for best musical score.
The film was directed by Walter Lang who had made quite a number of popular musicals at 20th Century-Fox? in the 1940s and was to continue to do so during the 1950s with such films as There’s No Business Like Show Business as well as The King and I.
1. An attractive biography? Appeal and qualities?
2. The impact of Jane Froman, her popularity? The importance of this tribute? The show business atmosphere and show business paying tribute to itself through her?
3. Audience interest in biographies, the value of a life, human interest in personalities? The portrayal of a personality, career, relationships, successes and failures? How typical a biography, how successful?
4. The contribution of the colour and stylishness of the film? The old and well-known popular songs? The enhancing of popular appeal through the music?
5. The flashback technique and audience estimation of Jane and her courage? The contribution of the narratives of the various personages in the film? Narrative and personal comment, evaluation? Did this add to the quality of the biography?
6. Susan Hayward's skill in portraying a vivacious personality, her dubbing of Jane Froman's own voice? The initially eager Jane, her singing, her immediate success, the quality of her singing and entertainment, star quality? The visualising of the various shows, Hollywood lavish settings etc., and their impact? Jane as a very American show business personality? Cabarets and theatre? films?
7. The contrast with Don Ross? The portrayal of his initial act, his wisecracks, his hardness with his companion (the later meeting when both were drunk at the bar)? His exploiting the situation, genuine help for Jane, managing her, falling in love with her? The burden on him? Feeling sorry for himself and getting harder? Their fights and her attempts at reconciliation? His writing the song, her singing it and his bitterness? His standing by her in her illness? His forcing her to make a choice between himself and John? Not believing her choice? Was he right to walk out on her? How credible a loser character?
8. The impact of the crash Jane's war effort, the atmosphere of the flight and the humour, the singing, the suddenness of the crash, its effect, her illness, the mere chance of her living? The consequent highs and lows of
her recovery? The endurance and the courage? The help of Clancy? Clancy’s narrative explaining what happened?
9. John as a romantic hero, the awakening of love, sharing in the accident, her choice against him? His following up the end?
10. The portrayal of her rehabilitation, especially the sequence with the soldier in the cabaret? Emotional response? The impact of the war tour? Subsequent life and career?
