We can't blame Warner Bros for trying to turn Liberace into a film star - he was one of the most famous people in the country in the mid 50s, enormously popular - and maybe he could have carried the right sort of movie (interesting challenge to set aspiring screenwriters - construct a successful Liberace vehicle) but although he tries, really tries, he's allowed to flounder here. Hopelessly miscast in a romantic melodrama, he's given way too much dialogue and a silly story. Sonja Henie was never given so much to say.
They throw in Liberace bits - opening with a concert where he plays "Chopsticks" for a kid in the audience, some banter with little old ladies at a nightclub, and plenty of piano playing - which works well enough (I liked the bit in the night club where the audience yell out "hey"). But when he's talking about wanting to play Carnegie Hall, or romancing Dorothy Malone.... I'm sorry. But no.
Like I say they tried - there's William Demarest doing crusty support act (he and Arthur O'Connell had this gig sewn up), Malone trying to act as though she's into him, glossy photography. And Liberace goes for it. And you know something? In some scenes he's not too bad - he can emote, and does the angsty stuff pretty well; he even pulled off a thinking about suicide scene. He's not good in romance but he's not a trainwreck as a dramatic actor. And the piano playing is excellent.
There is some terrible dialogue and dodgy script moments. The bones of the story are alright - pianist loses hearing, can lip read and sets about helping people with their problems. But its poorly executed - it takes too long for him to lose hearing, and far far too long for him to start helping people. And the people he helps aren't very sympathetic - a crippled boy who whines at God for not making him better, a woman whose daughter is embarrassed by her (Liberace gives her a make over... why should we care about this woman impressing her horrible daughter?) and girlfriend Dorothy Malone falling in love with a serviceman who doesn't come across much straighter than Liberace. The romance with Joanne Dru is poorly handled - basically thrown in at the end.
Could Liberace have carried a lead? Maybe say in a madcap comedy where he's a jewel thief, but not in something straight and serious. Still, this isn't that bad and Liberace isn't the worst thing about it.
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