A film that meant something at the time, when Jane Frohman was still well known, and Susan Hayward a box office star. It's like Bohemian Rhapsody and a bunch of other popular biopics - release them at the right time, when the audience still remember who they're about, pick the right lead and stuff the running time full of music, and you've got yourself a hit.
This was written and produced by Lamar Trotti who did a lot of biopics. The dialogue is risable - it always is in these films, full of fake conflict, inspirational speeches, platitudes, wonky exposition - but the structure is solid. It helps in that this has a solid middle bit - a plane crash which nearly crippled Frohman.
Hayward is fine. David Wayne always irritates me as her agent and husband who narrates the early part of the film. Rory Calhoun adds some virility to a relatively thankless part - the pilot of the plane who fell for Frohman. (Apparently in real life this guy did heroic stuff during the crash but we don't see any, presumably due to budget reasons).
Robert Wagner is effective in an early role - he's a soldier who Hayward sings to before he goes into battle, and then again after battle when Wagner is shell shocked. Wagner does good "being sung to" face - he did a similar thing in What Price Glory? and I'm surprised Fox didn't put him in more musicals to play "the guy". Maybe too young to co star against the studio's musical names like Betty Grable and what not.
There is a lot of dubbed singing. A lot. There's some awful soldiers from Texas who look like they're ready to rape/lynch someone during a concert until Hayward calms them down singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas".
Thelma Ritter livens up her scenes as a bossy nurse. I did like the way the film tackled a female lead falling out of love with her husband and going for someone else, and dealing with the difficulties of recovering from a major accident.
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