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The Best Things in Life Are Free (1956)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
28 September 1956 (USA) moreTagline:
John O'Hara's flaming portrait of the jazz age... and the guys and gals who made it Zing!Plot:
Ray Henderson joins Buddy De Sylva and Lew Brown to form a successful 1920s musical show writing team... more | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. moreUser Comments:
Tin Pan Alley men moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Gordon MacRae | ... | B.G. 'Buddy' De Sylva |
 | Dan Dailey | ... | Ray Henderson |
 | Ernest Borgnine | ... | Lew Brown |
| Sheree North | ... | Kitty Kane |
| Tommy Noonan | ... | Carl Frisbee |
| Murvyn Vye | ... | Manny Costain |
| Phyllis Avery | ... | Maggie Henderson |
| Larry Keating | ... | Winfield Sheehan |
| Tony Galento | ... | Fingers |
| Norman Brooks | ... | Al Jolson |
| Jacques d'Amboise | ... | Specialty dancer |
| Roxanne Arlen | ... | Perky Nichols |
| Byron Palmer | ... | Hollywood star |
| Linda Brace | ... | Jeannie Henderson |
| Patty Lou Hudson | ... | Susie Henderson |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
104 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
4-Track StereoFun Stuff
Soundtrack:
Sonny Boy moreFAQ
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It's hard to believe Michael Curtiz directed this film. Mr. Curtiz, one of the most distinguished directors of the American cinema, doesn't bring anything new to this tired 20th Century Fox movie.
Maybe the three men at the center of the movie, the great song writing team of De Sylva, Brown and Henderson were too bland to merit a film that celebrated their lives. They made their mark in the theater in the early part of the 20th century, but as it plays on the screen, this musical feels dull and out of place. Some of the trio's best songs are heard in the movie. Songs like Birth of the Blues, which Gordon MacRae sings with panache. Also they wrote that sappy Al Jolson's standard, Sunny Boy, which is sung by the star in black face.
Perhaps the casting was the wrong choice for this movie. Gordon MacRae doesn't show any spark as Buddy DeSylva. Dan Dailey is also an enigma, the way he plays Ray Henderson. Ernest Borgnine is the only one that shows some life in his interpretation of Lew Brown. Sheree North is the good Kitty Kane, who played in most of the shows this trio wrote.