With A Song In My Heart is among the best of all Hollywood musicals of the 20th Century. Jane Froman's voice and life live on the the memory of all who either were fortunate enough to have known her and shared many of her performances and those who saw the movie and will never forget it. Ms. Froman's haunting contralto takes the viewer and listener back to a time when people's hearts were moved and the lyrics were remembered and hummed and sung long after they saw the movie. The story line, while glamorized somewhat for the screen, sticks pretty much to Jane Froman's real life story and Susan Hayward does a magnificent portrayal of Jane Froman. Fortunately, all of us are fortunate to know that it was Jane Froman who did the singing. A joy for all times and for all people who love The Great American Song Book. Fortunately, through the efforts of a group of people who are sponsoring a Jane Froman centennial in November, 2007, 20th Century Fox will be releasing With A Song In My Heart on DVD. It is long overdue.
56 Reviews
Just one of Hollywood's golden musicals.
teburge20001 January 2007
I found this film both informative and entertaining. It is the story of the life and trials of Jane Froman. I'm surprised it has never been released on video. I was however under the impression that Jane Froman "dubbed" all of the vocals for the movie. Thanks to the previous comment stating Susan Hayward did her own singing. One interesting thing I heard (probably on a TV documentary or biography) was that this was the only movie of hers that Ms. Hayward allowed her children to see. No doubt that rule lasted only until they were "of age", if not, they missed some really great performances by this star. David Wayne, Rory Calhoun and Thelma Ritter also turned in sterling performances. Watch for a very early appearance by Robert Wagner.
For fans for Hayward, Ritter, or Froman.
eddax27 May 2009
Musicals aren't quite as impressive when one has the knowledge that the lead's singing has been dubbed, in this case Susan Hayward, by the singer she portrays, Jane Froman. Essentially though, that means Hayward may as well have received her Oscar nomination for excellent lip-syncing, since there isn't much to her character, a goody-two-shoes who suffered tragic injuries in a plane crash, and her supposedly remarkable imitation of Froman is lost in this day and age when not many people remember even Hayward, much less Froman.
Thankfully, Thelma Ritter comes to the rescue once again, and she also receives an Oscar nomination for bringing her trademark brand of tough love to the story as Hayward's nurse. It is somewhat to Hayward's detriment though, since her more dramatic scenes involve her recuperation but Ritter almost always outshines her (or at least, out-talks her).
Otherwise, this movie is pretty uninteresting, though it probably meant more to people back then who actually knew Jane Froman was or could appreciate a pretty standard overcoming-adversities story. Nice outfits though, and young Rory Calhoun was pretty hot.
You should probably only watch this if you're a fan of Hayward or Ritter (or the even rarer Jane Froman fan).
Thankfully, Thelma Ritter comes to the rescue once again, and she also receives an Oscar nomination for bringing her trademark brand of tough love to the story as Hayward's nurse. It is somewhat to Hayward's detriment though, since her more dramatic scenes involve her recuperation but Ritter almost always outshines her (or at least, out-talks her).
Otherwise, this movie is pretty uninteresting, though it probably meant more to people back then who actually knew Jane Froman was or could appreciate a pretty standard overcoming-adversities story. Nice outfits though, and young Rory Calhoun was pretty hot.
You should probably only watch this if you're a fan of Hayward or Ritter (or the even rarer Jane Froman fan).
A story that has inspired many
barseul2 October 2004
Susan Hayward portrays superbly the beautiful and courageous Jane Froman in this moving biographical story of the talented singer who suffered severe physical injuries when her plane crashed on a USO tour during World War II, yet who rose to the top again through her determination and faith. Her struggle greatly influenced the morale of the war wounded, as well as an entire generation of teenagers, myself included, when this movie first appeared in 1952. Today there is a resurgence of interest in the singer and her classically trained voice, considered one of the best of her time. This movie is an excellent record of Jane Froman's own voice, as it is her voice on the soundtrack, singing 26 songs representing the finest songwriters of the day.
Biography of Jane Froman
evanston_dad5 December 2019
A thin biography of singer Jane Froman is used as an excuse to string together a bunch of songs performed in their entirety by Susan Hayward lip syncing to Froman herself. The result is one of those Technicolor trifles from the 1950s that nevertheless is the first Susan Hayward movie I've seen that made me understand the appeal she had and has to so many people.
Movies like "With a Song in My Heart" have little to recommend them to modern-day audiences unless you happen to be a fan of the actress who stars in it or the person who the movie is about. But when viewed as representative of the culture the movie sprang from, films like this become fascinating examinations of gender dynamics. A film class comprised of Susan Hayward melodramas could be the springboard for all types of interesting conversations.
Jane Froman was a woman whose hugely successful career was nearly sidelined by an injury incurred when a passenger plane was shot down during WWII. That is an interesting story to tell. So does this movie tell that story? Sort of. We see her singing a lot, and we see her get shot down and recovering. But the film is mostly about which of two men she's going to pick, because this was the 1950s and God forbid we think a woman's life could be of interest in its own right without being told through the context of some man or other. There's about a 30 second monologue Hayward delivers at one point that suggests she's in danger of falling prey to bitterness and despair because of her medical condition, but Thelma Ritter, as Froman's nurse and sidekick, gives her a what for as only Ritter could do, tells her she's a spoiled brat, and that's the end of that. Everything after is peachy.
This movie is all about Hayward imitating Froman's performances, and that is when it's at its best. By the end, even the film has forgotten the two lunkheads fighting over her, as if it ran out of energy trying to, you know, give the actors dialogue and all, and just decides to spend the rest of its time giving us rousing musical numbers.
And those numbers actually are rousing. Hayward commands the screen and does a bang up job, and I found myself thinking, "Ok, THIS is why Susan Hayward was so popular."
"With a Song in My Heart" brought greedy composer Alfred Newman his fifth of nine career Oscars for its musical scoring. The film was also nominated for Best Actress (Hayward), Best Supporting Actress (Ritter), Best Costume Design, Color (for Charles LeMaire's endless parade of ruffled and frilled dresses), and Best Sound Recording.
Grade: B+
Movies like "With a Song in My Heart" have little to recommend them to modern-day audiences unless you happen to be a fan of the actress who stars in it or the person who the movie is about. But when viewed as representative of the culture the movie sprang from, films like this become fascinating examinations of gender dynamics. A film class comprised of Susan Hayward melodramas could be the springboard for all types of interesting conversations.
Jane Froman was a woman whose hugely successful career was nearly sidelined by an injury incurred when a passenger plane was shot down during WWII. That is an interesting story to tell. So does this movie tell that story? Sort of. We see her singing a lot, and we see her get shot down and recovering. But the film is mostly about which of two men she's going to pick, because this was the 1950s and God forbid we think a woman's life could be of interest in its own right without being told through the context of some man or other. There's about a 30 second monologue Hayward delivers at one point that suggests she's in danger of falling prey to bitterness and despair because of her medical condition, but Thelma Ritter, as Froman's nurse and sidekick, gives her a what for as only Ritter could do, tells her she's a spoiled brat, and that's the end of that. Everything after is peachy.
This movie is all about Hayward imitating Froman's performances, and that is when it's at its best. By the end, even the film has forgotten the two lunkheads fighting over her, as if it ran out of energy trying to, you know, give the actors dialogue and all, and just decides to spend the rest of its time giving us rousing musical numbers.
And those numbers actually are rousing. Hayward commands the screen and does a bang up job, and I found myself thinking, "Ok, THIS is why Susan Hayward was so popular."
"With a Song in My Heart" brought greedy composer Alfred Newman his fifth of nine career Oscars for its musical scoring. The film was also nominated for Best Actress (Hayward), Best Supporting Actress (Ritter), Best Costume Design, Color (for Charles LeMaire's endless parade of ruffled and frilled dresses), and Best Sound Recording.
Grade: B+
One of the best musical biographies ever filmed
pulliamrl9 February 2005
In 1952, 20th Century-Fox produced a Technicolor extravaganza devoted to the singing career of the legendary Jane Froman.
Today, most folks don't know who she was, but this film -- strangely missing from the Fox classics series -- not only shows us the kind of woman she was but treats us to one of the most amazing catalogs of music ever put on screen.
Music director Alfred Newman, with associate Ken Darby, worked with Jane Froman and Susan Hayward, who portrayed/lip synced to Froman's voice. Newman won a much-deserved Oscar for this work (beating out "Singin' in the Rain").
It's a cornucopia of 1940s popular music and is performed by one of the most amazing voices I've heard.
The film is beautifully written, tautly directed and acted to perfection. When I first saw this film in the early 60s on NBC's "Saturday Night at the Movies," Susan Hayward instantly became my favorite actress of all time. She is extraordinary as Froman, and in many ways resembled her. Hayward and Froman spent much time together, with Hayward studying Froman's movements, gestures, singing style and modeled her performance accordingly. It was an Oscar-nominated performance that was well-deserved. Thelma Ritter is at the top of her game as the nurse, Clancy, who nurses the seriously injured Froman during a near-fatal airplane crash in Spain and remained her companion/nurse the rest of her career. Ritter was a master of the wise-cracking New Yorker, who could have you cackling one minute and break your heart the next. She had me on my first viewing of "All About Eve", but this one cemented her forever at the top of my best-loved character actress pantheon.
David Wayne gives a solid performance as Froman's manager and husband. It was a marriage made of respect/mutual interest and it's portrayed that way. The romantic angle comes in the form of Rory Calhoun's character, based on the man Froman eventually married.
The Jane Froman story deserves to be remembered, and Froman deserves to be heard again and again. Come on Fox, give this film a DVD release real soon.
Today, most folks don't know who she was, but this film -- strangely missing from the Fox classics series -- not only shows us the kind of woman she was but treats us to one of the most amazing catalogs of music ever put on screen.
Music director Alfred Newman, with associate Ken Darby, worked with Jane Froman and Susan Hayward, who portrayed/lip synced to Froman's voice. Newman won a much-deserved Oscar for this work (beating out "Singin' in the Rain").
It's a cornucopia of 1940s popular music and is performed by one of the most amazing voices I've heard.
The film is beautifully written, tautly directed and acted to perfection. When I first saw this film in the early 60s on NBC's "Saturday Night at the Movies," Susan Hayward instantly became my favorite actress of all time. She is extraordinary as Froman, and in many ways resembled her. Hayward and Froman spent much time together, with Hayward studying Froman's movements, gestures, singing style and modeled her performance accordingly. It was an Oscar-nominated performance that was well-deserved. Thelma Ritter is at the top of her game as the nurse, Clancy, who nurses the seriously injured Froman during a near-fatal airplane crash in Spain and remained her companion/nurse the rest of her career. Ritter was a master of the wise-cracking New Yorker, who could have you cackling one minute and break your heart the next. She had me on my first viewing of "All About Eve", but this one cemented her forever at the top of my best-loved character actress pantheon.
David Wayne gives a solid performance as Froman's manager and husband. It was a marriage made of respect/mutual interest and it's portrayed that way. The romantic angle comes in the form of Rory Calhoun's character, based on the man Froman eventually married.
The Jane Froman story deserves to be remembered, and Froman deserves to be heard again and again. Come on Fox, give this film a DVD release real soon.
Heartwarming and awe-inspiring
silv61329 April 2004
As a fan and friend of the late Jane Froman, I found the film to be as close to Ms. Froman's life as possible. Susan Hayward learned Ms. Froman's poise and mannerisms directly from her and did an amazing job both in acting and lipsinking Ms. Froman's songs. Jane Froman's talent and courage inspired many persons all over the world and her legacy of music lives on through the movie "With A Song In My Heart" and through her music which is now surfacing to a new generation. Through her generosity and giving spirit, talented music students were able to continue their studies with scholarships, and emotionally challenged children benefited from the funds raised by Jane Froman's fan club. I don't understand why the movie "With A Song In My Heart" has not been released on VHS or DVD, but I think the movie should at least be shown more often on PBS (not everyone can afford cable). The movie lifts many a heavy heart and is first class entertainment.
More musical than biography.
bombersflyup27 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
With a Song in My Heart is a biographical musical, which didn't contain enough plot or drama.
Of what it did contain beyond the musicals, I liked, just never really went anywhere. It would of been nice to see Jane's experience with the troops outside of performing, just day to day. Both romances are just brushed over and contain little substance, we never see Jane having a good time with either of these guys. The troops reactions to her singing's too ridiculous, stupid grins on faces and singing along, other than the initial song at the club with the paratrooper, which I liked. Susan Hayward was good, I just wanted more than songs.
Of what it did contain beyond the musicals, I liked, just never really went anywhere. It would of been nice to see Jane's experience with the troops outside of performing, just day to day. Both romances are just brushed over and contain little substance, we never see Jane having a good time with either of these guys. The troops reactions to her singing's too ridiculous, stupid grins on faces and singing along, other than the initial song at the club with the paratrooper, which I liked. Susan Hayward was good, I just wanted more than songs.
Musical biography of a great singer
babuon3 October 2004
If for no other reason than the extraordinary soundtrack, 20th Century Fox should have already released "With A Song in My Heart" on DVD/VHS. With music written by such diverse composers as Rodgers & Hart; Sammy Fain; Harold Arlen, Peggy Lee, Vincent Youmans, George & Ira Gershwin; Arthur Schwartz Frank Loesser; Jule Stein & Sammy Cahn,and a medley of classic "Americana" songs, it is a musical delight. The vocals, performed by Susan Hayward, but dubbed by Jane Froman, are flawless.
Susan Hayward does a superb job as do David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, and a marvelous supporting cast, including Robert Wagner, Max Showalter and Una Merkle. Only Rory Calhoun seems wooden. It is a story of grit and determination that deserves an audience 50 years later.
Susan Hayward does a superb job as do David Wayne, Thelma Ritter, and a marvelous supporting cast, including Robert Wagner, Max Showalter and Una Merkle. Only Rory Calhoun seems wooden. It is a story of grit and determination that deserves an audience 50 years later.
Sentimental junk
rhoda-910 February 2020
When this opened, the NY Times critic called it "mawkish." Add "phony" and "trite," and you have all the adjectives you need to describe this MGM schmaltz-fest. To go by this movie you'd think that Jane Froman (a nice singer, but nothing special) was a combination of Maria Callas and Saint Teresa. (The Catholic angle is pushed hard, with Una Merkel playing an excruciatingly twinkly nun and a miraculous/magical cross pendant for Hayward to wear.)
Thank goodness for Thelma Ritter, here as so often the best thing in the movie. But otherwise it's all pastel-colored, chiffon-draped cliche: When Froman loses heart after many operations with no end in sight, Ritter delivers a brutal tongue-lashing on the evils of self-pity, then rushes from the room and bursts into tears. And much of it is lies. The supposedly great triumph that Froman scores on Broadway was in a show that actually lasted all of 27 performances. Froman is shown clinging to her lemon of a husband because the church says marriage is forever; in real life, she sensibly dumped him. The soldiers to whom Froman sings are all wholesome boys who burst into hearty laughter whenever she makes a very, very mild pleasantry, and who grovel before her, saying how much "us guys" appreciate her. Froman's vocalizing (and perhaps also the cross in her ample decolletage) dramatically bring forth the first signs of life shown by a shell-shocked soldier, coincidentally the handsomest one in the troop (a very young Robert Wagner).
When Froman wins the award of Most Courageous Entertainer of the Year, one can't help thinking it should really go to the producer and director of this slick movie, which so shamelessly, and dishonestly, bludgeons us into pitying and adoring its star.
Thank goodness for Thelma Ritter, here as so often the best thing in the movie. But otherwise it's all pastel-colored, chiffon-draped cliche: When Froman loses heart after many operations with no end in sight, Ritter delivers a brutal tongue-lashing on the evils of self-pity, then rushes from the room and bursts into tears. And much of it is lies. The supposedly great triumph that Froman scores on Broadway was in a show that actually lasted all of 27 performances. Froman is shown clinging to her lemon of a husband because the church says marriage is forever; in real life, she sensibly dumped him. The soldiers to whom Froman sings are all wholesome boys who burst into hearty laughter whenever she makes a very, very mild pleasantry, and who grovel before her, saying how much "us guys" appreciate her. Froman's vocalizing (and perhaps also the cross in her ample decolletage) dramatically bring forth the first signs of life shown by a shell-shocked soldier, coincidentally the handsomest one in the troop (a very young Robert Wagner).
When Froman wins the award of Most Courageous Entertainer of the Year, one can't help thinking it should really go to the producer and director of this slick movie, which so shamelessly, and dishonestly, bludgeons us into pitying and adoring its star.
Excellent Musical drama
nytesky18 December 2000
This is a real "Old Hollywood" musical bio pic. Some of the facts may have been altered to suit the plot but the basic truth of Jane Froman's life is there. Great songs, emotion, drama, tears, laughter and romance all in glorious colour. Susan Hayward is at her dramatic best in this feature, engaging, heartwarming and tough. Thelma Ritter is, as always, excellent as a no nonsense nurse, and Robert Wagner, early in his career, has a small, but poignant role. Over the top and totally enjoyable movie experience.
A Song for All Our Hearts
edwagreen7 January 2006
This rousing tribute to singer Jane Froman succeeds at every level and why not?
With a brilliant cast led by the great Susan Hayward, how can anything else be true?
Though Froman did the singing, Hayward's dubbing and movements of Froman were outstanding. She merited a well earned Oscar nomination for best actress in 1952.
The film begins with Froman, a co-ed from Missouri U, auditioning for radio. By accident, she meets a fellow-want-to-be in showbusiness, Don Ross, wonderfully played by David Wayne, a very under-rated actor for his time. Wayne is highly believable helping Froman to the top, loving her and then after marriage, turning on her as his career wanes.
A sinking marriage is temporarily quieted by a tragic plane crash which occurs at the height of Froman's career in 1943. Only 15 of the 39 passengers aboard survived. The crash and hospitalization allowed Froman to meet and fall in love with pilot, John Byrne, competently acted by Rory Calhoun, a cowboy favorite.
Thelma Ritter is outstanding as the wisecracking nurse Clancy. Nominated for best supporting actress, Ritter certainly should have won for her ability to go from wise-cracking to a no-nonsense nurse, who tells a complaining hospitalized Froman that she stayed with her because she had guts.
The musical numbers are fantastic. Hayward, in the rendition of Get Happy, with that gorgeous red dress, is phenomenal. The Blue Moon sequence is terrific and the dancing sequence, while singing the title song, will forever be memorable to all.
The end of the film is a salute to our fighting men and nation. Our states are saluted in this grand film!
With a brilliant cast led by the great Susan Hayward, how can anything else be true?
Though Froman did the singing, Hayward's dubbing and movements of Froman were outstanding. She merited a well earned Oscar nomination for best actress in 1952.
The film begins with Froman, a co-ed from Missouri U, auditioning for radio. By accident, she meets a fellow-want-to-be in showbusiness, Don Ross, wonderfully played by David Wayne, a very under-rated actor for his time. Wayne is highly believable helping Froman to the top, loving her and then after marriage, turning on her as his career wanes.
A sinking marriage is temporarily quieted by a tragic plane crash which occurs at the height of Froman's career in 1943. Only 15 of the 39 passengers aboard survived. The crash and hospitalization allowed Froman to meet and fall in love with pilot, John Byrne, competently acted by Rory Calhoun, a cowboy favorite.
Thelma Ritter is outstanding as the wisecracking nurse Clancy. Nominated for best supporting actress, Ritter certainly should have won for her ability to go from wise-cracking to a no-nonsense nurse, who tells a complaining hospitalized Froman that she stayed with her because she had guts.
The musical numbers are fantastic. Hayward, in the rendition of Get Happy, with that gorgeous red dress, is phenomenal. The Blue Moon sequence is terrific and the dancing sequence, while singing the title song, will forever be memorable to all.
The end of the film is a salute to our fighting men and nation. Our states are saluted in this grand film!
A great memory from my younger days.
magneta29 June 2000
Saw this movie at the age of 16 and fell immediately in love with Susan Hayward. The plot seems a bit contrived now, although it is fairly faithful to Froman's physical problem and her contributions in entertaining the troops in WWII. The music is wonderful! "Get Happy" is still one of my favorite movie production numbers. By the way, it is not Hayward doing the singing, but Jane Froman herself whose voice was dubbed into the soundtrack.
I was kind of disappointed - don't @ me
petrelet3 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A lot of reviewers have loved this movie, and a lot of award-givers back in the 1950's loved it too, particularly the performances by Susan Hayward and Thelma Ritter. I don't have any beef with Hayward and Ritter, or with Froman's dubbed-over singing in all those show tunes (I'm no music pro but it seemed seamless to me), but to me it seemed kind of unfocused, overstuffed with tunes, and a bit dubious as a biopic.
This movie is trying to do four dramatic things on top of being a showcase for the songs that went into the record album that came out of the movie. (To be fair it was a very successful album, apparently.) I didn't time it, but I'll bet that this two-hour movie is about 50% musical performances by Hayward/Froman. Just to make an important distinction, this movie is not a "musical" like, say, "Singing in the Rain", in which the songs are written for the production and advance the plot. It's more like a musical revue, in which you are paying to watch an onstage performance by a singer and accompanists.
That leaves the movie about an hour to try to do four dramatic things, and I don't think it really can:
(a) It's a patriotic movie about supporting the troops, which was made in 1952, that is, in wartime. The first minute of the opening titles make it clear that the producers were very clear about this, as you see that every title card is "sponsored" by the logo or "seal" of one or another U. S. military service or subservice or NATO power.
(b) It's supposed to be a biopic, but there's not enough time left to do it right, and it's very much an "authorized" biopic in which the subject not only had input but was intimately involved in the production. But then it's not presented as Froman's own account, but as a story about Froman's great courage narrated by her ex-husband (Ross, divorced 1948), her current husband (Burn, married 1948), and the Thelma Ritter character (Clancy, ??), who has most of the best lines but, was she based on anyone real? Who is paying her to be Froman's personal nurse/aide during the second half of the film? Was that real? I have no idea.
There are a bunch of glitches in the timeline too if you look at it from the point of view of accuracy, like for example Ross trying to talk Froman into marrying him because "weddings are popular what with the war fever", but in fact Ross and Froman were married in 1933. A lot of Froman's life has to just be compressed in order to get from her apprentice days in the late 1920's up to the plane crash in 1943 in a hurry.
(c) It's supposed to be a dramatic story about the triangle between Froman, Ross, and Burn, but it doesn't have enough time to really develop the relationships, particularly the one with Burn. He just shows up as a guy as handsome as Rory Calhoun who is like "I love you" and she is like "sorry, I can't, I'm married" and he is like "I still love you and will chase you everywhere". Froman doesn't seem to have a lot of agency here as Ross and Burn are having summit meetings about who gets her. Also, the screenplay would like to resolve the RossBurn issue as soon as the 1945 USO tour ends, but here too life seems to have been different. This is a case where you watch the biopic and then you are frustrated and want to go and find a biography to find out the real story. (Well, speaking for myself, anyway.)
(d) Finally, it wants to be an inspirational story about Froman's courage in recovering from her injuries and singing to the troops in Europe in 1945. But we don't really see a lot of the courageous parts. We see her being moved around on hospital carts and we see doctors and we hear that her leg might get amputated, but we don't see long periods of rehabilition or pain or the actual work of dealing with disabilities. And then she has a moment of despair, and Thelma Ritter yells at her and shames her out of it, which we are given to understand is the best thing to do because god forbid a person with disability or chronic pain should feel down at all. Anyway the emphasis on "getting back to being a normal woman again" (that is, walking, on two original-equipment legs) may strike a discordant note for people who are in, or listening to, the disabled community these days.
Actually I would like to see a good honest biopic, or miniseries, about Froman's life presenting a detailed picture of her relationships and her experiences with trauma and disability and her career and service. This isn't it, in my opinion. Sorry for having impossible standards, I guess ...
This movie is trying to do four dramatic things on top of being a showcase for the songs that went into the record album that came out of the movie. (To be fair it was a very successful album, apparently.) I didn't time it, but I'll bet that this two-hour movie is about 50% musical performances by Hayward/Froman. Just to make an important distinction, this movie is not a "musical" like, say, "Singing in the Rain", in which the songs are written for the production and advance the plot. It's more like a musical revue, in which you are paying to watch an onstage performance by a singer and accompanists.
That leaves the movie about an hour to try to do four dramatic things, and I don't think it really can:
(a) It's a patriotic movie about supporting the troops, which was made in 1952, that is, in wartime. The first minute of the opening titles make it clear that the producers were very clear about this, as you see that every title card is "sponsored" by the logo or "seal" of one or another U. S. military service or subservice or NATO power.
(b) It's supposed to be a biopic, but there's not enough time left to do it right, and it's very much an "authorized" biopic in which the subject not only had input but was intimately involved in the production. But then it's not presented as Froman's own account, but as a story about Froman's great courage narrated by her ex-husband (Ross, divorced 1948), her current husband (Burn, married 1948), and the Thelma Ritter character (Clancy, ??), who has most of the best lines but, was she based on anyone real? Who is paying her to be Froman's personal nurse/aide during the second half of the film? Was that real? I have no idea.
There are a bunch of glitches in the timeline too if you look at it from the point of view of accuracy, like for example Ross trying to talk Froman into marrying him because "weddings are popular what with the war fever", but in fact Ross and Froman were married in 1933. A lot of Froman's life has to just be compressed in order to get from her apprentice days in the late 1920's up to the plane crash in 1943 in a hurry.
(c) It's supposed to be a dramatic story about the triangle between Froman, Ross, and Burn, but it doesn't have enough time to really develop the relationships, particularly the one with Burn. He just shows up as a guy as handsome as Rory Calhoun who is like "I love you" and she is like "sorry, I can't, I'm married" and he is like "I still love you and will chase you everywhere". Froman doesn't seem to have a lot of agency here as Ross and Burn are having summit meetings about who gets her. Also, the screenplay would like to resolve the RossBurn issue as soon as the 1945 USO tour ends, but here too life seems to have been different. This is a case where you watch the biopic and then you are frustrated and want to go and find a biography to find out the real story. (Well, speaking for myself, anyway.)
(d) Finally, it wants to be an inspirational story about Froman's courage in recovering from her injuries and singing to the troops in Europe in 1945. But we don't really see a lot of the courageous parts. We see her being moved around on hospital carts and we see doctors and we hear that her leg might get amputated, but we don't see long periods of rehabilition or pain or the actual work of dealing with disabilities. And then she has a moment of despair, and Thelma Ritter yells at her and shames her out of it, which we are given to understand is the best thing to do because god forbid a person with disability or chronic pain should feel down at all. Anyway the emphasis on "getting back to being a normal woman again" (that is, walking, on two original-equipment legs) may strike a discordant note for people who are in, or listening to, the disabled community these days.
Actually I would like to see a good honest biopic, or miniseries, about Froman's life presenting a detailed picture of her relationships and her experiences with trauma and disability and her career and service. This isn't it, in my opinion. Sorry for having impossible standards, I guess ...
Very Entertaining Musical Biography !
olddiscs13 January 2002
Susan Hayward was at her best in this very sympathetic role portraying singer Jane Froman.... She looked beautiful throughout the entire production, even during the plane crash sequence....N o one lip synched better than Hayward !(also synched in Ill Cry Tomorrow, although might have done some of her vocalizing there.)...beautiful heartwarming story, how accurate,? will never know, it was an entertainment... and it entertained... The soundtrack/score is exceptional, especially the Americana medley...Thelma Ritter once again is a scene stealer... beautiful blue eyed Rory Calhoun, plays and looks his part well, and Robert Wagner was also a standout, in a minor, but moving role.. Why is this no longer available on Video?? It hasnt been for over 20 years... Thanks to AMC, Ive seen it again afew times. and luckily I do have the soundtrack lp on Vinyl....Hayward fans incl. myself should demand this film to be re-issued on Video & DVD !!!!
Stirring tribute is overly sentimental at times but Froman sounds great...
Doylenf25 September 2006
I don't know how many liberties were taken with JANE FROMAN's real life story, but I'm sure the screenplay took the usual amount in fictionalizing the events surrounding Froman's tragic plane accident where she survived but remained paralyzed for the rest of her life.
And some of the fiction is the usual stuff that makes up movie bios. For example, THELMA RITTER's character of the nurse was invented for the film, so I'm told. And the relationship of Froman to her husband and then the pilot who was instrumental in rescuing her, these are facts which are probably not quite as simplistic as pictured in the film.
But still, I enjoyed it for the music, or to be more specific, the songs sung by Jane Froman in that rich contralto voice that emanates so convincingly from SUSAN HAYWARD. Hayward is lovely and appealing as the singer, though I tend to agree with Bosley Crowther in The N.Y. Times who said that she sings the numbers "as though she knows she's singing them for posterity". Hayward never did anything halfway. Nothing subtle about her performance, but she's good.
With musicals of this sort considered old-fashioned today, there aren't too many around who even know who Jane Froman is (or was), which is why I suppose they haven't yet released this to DVD, but they should.
The supporting cast is a good one, with RORY CALHOUN and David WAYNE, as well as the always sharp-tongued THELMA RITTER, doing fine jobs.
Trivia note: I did enjoy the very mawkish, sentimental scene with soldier ROBERT WAGNER being re-united with Hayward. It worked, despite seeming like a scripted contrivance.
And some of the fiction is the usual stuff that makes up movie bios. For example, THELMA RITTER's character of the nurse was invented for the film, so I'm told. And the relationship of Froman to her husband and then the pilot who was instrumental in rescuing her, these are facts which are probably not quite as simplistic as pictured in the film.
But still, I enjoyed it for the music, or to be more specific, the songs sung by Jane Froman in that rich contralto voice that emanates so convincingly from SUSAN HAYWARD. Hayward is lovely and appealing as the singer, though I tend to agree with Bosley Crowther in The N.Y. Times who said that she sings the numbers "as though she knows she's singing them for posterity". Hayward never did anything halfway. Nothing subtle about her performance, but she's good.
With musicals of this sort considered old-fashioned today, there aren't too many around who even know who Jane Froman is (or was), which is why I suppose they haven't yet released this to DVD, but they should.
The supporting cast is a good one, with RORY CALHOUN and David WAYNE, as well as the always sharp-tongued THELMA RITTER, doing fine jobs.
Trivia note: I did enjoy the very mawkish, sentimental scene with soldier ROBERT WAGNER being re-united with Hayward. It worked, despite seeming like a scripted contrivance.
Wonderful movie. I absolutely loved it.
Needhamb62 January 2005
I was only 2 years old when this movie was made, but thank goodness for cable I saw it. It was one of the most wonderful movies I've ever seen. Susan Hayward becomes Jane Froman. Jane Froman's life is a true inspiration to me. A lot of people would not have fought through what she did to walk. The music is music I grew up with at my grandparents. Embraceable You is one of my all time favorites. This is a feel good movie. The scene between Jane and the shell-shocked soldier, played by Robert Wagner, is incredible. You will marvel how Jane remembers this soldier from before the War, and re-connects with him. This movie might make you teary eyed, but it is wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"At The Sound Of Your Voice, Heaven Opens Its Portals To Me".
bkoganbing30 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Susan Hayward received her third Best Actress nomination for With A Song In My Heart, the musical biography of Jane Froman one of the best singers around in that era. In truth she should have shared that nomination with the voice of Jane for whom Hayward lip synchs the vocals. Together they're combination that can't be beat.
The film is done with the technique of three of the people closest in her life reminiscing in thought Jane's story. Two of the three are her husbands, David Wayne and Rory Calhoun and the third is nurse Thelma Ritter who met her at the moment of her greatest crisis and kind of attached herself to Froman. Thelma Ritter got one of her nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Froman was a kid fresh from Missouri when at an audition at a radio station she meets David Wayne as Don Ross who is also a performer. But when he meets and marries Froman his career takes a distinct backseat to her's. That's the cause of a lot of friction which was building up until Pearl Harbor when everyone's problems get put on hold.
While going to entertain troops via neutral Portugal, Froman's plane crashes in the Tagus River in Lisbon's harbor. Fifteen people out of thirty nine survive the crash including pilot Rory Calhoun who personally rescues her. With multiple injuries, it's a long road to recovery and those multiple injuries require multiple surgeries. That's where nurse Thelma Ritter comes in who uses every kind of psychological gambit to keep Froman going.
The musical numbers are from a variety of sources and not all of them copyrighted by 20th Century Fox. I'm sure Darryl Zanuck laid out quite a bit of change for the music rights to perform here. Hayward runs the gamut of emotions playing Jane Froman at all stages of her career which did continue to roughly about 1960 when she retired. After the action of this film she married for a third time to an old friend from her small Missouri town and really went back to her roots. Who says you can't go home?
The sale of the soundtrack album of this film revived Froman's career quite a bit. On a television show she hosted, she introduced the song I Believe which sold a lot of records from a variety of artist including Jane. I know we had the ten inch LP at my house and I believe I still have it. The scoring of the various musical sources for this film got With A Song In My Heart's only Oscar for Alfred Newman. The film was also nominated for Costume Design and Sound Recording.
Getting his first real notice in the film was Robert Wagner in a small role as a shy paratrooper who Froman meets at a New York nightclub and later in hospital in post war Germany. No doubt that this man was going to have a career.
With A Song In My Heart is a perfect musical film in every respect, staging, music, and acting. And it's a permanent memorial to the great careers of both Jane Froman and Susan Hayward.
The film is done with the technique of three of the people closest in her life reminiscing in thought Jane's story. Two of the three are her husbands, David Wayne and Rory Calhoun and the third is nurse Thelma Ritter who met her at the moment of her greatest crisis and kind of attached herself to Froman. Thelma Ritter got one of her nominations in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Froman was a kid fresh from Missouri when at an audition at a radio station she meets David Wayne as Don Ross who is also a performer. But when he meets and marries Froman his career takes a distinct backseat to her's. That's the cause of a lot of friction which was building up until Pearl Harbor when everyone's problems get put on hold.
While going to entertain troops via neutral Portugal, Froman's plane crashes in the Tagus River in Lisbon's harbor. Fifteen people out of thirty nine survive the crash including pilot Rory Calhoun who personally rescues her. With multiple injuries, it's a long road to recovery and those multiple injuries require multiple surgeries. That's where nurse Thelma Ritter comes in who uses every kind of psychological gambit to keep Froman going.
The musical numbers are from a variety of sources and not all of them copyrighted by 20th Century Fox. I'm sure Darryl Zanuck laid out quite a bit of change for the music rights to perform here. Hayward runs the gamut of emotions playing Jane Froman at all stages of her career which did continue to roughly about 1960 when she retired. After the action of this film she married for a third time to an old friend from her small Missouri town and really went back to her roots. Who says you can't go home?
The sale of the soundtrack album of this film revived Froman's career quite a bit. On a television show she hosted, she introduced the song I Believe which sold a lot of records from a variety of artist including Jane. I know we had the ten inch LP at my house and I believe I still have it. The scoring of the various musical sources for this film got With A Song In My Heart's only Oscar for Alfred Newman. The film was also nominated for Costume Design and Sound Recording.
Getting his first real notice in the film was Robert Wagner in a small role as a shy paratrooper who Froman meets at a New York nightclub and later in hospital in post war Germany. No doubt that this man was going to have a career.
With A Song In My Heart is a perfect musical film in every respect, staging, music, and acting. And it's a permanent memorial to the great careers of both Jane Froman and Susan Hayward.
Show Me a Movie with Susan Hayward and Thelma Ritter...I'll Show You 1 Worth Watching.
Stormy_Autumn24 June 2007
"With a Song in My Heart" (1952) finds director Walter Lang at the helm.
Famous singer Jane Froman is asked by the USO to entertain the troops during WWII. On her way to join the tour her plane crashes in the waters off Lisbon, Portugal. Jane, along with other passengers and crew, lives but her legs are badly injured. It looks like her tour of duty is over before it even starts. But, don't count Jane out yet!
Don Ross is Jane's husband. He started the new, young singer off on her career. Next we have Clancy who becomes Jane's nurse and right-hand woman. She will be there to nurse and encourage Jane back to health. Clancy will, also, firmly discourage her from feeling sorry for herself.
John Burn comes on the scene as the plane's injured pilot. He gets to know Jane at the Lisbon hospital they're in together. Of course, we wonder, will they fall for each other? (I wondered what Don would think if they did.)
After several operations Jane decides to take a break. It's time to start her part of the USO tour. (And take a break from doctors and hospitals.) This isn't going to be easy but Clancy will be there to keep the ball rolling and give the needed orders.
From here on we learn about USO entertainers. Things that happened to them: Jeeps stuck in mud. Soldiers waylaid by Clancy to get their jeep out of the mud. How Jane strengthened wounded soldiers and by overcoming her own problems to entertain them. What courage she showed on the USO Tours and during subsequent leg surgeries she would have to endure.
And, from beginning to end, we get to watch Susan Hayward do a dandy job of being Jane as Susan lip-syncs to the songs with the voice of Jane Froman. These recordings were made for the movie soundtrack.
Is this biographical film factual? No! But it's hard to find actual, factual, filmed biographies. Is it worth watching? Yes. If for no other reason than to see Susan Hayward and hear Jane Froman sing. I enjoyed this movie mainly because of the acting and music. Then we have Thelma Ritter who made every movie she was in special.
This cast includes: Susan Hayward as Jane Froman; Rory Calhoun as John Burn; David Wayne as Don Ross; Thelma Ritter as Clancy; Robert Wagner as the GI paratrooper; Helen Westcott as Jennifer March; Una Merkel as Sister Marie.
Famous singer Jane Froman is asked by the USO to entertain the troops during WWII. On her way to join the tour her plane crashes in the waters off Lisbon, Portugal. Jane, along with other passengers and crew, lives but her legs are badly injured. It looks like her tour of duty is over before it even starts. But, don't count Jane out yet!
Don Ross is Jane's husband. He started the new, young singer off on her career. Next we have Clancy who becomes Jane's nurse and right-hand woman. She will be there to nurse and encourage Jane back to health. Clancy will, also, firmly discourage her from feeling sorry for herself.
John Burn comes on the scene as the plane's injured pilot. He gets to know Jane at the Lisbon hospital they're in together. Of course, we wonder, will they fall for each other? (I wondered what Don would think if they did.)
After several operations Jane decides to take a break. It's time to start her part of the USO tour. (And take a break from doctors and hospitals.) This isn't going to be easy but Clancy will be there to keep the ball rolling and give the needed orders.
From here on we learn about USO entertainers. Things that happened to them: Jeeps stuck in mud. Soldiers waylaid by Clancy to get their jeep out of the mud. How Jane strengthened wounded soldiers and by overcoming her own problems to entertain them. What courage she showed on the USO Tours and during subsequent leg surgeries she would have to endure.
And, from beginning to end, we get to watch Susan Hayward do a dandy job of being Jane as Susan lip-syncs to the songs with the voice of Jane Froman. These recordings were made for the movie soundtrack.
Is this biographical film factual? No! But it's hard to find actual, factual, filmed biographies. Is it worth watching? Yes. If for no other reason than to see Susan Hayward and hear Jane Froman sing. I enjoyed this movie mainly because of the acting and music. Then we have Thelma Ritter who made every movie she was in special.
This cast includes: Susan Hayward as Jane Froman; Rory Calhoun as John Burn; David Wayne as Don Ross; Thelma Ritter as Clancy; Robert Wagner as the GI paratrooper; Helen Westcott as Jennifer March; Una Merkel as Sister Marie.
Neither benign nor harmonious
herbqedi23 February 2002
I hated this movie. It celebrates the illicit romance between married Hayward and wooden Calhoun. Meanwhile, unbalanced but loving husband David Wayne is ridiculed for being the most interesting, and I think noblest, character in the film.
The songs Froman sings are all unremarkable, and Hayward's performance is by-the-numbers and unconvincing. Add in a ridiculous bit by Robert Wagner as a traumatized trooper revitalized by Froman's USO show, and you can give me a musical like "Girl Crazy" or a bio-pic like Love Me Or Leve Me over this unsatisfactory melange at any time.
Thelma Ritter's bravura performance as Clancy and a nice bit by Max Showalter raises my vote from a 2 to 4 out of 10, still sub-standard.
The songs Froman sings are all unremarkable, and Hayward's performance is by-the-numbers and unconvincing. Add in a ridiculous bit by Robert Wagner as a traumatized trooper revitalized by Froman's USO show, and you can give me a musical like "Girl Crazy" or a bio-pic like Love Me Or Leve Me over this unsatisfactory melange at any time.
Thelma Ritter's bravura performance as Clancy and a nice bit by Max Showalter raises my vote from a 2 to 4 out of 10, still sub-standard.
Like Good Movie Music from the 40s & 50s? This Flick's for You!
jkucharik9 October 2007
The story of Jane Froman, a remarkable woman and radio personality of the 1930s & 40s, who faced much tragedy in her own life, but selflessly dedicated herself to making others happy through her music, particularly the wounded troops fighting in World War II. An excellent and moving story, but the music is the key success to this film. The real Jane Froman sings the many familiar songs for the entire soundtrack, though the lead is played by Miss Susan Hayward. Susan does an outstanding job of matching Jane's voice to her own movements and closely resembles Miss Froman in physical appearance. It is difficult to realize it is not really Susan singing herself! The orchestration behind Miss Froman is outstanding! Lush strings and full rich background music accompany her unmistakable voice. After this movie was released, Capitol Records released a so-called "soundtrack" album (LP) in the 1950s - however it is a studio version of all the songs in the movie. I have in my collection, both the original 12" LP and the 78RPM box-set recordings. The keen ear will note important differences on the record from the film.....and while it is generally a nice recording - it lacks the "uumph" of the real film music and is disappointing. They have since re-released this collection on CD. With today's technology, I see no reason why the real-film music can't be extracted and recorded onto CD directly from the movie soundtrack...but what do I know?! Watch this movie if you want good solid G-rated entertainment that does not have any of today's garbage in it! You won't be sorry - and (like me) you may wish you had lived during those days of great music, when people had pride and respect for their country and others. Unfortunately, I'm 46 so I missed that era entirely.
Susan Hayward looks beautiful
HotToastyRag2 August 2018
While I've never had a problem with an actor or actress having their singing voice dubbed in a movie, I still maintain that it should be a believable dub. The non singer should be able to convince the audience that he or she is singing. Susan Hayward had her voice dubbed by the real Susan Froman, a soprano, but she did nothing to alter her classically low speaking voice. If she was unable to, perhaps another actress should have been cast.
In this drama that was supposed to be a heart-wrenching tearjerker, tragedy threatens to end Susan's career and happiness. She's a singer married to an unsuccessful songwriter, David Wayne, but even before her accident, there was trouble in paradise. David's character is whiny, irritating, unsupportive, and selfish. However, through marital squabbles, career ups and downs, and her great tragedy, Susan never appears to be struggling. The entire point of this movie is to show one woman's personal struggle and how she inspired millions to overcome theirs by her example. In every scene, Suzy looks like she just walked out of the salon. Her greatest struggle might have been a smudged nail.
Susan Hayward made a career out of acting in melodramas, so I don't know why she failed to be convincing in this one. She may be beautiful, but she didn't bring so much as a lump to my throat. Thelma Ritter also earned an Oscar nomination for her "tough love" nurse character. If she had any flip-side to her role, where she eventually showed compassion or gave anything other than wisecracks or shame-filled-speeches as support, I would have agreed with the Academy. However, her version of help gets tiresome very quickly. For a better Thelma performance, check out Pickup on South Street. For a better Suzy performance, check out I'll Cry Tomorrow.
In this drama that was supposed to be a heart-wrenching tearjerker, tragedy threatens to end Susan's career and happiness. She's a singer married to an unsuccessful songwriter, David Wayne, but even before her accident, there was trouble in paradise. David's character is whiny, irritating, unsupportive, and selfish. However, through marital squabbles, career ups and downs, and her great tragedy, Susan never appears to be struggling. The entire point of this movie is to show one woman's personal struggle and how she inspired millions to overcome theirs by her example. In every scene, Suzy looks like she just walked out of the salon. Her greatest struggle might have been a smudged nail.
Susan Hayward made a career out of acting in melodramas, so I don't know why she failed to be convincing in this one. She may be beautiful, but she didn't bring so much as a lump to my throat. Thelma Ritter also earned an Oscar nomination for her "tough love" nurse character. If she had any flip-side to her role, where she eventually showed compassion or gave anything other than wisecracks or shame-filled-speeches as support, I would have agreed with the Academy. However, her version of help gets tiresome very quickly. For a better Thelma performance, check out Pickup on South Street. For a better Suzy performance, check out I'll Cry Tomorrow.
Movie with a heart
ryancm29 November 2007
An incredible performance by Susan Hayward as Jane Froeman. Her lip syncing the songs are flawless. Obviously filmed in studio sets, unlike todays location, picture still feels authentic in most cases. Good old fashioned writing, direction and acting. The new DVD is almost perfect. A bit hazy here and there. Much of the footage is made up of songs. The actual screenplay must have been very thin. The songs are what it's all about and worth the price just to hear these great standards again and again. Interesting extras as well. Ironically, another Susan Hayward type bio is being released at the same time, I'LL CRY TOMORROW, another must see. Hayward was nominated numerous times and finally won for I WANT TO LIVE. She should have won for every movie she was nominated for. A true star in every sense of the word. Please see WITH A SONG I MY HEART.
Don't cry tomorrow for Jane Froman. She's a survivor.
mark.waltz14 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Musical biographies of famous composers and singers are a mixed bag. For singers, look at Al Jolson, then compare that with a film about Eddie Cantor. Grace Moore got a mixed bag, while dancer Marilyn Miller's silver lining was slightly invisible. Doris Day scored highly as roaring 20's sob sister Ruth Etting. Like Etting, for the story on Jane Froman, Hollywood got it right, creating a story where the heart is as big as the area Froman toured, entertaining the troops after her own serious accident almost destroyed her career.
Susan Hayward struck gold for the role of the ambitious, but generally nice Jane Froman, rising to the top of radio simply just through her talent. Singing advertisements during the radio show commercials brought her to frequent guest star, then to recording star, and finally, appearing in films and on Broadway. Marriage to a nice guy (David Wayne) she probably doesn't love but still feels loyalty towards proves how decent she was. Then, war rolls around, and Jane is off to entertain the troops. Tragedy intervenes and after a difficult recovery period, she is back on her feet, sadly in crutches, and becomes the darling of the camp shows, deservedly winning their loyalty.
Utilizing Froman's voice for the soundtrack, Hayward acts out each song as if she were singing it herself. She is radiant in a rousing "Get Happy!", opera-like in the elaborately staged title song, and a true star with "On the Gay White Way". Hiding her crutches, she entertains a group of soldiers (including a very handsome Robert Wagner) and later goes off to the camps where she once again encounters Wagner, now very different than the first time she saw him. When he asks her to sing "I Walk Alone", there is a profound irony to the sequence that will most likely drench you in tears.
One of the major musical highlights of the film is a salute to the American spirit that goes all over the map. "Texas?", she shouts vigorously to one spirited soldier, "Never heard of it!". While Jane's body may be crippled, her spirit wasn't, and that's what makes this film exciting and totally memorable. She singles out the quiet soldier in the wheelchair who has followed her from camp to camp with the response to his request, "For you, anything." Hayward was known for tough girls hiding their hearts of gold, but in this film, her heart is on her sleeve, and it is obvious that Hayward took this part into her own heart as well. The very same year, Froman also recorded the Vivienne Segal songs for the revival cast album of "Pal Joey", and years later, there was a double C.D. of both this movie and that cast album that is a must buy if you can find it.
Thelma Ritter has a major role as the nurse who is instrumental in helping Hayward recover, and one sequence has her standing up to the frustrated patient by letting her know in no uncertain terms will she put up with her self-pity. This is why during the 1950's, Ritter was nominated for an Oscar practically every year. Her own heart of gold was laced with truth, and that's what makes her special. Una Merkel is also memorable in a small role as a kindly nun who encounters Hayward and Ritter in the hospital and encourages her recovery through her singing. Helen Westcott has a profound smaller role as a woman Hayward encounters on her overseas plane ride, while funny man Max Showalter is amusing in his few scenes as Wayne's former vaudeville partner.
There are so many wonderful moments in this all time fabulous musical that I could never list them all. This is a story that remains timely today, and with all of the old musicals being revised for Broadway, this would be a perfect story. Hayward would have another success as a real-life singer (Lillian Roth) in the profound "I'll Cry Tomorrow", but there, it was the tough Susan Hayward in control, not the softer, more vulnerable one. This is the one I prefer.
Susan Hayward struck gold for the role of the ambitious, but generally nice Jane Froman, rising to the top of radio simply just through her talent. Singing advertisements during the radio show commercials brought her to frequent guest star, then to recording star, and finally, appearing in films and on Broadway. Marriage to a nice guy (David Wayne) she probably doesn't love but still feels loyalty towards proves how decent she was. Then, war rolls around, and Jane is off to entertain the troops. Tragedy intervenes and after a difficult recovery period, she is back on her feet, sadly in crutches, and becomes the darling of the camp shows, deservedly winning their loyalty.
Utilizing Froman's voice for the soundtrack, Hayward acts out each song as if she were singing it herself. She is radiant in a rousing "Get Happy!", opera-like in the elaborately staged title song, and a true star with "On the Gay White Way". Hiding her crutches, she entertains a group of soldiers (including a very handsome Robert Wagner) and later goes off to the camps where she once again encounters Wagner, now very different than the first time she saw him. When he asks her to sing "I Walk Alone", there is a profound irony to the sequence that will most likely drench you in tears.
One of the major musical highlights of the film is a salute to the American spirit that goes all over the map. "Texas?", she shouts vigorously to one spirited soldier, "Never heard of it!". While Jane's body may be crippled, her spirit wasn't, and that's what makes this film exciting and totally memorable. She singles out the quiet soldier in the wheelchair who has followed her from camp to camp with the response to his request, "For you, anything." Hayward was known for tough girls hiding their hearts of gold, but in this film, her heart is on her sleeve, and it is obvious that Hayward took this part into her own heart as well. The very same year, Froman also recorded the Vivienne Segal songs for the revival cast album of "Pal Joey", and years later, there was a double C.D. of both this movie and that cast album that is a must buy if you can find it.
Thelma Ritter has a major role as the nurse who is instrumental in helping Hayward recover, and one sequence has her standing up to the frustrated patient by letting her know in no uncertain terms will she put up with her self-pity. This is why during the 1950's, Ritter was nominated for an Oscar practically every year. Her own heart of gold was laced with truth, and that's what makes her special. Una Merkel is also memorable in a small role as a kindly nun who encounters Hayward and Ritter in the hospital and encourages her recovery through her singing. Helen Westcott has a profound smaller role as a woman Hayward encounters on her overseas plane ride, while funny man Max Showalter is amusing in his few scenes as Wayne's former vaudeville partner.
There are so many wonderful moments in this all time fabulous musical that I could never list them all. This is a story that remains timely today, and with all of the old musicals being revised for Broadway, this would be a perfect story. Hayward would have another success as a real-life singer (Lillian Roth) in the profound "I'll Cry Tomorrow", but there, it was the tough Susan Hayward in control, not the softer, more vulnerable one. This is the one I prefer.
From Another Era
Lechuguilla17 September 2008
Jane Froman was a popular radio personality in the 1930s and 40s. Millions of listeners enjoyed her beautiful operatic voice. By the time television came around, Froman's career was beginning to wind down. In the early 1940s, she was severely injured in a plane crash en route to Europe. But her popularity soared after that incident, because although disabled, she continued to entertain American troops. In effect, she became a symbol of American optimism and perseverance during WWII.
"With A Song In My Heart" is Froman's story, from the time that she became well known as a singer. The film is factual, but mostly it is inspirational. Susan Hayward plays Froman, and lip-syncs to Froman's actual singing voice. Although technically this film is not a musical, there are plenty of songs.
The film begins with her singing to an enamored audience. Most of the rest of the plot is a flashback to her rise to stardom, the crash, and the difficulties she endured afterwards. The plot then returns at the end to the film's opening performance.
Susan Hayward does a fine job as she imitates Froman's gestures, and animates Froman's optimism, showmanship, and verve. All of the songs and music predate rock-n-roll, and therefore have a dream-like quality. Many of her performances are formal, complete with big chandeliers and wavy, silky curtains. Costumes range from glamorous before the accident, to informal in later years. David Wayne and the always reliable Thelma Ritter are convincing in secondary roles.
The music in this film is totally from another era, very orchestral and idealized. I could not identify with any of it. That's not a criticism, just an observation. My one complaint about this film is that the tone is just a tad too upbeat and reassuring. Whatever warts the woman might have had are conveniently left out of the film. Indeed, the film tends to deify Froman. She seems imbued with superhuman goodness. But that's how cinematic bios were made in those days.
"With A Song In My Heart" is a fine biography of a woman who truly had a talent for singing. Just be aware that the story and the film may seem a tad antiquated by today's standards.
"With A Song In My Heart" is Froman's story, from the time that she became well known as a singer. The film is factual, but mostly it is inspirational. Susan Hayward plays Froman, and lip-syncs to Froman's actual singing voice. Although technically this film is not a musical, there are plenty of songs.
The film begins with her singing to an enamored audience. Most of the rest of the plot is a flashback to her rise to stardom, the crash, and the difficulties she endured afterwards. The plot then returns at the end to the film's opening performance.
Susan Hayward does a fine job as she imitates Froman's gestures, and animates Froman's optimism, showmanship, and verve. All of the songs and music predate rock-n-roll, and therefore have a dream-like quality. Many of her performances are formal, complete with big chandeliers and wavy, silky curtains. Costumes range from glamorous before the accident, to informal in later years. David Wayne and the always reliable Thelma Ritter are convincing in secondary roles.
The music in this film is totally from another era, very orchestral and idealized. I could not identify with any of it. That's not a criticism, just an observation. My one complaint about this film is that the tone is just a tad too upbeat and reassuring. Whatever warts the woman might have had are conveniently left out of the film. Indeed, the film tends to deify Froman. She seems imbued with superhuman goodness. But that's how cinematic bios were made in those days.
"With A Song In My Heart" is a fine biography of a woman who truly had a talent for singing. Just be aware that the story and the film may seem a tad antiquated by today's standards.
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