Derek Winnert

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This article was written on 12 Apr 2020, and is filled under Reviews.

Tin Pan Alley *** (1940, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, John Payne, Jack Oakie) – Classic Movie Review 9630

Director Walter Lang’s 1940 black and white musical Tin Pan Alley stars Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Jack Oakie and John Payne.

Oakie and Payne play World War One songsmiths Calhoun and Harrigan, who get sisters Katie and Lily Blane (Faye and Grable) to introduce their new song, in this snazzy 20th Century Fox musical with romance.

A vast back catalogue of the good old songs is balanced by but one new one – ‘You Say the Sweetest Things’ by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon. Alfred Newman won an Oscar for Best Score, Billy Gilbert does his ‘Sheik of Araby’, and Oakie is the hit turn. But Faye and Grable are super together, though they were rivals and Grable was set to take over from Faye as Fox musical leading lady.

It was remade in 1950 as I’ll Get By.

Also in the cast are Allen Jenkins, Esther Ralston, Elisha Cook Jr, Billy Gilbert, John Loder, The Nicholas Brothers, Fred Keating, Lionel Pape, Ben Carter and Lillian Porter.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9630

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