One Sunday Afternoon * (1948, Dennis Morgan, Dorothy Malone, Janis Paige, Don DeFore) – Classic Movie Review 12,479

Raoul Walsh’s 1948 Technicolor musical film One Sunday Afternoon stars Dennis Morgan, Dorothy Malone, Janis Paige, and Don DeFore, and remakes two previous versions, both of them superior.

Director Raoul Walsh’s 1948 Technicolor musical film One Sunday Afternoon stars Dennis Morgan, Dorothy Malone, Janis Paige, and Don DeFore.

Warner Bros’ musical remake of the 1933 original Gary Cooper vehicle One Sunday Afternoon, which was also remade again in 1941 as The Strawberry Blonde, and directed, as here, by Walsh.

But, unfortunately, both earlier versions are preferable to this half-hearted, weary attempt at a musical. The Ralph Blaine songs are forgettable, without a single outstanding number, the acting is substandard, and the spark just isn’t there. There are flat performances from the two male stars, However, the leading ladies are more interesting, adding some fire and allure.

Janis Paige (born Donna Mae Tjaden; September 16, 1922).

Dennis Morgan is on weak form as Biff Grimes, a jilted 1900s small-town dentist who thinks that he has picked the wrong wife in Amy Lind (Dorothy Malone). He still carries a torch for his old flame Virginia Brush (Janis Paige) whom he lost to his old friend Hugo Barnstead (Don DeFore), who betrayed him and married her. Hugo comes to see Grimes for a dental emergency and their story is told in flashback.

It is based on James Hagan’s 1933 Broadway hit play One Sunday Afternoon.

The plot is the same as in the other two films but with a significant number of changes and some updates, including an automobile for the first date instead of a horse and carriage. The songs include ‘In My Merry Oldsmobile’.

Dorothy Malone’s singing voice is provided by Marion Morgan.

Also in the cast are Ben Blue, Emmett Vogan, Oscar O’Shea, Alan Hale Jr, George Neise, Jimmy Nolan, Douglas Kennedy, Wilson Wood, June Whittney, Layne Arlene, Ray Teal, Chester Conklin, and Dorothy Ford.

It was premiered on December 25, 1948 in New York City and released on January 1, 1949 (United States).

It runs 90 minutes.

Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887 – December 31, 1980).

Raoul Walsh enjoyed a 50-year career as director, from Regeneration (1915) to A Distant Trumpet (1964). Regeneration was thought to be lost but was rediscovered in the 1970s. He played John Wilkes Booth in the silent film The Birth of a Nation (1915). He was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

Janis Paige turned 100 on September 16, 2022.

The cast are Dennis Morgan as Biff Grimes, Janis Paige as Virginia Brush, Don DeFore as Hugo Barnstead, Dorothy Malone as Amy Lind, Ben Blue as Nick, Oscar O’Shea as Toby, Alan Hale Jr as Marty, Chester Conklin as Clerk, Emmett Vogan, George Neise, Jimmy Nolan, Douglas Kennedy, Wilson Wood, June Whittney, Layne Arlene, Ray Teal, and Dorothy Ford.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,479

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