Unlikely co-star Stephen Boyd, still hot from Ben-Hur, also acquits himself surprisingly well, but then he does get to sing a lilting The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. He was a wonderfully versatile actor who could switch from Messala to Sam Rawlins in a heartbeat. Billy Roses Jumbo is a 1962 American musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, and Martha Raye. A pleasantly fun musical , Doris Day's last , dealing with a debt-ridden circus that travels throughout the country showing its colorful spectacle . What do scientists find out when they look at fossils? Which solvent is used in preparation of Glucosazone from glucose? The MGM musical circus had left Culver City a few years earlier by the time the studio decided to film this 1930s stage extravaganza. I saw this as a teenager, and fell in love. Doris Day sings the standards very well, and - stealing the film - Jimmy Durante (who gives a glorious rendition of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World") and Martha Raye are memorable in support. by daybyday08 12 May 2008, 16:05, Unread post The result is bright and competent enough (and it retains most of the wonderful Rodgers & Hart songs), but ten years earlier the Arthur Freed Unit would have sharpened up the book, included a lot more dancing and had a superior leading man (Stephen Boyd is a disaster in this movie). 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Radiant Doris Day as Kitty Wonder sings beloved Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's original stage . You can sometimes get a glimpse of wires helping her fly through the air, but other times its just her own skill and strength, and that of the other dancers, that keep her from hitting the ground. Now I am not saying any of these films are bad, they aren't, but they are awfully colorful but emptysort of like giant balls of cotton candy! Ms. Day and Ms. Raye also had a nice duet on "Why Can't I?" It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time big-top extravaganza bursting with laughter and love song and dance circus stunts and star power.Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a dazzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's stage spectacular and featuring circus sequences directed by Busby Berkeley. (but it IS true! Since this was Boyd's next film after BEN HUR do you realize that an advertisement could actually say "Stephen Boyd star of BEN HUR now in his biggest film: JUMBO" and it would actually make sense that JUMBO was indeed bigger than BEN HUR.!! WHAT ELEPHANT?!". She had six or seven close friends, who, for the most part, were still there when she died. Years later MGM made the movie.[3]. The story may be silly and not the most focused, but it is very charming and warm-hearted as well that you don't care so much when the film makes a big and successful effort to entertain regardless. In conclusion, a pleasure to watch and recommended for Rodgers/Hart and Doris Day fans. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Barnum The Greatest Showman on Earth How the emperor of hoopla got his start at scamming PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM was a salesman and a showman, a hustler and a huckster. With Doris Day singing "Little Girl Blue" and "My Romance" as highlights, this pleasing musical should keep the viewer out of trouble for well over two hours and in the world of the greatest show on earth. . I have tried to fight the system and do things my way, but I havent been able to. Noble has been quietly buying up the IOUs with Sam's help and abruptly takes control of the family's business, leaving the Wonders without a show. Day was allegedly beaten by her first husband, band leader Al Jordan, while pregnant with their son, Terry. She displayed an incredible passion by owning the stage and her characters, making it nearly impossible for viewers to remember that Day was playing a role on TV. The Broadway show Jumbo opened on November 16, 1935, and was the last musical produced at the New York Hippodrome before it was demolished in 1939. One of my favorites - completely wonderful! All of the circus acts were wonderful but I wish I knew which was Doris and which was not. Doris has a great scene in a pool hall during a crap game when she tries to win back the circus payroll her father has gambled away. They split in 1981, and he publicly admitted to being jealous of her beloved dogs. Director Norman Jewison, who worked with Day on 1963's The Thrill of It All and Send Me No Flowers, also talked about Doris' surprising view on her obvious good looks. Radiant Doris Day sings beloved Rodgers and Hart tunes and does her own horseback tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Bill Rose's stage spectacular and featuring circus sequences directed by Busby Berkley. Barnum, wrote historian Luc Sante, embodied a unique combination of the showman, the preacher, the con artist, the speculator and the politicianthe epitome of his era and a model for future generations. Barnum was the founding father of American pop culture, a commodity he exported, turning showbiz into a global industry. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. P.T. I believe she was nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy but lost to Rosalind Russel for Mame - boo hoo but I don't know whether that was for Golden Globes or something else. She said in her biography that. These rumors flew out when the athlete and his wife were believed to be involved in a divorce saga while Day was in a strained relationship with her third husband. I agree with Miss Maxwell. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. After a rainstorm in which Kitty, an aerialist, is almost killed, but rescued by Sam, she sings the lovely ballad, My Romance to him. I love the music, the romantic colourful feel of the movie, the great circus acts and most of all Doris herself because I think she is more beautiful in this than in any other of her movies. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. or redistributed. Did Doris Day do her own stunts in Jumbo? JUMBO might be silly (actually very deliberately silly, therein much of the enjoyment) but it is genuinely beautiful to look at and easy to enjoy. He was a producer and managed her career for years, signing deals and giving advice that eventually plunged her into a life of debt, depression, and anxiety. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ", was a show-stopper in 1935. The book revealed . But she spent her final days being manipulated by those around her, sources who were close to the legend allege.. (Associated Press), One former employee told The Post, Doris spent most of her last 10 years in her bedroom or the kitchen. The camera lingers lovingly on Doris face, which is partly shadowed by the dark. But while he may seem fairly nice to look at, he doesn't quite have the star power to carry the viewer's interest his character should have, even if he really was singing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" and didn't need to be dubbed. As big as it could be JUMBO is solid family entertainment. His achievements earned him awards and mentions, including being inducted into the Washington, D.C. Sports Hall of Fame. However, she disproved these allegations. How much Hay does a horse eat in a month? After that, Day turned to her fans and people who worked for her. As a result, the film did not do as well as it was projected. This is more of a scene than a musical number. Today. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Perhaps, as some reviewers have suggested, their comedic talents were underutilized. 9/10 Bethany Cox. by Debbi Austen 13 May 2008, 16:23, Unread post Doris Day said that this was one of her favorite musicals. [right] | Photo: Getty Images. Sam splits from his father and rejoins the Wonders, bringing with him an old friend of theirs, Jumbo. I find the present film more enjoyable, with its intertwining of music, comedy, drama and romance. In the mid-seventies, towards the end of his life, he was quoted as saying: I am sick and tired of acting. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". This film seems to fit in with the musicals of the 40's and 50's, after the war America was euphoric to have our boys home but by the 1960's we began to see message musicals like West Side Story dealing with problems below the surface. True to the films title, Stanwycks Vance Jeffords is an avenging woman in The Furies, set in the New Mexico Territory during the 1870s. Although she played the perfect American girl next door onscreen, she did not experience such a thrilling lifestyle in reality. However, the real joys are veterans Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante, whose What elephant? line from this movie has rightly become classic: watch to find out why. London Radio Times. A few years later, they became husband and wife, before adding the title of parents to the mix, when they welcomed their only child, Terry. That marriage ended in divorce, as did a second one, to saxophonist George Weidler, who allegedly couldnt handle his wifes fame. The time has come to move on., Stephen Boyd sadly died of a heart attack on 2 June 1977 while playing golf at the Porter Valley country club, one of his favorite past-times. Mary Anne Barothy was Doris Day's personal secretary for four years in the 1970s. It's unfortunate that this circus musical comedy tends to live in the shadow of Cecil DeMille's non-musical "The Greatest Show on Earth", made nearly a decade earlier. JUMBO is a very curious musical film to me for several reasons. But there are further problems with the screenplay. In fact, the movie kept one of Durante's classic moments of stage comedy. There is also Stephen Boyd. She was married four times during her lifetime, and despite her undying gorgeousness and talent, she did not enjoy the kind of love she desired. There is a lot of bad feeling surrounding the last few years of Doris life and how friends and family were pushed out, the neighbor said. But then again you didn't watch this film for the story. It was nominated for an Academy Award for the adaptation of its Rodgers and Hart score. With Day, Durante and Raye, one would expect some comedy and slapstick. It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time big-top extravaganza, bursting with laughter and love, song and dance, circus stunts and star power. As for the songs, while they are not awful, they are not very memorable (though the song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" has its moments.) And ms. Raye also had a nice duet on `` Why Ca n't I ''. Classic: watch to find out when they look at fossils MGM circus! 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