With a song in her heart, Helen Morgan was one of the top Broadway divas of the pre-Ethel Merman era. By the 1950's, such chanteuses as Jane Froman, Lillian Roth, Blossom Seeley and Ruth Etting had their stories told on film, so it was inevitable that someone did Morgan's. Polly Bergen did this story for TV, but Ann Blyth, the lovely soprano of "Rose Marie" and "The Student Price", got the movie-and got dubbed by a recording star-Gogi Grant. In those operettas, Blyth totally tossed out the memory of Veda from "Mildred Pierce", but by 1957, musicals were slowly being phased out on the big screen. Perhaps formula stories like this (plus plenty of musicals filmed for TV) were responsible, as more and more they reeked of familiarity. With this one, the formula combined with two recent similar stories, "The Lillian Roth Story" ("I'll Cry Tomorrow") and "The Ruth Etting Story" ("Love Me or Leave Me") to glue its plot together.
Lillian Roth fought alcoholism and Ruth Etting was at the mercy of a mobster, and here, Helen Morgan is both. This provides plenty of drama, but unfortunately it is mashed together in an unconvincing manner that the other films managed to dramatize. Here, Paul Newman is the duplicate of "Love Me or Leave Me's" James Cagney. Unfortunately, as magnetic as Newman is, his character is weakly developed and lacks the heart Cagney displays in his Oscar nominated role. Richard Carlson is good as the equivalent to Cameron Mitchell's "Love Me or Leave Me" character, a basic good guy stuck in a loveless marriage. It's all predictable what happens in both relationships.
As for Blyth, she does very well exploring Morgan's downfall and in spots, really captures her changing image. Gogi Grant's vocal range is appropriate to the downfall as well, and at times has voice mannerisms close to Judy Garland whom it is rumored was a contender for this role which may have been too close to home. But what fails to come through in her performance is the ambition, overwork and despair that would drive her to become a lush.
There are many great standards and of course the two songs from "Show Boat" which have become her signature songs. Unfortunately, they are only heard as cabaret numbers, not shown being performed in the Broadway production or shown being filmed for the magnificent 1936 film version. In black and white more suited for early TV, the film lacks the impact the same story would have had if it was made 15 years before, as do many films of that era set in the 1930's. Then, the ending comes along, repeating one seen in one of the musical bios I discussed earlier, and on comes a major let down and lack of originality. Blyth shines, however, in a drunk scene in a New York dive where she badly sings along to a recording of herself on the radio.
Lillian Roth fought alcoholism and Ruth Etting was at the mercy of a mobster, and here, Helen Morgan is both. This provides plenty of drama, but unfortunately it is mashed together in an unconvincing manner that the other films managed to dramatize. Here, Paul Newman is the duplicate of "Love Me or Leave Me's" James Cagney. Unfortunately, as magnetic as Newman is, his character is weakly developed and lacks the heart Cagney displays in his Oscar nominated role. Richard Carlson is good as the equivalent to Cameron Mitchell's "Love Me or Leave Me" character, a basic good guy stuck in a loveless marriage. It's all predictable what happens in both relationships.
As for Blyth, she does very well exploring Morgan's downfall and in spots, really captures her changing image. Gogi Grant's vocal range is appropriate to the downfall as well, and at times has voice mannerisms close to Judy Garland whom it is rumored was a contender for this role which may have been too close to home. But what fails to come through in her performance is the ambition, overwork and despair that would drive her to become a lush.
There are many great standards and of course the two songs from "Show Boat" which have become her signature songs. Unfortunately, they are only heard as cabaret numbers, not shown being performed in the Broadway production or shown being filmed for the magnificent 1936 film version. In black and white more suited for early TV, the film lacks the impact the same story would have had if it was made 15 years before, as do many films of that era set in the 1930's. Then, the ending comes along, repeating one seen in one of the musical bios I discussed earlier, and on comes a major let down and lack of originality. Blyth shines, however, in a drunk scene in a New York dive where she badly sings along to a recording of herself on the radio.