Yet another Doris Day song and sometimes dance fest of the early '50s. I think all the songs, except for the title song, were composed for this film. Although none became pop hits, Doris or her costar, Ray Bolger, can make most any song interesting, by their singing style or antics.............Many reviewers complain that Ray wasn't a suitable costar for Doris and, for this or other reasons give the film a low score. True, Ray wasn't baby-faced or otherwise handsome, like most of Doris's leading men through the years. In fact, he looked rather like a tall version of comedian Don Knotts, which was an advantage in expressing his comic persona. But, like Doris , he was 'a triple threat', proficient at the vaudevillian skills of comedy, singing, and especially dancing, in his unique rubber-legged, quirky, comedic style, of which we get two samples here. Some complain that Ray was 20 years older than Doris, hence not a suitable romantic partner. This was a common situation in '40s and '50s films(think Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Bogart, etc.). No matter, he certainly looked and acted 20 years younger than his 50 years! Ray sings and dances solo to "Life's such a Pleasure", in part of which, he simultaneously takes on the likeness of George Washington and Abe Lincoln, in life-sized wall portraits: the 3 dancing in unison. Later, he follows Doris's long, varied, exuberant dance and antics to "I'm Going to Ring the Bell Tonight", with his own exuberant interpretation...............For much of the film, Ray is caught between 2 women: Doris and brunet Eve Miller, who had the thankless role of being ultimately 'the other woman', although initially engaged to Ray. At one point, the two women have a cat fight, after Doris slaps Eve. Meanwhile, Doris was going back and forth between Ray and Frenchman Claude Dauphin. She and Claude alternate in singing "That's What Makes Paris Paree", on stage. Then, In the finale, Doris and Ray alternate in singing "I Ask You", informally, which cements their romance.............Doris's best sentimental romantic ballad is "I Know a Place". She also sings the title song, which I don't think is catchy.
Review of April in Paris
