In her first and only Technicolour film, the newly blonde Deanna Durbin stars with Robert Paige in the light and gay musical romance (Daily Variety) that received Academy Award nominations for Best Song (More and More) and Best Musical Score. Set in 1849, Durbin portrays the spirited Caroline who, against her senator fathers (Ray Collins) wishes, leaves Washington to pursue a handsome cavalry officer (David Bruce). After learning of her California destination, her outraged father posts a substantial reward for her return. Now, with a price on her head, Caroline attempts to keep a low profile (no easy feat for a beautiful young woman in the wild west!) While in Missouri, she hooks up with a motley lot including Akim Tamiroff and Leonid Kinskey as hilarious Russian shysters and a dashing ex-cardsharp (Paige). Together, they follow a lively trail of adventure where the music flows, laughs abound and love is found along the way.

The long-anticipated memoir of one of the greatest and most celebrated American singers of the twentieth century

Includes chapters on Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Busby Berkeley, Fred Astaire, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Jerome Kern (1885-1945) is considered one of the most versatile and influential of all American theatre and film composers. His pioneer work in developing a truly American musical sound inspired many of the great songwriters of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, and his songs include dozens of beloved standards still heard today, such as “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” The Jerome Kern Encyclopedia consists of entries on people, theatre and film musicals, songs, subjects, and themes related to the composer. Not only are all of Kern’s stage and screen projects from 1904 to 1946 covered, but there are also entries on all the major librettists and lyricists with whom he worked, as well as producers, directors, actors, and other individuals who figured prominently in his career. Approximately 100 of Kern’s most important songs are discussed, and other entries address awards, collaborations, working methods, song styles, and other related subjects. The encyclopedia also includes a brief biography of Kern, a chronology of his life and work, and appendices on recordings, interpolations, revivals, and remakes. The most complete work on one of America’s greatest composers, this fascinating, readable, and extensive look at Kern will appeal totheatregoers, movie musical fans, students, teachers, and professionals in musical theatre.

From "Over the Rainbow" to "Moon River" and from Al Jolson to Barbra Streisand, The Songs of Hollywood traces the fascinating history of song in film, both in musicals and in dramatic movies such as High Noon. Extremely well-illustrated with 200 film stills, this delightful book sheds much light on some of Hollywood's best known and loved repertoire, explaining how the film industry made certain songs memorable, and highlighting important moments of film history along the way. The book focuses on how the songs were presented in the movies, from early talkies where actors portrayed singers "performing" the songs, to the Golden Age in which characters burst into expressive, integral song--not as a "performance" but as a spontaneous outpouring of feeling. The book looks at song presentation in 1930s classics with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and in 1940s gems with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. The authors also look at the decline of the genre since 1960, when most original musicals were replaced by film versions of Broadway hits such as My Fair Lady.

Ven has her future all planned out. Her dance group is going places and so is she . . . Then she collapses. On stage. In hospital, Ven discovers that she has a medical condition - one that threatens to ruin everything. No more dancing . . . walking is challenging enough. But she doesn't want your pity. Ven is determined to have a big, exciting life. Sure, her future might be different, but it's not over . . . Because if you can't dance, you can always sing! Refreshing, uplifting and original, Sing if you Can't Dance is the unforgettable story of a teenager living life on her own terms.