Recently I caught Blake Edwards' debut film 'Bring Your Smile Along' and enjoyed it. It was smoothly directed, star Frankie Laine sang several nice songs and the banter between the male and female leads was relatively sophisticated, something that would become a hallmark of many of Edwards' later films.
Initially, this recreation of the gangster era in America in the 1920s starts off on the same engaging level. But from the midway point when mob boss Big Dan Hennessy dies, the film loses its way.
There are several different plot strands in the film's second half (the stuttering romance between Jimmy & Rosie, Rosie by inheritance becoming the big mob boss, Max Lassiter's attempts to take over) but none of them go in interesting directions so that even at the film's short running time, it's a bit of a slog to get through to the end.
Also, 'He Laughed Last' is a much weaker vehicle for Laine than 'Bring Your Smile Long'. He sings far less here and his character is basically a non-entity, basically waiting at the sidelines while all the other characters do their thing.
There are some pleasing aspects to this film, but 'Bring Your Smile Along' is a superior exhibition of the Edwards/Laine combo.
Initially, this recreation of the gangster era in America in the 1920s starts off on the same engaging level. But from the midway point when mob boss Big Dan Hennessy dies, the film loses its way.
There are several different plot strands in the film's second half (the stuttering romance between Jimmy & Rosie, Rosie by inheritance becoming the big mob boss, Max Lassiter's attempts to take over) but none of them go in interesting directions so that even at the film's short running time, it's a bit of a slog to get through to the end.
Also, 'He Laughed Last' is a much weaker vehicle for Laine than 'Bring Your Smile Long'. He sings far less here and his character is basically a non-entity, basically waiting at the sidelines while all the other characters do their thing.
There are some pleasing aspects to this film, but 'Bring Your Smile Along' is a superior exhibition of the Edwards/Laine combo.