RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

edwagreen A very silly production is "Can't Help Singing." This 1944 film did not give the opportunity for Deanna Durbin to showcase her talent. Her voice was good; in fact, too good for this inane film. Her singing was way above the plot where a senator's daughter flees her father to run off with an army officer. This time dad is right. The only reason why the guy is interested in her is to further his career via her political father.Along the way, she meets a card shark and the two hit it off. The ending becomes silly when Durbin is forced to admit the stories she has made up along the way.Durbin sings the title song "Can't Help Singing" with great enthusiasm but the other songs, especially California-y are ridiculous as is the plot.

Richard Burin Deanna Durbin was the Canadian opera star who saved Universal Studios (the dream factory, not the tourist attraction). Beginning as a 14-year-old in 1936's Three Smart Girls, she made 21 tuneful, attractive musicals that charmed America, and provided Winston Churchill with his favourite film, 100 Men and a Girl. Can't Help Singing is notable for a few reasons. It was Durbin's only colour vehicle, the only one with an Old West setting and the only one with songs by Jerome Kern, the tunesmith who wrote the score to Swing Time, was immortalised in the spotty 1946 biopic Till the Clouds Roll By (£3 at a shop near you) and was once discovered by '30s star Myrna Loy sitting on her porch, trapped in a glass jar.Durbin plays a flighty senator's daughter who heads out West after her caddish lover (David Bruce, whose character is abominably underdeveloped) but finds herself falling for travelling companion Robert Paige. Akim Tamiroff and Leonid Kinskey (Sascha in Casablanca) are a pair of feckless tramps also along for the ride, while Ray Collins (Gettys in Citizen Kane) is Durbin's father. The set-up, borrowed from the Capra/Riskin classic It Happened One Night, is solid, but the narrative moves too quickly, with a dearth of scenes charting the growing relationship between Durbin and Paige. The unfailingly charming leads do their best, despite Deanna having been made-up to within an inch of her life - boasting blusher that seems to be causing her near-constant embarrassment. It's a shame the script isn't stronger, as the songs are gloriously performed, with the big budget allowing them to be extravagantly, imaginatively staged.Durbin and Paige's duet to Can't Help Singing is a tremendous addition to the singin' in the bathtub tradition (think Winnie Lightner in The Show of Shows, Lena Horne in that legendary deleted scene from Cabin in the Sky, or me the other day, crooning Tom Waits as I washed my feet), with Californ-i-ay a superior precursor to Oklahoma!'s title tune and Any Moment Now really rather touching. One could argue that Elbow Room - performed by a knockabout chorus - is the most dispensable entry in the canon of 20th century song, but More and More more than makes up for it. Can't Help Singing doesn't rank with the best of the Durbin films, but it's good fun, with a slew of musical highlights making up for the slightly hurried plotting.

eckchat I saw this film twice in 1945 when I was in the US Navy. Enjoyed it immensely! Most of the "film data" ignore listing the various songs and the artists who wrote them: Jerome Kern, music, and E. Y. Harburg, lyrics. There are very few citations to the actual lyrics. It would be helpful if someone would give an Internet site for getting the lyrics. Google isn't much help.E.Y. Harburg was a most talented lyricist. I attended a talk by his son, who was plugging a biography of his late father, several years (about 15) ago in California. Even bought the book, which I never regretted. It has some detailed lyrics, but not from the "Can't Help Singing" film. Harburg collaborated with many famous songwriters, but usually only once with each: Harold Arlen for "The Wizard of Oz", and someone else for the stage (and film) "Finian's Rainbow", his two most notable achievements.Has Deanna Durbin died? She was truly a gem!

adamshl This Durbin vehicle had just three songs worthy of Jerome Kern and E. Y. Harburg: "More and More," "Californ-i-ay," and the title song. These are really wonderful pieces, which fortunately recur throughout on a regular basis.The Technicolor is indeed glorious, and there's nothing wrong with the casting. It's also true that Durbin looks radiant in her first color film.Alas, the rest of the score is a disappointment, simply lacking in inspiration. They try to beef it up with production values, to little avail. Likewise, the script's just not quite up to Deanna's standards. One can admire the costumes, staging, photography--and those three songs. Durbin fans will be probably be pleased with everything here; others, probably less so.It's easy to see the Durbin magic as she lights up the screen with charisma and her beautiful voice. A pleasant trifle for the Durbin DVD "Sweetheart Pack."