A Song Is Born

1948

ComedyMusic

The story of seven scholars in search of an expert to teach them about swing music. They seem to have found the perfect candidate in winsome nightclub singer Honey Swanson. But Honey's gangster boyfriend doesn't want to give her up.

"...with the hottest men in music - beating out the rhythm with'm!"

Rating

6.5
43 votes

Popularity

0.7952

Origin & Countries

US | en | United States of America

Production

Samuel Goldwyn Productions

Runtime

113 min.

Status

Released

Release: 10/19/1948

Credits

A Song Is Born

Howard HawksDirector

A Song Is Born

Danny KayeHobart Frisbee

A Song Is Born

Virginia MayoHoney Swanson

A Song Is Born

Benny GoodmanProfessor Magenbruch

A Song Is Born

Tommy DorseyTommy Dorsey

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Reviews

CinemaSerf

7/9/2022

7 / 10

After two minutes you will spot the obvious similarity with "Ball of Fire" (1941). Swap Gary Cooper with Danny Kaye and Barbara Stanwyck with Virginia Mayo then add some fantastic musicianship from the likes of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Sonny Burke et al, and we have a gently amusing story of a professor (of music this time) who falls for the gangster's moll. "Honey" (Mayo) takes refuge from the pursuing FBI with a bunch of dithery professors creating an over budget dictionary of music and soon the hapless "Prof. Frisbee" (Kaye) is eating out of her hand. The gangster elements of the plot are just a little too contrived: her boyfriend "Crow" (Steve Cochran) maintains this new situation to keep her from testifying against him - until, that is - he can make arrangements to marry her, but in the meantime might she start to fall for poor old "Frisbee"? Neither lead are on great form here, Kaye seems oddly distracted from his role and Mayo always was quite a sterile performer, but there is still enough chemistry between them and, alongside a fun effort from Esther Dale as their somewhat puritanical housekeeper "Miss Bragg" this works ok. Essentially, it's an excuse for some great toe-tappers with a gently simmering romance and some slightly slapstick humour. It's fun to watch and to listen to, and though I still preferred the original it is diverse enough from that to stand well enough on it's own.

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