Till the Clouds Roll By

There are some problems with this film, both within it and external to it that keep it from being a full five stars for me. External to it is the quality of the print. This has never been made into a Blu-ray and on top of that became so undervalued by the studio (MGM) that it was allowed to go into Public Domain, which means there are many truly awful copies of it out there remastered by cheap companies that don't care about quality. Even Amazon's streamed copy seemed blurry, and you know they will try to get the best copy possible. Part of it may be me. After viewing almost everything HD for a while now, any non-HD film may look blurry to me. But I know I've seen better in regular definition which indicates that this movie needs to be worked on to bring up the quality of the presentation.Within the film there are many problems with what should have been one of the great films of MGM's musical heyday. The concept was great. Studios hadn't put out "Cavalcade of Stars" films in which people just came out and entertained as if you were at a show, for a long time now. Audiences demanded that movies, even musical tributes like this, have a plot. So the studio decided to do the film as Jerome Kern's biography. He even began helping them on it but died early on, forcing them to fabricate most everything. It's not that they wouldn't have anyway. Studios were notorious for making up biography and history scripts to suit themselves and his would have been no different. Of course usually they would have to tone down lives like Cole Porter or Lorenz Hart, but in this case Jerome Kern had led a quiet, comfortable life of complete respectability which led them to add drama and problems where none existed. So what you get here as far as plot goes can be pretty well ignored, though they added so much that it makes the film too long and isn't interesting of itself even though Robert Walker and Van Heflin give it a good try. For the record, the meeting and courtship of Eva is basically true in its details though they met at her parent's pub, not her house.So you see this film to see the incredible cast of singers and dancers do Jerome Kern production numbers, starting with a fully staged Showboat medley with Kathryn Grayson, Tony Martin, Lena Horne and Caleb Peterson who gets Old Man River. Virginia O' Brien was a pleasant surprise with her stone-faced zaniness turned down she did very well with Life Upon the Wicked Stage and A Fine Romance and one wonders how much else she could have done in films had the studio let her. Judy Garland does the hits from the Twenties, Look For the Silver Lining and Who, memorably. There's June Allyson, Dinah Shore, Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury and Cyd Charisse, all worth seeing. But where's Fred Astaire? MGM had him under contract at this time (1946), and he sang many Kern songs in his films, so why isn't he here?Then there's Frank Sinatra, who gets the final song, a reprise of Old Man River. Why? Sure, he was so big then that he deserved to close out the show but with that song? And wearing a white suit while singing "Tote that barge, lift that bale..." It doesn't work, especially with his light tenor voice at the time. He should have sung The Way You Look Tonight or even All the Things You Are.A final note about the picture (DVD box?) with Amazon streaming though not the "for sale" DVD boxes. It gives entirely the wrong impression with its big Sinatra dominating the montage. You'd think he was playing Jerome Kern or was a major character. In fact, he's in this 132 minute film all of 3 minutes! Not only that but it's the young, skinny Sinatra of the big band Columbia years we see in the film. This picture is of the later, Fifties, Come Fly With Me Sinatra in his trademark fedora. Sure, he's the best known person now, but it's very misleading.

Til Clouds Roll By (1946 MGM) Is Vintage Big Time MGM At It's Big Money Best.It's about the life of Jerome Kern and his stage show music.MGM was the biggest movie studio during the still on-going "Golden Age Of Hollywood," still was supported by not-yet illegal movie houses owned by MGM's parent company, Loews, Inc.The studio had stars and talent of all kinds and flavors still under contract, and 1946 was the year when Americans attended movies in movie houses in greater numbers than any time in history, before or since.It was a big musical at a time when musicals were still mainstream movies, demanded and expected by movie audiences. It was from an era when singable, easy to hum, remember, and share songs were central to American culture, and when everyone still knew tunes and lyrics from pop songs from two decades before they were born.Til Clouds Roll By (1946) starring Robert Walker was a nostalgia movie about hit songs Jerome Kern wrote from the years before World War I into hit songs he wrote for Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rogers Hollywood black and white musical movie hits of the 1930's.In those days, 10 years ago was recent, and hit songs 20 years old were still sung widely and performed often. The culture didn't change, and beautiful songs like the ones in Til Clouds Roll By (1946) starring Robert Walker were preserved and revered.No more, sadly.Many good musicals appeared in the movies in the 1940's, and these often showcased great songs from earlier times. The musical movies lost currency and prestige, and are not honored by today's cultural archivists and nostalgia mongers. But they were good and should not be forgotten or overlooked.Til Clouds Roll By (1946 MGM) starring Robert Walker is an example of a big time MGM musical filled with movie stars, wonderful set decoration, costumes, and talent teaming up with other talent.It was and is a crowd pleasing movie, big, bright, wonderful, and common is a good way....not pretentious or arty, not troubled or burdensome in any way.It was designed to keep people attending movies in 1946 happy, and it's easy to see why it was a big success back then.Movies like Til Clouds Roll By (1946 MGM) starring Robert Walker don't make "Best Movies Of All TImes" lists like the ones the Library Of Congress or the American Film Institute publish and publicize.That's a shame because this is an important movie, and certainly was back in 1946, well thought of for good reason.It's corny in some spots, but the good parts are so good, any and all flaws and shortcomings can and should be forgiven.Other pop (show) music "bio pix" profiling other then famous stage music composers were also made during this period, none famous or honored on "Greatest Movies" lists, but all worth seeing, flaws or no flaws. These included movies about Cole Porter (Night and Day [1946]), George Gershwin (Rhapsody In Blue [1945]), Lorenz Hart (Words And Music [1947]).-------------Written by Tex Allen, SAG Actor.

I read from some previous reviews that the transfer of the movie to this DVD is bad. Hmmmm, they must be old reviews, or reviews for another DVD release (often, Amazon mix them), because the image quality of the DVD I have (the one shown in THIS page: on the cover, there are all the stars' caricatures, holding umbrellas with their names written on each of them) is very good. Do not think I easily satisfied, as I'm very, very touchy about image quality. And this has very good image quality. So I think it would be safe for you to buy the released of the DVD that I just described.About the movie - maybe one of favorite musicals ever! And I've seen LOTS of them!! I'm a huge fan of musicals, and so I've seen a lot of MGM musicals, and loved so many of them. But this is so, so charming, the cast is one in a million, and the songs... Jerome Kern, the best of the best!!! I could go on and on describing the movie, the stars, the musical numbers, but I would say too much! I want it to be a surprise! There are so many numbers that throw you out of the chair! I think I can safely say something about the acting - Robert Walker and Van Heflin, who are part of the plot, but not of performing the musical numbers. Bob Walker plays Kern, and Van Heflin plays the friend who helps him to get to the top. Both such great (and underrated!!) actors. I'm glad they did a movie together, and they did a great job on keep it together with their characters I'd suggest you to check the behind the scenes of the movie on the special features, after watching it. It's very well done, it makes you love it even more I think! They don't very often make the behind the scene very good, but they did this time. Well, I better say nothing more. Just enjoy it!! I'm sure you'll watch hundreds of times all the musical numbers after seeing it, like I did!

All star cast including, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Van Johnson, June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne & Robert Walker.Film could do with some serious digital remastering as sound, picture and colour quality aren't the greatest but there is an appeal of it being in original condition. It's the life story of Jerome Kern composer of Old Man River & Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, the creator of America's musical theatre. Brilliant film with a fabulous cast.

An update on the 2006 release with a young Judy Garland on the front. The best thing about that was the film started on its own and has a very loud volume. This however has pin sharp colour, as good as a blu ray perhaps. It also has extra's mainly short features; on the film , a California travelogue, a cartoon short, a couple of outtake songs, the 2nd is mainly silent ! So an improvement on previous version and a very good price.

This is the version to get the WB official release (the cover has Judy Garland in a red dress and a strip going across the middle saying in script Frank Sinatra and in small caps collection).This IS the fully restored version DONT go for any other versions you WILL be disappointed as I was 3 times!. Unfortunately at the moment it is only available as zone 1 but as I have said in my other reviews its quite easy to convert your dvd player to multiregional there are sites that tell you how to FREE!.Back to the film,this bio pic,even by hollywood standards is ridiculous and bears NO relation whatsoever to Jerome Kerns life (however according to a bonus feature his life was so bland and easy they HAD to add some dramatic bits and people otherwise there wouldnt have been a film worth watching just a series of musical interludes which is basically what the ended up with anyway but with a narrative of sorts to string it all together).But you will not be buying this dvd for the story you'll be buying it for the practically non stop wonderful musical numbers done by the likes of Judy Garland,Frank Sinatra(who closes the film with a stunning version of Ol'Man River)June Allyson,Kathryn Grayson,Van Johnson,Dinah Shore,Lena Horne,Angela Lansbury,Tony Martin et al.Forget any story line or plot but for the sheer music of it this has to be up there with the best musicals coming out of the mgm studio and thats saying something!

I had the obviously unrealistic idea that this was about Jerome Kern. It is a series of vignettes by people in unlikely costumes and unlikely environnents singing his songs. Picture quality is not great, but this is understandable, as the recording is very old.