''Deep in My Heart'' is a 1954 American MGM

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

about the life of operetta composer

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

, who wrote the music for ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...

'', ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colo ...

'', and '' The New Moon'', among others. Leonard Spigelgass adapted the film from

Elliott Arnold Elliott Arnold (September 13, 1912 – May 13, 1980) was an American newspaper feature writer, novelist, and screenwriter. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he became a feature writer with the ''New York World-Telegram'' and authored dozens of novels ...

's 1949 biography of the same name. Roger Edens produced,

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kell ...

directed and Eugene Loring choreographed.

José Ferrer José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón (January 8, 1912 – January 26, 1992) was a Puerto Rican actor and director of stage, film and television. He was one of the most celebrated and esteemed Hispanic American actors during his lifetime, w ...

played Romberg, with support from soprano Helen Traubel as a fictional character and Merle Oberon as actress, playwright, librettist, producer, and director Dorothy Donnelly. The film, which takes its title from "Deep in My Heart, Dear," a song from "

," primarily consists of a series of cameo turns by nearly every significant singer or dancer on the MGM lot at the time. These include dancer

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

(dubbed by Carol Richards),

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

(Ferrer's wife),

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and ...

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

and his brother Fred Kelly (their only on-screen appearance together), Tony Martin,

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early ...

, James Mitchell, Jane Powell, Joan Weldon, and the ballerina Tamara Toumanova (dubbed by

Betty Wand Betty Wand was an American singer and author, best known as the singing voice dubbed in for various actresses in musical films, including Leslie Caron in '' Gigi'' and some of Rita Moreno's part in ''West Side Story''.Crosby Day. "Showtime will a ...

). Robert Easton,

Russ Tamblyn Russell Irving Tamblyn, also known as Rusty Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor f ...

, Susan Luckey, and Ludwig Stössel make uncredited appearances. ''Deep in My Heart'' was the final film in a series of four MGM biopics based on the lives of composers, which included ''

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till The Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker, Kern was originally involved with the production, but died before ...

'' (

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

, 1946), '' Words and Music'' (

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart' ...

, 1948), and '' Three Little Words'' ( Kalmar and Ruby, 1950).

Cast

* Merle Oberon as Dorothy Donnelly * Helen Traubel as Anna Mueller *

Doe Avedon Doe Avedon (born Dorcas Marie Nowell; April 7, 1925 – December 18, 2011) was an American model and actress. Early life Doe Avedon was born Dorcas Marie Nowell in Old Westbury, New York, Long Island on April 7, 1925. Her mother died when s ...

as Lillian Romberg *

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942) and ''Madame Curie'' (1943). Pidgeon also starred in ...

J. J. Shubert Jacob J. Shubert (c. 1879 – December 26, 1963) was an American theatre owner/operator and producer and a member of the famous theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born in Vladislavov, in the Suwałki Governorate of Congress Poland, a part o ...

* Paul Henreid as

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

* Tamara Toumanova as

Gaby Deslys Gaby Deslys (born Marie-Elise-Gabrielle Caire, 4 November 1881 – 11 February 1920) was a singer and actress during the early 20th century. She selected her name for her stage career, and it is a contraction of ''Gabrielle of the Lillies'' ...

as Gaby Deslys (singing voice) * Paul Stewart as Bert Townsend *

Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Elsom attend ...

as Mrs. Harris * David Burns as Lazar Berrison, Sr. *

Jim Backus James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom ''Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in '' Rebel Without a Cause, ...

as Ben Judson

Musical numbers

* "Overture" — Orchestral and choral medley: * "One Kiss" (from 1928 operetta '' The New Moon'', lyrics by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight ...

) * "Desert Song" (from 1926 operetta ''

'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto A. Harbach) * "Deep in My Heart, Dear" (from 1924 operetta ''

'', lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly) * "You Will Remember Vienna" (from 1930 film ''

Viennese Nights ''Viennese Nights'' is a 1930 American all-talking pre-Code musical operetta film directed by Alan Crosland and starring Alexander Gray, Vivienne Segal, Walter Pidgeon, Jean Hersholt, Bela Lugosi and Louise Fazenda. It was photographed ...

'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "You Will Remember Vienna" — Helen Traubel (from 1930 film ''Viennese Nights'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "Leg of Mutton" —

and Helen Traubel (turkey trot with lyrics added by Roger Edens) * " Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" — Betty Wand (dubbing for Tamara Toumanova) (from 1928 operetta '' The New Moon'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" — Helen Traubel (from 1928 operetta ''The New Moon'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "Mr. & Mrs." —

and José Ferrer (from 1922 musical ''The Blushing Bride'', lyrics by Cyrus D. Wood) * "I Love to Go Swimmin' with Wimmen" —

and his brother, Fred Kelly (from 1921 musical ''Love Birds'', lyrics by

Ballard MacDonald Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ...

) * "Road to Paradise"/"Will You Remember (Sweetheart)" —

and Jane Powell (from 1917 musical '' Maytime'', lyrics by

Rida Johnson Young Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 – May 8, 1926) was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist.IBDBRida Johnson Young Retrieved November 21, 2007 In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She ...

) * "Girls Goodbye" — José Ferrer (lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly) * "Fat Fat Fatima" — José Ferrer (from 1921 musical ''Love Birds'', lyrics by

) * "Jazza-Dada-Doo" — José Ferrer (from 1921 musical '' Bombo'', lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge) * "It" —

(from 1926 operetta ''

'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto A. Harbach) * "Serenade" — William Olvis (from 1924 operetta ''

'', lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly) * " One Alone" — Carol Richards (dubbing for

) and James Mitchell (from 1926 operetta ''

'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otta A. Harbach) * "Your Land and My Land" —

(from 1927 musical '' My Maryland'', lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly) * "Auf Wiedersehn" — Helen Traubel (from 1915 musical '' The Blue Paradise'', lyrics by Herbert Reynolds) * "

Lover, Come Back to Me "Lover, Come Back to Me" is a popular song composed by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway show ''The New Moon'', where the song was introduced by Evelyn Herbert and Robert Halliday (as Robert Misson). The song was ...

" — Tony Martin with Joan Weldon (from 1928 operetta '' The New Moon'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "Stout-Hearted Men" — Helen Traubel (from 1928 operetta ''The New Moon'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) * "

When I Grow Too Old to Dream "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is a popular song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1934. The song was introduced by Evelyn Laye and Ramon Novarro in the film '' The Night Is Young'' (1935). It has sin ...

" — José Ferrer (from 1935 film ''The Night Is Young'', lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II)

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $2,471,000 in the US and Canada and $1,507,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $1,474,000.

Reception and distribution

The film was not a critical success. According to the reviewer for the ''New York Times'', ''Deep in My Heart'' "calls for a strong digestive system and a considerable tolerance for clichés." The film has been released in VHS and laserdisc formats, on DVD and Blu-Ray. The soundtrack, previously released on LP, was made available on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

in 2006. The film has been shown on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...

References

External links