''Springtime in the Rockies'' is an American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

musical comedy film released by

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disne ...

in 1942. It stars

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reig ...

, with support from John Payne,

Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, dancer, Broadway actress and film star who was active from the late 1920s onwards. Nicknamed "The Br ...

Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...

Charlotte Greenwood Frances Charlotte Greenwood (June 25, 1890 – December 28, 1977) was an American actress and dancer. Born in Philadelphia, Greenwood started in vaudeville, and starred on Broadway, movies and radio. Standing almost six feet tall (some sou ...

, and

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County, ...

. Also appearing were Grable's future husband

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

and his band. The director was

Irving Cummings Irving Caminsky (October 9, 1888 – April 18, 1959) was an American movie actor and director. Career Born in New York City, Cummings started his acting career at age 16 in ''Diplomacy (play), Diplomacy''. His Broadway theatre, Broadway, p ...

. The screenplay was based on the short story "Second Honeymoon" by

Philip Wylie Philip Gordon Wylie (May 12, 1902 – October 25, 1971) was an American writer of works ranging from pulp science fiction, mysteries, social diatribes and satire to ecology and the threat of nuclear holocaust. Early life and career Born in Be ...

Plot

During the thirty-fourth week of their hit Broadway show, dancer Vicky Lane (

) awaits the arrival of her partner, Dan Christy ( John Payne), but as usual, he is late. Vicky thinks that Dan is buying her an engagement ring and is infuriated to discover that he has been on a date with socialite Marilyn Crothers. Fed up with Dan's womanizing and insensitivity, Vicky quits the show and returns to her former dancing partner and beau, Victor Prince (

), who is still in love with her. Three months pass as Dan sinks into a depression and cannot find a backer for his new show. He sits in bars, drinking by himself. His agent, "the Commissioner" (

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

), tells him that financiers Bickel and Brown will back his show, but only if he can get Vicky to return. Dan is pessimistic, for Vicky and Victor are beginning a new engagement with Harry James and His Music Makers at the famous Lake Louise resort in the Canadian Rockies. The Commissioner tells Dan to romance Vicky so that she will come back, and not tell her about Bickel and Brown until she arrives in New York. He then asks bartender McTavish (

) to get the drunken Dan on the next plane to Lake Louise. When Dan awakens sometime later, he finds himself at the Canadian resort and learns that he has hired McTavish as his valet and Rosita Murphy (

), who was working in the souvenir shop at the Detroit airport, as his secretary. McTavish is an eccentric whose wealthy aunt bankrolled him to several college degrees. Dan meets Vicky, who happily shows off her engagement ring from Victor. Dan is discouraged but hits upon the scheme of making Vicky jealous by romancing Rosita. His plan appears to be working until Vicky learns the truth from Rosita, who has aroused the interest of Victor, although she prefers McTavish. Vicky's friend, Phoebe Gray (

), is also intrigued by McTavish, and the couples spend much time pursuing and arguing with each other. One evening, Dan barges into Vicky's room and refuses to leave even when she summons Victor. He hides, but is discovered by Victor, who accuses Vicky of being unfaithful, and she breaks off their engagement. Later that evening, Vicky and Dan reconcile. Dan proposes marriage and promises to be honest with her. He tries to tell her about the new show, but she rushes off to plan their departure the next morning. So instead he suggests a honeymoon in New York. As she is checking out in the morning, Vicky meets the Commissioner, and Bickel and Brown, who have just arrived. They spill the beans about the show. Thinking that Dan is using her once again, Vicky runs off in tears, but quick-thinking Rosita covers up for Dan, convincing Vicky that he intended to take her to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

for their honeymoon. In the process, however, Bickel and Brown are lost as backers and Rosita must persuade McTavish to invest some of his inheritance in the show. The show opens with Vicky and Dan as the star performers, supported by Harry James, Rosita and Victor, and McTavish and Phoebe.

Cast

as Vicky Lane * John Payne as Dan Christy *

as Rosita Murphy *

as Victor Prince *

as Phoebe Gray *

as McTavish *

as Himself *

as "the Commissioner" (uncredited) *

Chick Chandler Fehmer Christy "Chick" Chandler (January 18, 1905 – September 30, 1988) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 130 films from 1925 through the mid-1950s. Chandler was known for his starring role as Toubo Smith in ...

as Stage Manager *

Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, famously as ''Chief Iron Eyes'' in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' (1948). ...

as White Cloud *

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

as Mr. Jeepers *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerou ...

as Mrs. Jeepers *

Helen Forrest Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel, April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era (Artie Shaw, Benny Goodm ...

as Herself *

Harry Hayden Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

as Mr. Brown *

Russell Hicks Edward Russell Hicks (June 4, 1895 – June 1, 1957) was an American film character actor. Hicks was born in 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France. He later became a lieutenant Colonel in the Cali ...

as Man in Dark with Lighter * George Lloyd *

Dona Massin Dona Massin (born 18 February 1917–26 May 2001) was a film choreographer best known for her work on the 1939 film version of ''The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), The Wizard of Oz''. Dona Massin appeared in over 100 films throughout her career. ...

Carole Mathews Carole Mathews (born Jean Deifel, also credited as Jeanne Francis; September 13, 1920 – November 6, 2014) was an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Montgomery, Illinois, near Chicago, Mathews lived with her grandmot ...

Jewel McGowan Jewel McGowan (1921-1962) is best known as a dancer of Lindy Hop, a form of Swing (dance), swing dance, in the 1940s and 1950s. She also danced in other, non-swing films, and with modern jazz dance pioneer Jack Cole (choreographer), Jack Cole. She i ...

* Aloísio de Oliveira as Patrick Murphy, Jr. *

Frank Orth Frank Orth (February 21, 1880 – March 17, 1962) was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series ''Boston Blackie''. Career By 1897, Orth ...

as Mr. Bickel * John Roche *

Mary Stuart Mary Stuart or Mary Stewart may refer to: People *Mary Stewart, Countess of Buchan (before 1428–1465), fifth daughter of James I of Scotland, 1st Countess of Buchan *Mary of Guelders (c. 1434–1463), queen to James II of Scotland * Mary Stewart, ...

Charles Tannen Charles David Tannen (October 22, 1915 – December 28, 1980) was an American actor and screenwriter. Career A general purpose actor who worked primarily at 20th Century Fox, Tannen had mostly bit and/or supporting parts in movies, appea ...

as Backstage Call Boy (voice) * Margo Woode

Production

Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda, 1942 (2)

Although Wylie's story was published as "Second Honeymoon", it was purchased by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

under the title "Worship the Sun". An article published by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' noted that Frederick Jackson was working on the picture's script, but the extent of his contribution to the completed film has not been confirmed. According to a 20 December 1941 story outline, contained in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the

UCLA Library The library system of the University of California, Los Angeles, is one of the largest academic research libraries in North America, with a collection of over twelve million books and 100,000 serials. The UCLA Library System is spread over 12 li ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and

Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars of the teen idol type. Early life Hubert Prior Val ...

were originally considered for the male leads. According to the Records of the Legal Department, also at UCLA, the studio paid $1,000 for a waiver from Villa Moret Inc., holders of the copyright to the song "When It's Springtime in the Rockies", for the use of the title. The legal records also reveal that

paid approximately $1,160 to

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

, which had prior claim on the title for use on a

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

picture. That film was then released as '' Romance on the Range'' in 1942. A 22 June 1942 studio press release noted that the songs "Magazines" and "I Like to Be Loved by You", by

Mack Gordon Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American composer and lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years b ...

and

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

, were to be included in the film, but they were not in the finished picture. According to a ''

'' news item, the studio intended to shoot the picture on location at Lake Louise in Canada due to "defense regulations hindering exterior shooting in the Hollywood area". Only background shots were filmed in Canada, however. "

I Had the Craziest Dream "I Had the Craziest Dream" is a popular song which was published in 1942. The music was written by Harry Warren, the lyrics by Mack Gordon. Background The song was introduced by Harry James and his orchestra, with vocals by Helen Forrest, in ...

", which is sung by

's band singer

in the film, became one of

's signature songs. Grable and James were married in 1943, and according to modern sources, they named their first-born daughter, Victoria Elizabeth, after the character Grable played in this film. The couple were divorced in 1965.

Other versions

Twentieth Century-Fox first filmed Wylie's story in 1936 under the title ''Second Honeymoon''. That picture was directed by

Walter Lang Walter Lang (August 10, 1896 – February 7, 1972) was an American film director. Early life Walter Lang was born in Tennessee. As a young man he went to New York City where he found clerical work at a film production company. The business piqu ...

and starred

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

and

Loretta Young Loretta Young (born Gretchen Young; January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the fil ...

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American Pekin, white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shi ...

quacks a version of the song while bathing in the 1938 short '' Mickey's Trailer''. Grable starred with

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

in the ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

'' version of the story, broadcast on 22 May 1944. The legal records reveal that in 1946, the studio intended to film another remake, entitled ''Autumn in Acapulco'', but that version was never produced.

Box office

''Springtime in the Rockies'' was a big hit for Grable and for Fox: it grossed about $2 million, and was among the ten most successful films at the box office in 1942.

Critical views

The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that "aside from the settings and stunning costumes, practically everything in ''Springtime in the Rockies'' has a drearily familiar air."

Soundtracks

* ''Run, Little Raindrop, Run'' ** Music by

** Lyrics by

** Performed by Betty Grable and John Payne * ''

'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Played during the opening credits and often throughout the picture * ''

Chattanooga Choo Choo "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie ''Sun Valley Serenade''. It was ...

'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Portuguese lyrics by Aloísio de Oliveira * ''A Poem Set to Music'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Harry James and His Orchestra * ''O 'Tic-Tac' do Meu Coração'' ** Written by Alcyr Pires Vermelho and Walfrido Silva ** Performed by Carmen Miranda with

Bando da Lua Bando da Lua was a Brazilian band that made recordings from 1933-1954, notable for being Carmen Miranda Carmen Miranda, (; born Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha, 9 February 1909 – 5 August 1955) was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba ...

* ''Pan American Jubilee'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Portuguese lyrics by Aloysio De Oliveira * '' Serenade in Blue'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played during the bar scene * ''Two O'Clock Jump'' ** Written by

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conce ...

and

** Performed by Harry James and His Orchestra * '' You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)'' ** Music by James V. Monaco ** Performed by Harry James and His Orchestra * '' I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played when Rosita is introduced * ''

Chica Chica Boom Chic Chica, Chica, Boom, Chic is a song composed by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon (lyrics in Portuguese by Aloysio de Oliveira) and recorded by Carmen Miranda for her 1941 film ''That Night in Rio''. A recording by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria O ...

'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played by the band at the restaurant * ''

At Last "At Last" is a song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film ''Sun Valley Serenade'' (1941). Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US ''Billboard'' po ...

'' ** Music by Harry Warren ** Played by the band at the restaurant * '' Sleepy Lagoon'' ** Music by

Eric Coates Eric Francis Harrison Coates (27 August 1886 – 21 December 1957) was an English composer of light music and, early in his career, a leading violist. Coates was born into a musical family, but, despite his wishes and obvious talent, his p ...

** Heard during the hotel room scene with the roses * '' Ciribiribin'' ** Music by A. Pestalozza

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Springtime In The Rockies 1942 films 1942 musical comedy films 20th Century Fox films American musical comedy films 1940s English-language films Films scored by Alfred Newman Films directed by Irving Cummings Films based on works by Philip Wylie 1940s American films