''Till the Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

musical film produced by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

and a fictionalized biopic of composer

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 over ...

, portrayed by Robert Walker. Kern was involved with the production, but died before its completion. It was the first in a series of MGM biopics about Broadway composers. The film is one of the MGM musicals that entered the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

when MGM failed to renew its copyright.

Plot

Kern attends the opening night of ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...

'' in 1927, the landmark musical that secured his popularity. Following several of the show's most notable songs, Kern departs to reminisce about his early days as a young songwriter. Kern recounts meeting Jim Hessler, a musical mentor, and Hessler's young daughter Sally. Kern and the Hesslers grow close, and he later visits them in London. Taking Sally to the fair inspires Kern to conceive a stage production for one of his songs. At the London Gaieties revue, Kern's song garners the attention of theatrical producer Charles Frohman. When Kern happens to meet Eva Leale, it's love at first sight, but the courtship is cut short. He must abruptly sail back to New York to adapt '' The Girl from Utah'' for its Broadway debut. Following the show's success, Kern narrowly misses sailing back to London on the ill-fated RMS ''Lusitania''. The 1917 opening night of ''Oh, Boy!'' includes the musical number "Till the Clouds Roll By". The composer proposes to Eva and returns to New York to continue his string of theatrical successes, including '' Leave It to Jane''. His 1920 musical ''Sally'', starring Marilyn Miller, popularized the song " Look for the Silver Lining". Now grown up, Sally Hessler asks her Uncle Jerry to help her get a stage role. He writes the song "Who?" for her to have a part in the 1925 musical ''Sunny''. After the show's producers give the song to star Marilyn Miller, Sally leaves in protest. At the opening night of ''Sunny'', Kern learns that Sally has run off, leaving her father despondent. All attempts to locate Sally fail and Jim Hessler dies, leaving a mourning Kern unable to work. Oscar Hammerstein visits the Kerns to share a copy of the 1926 novel ''Show Boat''. The same night, Kern learns that Sally will be performing at a club in Memphis, Tennessee. He leaves to find her and they make amends; he then spends the night listening to the sounds of the Mississippi River. Having recounted his life story so far, Kern feels his career has likely come to a conclusion with ''Show Boat''. On the contrary, he continues to write hit shows, including ''The Cat and the Fiddle'' (1931) and ''

Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

'' (1933). While visiting a sound stage at MGM, Kern is delighted to discover that the studio has cast Sally to perform in a new film featuring his songs. The film concludes with highlights of Kern's Hollywood career, including songs from ''Swing Time'' (1936), ''Cover Girl'' (1944), and '' Broadway Rhythm'' (1944); the montage ends with songs from ''Sweet Adeline'' and ''Show Boat''.

Cast

* Robert Walker as

* June Allyson as herself/Jane in '' Leave It to Jane'' *

Lucille Bremer Lucille Bremer (February 21, 1917 – April 16, 1996) was an American film actress and dancer. Biography Bremer was born in Amsterdam (city), New York, Amsterdam, New York, but soon moved to Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where ...

as Sally Hessler (fictional) *

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

as Marilyn Miller *

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. From the age of 12, Grayson trained as an opera singer. She was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ...

as Magnolia Hawks in ''

''/Herself * Van Heflin as James I. Hessler, Kern’s (fictional) mentor *

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

as Julie LaVerne in ''Show Boat''/Herself * Dorothy Patrick as Eva Kern nee Leale * Van Johnson as bandleader in Elite Club * Tony Martin as Gaylord Ravenal in ''Show Boat''/Himself *

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

as Julia Sanderson *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

as himself * Gower Champion as specialty dancer in ''

'' * Cyd Charisse as specialty dancer in ''Roberta'' * Angela Lansbury as London specialty * Ray McDonald as dance specialty in ''Oh, Boy!'' and '' Leave It to Jane'' *

Virginia O'Brien Virginia Lee O'Brien (April 18, 1919 – January 16, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and radio personality known for her comedic singing roles in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals of the 1940s. Life and career O'Brien primarily performed in ...

as Ellie Mae in ''Show Boat''/Herself * Mary Nash as Mrs. Muller * Joan Wells as Young Sally Hessler * Harry Hayden as Charles Frohman *

Paul Langton Paul Langton (April 17, 1913 – April 15, 1980) was an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Leslie Harrington on the television series ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place''. Early years When Langton was 12 years old he mov ...

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

* Paul Maxey as

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

Cast notes *

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

makes a cameo. * Sally Forrest and Mary Hatcher make appearances as "chorus girls". *

reprised the role of Magnolia Hawks in MGM's film adaptation of ''

'', released in 1951. File:Bruce Cowling in Till the Clouds Roll By.jpg, Bruce Cowling File:Dorothy Patrick in Till the Clouds Roll By.jpg, Dorothy Patrick File:Dinah Shore in Till the Clouds Roll By.jpg,

Production

The working title for the film was "As the Clouds Roll By".

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

was intended to play Kern, with Gloria DeHaven, Jacqueline White, Imogen Carpenter, and

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...

in major parts. None appeared in the film. When the film started production in the fall of 1945,

was signed as Broadway singer-dancer Marilyn Miller, having just returned to California after a long New York honeymoon with her new husband, director

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...

. Soon after, Kern returned to New York toward the end of October and died in November 1945. During the six months that it took to shoot the film, producer Arthur Freed had to find one director after another. Lemuel Ayers, a set designer, was scheduled to make his directorial debut on the film, but was replaced by Busby Berkeley late in August 1945. Meanwhile, Minnelli – who, it was rumored at the time, would be taking over the direction of the film – was shooting Garland's sequences even before the beginning of principal photography as she was pregnant and expected to give birth in March 1946; her shooting was completed on November 8, 1945. By the time full shooting began in the middle of December, Berkeley had been replaced by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...

, who then was replaced after a short period by

Richard Whorf Richard Whorf (June 4, 1906 – December 14, 1966) was an American actor, writer and film director. Life and acting career Whorf was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts to Harry and Sarah (née Lee) Whorf. His older brother was linguist Benjamin ...

. Whorf received the onscreen directorial credit. There was a break in production from some time in January 1946 to the middle of March of the same year. The film includes two versions of "Ol' Man River": the first sung by Caleb Peterson and an African-American chorus as part of the ''Show Boat'' medley, and the second, a "crooner version" by

, featured as the grand finale.

Barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

consulted on the creation of the film's circus sequence.

Songs

* "Cotton Blossom" - MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * "Where's the Mate for Me" - Tony Martin * " Make Believe" - Kathryn Grayson/Tony Martin * "Life Upon the Wicked Stage" - Virginia O'Brien/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus Girls * "

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, is one of the most famous songs from their classic 1927 musical play ''Show Boat'', adapted from Edna Ferber's 1926 novel. Its musical composition entered ...

" - Lena Horne * " Ol' Man River" - Caleb Peterson/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * "Ka-Lu-a" - MGM Studio Orchestra * "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me" - Angela Lansbury/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * " They Didn't Believe Me" - Dinah Shore * "Till the Clouds Roll By" - June Allyson/Ray McDonald/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * "Leave It to Jane" - MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus/June Allyson/Ray McDonald * "Cleopatterer" - June Allyson/Ray McDonald/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * "Leave It to Jane" (Reprise) - MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus/June Allyson/Ray McDonald * " Look for the Silver Lining" -

* " Sunny" - Judy Garland/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * " Who?" - Judy Garland/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * "One More Dance" -

(Dubbed by Trudy Erwin) * " I Won't Dance" - Van Johnson/Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin) * " She Didn't Say Yes" - Lee and Lyn Wilde, aka "The Wilde Twins" * " Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - Cyd Charisse/ Gower Champion * " The Last Time I Saw Paris" -

* "The Land Where the Good Songs Go" - Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin) * " Yesterdays" - MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus * " Long Ago (and Far Away)" -

* " A Fine Romance" -

* "

All the Things You Are "All the Things You Are" is a song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was written for the musical '' Very Warm for May'' (1939)Tony Martin * " Why Was I Born?" -

* "Ol' Man River" (Reprise/Finale) -

/MGM Studio Orchestra and Chorus

Surviving Judy Garland outtake

A video of an excised musical number survives from this film, but part of the soundtrack has been lost. Judy Garland, as Marilyn Miller, sings "D'Ya Love Me?" to two clowns in a circus setting, representing a scene from the Broadway musical ''Sunny''. The clowns are played by Swedish clowns Jean and Rene Arnaut, known as the Arnaut Brothers. Although uncredited, they appear in the edited movie in the walk-around at the start of the ''Sunny'' circus.

Soundtrack album

Judy Garland in Till the Clouds Roll By 4

Judy Garland in Till the Clouds Roll By 2

The film was one of the early movies to have a soundtrack album released concurrently with it arriving in theaters. The soundtrack was produced by MGM Records, originally released as four 78-rpm records featuring various artists and songs from the film and cover artwork by Lennie Hayton. The album was released on LP. No official authorized version has yet been released on CD, but several unauthorized versions have appeared on the market.

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...

currently owns the rights to issue an authorized CD of the soundtrack under license from Turner Entertainment; in the past,

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

and

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

held such rights.

Reception

Critical response

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

, reviewing the film for ''The New York Times'', wrote:

"Why did Metro...have to cook up a thoroughly phoney yarn about the struggles of a chirpy young composer to carry the lovely songs of Jerry Kern? And why did it have to do it in such a hackneyed and sentimental way as to grate on the sensibilities of even the most affectionately disposed?"

''Variety'' differed, opening its satisfactory notice with "Why quibble about the story?" and likening the film to another such venture, Cary Grant's '' Night and Day''. In a retrospective review, American film critic

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...

wrote, "This monster thing, spawned at M-G-M, was meant to be the life of Jerome Kern."

Box office

The film earned $4,748,000 in the U.S. and Canada box offices and $1,976,000 in other markets, but because of its high cost, the profit was $732,000.

Accolades

The film is recognized by

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in these lists: * 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated

Home media

The film is one of several MGM musicals – another being '' Royal Wedding'' – that entered the public domain 28 years after production because the studio did not renew the copyright registration. As such, it is one of the more widely circulated MGM musicals on home video.

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

gave it its first fully restored DVD release on April 25, 2006.

Related films

''Till The Clouds Roll By'' was the first in a series of MGM biopics about Broadway composers: It was followed by '' Words and Music'' about

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's ...

in 1948, '' Three Little Words'' about Kalmar and Ruby in 1950, and '' Deep in My Heart'' about

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

in 1954.

References

External links

* * * * *
"Till The Clouds Roll By"
Full movie from jlds1212's YouTube channel

at TheJudyRoom.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Till The Clouds Roll By 1946 films 1940s biographical films 1946 musical films American biographical films American musical films 1940s English-language films Films about composers Films about musical theatre Films directed by Richard Whorf Films produced by Arthur Freed Films scored by Lennie Hayton Jukebox musical films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1940s American films English-language biographical films English-language musical films