In the Backstage Blogathon (click on the link for more info and the list of participating blogs) participants pick a film made before 1970 that has something to do with the workings of show biz. This is a blog hop that definitely fits my interests in show business. I'll tell you more about this later which should add more credibility to my championing the 1948 film Give My Regards to Broadway.
Give My Regards to Broadway (1948)
I happened upon this movie on television several years ago. Serendipitously I had turned the channel just as the credits were starting to roll. Seeing that it was a movie about show biz and vaudeville I stuck with it and I was glad that I did. Give My Regards to Broadway is a film that so much reminded of me of my own family and upbringing that I added it to my list of favorite films.
The story is about Albert Norwick (played by Charles Winninger), a vaudeville veteran who struggles in show business with his growing family until they are forced off the road by The Great Depression. Taking on a regular job to lead the existence of any normal American family, Albert the Great hangs on to his vaudeville dreams believing that one day his family's act will get their big break in entertainment.
As the years pass, the three Norwick children settle in taking on jobs when they reach adulthood. The two daughters are ambivalent about the show biz dream while son Bert Norwick (played by Dan Dailey) shares his father's passion for the world of the stage. When their old agent lets Albert know about a possible big show opening in New York, the family starts rehearsing their song, dance, and juggling act as Albert is convinced there will be a headlining spot for them in this new show.
First one daughter and then the next loses interest as they fall in love and get married, abandoning the act. At first father and son pursue their dream until complications arise that threaten to keep them where they've been since leaving the glamour life 20 years previously. Faced with the dilemmas of what to do they must make the decisions that will decide the direction of their lives.
This is a fun film that explores the passion of pursuing dreams, the realities faced in that pursuit, sacrifices made for the sake of love and security, and the bonds of family and friends. Give My Regards to Broadway is poignant and bittersweet yet ever hopeful. It's a joyous film about life, love, family, and baseball--yes that's right. I'll leave it to you to watch the film to get the baseball connection.
Stars Charles Winninger and Dan Dailey do a fine job in the song and dance numbers as well as performing some very credible juggling numbers. Actually Dailey is quite good with the juggling. Professional jugglers Duke Johnson and Bill T. Coughlin acted as juggling coaches developing simple routines that looked good on screen while requiring minimal juggling expertise.
All in all this little known film makes for a delightful viewing experience. Nicely filmed in Technicolor, the acting is excellent and the classic songs are performed with true vaudeville flair. I was especially impressed by the story. This is one of the most realistic films about show business that I've seen. I'm going to tell you why I make that claim.
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| Dan Dailey, Barbara Lawrence, and Charles Winninger perform a plate juggling routine in Give My Regards to Broadway |
My Connection to the Film
What surprised me most when I saw this film was how similar the story was to the experience of my own family. My father was just starting out in show business with his own juggling act when this film first came out. Like most performers, he had that dream of being a headline act in a big show. He soon was to meet my mother who was a dancer with show biz dreams of her own. After they partnered in marriage they put together their own dance and juggling package and began playing the still active club and show circuit in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the 1950's.
My dad never gave up his dreams though he did maintain a good job as a bookkeeper and our family had a home and a relatively typical life. As my sister and I grew up we became part of my parents' act, performing on weekends or special engagements whenever we could get the bookings. It was a great life and the show biz bug easily hooked us. We dreamed of becoming performers full time, but never quite took that step.
Later, after my sister and I became adults, she left the act to follow her own pursuits. A few years later I too left to pursue my own show business dream as a solo performer. I worked successfully as a performer for about 15 years, getting married along the way and raising my own brood of kids. As they became school age I too left the show biz life to settle down to a regular job with a normal home life.
Having lived the life and the dream, I can understand the lure of the bright lights and the cheering audiences. It is something that "gets in your blood" as the saying goes. To me the film Give My Regards to Broadway precisely captures the spirit of the dream as well as the security of being tied down to regular life.
Relatively few people who attempt to go into an entertainment career experience huge success. Some of the luckier ones like myself and my family or the fictional Albert the Great and Family are able to enjoy enough of a successful run where we get a taste of the glamorous life. Once that's been tasted I think most of us have a lingering desire to return in some capacity. It's certainly true for me: If I were offered an opportunity to go back to an entertainment career of some sort, I would be tempted. I'd be very tempted.
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| A 1967 promo photo for my family's act The Juggling Jacksons My father Bob Jackson seated with my sister Joy, me in the center and my mother Lois Jackson. |
If you've seen Give My Regards to Broadway, what did you think of it? What films have you seen that come closest to depicting your own life story or your family background? Have you ever sacrificed a dream for the sake of security or the love of another?
To watch this film online you can find it here.
