User reviews

There are several musicals from the early 1940s with overlapping cast memberships and similar plots. Among these are Down Argentine Way (1940), Week-End in Havana (1941), The Gang's All Here (1943) and this one.

This is my favorite of the lot, and here's why. Carmen Miranda and Edward Everett Horton.

Carmen Miranda was in all the movies I named above, and she steals the show in every single one of them. But in this one, she has a larger part.

The pairing of Carmen with Edward Everett Horton was sheer genius. The talented Horton had a wide range, from serious parts such as Lost Horizon (1937) to being the narrator of "Fractured Fairy Tales" in the 1960s. His best roles, though, were probably his comedic ones, and he was rarely better than here.

Carmen's wild attraction to Horton is funny enough in itself, simply because it is so unlikely. She is head-over-heels for him and throws herself at him in a way only the Brazilian Bombshell can do. Combine this with the diffident Horton's hesitancy, embarrassment and overall dignified befuddlement and you've got a love story the like of which has never been filmed elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong -- this is not the front story, which takes place between Betty Grable and John Payne. It is a secondary subplot. And the story itself is secondary to the music and dancing.

Still, for me, Rosita and McTavish are the sine qua non of the film, and make it my favorite movie in which I have seen Carmen Miranda.

I wouldn't argue with anyone who said that Springtime in the Rockies might just be Betty Grable's best film. It certainly has a lot going for it.

The plot's a skimpy one as these types of films are. Betty's in love with her act partner John Payne who says he reciprocates, but can't get pinned down for marriage. After a performance in their show, she and Payne get into one fight too many and she takes off for an engagement with her former partner Cesar Romero in a resort on the shore of Lake Louise in those beautiful Canadian Rockies.

No one got near Lake Louise from 20th Century Fox. A few establishing shots of the lake with the mountains behind are all you see. Of course John Payne chases after her with some mixed motives. He wants to marry her, but he also wants her for a new show. He takes his own scenic route to Lake Louise, flying under his own power as well as by plane and finds when he both arrives and sobers up he's hired himself a secretary in Carmen Miranda and a valet in Edward Everett Horton.

Betty gets to make her first appearance on screen with her new husband, Harry James and his orchestra. Just prior and during World War II was the era of the big bands and all the studios tried to sign them up and shoe horn them into films. It was an easy fit in this case for Harry James.

Especially with a score from Harry Warren and Mack Gordon who provided James with one of his biggest hits. I Had The Craziest Dream. Played by the band with inimitable James trumpet and sung beautifully by Helen Forrest this was one of the biggest song hits of the World War II years. It still plays beautifully today.

Carmen Miranda does a couple of numbers in her unique style, you haven't lived until you've heard her do Chattanooga Choo Choo in Portugese. And in this wonderful cast in a small role is Jackie Gleason as Payne's agent. It's sad that in this wonderful cast, Gleason had a most nondescript part that shows absolutely nothing of his comic abilities.

There's nothing deep about Springtime in the Rockies, it's just fabulous entertainment with a cast you could never assemble like this today.

"Springtime in the Rockies" is another delightful 20th Century Fox musical, this time starring Betty Grable, John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Cesar Romero, and Harry James. All of them are wonderful, but Grable really sparkled in this as Vicky Lane, a Broadway actress whose heart is broken by Dan (John Payne). She quits the show they're doing and teams up for a song and dance act with handsome Victor Prince (Romero). The show's producer (Jackie Gleason) is in need of backing for his next show, finds Dan in a bar, and insists that he get Vicky back to New York. She's currently performing at Lake Louise. Payne is drunk out of his mind, so the bartender (Horton) escorts him to the Canadian resort.

Grable looks fantastic and dances with Romero beautifully. Romero was tall, handsome, a beautiful dancer, and could do drama (Captain from Castile) as well as comedy (Julia Misbehaves). He enjoyed a wonderful career but had he not been Cuban, his film work would probably not been limited to supporting roles. Payne is handsome and delightful, and Carmen Miranda as Rosita Murphy is very funny.

The scenery is gorgeous, the music upbeat with lots of great trumpet-playing by Harry James, and the actors marvelous. "Springtime in the Rockies" is a real treat.

Among the Fox musicals of the early 40s, there isn't much to distinguish one from the others. The leading lady will be Alice Faye or Betty Grable, the leading man will be Don Ameche or John Payne, the setting will be a scenic paradise, the story slight, and the success of the picture will depend on the supporting players and/or specialty acts.

In this case there are some very welcome highlights that elevate the picture above most of the others. Caesar Romero reveals himself to be a first-rate ballroom dancer: lithe, graceful, totally appealing. He brings out the best in Betty Grable in their nightclub routine - she who so often had done the simplest steps in production numbers while the chorus did the real dancing around her. She is put to the test this time, and acquits herself very well.

Then there is Edward Everett Horton, at last able to play a character with aspirations, motivation, a background that matters - instead of the less-than-one dimensional nervous, dithering purveyor of the double-take. Arguably, this is his best performance.

And finally we have Carmen Miranda at the top of her form (Was she ever not?). Good songs, terrific gestures and facial expressions, flashing eyes, dazzling smile - even a part that has an effect on the story (such as it is).

There were no better musicals at this time than those being produced by Fox. MGM was just getting its A-team together, and within a year or two would render the Fox musicals decidedly less impressive than they had seemed. But Leo the Lion had Kelly, Astaire, Garland, Grayson working for him; Fox had to do with less.

Singer/dancer Betty Grable (Vicky) has an offer from Cesar Romero (Victor) to join him in his show in the Canadian Rockies. Romero wouldn't mind a bit of romance as well. However, Grable has her heart set on her singer/dancer partner John Payne (Dan) if only he would stop seeing other women. Well, it seems he can't do that so Grable goes to Romero and they produce successful shows together, even getting engaged. Meanwhile, Payne isn't doing so well on his own so shows up in the Rockies to see if he can get Grable back as his partner. In a stroke of genius, he also picks up Edward Everett Horton (McTavish) as a butler and Carmen Miranda (Rosita) as a maid on his journey out there. Harry James and his orchestra play the music and all ends happily.

It's a great cast with entertaining singing and dancing. My favourite song is the opening song sung by Grable and Payne – "Run, Little Raindrop, Run" – and we get a couple of crazy Carmen numbers as well which are always entertaining. There is also a nice song – "I had the Craziest Dream" – sung by Helen Forrest who was the singer with the Harry James Orchestra. The secondary cast are amusing but the film does lose its way a bit with the romance and Romero is just too nice a guy in the way he takes it all.

The Technicolour here isn't the rich colours that you see in "Cover Girl" but a softer shade. I've never been to Canada, but the presence of Carmen Miranda, the way Helen Forest is made-up for her song and the setting of the venue and the music gives it a South American feel. They could have thrown in a moose or two to keep reminding us that we're in Canada.

Wartime flick. Some great names... betty grable, edward horton, john payne, carmen miranda, cesar romero. Kind of a much ado about nothing. Dan and vicky have been performing together for years, but now there's trouble in paradise. When dan can't be found, vicky takes up with victor, and now dan is out in the cold. Horton is in here for comic relief, as the bartender. And somehow, they all end up at beautiful lake louise in canada. Keep an eye out for vicky's dresser, phoebe; that's deadpan charlotte greenwood; she and grable had just done moon over miami the year before. With bob cummings. And in this one, her director is irving cummings. Grable was married to harry james for years. He and his band are in here too. Even playing some of the same music from moon over miami. Sadly, grable died so young from cancer. This one is pretty good. Nothing too complicated. They had to make do during the war. Jackie gleason ten years before honeymooners!

I've just viewed the video of 'Springtime in the Rockies' for perhaps the 50th time and it just keeps getting better. My video runs for 87 minutes; just what is in the missing 4 minutes, if the stated 91 minutes running time is correct, I wonder?

What do I like about this movie? It is beautiful to look at with superb sound that sweeps you back to the 1940s. John Payne and Carmen Miranda never made a better movie. Harry James wisely performs with the band and has few lines. But, if I have to pick out one actor, it is the wonderful Charlotte Greenwood, she of the L O N G legs. Her solo on the dance floor is the highlight of the movie. Betty Grable is nice to look at as well, of course! Then we have Edward Everett Horton and a number of other fine supporting actors who go to make up one of the best musicals to come out of the war years.

This is one of those musicals, common in the 1930s & 40s, that was more of a display of orchestras than for plot development. In the 1930s & 40s many musicals were created for the purpose of displaying some famous orchestra. Such musicals showed little plot development. This is one such musical.

Charlotte Greenwood is given the opportunity several times to show her extraordinary ability for high kicking, but it was out of place with regard to the overall plot.

An excessive amount of time is given to Harry James and his orchestra. Harry James' character is totally inconsequential to the plot.

Helen Forrest sings a number that takes up several minutes, but does not appear in the film at any other time.

What plot development there is, is fairly interesting as Vicky Lane & Dan Christy jump in and our of love for each other, as other romantic relationships develop as well.

A film that takes all the stock conventions of Betty Grable musicals and distills them into one big bright package. This shows what the Hollywood dream factory could do with even the most obvious and conventional script. Filmed in lush Technicolor the film is loaded with so much talent and trimmings that the threadbare story becomes unimportant.

Betty Grable was at the peak of her popularity all dolled up in the height of 40's fashion, she and John Payne make a handsome and charming pair. They were strong enough to carry a film themselves but Fox managed to cram all the strongest supporting players from their other various movies. Charlotte Greenwood does the faithful sidekick role she did so well and gets a chance to do her unique dance routine. Caesar Romero is the dashing snook and Edward Everett Horton the droll faithful retainer. Then there's that party all on to herself Carmen Miranda fracturing the language and wearing outfits that as John Payne says are a little overdone outside a Mardi Gras. Topped off with Harry James' stellar music, including Sleepy Lagoon and I Had the Craziest Dream, weaving it's spell throughout this is the kind of shiny bauble that kept the public's mind off the war and still can't help but entertain today.

In the grand tradition of escapism musicals during WWII, Springtime in the Rockies is incredibly fluffy. There are lots of musical numbers, with hardly any plot to confuse the audience. Betty Grable and John Payne are a song and dance duo who are also romantic backstage. When he cheats on her one too many times, she leaves him and gets a new contract in Canada. She pretends to take up with her old dance partner and boyfriend Cesar Romero, but it's just to get him jealous. John also pretends to take up with his secretary Carmen Miranda, but it's just to make her jealous.

I watched this one because I love hearing John Payne sing and watching Cesar Romero dance. He shares a dance number with Betty Grable that's very cute, especially since she's wearing a feathered dress reminiscent of Ginger Rogers's from Top Hat! Besides that, I wasn't the best target audience for the film, since I can't stand Betty Grable and usually fast-forward through Carmen Miranda's numbers. But it isn't every day I can see two handsome men in Technicolor, so I decided to sit through it.

If I didn't read it somewhere, I'm sure I'd appropriate the assertion myself: "Technicolor was invented for Carmen Miranda." That fabulously talented lady from Brazil possessed a sense of humor which brightened many an hour for me. (Yes, she was assisted by scriptwriters and directors who knew how to showcase her gifts, but her personality simply leaps from the screen and into all those receptive hearts who so regret her untimely passing.)

This is one of the better films in which Carmen appeared (Luvved her character's moniker: "Rosita Murphy" - What fun!) and other comments on this site aptly point out its delights. Everyone in the cast gets to add to the pleasure and let no one cast aspersions on Miss Betty Grable - her verve and naturalness were one of Twentieth-Century Fox's most valuable assets, especially during those difficult WWII years. A friend of mine, whose youthful cinema-going was considerably less supervised than mine, was absolutely besotted with Betty's blonde beauty and bounce. I believe he saw everyone of her films first-run, when he was barely old enough to enter a theater unaccompanied, as he did, and he insisted I catch TV showings of those Grable gems (and her fabled gams) whenever he saw a broadcast listing. Each time I was able to follow his recommendation, I was not in the least sorry. And with Senorita Miranda to whip this confection into frothy perfection...well, as the saying goes: "They don't make 'em like that anymore."

Yes, this was indeed a fun and entertaining film with my favorites John Payne & Betty Grable. Music is terrific and dancing is fantastic. The Nicholas brothers do a fantastic number, and the orchestra is Harry James. Edward Everett Horton (related to me by marriage) is always a delight with his nervous mumbo jumbo and getting hooked by Carmen Miranda and her boys from Mexico. Song that stays in my mind is "I Got The Craziest Dream".

20th Century Fox knew how to build films around Betty Grable and this is one of their better efforts, thanks to the presence of a first-rate cast: John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Edward Everett Horton, Jackie Gleason and Harry James & His Orchestra.

The usual backstage story starts with Betty and frequent co-star John Payne having a spat over his womanizing ways. Before you know it, he follows her to the Rocky Mountains resort where the misunderstandings continue, involving Cesar Romero, a very funny Carmen Miranda and the bumbling Edward Everett Horton. Miranda gets to do her thing with some fractured English and some great songs tossed in. Betty displays more than modest talent in the singing and dancing department (especially graceful with Cesar Romero) and Payne firmly established himself as the most presentable leading man of the Fox musicals in the '40s. Everyone looks great in the technicolor photography. If it's musicals you like, what's not to like?

Summing up: amiable, tune-filled entertainment of the kind that doesn't exist any more. Payne's best performance since 'Sun Valley Serenade'.

"Springtime in the Rockies" has a lot going for it. It's a combination film of music, comedy and romance that was popular and frequent from Hollywood during the 1930s and into the 1950s. Those were the musical revue movies in which the characters were in the music and entertainment trade in the film. The musical plays that later became the favored form of the genre were those that were not set in an entertainment venue. They are dramas, westerns, war, romance and comedy films in which the plot plays out in musical numbers.

But this film is an exceptional one of the early form, for its quality in a number of areas. First, it's one of the very best films to showcase a great swing era band. Harry James and his orchestra had become one of the most popular swing bands by the time this movie came out. The next year, James would marry the movie's star actress, Betty Grable. The musical treats include James's trumpet and his band, Helen Forrest singing "I Had the Craziest Dream," songs and dances by Carmen Miranda, dancing by Gable and Cesar Romero, and duets by Gable and male co-star John Payne.

Another plus that raises this above the routine musical reviews is an excellent plot and screenplay. The story itself has more substance than usual for such films. It got its start from a 1937 short story, "Second Honeymoon," by American author Philip Wylie. And the script here has quality comedy and clever writing. Some of the comedic dialog comes off as spontaneous. All the principal players are involved with the comedy as well. And some specific supporting roles are key to the comedy. Foremost among these is Edward Everett Horton as McTavish. Horton was one of the best supporting actors in the 1930s and 1940s Hollywood. He also had some lead roles. Joining him in supporting the others is Charlotte Greenwood as Phoebe Gray, and the uncredited Jackie Gleason as "Commissioner."

A third and big plus for this film is the scenery. Although filmed in the Hollywood studios of Twentieth Century Fox, it used some exterior scenes of the beautiful Lake Louise and its chateau in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. I've traveled across the Rocky Mountains in the U. S. and Canada, and there's no more beautiful lake setting. Trails offer views back toward the chateau, and sweethearts can rent canoes. But most enjoyable is afternoon tea in the chateau dining room which offers one the postcard picture view of the turquoise lake.

All the technical aspects of the film are superb. Only in a couple places do some little flaws show. These were either in film editing or script rewriting where a couple of scenes seem to have forced leads into the next line of dialog. It's as though the spontaneous part that would lead into that had been cut or dropped.

One oddity about this film is that when it came out in late 1942, the world was at war. Of course, all of life didn't cease with war, and home entertainment was important to help keep up hope and morale. And, one wouldn't expect to see GIs at a world-class resort in the Canadian Rockies. In one scene, a Royal Canadian Mounty in full uniform is on the dance floor. But there is no other sign that there is even a war taking place. Even a couple of officers - Canadian or American, in uniform in the picture would have been good. They would have been on short leaves or weekend passes, and during war they would have been in uniform at all times. The opening scenes in New York might have had some GIs or sailors outside the theater.

Still, this is one of the very best movies with big bands of the swing era. Here are some funny lines from the film. For more witty dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.

Commissioner (Jackie Gleason, uncredited), "Danny boy, you'll hurt your knuckles. I'll knock. You yell." Dan Christy, "Where am I?" McTavish, "Chateau Lake Louise. Heart of the Canadian Rockies. Elevation, 5,670 feet." McTavish, "I've been going to school now for 20 years. I graduated last month." Dan Christy, "Twenty years in one college?" McTavish, "Oh, no sir. No, sir. I have diplomas from five." McTavish, "Well, I confess. Though I am a master of romance languages, I'm scarcely a master of romance. Bachelor of Arts, yes, but awfully tired of being a bachelor." Commissioner, "Listen, I didn't send you up there to make her jealous. When a woman's jealous, she's mad. And we won't want a mad woman for the show." Rosita Murphy, "When I first meet you, I think you are a little on the dumb bell side, you know." McTavish, "Not really? You know, I must say definitely, that I felt just the same way about you." Vicky Lane, "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go to the powder room." Rosita Murphy, "I will go with you. My face is a mess, too." Dan Christy, "What's cookin', Phoebe?" Phoebe, "I don't know what's cookin', but I know someone's stewin'." Rosita Murphy, "Hmmm. Is that a diamond?" Vicky Lane, "Yes. Does the size of it startle you?" Rosita Murphy, "Yes. In Brazil, we throw that kind away." Gesturing with her closed fist, she says, "We dig them up this big." Dan Christy, "McTavish, any time a woman never wants to see you again, that means she can't live without you. I'm happy to report that everything is progressing according to plan." McTavish, "Really, sir, really? Your scientific approach to a woman's heart - it's just amazing, sir." Dan Christy, "Thank you, McTavish." Vicky Lane, "Now, why didn't you leave by the fire escape as I asked you to?" Dan Christy, "Look, no fire escape." Vicky Lane, "Well, a gentleman would've jumped."

With such talent and being such a fan of musicals, seeing 'Springtime in the Rockies' was a must. After seeing it, 'Springtime in the Rockies' definitely wrapped itself around my heart and anybody who likes films of this type or musicals from this era are likely to find it very difficult to resist.

The story is secondary to the rest of the film and is basically fluff. However this does not matter when everything else was so well done, and when there are musicals with far more contrived, implausible, flimsy and sugary stories. Especially in the musicals made during the Second World War. On the story front, 'Springtime in the Rockies' is for me one of the better ones from this period and the same can be said for it in general.

'Springtime in the Rockies' is beautiful to watch visually, being lavishly designed in sets and costumes, photographed with a lot of love and care and filled with eye popping colours that always dazzle and never assault the senses. The music and songs also delight, "I Had the Craziest Dream" being the standout, fabulously performed by Harry James and his Orchestra. As does the clever choreography for especially the Nicholas Brothers, the solo of Charlotte Greenwood and even more so the finale (a perfect marriage of music, comedy, emotion and dance and the very meaning of an extravaganza without being overblown despite it being lengthy).

Furthermore the script is filled with snappy lines that crackle in energy and wit, the whole film is breezily directed with a clear love for the content and the story flies by thanks to its immense fun, heart and charm, not to mention the non-stop energy without feeling rushed or overstuffed.

Betty Grable sparkles in one of her best performances, while John Payne has rarely been more at ease and Cesar Romero is suave and elegant. Carmen Miranda is a dynamite scene-stealer with hilarious comic timing, most of it centred around her broken English, and Edward Everett Horton is delightfully befuddled yet dignified. Charlotte Greenwood gives yet another perfect turn stealing scenes with even just her legs and those unique kicks. Not to mention Helen Forrest. Harry James and his Orchestra are fabulous too.

Pretty much the only tiny drawback is the waste of Jackie Gleason in a very small role that doesn't play to his comic strengths at all. Other than that, this is a sheer delight. 9/10 Bethany Cox

There are a variety of reasons why musicals such as Bette Grable's sparkling November 1942's "Springtime in the Rockies" was such a hit in the middle of World War Two. As film critic Nick Zegarac notes when the Technicolor picture was released in the first year of America's participation in the war, "with half a hemisphere in flames, rationing on the home front, the men fighting abroad, and the women pulling double duty in the factories and the kitchen-money still tighter than a drum-you better believe movies like 'Springtime in the Rockies' were considered not only a luxury, but also a necessity to keep the morale and sanity alive and thriving during those terribly dark days." The success of Bette Grable arriving at the perfect time was attributed to her talents as a dancer and an actress-and to her sex appeal. "I became a star for two reasons, and I'm standing on them," Grable once said, pointing to her two legs, insured for a million bucks. "Springtime in the Rockies" was her biggest hit so far, and her iconic look-over-the-shoulder pinup photo the next year made her the most popular woman for the GI's fighting overseas. The musical was where Grable met her future husband Harry James. The band leader who played trumpet captured the woman of every servicemen's dream, whose slogan was, "I want a girl just like the girl that married Harry James." Grable's first marriage was to actor Jackie Coogan, the childhood actor in Charlie Chaplin's 1921 "The Kid" and later as Uncle Fester in TV's 'The Addams Family.' Grable and Coogan met as supporting cast members in the 1938 musical 'College Swing,' and their bliss lasted two years. Meanwhile, Harry James had joined Benny Goodman's band in 1937 playing his trumpet, then formed his own 'Music Makers' in 1939 with Goodman's backing. His orchestra was the first vocalist Frank Sinatra sang for in 1939 before moving on with Tommy Dorsey. James replaced Glenn Miller's nationwide radio program when the orchestra leader joined the Army in 1942. Grable always placed "Springtime in the Rockies" as one of her favorites because of her union with James, and named their first daughter after her movie character, Victoria "Vicki" Bivens. Their marriage lasted 22 years before they divorced.

"Springtime in the Rockies" was a remake of 1937's 'Second Honeymoon' with Tyrone Power and Loretta Young. Its plot sees Vicki (Gable) frustrated with her boyfriend, Dan Christy (John Payne), her Broadway dance partner caught fooling around with other women. Vicki hooks up with her former dance partner Victor Prince (Caesar Romero), where they're hired to perform in a swanky hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Meanwhile, Dan receives an offer from a pair of financiers to team up with Vicki again. He arrives at the Canadian hotel with newly-hired valet McTavish (Edward Everett Horton) and secretary (Carmen Miranda) in an attempt to make amends with Vicki.

The "Brazilian Bombshell" Miranda was enjoying success in Hollywood when making "Springtime in the Rockies." 20th Century Fox bought out her contract with theatre owner Lee Shubert for $60,000 to devote all her time to movies. The film critic at the Chicago Tribune loved her performance in "Springtime in the Rockies," writing the "musical was "senseless, but eye intriguing. The basic plot is splashed over with songs and dances and the mouthings and eye and hand work of Carmen Miranda, who sure would be up a tree if she ever had to sing in the dark." Grable captured the number one box office spot in 1943, sending its previous champs Abbott and Costello into third place. "Springtime in the Rockies" was a huge hit, grossing well over $2 million. The movie consistently ranks as one of Gable's most popular motion pictures, with one fan poll placing the film at the top.