Wikipedia

Rose of Washington Square

Rose of Washington Square
Roseofwashingtonsquare1939.JPG
Directed byGregory Ratoff
Produced byNunnally Johnson
Darryl F. Zanuck
Written byJerry Horwin (story)
Nunnally Johnson
StarringTyrone Power
Alice Faye
Al Jolson
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
May 5, 1939
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Rose of Washington Square is a 1939 American musical drama film, featuring the already well-known popular song with the same title. Set in 1920s New York City, the film focuses on singer Rose Sargent and her turbulent relationship with con artist Barton DeWitt Clinton, whose criminal activities threaten her professional success in the Ziegfeld Follies.

Although the names of the principal characters were changed, the plot was obviously inspired by vaudeville entertainer Fanny Brice's career and marriage to gambler Nicky Arnstein (both the film's title song and "My Man" were closely associated with Brice), and Brice sued 20th Century Fox for $750,000. The studio settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Written by Nunnally Johnson (who co-produced with Darryl F. Zanuck) and directed by Gregory Ratoff, it stars Alice Faye, Tyrone Power and Al Jolson, with a supporting cast that includes William Frawley, Joyce Compton, Hobart Cavanaugh, Moroni Olsen, Charles Lane, and Louis Prima.

Plot

Ted Cotter (Al Jolson), a successful Broadway minstrel performer, spots Rose Sargent (Alice Faye) performing in a vaudeville amateur night. He immediately takes a personal and professional interest in her, helping her career along as she joins the famed Ziegfeld Follies and begins to achieve stardom.

Rose does not recognize Ted's love for her, falling instead for Bart Clinton (Tyrone Power), a gambler and con man. Bart's nefarious activities get him arrested, and after Ted puts up his bail, Bart skips town. Rose pines away for him, until one night, when Bart goes to the Follies and hears her tearful rendition of the song "My Man", he realizes the error of his ways and sets out to make things right. As Bart is sent away for a 5-year prison sentence, Rose says "I'll be waiting, darling!"[1]

Cast

Songs

  • "Pretty Baby" – Al Jolson
  • "I'm Sorry I Made You Cry" – Alice Faye
  • "Ja-Da" – Alice Faye
  • "The Vamp" – Alice Faye and chorus
  • "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – orchestral[2]
    • Alice Faye's vocal cut from film, on DVD as an "extra"
  • "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" – Al Jolson
  • "I'm Just Wild About Harry" – Alice Faye
  • "California, Here I Come" – Al Jolson
  • "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)" – Al Jolson
    • "April Showers"/"Avalon" – Al Jolson (cut from film,
      on DVD as an "extra")
  • "The Japanese Sandman" – orchestral[2]
  • "Rose of Washington Square" – sung by Alice Faye,
    with specialty dancers Veloz and Yolanda in interlude
  • "Mother Machree"
  • "I'll See You in My Dreams" – Alice Faye (cut from film;
    on DVD as an "extra")
  • "I Never Knew Heaven Could Speak" – Alice Faye
  • "Yoo Hoo"
  • "My Mammy" – Al Jolson
  • "My Man" – Alice Faye[2][3][4][5][a]

Notes

  1. ^ Three songs - two performed by Alice Faye ("I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" and "I'll See You in My Dreams") and Al Jolson ("April Showers"/"Avalon") were cut from the final film. However, all three songs survive as filmed and are included on both the audio CD[3] and DVD[6] as "extras".

References

  1. ^ Rose of Washington Square (1939) online streaming video at ok.ru
  2. ^ a b c d e f Great Movie Musicals on DVD - A Classic Movie Fan's Guide by John Howard Reid - Google search with book preview
  3. ^ a b Rose of Washington Square song list from amazon.com
  4. ^ Rose of Washington Square (1939) soundtrack listing at IMDb
  5. ^ Rose of Washington Square (1939) - audio soundtrack on YouTube
  6. ^ Rose of Washington Square (1939) on IMDb - Trivia

External links

This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia® - the free encyclopedia created and edited by its online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of Wikipedia® encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information, please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.

Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.