A Song Is Born

A singer (Virginia Mayo) hides out with an academic (Danny Kaye) who’s unaware of her mob connections.

A Song Is Born is director Howard Hawks’ musical remake of his earlier film, Ball of Fire (1941).

Your enjoyment of the film will likely be commensurate with your enjoyment of the various musical performers spotlighted. Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, and the oft-sampled Golden Gate Quartette are all featured, and Benny Goodman even plays one of the academics. Needless to say, A Song Is Born will likely play very well to fans of the era’s music.

While the jazz is great, the film’s big problem lies in its leads. Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo are certainly passable, but neither is strong enough to carry the picture, and as a result, the film feels more like a musical showcase than a real story.

Still, A Song Is Born has its moments, like when Mayo decks Esther Dale, or Kaye’s fist fight at the film’s finale, that will have you laughing out loud, and which, combined with the great music, make the film passable.