Top o' the Morning

Ann Blyth's trained soprano is barely utilized in this film, as the musical weight is primarily carried by Bing Crosby. Blyth's singing career took an odd trajectory. After her first splash in Mildred Pierce (1945), she was considered a dramatic actress with occasional forays into romantic comedy and adventure roles. Despite the fact that she appeared in several musicals during her tenure at Universal, it wasn't until she shifted to MGM that her singing voice was used to full advantage. At this point, Blyth emerged as a full-on musical star, appearing in The Great Caruso (1951), The Student Prince (1954), Rose Marie (1954) and Kismet (1955). The final irony came when her singing voice was dubbed by Gogi Grant in The Helen Morgan Story (1957) because Warner Bros. felt a strong belter was more appropriate for a torch singer - despite the fact that Morgan herself possessed a gentle soprano much like Blyth's.