***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** "Mad About Music" (Universal, 1938), directed by Norman Taurog, is Deanna Durbin's third feature film, and ranks one of her finest in many ways, especially with a delightful storyline and Durbin's likable charm, but unfortunately, this is one overlooked treasure from the golden age of teenage musicals.
The story opens with Gwen Taylor (Gail Patrick), a celebrated movie actress, placing her hand prints in the cement block at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Unknown to many, Gwen has been separated from her daughter for ten years because of her great popularity, and finds that she cannot reveal to her fans that a glamor girl like herself is a mother of a 14-year-old girl. Gloria Harkinson (Deanna Durbin), the daughter in question, is being educated at a Swiss school for girls. Well liked by her classmates, she is immensely disliked by one in particular, Felice (Helen Parrish), who is not only jealous of her popularity around school, but is very eager to learn more about Gloria's questionable family background, especially when she refuses to believe that Gloria's father is a famous African explorer. To cover up her lies, Gloria has her middle-aged friend, Pierre (Christian Rub) back her up by writing letters to her, signing them from "her Dad." Because her little white lies are getting her deeper and deeper in trouble, Gloria, realizing that she is being followed by her classmates as she is heading for the train station, suddenly approaches a man named Richard Todd (Herbert Marshall), and his valet, Tripps (Arthur Treacher). Before Todd realizes what has happened, the distinguished gentleman finds himself suddenly acting as Gloria's father and coming to her school where he impresses the girls by talking about his "hunting adventures in Africa." More problems arise when Gloria learns that her mother is visiting in Paris, and must manage to sneak away from the school without arousing any more attention.
The storyline to "Mad About Music" may sound corny in print, but in reality, it is highly amusing and entertaining throughout its 98 minutes screen time, and it's easy to see why Durbin became such a box office attraction, having both voice and personality. The supporting cast consists of a younger William Frawley playing Dusty Turner, Gwen Taylor's agent; Marcia Mae Jones as Olga, Gloria's best friend; Elisabeth Risdon as the school official; Jackie Moran and Charles Peck as military academy students interested in Gloria and Olga; Franklin Pangborn seen briefly as the hotel manager; plus a cameo appearance by Sidney Grauman of Grauman's Chinese Theater in the opening segment of the story. One scene finds Frawley's character in a sentimental moment as he tells Gloria that she mustn't see her mother, as much as he knows in his heart that seeing her mother would mean a lot to her. The way this scene is handled is well done, showing the warmer side of Frawley, a fine character actor known for his grumpiness and his sarcastic comedic one-liners, especially used to great advantage in the immortal long running TV series from the 1950s, "I Love Lucy," starring Lucille Ball. It is also interesting to see the young and sassy Gail Patrick cast against type playing a mother.
New songs by Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh include: "I Love to Whistle," "Ave Maria" (by Charles Francois Gounod); "Chapel Bells" "I Love to Whistle" and "Serenade to the Stars." Aside from Durbin's singing, the Capps Barros Harmonica Players also participate in a song number.
"Mad About Music" resembles the story lines used by MGM, especially those Jane Powell Technicolor musicals of the late 1940s, mainly because it was produced by Joe Pasternak, who brought over his charm of teenage musicals from Universal to MGM, revamping the formula he originated in the Durbin films. Universal-International would remake "Mad About Music" as "The Toy Tiger" (1956) featuring Jeff Chandler, Laraine Day and Tim Hovey in the Marshall, Patrick and Durbin roles. While "The Toy Tiger" did get some television exposure on American Movie Classics in the 1990s, "Mad About Music" at present, did not. This Durbin original is available on video cassette and DVD, and made its Turner Classic Movies cable channel premiere September 11, 2022. After watching this, it would be impossible not to become "Mad About Deanna." (****)
