My Dream Is Yours

One of the best of Doris Day's early Warner Brothers films is My Dream Is Your's. In this one she's a World War II widow with a young son who is also a singer looking for a big break in radio.

In a sense My Dream Is Your's was dated before it hit the theaters in 1949. That thing known as television was starting to spread across the land and someone looking for a break in radio that year would have had to have one's head examined. As many of radio's top personalities were moving to television, there were more opportunities in radio than ever before.

This film was done at the tail end of radio as it ended its thirty year run as an entertainment media. It took several years for radio to redefine itself as a news/entertainment media that it is today. Still the plot is a nice one.

Doris has two men to choose from here, an egotistical radio singer that makes the ladies swoon as Frank Sinatra did played by Lee Bowman and a talent agent who discovers Day and sticks with her played by Jack Carson.

Some of Doris's finest words of praise about her co-workers in her memoirs were written about Jack Carson. This part may have been closer to the real Carson than the usually egotistical blowhards Carson took a patent out on in Hollywood. Doris went out with him a few times in her early days at the studio and she describes him as a sweet, kind, lovable man who unfortunately drank a little too much. Her scenes with Carson show the real affection she had for him though.

Harry Warren made a return visit to the studio where he wrote so much lasting movie music in the Thirties. He wrote the title song which sold a few platters for Doris back in the day(no pun intended) and a few other new songs. Several of his old songs got into the film as well they should because the studio owned them already. One was a nice ballad called I'll String Along With You that Dick Powell introduced and Doris sang as a lullaby to her son. That record also sold pretty well for her. The new songs had lyrics by Ralph Blane.

Jack Warner, not to be outdone by Louis B. Mayer, got a couple of his animated stars to appear in My Dream Is Your's with Day and Carson the same way Jerry Mouse danced with Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh. It's done in a very charming child's dream sequence and not to be missed by animation fans of that wascally wabbit known as Bugs Bunny.

My Dream Is Your's also boasts one fine set of character players, as good as you'll find in any film. You can never go wrong with a film that has Adolphe Menjou, S.Z. Sakall, Eve Arden, and Edgar Kennedy all at their finest. This was in fact the farewell film for Edgar Kennedy and you can see how ill he is in his scenes as Doris's uncle.

Maybe if My Dream Is Your's had been done a year later we would have been talking about Carson getting Day a break on television. But the film would have been just as good.

The movie tells the story of Doug Blake (Jack Carson) as he searches for a new radio singer star in order to replace his conceited former friend Gary Mitchell (Lee Bowman), who has just refused to sign another contract. In New York Doug is spellbound by the singing talents of young war widow Martha Gibson (Doris Day). He brings her and her little son Freddy to Hollywood, where Martha and her manager Doug have to go through all the difficulties that an unknown singer has to face on the way to success. Gradually, Doug also falls in love with Martha, who however is more attracted by Gary Mitchell. We can't wait to see, of course, who will finally get the girl ...

The familiar story line (with a musician rising from being a nobody to being a well-known and recognized star) is often delivered in a boring and either over-sentimental or spiritless way by other movies of this kind. In contrast, "My Dream is Yours" combines an original, heart-felt story with a good script and excellent direction. And there is Doris Day at the age of twenty-five! She may already appear quite charming in some of the better-known comedies that were produced ten or fifteen years later. Here her performance is so delightful to look at and her singing so refreshing to listen to that I was overwhelmed. If you like Doris Day, you simply have to see this movie.

In the late forties Warner Brothers brought out three glossy Technicolor comedies with songs starring Jack Carson which served to introduce to an appreciative public the fresh-faced charm of the young Doris Day before she was a virgin. Ms Day had already been promoted to second billing by the time she made 'My Dream is Yours', which was the second, and by far the least, of this trio; which has a very thin storyline and at 101 minutes is frankly too long, but is so packed with goodies you'll still have a good time.

Even if you're not a fan of Doris's singing (my own favourite of her numbers in this film was the brief hula 'Nagasaki' number) there's Carson himself and a dream supporting cast including Eve Arden delivering her trademark quips while wearing a number of killer outfits, Edgar Kennedy (in his last film), Franklin Pangborn, and even Bugs Bunny and Tweety Pie; although fourth-billed Adolphe Menjou (who gets less screen time than 'Cuddles' Sakall) is rather wasted.

No expense seems to have been spared on the studio scenes, while the second unit have provided a fascinating record of the Los Angeles of the period (including the Brown Derby and Schwab's Drug Store), all in Technicolor.

If you've ever seen the famous clip of Doris Day, Jack Carson, and Bugs Bunny singing together, you've seen part of My Dream is Yours. It's the cutest scene in the movie, a lyrical version of "Hungarian Rhapsody", that reminds audiences of Gene Kelly's adorable dance with Jerry the Mouse in Anchors Aweigh. If you can't find a copy of My Dream is Yours, you should at least watch that song on YouTube. It's very cute.

Lee Bowman plays a big radio star, but his ego gets in the way of renewing his contract, so Jack Carson makes it his mission to find a new star to replace Lee. He finds the unknown, beautiful Doris Day, but she has a son in tow and the radio station doesn't like the idea of signing her on. As Jack tries to help her, they fall in love.

Jack and Doris are always adorable together, and whenever I watch one of their films together, I pretend that they got married in real life and lived happily ever after, even though that's not what really happened. They just have a magical chemistry together that puts you in a good mood and makes you believe in true love. So, for an adorable couple, some memorable songs, and an all-around cute story, rent My Dream is Yours. It's great to watch when you're feeling blue; it's guaranteed to cheer you up!

Warner Brothers made two very, very similar films--one after the other and with the same two stars. In fact, they are so similar, I could easily see viewers confusing the two pictures. "My Dream is Yours" and "It's a Great Feeling" BOTH star Doris Day as a young woman hoping to be discovered and a fast-talking guy, Jack Carson, promises to make her a star. However, "It's a Great Feeling" is more of a comedy and "My Dream is Your Dream" is a bit more of a romance. Both are about equally good in my opinion.

Martha Gibson (Day) has a lovely voice--and Doug (Carson) is determined to try to get her on the radio. However, again and again, Doug is either unable to get her an audition or folks insist she must be a 'name' before they'll put her on the air. Eventually, Doug is able to get Martha a break--when Gary (Lee Bowman) shows up drunk for his show--and after that, her career takes off. But, one problem persists--she's a single mom and Doug insists on finding her the perfect man.

Towards the end of the film, there is an odd animated sequence where Bugs Bunny, Tweety and a bunch of birds appear. Even odder are Day's and Carson's outfits and choreography for this sequence. Unfortunately, the sequence falls flat, as there were much better live-action/cartoon hybrids from the period--such as with Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry Mouse or Esther Williams swimming with Tom and Jerry. This one in "My Dream is Yours" just seems pretty pointless and unnecessary. Fortunately, although this slows down the film and isn't needed, the acting and singing are good throughout the film and it is enjoyable and worth seeing. It won't change your life, but it's nice.