Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.Margaret O'Brien sings, dances and keeps the faith in this heartwarming musical drama co-starring Robert Preston, Danny Thomas and George Murphy.
- Lewis Keller
- (as Butch Jenkins)
- Boy
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Fighter
- (uncredited)
- Mike
- (uncredited)
- Rabbi
- (uncredited)
- Page Cavanaugh
- (uncredited)
- Drunk Barfly
- (uncredited)
- The Florist
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMarni Nixon, famed for doing similar voicing duties on The King and I (1956) and West Side Story (1961), sings for Margaret O'Brien in the synagogue choir scenes.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Midge: [voice over] Back in nineteen thirty-seven, our street was pretty much like it is today. One end was the settlement house where you could find the Reverend Phillip Andrews almost any time of the day or night. If you ever needed a policeman, there'd be Patrick O'Donnell coming around the corner. He was a good friend to all the kids in the neighborhood, and to the grown-ups too. Sometimes while he was walking his beat, he'd stop and listen to the music coming from the temple down at the other end of the street. It would be the cantor singing and the boys choir.
[Cantor David Feldman and the boys choir are seen performing Kol Nidre in the temple]
Midge: [voice over] One Sabbath evening after service, Cantor Feldman was on his way home.
Passerby: Good evening, Cantor Feldman.
Cantor David Irwin Feldman: Oh, good evening.
Midge: [voice over] As he started up his front steps, he heard a funny little noise.
Cantor David Irwin Feldman: [looking around] Here kitty. Here...
Midge: [in Cantor Feldman spotting a newspaper covered basket, and removing the newspapers to find a baby crying inside] It was me.
- Crazy creditsThe following general acknowledgment is listed following the opening credits: "This picture is dedicated to people who like people."
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Blue Lamp (1950)
- SoundtracksGod Bless America
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Marles Noie (uncredited), Margaret O'Brien (uncredited), Robert Preston (uncredited), Danny Thomas (uncredited), George Murphy (uncredited), Betty Garrett (uncredited), Karin Booth (uncredited), Edward Arnold (uncredited) and Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins (uncredited)
As the film opens, three men, all of whom live in the same neighborhood but have differing religious and social circles, come across an abandoned infant in a basket at the steps to one of the men's apartment building...
This film, whose alternate title could have been 'Three Men and a Baby', deals with the commonalities of the Jew, the Catholic and the Protestant as they work for the common good of this baby girl. The cast is rounded out by a sweet, if not stereotypical, Jewish 'grandmother', a benevolent judge and a couple of 'love interests'.
After the initial introduction of the characters, we are left to assume that all goes well for some 10-12 years where the film picks up on the co-mingled lives of the odd family and some of the challenges faced by Midge, the infant now turned lady-beyond-her-years, in the classroom, and by her adoptive fathers in their courtships. It includes many of the aspects of today's 'reality television' shows, including 'alliances', differing moral values, and competition among participants.
Social Impact:
The movie deals nicely, if not superficially and somewhat predictably, with the issues of finding common ground to base friendships on, rather than differences upon which to build enmity.
Recommendation:
This film is timely for 1948 and for today in a world where religious differences seem to be playing a vital role in public opinion.
I recommend this film for its cinematography (B&W) and for its ability to remind the viewer that there are things worth working together for, especially the future we build for our children.
- thesommers
- Jan 25, 2005
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Brothers of the East Side
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,725,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1