The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Comedy / Romance / Musical
Film Review
After their successful pairing in Wonder
Man (1945), Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo are reunited for
another exuberant musical comedy, the third of six highly successful
films that Kaye made for independent film producer Samuel
Goldwyn. Grossing four million dollars, The Kid from Brooklyn was one of
Goldwyn's most profitable films and helped to secure the reputation of
Danny Kaye as one of Hollywood's most bankable performers.
A remake of the 1936 Harold Lloyd film The Milky Way, The Kid from Brooklyn suffers
somewhat from its transition to a musical. Most of the numbers
appear to have been crowbarred in with great difficulty and have
little, if anything, to do with the plot. Some of comedy routines
are sloppy and over-laboured, occasionally looking like hand-me-downs
from a cheap vaudeville act. Despite its obvious imperfections,
the film is a lively and enjoyable romp, thanks to the star quality that Kaye and
Mayo bring to it.
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Film Synopsis
Burleigh Sullivan is a shy but ambitious milkman from the Brooklyn
district of New York. When his horse goes into labour on the
public highway, he turns to nightclub singer Polly Pringle for help in
calling an ambulance. Polly is Burleigh's kind of girl, but how
can he, a mere penniless milkman, win such a wonderful woman?
Fate gives him a helping hand when, one evening, he manages to clock a
prize fighter named Speed McFarlane who had been harassing his
sister. When the story gets into all of the newspapers,
Speed's manager, decides to turn Burleigh into a boxing champion.
Burleigh can hardly believe his good fortune as he wins a series of
matches in a row. What he doesn't know is that the fights have
all been rigged and that he is heading for an almighty fall...
Script: Don Hartman, Melville Shavelson, Ken Englund, Everett Freeman, Grover Jones, Frank Butler, Richard Connell, Lynn Root (play),
Harry Clork (play), Eddie Moran
Cinematographer: Gregg Toland
Music: Carmen Dragon
Cast:Danny Kaye (Burleigh Sullivan),
Virginia Mayo (Polly Pringle),
Vera-Ellen (Susie Sullivan),
Steve Cochran (Speed McFarlane),
Eve Arden (Ann Westley),
Walter Abel (Gabby Sloan),
Lionel Stander (Spider Schultz),
Fay Bainter (Mrs. E. Winthrop LeMoyne),
Clarence Kolb (Mr. Austin),
Victor Cutler (Photographer),
Charles Cane (Willard),
Jerome Cowan (Fight Announcer),
Don Wilson (Radio Announcer),
Knox Manning (Radio Announcer),
Kay Thompson (Matron),
Johnny Downs (Master of Ceremonies),
The Goldwyn Girls (Themselves),
Fred Aldrich (Handler Carrying Hogan from Ring),
Betty Alexander (Goldwyn Girl),
Jimmy Ames (Ring Announcer)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Color
Runtime: 113 min
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