On Moonlight Bay [Blu-ray]

Director: Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth

Overview

In this musical, the incorrigible Penrod is played by Billy Gray, but his is a strictly secondary part herein. The emphasis is on Penrod's hoydenish older sister, played by Doris Day. She falls in love with Gordon MacRae, whose anti-capitalist sentiments sit not at all well with Doris' banker dad.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/2021
UPC:	0883929737109
Original Release:	1951
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	24,585

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Doris Day	Marjorie Winfield
Gordon MacRae	Bill Sherman
Leon Ames	Mr. Winfield
Rosemary De Camp	Mrs. Winfield
Jack Smith	Hubert Wakeley
Mary Wickes	Stella
Ellen Corby	Miss Stevens
Billy Gray	Wesley Winfield
Jeffrey Stevens	Jim Sherman
Esther Dale	Aunt Martha
Susan Whitney	Cora
Eddie Marr	Barker
Sig Arno	Dancing Instructor
James Dobson	Soldier
Rolland Morris	Sleeping Soldier
Lois Austin	Mother
Creighton Hale	Father
Anne Kimbell	Daughter
Ray Spiker	Bartender
Hank Mann	Salesman
Jack Mower	Salesman
Ralph Montgomery	Salesman
Henry East	Doughboy by Train
"Smiling" Jack Smith	Hubert Wakeley
Max Steiner	Composer

Technical Credits

Jack Rose

Melville Shavelson

Roy Del Ruth	Director
Jack Rose	Screenwriter
Melville Shavelson	Screenwriter
William Jacobs	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A pleasant little slice of turn-of-the-20th-century-themed Americana, On Moonlight Bay is less concerned with telling its slight story than with recreating a vanished American innocence that may very well never have existed exactly the way it is portrayed in films such as this. Moonlight is in the tradition of Meet Me in St. Louis, but it falls short of that film's classic status, largely because the latter film was more concerned with populating its Americana with specific characters and situations. The characters in Moonlight are rather on the thin side, and while they hold our interest, they don't allow for engagement except on a superficially entertaining level. Moonlight also has a score that draws almost exclusively from songs of the era, and while these are good songs, they aren't specific to the film or its characters and therefore their dramatic impact is somewhat muted. However, these songs are performed to a fare thee well by the silver-voiced Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. The performers are a treat, and they work their magic over Moonlight. Also invaluable is Billy Gray as the impish younger brother, and there's solid support from Mary Wickes, Rosemary de Camp and Leon Ames as well.