Banjo on My Knee

Director: John Cromwell John Cromwell

Overview

This lively riverboat musical shows off the vocal and terpsichorean talents of former Ziegfeld Follies star Barbara Stanwyck as it tells the tale of two newlyweds who must postpone their honeymoon when the groom gets in a fight with a villain, decks him and, believing he has killed him, flees upon a riverboat, leaving his bride to take up with a womanizing photographer. She and the cameraman head for New Orleans and this is where most of the action, music and romantic mayhem takes place.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/01/2012
UPC:	0024543827214
Original Release:	1936
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Presentation:	[B&W, Full Frame]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	32,239

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Barbara Stanwyck	Pearl Elliott Holley
Joel McCrea	Ernie Holley
Walter Brennan	Newt Holley
Helen Westley	Grandma
Buddy Ebsen	Puddy
Walter Catlett	Warfield Scott
Tony Martin	Chick Bean
Minna Gombell	Ruby
George Humbert	Jules
Spencer Charters	Tope
Cecil Weston	Hattie
Louis Mason	Eph
Hilda Vaughn	Gertha
Victor Kilian	Slade
Katherine DeMille	Leota Long
Theresa Harris	Blues Singer
Eddy Waller	Truck Driver
Tom Herbert	Man in chair at Scott's
Henry Otho	Policeman
Salty Holmes	Jug Blower
Davison Clark	Police Sergeant
Frank Marlowe	Sailor
Russell Powell	Bartender
Milburn Stone	Sailor
Nick De Ruiz	Cook
Tom Mahoney	Actor
Ben Hendricks Jr.	Actor
Jack Pennick	Actor
Herbert Ashley	Actor
Sid Jordan	Actor
James Dundee	Sailor
Otto Fries	Actor

Technical Credits

John Cromwell	Director
Nunnally Johnson	Producer
Roger Heman	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Barbara Stanwyck is a woman whose very presence would seem to make any film she appears in well worth watching, but Banjo On My Knee manages to disprove that assumption. That doesn't mean Stanwyck doesn't give it her very considerable all; hell, in Banjo she even sings and dances, something that's not normally in her bag of tricks. She's good at it, too; no, she won't make Judy Garland or Cyd Charisse sweat and fret in the (respectively) singing or dancing departments, but she's much more than capable and quite entertaining. And she's still Stanwyck -- ready to fling a quip or bring a tear with the best of them. But Nunnally Johnson's woefully inadequate screenplay is a big mess, and not a very believable one at that. The plot device that sets things in motion makes Joel McCrea's character look stupid and act irritating, and fine actor though he is, McCrea can't overcome this. John Cromwell's try-anything direction doesn't help matters, either. Buddy Ebsen and Walter Brennan provide some bright spots, but overall, Banjo is a dull and often annoying little would-be folk musical.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler