Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Movie Review

Lush be a lady.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 1, 2022

Films named after popular songs -- which, by law, must play them at least once -- usually fall short of expectations. Case in point: while David Butler's Lullaby of Broadway is a fitfully fun musical with catchy song and dance routines, there isn't much meat in this meal and what's here hasn't aged particularly well during the past 70+ years. Besides for those song breaks, its best elements include vivid Technicolor cinematography as well as starring roles for Doris Day (who debuted just three years earlier in Romance on the High Seas) and Gene Nelson, who share great chemistry. The solid supporting roles filled by S.Z. Sakall, Billy De Wolfe, Gladys George, and Florence Bates ain't too shabby, either. But most everything else about this breezy but mostly forgettable production feels either half-baked or just barely good enough, which makes Lullaby of Broadway more of a genre curiosity than some kind of unsung classic.

Things start off well enough, at least. Cheerful young entertainer Melinda Howard (Day) sails from England to America after a meet-cute with song-and-dance man Tom Farnham (Nelson), who downplays his talents. Her destination is New York for a surprise visit to mother Jessica (George), whom she hasn't seen in years. There's only one problem: dear old Mom is now a daytime alcoholic who sings for peanuts, and her former mansion has become the property of wealthy brewer Adolph Hubbell (Sakall) and his frustrated wife Anna (Florence Bates). Melinda has no idea, of course; arriving in Adolph's absence, she's greeted by Lefty Mack (De Wolfe) and his lovely fiancée Gloria Davis (Anne Triola), former Vaudevillians who now serve as the Hubbells' butler and maid. Not wanting to break the news to Melinda, Lefty claims that mom Jessica is actually renting the mansion to the Hubbells while she's on tour and will return soon. What follows is a series of white lies and misunderstandings to keep poor Melinda safe from crushing disappointment.

Luckily, these sitcom-grade pratfalls don't dominate Lullaby of Broadway, but they come awfully close during its brisk 92-minute runtime: from a mostly platonic relationship between naïve Melinda and much older Adolph (that everyone assumes is scandalously romantic, of course) to a sudden hospitalization that leaves Jessica out of the loop, there's an awful lot of belief suspension required to tide us over between music breaks. Lullaby of Broadway's remaining runtime is partially salvaged by the collective charm of Day and Nelson, who do a more than respectable job of selling the song-and-dance numbers: some will even be part of an eponymous show dreamed up by Broadway producer George Ferndel, who works with investor Adolph to assemble the cast. All told, Lullaby of Broadway certainly has its moments, the cast obviously had fun with the material, and of course the music is great, but it's ultimately tough to get too excited about this show as a whole; the story is paper-thin even by musical standards, which makes Lullaby of Broadway more of a collection of episodic song breaks stitched together with the seams still showing. It's still perfectly fine entertainment for fans of the cast and subject matter, but don't go in blind expecting buried treasure.

As usual, Warner Archive's Blu-ray gives Lullaby of Broadway the royal treatment, at least from a purely technical perspective: it treats fans and first-timers to another extremely satisfying new restoration that extends to the lossless audio as well, playing to the film's aesthetic strengths with energy to spare. The bonus features certainly leave something to be desired, but a (currently) low price tag helps to make up for it -- and while this still isn't exactly rock-solid blind buy material, even casual genre fans could do a lot worse than what we get here.

Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive releases of Technicolor productions are like catnip to videophiles, and Lullaby of Broadway offers more proof that, when properly handled, classic films can shine as brightly as modern fare. The film's colorful production and costume design are showcased perfectly on this terrific new restoration; though exact details were not specified on the boutique label's press release, Lullaby of Broadway looks as beautiful as similar WAC catalog titles scanned in 4K from original Technicolor negatives. No matter the source material, this is objectively another top-level transfer that exhibits very strong image detail, color depth, strong density, excellent black levels, and a clean appearance that hasn't been subjected to excessive amounts of noise reduction. Although many of its stage numbers would've been better suited to a Cinemascope aspect ratio (which was still two years away back in 1951), compositions are framed nicely and close-ups are almost bursting with clarity. Again, the Technicolor hues speak for themselves... but expanding any of these included 20 screenshots should offer ample proof of this high-quality restoration that, considering Warner Archive's exemplary track record, was all but expected. As usual, it's encoded perfectly and runs at a high bit rate on this dual-layered disc, although that extra real estate probably wasn't needed: the total content barely exceeds 90 minutes and everything plays at a 1.37:1 aspect ratio in lossless mono. (Not that I'm complaining, of course.)

Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lullaby of Broadway's one-channel audio is replicated perfectly on this DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, which features crisp dialogue and vocals that sound suitably bright and front-forward in the mix. Music cues include a mix of originals and standards (composed by the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jack Little, Sy Miller, and more) with additional cues by Howard Jackson, who's not mentioned anywhere in the credits. The overall dynamic range sounds quite good with very little strain on the high end and no obvious source defects including hiss, pops, or drop-outs, although some of the lip sync is understandably a little dodgy at times. Overall, it's great work that will likely go unnoticed.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and include full song lyrics.

Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original one-sheet poster art, no inserts, and minimal extras.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:41) - This classic promotional piece can also be seen here.

• Song Selection - Instant access to Lullaby of Broadway's 14 main song-and-dance numbers, listed below. Although this feature is normally handy on most Warner Archive musical releases, it's almost completely pointless here -- they're the exact same 14 chapter stops already on the disc.

• Main Title (Lullaby of Broadway)
• Just One of Those Things
• In a Shanty in Old Shantytown
• You're Dependable
• Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart
• You're Getting To Be a Habit with Me
• Somebody Loves Me (Dance)
• Somebody Loves Me (Vocal & Dance)
• Mechanical Doll
• I Love the Way You Say Goodnight
• Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
• Lullaby of Broadway - Part One (Vocal)
• Lullaby of Broadway - Part Two (Dance)
• End Title

Lullaby of Broadway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Beautifully shot and peppered with a handful of catchy song and dance numbers, Lullaby of Broadway struggles to be anything more than the sum of its parts. The story is paper-thin and even those song breaks, enjoyable as they are, barely hold everything together. Still, the cast obviously had fun here and, if ultra-fluffy musicals are your cup of tea, you might find more to enjoy. Either way, Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers yet another perfect restoration, but the extras are virtually nil -- even the usually helpful "song selection" option is pointless, given the small number of chapter stops. It's a recommended purchase for established fans only; most others should try before they buy.