Song of the Open Road

Song of the Open Road is a 1944 musical comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, from a screenplay by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier. It was the debut film of teenage singer Jane Powell. Powell's real name was Suzanne Burce, but prior to the release of this film MGM assigned her the stage name "Jane Powell" (the name of the character she portrays in this film).[1]

For the poem, see Song of the Open Road (Whitman).
Song of the Open Road
Directed byS. Sylvan Simon
Produced byCharles R. Rogers
Written byIrving Phillips (Story)
Edward Verdier (Story)
Albert Mannheimer
StarringJane Powell
Bonita Granville
Peggy O'Neill
Music byCharles Previn
CinematographyJohn W. Boyle
Edited byTruman K. Wood
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
June 1944 (1944-06)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Overview

Child film star Jane Powell, tired of her life being run by her stage mother, runs away from home and tries to lead a "normal" life at a Crops Corps camp.[2] When a crop needs picking, Powell enlists the help of some celebrity friends.

This was W. C. Fields's next-to-last film; his last (Sensations of 1945) would be released only 9 days after this film was issued. In the film, Fields — who began his career as an accomplished juggler — plays himself and juggles some oranges for a few moments. He remarks "This used to be my racket". Then, missing a catch, he drops the oranges and walks away muttering "used to be my racket, but it isn't anymore!"

Cast

Production

Director S. Sylvan Simon had terrible difficulty filming scenes with W. C. Fields due to Fields' alcoholism. After lunch hour he was often nowhere to be found. This problem was solved by luring Fields into his truck early in the day and removing the ladder. Fields would often rant and complain before eventually falling asleep.

Although Fields often made fun of singers and singing in general, he had a fondness for the promising young singer Jane Powell and even referred to her (as "little Janie Powell") on one of his CBS radio broadcasts (preserved on transcription discs). Powell sang several songs in the film and made such an impression that MGM signed her to a contract to make a number of musical comedies for them, through the mid-1950s. Powell's real name was Suzanne Burce, but prior to the release of this film, MGM assigned her the stage name "Jane Powell", the name of the character she portrays in this film.[1]

Location shooting was done in Palm Springs, California and at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles.[3]

Award nominations
Year Result Award Category Recipient
1945NominatedAcademy AwardBest Music, Original Song ("Too Much in Love")Walter Kent (Music) & Kim Gannon (Lyrics)
1945NominatedAcademy AwardBest Music, Scoring of a Musical PictureCharles Previn
1945NominatedAcademy AwardBest Art Direction, Black and WhiteN/A (nomination withdrawn)

References
  1. Reel Memories: Jane Powell, Turner Classic Movies, 1995. Included on the DVD Classic Musicals Double Feature: Nancy Goes to Rio/Two Weeks with Love (Warner Home Video, 2008)
  2. Moskowitz, Daniel B., "The Crops Corps: How Agriculture Helped Win the War", HistoryNet, February 20, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  3. Song of the Open Road at the American Film Institute Catalog
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