Billy Rose's Jumbo

source: Billy Rose's Jumbo

Doris Day was never my favorite (too cutesy), but she did well in this movie. Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante were under utilized but still managed to steal the movie. Stephen Boyd I barely remember, except he was handsome enough to serve as Ms. Day's latest love interest. My biggest quibble was the extra-extended finale. To me, the movie could have ended nearly 15 minutes sooner than it did. The entire "clown" sequence at the end was not only disappointing, it left a sour taste that has lingered ever since when I think of the movie. My suggestion would be to watch it until that scene, then fast forward to the very end.

What do you do if the musical film you are making has a story line suitable for pre-schoolers, has four Rodgers and Hart standards in its score but only one legitimate singer in its cast, and requires long shots and stand-ins for every sequence in which the stars are called upon to act like the circus performers they are supposed to be? You make "Billy Rose's Jumbo," an expensive, over-long production that is likely to please only the least discriminating. The great songs are all but wasted in unimaginative or distracting presentations. Performers such as Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye, natural clowns who were never well-served by their screen appearances, make a potentially dynamic team, but are required to play their supporting roles straight for most of the picture. And what is one to say of handsome leading man Stephen Boyd, so badly miscast, so lifeless and wooden that he makes Nelson Eddy seem animated by way of comparison? That leaves Doris Day, playing the kind of spunky role she did far more convincingly years earlier opposite Gordon MacRae, crooning when a song calls for belting because.... well, because she is Doris Day. Not to be overlooked is the final sequence of this picture - actually an extended curtain call - staged by Busby Berkeley, which includes more imagination, flair and life in about five minutes than the rest of the picture was able to generate in two hours.

It's so very sad to see two great and beautiful talents, Doris Day and Stephen Boyd, thrown together in an empirically terrible movie. After she showed she could act in a drama in Midnight Lace, and after he showed his wonderful presence in Ben-Hur, they joined forces in a movie about an elephant in a circus. Yes, you read that correctly. And no, it's not as absurd as it sounds; it's more. At one point, they both dress up as clowns and wind up in embarrassingly sexual positions during the dance number. Stephen's so incredibly handsome-and talented, let's not forget that-and he's forced to act in Billy Roses's Jumbo? His singing voice was dubbed-although James Joyce was such an excellent match it's nearly impossible to tell-so it's not as though he wanted to surprise audiences by showing he could sing. I don't know why he and Doris didn't just walk off the set one day and never return. The two famous songs from the film are "My Romance" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", but while they're pretty songs, you're better off just listening to the soundtrack rather than watch this ridiculous movie all the way through. If you do, you'll probably get an uncontrollable fit of the giggles, and not because of the humor in the film. It'll be the type of laughter one gets in the midst of Chinese water torture when one realizes how funny it is that the noise will never end. Trust me, by the time Stephen Boyd sings, "The most beautiful star in the world isn't Juno, isn't Venus, but between us. . ." you'll double up in laughter finishing up the rhyme in your own way.

"Billy Rose's Jumbo" was a late entry in the Musical genre. The music from Rodgers and Hart was generally excellent, but much of the rest of the film left a lot to be desired. Indeed the song, "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" is sublime, but would you get the feeling it would befit a better movie. Most of the other songs aren't as memorable, but they are still above average. It was pretty enjoyable, but with a certain lack of depth or character. Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye though, are very good in comic roles, especially the veteran Durante. There are good comic parts in the film, but sadly not enough. Stephen Boyd was reasonable as was Doris Day, but she was miscast it seems, as she was nearing forty. Her portrayal just didn't ring true. As a warm, lightweight entertainment it works, but has little more to offer. Rating:- *** (out of *****)

In the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the traveling The Wonder Circus has the greatest attraction the elephant Jumbo and is full of debts. The owner, Anthony 'Pop' Wonder (Jimmy Durante), works as a clown but is a gambler addicted in dice games and usually loses the box office gambling. He has been deceiving the clairvoyant Lulu (Martha Raye) for many years promising to marry her. His daughter, Kitty Wonder (Doris Day), is the trick rider and tries to negotiate with creditors and the circus performers to keep the business going on. John Noble (Dean Jagger), who owns a famous Noble Circus, wants to buy Jumbo and The Wonder Circus, but Pop refuses his offers. When the mysterious Sam Rawlins (Stephen Boyd) asks for a job in the Wonder Circus, Kitty refuses and tells that they do not want adventurer working in their circus. But he proves to be an excellent aerialist and handy man and Pop hires him since they lost many performers due to the lack of payment. Soon Kitty falls in love with Sam, but he has a secret agenda and she does not know. "Billy Rose's Jumbo" is a forgettable and cute musical based on a 1935 Broadway show. The silly plot is a predictable romance entwined with many songs and performances by circus performers and entertains. The work of the stunts and the edition is wonderful. Unfortunately the songs in the DVD released by Warner in Brazil do not have subtitles in a absolute lack of respect from Warner to the Brazilian costumers. Shame on you Warner! My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "A Mais Querida do Mundo" ("The Dearest in the World")

Turner Classic Movies plays this film often, and I appreciate the channel's commitment to the history of the industry. HOWEVER, this is definitely one of Day's least successful forays into the world of movie musicals. She is too old for the part, although she pulls off the role admirably. The obviously dubbed Boyd is a total miscast. After Cecil's "Greatest Show on Earth," one has to wonder why anyone would even attempt a circus film within ten years of that film's Best Picture Oscar. "Jumbo" is extremely tedious. Day was already well into her "sophisticated" sex comedy stage, and it's surprising she felt the need to reprise her faded role as movie musical star.

DORIS DAY still looked wonderful and was in fine voice when JUMBO was filmed in 1962, but for some reason the story fails to get off the ground due partly to a dull script and lackluster handling of direction by Charles Walters. Day does her usual professional job on the vocals of some standard tunes and is particularly comfortable in the opening "Over and Over" routine. Stephen Boyd, so wonderful as Messala in BEN-HUR, seems an uninspired choice as her leading man, walking through his role with scarcely any spirit or animation or finesse in musical comedy--even in the "Stardust and Spangles and Dreams" finale. Martha Raye and Jimmy Durante do the best they can with the comic relief but it's by no means the best work they've ever done or are capable of. The result is a mildly entertaining circus film that lacks the pizazz it ought to have despite a few memorable ballads. Doris Day fans will undoubtedly find it appealing enough--but others beware. The extended clown finale is more tedious than inspired.

Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) is one of the last musicals to emerge from MGM's illustrious stable. It stars Doris Day as Kitty Wonder, a performer in her father's circus. Pop Wonder (the irrepressible Jimmy Durante) is the proprietor of one of the greatest acts in circus history – Jumbo; a gargantuan elephant. He's also engaged to the sad -eyed spinster and fortune teller, Lulu (Martha Raye). Together, they front line a troupe of jolly nomads who pitch the idea of circus life as the greatest of all traveling trades. But a fly in this cotton candy surfaces with the arrival of Sam Rawlins (Stephen Boyd). Unbeknownst to Kitty and company, Sam is a spy for a rival traveling show owned by the unscrupulous John Noble (Dean Jagger). Sam sets himself up as a rigger in Pop's show and observes the inner workings of his operation, all the while with one eye firmly zeroed in on Kitty for himself. Perhaps sensing his less than honorable intentions, Kitty's initial reception to John is cool and aloof. However, after he rescues her from a near fatal accident, she falls into his arms quite willingly, and thereafter is bitterly disillusioned when Sam lays the ground work for Noble Enterprises to steal Pop's circus out from underneath him. Based on the rollicking Broadway smash, director Charles Walters opens the play up with great panache, adding depth, scope and heart to what was in essence a flashy spectacle minus substance on the stage. The numbers, particularly "This Can't Be Love", "Little Girl Blue" and "Why Can't I?" are engaging diversions unto themselves, seamlessly blended into the dramatic milieu. Although Stephen Boyd does look a tad uncomfortable in the role of Sam, he proves to be in very good voice with the charming, "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World." Yes, the film is hopelessly hokey by today's standards – but that's primarily its charm. The final musical number too is a bit flat when compared to the rest of the score – but staged by veteran choreographer, Busby Berkeley in a way that almost distracts one from the absence of magic. Warner's DVD is a treat. The anamorphic picture sparkles with renewed vigor. Colors are rich, bold and vibrant. Blacks are deep, rich and solid. Whites are very clean. Contrast and shadow levels are bang on. There are only trace elements of age related artifacts for an image that is quite smooth and engaging throughout. The audio has been remixed to 5.1 but lacks in bass tonality, often sounding thin and just a tad strident. The musical sequences fair much better sonically than the dialogue. Extras include a few shorts, including a Tom and Jerry oddity. Final thoughts: it may not be "The Greatest Show on Earth" but "Billy Rose's Jumbo is a respectable sideshow of glamorous big top entertainment. The acting is solid; the score, supreme. If only the box office receipts of its day had managed to match the considerable effort put forth by the studio, there might have been more good-natured entertainment from MGM in the years that followed.

From the circus scenes to those wonderful musical numbers (My Romance, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, This Can't Be Love) this just shines. Day and Boyd may be a little old to play girl and boy falling in love but somehow it works. She is terrific as always, he's a damn good singer, and of course with Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye and an elephant how could it fail? One or two sections drag a bit but in the main this is exceptionally good stuff. Nice syrupy stuff if you're in the mood with some laughs along the way.