The Worst Film Ever

Good concept, poorly executed.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

In the late 20's, the talkative newly graduated in pharmacy and aspirant piano player Eddy Duchin (Tyrone Power) comes from Boston to New York expecting to play with the orchestra of Leo Reisman (Larry Keating) at fancy New York's Central Park Casino. However he had misunderstood the invitation of the maestro and while leaving the place, he meets the wealthy socialite Marjorie Oelrichs (Kim Novak) that asks Leo Reisman to give a chance to Eddy. He plays in the intermission and becomes a successful piano showman. Two years later, Marjorie and Eddy get married and in the Christmas, Marjorie has a baby, Peter, but she dies after the delivery. Eddy rejects Peter blaming him for the death of Marjorie and only five years later he meets his son. With the World War II, Eddy Duchin breaks up his band and enlists to fight in the war. With the end of the war, Eddy returns to New York with the intention of getting closer to Peter but he sees the boy connected to his friend Chiquita (Victoria Shaw). When Eddy discovers that he has a terminal disease, he proposes Chiquita and they get married. When we see the biography of a personality by Hollywood, we are never sure that it is a true story or a fairy tale created by the cinema industry. Despite of that, the melodramatic "The Eddy Duchin Story" is a nice story of a man's life surrounded by music, beautiful ladies and tragedies. The forty-two year-old Tyrone Power has good performance and he really seems to be playing the piano, but it is funny to see him in the role of a newly graduated man. Kim Novak shines with her beauty, elegance and her sweet voice. Victoria Shaw is also gorgeous. The cinematography and the music score are awesome and deserved the nomination to the Oscar. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Melodia Immortal" ("Immortal Melody")

Biographical melodrama traces bandleader Eddy Duchin's life from his meager beginnings as a struggling pianist to the years when he became a highly successful radio and nightclub personality. Director George Sidney underlines all of Duchin's ups and downs with the usual lumbering heaviness. The picture is soapy Hollywood schmaltz which fails to escape superficiality (and a few howlers in the screenplay). There are some strong dramatic scenes near the end, and Tyrone Power fares well in the lead (his piano-playing was dubbed by Carmen Cavallaro). Supporting players Kim Novak and Victoria Shaw aren't so lucky. Lots of studio gloss and color, but film is mostly painted cardboard. ** from ****

I saw this movie for the first time when I was a teenager in 1956. I loved the music and had to have the album. "Manhattan" and "Brazil" are still my favorites. I just watched the movie again on TV (TCM). I enjoyed it again. It appears that Peter is born on or about Christmas and is still in the hospital when his mother dies. In reality, Peter Duchin was born in July 1937. Why the discrepancy? The movie does not explain the cause of the mother's death; only that it was not caused by Peter's birth. Kim Novak didn't even look tired when she died. Eddie Duchin looked pretty good too, except for a "sore" hand.Leukemia was never mentioned in the movie. Why?

This is a moving and entertaining film with fine performances throughout. However, I strongly feel that the real star of this film is the piano artistry of Carmen Cavallero. The sound track album of this film sold over a million copies and most experts concede that Eddy Duchin was not in the same class as Cavallero, the Poet of the Piano. If you listen to the recordings of Duchin and Cavallero, the former pales in comparison. Liberace once remarked, "I copied everything from Carmen except my rings." I never tire of hearing the soundtrack versions of "I'll Take Manhattan," "You're My Everything" and "I'll Take Romance." In watching this film, the scenes are often eclipsed by the sounds of a true piano virtuoso.