Belle of the Yukon

US (1944): Musical/Western

One of the most confused, boring, ploddingly directed (by William A. Seiter) attempts at an original musical in Hollywood history. Even Gypsy Rose Lee and her constant wise-cracking in the lead can't enliven these funereal goings-on. Randolph Scott registers one expression - bewilderment (as in "How did I get cast in this turkey?") and Dinah Shore looks awfully horsey in the soubrette role (she's much too old already for this sort of casting). The rest of the cast - even the old stalwarts like Charles Winniger and Florence Bates - are likewise lacklustre. The script gets so confused halfway through you'd swear the actors are making it up as they go along. The routine scoring (along with one of the forgettable songs) inexplicably earned Oscar^® Noms. The only plusses here are the Technicolor color design and the extraordinary Color Costume Design - had the category existed then this might have won hands down. A visual treat, but a real clod of a film! (RKO) (Arne Andersen, IMDb)

 Use this link to view the original theatrical trailer for Belle of the Yukon on TCM.com.

2 nominations