''Oh, You Beautiful Doll'' is a 1949 American

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

directed by

John M. Stahl John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was a Russian-born American film director and producer. He is best known for his films such as ''Leave Her to Heaven'' (1945), '' Imitation of Life'' (1934), ''The Keys of the Kingdom ...

(his final film), starring the musical queen

June Haver June Haver (born Beverly June Stovenour; June 10, 1926 – July 4, 2005) was an American film actress, singer and dancer. Once groomed by 20th Century Fox to be "the next Betty Grable," Haver appeared in a string of Musical film, musicals, but sh ...

and Mark Stevens. Co-stars included S.Z. Sakall, Charlotte Greenwood, and

Gale Robbins Gale Robbins (born Betty Gale Robbins or Betty Gale Murphy, May 7, 1921 – February 18, 1980) was an American actress and singer. Early years Born in Chicago, Illinois, although one source claims she was born in Mitchell, Indiana and her fami ...

.Thomas M. Pryor (1915–2001), ''Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949), A Pleasant Musical From Fox,'' The New York Times, November 12, 1949
/ref>

Plot

The film is a fictionalized biography of

Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach; September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenbach ...

, a German-born American writer of

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

songs.

promoter ( Mark Stevens) turns serious composer Fred Breitenbach ( S.Z. Sakall) into songwriter

. Fred Fisher is his assumed name in real life and Breitenbach is his birth surname. In the film, many Fisher songs were given a symphonic arrangement that was performed at Aeolian Hall. Among the Fisher songs heard were: * ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' * ''

Dardanella "Dardanella" is a popular song published in 1919 by McCarthy & Fisher, Inc., a firm owned by Fred Fisher, lyricist, for music composed by Felix Bernard and Johnny S. Black. Bandleader Ben Selvin (1898–1980) recorded "Dardanella" for several ...

'' * ''

Peg O' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (lyricist), Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publ ...

'' * ''Who paid the rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle?'' (1914)

Cast

Leading actors * Mark Stevens – Larry Kelly *

– Doris Fisher * S.Z. Sakall –

aka Alfred Breitenbach * Charlotte Greenwood – Anna Breitenbach *

– Marie Carle *

Jay C. Flippen John Constantine Flippen Jr. (J.C. or Jay C.) (March 6, 1899 – February 3, 1971) was an American character actor who often played crusty sergeants, police officers or weary criminals in many 1940s and 1950s pictures, particularly in film noir ...

Lippy Brannigan *

Andrew Tombes Andrew Tombes (29 June 1885 – 17 March 1976) was an American comedian and character actor. Biography The son of a grocer, originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, Tombes was educated at Phillips Exeter Academy. Early in his career, he worked as a v ...

– Ted Held *

Eduard Franz Eduard Franz Schmidt (October 31, 1902 – February 10, 1983) was an American actor of theatre, film and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film '' Sins of Jezebel'', Jethro in Cecil B. DeMille's '' The Ten ...

– Gottfried Steiner Other cast * Sam Ash – quartet * Warren Jackson – quartet * Donald Kerr – quartet * Al Klein – quartet * Frank Kreig – head waiter *

Nestor Paiva Nestor Caetano Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor of Portuguese descent. He performed in over 400 motion pictures either as an extra, a bit player, or as a significant supporting ...

– Lucca Uncredited cast * Myrtle Anderson – cook *

Curt Bois Curt Bois (born Kurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket in ''Casablanca (film), Casablanca'' (1942) and the poet Homer ...

– Zaltz * Edward Clark – Cooper - desk clerk * Tom Coleman – Policeman * John Davidson – Davis - Steiner's secretary * Sam Finn – minor role * Joseph Forte – waiter * Robert Gist – musician *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, California and raised in San Pedro, Griffith was the eldest of two born t ...

– Joe - reporter * Sam Harris – composer *

Eddie Kane Eddie Kane (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1969) was an American actor who appeared in over 250 productions from 1928 to 1959. Biography Kane was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His early career was in vaudeville as a member of the two-man te ...

– Charles Hubert * Kenner G. Kemp – audience spectator * Carl M. Leviness – composer (uncredited) * Sidney Marion – minor role (uncredited) *

Marion Martin Marion Suplee (June 7, 1909 – August 13, 1985), known professionally as Marion Martin, was an American film and stage actress. Biography Martin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a Bethlehem Steel executive. She became an ...

– big blonde *

Frank Mills Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit " Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started p ...

– man in jail *

Eula Morgan Eula Moulder Morgan was an American opera singer and actress in films and theater from the 1930s through the 1950s. A professional pianist during her childhood, she practiced studying opera as a career in her adult years, performing in theatres a ...

– Madame Zoubel * John Mylong – toastmaster * William J. O'Brien – waiter * Torchy Rand – Sophie - waitress * Dick Rich – burly man in saloon * Maurice Samuels – Italian * Harry Seymour – Volk, nightclub M.C. * Lester Sharpe – music store proprietor *

Ray Teal Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Teal's birth date as January 12, 1908. – April 2, 1976) was an American actor. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the televis ...

– policeman * Phil Tully – desk sergeant * Ray Walker – box office attendant * Billy Wayne – reporter *

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Architecture * Train %26 Williams#Robert Edmund Williams, Robert Edmund Williams (1874–1960), Canadian-American architect * Robert Williams (architect) (1848–1918), Welsh architect a ...

– police lieutenant *

Victor Sen Yung Victor Sen Yung (born Victor Cheung Young or Sen Yew Cheung; ; October 18, 1915 – body discovered November 9, 1980) was an American character actor, best known for playing Jimmy Chan in the Charlie Chan films and Hop Sing in the western seri ...

– houseboy *

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

; himself

References

External links

* {{John M. Stahl 1949 films 1949 musical comedy films 1940s biographical films American musical comedy films American biographical films 20th Century Fox films Films directed by John M. Stahl Films about composers Films set in the 1900s American black-and-white films 1940s American films