Der Spätzünder

This is one of the best Bing Crosby's later films. He only gets to sing two songs in it, The Second Time Around and It Came Upon A Midnight Clear during a Christmas hayride with some of the rest of his younger cast members.

Bing is 53 year old Harvey Howard, self made millionaire restaurant franchise owner, who's decided to go back and do a lot of the things he missed when he was younger which included a college education. That in itself is an intriguing character for me. I've met a lot of self made types in my life who think because they are successful and make a lot of money in one field, they're omni-competent. Just the fact that Harvey Howard IS going back to college to improve himself intellectually and broaden his horizons is a plus for me with this character.

I read an interview with Fabian once who said that Bing was great to work with and put him right at ease. Fabian had just done one feature film called Hound Dog Man and it was less than a success. After High Time he went on to a pretty good career in films during the sixties.

The Second Time Around was the last of 15 songs that Bing introduced in films that was nominated for an Academy Award, a record not likely to be broken. It lost to Never On Sunday. It was a million selling song, but ironically not by Bing. Frank Sinatra took the song and he made it a big hit, probably the only time in Bing's career this ever happened.

The kids are just fine, Fabian, Tuesday Weld, Richard Beymer (a year away from West Side Story)Patrick Adiarte. Gavin MacLeod has some very funny moments as Bing's comic nemesis and absent minded chemistry professor and Nicole Maurey strikes the right note as the French teacher that widower Crosby falls for.

A really great feel good movie.

I first saw this film in 1962 and really enjoyed not only the plot, but the music by the great Henry Mancini. The theme song, "The Second Time Around" especially added to the overall effect of the picture. The movie harkens back to a time of youthful bliss that I think a lot of us would like to once more capture. This "look back" was done with great sensitivity and imagination, and is truly a delightful motion picture. I was most fortunate to see it again in 1995, on the AMC channel, 33 years after I first saw it.

This movie does two things to you after you have seen it. It make you feel good and makes you want to go college. Besides being a feel good movie, it also teaches us a lesson that it is never too late to go forward in life no matter what age you are as Bing Brosy did so well in this movie. A good cast and script, some good music and you have a winner of a movie. No violence and it does very well for itself. I wish they would make more movies like this now

Bing Crosby plays a millionaire in his sunset days who decides to get his college degree. It is very reminiscent of the 1982 Dangerfield vehicle, Back To School, only this one has entertaining songs in addition to light screwball comedy. This is a very good movie to relax to when you're in a mode to laugh, smile, and avoid anything challenging.

High Time is a wonderful Bing Crosby vehicle that has a successful middle aged businessman with grown children (and a widower) indulging a whim by taking a step back in his life to get the college education he missed the first time around.

While a seeming slam dunk to be a "fish out of water" comedy, instead Crosby's character finds a way to integrate successfully with his younger classmates, learning from them as they also benefit from his experience.

The movie records a lot of the college experience as you would have found it in the 50s or early 60s. It was a more innocent, more friendly time, with school spirit, dorms, frats, cramming, and the excitement of coming back together to start each new school year.

This is a wonderful film that stands up well. Things such as fall bonfires were and still are common campus traditions. Fraternity pledging pranks ... still around. Dormitories ... still around. Hamburger/Barbecue restaurants ... still around. LOL

Is the movie a touch simple and innocent compared to modern life and modern comedy fare? Sure it is. But trust me, that is NOT a bad thing.

Sit back and enjoy this very entertaining and relaxing film.