Sunny

I always thought that "Her Majesty Love" was Marilyn Miller's finest film until I saw "Sunny". Most of the movie crowd crowns the high notes on "Sally" but I find it boring and oh so long. "Sunny" is in rotten shape but what survives is wonderful to watch. MM simply illuminates the screen and is full of mischief in this tale of a circus bare back rider/dancer who stows away on an ocean liner. Note that Warner's used either the Aquitania or Mauretania for the cast off scene, and another two stacked liner for the long shot.... Somehow the ship loses two funnels once it's at sea... All in all, this one is a keeper for sure. Too bad MM didn't make more movies and died so young.

This is the closest we'll ever get to seeing the wonderful Marilyn Miller on stage in her role as Sunny. The title song and the memorable "Who" were some of the most popular tunes in the late '20s, as played by George Olsen and His Music (who not only played in the Broadway production but cut a record with those songs on it.) It's rather interesting that WB made this movie right at the end of the musical era: had the stock market crash happened two years later, this might well have been an color production. It was certainly intended to be a blockbuster, and if only for that reason it's worth watching -- to see what constituted "popular" in a different era.

Released at the end of 1930 just as the Great Depression began to really hit hard, audiences were no longer in the mood for light happy musicals such as Ms. Miller's first film, "Sally", which had opened just the year before.

That film had large helpings of music and really was a fine showcase for Marilyn Miller's dancing. What a difference a year made. People lost their taste for Cinderella stories and for musicals, so First National was forced to remove from "Sunny" what made Marilyn Miller so special - her ability to express herself through dance. What remains is a pretty decent comedy with some cute farcical situations, and Marilyn Miller holds her own. She actually comes across somewhat like a young Irene Dunne in the comedy parts, but if First National had been going for comedy, I doubt Miller would have been the centerpiece in the first place.

I'd say you'll really enjoy it if you watch it expecting a romantic comedy of errors punctuated by occasional music and just a little bit of dancing by Miller, but you'll be very disappointed if you loved Sally and are expecting more of the same. Also don't expect to see anybody that you'll remotely recognize other than perhaps Lawrence Gray, who plays the romantic lead opposite Marilyn Miller.

The plot is actually rather cute. Sunny is a bareback rider in an English circus who loves Tom Warren (Lawrence Gray), a wealthy American who is planning to return to the states to marry someone from his own station - basically an arranged marriage. He loves Sunny, but realizes it will never work and, furthermore, Sunny gives him no encouragement due to her pride. Meanwhile, her father wants her to marry the owner of the circus - someone Sunny describes as "a fish". Sunny sneaks on board the ship carrying Tom home to America - just to say goodbye - but winds up locked in a stateroom and can't get away before the ship sails. The stateroom is that of the unlucky Jim Denning, who has made a promise to his jealous girl to be true to her until he makes his fortune and can return for her. Sunny is discovered in the stateroom and now has double trouble - a scandal for being discovered in Jim's room, and the fact that she is a stowaway who must return to England as soon as the ship docks in America. Only marriage to an American citizen can fix both problems - but who will be the lucky groom? And that's only the first 45 minutes or so.

I'd recommend this one if you like the early talkies and know that this film only qualifies as a musical in the barest of terms.

Interesting note about the cast - Joe Donahue, who plays Jim Denning here, got the job primarily because of Marilyn Miller's campaigning for him after Joe's older and famous brother Jack, who was slated for the role of Jim Denning, died. Joe never really went over with audiences and had a very short movie career, but he has had a very long life. Born in 1903, at the time I am writing this, he is still alive at the age of 107.

SUNNY (First National, 1930), directed by William A. Seiter, stars the legendary Marilyn Miller (1898-1936) in her second screen appearance following her motion picture debut as SALLY (1929). Along with SALLY, SUNNY is a reworking of a Broadway play starring Miller which unfortunately did not acquire the same care and production values as her preceding film. Released at the time when musicals were on the wane, SUNNY eliminated most of the original score, leaving much of it, including the title tune, to background music. With a handful of Broadway to Hollywood musicals produced during the early sound era (1929-30), consisting of romantic lovers, secondary "comedy relief" couple, society and character types, situations and misunderstandings leading to song interludes for moderate entertainment, SUNNY is basically more of the same, yet tolerable.

Miller plays Sunny Peters, a bareback rider of the Royal Continental Circus in Southampton, England, where "Wendell Wendell's circus was not so good, but loud." An hour before sailing for New York, Tom Warren (Lawrence Gray), an old acquaintance of Sunny during the war, pays her a visit. While Sunny still admires Tom, he's now engaged to débutante Margaret Manners (Barbara Bedford). Sunny's father (O.P. Heggie) has already arranged for her to marry Harold Harcourt Wendall-Wendall (McKenzie Ward), a "fish" whom she doesn't love. In order to keep from marrying Wendall, Sunny, disguised in boys attire, breaks away from the circus and heads over to the dock where she sneaks on board ship that's "five seasick days from New York," taking refuge in the cabin of Tom's pal, Jim Denning (Joe Donahue). Discovered a stowaway, passengers agree to help pay her passage and new wardrobe. As for Sunny's father, who had come to find Sally, has accidentally made his way on board while "waiting for the lady with the money for the dog," and is forced to pay his passage by scrubbing the deck. Because Sunny has no passport and to be sent back after the ship docks, she manages to remain in the states by marrying Jim, with the agreement of divorcing him after-wards so he can be free to wed the love of his life, Weenie (Inez Courtney). For their wedding present, "Jim gets his gym while Sunny's idea was to get rid of her Jim." After Sunny takes part in a society fox hunt at the Pine Crest estate, situations become more complex between her and Tom.

While SUNNY originally included the popular songs originated from the Broadway production, what survives in this screen adaptation, by Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern, are as follows: "Oh, Did He Ramble" (sung by Lawrence Gray and friends); "Who?" (sung by Marilyn Miller and Lawrence Gray); "I Was Alone" (sung by Marilyn Miller, reprized and danced by Miller); "When We Get Our Divorce" (instrumental dance by Miller and Joe Donahue); and "The Hunt Dance" (instrumental dance by Miller). Aside from title song not existing in final print, "Do Ya Love Me" (performed by Joe Donahue and Inez Courtney), sometimes credited as part of the movie, is not presented in available prints.

SUNNY shows off its theatrical origins with its song numbers, especially during the lively dance sequence of "I Was Alone" where Miller takes center stage tap dancing while the boat passengers observe facing the camera watching her from the back. There are some great moments of comedy, however, especially one gag resembling an latter day Abbott and Costello routine, and another, during a wedding sequence reworked again in MGM's LIBELED LADY (1936) where bride gives a much passionate kiss to the best man instead of the groom.

With Marilyn Miller as the main attraction, the supporting players consists of those whose names and personalities are both unfamiliar and lacking film chemistry. One cannot help feeling that the comedic character of Jim Denning, played by the tall Joe Donahue, talking like Ross Alexander with mannerisms of Ray Bolger, might have been more substantial as the leading man instead of Gray, leaving the comedy relief part to Joe E. Brown instead. McKenzie Ward, as Wendall-Wendall, the rejected suitor, lacks originality performing his Claude Allister manner. O.P. Heggie role comes across as something more to the liking of W.C. Fields, considering that as a circus man with a weakness for drinking, but since Heggie's role is limited, it's just as well that Fields didn't assume the part anyway. Fields would enact the role as Miller's father in her final screen performance of HER MAJESTY, LOVE (1931).

SUNNY did acquire a 1941 remake for RKO Radio starring Anna Neagle, Ray Bolger, John Carroll and Edward Everett Horton, where much of the original score, including the title tune, were retained. While it musically improves over the original, both screen versions are forgotten and seldom revived.

Available for viewing on Turner Classic Movies, the original 77 minute version of SUNNY, suffers from poor audio and slightly faded visuals which calls for restoration process. Other than that, it's a sort of early film musical nice to have around since it consists Marilyn Miller in the role she made famous on the Great White Way.(**).

Sunny was the second of three films Marilyn Miller did with First National films and the second of her Broadway hits that made it to the big screen. For that reason it should be treasured.

Unlike the good copy I saw of Sally, the print of Sunny was really bad and you could tell portions of it were chopped out. As was the Kern- Harbach-Hammerstein score which fortunately the hit song from the show, Who, was featured. No, that's not the guy who played first base.

The plot's an ancient one. Marilyn's a circus bareback rider who falls for a Long Island society playboy. The circus is touring the United Kingdom and while saying some goodbyes to some friends sailing from Southampton for America, she gets stranded on board. At first she does a Sylvia Scarlett number, but fools no one. In order to preserve proprieties and mores of the time, she marries Joe Donahue with the understanding that they'll divorce and she'll be able to marry her beloved Lawrence Gray.

That sounds real silly today, but that's what people did and thought at the time. And this was even before the Code. If you care to see who she winds up with than hope you see a better copy than I got.

If you do you will see a marvelous dancer and a decent singer. Marilyn Miller was legendary in that she wanted her audience to get the total package that included dance which was her strength. For that reason she refused to make phonograph records and even radio appearances. So her three films are our only inkling of her talent.

Sunny came out in the midst of the Depression and flopped badly. Even though she was having one major affair with Jack Warner, after her next picture, Warner gave her the studio gate. I might have given this a better review had I seen a decent copy. A star like Marilyn Miller deserves so much better.