One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since; its earliest documented telecast took place in Seattle Thursday 23 October 1958 on KIRO (Channel 7); it first aired in Phoenix Wednesday 19 August 1959 on KVAR (Channel 12); it was released on DVD 14 November 2006 as one of 5 titles in Universal's Bing Crosby Screen Legend Collection, and again 11 November 2014 as one of 24 titles in Universal's Bing Crosby Silver Screen Collection.
A major point in the film is that Johnny Cabot (Bing Crosby) is color-blind. This was true in real life. "He will think something is a beautiful blue," his wife once explained, "and it will turn out to be a bilious green." His loud clothing was the butt of many jokes, especially by Bob Hope.
A sprightly mock-gospel number, the 1945 Oscar-nominated "Ac-Cen-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer) was represented on the "Billboard" singles chart by a couple of second-place finishers: one 78 via Decca Records by Bing Crosby, teamed with The Andrews Sisters (who did not appear in the picture), plus another 78 on Capitol from singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer, supported by The Pied Pipers (who were not featured in the movie).
"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" has remained a popular song from the American songbook. It must come as a shock to viewers who weren't alive in the 1940s that the song is performed by Bing Crosby and Sonny Tufts in blackface. What was commonplace then is now shocking and offensive.
Moton Picture certificate #10179.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
