Painting the Clouds with Sunshine

I have to say that I would never have watched this films by some of the reviews I read online, but glad I took a chance. It is a delightful film! I will admit I was pleasantly surprised with how much I did like it. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a DVD copy for my own film library. Yes the story is corny by today's standards, but then again I can only take so much of 'today's standards'. This is a light, funny and wonderfully musical film that has a beginning, a middle, and an end unlike most films that are produced today. Love Virginia Mayo, who looks more beautiful in color than you could imagine.Dennis Morgan sings...who could ask for more! A great movie for a rainy afternoon...nothing more than pure entertainment!

Lounge singer Vince Nichols (Dennis Morgan) is trying to quit gambling for girlfriend Abby (Lucille Norman). Abby, Carol (Virginia Mayo), and June (Virginia Gibson) are The Dillon Sisters. The men disappoint the ladies. Carol wants a rich man and convinces her sisters on a hunting trip to Vegas. Ted Lansing (Gene Nelson) follows the girls to dance with them. The girls' uncle Felix Hoff (S. Z. Sakall) had expanded from a motel to his new casino, but it is in trouble.

I don't really like gold-digging stories. They are often the antithesis of romance. The girls are literally looking for something other than love. At least, this one sets it up well. The girls are tired of love's disappointments. This is not necessarily the type of story or music that I like. It is still interesting enough since I care about the matchups.

Warner Brothers' 1950s recycling of their old films and their old songs gave us this remake of Gold Diggers of 1933 (itself a remake of the lost Gold Diggers of Broadway).

Songs which appear within 'Painting the Clouds ...' include Tip Toe Through The Tulips, With a Song in My Heart, You're My Everything, and We're in the Money. About the best routines are those which accompany The Mambo Man, and The Birth of the Blues.

In the cast are Virginia Mayo, Lucille Norman, and Virginia Gibson, as a girl trio of singers and dancers looking for rich men with no ties and lots of spare cash. Dennis Morgan is a slightly dull singer, Gene Nelson a dancer with a secret, and Tom Conway is Nelson's well-to-do uncle (not older brother as in Gold Diggers of 1933, although Conway looks very like Warren William did in the earlier film). An unnecessary subplot gives the irritating Cuddles Sakall something to do.

A likeable musical which gives us nothing new but helps to pass the time.

Jack Warner handed this script to Doris Day, but she begged out. It was too much like the other films she had made at Warners (she made "Lullaby of Broadway" that same year and "Tea For Two" right before that). Virgina Mayo, who was free, loved doing musicals, so she stepped in and Dennis Morgan's name went up one step. Doris, by this time was extremely popular, so she would have gotten billing over Morgan.

This was colorful (I saw it once) and Mayo looked incredible, as usual.

Day, after "Calamity Jane" got "picky" about parts. She also turned down "The Helen Morgan Story" with Paul Newman, "The Jazz Singer" with Danny Thomas and WB had planned "Miss America" for Doris and Virginia, a musical.

It was discouraging to read the director's anti-his-movie comments. Granted it was not a big ole MGM spectacular, but I enjoyed "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine." The songs were oldies but goodies and delightful to hear, and it kept moving nicely. The 'girls-looking-for-millionaires' plot was - granted -- old hat, but the musical numbers were thoroughly enjoyable.

Special kudos to Gene Nelson who is as good as, or better than, some of his screen contemporaries. Was he really playing the trumpet while dancing? That number was pure joy.

Mayo and the sisters were lovely to look at, Dennis Morgan is, as usual, a pleasant talent.

WB tossed ole Cuddles in every third picture, it seems. The 'cute-mit-accent' stuff eventually wears thin.

Sorry, Mr. Butler, but I enjoyed your efforts on this one.