Bundle of Joy

The movie is a fluff piece, but I enjoyed watching Debbie and Eddie when they were America's sweethearts in a more innocent time, pre-scandals and pre-drug problems. Unlike many, I find Eddie Fisher to be a beautiful singer. He really can hit those high notes, and his voice has a particularly angelic quality in the higher range.

I didn't see a lot of chemisty between the leads; maybe it's hard to project chemisty when you're going home to your marital abode after the shoot. But the studio wanted to cash in on their status as everyone's cutest couple at the time.

I thought the supporting cast was fine too, and the comic subplots worked.

How did they get those babies (twins) to act so beautifully. They were charming.

This film is and will always be one of the unsung classics of the RKO Studio. A musical remake of "Bachelor Mother", "Bundle of Joy" is a funny, heartwarming tale of mistaken identity and blossoming love.

The only downside of this movie is the fact that it has Eddie Fisher in it. He should have stuck to singing as he is the most excruciatingly bad actor I have ever seen.

Overall, I give this movie 41/2 out of five stars.

During the merry Christmas season, perky department store salesgirl Debbie Reynolds (as Polly Parish) is fired because so many of her customers return their ware. She passes an orphanage and picks up a cute baby. Everyone assumes Ms. Reynolds is the baby's mother. This helps Reynolds get her job back, from singing store owner's son Eddie Fisher (as Dan Merlin), who also gives Reynolds a raise. Soon, the handsome crooner is harmonizing with the cute clerk. This musical re-make of "Bachelor Mother" (1939) is fairly well-suited to the real-life married couple, who simultaneously produced their own "Bundle of Joy" (Carrie Fisher)...

A major recording star upon the film's release, Mr. Fisher was so popular he survived the initial onslaught of "rock and roll" - but was about to fall. Fisher last hit the "Top Ten" in 1956. It didn't help that "Bundle of Joy" was lacking in hit single material, with Fisher's "Some Day Soon" barely cracking the record charts in early 1957. Reynolds was a much better actress, and reached her greatest popularity after she and Fisher divorced. Unfortunately, this is it for the popular twosome's musical comedy film career. They look good and sing sweetly together - their "Lullaby in Blue" sung to their "Pretty Baby" was brimming with potential.

******** Bundle of Joy (12/12/56) Norman Taurog ~ Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Tommy Noonan, Adolphe Menjou

If it wasn't for the professional ease DEBBIE REYNOLDS displays in almost any role she plays, BUNDLE OF JOY would rank among the most forgettable romantic comedies of all time.

And this is true, even though she's surrounded by pros like TOMMY NOONAN (as an ambitious but overly flirtatious floor-walker) and ADOLPHE MENJOU (as a man who wishes he was the grandpa of the cute baby boy). And in the middle of this mess, is a weak performance by EDDIE FISHER, clearly in need of comic timing and finesse, especially since the lines he's given to speak are slightly short of ridiculous. His department store musical number at the film's start is an embarrassment to watch, clumsily staged and performed.

Director Norman Taurog is to blame for not being able to put any life into this retread of a GINGER ROGERS/David NIVEN/CHARLES COBURN film called BACHELOR MOTHER. The story is not the only handicap. The songs are third rate, even though Fisher and Reynolds deliver them in an appropriate style. Only one of them is a remotely catchy tune called "How I Love My Pretty Baby".

Obviously this is the kind of story of mistaken identifies that someone like Norman Krasna could write in his sleep (too bad he wasn't summoned to help with the script), but it's played in such uninspired fashion by Fisher and most of the cast (including the usually reliable Adolphe Menjou, Melville Cooper and Bill Goodwin), that it falls flat in injecting any real wit or humor into the contrived situations.

Summing up: Debbie deserved better than this. Both she and Fisher appear to be completely clueless as to what a dud this really is.

Many times have I wondered what Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher were like in their careers (I'm a Star Wars buff). I finally sat down and saw this film. I must say that after watching, I just loved it and wanted more. Since then Debbie Reynolds has become my favorite actress ever. After seeing this I raced to my mother for more info. and she told me of the trouble that followed. I was severely disappointed, because the chemistry in this film was superb. Among the highlights is Debbie's ability to use her magnificent talent to use subtle face gestures to get across the idea of what she is thinking. Eddie was less so, but did an average job. But after hearing the truth, everytime I re-watch this film, I can't help but imagine Eddie with horns on his head or a dunce cap a mile tall. Debbie's charm is the main reason to see this film. She steals the show, the script, the clothes, and anything else she touches. The back-up roles are performed well. This is a remake of the earlier film, "Bachelor Mother." If anyone but Debbie were in the lead, this movie would stink, but it gets a solid 3 stars from me (out of 4).