Say One for Me

I have always enjoyed this movie and the songs from it! I always thought of Ray Walston as Uncle Martin, but after viewing this movie many years ago, I have seen him in a new light. Singing and dancing is not one of Robert Wagner's strong points but in this movie he's not bad to look at. It's a shame that the sound track to this movie and others are not available in CD format.

Tacky Twentieth Century-Fox comedy-drama with music (and an eleventh-hour holiday theme) has Robert Wagner miscast as the wolfish manager of a risqué nightclub. He's having trouble conquering new showgirl Debbie Reynolds, a church-going college kid trying to earn enough dough to pay for her father's operation. Bing Crosby plays the local priest who tracks Debbie down ("She said she was working as a secretary!" ... "Find the typewriter!"), only to steal a joke from the floor-show to help out a local comedian. Wan mixture of spiritual uplift and boy-chases-girl nonsense doesn't quite jell, at least not with old-school comedy vet Frank Tashlin at the helm. Tashlin's pacing is lively enough, and he works well with Reynolds, but the combination of prayer with salty backstage personalities trips him up. The picture never finds an appropriate tone, and Crosby--trading his famous Father O'Malley role from "Going My Way" for the lookalike Father Conroy--phones his performance in. ** from ****

Not sure why the "critics" disliked this movie that much. I first saw it as a kid and even now--in my 30's--I still find myself enjoying the simple story of a "bad seed"--Wagner's character--going good.

Top-notch music and dance numbers with Debbie Reynolds add that special spark to keep the story fresh and full of energy. The talents of an emsemble cast including the great Bing Crosby, dashing Robert Wagner, and versatile Ray Walston contribute greatly to this film's appeal.

Your best bet to see this fine film would be cable since as of this writing SAY ONE FOR ME is not available on vhs or dvd.

As the saying goes--try it, you'll like it! See SAY ONE FOR ME sometime soon! It's worth it!

When I first saw "Say One For Me" years ago, I was a big Bing Crosby fan even though I had grown up in the Elvis era. I liked Bing's crooning style of singing because it was easier for me to imitate than Frankie Avalon or some teenage girl's heartthrob. I particularly liked the Secret of Christmas song with the line "The little things you do on Christmas Day will not bring back the friend you turned away." That line has meant more to me now in my senior years than it did then. I also liked the title song and even though it has been years since I heard it, I can still sing it acapella like old Bing. The other reason I got a kick out of seeing the movie again was that it featured an actress friend of mine, Nina Shipman, whose grandmother was an early pioneer in independent movie-making and her father wrote the famous Republic serials of the Thirties and Forties. Although she played a tough chorus line gal, she had a cute figure and great legs. Unfortunately, this was the only film to fully show off her figure.

I agree with the previous comment this is an underrated movie. One which many years ago I had taped (on Beta format) transferred to VHS and has watched in dismay the tape fail as the years have gone by. I've looked in vain for a copy and wasn't I delighted when today I caught it on TV (and taped it with loving care)!! I have watched this movie every Christmas for about 25 years; the songs are not classics but they are fun and you won't grow tired of them. The wit between Wagner and Reynolds is sharp without going over the line for the era that the movie was filmed but also the humor isn't too dated for the present time either. The movie deals with adult themes without being dark; unwedded parenthood, alcoholism, the church's need to accommodate with the times. Wagner looks wonderful and Debbie is in her prime. They have good scenes together and smolder well. I love the scene where they are dancing in a club and he gives her insight to his character and the past that molded him, the look she gave him when she realized that he was showing her off to old buds, well I was a young innocent when I first saw this film and I knew the effect it had on her! Watch this movie; a classic it is not (except to me) but it is fun and time well spent- if you can find!