Sing, You Sinners

Mother Beebe (Elizabeth Patterson) has three performing sons. Joe Beebe (Bing Crosby) is the reckless dreamer. David (Fred MacMurray) is the responsible one with long-suffering girlfriend Martha (Ellen Drew). Mike (Donald O'Connor) is the youngest one.

This is an interesting role for Bing Crosby. It is a change of speed for him and I like it. I thought that they may do a love triangle with the brothers. I like the story development with David and Martha. This is a musical, but it's not overloaded with songs. I do have a problem with a story element at the end. I can see why they did it, but I don't think it's realistic. I like this for the most part.

More musical numbers with the three male leads in this film would have been nice, and raised it a star or two. "Sing, You Sinners" is a nice pairing of three good musical talents. Bing Crosby was well-established as a singling star by this time, and Fred MacMurray was more known as a comedy and dramatic actor. But he too had a considerable musical background, and was able to use it in some of his earliest films. Along with those two established actors comes the young Donald O'Connor. This was just his second credited film, and his first major role. As a child actor, O'Connor showed fine talent for dancing and acting, that would be his forte in his adult career. Together in this film, the three make up the reluctant Beebe brothers trio.

The comedy in this film is on the light side, with a screenplay and story that was more dramatic because of the usually tense situation that the family found itself in. That was mostly because of finances since the dad died a few years before. Elizabeth Patterson does a good job as the mother, Mrs. Daisy Beebe, caring about her sons and trying to steer them in the right direction. Ellen Drew played Martha Randall, MacMurray's long-waiting fiancé.

It's a nice look at the talent of the three, and I think it would have been more entertaining with less of the wanderings and uncertainly of Crosby's Joe, and the guys making a go of it singing, dancing and playing instruments.

This movie has three of the most unlikely actors playing brothers--Bing Crosby (Joe), Fred MacMurray (David) and a very young Donald O'Connor (Mike). The three occasionally make money singing together as an odd little trio. Why the studio put MacMurray in the film is odd. He looks nothing like Crosby and his singing is only fair. As for O'Conner he's 20 years younger than the other two...but at least he sings nicely for a kid.

The film is about a family where the oldest brother, Joe, is an irresponsible dreamer. He always has a scheme and does things like drives drunk and makes promises he never can keep. When he announces he's bought a business and he's going to take care of the family, they're all shocked to see that instead he's bought a race horse...and no longer has a dime to his name. So, on occasion, the three brothers need to sing to make ends meet and life if tough for their Ma (Elizabeth Patterson)...as well as David who wants to be able to marry and settle down.

The film is extremely slight--with singing and dancing and a lot of clichés. Also, Crosby plays such an unlikable guy that after a while, I found my attention waning and I was looking forward to it all ending. Not a terrible film but certainly not all that good considering the stars.

This Wesley Ruggles souffle, in which Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray and Donald O'Conner are singing brothers who... well, it doesn't much matter, does it? Every character and situation is written right in the middle of the performer's comfort zone (not that Fred MacMurray ever felt much stretched; he claimed that Billy Wilder was the only director who ever called on him to act).

I had a good time and can't remember much of anything. It's just the sort of movie with production values meant to anchor a film program you go to because of Bing Crosby and the next day you tell the guys about the Popular Science short or maybe the latest Popeye. With Ellen Drew as MacMurray's fiancee and Elizabeth Patterson as everyone's mother.

I thought I was the luckiest kid alive. I sat in complete attendence of what was the best movie I can remember. It was very exciting to me and I think of it whenever I am depressed, because of It's upbeat outlook on life. I can stoll remember the words to the song "pocket Full Of Dreams" I've heard it played a few times,- once at the race track. I wish I could see it once more, or own a tape copy of it.