Romance on the High Seas

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Romance on the High Seas
225px
theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Produced by Michael Curtiz
Alex Gottlieb
Written by Julius J. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein
Carlos A. Olivari (story)
Sixto Pondal Ríos (story)
I. A. L. Diamond (add. dialog)
Starring Jack Carson
Janis Paige
Don DeFore
Doris Day
Music by Ray Heindorf
Oscar Levant
Cinematography Elwood Bredell
Edited by Rudi Fehr
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • June 25, 1948 (1948-06-25)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $2 million[1]
Box office $2.1 million (US rentals)[2]

Romance on the High Seas, known in the United Kingdom as It's Magic,[3][4] is a 1948 Technicolor musical romantic comedy film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day in her film debut. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Original Song for "It's Magic" (music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Sammy Cahn), and Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Ray Heindorf).

Plot

Doris Day as Georgia Garrett

Elvira Kent (Janis Paige) and her husband Michael (Don DeFore) suspect each other of cheating. For their wedding anniversary, Elvira books an ocean cruise to Rio de Janeiro but her husband claims that unexpected business will prevent him from going. Seeing an opportunity, Elvira pretends to take the trip alone, but in fact sends singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day), a woman she'd met at the travel agency, in her place and under her name. By secretly staying behind, Elvira hopes to find out if Michael is indeed sneaking around behind her back. Michael, however, is suspicious over Elvira's supposed willingness to go on the trip alone, and so hires private detective Peter Virgil (Jack Carson) to see if she is sneaking around behind his back.

Peter joins the cruise and, as part of his job, becomes acquainted with Georgia. Georgia, following the instructions of the real Elvira, keeps up the ruse by pretending to be Elvira to everyone, including Peter. Georgia and Peter are attracted to each other and gradually fall in love, which causes conflict for both of them.

During one of the cruise stops, Georgia's friend, Oscar Farrar (Oscar Levant), comes on board. Oscar is in love with Georgia despite Georgia's lack of interest in him, and when Peter spots them together, he thinks he has discovered the identity of Elvira's lover.

Cast

Songs

  • "Put 'em in a Box, Tie 'em with a Ribbon and Throw 'em in the Deep Blue Sea" – Doris Day and the Page Cavanaugh Trio
  • "It's Magic" – Doris Day
  • "It's You or No One" – Doris Day
  • "I'm in Love" – Doris Day
  • "The Tourist Trade" – Avon Long
  • "Run, Run, Run" – Jack Carson
  • "She's a Latin from Manhattan" – Doris Day
  • "Romance on the High Seas" – The Samba Kings
  • "Brazilian Rhapsody" (aka Cuban Rhapsody) – Oscar Levant

Productions

Originally conceived as a star vehicle for Betty Hutton, the film had to be recast when Hutton became pregnant, and thus unavailable. Other established stars like Judy Garland and Jane Powell were briefly considered, before Michael Curtiz was talked into auditioning Doris Day, a well-known band vocalist, but hitherto not considered an actress, despite some early appearances in 1940–1941 in a number of soundies. Her personal life was in some turmoil at the time, as her second marriage, to musician George Weidler, was ending, and this, combined with her evident nervousness, led her to deliver a notably teary, emotive version of Embraceable You at the audition. Impressed by her singing ability and fresh-faced good looks, Curtiz signed her to a film contract and cast her in the leading role of Georgia Garrett. Despite the change in star and the late casting of Janis Paige, the film was financially successful.

References

  1. ↑ Variety 18 February 1948 p7
  2. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1948", Variety 5 January 1949 p 46
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Romance_on_the_High_Seas&oldid=711193050"