by Ryan Lewellen
Delinquent youth, Pat Boone (huh?), has been granted a miracle by a Chicago judge. It seems was he convicted of joyriding (gasp!) in a stolen vehicle (oh, that’s actually pretty bad), but his trial scored him a totally sweet sentence. This city boy has to go spend his parole at the farm of his estranged aunt (Jeanette Nolan) and uncle (Arthur O’Connell) in Kentucky (meh), where he will live next door to boy-crazy sisters played by Dolores Michaels and Shirley Jones (woah, dude!). There, he will sing songs about pretty countryside (alright), learn to love horses (sure, alright), become a great sulky rider (wtf is that?), and steal hearts and fix stuff and have a little adventure in a film with almost no conflict whatsoever (okay, cool). Yeah, it’s totally fine (Yeah, I thought it sounded fine).
You are forced to reconcile with two ridiculous conceits in order to enjoy this completely enjoyable movie. One: Pat Boone is supposed to be playing a real badboy. His uncle holds that reputation against him. Of course, he is played by Mr. Boone as the most wholesome hoodlum you could ever meet. The regular donning of a slight smirk is about as lawless as he gets. Apparently, he is just misunderstood, and the movie shows us this (without merely telling us) his only real vice is that he easily succumbs to peer pressure. That’s perfectly serviceable and subtle filmmaking, so I guess that’s fair enough. Two: Greek goddess Shirley Jones is apparently such a filth-covered tomboy, it will take some work for her to catch Mr. Boone’s attention.
Yeah right.
The minute Jones rides up to the picture on horseback, the whole universe falls in love with her. The scenery bends, just a little, to be that much closer to her. She is sweet and full of life but somehow Pat Smirkmeister doesn’t immediately go dizzy.
Anyway, our wild malefactor hero works his way into his uncle’s heart by taming his black stallion, falls in love with Shirley Jones, and prepares for the big sulky race (harness racing). For some reason (probably on account of her havin’ a vagina), his expert sulky driver girlfriend isn’t allowed to do any racing. That dynamic could have been cultivated for good drama, but it isn’t even touched. Instead, a crash resulting from that earlier car race might come back to haunt him, but just a little.
Again, this movie isn’t about storytelling. It tells one, but it isn’t interested in challenging you or its characters. Instead, it is interested in gorgeous Cinemascope photography, everyone learning to get along, a bunch of mostly inconsequential, but sweet, vocal melodies, and some light comedy.
I defy you to hate this film. The overall effect is every bit as sweet as its harmless musical moments (oh, did I mention it’s a musical?), and although there is little reason to care, I did find myself gunning for Boone to win the race I already knew he had on lock. It’s colorful and lovely, and it makes for a delightful afternoon of spring viewing with a bowl of popcorn. There are plenty of other films you ought to see before April Love, but I don’t imagine any musical lover feeling his/her time was wasted in seeking it out.
The Package
Booklet Insert: As always, a wonderful little write-up by my future wife, Julie Kirgo
Audio Commentary By Shirley Jones And Film Historian Nick Redman: Wonderful listen! Ms. Jones has many incites to share from this production and the rest of her career.
Theatrical Trailer
Isolated Score Track
