Humoresque (1946)

Director:  Jean Negulesco
Cast:  Joan Crawford, John Garfield

A real treat for you John Garfield fans and a real treat for us Oscar Levant fans.

PLOT:  Paul Boray (John Garfield) is a noted New York City violinist whose performance is cancelled one night.  He longs to be a happy child again (don't we all), and the film flashes back to a time when he was.  His father Rudy (J. Carroll Naish) is a grocer.  He goes out with his dad to choose what he wants for his birthday at Jeffers' (Harlan Briggs) department store.  There, he plays violin while his friend Sid Jeffers (Oscar Levant) plays piano.  His father wants him to get something that "normal" boys like:  a baseball bat, a fire engine or a windmill (how many little boys play with a windmill?  None I know), but Paul wants a violin.  His father drags him out of the store with nothing.  Gee, I thought it was Paul's birthday, not Rudy's birthday, so shouldn't Paul get to choose what he wants?

Lucky for Paul, his mother is a kind, caring, compassionate woman who forces Rudy to buy him the violin.  Of course, all his friends think he's crazy, but he doesn't care.  He practices day and night and eventually gets to be in a symphony.

After hearing his brother Phil (Tom D'Andrea) complain about his lack of a job, Paul goes to Sid, asking for a job (mind you, this is 1930).  For once in his life, Oscar Levant stops being a sarcastic curmudgeon and  gives real advice.  Paul joins Sid in a studio recording, but when they run over time and the conductor chooses to cut out the best part of the concerto, Paul objects, and the director kicks him out.  He plays the cut part and an interesting Hitchcock-like montage occurs.

Sid tells Paul about the Wrights, a high-society family who throw parties where two-bit musicians get noticed.  When an annoying as hell guest teases him about not being able to play violin, he does so and catches the eye of Helen Wright (Joan Crawford).  After being rude to him at the party, Helen sends him a gold cigarette case.  Paul meets up with her and she tells him he should have a manager and refers him to Frederic Bauer (Richard Gaines).

Helen gives Paul the chance to play for Hagstrom and scolds him for being ungrateful.  Aside:  why is Sid on parole?  Poor Oscar...

Anyway, Paul and Helen go horseback riding, and when Helen falls off her horse, Paul kisses her.  Later that night, Helen admits she can't fight him any longer and tells him that she is in love with him.  When he gets home, Paul faces the wrath of his mother.

After his tour, Paul runs into an old flame and fellow musician, Gina Romney (Joan Chandler), and they have lunch.  Gina mentions that Paul has changed dramatically.  It looks like romance is in the air for Sid and Gina, as Sid pecks her on the temple and calls her "baby."  Yay for Oscar!  He never gets the girl.

Paul gives another concert, and it's very interesting to see how Gina's and Paul's mother's (Ruth Nelson) eyes stray occasionally to Helen, who is sitting in the balcony.  All of a sudden, Gina freaks out and leaves, confusing Sid.

Paul and Sid get a nice apartment together.  When Paul's parents come to visit, Esther (Paul's mother) reveals to her son her iffy feelings about Helen.  Paul responds negatively, receiving a slap from his mother.

Meanwhile, Victor (Paul Cavanaugh), Helen's husband, seems to think that a rumor about his wife is grounds for divorce.  I mean, I know in this case it's true, but in other cases, you should always do your own digging before you start accusing.

Helen shows up to one of Paul's rehearsals and slips the doorman a note for Paul to see him immediately, saying she has wonderful news.  He snubs her and begins to play again.  Later on, Paul finds Helen at a bar drunk and offers to take her home.

Helen visits the Borays' grocery store and receives a lecture from Esther about what is best for her son.  Helen seems to have listened, because she refuses to go to Paul's concert even though she really wants to, claiming that it's too quiet and too peaceful where she is to deal with all the crowds and the music.  Even though I don't really like her, I find myself really wanting her dress.

The concert goes on and Helen drinks more and more.  In a few beautiful shots, Helen walks along the beach, stricken with grief.  This film has a heartbreaking ending, one of the most heartbreaking I've ever seen, as Helen walks into the ocean, letting the tide taker her away to the depths of the ocean, and we return to present day; Paul and Sid walk along the beach at Helen's funeral.

REVIEW:  I wonder if John Garfield knew how to play the violin before this film?  If not, I find it hard to believe that he's that good if he just learned for the film.  Also, during the course of a 120-minute film, I have never seen people light a cigarette and smoke it as many times as it occurs in this film.

I liked the There's No Business Like Show Business feel to this film:  the many trials a musician must face in order to achieve his dream.  This film is real and it was nice to see Oscar Levant as well as see him maintain a balance between sarcasm and being real.  I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, minus one-half for the bitchiness of Helen Wright.

Trailer: