Ray Bolger's career in movies has a passing resemblance to another performer who did not quite fit in, but who achieved stardom through a back door of sorts: Robert Preston. If one looks at the credits of both men most of their films are quite forgettable, but their musical work lifts them. Yet Bolger, although recognized for his abilities as an eccentric dancer, only hit the target on film twice: as the Scarecrow in "The Wizard of Oz" and as Charley Wykeman in "Where's Charlie". The first one was a lucky fluke, as he was hired in the Hollywood studio system at it's height. But after appearing in that classic, Bolger was wasted in movies (one can make an exception with his appearance in "The Harvey Girls" but it is still pale in comparison). He had a habit of returning to Broadway, appearing in Roger & Hart's "By Jupiter" in the early 1940s. Then he returned to Broadway in the late 1940s. And he got his greatest Broadway success there as Charley Wykeman in "Where's Charlie". A musical version of the farce, "Charlie's Aunt", he played the hero who dresses up as his wealthy aunt from Brazil (where the nuts come from). The highpoint of the musical was when he sang "Once In Love With Amy", and got the audience to join in the singing. Bolger's performance and enthusiasm made Broadway history. With his established reputation in Hollywood musicals he was able to get the lead in the Hollywood version. So as a result of this we are able to still enjoy that rarity - an actual Broadway star's performance on celluloid in the role he made famous. It is identical to Preston's return to Hollywood as "Professor Harold Hill" in "The Music Man". But the latter film really began a second half to Preston's career. He would spend most of his later years on Broadway, not in Hollywood, and only pick and choose those films that he wanted to do, culminating with "Victor/Victoria". That did not happen with Bolger. His next musical, "April in Paris" was with Doris Day, but was not very good. He never starred in another Hollywood film. He played "Barnaby" in Walt Disney's "Babes in Toyland, but most critics did not care for that film either. Bolger's stardom was never in doubt, but his days of growth in his movie roles were over. Not quite like Preston, who seemed to have a better presence for some reason. Still, "Where's Charley?" is in that select group with "The Man Who Came to Dinner" and "Call Me Madame!" wherein we are able to see what the Broadway audiences saw. For that alone we should be grateful.
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theowinthrop1 April 2005
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Maliejandra30 May 2017Due to copyright issues (the widow of Frank Loesser has kept it from circulation due to the misguided belief that it was one of her husband's lesser works), Where's Charley? has not been seen by many people for decades. It is a good film and Ray Bolger's favorite, so it is a shame that it is not accessible.
I saw it screened at Cinevent 2017, and though the color on the print was beginning to fade, it was an enjoyable hour and a half.
The story is the famous stage play Charley's Aunt set at the turn of the century at Oxford where two men try to woo their sweethearts. "Better Get Out of Here" is the best staged musical number in the film and it appears in the beginning when the girls discover there is no adult chaperone and they are therefore in violation of the morals of the time. This is what causes Charley (Bolger) to impersonate his own aunt in fear that he will not get to spend enough time with Amy (Allyn Ann McLerie) to win her heart and her hand. Although it wasn't my favorite part of the movie, I was surprised to find myself humming "Once in Love With Amy" after the fact. -
rich9202158 April 2008I was only seven years old when my parents took us kids to see Where's Charley? I have never forgotten it or the song Once In Love With Amy which Ray Bolger sang. I was madly in love with Amy myself after we left the movie. I still remember the opening words, Once In Love With Amy and the melody they were sung to. I'd love to see this on DVD too. Why can't Hollywood get all these old movies out to DVD anyway? They are leaving gold buried in the vaults. What I mostly remember about the movie was the dancing Ray Bolger performed, although I don't remember Amy dancing or not, but I assume she did too. Too bad the IMDb contains no pictures of the actress who played Amy, Allyn Ann McLerie. I'd love to see what she looks like now, or then, so maybe I could understand why I fell in love with her when I was only seven.
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dmne17 August 2006Can someone please explain to me why this delightful film has never been released on DVD or VHS? Does it have something to do with securing the rights? Just curious to see if anyone knows the answer. This is one of Bolger's best films, and also a rare starring role for Allyn McLerie. So sad that she never quite made it to stardom. Other than this film, I've seen her in "Calamity Jane" and "Desert Song". Although relegated to supporting roles in both, she was wonderful. I especially enjoy her Katie Brown in the latter. Like one of the other commenters, I have always wondered why she never really became a "star". Please, whomever is keeping this film from being released, let the public once again enjoy this wonderful film.
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mark.waltz15 June 2013Broadway hoofer and former scarecrow Ray Bolger had his signature role as aging Oxford student Charley in this musical adaption of the famous farce that truly wasn't a drag, being filmed over half a dozen times! This version is altered for songs to make Charley one of the two students requiring a chaperon to meet their lady loves. This adds on many comic possibilities (how can Charley squire his gentle amour and be a chaperon at the same time?) and gave Bolger a song to sing regarding his beloved Amy. Thanks to a fascinated little girl in the audience, Bolger's eleven o'clock number became a sing-a-long, and even in revivals since then (including New York's City Center Encores in 2011), the song is always reprized as an audience participation. I saw that well-staged production, and everybody did indeed sing along.
Frank Loesser's score is his least known among his hit Broadway shows, but also includes a wonderful duet ("My Darling, My Darling") and some brassy dance numbers for Bolger. A Brazilian ("Where the Nuts Come From!") set ballet slows the comedy down just a tad (it doesn't move the plot along anywhere), but that's insignificant considering the film's closeness to its Broadway original. This element makes some of the film a bit stagy in content, but that surely beats no film version of the musical.
A mostly British cast surrounds Bolger and his Broadway co-star (Allyn Ann McLearie), and Horace Cooper is particularly hysterical as the money-hungry uncle and guardian of the two young ladies. The chase sequence between Bolger and Cooper is straight out of a Keystone Cops silent farce. It should also be noted how much Bolger looks like his "Wizard of Oz" co-star Margaret Hamilton while in drag. -
mollystockton19 October 2006I met Mr Bolger when I was an interpreter/guide at Tehran's Film Festival in Iran in 1977. He and his wife were utterly charming. I told Mr Bolger that, although much fuss was being made over his role in "The Wizard of Oz" (he confided that he was getting a bit fed up with doing his "scarecrow stance" over and over again for photographers), I had preferred his performance in "Where's Charley?" He said, "Oh, my dear, I'm so pleased. That was my favourite film." He went on to tell me how much he'd enjoyed making the film in my native England. The film, a musical version of "Charley's Aunt" was so very well done. I do hope it's released on DVD or VHS at some point. It's so worth seeing again.
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vyrt25 January 2007I too loved this film and would be over the moon to be able to have a copy on DVD. I think that the scene where Ray Bolger sings 'Once in love with Amy' is fabulous. I think everyone remembers Ray Bolger as the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz where he was one of the main cast members (he was originally meant to play the tin man and Buddy Ebsen was going to play the scarecrow), but I think this was a true starring role for him and he rose to the challenge. It's a true family film and one where you don't have to worry about violence or language, which makes a change in this day and age. Come on people let's get this released on DVD so everyone can enjoy it.
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marcslope26 March 2001Ray Bolger gets to re-create his most famous stage role, right down to the audience-participation gimmick in "Once In Love With Amy." The George Abbott-Frank Loesser stage hit was a little ramshackle to begin with, and there's plenty to complain about in this adaptation, if you're ornery: It's stagy, with too-elaborate choreography. (The opening number, with the stylized dance steps played against the natural setting, looks terribly stilted.) Bolger, great as he is, isn't remotely convincing as an Oxford undergrad -- twice the right age, and with an accent that goes in and out. Some good songs from the stage version are missing, notably "Lovelier Than Ever." David Butler directs with his usual dull competence.
But there's Bolger's eccentric dancing, not only wonderful itself but a valuable historical link to a theatrical style that was old by the time Bolger appropriated it (think Montgomery and Stone, and all their imitators). There's a fun, unpretentious "dream ballet" set in Brazil, sort of like MGM's "The Pirate" as reimagined with a Warners-cartoon sensibility. The old "Charley's Aunt" plot still plays, the Technicolor is pretty, the production is handsome. And one mystery: How does someone as pretty, charming, unaffected, talented, and spirited as Allyn McLerie not get to be a movie star? -
djhbooklover25 January 2007I was fortunate to see this film while a freshman in college the year it was released. Having always enjoyed musical theater I loved the movie. Unfortunately I never got to see it again until it showed up once on television about thirty years ago. By that time I had the British original cast recording with Norman Wisdom so I knew the songs and found it even more fun. Then we saw a Ray Bolger nightclub act and I got to speak with him afterward. His "Once in Love With Amy" was the high point of his act as it was in the Broadway show. In the movie he repeats his famous interaction with an audience during that number as he did on the stage. According to Cy Feuer it was that number and that interaction that made the show a hit. I agree that this movie is part of show business history and should be available on DVD.
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glenster118 April 2009There wasn't a Broadway cast album due to a union dispute, and Frank Loesser's widow Jo Sullivan won't let the film be released because she didn't like it. (Wikipedia) I want to hear Ray Bolger sing "Once in Love with Amy," too. There's a Decca recording of Ray Bolger singing it--"Center Stage: Broadway 1947-1958"
Once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy
Ever and ever fascinated by her, sets your heart on fire to stay.
Once you're kissed by Amy, tear up your list it's Amy
Ply her with bonbons, poetry, and flowers, moon a million hours away.
You might be quite the fickle-hearted rover so carefree and bold
Who loves a girl and later thinks it over and just quits cold.
But once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy
Ever and ever sweetly you'll romance her, trouble is the answer will be
That Amy'd rather stay in love with me.
(instrumental), always in love with Amy
Ever and ever fascinated by her, sets your heart on fire to stay.
(instrumental), get rid of your list it's Amy
Ply her with bonbons, poetry, and flowers, moon a million hours away.
You might be quite the fickle-hearted rover so carefree and bold
Who loves a girl and later thinks it over and just quits cold.
But once in love with Amy, always in love with Amy
Ever and ever sweetly you'll romance her, trouble is the answer will be
That Amy'd rather stay in love with me. -
drednm29 December 2015Ray Bolger had a huge Broadway hit with "Where's Charley?" that ran from October 1948 to September 1950. Bolger even starred in a brief 1951 revival. This 1952 film version also boasts original cast members Allyn Ann McLerie as Amy and Horace Cooper as old Spettigue.
Despite a rough start in the opening Oxford scenes, the film kicks into gear when Bolger hideously yet hilariously masquerades as his aunt (whom he has never met) to maintain the social propriety that requires the presence of a chaperone among the mixed-sex young set gathered at an Oxford reunion.
The wealthy "aunt" then becomes the romantic target of two "old boys" back for their reunion. But all hell breaks loose when the real aunt shows up and pretends to be an old friend of the aunt's dead husband. Amid all these plot contrivances are peppered several musical numbers.
Bolger wonderfully recreates "Once in Love with Amy," a number that brought down the house on a nightly basis. The "aunt" is the perfect vehicle for his eccentric dancing style that seems even more bizarre while he's in drag. A major surprise is the excellent performance by Allyn Ann McLerie as Amy. Mostly remembered now for her crotchety character performances on TV, here she sings and dances up a storm in the Brazilian dream sequence. She's quite wonderful.
Cast also includes Mary Germaine and Robert Shackleton as Kitty and Jack, Margaretta Scott as the real aunt, and Howard Marion-Crawford as old Chesney.
Film closes with a massive production number, "At the Red Rose Cotillion," and a reprise of the opening number.
Still awaiting a DVD release. If you get a chance, watch this one for Ray Bolger and Allyn Ann McLerie. -
LeonardKniffel14 April 2020What fun to watch and listen as the marvelous Ray Bolger (the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz) sings and dances to "Once in Love with Amy." The film was based on a Broadway hit that garnered Bolger a Tony award, but it's very hard to find a copy of this film to watch at home, since (as of this writing) it had not been released on video or DVD, and it was last broadcast on television in the 1970s. Let's hope it is safely archived somewhere; meanwhile you can watch snippets on YouTube. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013
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fischelliot26 July 2023This is a really good musical that was a big hit on Broadway and on film. The only version of the film (there are no stage versions, I'm aware of) is a very poor video dub on YouTube. See it! You'll enjoy it even under such miserable conditions. The performances and production are stagey, but fit the scenario. Best is Ray Bolger's enjoyable star turn as Charlie. It's also a great opportunity to see Michael Kidd's early choreography. You'll notice it's influence on Kidd's later choreography for Hello Dolly! This delightful film is not avaliable in the US due to copyright restrictions placed on it by Frank Loesser's estate with the mistaken assumptions that it is one of the composer's (so the story goes) that it's a lesser work. To deny the public from seeing this enjoyable film and one of Bolger's most famous roles is a tragedy. Thank you to the YouTuber for posting what's there.
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livecta4 September 2011I saw this movie on television as a child and loved it, my favorite scene was Ray Bolger as his own aunt responding to a query about who she was: "I'm Charley's Aunt, from Brazil, where the nuts are". Ray Bolger was definitely a talented dancer and got to show off some moves in this movie. I have often wished it would be released on home video as it is one movie I would definitely buy. My only concern is that it wouldn't live up to my memories of it. According to an article in the Huffington Post on 6/21/11 by Robert J. Elisberg ("The Story of a Lost Broadway Classic") this movie has finally been authorized for release on DVD (no date announced yet).
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kayvan-514 May 2009You can go to Turner Home Movies website and vote for movies you'd like to see released on DVD. They keep a list, and Where's Charley is on there. You can also suggest other movies if you don't see them on the list. They've got tons of old movies, and apparently lots of them haven't been re-released yet. It's really a shame that something as classic as Where's Charley isn't available to adoring fans. To vote for Where's Charley you can just go to http://www.tcm.com/suggestamovie/index/#suggestions and complete their "suggestion" box & tell them why you want it. They send the list out to DVD companies regularly, apparently. It's worth a shot. Maybe we'll all be watching it again next year!