Rose of Washington Square (1939)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Gregory Ratoff

Writers:

Jerry Horwin (story)
Nunnally Johnson (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

5 May 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot:

New York city in the 1920s: a singer struggles to keep her boyfriend from trouble. When she makes it to Ziegfeld...

Plot Keywords:

Singer | 1920s | Singing | New York City | Deception

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Barton DeWitt Clinton
Alice Faye	...	Rose Sargent
Al Jolson	...	Ted Cotter
William Frawley	...	Harry Long
Joyce Compton	...	Peggy
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Whitey Boone
Moroni Olsen	...	Major Buck Russell
E.E. Clive	...	Barouche driver
Louis Prima	...	Bandleader
Charles C. Wilson	...	Detective Mike Cavanaugh
Ben Welden	...	Toby (Hood)
Horace McMahon	...	Irving
Paul Stanton	...	District attorney
Harry Hayden	...	Dexter
John Hamilton	...	Judge
Hal K. Dawson	...	Chump
Paul E. Burns	...	Chump
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carol Adams	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Eddie, Candy Butcher (uncredited)
Herbert Ashley	...	Stage Doorman (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict	...	Man in Box at Wintergarden (uncredited)
Ed Brady	...	Cooch Show Spectator (uncredited)
Maurice Cass	...	Mr. Mok, Furniture Buyer (uncredited)
Chick Chandler	...	Emcee at Theatre (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler	...	Cop (uncredited)
Edward Cooper	...	Butler (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Officer (uncredited)
Paul Ellis	...	Frank, Ted's Attendant (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Court Officer (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Guard (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Winifred Harris	...	Mrs. Russell (uncredited)
Lew Hicks	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Paul Irving	...	Music Publisher (uncredited)
Claire James	...	Well-Wisher (uncredited)
Leonard Kibrick	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Charles Lane	...	Sam Kress, Theatrical Agent (uncredited)
Charles McMurphy	...	Music Conductor (uncredited)
George Mori	...	Publisher (uncredited)
Adrian Morris	...	Jim, Speakeasy Doorman (uncredited)
James C. Morton	...	Speakeasy Bartender (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Arthur Rankin	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Master of Ceremonies at Cast Party (uncredited)
Bert Roach	...	Mr. Paunch (uncredited)
Robert Shaw	...	Newspaper reporter (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Newspaper Reporter (uncredited)
Stanley Taylor	...	Lobbygow (uncredited)
Blue Washington	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Kenny Williams	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Irma Wilson	...	Miss Lust (uncredited)

Directed by
Gregory Ratoff

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jerry Horwin		story
Nunnally Johnson		writer
John Larkin		story

Produced by
Nunnally Johnson	....	producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Gene Rose		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Karl Freund

Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Rudolph Sternad

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Royer

Sound Department
Eugene Grossman	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Louis Silvers	....	musical director

Other crew
Seymour Felix	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This film closely resembles the life of entertainer Fanny Brice, and Alice Faye even sings Ms. Brice's signature song "My Man". According to "Biography: Alice Faye: The Star Next Door" (1996), Fanny Brice sued 20th Century Fox for $750,000. 20th Century Fox benefited from the publicity, and this film was its biggest musical hit of 1939. The studio settled out of court with Fanny Brice for an undisclosed amount.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Warm Springs (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaiian Love Song)

Slightly disappointing

I hate to be the sole spoilsport in this group of unanimous adulation, but I thought "Rose of Washington Square" was slightly disappointing. Perhaps I had high hopes for it since I'm one of Alice Faye's biggest fans and I love almost all of the classic Fox musicals, but "Rose" ranks with one of Faye & Fox's weakest musicals.

Exhaustingly directed by Gregory Ratoff, this wispy, half-tolerable biography of Fanny Brice turns out to be a less successful attempt by Darryl Zanuck to repeat the magic and splendor of Henry King's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" with Faye and her leading man Tyrone Power. What made King's classic memorable, aside from the luminous presence of Faye, was Irving Berlin's endlessly melodious music. Here, except Faye's singing of "My Man" and Al Jolson's "Mammy", the songs are not only unmemorable, but dismal.

See it only for the stars but don't expect anything as remotely magical as "Alexander's Ragtime Band".