Walking My Baby Back Home ** (1953, Donald O’Connor, Janet Leigh, Buddy Hackett, Lori Nelson) – Classic Movie Review 7266

A group of former World War Two American army buddies join together again to play jazz, starting a band, which flops so he joins Colonel Dan Wallace (George Cleveland)’s a minstrel show and falls for the Colonel’s niece Chris Hall. That is the idea that replaces a plot in director Lloyd Bacon’s undemanding, fluffy 1953 Universal Pictures romantic musical comedy soufflé Walking My Baby Back Home, greatly enlivened with a funny turn from Buddy Hackett in his film debut as Blimp Edwards.

The main stars Donald O’Connor and Janet Leigh work hard but are largely wasted and slightly under par, though, as army veteran Jigger Millard and the lovely Chris Hall. To be fair, however, it is quite bright and lively, and filmed in lovely Technicolor. And O’Connor and Leigh are always welcome company, and they do give a vivacious impression of enjoying themselves. Admittedly you don’t necessarily need a plot in a musical, just a peg to hang the tunes and performances on, and this one will do. It is not surprising that it is a forgotten movie, though.

The movie’s best moment is the title song by Roy Turk and Fred E Ahlert, sung by O’Connor and danced by O’Connor and Leigh, so they certainly get that right. Other songs include ‘The Glow-Worm’, ‘South Rampart Street Parade’ and ‘De Camptown Races’, all performed by Leigh.

Walking My Baby Back Home features music from The Modernaires and The Sportsmen.

Also in the cast are Lori Nelson as Claire Millard, Scatman Crothers (as Scat Man Crothers) as ‘Smiley’ Gordon, Kathleen Lockhart as Mrs Millard, John Hubbard as Rodney Millard, Norman Abbott, Fred M Browne, Lorraine Carol, Ken Christy, Jack Daly, Isabelle Dawn, Sam Flint, Phil Garris, Roy Gordon, Creighton Hale, Brett Halsey, Ted Hecht, Truman Herron, Bradford Jackson, Alice Kelley, Paula Kelly, Walter Kingsford, Frank Marlowe, Matt Mattox, Sidney Miller, George Ramsey, Hal Smith, Herb Vigran and Stuart Whitman.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7266

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