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• Here's a real sleeper!

  • 16mmCollector
  • 11/14/14

  Stan Freberg has a great supporting role as pop singer Billy Weber in this little-known comedy, who is a Johnnie Ray parody, even to the point of tearing his shirt off as he sings wildly in front of audiences. He runs afoul of a shy music professor who wants to record an album of folk songs, but becomes a mystery celebrity (The Wandering Stranger) when he records a pop tune that soars to number one on the charts. Now Freberg wants the song and others too. John Carroll is the shy music professor with the great singing voice who is engaged to the school's psychology teacher, who is also the queen of control freaks and a super snob as well. The "whipped" Carroll is convinced by record company agent Mala Powers that popular music is the new folk music of the 20th century. The usual conflicts and entanglements occur before the obvious outcome. The real treat here is the banquet of character actors including the fast-talking studio manager of Cambria Records, Jim Backus, who is always one step from the employment line, Alan (Fred Flintstone) Reed, Sr. as the record company owner, and other fun actors like Emil Sitka as the sound engineer, and Carolyn (Addams Family) Jones as the boozy girl friend (not sure of exactly who). Songs include: "Flaming Lips," "Black Is The Color," "Along The Colorado Trail," "Rat Now," "Try," "The Foggy, Foggy Dew," "Geraldine," and "The Wintertime Of Love." This gem, from Republic Studios, has to be on your must-see list, if you can find it. I had never heard of this title until I ran across a 16mm print of it recently.

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