Next on the list if 1944's "Greenwich Village", starring Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, and William Bendix. The film takes place in the Roaring Twenties in the artist colony of Greenwich Village. A composer finds New York living isn't all it's cracked up to be when he gets involved with the owner of a speakeasy and his girlfriend. The film's supporting cast includes Vivian Blaine, Felix Bressart, Tony De Marco, and Sally De Marco.
Our film begins in the Twenties. Kansas composer Kenneth "Ken" Harvey is on a tour bus through Greenwich Village. He gets off after a while and roams the streets.
He comes to a speakeasy, Danny's Den, and decides to find out what's going on inside.
Inside we find Carmen Miranda singing a vibrant "I'm Just Wild About Harry" to the rapturous applause of the audience.
It's also a treat to watch delicatessen owners (real life husband and wife dancing team Tony and Sally De Marco) try out for Danny's Den.
They make what they do look just effortless. It's a real high energy sequence that brings the room to life.
In addition to her singing abilities, we find out that Carmen's name is Princess Querida, her father was a "great red chief of the Blackfoots". When Ken tries to pay for the Princess's fortune telling, he finds he has only hundred dollar bills. Believing him to be a rich man, Querida introduces him to Danny, who hopes to find backers for a Broadway show.
Songstress Bonnie Watson (Blaine) sings "Swingin' Down The Lane", and Danny notices that Ken is captivated by her, falling in love instantly.
He brings Bonnie over to meet Ken in hopes that Ken will feel inclined to put some money towards his show. Ken ends up seeing Bonnie home, which makes Danny jealous as he and Bonnie are somewhat of an item.
When Ken finds out that Bonnie has a piano, he plays a little of his concerto for her. Danny listens downstairs and gets even more jealous. He organizes a little party to break up whatever Bonnie and Ken have going.
Ken ends up passing out behind Bonnie's couch and doesn't stir until morning when Querida joins her for breakfast.
Later Danny bursts in and plunks a few notes on the piano he thinks might make a good song for the show. What he doesn't realize is that it's the same melody from Ken's concerto that he was playing for Bonnie. Danny talks Ken into writing some music for the show.
Danny hosts a Costume Ball to raise extra cash for the show. Querida sings "I Like To Be Loved By You". During the ball, Ken is approached by someone who wants to take his concerto music to be produced by a famous conductor. Ken is thrilled, but doesn't know that this is being orchestrated by Danny who wants to keep the music for his own show. Danny is renewed in his ambition to keep Ken's music for himself when he catches Ken kissing Bonnie during the ball.
Ken's contact says everything is a go and that Carnegie Hall is all set for Ken to use for rehearsals. Ken goes there, and finds the doors locked. He realizes that it's all a sham.
Meanwhile, things are moving rapidly for Danny's show. A funny moment in a montage sequence is when Querida is trying to get her costume right. She doesn't seem to be thrilled with the way things are going.
Next thing you know, she's added a birdcage with a bird in it to the top of her hat and seems to love the result.
Of course, Ken goes back to Danny's club to find out what's going on. He overhears a part of a conversation which seems to implicate Danny and Bonnie in the shady deal of his music. In reality, Bonnie found out about what Danny was planning to do and made him reverse it. She was there to wait around for Ken to give him back some money that was stolen from him, but Ken misunderstands her part in all of it.
Ken gets mad and storms out, ready to go back to Kansas. Querida meets him on the sidewalk and wants to know what happened. He figures she's been in on the deal too, which she wasn't. To stall for time so she can alert Bonnie to what's happened, she goes to the bar and asks for two bottles of Scotch. She places them under Ken's arm, telling him he'll want a drink on the train, and sends him on his way.
She goes to a nearby policeman and informs him that Ken is carrying alcohol, strictly against prohibition, and Ken is arrested. (Side note: this is a very funny scene in which Querida puts on an Irish accent to endear herself to the cop, "Tops of the mornin' to ya," she greets him.)
Ken eventually gets to the theater on opening night just as his music is about to be played. He had intended to get an injunction against the show so that his music couldn't be used. It turns out that Danny used his concerto, but as it was originally written, and conducted by the very man that Ken had tried to get in to see in the first place. It's a big success.
Also during the show, Querida sings a catchy tune, "Give Me A Band And A Bandana".
As Bonnie goes on to sing the final number, Danny explains everything to Ken, and tells him to go watch Bonnie's song. Bonnie sings "Whispering" to the rapturous applause of the audience. As they wait for her to take a bow, we find that Bonnie is no longer on the stage, but kissing Ken in the wings. Cast rundown:
Carmen Miranda.................................Princess Querida O'Toole
Don Ameche......................................Kenneth Harvey
William Bendix...................................Danny O'Mara
Felix Bressart.....................................Hofer
Tony De Marco....................................Tony
Sally De Marco....................................Sally And that's a wrap for Greenwich Village. Originally, this film was to have starred Alice Faye as Bonnie. Alice found she was expecting her second child, and the role was taken over by Vivian Blaine. Had she done the film, this would've been the seventh pairing for Alice Faye and Don Ameche. As always, if you wish to comment, please remember our posting rules.
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