Sing You Sinners (1938)

Sing You Sinners - 1938

Our next film is 1938's "Sing You Sinners", starring Bing Crosby and Fred MacMurray.  The film is about a musically trained family that is eager to branch off in the world in any direction but music.

The film's supporting cast includes Donald O'Connor, Elizabeth Patterson, Ellen Drew, and Irving Bacon.

The film opens with the Beebe family on their way to church.  The boys lead the congregation in singing "Shall We Gather At The River".  Mrs. Beebe motions from the pews for the boys to sing robustly and with a smile.  The guys snap to attention and do as she motions.

Back home, we learn a bit more about the family.  David (MacMurray) works as a mechanic in a garage to support the family.  Joe (Crosby) likes to swap things and has no inclination to work.  Mike (O'Connor) just wants to be a kid.  And Mrs. Beebe rules the roost.  David harps on Joe to pitch in and help support the family so he can marry his sweetheart Martha and start a family of his own.  Joe says he's got the guys a job that night singing at a dance.  Mrs. Beebe encourages them to go, saying she spent every last dime the family had to have them trained to sing.  They go very reluctantly.

The guys are hits with the audience.  And so is their song "I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams".

The next day David and Martha are at a piece of property they hope to build a home on.  As they plan, David tells her they have to wait to be married.  He doesn't want to start a family while he's taking care of one already.  Joe has to get a job before they can settle down.  Martha tells him she's willing to wait.

David has to work late one night and asks Joe to take Martha out in his stead.  After a boring lecture on seals, Joe takes her to a nightclub where he sings "Don't Let That Moon Get Away".  After several drinks, they go home.

Drunk when they arrive, Joe admits to David that he tried to take Martha away from him, but she resisted.  David helps Joe to bed as he wonders if things will ever change.

Joe gets to feeling bad about how he acted with Martha and goes out to get a job.  He finds one at the local gas station.  He calls his mother and she puts on a big celebratory dinner in his honor.

However, when he gets home, he tells everyone he was fired.  At the gas station, he reverted to his "swapping" ways and started trading gas for junk people didn't want.  The family is very disappointed in him.

Joe decides to make something of himself and that very night leaves home for Los Angeles.  He promises David that he will send for Mrs. Beebe and Mike when he's able to take care of them.

In Los Angeles, Joe gets a tip for a horse race.  He makes a huge amount of money.  He's thrilled that he'll be able to send for his mother and younger brother a lot faster than he thought.

He gets his own swap shop and sends a telegram telling his family to come to Los Angeles.  Mrs. Beebe is thrilled that Joe has finally made something of himself and has got his start in life at last.

She and Mike wish David and Martha farewell as they board the train for Los Angeles.  She wanted to be there for their wedding, but she tells them she'll see them soon.

Her hopes for Joe's success are dashed on arrival in Los Angeles.  He immediately takes her to a horse stable and shows her Uncle Gus, his new racehorse which he traded for the swap shop.  She's horribly disappointed, though Mike is thrilled because he wants to be a jockey.  She tells Joe he's not to reveal any of this to David, because she wants him to finally marry Martha and live his own life.

Mike, however, is having the time of his life as he trains Uncle Gus.  They train hard, and weeks turn to months before he's entered in a race.  Meanwhile, all their credit has run out and the Beebes are about to be kicked out of their home in three days.

David and Martha make a surprise visit.  They wanted to get married in Los Angeles so the family could be together.  However, they quickly find out the state of things, and David says the wedding must be postponed again.

Martha says she's going back home right away.  She tells David that once he realizes that his family will never change and that they'll always be a part of their lives, he can send for her.

The guys get work in a club, where they sing songs like "Laugh And Call It Love" and "Small Fry".  The day after this performance, Uncle Gus finally has his first race.  Joe is confident he will win.

Mike gets called into the main office and is introduced to a man who owns a rival horse.  He tells Mike he will pay him four hundred dollars if he'll lose the race.  Mike, knowing his family's desperate need for money, agrees.

The next day, after Joe tells him of a $2,000 side bet he's made, Mike confesses the whole scheme.  Joe tells him to go ahead and win the race.  He's sorry for the bad example he's set for Mike.

Joe asks David to come to the barn after the race because there could be trouble if Uncle Gus wins.

Mike starts out strong, but halfway through the race is nearly pushed off his horse by the rival man's jockey.  He rallies, though, and Uncle Gus comes through with a win in dramatic fashion.

The rival horse owner and a buddy beat up Mike and start to take on David and Joe.  The fight even starts to attract a little crowd around the barn.

Mrs. Beebe hurries to revive Mike by dunking his head in a pail of water.  "Are ya winnin'?" she shouts at her older sons.  "We ain't losin'!" Joe shouts back.  The other guys finally have enough and the Beebes emerge the victors in the fight.

The night, after being bandaged up, the boys count up their winnings...way over $2600.  They each decide what they want to do with their share.  They're going their separate ways.  Mrs. Beebe steps in with motherly authority.  She tells the boys they are stronger together.  If they decide to pursue their foolish ideas, she's quitting the family.  The guys stop and think about what she says.

In the end, David sends for Martha and the guys stick together doing what they do best: making music.

Cast rundown:

   Bing Crosby....................................Joe Beebe

   Fred MacMurray...............................David Beebe

   Donald O'Connor..............................Mike Beebe

   Elizabeth Patterson..........................Mrs. Daisy Beebe

   Ellen Drew......................................Martha Randall

   Irving Bacon...................................Seal Lecturer

And that's all for "Sing You Sinners".  It's a highly enjoyable film.  The role of Mike, played by Donald O'Connor, was originally supposed to be filled by Mickey Rooney.  Rooney, however, was busy with other projects.

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