Professor Popinjay's Compendium of Perspicacity

A non-review by Prof. Popinjay

One thing that I can relate to when it comes to a modern audience’s regard for older movies is the lack of appreciation for musical numbers tacked on to films of old because of the long lasting conversion from the all-singing all-dancing vaudeville routines. Entertainment just wasn’t entertainment unless it had singing, dancing, comedy, slapstick, HIJINKS, COSTUMES, ANIMATED SHORTS, NEWS REELS, PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, A CHIMPANZEE WEARING A HAT, A MORAL, COMEUPPANCE FOR THE VILLAIN, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

If the movie was a musical, that was fine. A musical is a musical. But back in the day, consarn it, if Doris Day didn’t do a song in this movie that she did in some other movie then that was legitimate grounds to get your ¢25 refunded! 

Nowadays, if a character is in a play or show within a movie, unless that play is a major plot point, usually it’s just a backdrop for other characters to have unrelated dialogue. You might see a bit of the play being enacted in the background or you’ll see the beginnings or the aftermath. The kid was in a play. Got it. That’s why she was dressed as a sheep for the following scene. But in the 50’s? Ohhhhh if you hear mention of some characters involvement in a play, settle in because honey, you’re gonna be watching that whole play. It won’t have anything to do with the movie itself. It’s PURELY a vehicle for song and dance and costumes, every last bit of which will be featured on the movie poster.

In “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” Doris Day dresses like a farm girl for a three minute segment. For the rest of the film she’s a mechanic enthusiast covered in grease, wearing unflattering coveralls. Guess which picture they used for the movie poster.

But this wasn’t a film about a farm girl. She was a suburbanite tomboy at the center of attention from two men. One man was talented but slight and the other was wishy-washy but broad and ruggedly handsome so you know who the obvious choice has to be no matter the problems that should arise.

Aside from these tropes of the time, I did enjoy the ACTUAL plot of this movie. It had amusing characters and the B story that eventually took center stage was pretty funny. I particularly liked the little brothers day dreams of spy work as compared to the reality of the situations the kid found himself in. It all meshed together well and got quite a few guffaws out of me. I recommend it but you may have to sift through the Vaudeville if you can’t hack it.

I later learned this film was the sequel to On Moonlight Bay. Click here to see the Non-Review: