Music in Manhattan
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
John H. Auer
Anne Shirley
Dennis Day
Phillip Terry
Raymond Walburn
Jane Darwell
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Engaged song and dance team Frankie Foster and Stanley Benson take their act to Broadway, but when ticket sales are insufficient to support the show, Frankie decides to fly to Washington, D.C. to ask Mr. Bradley, the trustee of her father's estate, for her inheritance. Upon discovering that the flight to Washington is full, the Professor, Frankie's friend and fellow performer, tells the ticket agent that Frankie is married secretly to war hero Johnny Pearson and must fly to Washington to see her husband receive a medal. The hoax works, and Frankie is issued a ticket under the name of Mrs. Pearson. At the Washington airport, she is met by a chauffeur, who drives her to a hotel, where she is greeted as Mrs. Pearson and ushered to her room. Later that night, Johnny returns to his hotel room and is surprised to find Frankie sleeping in his bed. After Frankie wakes up and begins to scream upon finding a man in her room, Johnny thinks that an innocent mistake has been made and aware that there is a shortage of hotel rooms in the city, offers to sleep on the couch. In the morning, Frankie visits Mr. Bradley, and after he denies her request for the money, she hitchhikes back to New York. There, newspaper headlines heralding Frankie's marriage to a war hero have resulted in a sell-out for the show. Upon discovering the reason for her sudden popularity, Frankie intends to tell the audience the truth, but changes her mind when she realizes that it would kill the show. Meanwhile, Johnny reads about his "wife's" smash success and follows her to New York, and when Frankie returns home that night, she finds Johnny in her bed. Although Frankie tries to explain the situation to Johnny, he accuses her of using the war for her personal publicity campaign and pretends to fall asleep. The next morning, however, Johnny accepts Frankie's apology and agrees to leave after taking a shower. Johnny's plans are derailed when his mother, Mrs. Pearson, arrives at Frankie's door and announces that news of her son's marriage helped speed her recuperation from a serious illness. Concerned about his mother's health, Johnny asks Frankie to play along with the ruse. After Mrs. Pearson informs the newlyweds that she plans to stay for the entire week, however, Stanley, who lives in the same building as Frankie, climbs into her bedroom window. When Mrs. Pearson knocks on the bedroom door, Stanley hides under the bed, and after she leaves, he escorts Johnny down the fire escape and into his apartment. The next day, pictures of the newlyweds are plastered over the front page, prompting the Professor to suggest that they end the hoax by getting married and then having the marriage annuled. Frankie and Johnny follow the Professor's advice, and after a quick ceremony, Johnny signs a document consenting to an annulment and hands it to Frankie. Frankie, who has fallen in love with Johnny, breaks into tears and runs out the front door and into Mrs. Pearson. After Johnny informs his mother that he is leaving on a speaking tour and that he and Frankie have decided to separate, Mrs. Pearson tries to reconcile the couple by telling her son that Frankie is pregnant. When Johnny, who has fallen in love with Frankie, finds a note to her from Stanley addressed to "my wife," he thinks that Frankie has married Stanley. After the show that night, Stanley senses that Frankie has fallen in love with Johnny and releases her from their engagement. Shortly afterward, Johnny, thinking that Frankie is pregnant with Stanley's baby, bursts into the dressing room, slugs Stanley, and storms out the door. After completing his speaking tour, Johnny returns to Washington and receives a letter from his mother explaining the whole situation. Johnny asks the hotel operator to contact Frankie, and when she answers the phone, she tells Johnny that she is in love with him and has torn up their annulment. In response, Johnny says that he is packing his bags to come to her, but when he opens the door to his bedroom, he finds Frankie already in his bed, waiting for him.
Director
John H. Auer
Cast
Anne Shirley
Dennis Day
Phillip Terry
Raymond Walburn
Jane Darwell
Patti Brill
Charlie Barnet
Nilo Menendez
Minerva Urecal
Don Dillaway
Edmund Glover
Carl Kent
Michael Road
Steve Winston
John Shaw
Mary Halsey
Margie Stewart
Sherry Hall
Chris Drake
John Hamilton
Gerald Pierce
Ralph Peters
David Thursby
Harry Clay
Bert Moorhouse
Tom Bryson
Frank Mayo
Robert Homans
Georgia Cooper
Chester Carlisle
Bob Mascagno
Italia Denublia
Byron Foulger
Bert Roach
Joan Barclay
Crew
John H. Auer
C. Bakaleinikoff
Mel Berns
James Casey
Albert S. D'agostino
Bailey Fesler
Leigh Harline
Al Herman
Terry Kellum
Lawrence Kimble
Emile Kuri
Herb Magidson
Harry Marker
Russell Metty
Charles O'curran
Lew Pollack
Renie
Sid Rogell
Gene Rose
Jack Scholl
Darrell Silvera
Hal Smith
Maurice Tombragel
Douglas Travers
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Sound
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working titles of this picture were Here Comes the Bride and Cocktails for Two. According to a pre-production news item in Hollywood Reporter, Leon Errol was initially slated to star in the picture. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound Recording.
