This Weekend’s LRPA After Dark Feature:
1947’s “Till The
Clouds Roll By”
Join Lakes Region Public Access Television at 10:30 p.m. this
Friday and Saturday night (March 24 & 25) for our “LRPA After
Dark” presentation of 1947’s musical biopic of the life of
Broadway composer Jerome Kern: “Till The Clouds Roll By,”
featuring a star-studded cast including Judy Garland, June
Allyson, Dinah Shore, Lena Horne, Cyd Charisse, Robert Walker
and Frank Sinatra, among many others.
This MGM musical tells Kern’s story as a series of reminiscences
between the composer (played by Robert Walker) and his
chauffeur. These scenes are really just excuses for the lavish
studio production numbers, complete with singing and dancing in
vibrant 1940’s Technicolor. Some of the more famous musical
numbers that viewers are treated to include Judy Garland,
pregnant at the time with Liza Minnelli, singing “Look for the
Silver Lining;” Lena Horne performing an amazing “Can’t Help
Loving Dat Man” from the musical “Showboat;” and the film’s
grand finale: Frank Sinatra, clad in white from head to toe,
singing his version of “Ol’ Man River,” again, from “Showboat.”
Kern himself approved of this biopic, and notably the
sometimes maligned choice of Frank Sinatra to sing the final
ballad. Sadly, he never got to see the finished film, as Kern
died in 1945 at the age of 60. “Till The Clouds Roll By”
was a critical and commercial success, and still wows audiences
today with its high MGM production values, stunning camera work
and gorgeous vocal arrangements for the studio’s top stars of
the day. Turner Classic Movies calls “Till The Clouds Roll By”
“… a superb slice of post-war escapist fare … top notch …
smoothly directed.” If you love mid-century musicals, how can
you resist? Grab your popcorn and join LRPA after dark for this
Technicolor treat!