Music for Millions (1944)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

"Music for Millions" is a very frustrating film to watch. There is so much to like about it that it's a shame the plot takes a very dark and uncomfortable twist...one that practically ruins the picture. Fortunately, the excellent acting and music manage to salvage it...a bit.When the film begins, poor little Mike (Margaret O'Brien) has arrived unexpectedly in order to live with her sister, Barbara (June Allyson). Barbara plays in an orchestra...an orchestra consisting mostly of women due to the war. In the orchestra, Barbara has a lot of friends and life is grand. During this part of the film, the only real concerns are how to get the nosy landlord to accept having Mike live with Barbara as well as how lonely the pregnant Barbara is with her husband off in the war.About midway through the film, the screenwriter took an insane choice. A telegram arrives saying that Barbara's husband is dead...and they decide to NOT tell her because they were concerned about Barbara's unborn child. So, for months they keep it from her...even when Barbara assumes he MUST be dead because she has heard nothing from him. She's practically hysterical with worry...and yet her friends KEEP up the pretense...which seems cruel and stupid. How does the film manage to handle it...I know...toss in a happily ever after Hollywood ending!!! Huh?!?As I said, the plot was a problem and it's a darn shame. It's probably June Allyson's best performance and yet it's overshadowed by a dopey plot. It's a shame...a real shame.

The music is worth the viewing of this WWII film. Jose Iturbi performs some classic pieces as only he could do. This movie gives a slice of life from a different era. Some of the funniest scenes are between Jimmy Durante and Margaret O'Brien. June Allyson's scenes with Marsha Hunt compel even the most cynical person to tears. Seeing tiny June Allyson playing the huge double bass (not the cello) has its own kind of humor, and interestingly, the main character of the movie doesn't appear on screen! But it is the music that makes the film so sweet and memorable. The music is as much a part of the story as the characters. It was a time of innocence and sweetness that June Allyson and Margaret O'Brien capture so perfectly. They don't make movies like this any more.

You'd think that any movie with June Allyson and Margaret O'Brien, Hollywood's two most famous "town criers," would be miserable, but "Music for Millions" is wonderful. Yes, there are tears. But with Jimmy Durante, there's also plenty to laugh about...and with Jose Iturbi there is plenty to sing about, although of course Iturbi plays, and doesn't sing.Iturbi is the conductor of an orchestra whose male members are being swallowed into the war effort (by the end of the movie, there's only one man left in the orchestra besides Iturbi). Allyson is a bassist (NOT a cellist) who is pining away for her husband, missing in action in the Pacific. O'Brien is Allyson's baby sister "Mike," an eternal optimist and fiercely loyal to her sister. Durante is the manager, a frustrated musician himself and saddled with always making plans for things that you just can't make plans for.Really, the star of the movie is the music itself, and it's some of the best you'll hear. Iturbi's "Clair de Lune" alone is enough to bring tears, and the first movement of Grieg's piano concerto--most of which we get to hear, when O'Brien isn't interrupting--is majestic. Durante has two numbers of his own, both hilarious reminders of why he was so well-liked.I figure I'm pretty cynical, but even I was smiling through tears at the end. This is a terrific movie.By the way, if you're interested in Jose Iturbi, please visit my new website, www.manyfountains.com to learn more about this great pianist and conductor.

I saw "Music for Millions" right before Memorial Day. This beautiful WWII movie must have been a wonderful gift of hope to American G.I. wives and sweethearts. It leaves nothing unsaid about the powerlessness and fear many of these women must have felt. Yet it is also an inspiring testimonial about hope. Hope, prayer, and faith as embodied by one tenacious six-year old girl.Although you'll cry aplenty, this is more than a '4-hankie' drama. Jimmy Durante, with his famous 'snozzoola' and comic skits, provides a wonderfully humorous contrast to the inspiring classical concertos played by the world-renown Jose Iturbi. You'll be left breathless while the famous conductor/pianist fills the air with the incredibly beautiful music of his mostly female orchestra, bringing a different kind of hope and joy to our boys in uniform.This movie is an absolute MUST!