JUMBO [1962 / 2013] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
Jump For Joy It’s Jumbo! The Wonderful Songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart!
Billy Rose's ‘JUMBO’ is a mighty talented elephant. It's also the ideal word to describe this big-time, big-top extravaganza bursting with laughter and love, sang and dance, circus stunts and star power.
Radiant Doris Day as Kitty Wonder sings beloved Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart tunes and does her own horseback riding tricks in a razzle-dazzle musical based on Billy Rose's original stage production spectacular and featuring circus sequences directed by Busby Berkeley. The story revolves around a circus owner Jimmy Durante as Anthony 'Pop' Wonder, who was the star of the 1935 Broadway original show and with only two real attractions, his daughter Kitty Wonder [Doris Day] and the popular pachyderm Jumbo the elephant. Three-ring pandemonium breaks out when a handsome rival Sam Rawlins [Stephen Boyd] infiltrates the circus, and father, daughter and Dad's wise-cracking fiancé Lulu [Martha Raye] are suddenly at risk of losing the greatest show on earth!
FILM FACT No.1: 1963 Academy Awards®: Nomination: Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment for George Stoll. 1963 Golden Globes: Nomination: Best Motion Picture for a Musical. Nomination: Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Doris Day. Nomination: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Stephen Boyd. Nomination: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Jimmy Durante. Nomination: Best Supporting Actress for Martha Raye. 1963 Laurel Awards: Nomination: Top Musical [4th place]. Nomination: Top Male Musical Performance for Jimmy Durante [5th place]. 1963 Writers Guild of America: Nomination: Best Written American Musical for Sidney Sheldon.
FILM FACT No.2: Stephen Boyd's singing voice was dubbed by James Joyce. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the rights to the musical soon after it reached the stage. In 1947 Charles Waters requested he make the film of the musical as his first assignment; the studio agreed. In 1950 it was announced Arthur Freed would produce and Howard Keel and Jimmy Durante would star. Production was held up due to litigation. Years later Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made the film. The film ‘JUMBO’ was based on a musical play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and produced by Billy Rose and was performed at The New York Hippodrome in 1933.
Cast: Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, Dean Jagger, Joseph Waring, Lynn Wood, Charles Watts, James Chandler, Robert Burton, Wilson Wood, Norman Leavitt, Grady Sutton, Sydney (Jumbo the Elephant) (uncredited), Jimmy Ames (uncredited), John Astin (uncredited), Billy Barty (uncredited), Herman Belmonte (uncredited), Nesdon Booth (uncredited), Danny Borzage (uncredited), Jack Boyle (uncredited), Chet Brandenburg (uncredited), George Bruggeman (uncredited), John Burnside (uncredited), Sue Casey (uncredited), James J. Casino (uncredited), Fred Coby (uncredited), Gene Coogan (uncredited), Chuck Couch (uncredited), Walt Davis (uncredited), Roy Engel (uncredited), Wesley Gale (uncredited), Joseph Glick (uncredited), Christian Haren (uncredited), John Hart (uncredited), Bill Hines (uncredited), Shep Houghton (uncredited), Michael Kostrick (uncredited), Frank Kreig (uncredited), Ralph Lee (uncredited), C.J. Madison (uncredited), Kermit Maynard (uncredited), Mike Morelli (uncredited), Paul Power (uncredited), Paul Ravel (uncredited), Otto Reichow (uncredited), Churchill Ross (uncredited), Jerry Schumacher (uncredited), J. Lewis Smith (uncredited), Olan Soule (uncredited), Paul Wexler Robert B. Williams (uncredited) and Harry Wilson (uncredited)
The Circus Performers: Ron Henon, The Carlisles, The Pedrolas, The Wazzan Troupe, The Hannefords, Billy Barton, Corky Cristiani, Victor Julian, Richard Berg, Joe Monahan, Miss Lani, Adolph Dubsky, Pat Anthony, Janos Prohaska and The Barbettes
Director: Charles Walters
Producers: Joe Pasternak, Martin Melcher and Roger Edens
Screenplay: Ben Hecht (book), Charles MacArthur (book) and Sidney Sheldon (screenplay)
Lyrics: Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Music: Alexander Courage (uncredited), Conrad Salinger (uncredited), George Stoll (uncredited), Leo Arnaud (uncredited), Robert Franklyn (uncredited), Robert Van Eps (uncredited) and Roger Edens (uncredited)
Cinematography: William H. Daniels, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (Panavision)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 124 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Billy Rose’s ‘JUMBO’ [1962] film is set in the early 1900s, and the Wonder Circus is run by Anthony 'Pop' Wonder [Jimmy Durante] and his daughter Kitty Wonder [Doris Day] with their main attraction Jumbo the Elephant. The circus is floundering financially and unpaid performers are quitting in droves to join other circus shows. Kitty Wonder hires a drifter Sam Rawlins [Stephen Boyd] who does odd jobs and various performances. Kitty Wonder falls for Sam Rawlins, but does he have the circus’s best interest in mind?
The original musical play “Jumbo” had produced three hit songs: "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," "Little Girl Blue" and "My Romance." To those and other songs from the original score, Doris Day added another Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart standard, "This Can't Be Love." The numbers were filmed impeccably, with Busby Berkeley staging an impressive array of circus stunts to accompany Doris Day's first song, "Over and Over Again," and director Charles Walters making the camera dance with the performers as he had in his earlier films. This wonderfully warm-hearted Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical about circus rivalries is based on showman Billy Rose's Broadway extravaganza that actually featured an elephant on the stage.
The film ‘JUMBO’ is a wonderful film, artistically and technically and Doris Day was the perfect choice to play the lovely Kitty Wonder, co-owner of the Wonder Circus. The circus is near bankruptcy, due to the compulsive gambling by her father, Anthony 'Pop' Wonder and a threatened takeover by the rival Noble Circus is planned. Owner, John Noble [Dean Jaggar], plants his son, Sam Rawlins, among the Wonder Circus clan to obtain inside information in order to hasten the proposed coup. Sam Rawlins reluctantly falls in love with the beautiful young co-owner Kitty Wonder, later feels guilty about his dad’s underhanded tactics and decides to break with the John Noble plan.
John Noble [Dean Jaggar] is successful in his efforts and the Wonder Circus is shut down with all of its assets, including its star attraction, the incredible elephant, Jumbo, confiscated. Heartbroken and defeated, Kitty Wonder, her father and his fiancée, Lulu, decide to rebuild the business from the ground level starting with two sticks and a blanket which is equivalent to dancing for pennies on a street corner. They receive an unexpected visit from Sam Rawlins who miraculously produces Jumbo and together, the four performers, with renewed confidence and ambition, roll up their sleeves and embark on a new journey.
To play Jimmy Durante's lovelorn girlfriend, Martha Raye returned to the screen after a 15-year absence during which she had become a top television star. The circus routines gave Martha Raye a chance to show off her still shapely legs, while she also shared a lyrical duet with Doris Day that reminded fans she was one of the best singers in the business. Martha Raye was so thrilled with the role that she re-located to the West Coast, hoping her part would lead to other film offers.
Throughout the ‘JUMBO’ original film run, Billy Rose was besieged with claims that the plot had been stolen from a variety of sources, though nobody could make enough of a case to get even a token settlement out of him. When he was negotiating the sale of film rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, however, Ben Hecht, who was angry at Billy Rose for re-writing his script at the last minute, told studio executives that he had, indeed, borrowed the plot from another play. As a result, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer dropped its offer from $200,000 to $50,000. Desperate to break even on the show, Rose had to accept. Then the studio sat on the property for almost three decades.
JUMBO MUSIC TRACK LIST
WHY CAN’T I (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart)
OVER AND OVER AGAIN (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Doris Day]
THIS CAN’T BE LOVE (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Doris Day]
CIRCUS ON PARADE (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, Doris Day and Chorus]
MY ROMANCE (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Doris Day]
LITTLE GIRL BLUE (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Doris Day]
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD (Music by Richard Rodgers and Lyrics by Lorenz Hart) [Performed by Stephen Boyd, but dubbed by James Joyce]
SAWDUST AND SPANGLES AND DREAMS (Music and Lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Roger Edens) [Performed by Stephen Boyd, Doris Day, Jimmy Durante and Martha Raye]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Archive Collection has once again brought us this wonderful brilliant Blu-ray disc with a stunning 1080p Metrocolor image presentation and is helped with an equally impressive 2.40:1 aspect ratio. This Blu-ray disc also brings home all the rich detail and beautiful lush colours for which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals were noted in a film-like presentation that confirms that the Warner Archive Collections commitment to top quality. The meticulously crafted sets and costumes of the Wonder Circus are visible in all their amazing colours. The rich primary colours are as well represented as the pastels of the butterfly costumes used for a particular act, and the deep black colour of Jumbo's cloaks and the costumes of the high-wire performer known as "Mantino" are deep, silky and very solid that really gives you that magical experience of both the Wonder Circus and of course this wonderful Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us just one standard 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, and of course has brought this audio track up-to-date, to give you a wonderful experience and all the joys of the Circus World. The opening orchestral overture has a lushly harmonious presence, but the real magic begins with the opening chorus of circus workers hammering tent poles rhythmically into the ground, with the percussion instruments that represent the hammering are tight and precise. The overall presentation has clarity and precision beyond anything available on the live stage, even with today's sophisticated audio systems, but overall the sound tends to be with the three front speakers, but now and again you do get dramatic background sounds in the two rear speakers. Rarely have this circus film been accompanied by an orchestra of such depth and versatility. The vocal performances have been mixed very well enough and the transition from dialogue to studio-recorded singing does sound really good. So all in all Warner Archive Collection has done a superb job and brought this film bang up-to-date for new audiences to enjoy.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Jerry and Jumbo [1953] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:05] A baby elephant rolls off the circus train and right into Tom's bed. Yhe baby elephant quickly allies himself with Jerry, and with a rolled-up trunk and some paint, passes himself off as a giant mouse. The two then keep trading places to the bafflement of Tom. This was a Tom and Jerry 74th one reel animated cartoon short, and the characters were originally created in 1951. The animated cartoon is directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby with music by Scott Bradley. It was animated by Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ed Barge with backgrounds by Robert Gentle and was released in USA theatres on the 21st February, 1953 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Special Feature: Yours Sincerely [Musical Short] [1933] [1080i] [1.37:1] [19:35] The film ‘Yours Sincerely’ is an abbreviated version of the Rodgers & Hart Broadway show “Spring Is Here.” Betty Braley [Nancy Welford] is being courted by several men. Although she seems to favour Terry Clayton [Richard Keene], a seemingly carefree but poor man, her independent hotelier father Peter Braley [Dudley Clements] wants her to marry a millionaire, namely Steve Alden [Lanny Ross]. Betty Braley goes along with her father's wishes and focuses her attentions on Steve Alden's romantic advances. Betty Braley's sister, Mary Jane Braley [Pearl Osgood], wants to help Terry Clayton court Betty Braley, by showing Betty Braley what she is missing in Terry Clayton by making Betty Braley jealous. In the process of Steve courting Betty Braley, and Terry pretending to court Mary Jane Braley, Steve Alden and Betty Braley do fall in love, and Terry Clayton and Mary Jane Braley also fall in love. But Steve Alden, Terry Clayton and Peter Braley aren't all that they appear on the surface. Overall it is okay, but the acting is slightly stilted and as to the audio presentation, this is a very scratchy audio presentation.
Theatrical Trailer [1962] [1080i] [2.40:1] [3:19] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer of the film ‘JUMBO’ and unfortunately the image presentation is not the best looking presentation, and a crying shame they could not of upgraded the print quality.
BONUS: The Original Overture has now been restored to its proper place at the start of the film, and now can be heard for the first time in more than 40 years. So what you get to view is exactly 3:45 minutes of the OVERTURE that precedes the feature film and you get to view an “OVERTURE” title card instead of just the usual black screen and you also get to hear a compilation of the main songs in the film, with just the composed music score, so enjoy.
Finally, the film ‘JUMBO’ is counted among the greatest circus film ever to come out of Hollywood and is compared to such films as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ ‘Trapeze,’ ‘Carnival Story’ and ‘Circus World.’ Charles Walters directed the picture with Joe Pasternak and Martin Melcher producing. Doris Day was nominated as “Best actress in a musical or comedy” at the Hollywood Foreign Press Awards but lost to Rosalind Russell for ‘Gypsy.’ However, Doris Day walked away with the evening’s coveted World’s Most Popular Film Actress accolade again. Meanwhile, Billy Rose's ‘JUMBO’ film is highly recommended as a superior Blu-ray presentation of a well-crafted Hollywood musical that will bring so much joy to a new generation.
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
