Great movie, suprisingly solid performance by Bing Crosby. I just have a question on something that puzzled me. What on Earth did Bernie have to gain by hiring a potentially risky actor, Frank? Why was Bernie so keen to hire him and so persistent on giving him a chance? He had nothing to gain and could have hired anyone else. It just seemed somewhat unrealistic compared to the rest of the movie.
shareBernie had great admiration for Frank. He knows what Frank can do and he wants Frank to take use of his potential. Bernie knew Frank had the talent and thinks he can get the talent out of him for the show. In the beginning of the film, the producers were telling Bernie that they could just hire someone else, but Bernie tells him no one can sing and act as well as Frank.
shareAnd in addition to his admiration of Frank, Bernie had confidence in his own directoral talents, and was constantly trying to top himself. He was driven by personal ambition, and delivering a successful play starring an admired performer in a comeback role was Bernie's next challenge.
"Howdy, Bub"
Earlier Bernie said he had seen Frank on stage when he (Bernie) was younger and that positive impression stayed with him. It seems plausible to me that a director with some reputation would want to finally work with an earlier hero. This aspect always reminds me of what happened with the Broadway musical, BIG RIVER in the 1980's. The director really wanted Roger Miller to do the score even though Miller was considered a has been and was also known to be unreliable because of alcohol/ and other substance abuse. The director remained steadfast in his support of Miller even when Miller was slow to actually compose the songs. At one point the producers wanted to hire James Taylor to finish the score since Miller was not working out. The director stayed with Miller in spite of all this and it turned out to be a blessing for the show (Tony Award for Best Musical) and a jump start for Miller's career. It was as if THE COUNTRY GIRL came to life.
shareIt was just simple feeling that Frank was best for the part. He could picture him better than anyone else who was available for the role. Director's instinct.
Life, every now and then, behaves as though it had seen too many bad movies