User Reviews

Screen Directors Playhouse: Prima Donna (1956)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Extremely annoying entry in the Screen Directors Playhouse series. Jeanette MacDonald plays Martha, a vocal master who comes across a young boy (Alfred Caiazza) selling newspapers. The woman takes the kid back to her apartment because she plans on turning him into a major star due to his voice but first she must sell the idea to his parents. When I read the plot outline to this entry I thought it sounded good enough but the end result is a major disaster that doesn't work on any level. I'm sure some people might find it somewhat entertaining but to me it was one of the most annoying films I've seen in quite sometime. The big secret is that MacDonald invites the kids parents over not knowing that they're actually Laraine Day and Leo Durocher. When Day and Durocher show up we get a long comic spill of MacDonald not knowing they're the kids father so she tries to get rid of them and insults the kid's parents in front of them. This sequence takes up the majority of the middle act and spills over into the final one and I couldn't help but want to scratch my eyes out because it was so poorly written, so poorly acted and worst of all is that it doesn't contain a single laugh. The MacDonald characters just comes as very cold-hearted and annoying and it's just downright shocking that anyone could be as dumb. We get a couple musical numbers that are just as poor as the dubbing was quite obvious. I don't mind the dubbing so much but the performance itself was quite mediocre to say the least. As far as the performances go, none of them really stand out. MacDonald has some nice energy but that's about it. Caiazza doesn't have much power on the screen and Day and Durocher just sit around with shocked looks on their faces.

I am a horrible person, I know. After all, I don't happen to adore Jeanette MacDonald's singing--in fact, it makes my skin crawl. A while back, I reviewed one of her films and took some heat because I wrote that the film would be better without her operatic warblings. So, if you love her singing and think she is one of the greatest actresses of all time, then you should probably stop reading...even if I did like this particular episode of "Screen Directors Playhouse". It's just that I hated the singing and found myself speeding through the portion with her singing (as I'd copied this to a DVD). Unfortunately, it turned out that the singing was NOT the worst part of the show. It didn't help that her character was basically a pushy and rather unlikable lady--and the script seemed a bit amateurish.

MacDonald plays a lady who is pretty much like herself--an aging singing star. But instead of enjoying her wealth and success, this lady loves discovering new talent. In this case, it's a kid selling newspapers (Alfred Caiazza) with a rather operatic voice. She refuses listen to anyone and heads full speed ahead. Later, this unwillingness to listen really bites her on the butt...and everyone has a hardy laugh.

I've seen several episodes of this show and so far this is probably the worst--and not just because of the singing. The problem is that the Miss MacDonald plays an incredibly obnoxious character AND the acting is often quite broad. You know it's not well written or directed when one of the better actors in the show is Leo Durocher--the baseball manager! I especially hated the very end--one minute the dinner was ready and only three minutes later the kitchen was filled with smoke and the cook (Jane Darwell) was talking about having to make bacon and eggs (ha, ha, ha, ha they all laughed). Pretty dreadful.

The story is a bit of fluff but a lot of fun.

Primarily the show exists to showcase Jeanette MacDonald's voice, which is good enough reason.

But it also gives a chance for young Alfred Caiazza to show us he was a great partner in a duet with her. He apparently didn't make many movies or TV shows, but he was extremely talented.

Really the entire cast is first rate, demonstrating that this type of 1950's showcase helped elevate television to an art form.

There is a question begged: Why do Laraine Day and her then-husband Leo Durocher get to keep their real names when everyone else is playing a role? Durocher, by the way, does a great send-up of himself. He has eight titles next to his name at IMDb, but this performance showed he could have been a probably successful actor.

Turner Classic Movies presented "Prima Donna" during its January, 2011, tribute to Hal Roach studios. If it comes around again, be sure to see it. Be sure to see it. It's a priceless collection of performers in a rare, even historical, setting.

The plot's a cute mix-up-- will little Johnny become a ball player or an opera singer. With a dad like Leo (the Lip) Durocher don't bet against a baseball uniform. Actually the real draw is the cast. It's Jeanette Mac Donald sans Nelson Eddy in her TV debut. Her role here is mostly subdued until, that is, she sings. Then, oddly, there's the lady-like Laraine Day along with her real-life uncouth hubby Durocher. The latter are one of the unlikeliest marital pairings in an industry full of the unlikely. Something about opposites attracting, I guess. Actually Leo the Lip is a surprisingly good actor, legendary for his bluster as a baseball Hall Of Fame head coach. Also, shouldn't forget ace supporting players Cowan and Darwell, making this a cast of players worth catching up with. Also: IMDB doesn't indicate whether young Caiazza's expert singing was dubbed or not. Either way, it's compelling. Nonetheless, I can't help mentioning I was a bit put-off by the brief, rather romantic duet between a middle-age MacDonald and the youthful Caiazza. Anyway, it's a chance to catch a rather novel assemblage of players blending into an amusing musical trifle.