Bundle of Joy (1956) * 3/4

Directed by Norman Taurog. Written by Norman Krasna, Robert Carson, Arthur Sheekman, from a story by Felix Jackson. Photography, William E. Snyder. Editing, Harrry Marker. Art direction, Albert S. D'Agostino, Walter Holscher. Music, Josef Myrow. Cast: Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Adolphe Menjou, Tommy Noonan, Nina Talbot, Una Merkle, Melville Cooper, et al. RKO. Color. 98 min.

Musicalized remake of the very good "Bachelor Mother" (1939) which had been directed by Garson Kanin, written by Norman Krasna -- and starred Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Charles Coburn. In the original, Ginger was a salesgirl in major New York department store. When she finds an abandoned baby, everyone believes that she is the mother . Complications and quid pro quos snowball, while the son of the big store's owner and Ginger fall in love.

Essentially the remake follows those lines, but adds music , dance and songs, none of them remarkable. Fisher and Reynolds were married at the time. It was his first movie, of a total of two - and that's a blessing. The story, as well as its comedic power, details, acting, music and paraphernalia are mediocre - sometimes pretty dumb and bad. There are, however, a few good moments.

Notice that in the opening (with a corny song by Fisher) and in the early scenes, both headlining performers are at least one head shorter than the cast around them. I am guessing that when the rushes came in this disparity was noticed and disappeared in the rest of the movie.