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Mad About Music

Play trailer Poster for Mad About Music Released Feb 27, 1938 1h 38m Musical Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
In this musical, Gloria Harkinson (Deanna Durbin), the daughter of a widowed film star (Gail Patrick), is a boarding school girl with a big imagination. She spins daring adventures about her father, claiming he's not only alive but well worth the other girls' jealousy. When classmates begin to doubt Gloria's wild tales, she is forced to procure a fake father. At the local train station, she finds a dapper English composer (Herbert Marshall) who is charmed by her moxie.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Fully catches the innocence of teenagers and their need for parental love. Rated: B Sep 15, 2022 Full Review Meyer Levin (Patterson Murphy) Esquire Magazine After One Hundred Men and a Girl this is small peanuts. Exploiting Deanna Durbin. Apr 17, 2020 Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine It's not a new plot, but as it's handled here it's very nice. Aug 5, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This whimsical, Oscar-nominated musical comedy was one of the most popular vehicles of child-star Deanna Durbin. Rated: B- Aug 8, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D Terminally cute but it IS cute. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/11/23 Full Review Audience Member It's fun to see TV actors we grew up with--William Frawley (Fred Mertz) and Arthur Treacher (Merv Griffin's sidekick)--acting up a storm in their younger days. As for the movie, it was easy to watch, but Deanna Durbin is no Judy Garland (her exact contemporary), or even Shirley Temple for that matter. And why did Herbert Marshall put me in mind of Christopher Plummer? Could it be that Marshall in this film and Plummer in The Sound Of Music found themselves in situations where they may have felt that their talents were being slightly underutilized? Enjoy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member One of Deanna Durbin's early films, and one that showcases her acting and singing abilities like few others do. Watch out for how her facial expression changes when Herbert Marshall is about to expose her storytelling and then re-considers, or when she sings the serenade to the stars and is about to burst into tears. She was definitely one of the best teenage actors Hollywood ever attracted. Her singing is awesome, too, especially Gounod's Ave Maria: I never heard it sung better. Herbert Marshall is perfect for the role of willing Ersatz-father, and it is a pleasure to see Gail Patrick cast against type. Still, it is Deanna's film - next to her, all others, no matter how experienced, are no more than supporting actors. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member One of Durbin's best. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member One of my favorites! Sweet with light humor provided by Marshall and Treacher (my favorites!). Good clean fun- without too many operatic songs. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Mad About Music

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Mad About Music

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this musical, Gloria Harkinson (Deanna Durbin), the daughter of a widowed film star (Gail Patrick), is a boarding school girl with a big imagination. She spins daring adventures about her father, claiming he's not only alive but well worth the other girls' jealousy. When classmates begin to doubt Gloria's wild tales, she is forced to procure a fake father. At the local train station, she finds a dapper English composer (Herbert Marshall) who is charmed by her moxie.
Director
Norman Taurog
Producer
Joe Pasternak
Screenwriter
Bruce Manning, Felix Jackson
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Genre
Musical, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 27, 1938, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 27, 2013
Runtime
1h 38m