The, at least, equally entertaining sequel to the story of the Winfield family, in "On Moonlight Bay". Most of the major characters are played by the same people who previously played them. However, Russell Arms replaces Jack Smith, as the character Hubert, now called Chester. Leon Ames reprises his role as family father, begun in the rather similar MGM hit: "Meet Me in St. Louis". The story takes place in Milburn , Indiana, as WWI is ending. Rosemary Decamp is the mother, while Doris Day and Gordon McRae are the sometimes lovey dove song birds, who become reunited upon Gordon's release from the army, with the end of the war. Their marriage plans, however, are still controversial, as the story develops. The songs are generally more memorable and more frequent than those in the prior "On Moonlight Bay". Also, Doris stars in a memorable musical skit. Billy Gray is the 12y.o. scene-stealing brat brother of (supposedly) 18y.o. Doris. Mary Wickes again is the family maid and cook, and introduces the family members at the beginning. Poor Chester is the nerdy, if pleasant, longtime wannabe boyfriend for Doris. Probably from a rich family, he is father Ames' choice. Despite being a good piano player, and decent singer, and song writer, Doris generally finds him boring and often too stuffy. But, with the on again, off again, nature of the Doris + Gordon romance, he never gives up hope......At the film's beginning, Doris, with grease-smeared face, is under the family car fixing something: an indication of the tomboy side of her personality. In "Calamity Jane", released the same year, she was an even more extreme example of a tomboy, finally learning to be feminine at times, in order to please her boyfriend, as in the present film. Later, Doris has to fix Gordon's car, stalled in the boonies, as he has no idea what is wrong. .....The family Thanksgiving turkey, thanks to Billy Gray's meddling, creates an embarrassing situation at Thanksgiving dinner......Miss Renee LaRue, wants to rent a theater owned by the bank that father Ames works for. A written communication between them is hijacked by delivery boy Billy Gray. He creates a complex of imaginary scandals that dominates the last half of the film, and is only resolved in the ending. An addition, he has become obsessed with Sherlock Holmes-style detective work. At one point, Miss LaRue is fingered as his imaginary Dangerous Dora, with hilarious results......A family outing in a horse-pulled sleigh, to celebrate the 20th wedding anniversary of the parents, turns up a few surprises, as they end up at a favored skating pond, with the film's ending in sight. .......Songs with lyrics sung include: "I'll Forget You", "Just One Girl", King Chanticleer", "If You Were the only Girl in the World", "On Moonlight Bay", "Ain't We Got Fun", and "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee", the latter supposedly composed by Chester, who plays and sings it.......I don't want to reveal any more details. Just see it if you can., Presently, it comes with "On Moonlight Bay, in a 2 DVD packet. Gordon and Doris went on to star in several more pictures together, including "Tea for Two".

It is not often that a follow-up is every bit as good and actually on the same level as its predecessor, but 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon', a follow-up to the immensely charming and warm-hearted 'On Moonlight Bay', manages it.Both are among Doris Day's best musical films and in the top end of her filmography. Anybody who is a fan of Day and Gordon McRae (have always loved Day and consider McRae immensely talented) will get huge pleasure from both and will find it difficult to decide which is better. Like 'On Moonlight Bay', the story in 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon' is very slight. Again, like 'On Moonlight Bay' it doesn't feel that big a problem with everything else executed so well.Visually, 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon' captivates. The Technicolor styling is superb and rich in colour, the production design is lavish and leaves a warm and cosy feeling from head to toe.The songs are terrific and the treatment of these standards truly enchant. Standouts are the title song, "Be My Little Baby Bumble-Bee" and "If You Were the Only Girl in the World".'By the Light of the Silvery Moon's' writing is witty and warm-hearted and few will mind the slightness of the story with it warming the heart so much, being so consistently entertaining and making one feel so cosy and relaxed with its innocence. The ice skating sequence epitomises all this.Day sings beautifully and has such an endearing and fresh approach to her acting, while McRae is a dashing presence with his warm baritone voice being one of the best and most beautiful on film. Their chemistry once again is irresistible and a huge part of the film's appeal.Leon Ames has the memorability factor, Rosemary DeCamp is a sympathetic presence, Billy Gray makes a potentially annoying character appealing and Russell Arms charms as a nerd. Mary Wickes' sharp-tongued but well meaning housekeeper is particularly fun.Overall, a musical delight. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I saw this when it first came out and left the movie theater singing one of the songs! In fact it was nostalgic even back when it was made and that was intended. It's the story of yet another generation even farther back. The music is wonderful, of course, and Booth Tarkington's characters got the royal treatment from Doris Day and Gordon McRae. This was a sequel to "On Moonlight Bay", for me a heavy-handed job by Roy Del Ruth that sinks rather than floats. The casting in the film is perfect! This is the sort of musical where the music just "happens". There are no drum rolls or tell-tale cadences to inform the audience they're into something "important". How refreshing to see one of them again.Curtis Stotlar

I saw this again recently on British TV. It's a great film, with plenty of nostalgia, nice period atmosphere, and the lovely Doris Day. One slight oddity, though: her boy-friend returns from World War 1 in time for Thanksgiving (23rd November?), and says the Germans surrendered the day his unit got to Paris (11th November), so he must have got on a boat back to the States & been demobilised pretty quick to be home in less than 2 weeks (unless it took a year for that to happen!). Nonetheless, I recommend this very much to anyone interested in the Golden Age of American film musicals, the decade from 1945 to 1955, and the wonderful stars who beguiled us with their gentle escapism.