With all the Broadway Melody of . . . films from the 1930s, it's a wonder anyone could keep them straight. Thankfully, this delightful must-see musical starring Doris Day and Gene Nelson, is totally unforgettable. If you love singing, dancing, and beautiful people in leading roles, you're going to want to add this one to your list today. Sometimes, musicals of the 1950s have one or two cute songs to tide you over for the full movie, but Lullaby of Broadway has so many wonderful numbers: "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me", "I Love the Way You Say Goodnight", "Somebody Loves Me", "Just One of Those Things", and of course, the title song.The supporting cast is full of 1950s veterans, S.Z. Sakall, Billy De Wolfe, and Gladys George, but it's the song and dance numbers that make this a truly enjoyable viewing experience. Where else can you see Doris Day charming and gorgeous in a tuxedo or Gene Nelson paying homage to Fred Astaire and dancing with a dozen girls at once? Plus, isn't it a nice change to see Gene Nelson in the leading role? So often he was stuck in supporting roles, but in this one he, his superb dancing talents, and his gorgeous mug, get front and center stage. To whet your appetite, and to make sure you watch this one as soon as you can get your hands on it, watch the trailer. It's got great clips of the songs and dances, and it's impossible to resist.

I'm watching "Lullaby of Broadway" right now during TCM's "Summer Under the Stars." The entire production looks good in color (especially Doris). But it's a 100% idiot plot. The whole Runyonesque deception that her mother is a washed-up drunk seems particularly unnecessary. Everyone is aware of this except her own daughter?I find the Gene Nelson's character Tom, who assumes Melinda is a slut, especially creepy. Maybe it's his slick veneer or the fact that he's practically stalking her. One Hollywood essential in the 50's was the happy ending. The easiest way to end a picture was just show that a girl who says "no" really means "yes, take me away." Everybody lives happily ever after. Times have changed, at least I hope so.As a musical, the song and dance numbers look great. I was unaware what a good dancer Doris Day was! There's no denying she is enormously talented performer, whether it's your cup of tea(for two) or not. She made a lot of show-biz pictures- all vehicles that highlight her considerable appeal (the only other performer who comes close is Debbie Reynolds). I hope she comes out of retirement long enough to make an appearance at this years TCM Festival.

If you're a pushover for Fifties movie-musicals that stress music over story, "Lullaby of Broadway" may represent that genre's prototype. This is not to say that musicals with thin storylines are necessarily bad. The success of the earlier Astaire-Rogers films depended on dancing, music, and an occasional wisecrack or a fancy bit of dialogue--in that order. "Lullaby" isn't in the class of "Top Hat" by a long way. But it does represent a trend of movie-making that Warner Brothers embarked on briefly during the early 1950's: Cheesecake a la Day ("It's a Great Feeling," "On Moonlight Bay," "By the Light of the Silvery Moon," etc.). In her autobiography, "Doris Day: Her Own Story" (published in 1976), the actress describes her early years as a contract player for Jack L. Warner and the heated disputes she had with the autocratic movie czar regarding miscasting and bad scripts. But in "Lullaby," there is virtually no script to complain of. It's a revue, and thus, not a movie in the traditional sense. But what a revue! From Ray Heindorf's jazzy 1951 arrangement of the old title tune (from "Gold Diggers of 1935") over the opening credits, to the Prinzs' inventive choreography, this movie clicks along in high gear from one showstopper to the next.Day also recalled in her memoirs that "Lullaby" contained, by far, the toughest dance routines of any film she ever made. One particularly challenging scene called for her to perform an intricate series of steps on a huge staircase--while weighted down in a gold-lame dress. At first, she balked, warning the crew to have an ambulance waiting after the first take. With encouragement from the director David Butler and others, however, she did manage to successfully complete the dance number."Lullaby of Broadway" is not the best of the Day/Warners musicals--that distinction goes to "Calamity Jane" (1953)--but it's as good as the rest. With Gene Nelson as Day's dance-partner, Billy De Wolfe as a vaudevillian-turned-valet, and the almost unbearable S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, as a Broadway "angel."

I just loved this movie. I loved it so much that I was able to choreograph a tap dance piece to Zing With the Strings of My Heart. I took it to many competitions, and won numerous gold and first place trophies and medals. This movie deserves a 10 for excellent!