I Dream of Jeanie (film)

For other uses, see I Dream of Jeannie (disambiguation).

I Dream of Jeanie is a 1952 American historical musical film based on the songs and life of Stephen Foster, who wrote the 1854 song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" from which the title is taken. The film was directed by Allan Dwan for Republic Pictures and was shot in Trucolor.

I Dream of Jeanie
Film poster
Directed by	Allan Dwan
Written by	Alan Le May (screenplay)
Starring	Bill Shirley Muriel Lawrence Ray Middleton Lynn Bari
Cinematography	Reggie Lanning
Edited by	Fred Allen
Music by	Robert Armbruster
Production company	Republic Pictures
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date	June 15, 1952 (1952-06-15) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The film is also known as I Dream of Jeanie (with the Light Brown Hair).^[1]

Plot

In 1849, the song "Oh, Susannah" is a nationwide hit, but bookkeeper Stephen Foster has given his work to several music houses free of charge and without credit. His refined true love Inez McDowell, a classically trained singer, despises popular music, especially Stephen's songs. Foster's world changes when Edwin P. Christy educates him about the music business and launches his career as the author of the songs that the Christy Minstrels sing in their shows.

Cast

• Ray Middleton as Edwin P. Christy
• Bill Shirley as Stephen Foster
• Muriel Lawrence as Inez McDowell
• Eileen Christy as Jeanie McDowell
• Rex Allen as Mr Tambo / Rex Allen / Narrator
• Lynn Bari as Mrs. McDowell
• Dick Simmons as Dunning Foster
• Scott Elliott as Milford Wilson
• Andrew Tombes as R.E. Howard
• James Dobson as Spike
• Percy Helton as Mr. Horker
• Glen Turnbull as Glenn Turnbull / Speciality Dancer
• Louise Beavers as Mammy
• James Kirkwood as Doctor
• Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer as Freddie
• Fred Moultrie as Chitlin

Soundtrack

All songs written by Stephen Foster unless otherwise indicated:

• "Oh! Susanna"
• "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair"
• "On Wings of Song" (written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy)
• "Lo, Hear the Gentle Lark" (music by H.R. Bishop, words by William Shakespeare from Venus and Adonis)
• "Nelly Bly"
• "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night"
• "Ring de Banjo"
• "Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)"
• "Beautiful Dreamer"
• "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming"
• "Gwine to Rune All Night (De Camptown Races)"
• "Queen of Mirth"
• "Haunting My Dreams at Night"
• "You Must Wear a Dainty Ribbon in Your Hair"
• "Old Black Joe"
• "Glendy Burke"
• "I Can Still See Her in My Dreams"
• "Old Dog Tray"

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Oscar Godbout wrote:

[T]he music, with its universal appeal, was not enough for the creators of this bogus biography; the author of the script, Alan LeMay, with the director, Allan Dwan, succumbed to an urge to skewer the tunes with a vapid tale of the young musician being thwarted in love. They show him as a shallow, brainless bookkeeper who tinkered with tunes when he wasn't debasing himself before a supercilious Southern belle who would have him only if he stopped writing songs. That's the Stephen Foster Bill Shirley is forced to portray. ... But the songs are appealing and Mr. Middleton's portrayal of a famous minstrel compensates for much of the dullness.^[2]

References

1. Film title card. "I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (1952)", Internet Archive. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
2. Godbout, Oscar (June 26, 1952). "The Screen: Life of Stephen Foster". The New York Times. p. 26.

External links

• I Dream of Jeanie at IMDb
• I Dream of Jeanie at Internet Archive