Amazon.co.uk Review
Rose of Washington Square was 20th Century Fox's salute to the glory days of the
Ziegfeld Follies, when a chorus girl could seize her moment and emerge from the ranks of Vaudeville as a great star, with turbulent romantic troubles to match. Essentially, and despite Fox's emphatic denials, Rose's story is that of
Fanny Brice, her rise to fame and her difficult first marriage to gambler Nicky Arnstein. Nobody was fooled, least of all Brice who sued for damages. Alice Faye is probably best-remembered as one of the leading Forces Sweethearts of the Second World War but this is a useful reminder that she was a good all-round screen actress as well as a fine singer. As Rose, she sings "My Man" and "Rose of Washington Square" with life-stained authenticity, and "I'm Just Wild About Harry" with fresh ebullience. Al Jolson's star had waned considerably by 1939, to the extent that he was cast as Rose's Vaudeville partner rather than as her romantic lead (a non-singing Tyrone Power). But he gets to do his greatest hits, including "My Mammy" and "Toot Toot Tootsie", with all his old, egotistical verve. Numerous outtakes and alternative versions make this an essential collector's item. --
Piers Ford
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