Columbia

 

In George Sidney’s schmaltzy biopic, Tyrone Power is miscast as Eddie Duchin, the pianist and bandleader who dies of leukemia after losing his wife (played by Kim Novak).

 

Replete with clichés, the movie suffers from all the problems of Hollywood showbiz flicks. Even so, the good music partially compensates for the weaknesses in the narrative and the acting, and both Power and Novak are nice to look at.

 

While Power was in decline, Novak was at the height of her popularity, having made “Picnic” the year before.  As a result, the movie was extremely popular at the box-office.

 

Oscar Nominations: 4

 

Motion Picture Story: Leo Katcher

Cinematography (color): Harry Stradling

Sound Recording: John Livadary

Scoring of a Musical: Morris Stoloff and George Dunning

 

Oscar Awards: None

 

Oscar Context:

 

The writing Oscar was given to Dalton Trumbo for “The Brave One,” who appeared in the credits as Robert Rich due to blacklisting.

 

Lionel Lindon received the Color Cinematography Oscar for “Around the World in 80 Days,” which also won Best Picture.  The musical “The King and I,” also a Best Picture nominee, got the Sound and the Scoring (by Alfred Newman and Ken Darby).