Very disappointing...

Great Film overall

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Okay, you take a fish-faced actress with a really awful voice and not that much acting ability, give her just one halfway decent song to sing, build a stupid plot around her that lacks not just a believable quality but any kind of charm or humor, and what have you got? Something that isn't even as entertaining as one of those mediocre Republic or Monogram musicals with Gale Storm or Phil Regan, both of whom sang better, and certainly looked better, than Jessie Matthews. There are about a zillion movie musicals better than this one. As for musicals by Rodgers and Hart, just about anything they did is a zillion times better than "Evergreen."

"Yesterday," to avoid scandal involving her illegitimate baby girl, music hall performer Jessie Matthews (as Harriet Green) retires from the stage. "To-Day" her adult daughter, Ms. Matthews (as Harriet Hawkes), is back in London, auditioning as a chorus girl. She meets young show business hopeful Barry Mackay (as Tommy Thompson), who promotes Ms. Matthews as the return of her eternally youthful mother. The British public is delighted with the comeback, but 60-year-old "mother" Matthews falls in love with "son" Mackay and their ruse is threatened by paramours from Mathews' past. Helping out are real-life husband Sonnie Hale (as Leslie Benn), veteran British favorite Betty Balfour (as Maudie), and director Victor Saville.****** Evergreen (4/34) Victor Saville ~ Jessie Matthews, Barry Mackay, Sonnie Hale, Betty Balfour

I was feeling unwell and wanted to lay down and watch a movie to take my mind off it. I was searching on Netflix on the Instant Play and did 1930s romantic comedies. I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw "Evergreen" offered as one of them. I had been searching for the movie since the 1970s, the last time I saw it on PBS in the Los Angeles area. It disappeared about the same time as a Barbra Streisand movie, a remake of "A Star is Born" came out, with the theme song "Evergreen". I can't be certain but it seems to be more than a coincidence.It was even better than I remembered. Sometimes it's a bad idea to watch a movie you hadn't seen since you were a child or a teen since it often disappoints. "Evergreen" didn't do that. :) Jessie Matthews is absolutely charming and Sonny Hale is less annoying than I remembered him being. I enjoyed the 1890s-early 1900s music during the first segment (I like that kind of music). The song "When You've Got a Little Springtime in Your Heart" written in 1934 but supposed to be from ca. 1904 didn't jar or sound like it didn't belong to the earlier era, but also wasn't made to sound stereotypically "Gay (or Naughty) Nineties". The music in this picture hit all the right notes (pun intended).A bit of trivia--"Tinkle, Tinkle, Tinkle", a song from this movie, was used as the closing music in Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 "39 Steps" when Hannay and Pamela are backstage at the London Palladium and had uncovered the spy ring and their secret-- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029/trivia The video and audio are both very good, not in the least muddy or dark.It's a very well written story. Just when it looks to slow down it picks right back up. Very funny, sweet, and just plain fun. The nostalgic moment when Harriet Green, Jr, is in the court room to prove her innocence of defrauding the public is a highlight of the picture. She is harmonizing with her mother's recording of "When You've Got a Little Springtime in Your Heart" and it really does bring a lump to the throat. They made and used a cylinder recording and didn't artificially amplify it (other than to be able to hear it). It sounds just like real cylinder recordings do.

The trouble with EVERGREEN is that it lacks the pizazz of even the most average Hollywood musical and only comes to life during two of its biggest production numbers--which occur when the film is almost over. As introduced by Robert Osborne, apparently the star, JESSIE MATTHEWS, was seen as a threat to Ginger Rogers at the time, although their dancing styles were never in any way similar. Matthews concentrates on flowing movements and high kicking routines that resemble those that Charlotte Greenwood is famous for. In no way does she suggest anything approaching the tap dancing and ballroom dancing of Rogers.The songs may have been penned by none other than Richard Rodgers, but they're entirely unmemorable and cliché-ridden with titles like "Springtime in My Heart" warbled in shrill soprano style by Matthews. Only three songs from the original British musical survived and none of them registers as strong enough to make it to a stage musical. A number of routines are done by clunky, overweight chorus girls in unflattering costumes. The entire impersonation angle seems to strain credibility at every turn.Sorry for the negative comments, but compared to the glossier MGM products of the day (namely, DANCING LADY with Joan Crawford and Clark Gable), EVERGREEN fails to reach that level of professionalism. The film does come alive toward the finale with two big production numbers, but by that time the silly plot contrivance of a girl posing as her own mother from a previous time--and in love with a man who must pretend to be her son--has worn its welcome.Another example of a British musical vs. the Hollywood style, where Hollywood wins.