Alan Ladd, Rita Rio - (When) I Look At You (Soundie)
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- This is a so-called "soundie", a short film of a popular song, similar to music videos today. It's already on CZcams, but this copy is of better quality, so I thought it might be nice to have in addition. Unfortunately, the end was cut, so I added it from the other copy.
Reportedly, Ladd could sing and dance quite well, and his musical number from VARIETY GIRL (1947) with Dorothy Lamour (which I also posted) attests to it. But the choreography here isn't exactly the finest ever captured on screen, and I doubt AL sang this one himself. It's interesting nonetheless, especially as a contrast to AL's later "tough guy" image. As the title of Norman Mailer's book says, "tough guys don't dance". :-)
No copyright abuse intended, but if the owners mind, the video will be deleted, of course.
We now need a movie about her life. I am so intrigued.
One of those moments in film, that even though Alan and Rita have differing careers, they look so wonderful together.
Alan should have had a secondary career as a singer. He is good.
Dona Drake is so pretty
Beautiful woman in every way. Her talent, charm, personality and oh my god that beautiful smile is enough to melt any mans heart.
This is Dona Drake, a black woman passing as white, leading an all-white girl band!
In case anyone doesn’t know, Rita Rio was an alternate stage name for Dona Drake. Such an underrated talent. Check her out in Road to Morocco and others.
Check her out in, So This Is New York, with Henry Morgan . Great old movie.
Donna was a doll!!!!
He is better singer that almost all of the comercial music of today, amazing
He was a good singer, but I think he was dubbed here.
Just so good,Alan Ladds vocal is amazing,the upbeat rhythmic sound of the band and to top it all the widest smile ever from the beautiful Rita Rio. Such a joyful "Soundie". Thank you for a great posting.
I don't think that he is really singing himself. (Read the previous comments.)
You might well be right,there are no absolutes,yet the inflection and pitch of the vocal sound is for me consistant with that of the marvellous Alan Ladd.
That was Alan singing.
I saw Alan Ladd in one of his earlier movies that he was NOT the Alan LAdd that we came to know him later as he became a big star in the '40's. He had a small part as a college guy in a chorus of all guys singing. Many stars that we came to know actually could sing and dance, but one role sometimes changes their fortune. In his case, the movie "This gun for hire" as a criminal and that rough voice of his was the beginning of his big star status. To me that really sounded as his voice and look at his movements.
I saw that too. My point is that the fact that Ladd could sing and that he sang elsewhere doesn't necessarily mean that he sang this, and I don't think he did.
They look cute together. She resembles Shirley Temple.
I love this man. What a talent and his voice is terrific! He sure enjoyed singing to RioRita and he certainly had rythym. Alan Ladd is boss.
Never knew he could sing ??? Wow !!
Just about all stars back then were trained to be tripe threat performers as in act, sing and dance so its not surprising that Ladd could sing and dance. Hollywood during this time actually had people with talent.
+troynov1965 Your statement is too general. Again, I don't doubt that Ladd sang "Tallahassee", but I do doubt that he sang this. It can't possibly be the same voice, and "Tallahassee" is much more like his speaking voice. Reportedly, Ladd had won some Ballroom Dancing Prize before he broke into movies, but his moves in "Tallahassee" weren't any competition for Astaire and Kelly. And in fact, Paramount deliberately did NOT want him in musicals because it would have been a conflict with his tough guy image, so he did not receive any studio training in that area. Rumor even has it that the front office in NY had a heart attack when they saw him in "Tallahassee" and never let him do anything like that again, even though he wanted to.
+aplantagereloaded
It may be general but i don't feel i need to write a script to make a point.
I said just about all stars were trained but i did not say by who . Most knew how to sing dance and act before they made it to Hollywood to some degree. So it did not work out for him to be a sing and dance man , we can all see this from the films he made. Same with Cagney he wanted to be in more musicals as he was a hoofer and singer before Hollywood and a damn good one but the studios pretty much nixed that for him too. Even though he won academy award for Yankee Doodle Dandy. Look at Dick Powell ,he was a crooner way before his tough guy image came about in Noir.
I thought maybe any classic movie fan would get the gist of my point without needing a long explanation of it , but looks like they got one from us anyway.
+troynov1965 Your point simply did not apply in this case and hence it was no support for the central argument, ie whether Ladd sang this or not.
+aplantagereloaded
That's your argument that he sang this song or not , i really don't care . I was just pointing out I'm not surprised he could sing and dance period. I was also stating that to me that performers during the golden age of Hollywood was far more talented than the hacks they have today.
If i was wanting to argue your point or another i would have posted my opinion in the thread below.
+troynov1965 It's not only my argument, and it's not just one thread, it gets started again and again. At least it's something that could potentially be resolved, whereas general statements like "things were better yesterday" are subjective value judgments and not very original ones at that. Not everybody in the good old days could sing and dance, whereas there are still many very talented people today who can.
In the description posted by "aplantage 4," he says "I doubt AL sang this one himself." No need to doubt. Ladd does indeed sing it, as confirmed in Gene Feldman's documentary "Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man" (1999), now available to view on Amazon Prime.
Even documentaries make mistakes. Dubbing was common at the time, and it simply doesn't sound like him when you compare it with other performances and his speaking voice.
Love this film short.THANKS
OMG was there anything this guy wasn't great at!!? I believe he sang this one, because you can hear laughter in his voice corresponding to his grin on the screen. I love the giddy look Rita Rio gives when he holds her hands and later AL does this cute face when she is leaning into him. Love it!!!
I wish I was Rita Rio's baton so that Alan would hold me....:D (i'm a girl btw - so that my screen name doesn't throw you for the loop!)
I wish I were her baton so that she would hold me and recklessly twirl me around.
I wish I could have been his. Period. ♥
Thank you ... It's a dream
The IMDB lists this Soundie as one of Ladd's credits. You will also find it in Hollywood Collection's video of " Alan Ladd - The True Quiet Man." It is not uncommon for Soundies to be out of synch and seemingly cobbled together. Because of the fact that he was unknown at this time, it is doubtful that they would have simply used him for eye-candy and had someone else sing the song.
IMDB no longer says that. I don't believe this is the actor.
According to the book, "The Soundies Corporation of America - a History and Filmography", the singing is dubbed by Harry Babbitt of Kay Kaiser fame.
That makes sense. I never ever hear Alan Ladd sing.
He sang with Dorothy Lamour in a 1947 film, "Variety Girl".
I've never seen this, so I'm Really surprised to see Alan Ladd sing! But the more I observed his lips, I believe he was lip syncing n' doing a Good job. He looked like he was Really Enjoying himself! It was Nice to see another side of him here. Thank You for sharing.
All songs in films are recorded first and then mimed (lip synced) afterwards.
Thank you so much for sharing this, and the other awesome videos, "Something for Laddie" :)!!!
Original 16mm prints of this film have titles and credits superimposed over the first 15 seconds or so. Whoever transferred this "wallpapered" over them by repeating shots of the band members lifted from elsewhere in the video, which is probably why some have remarked that the action doesn't match the notes being played. Replay it and watch closely, and you'll see where the scenes have been repeated.
THE VOICE MATCHES LADD...SO I THINK HE IS SINGING HERE....
I don't think it does at all, if you compare it with occasions where he really does sing.
She looks SO much like Shirley Temple!
Beautiful voice but it would’ve been a scandal if they knew about her true racial background back then.
Not really, it would have been covered up and she just would have been phased out of Hollywood. Which is what I suspect happened to her.
This isn’t Alan Ladd singing. If you want to see Alan Ladd singing himself check out the film Variety Girl from 1947 where he sings “Tallahassee” with Dorothy Lamour..does a pretty good job too, he had a pleasant voice but it’s not like this. Sorry to disappoint.
I think this is Buddy Clark singing.
What year is this?
Does anyone know what year this was produced?
~1940.
1941, according to a book on Soundies.
spoiler alert: choreography not by Balanchine
Thank goodness! I don’t think that fella could swing
♥