Almost from the first scene we are presented with a picture that paints with broad brush strokes. Nothing is subtle or nuanced and no one on screen will be a real character but caricatures there to serve the overall narrative. This kind of broadness isn’t always a detriment to a film but it has to be handled correctly and totally fit the story being told. Unfortunately, this is not the case with It All Came True. The film tries much too hard to mesh broad comedy with deeper emotions and only sporadically succeeds. Mostly it just treads water trying to keep everything afloat.
The film opens up with a stark look at a boarding house facing foreclosure over back taxes, its tenants: a bunch of elderly washed up performers. The sole exception to this is Sarah-Jane Ryan (Ann Sheridan), a talented singer who seems to be unable to hold down a gig. Her introduction shows off her brassy, no-nonsense personality as a man tried to make moves on her during an audition, then sends a goon after her when she turns down his offer. She not only refuses the offer but pushes the man down the steps of the boarding house. It’s over the top and in stark contrast to the previous scene. It also sets up Sarah-Jane as the type of girl not intimidated by thugs, perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Meanwhile, Tommy (Jeffrey Lynn), a piano player and composer who works for gangster “Chips” Maguire, has found himself in a predicament. A sudden raid on the establishment by the police has led to the two men fleeing, a man murdered, and the murder weapon being conveniently registered to Tommy by Chips as a form of insurance against betrayal. Chips needs a place to hide out and Tommy’s mother, Nora (Jessie Busley), whom Tommy hasn’t seen in years, runs the afore mentioned boarding house. Chips uses his leverage on Tommy to force the man into hiding him out at the boarding house under an assumed name, Grasselli, with a cover story about needing privacy to recover from a breakdown. His mother, along with Sarah-Jane’s mother, Maggie (Una O’Connor), owns and manages the boarding house and are excited to have Tommy back home since this means Tommy and Sarah-Jane, raised together like siblings, can rekindle their romance. Naturally, neither Tommy nor Sarah-Jane appear all that interested in that prospect, at least outwardly, squabbling whenever they run into each other. Sarah-Jane is also suspicious of Grasselli having only heard about the mysterious boarder without actually seeing him. She had previously sang in one of Chip’s nightclubs so he has deliberately avoided being seen by her lest she recognize him, but she is smart enough to figure out a way to meet the elusive Grasselli despite all of his precautions.
Her efforts lead to Chips opening up to the other guests of the boarding house, including spending time with the group while they show off their talents as singers and performers, acts that they rarely have the opportunity to display. Chips grows to like the group and, when it comes to light that the place will soon be foreclosed on, he proposes an idea that will make it possible for them to avoid this problem, increase income, and provide the residents a stage for their various acts, an opportunity for them to once again perform before a real audience and feel useful in life once more. It will solve the immediate problems of the boarding house as well as provide a diversion for Chips who is going stir crazy hiding out all the time.
This film was advertised as a musical comedy and for the most part this is a misnomer. There are plenty of humorous moments but nothing that would peg this as a comedy. The musical aspect of it really doesn’t play out until the final act when the nightclub gets up and running. Then it overloads the screen with musical number after musical number slowing the pace of the film to a crawl. Chip’s change of motive in the final act is not exactly on a dime but it still doesn’t feel earned. There is some lip service given to him possibly growing up without a real mother figure in his life, something that Nora and Maggie provide in spades as they dote on him as if he were their own son. This is played up for laughs as the two mothers practically baby him in their attempts to help “cure” him of the illness he is purportedly there about in the first place. It’s never in doubt that he is a mobster on the lam but through his exposure to these two women as well as the other residents he softens up a little losing his tough edges. However, his sacrifice in the final act still comes across a little false and unearned, like it was written into the script to ensure the story ended on a sweet note but wasn’t well developed throughout the rest of the picture.
There is a lot of things to like about this film. Bogart seems to be enjoying himself in a role that, while not too far removed from his many other gangster roles in the past, allows him to stretch a little and show a lighter side to his persona. Ann Sheridan is scene stealing as the brassy, no nonsense Sarah-Jane who isn’t intimidated by anyone, not even Chips. Each of the boarding house residents have their own little quirks that help them stand out from the scenery, yet they mostly are archetypes, there to serve a purpose rather than be real characters. The sole exceptions being Nora and Maggie who are both perfectly cast as the mothers. The only real weak point is Jeffrey Lynn as Tommy. All he seems to do is scowl and look put upon by those around him. He isn’t much of a character and Jeffrey does nothing to elevate it. When he finally professes his love for Sarah-Jane in the final reel there is no real passion in it and it falls flat, only partially saved by Ann Sheridan who is forced to carry the bulk of the emotional heft. In the end it comes across as a shallow film with an obvious message that it doesn’t quite know how to get across. It's not terrible, just a disappointment.
Running Time: 97 minutes
Cast: Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart
Director: Lewis Seiler
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