It's a good film, but FUNNY GIRL is far better (and with it's sequel FUNNY LADY, more on target). At least Streisand plays the role of Fanny Brice as Fanny Brice - not like Alice Faye who plays her as Rose Sergent - the "Rose of Washington Square." This must have been a trend at 20th Century Fox when doing Faye - Power musicals. In ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND, Power was the great ragtime conductor, "Mr. Alexander". I'm sure though Irving Berlin did not mind about that one way or the other.
Everyone knows that ROSE OF WASHINGTON SQUARE was a fictionalized account of the career of Fanny Brice (concentrating more on Brice's singing, rather than her gifts as a comedian). And Tyrone Power was (as Bart Clinton) playing her gambler husband Nicky Arnstein. But while the performance of Omar Shariff in FUNNY GIRL was well built up (his involvement in a stock fraud a desperate last attempt at retaking his self - respect as an independent bread winner, and not Fanny's leech-like husband), the performance of Power is far different. He does love Faye, but he is a rat from the start. Which is curious for fans of Power's career. Up to 1939 Power was always good, decent, heroic - he was Darryl Zanuck's "fair haired" (if dark haired) boy. Zanuck cast him only as great heroes. If he showed anger, it was directed against worst villains (even when he played Jessie James or a pirate). Zanuck must have been willing to allow this distinctly less likable part to Power, as he was opposite his usual screen lover (Faye) and he could really the role. And don't forget, at the end of the film Rose will remain faithful and wait for him to come back from prison.
Power's first heel part is only one interesting aspect of the film. Faye's singing is on top, especially when she does I'm Always Chasing Rainbows. But the reappearance (after a few years on the nightclub circuit) of Al Jolson is quite intriguing. Several of his standards (April Showers, California Here I Come, and Avalon) are sung in the film by Jolson, but he plays it straight and (given his tendency to grab the entire film frame in earlier films) with considerable restraint. It is like he finally realized that he was part of an ensemble, not the whole show. So he gives yeoman work as Ted Cotter, the man who loves Rose but can't compete in her eyes with Bart. But he does force Bart to consider what his behavior is doing to Rose. In some ways, while THE JAZZ SINGER is the film he's recalled for, and his best starring movie was HALLELUJAH, I'M A BUM, Joly's best performance on film is as strong, good natured Ted.
One final thing I like about this film. After their successful stealing of part of LILIAN RUSSELL from Faye, Edward Arnold, and Henry Fonda, it is nice that here again Weber and Fields showed up to give us a taste of their comic routines. A perfect cherry to the rest of this film sundae.
Everyone knows that ROSE OF WASHINGTON SQUARE was a fictionalized account of the career of Fanny Brice (concentrating more on Brice's singing, rather than her gifts as a comedian). And Tyrone Power was (as Bart Clinton) playing her gambler husband Nicky Arnstein. But while the performance of Omar Shariff in FUNNY GIRL was well built up (his involvement in a stock fraud a desperate last attempt at retaking his self - respect as an independent bread winner, and not Fanny's leech-like husband), the performance of Power is far different. He does love Faye, but he is a rat from the start. Which is curious for fans of Power's career. Up to 1939 Power was always good, decent, heroic - he was Darryl Zanuck's "fair haired" (if dark haired) boy. Zanuck cast him only as great heroes. If he showed anger, it was directed against worst villains (even when he played Jessie James or a pirate). Zanuck must have been willing to allow this distinctly less likable part to Power, as he was opposite his usual screen lover (Faye) and he could really the role. And don't forget, at the end of the film Rose will remain faithful and wait for him to come back from prison.
Power's first heel part is only one interesting aspect of the film. Faye's singing is on top, especially when she does I'm Always Chasing Rainbows. But the reappearance (after a few years on the nightclub circuit) of Al Jolson is quite intriguing. Several of his standards (April Showers, California Here I Come, and Avalon) are sung in the film by Jolson, but he plays it straight and (given his tendency to grab the entire film frame in earlier films) with considerable restraint. It is like he finally realized that he was part of an ensemble, not the whole show. So he gives yeoman work as Ted Cotter, the man who loves Rose but can't compete in her eyes with Bart. But he does force Bart to consider what his behavior is doing to Rose. In some ways, while THE JAZZ SINGER is the film he's recalled for, and his best starring movie was HALLELUJAH, I'M A BUM, Joly's best performance on film is as strong, good natured Ted.
One final thing I like about this film. After their successful stealing of part of LILIAN RUSSELL from Faye, Edward Arnold, and Henry Fonda, it is nice that here again Weber and Fields showed up to give us a taste of their comic routines. A perfect cherry to the rest of this film sundae.