Can't Help Singing (Frank Ryan)

• 23 Apr 12:01
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Can't Help Singing is a 1944 musical Western filmed in Technicolor starring Deanna Durbin. The film was produced by Felix Jackson and directed by Frank Ryan. The score was by Jerome Kern with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.

Set during the early years of the California Gold Rush, the film tells of the adventures of Caroline Frost, the wilful and spoilt daughter of a US Senator. He does not approve of her beau, Lt Robert Latham, of the US cavalry, and persuades President James K Polk to post Latham to guard gold shipments from the California mines owned by Jake Carstair.

Caroline travels by train and steamship and manages to join a wagon-train about to trek overland to the West. She falls in with Johnny, a debonair but ruthless gambler and two comically inept opportunists, Prince Gregory Stroganovsky and his much put-upon servant Koppa.

Adapting slowly to the rigours of the journey, she first claims to be married to the Prince (as no unattached women are allowed to join the wagon-train) and and then further claims to be actually married to Carstair.

She eventually reaches Sonora in California. Here, her problems are quickly sorted out. After some confusion between Carstair and his real...

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