José Iturbi Movies
Of Basque descent, Jose Iturbi trained for a musical career in Spain, Malta and Paris. By the time he was 12, he was playing piano in Spanish cabarets, and upon reaching his early adulthood he supported himself as a silent-movie accompanist. From 1919 to 1923, Iturbi was head of the music department of the Conservatory of Geneva. In the U.S. from 1929, he spent eight years as conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic. From the early 1940s onward, Iturbi made his mission to broaden the popularity of Classic musical. He appeared in several MGM films, usually cast as himself, even when playing a straight dramatic role in the Jeannette MacDonald vehicle Three Daring Daughters (1948). Though he gained pop-chart prominence with his Spanish-flavored compositions, Iturbi's biggest success during his Hollywood years was his adaptation of Chopin's "Polonaise in A Minor" for the 1945 film A Song to Remember. Jose Iturbi was the brother of actress Amparo Iturbi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1949
That Midnight Kiss served to introduce the film-going public to MGM's newest singing sensation, Mario Lanza. Just as he did with Deanna Durbin at Universal, producer Joe Pasternak removes the "stuffy" onus attached to classical music by presenting Lanza as a down-to-earth truck driver named Johnny Donetti. When it turns out that Johnny has a splendid singing voice, he gets a minor job at the Philadelphia opera company sponsored by aristocratic Abigail Trent Budell (Ethel Barrymore). Abigail's granddaughter Prudence (Kathryn Grayson) is instrumental in bringing Johnny to public attention by insisting that he replace the opera troupe's defecting star tenor. Featured in the cast are Keenan Wynn as Lanza's best pal, J. Carroll Naish as his "Whatsa matta you?" Italian father, and MGM's resident musical genius Jose Iturbi as himself. That Midnight Kiss served its purpose by transforming the relatively unknown Mario Lanza into a box-office champion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, (more)
- 1948
Jeanette MacDonald made her first screen appearance in five years in the MGM confection Three Daring Daughters. Looking at least ten years younger than her 48 years, MacDonald is cast as glamorous magazine editor Louise Raton Morgan. Long divorced Louise returns from a Cuban vacation with a handsome new husband in tow: None other than famed pianist Jose Iturbi, engagingly playing "himself". Louise's three daughters Tess (Jane Powell), Alix (Mary Elinor Donahue, the future "Princess" on TV's Father Knows Best) and Ilka (Ann E. Todd) are appalled by their mother's choice of husbands. Refusing to accept Iturbi as their stepdad, the girls contrive to unite Louise with Robert-whether they like it or not. Before the Three Daring Daughters come to their senses, there's opportunity aplenty from musical solos by stars Jeanette MacDonald, Jane Powell and Jose Iturbi, with an additional solo from harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler (just before he was blacklisted from Hollywood and forced to scare up film work in England). Incidentally, the actress playing the flirtatious Mrs. Smith is Moyna McGill, the real-life mother of Angela Lansbury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette MacDonald, José Iturbi, (more)
- 1946
Too long by at least two reels, Holiday in Mexico is nevertheless one of the more enjoyable MGM Technicolor musicals of the 1940s. Walter Pigeon is top billed as Jeffrey Evans, American ambassador to Mexico. Captivated by the charms of her adopted homeland, Evans' impulsive daughter Christine falls in love with the decidedly mature piano virtuoso Jose Iturbi (cast as himself). Amused by Christine's ardor, Iturbi agrees with Evans that the girl would be far better off with someone closer to her own age-namely, British ambassador's son Stanley Owen (Roddy McDowell). Meanwhile, Christine plays matchmaker between her widowed father and glamorous Hungarian Toni Karpathy (Ilona Massey). Holiday in Mexico was Jane Powell's first MGM effort, and it is clear that producer Joe Pasternak intended to transform the teenaged soprano into the "new Deanna Durbin", though of course Powell eventually developed her own distinctive style. In addition to the musical contributions of stars Powell and Iturbi, the film costars the inimitable Xavier Cugat, doing his Xavier Cugat thing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Christian, Ann Codee, (more)
This mammoth musical is at base the story of two sailors on leave in Hollywood. Brash Joseph Brady (Gene Kelly) has promised his shy pal Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra) that he will introduce Clarence to all the glamorous movie starlets whom he allegedly knows so well. Actually, the only actress whom Joseph meets is bit player Susan Abbott (Kathryn Grayson). He arranges for the golden-throated Susan to be auditioned by musician José Iturbi, but when she seems to want to return the favor romantically, Brady tries to foist the girl off on Clarence. But Clarence only has eyes for a fellow Brooklynite (Pamela Britton). Also involved in the plot machinations is runaway orphan Donald Martin (Dean Stockwell). Featuring Kelly dancing with such partners as a cartoon mouse (courtesy of MGM's house animators Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera), Anchors Aweigh was a huge hit in 1945, assuring audiences future Gene Kelly/Frank Sinatra teamings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, (more)
- 1944
Musical producer Joe Pasternak moved from Universal to MGM in the early 1940s, taking his pet director Henry Koster (the two men had teamed to make a star of Deanna Durbin) with him. The Pasternak/Koster collaboration Music for Millions features child star Margaret O'Brien as a Durbin-like Miss Fix-it, who tries to help her pregnant older sister (June Allyson), who in turn is pining away for her GI husband. As it happens, the older girl is a cellist in Jose Iturbi's orchestra; thus, in keeping with the formula established by Pasternak's One Hundred Men and a Girl, many of the plot threads are knotted together in a series of concert recitals. The highlight of Music for Millions features Jimmy Durante, giving a stirring rendition of his famed nightclub piece "Umbriago." The film won an Academy Award nomination for screenwriter Myles Connelly, plus a special Oscar for moppet Margaret O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Jimmy Durante, (more)
- 1944
Two Girls and a Sailor is another of those all-star, no-plot wartime musicals turned out by the bushel basket in the 1940s. Its lack of nuance does not lessen its entertainment value in the least. Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson play a couple of well-meaning sisters who stage their own USO shows in their apartment for the benefit of visiting servicemen. They'd like to expand their show, so GI Van Johnson, who happens to be a millionaire, buys an empty factory and has it converted into a canteen. A trivial love triangle develops, but who cares? Bring on the stars! In the case of Two Girls and a Sailor, the celebrity lineup includes Jimmy Durante, Lena Horne, Jose Iturbi, Xavier Cugat, Grace Allen (performing her immortal "Concerto for Index Finger"), Harry James, Helen Forrest, and, in an amusing uncredited cameo, Buster Keaton (Also: keep a sharp eye out for Ava Gardner) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, June Allyson, (more)
- 1943
Storywise, Thousands Cheer is thin stuff indeed. Insouciant PFC Eddy Marsh (Gene Kelly) wants to put on a Big Show for his fellow serviceman. Along the way, Eddy falls in love with Kathryn Jones (Kathryn Grayson), the daughter of Colonel William Jones (John Boles). End of story. The principal selling angle of Thousands Cheer is the presence in the cast of virtually every musical talent on the MGM payroll: Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Jose Iturbi, the Kay Kyser Orchestra, Bob Crosby and his Bobcats, the Benny Carter band, Ann Sothern, Lucille Ball, June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven?..the list goes on and on and on. Since Thousands Cheer was designed as a patriotic wartime morale-booster, it is indeed ironic that the film was written by Paul Jarrico and Richard Collins, both of whom would be blacklisted during the Red-baiting 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Kathryn Grayson, (more)
