It seems like today’s film industry doesn’t know how to do anything but remake material or continue franchises, but it’s not a new Hollywood trend. During the Golden Era of Hollywood, many movies came from books or Broadway plays, and several versions of the same story had something new to offer.
The Broadway hit “One Sunday Afternoon” (1933) by James Hagan was made into a Paramount picture the same year, before the play’s run was even over. Starring Gary Cooper, this Pre-Code film was a flop commercially and critically, making it the only Cooper film from this period to lose money at the box office.
Nevertheless, this film’s failure didn’t sour Hollywood on the script. Warner Bros. bought the rights to the story and made two versions of it, both of which were directed by Raoul Walsh. “The Strawberry Blonde” (1941) was a huge hit, but “One Sunday Afternoon” (1948), its Technicolor musical remake, did not fare as well.
‘The Strawberry Blonde’
“The Strawberry Blonde” features an all-star cast. Ex-convict Biff Grimes (James Cagney) is a small-town dentist with a quick temper who has struggled to build a practice. One Sunday afternoon, he and his friend Nick (George Tobias), a Greek barber, hear a band in the park playing a song which reminds them of “the old days” before Biff’s marriage. Then, he was a young man who lived with his freeloading father (Alan Hale) while taking a correspondence course on dentistry.Biff and all the other men in the barber shop loved to watch the local strawberry blonde Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth) walk by. Biff’s manipulative pal, Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson), makes her acquaintance by trying to sell her tickets to a boat ride. That evening, Hugo and Biff rent a carriage and go riding in the park, where they “accidentally” run into Virginia and her friend Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland). A boat ride leaves Biff and Virginia stranded. After Virginia elopes with Hugo, Biff and Amy begin going steady and end up getting married, but Biff is still haunted by memories of Virginia.
After a year and a half of marriage, Biff and Amy are invited to dinner at Hugo and Virginia’s house. While the Grimes struggle to make ends meet as Biff works as a milkman and nears completion of his dentistry course, the Barnsteads live in luxury. At Virginia’s suggestion, Hugo makes Biff vice president at his company and gives his father a job on a construction project. However, inferior materials cause a building to collapse. Biff’s father is fatally injured in the accident, and Biff is legally responsible because he signed all the documents.
‘One Sunday Afternoon’ Remake
Seven years later, director Walsh tried to recreate the magic of “The Strawberry Blonde” with a Technicolor musical remake which went back to the original title, “One Sunday Afternoon.” A 20-year-old article on the Turner Classic Movies website describes how two of the Warner brothers behind the studio, Harry and Jack, disagreed on the topic of remakes.
Harry, the financial boss, cautioned his creative younger brother against remaking their previous hits, fearing a decline in content with films which couldn’t possibly recoup their production costs. This financial concern didn’t keep Warner Bros. from producing many remakes in the postwar 1940s, including “One Sunday Afternoon,” but it may have been the reason why costumes and sets from “Strawberry Blonde” were unashamedly reused in this movie. There is no information on how this remake fared at the box office, but its $2 million budget left little room for profit.
Tenor Dennis Morgan replaced Cagney as Biff Grimes. Pretty but unremarkable Dorothy Malone replaced de Havilland as Amy Lind. Brassy comedienne Janis Paige replaced Hayworth as Virginia Brush. Lovably goofy Don DeFore replaced Carson as Hugo Barnstead. Vaudeville comedian Ben Blue made Nick the barber a slapstick role.
Many scenes were taken directly from the original script, line for line, but a few major plot points were changed, keeping it from being exactly the same film. The most noteworthy change is the elimination of Biff’s father, although the original actor’s son, Alan Hale Jr., plays barber shop friend Marty. The two fellows take the girls driving in an automobile instead of a horse and buggy; since the car is Hugo’s, this eliminates Biff’s getting stuck cleaning out a stable to pay for the buggy rental.
Just a Weak Copy
“One Sunday Afternoon” is seven minutes shorter than “The Strawberry Blonde,” yet it features time-consuming musical numbers, which leaves less time for character development. “One Sunday Afternoon” featured four new songs written specifically for the movie by Ralph Blane, who penned the nostalgic tunes for MGM’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” four years earlier. It also included a few tunes from the era.
Much of the dialogue is far too similar to the original and therefore lacks unique attributes. The main actors especially leave the audience wanting because they can’t measure up to the originals. Malone appears to be trying to imitate her role’s originator more than the others. Although cute, she lacks de Havilland’s dramatic depth. Paige and DeFore are more successful in their roles because they provide unashamedly comical interpretations, although Virginia’s decreased glamour and Hugo’s reduced villainy weaken the overall story.
Although Biff Grimes is the central character of the plot, Morgan’s performance leaves a lot to be desired. Whereas Cagney is intense, over the top, passionate, and hilarious as Biff, Dennis is unbelievable as the pugnacious Irishman. Instead, he just seems bored and grumpy. It’s almost comical to hear him delivering lines like, “I take nothing from nobody,” with absolutely no conviction.
Morgan has delivered impressive dramatic performances in nonmusical roles, so he can perform well. Perhaps he didn’t want to make this film. Perhaps he was intimidated by reprising a role played by Cagney. Or perhaps he couldn’t give a dramatic performance in a musical. For whatever reason, his heart just wasn’t in this role, and the movie suffers as a result.
Watching “One Sunday Afternoon” after seeing and loving “The Strawberry Blonde” was like seeing a new production of a favorite stage play that doesn’t work. It’s strange to hear dialogue you know well delivered differently. There’s nothing inherently bad about the remake; “One Sunday Afternoon” is a pleasant movie with lovely costumes, beautiful color scenery, and delightful songs delivered by talented musical performers. However, it pales in comparison to the depth, drama, and charm of “The Strawberry Blonde.”
