Rainbow on the River: A sentimental trip through 1936

Is it worth your time?

Look, if you have a soft spot for 1930s musical dramas, you’ll probably find something to enjoy here. It’s very much a product of its time—saccharine, simple, and staged. If you have no patience for child actors hitting high notes or heavy-handed emotional beats, you should probably skip this one entirely.

The movie hinges on Bobby Breen’s voice. He’s got that specific operatic kid-style that was huge back then, and he sings a lot. Sometimes it works, but other times it feels like the plot just stops dead so he can belt out another tune in a garden.

Odd little details

There is a sequence with the Hall Johnson Choir that really stands out. It’s easily the most alive part of the film. You can tell the camera crew just decided to stop fiddling with the script and let them perform. It has this raw energy that makes the rest of the stuffy New York parlor scenes look even stiffer by comparison.

Speaking of the parlor scenes, May Robson is clearly doing the heavy lifting here. She has this way of looking at the other actors that says, 'I know this is silly, but I’m going to make it work anyway.' It’s the kind of performance that grounds a movie when the writing starts to drift into the clouds.

Some random thoughts

• The transition from the South to New York is handled with such extreme contrast it’s almost funny.
• I spent way too long wondering how they lit those night scenes; everything has that weird, flat, studio glow.
• The scenes with Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson are always a highlight, even when the dialogue he’s given feels a bit constrained by the era.

It’s not as chaotic as the editing in Man with a Movie Camera, that’s for sure. It’s a very safe, very polite movie. It never tries to break any rules. Honestly, it’s not trying to do much more than just keep you company for 80 minutes.

There is one reaction shot from the aunt that goes on for about three seconds too long. It’s supposed to be a moment of realization, but it just looks like she’s trying to remember if she left the stove on. I couldn't help but chuckle. Moments like that are the only reason I watch these older films—the little cracks in the polish.

It’s fine. It’s not great, but it’s fine. If you’re feeling nostalgic for a world that maybe never really existed, you could do worse. Just don't expect it to change your life. 🎵