AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, Bundle of Joy

You could buy Tops albums for $1.49 at Newberry's downtown

It was a big deal in 1956 when Mike Todd’s spectacular movie “Around the World in 80 Days” came to Spokane at the historic Post Street Theater, which had seen a mix of vaudeville and movies becoming a full time movie theatre which lasted until it closed in May 1972. It was later demolished.

Owner Joe Rosenfield remodeled the theater for this road show event, moving the projection booth from the second balcony to the first floor and installing a wide, curved screen to accomodate Todd-AO.  (I used to deliver prescriptions to Rosenfield at the theater when I was a Miller & Felt delivery boy.  See Confessions of a Teenage Delivery Boy.)

I attended 80 Days with either family or friends and was overwhelmed.  In fact, my Aunt Dora bought me the soundtrack LP on Decca with Victor Young’s soaring music.  Being in fly over land, Spokane was bypassed by Cinerama so this movie was very special.

I still thrill to 80 Days on DVD with surround sound and the quirky way the vertical images curve in at the borders reminding us that this was a movie made for a curved screen.

  In 1956 while the nation was fixated on Elvis’ hips and James Dean’s t-shirt, RKO premiered a new original musical, A Bundle of Joy, with America’s cutest couple Debbie and Eddie.  It was the wrong movie at the wrong time.

But there’s lots to love in this holiday favorite with Nick Castle’s choreography wherein our Eddie jumps up on a ping pong table and then jumps to the floor without wobbling or twisting an ankle.  They don’t make them like that anymore.

A dreamy department store is the backdrop for this love affair where Debbie has an entertaining duet with Nita Talbot and a great jitterbug dance contest production number with Tommy Noonan, a TV comedian of that era who later enterprised softcore porn films.  Falling in love with the department store heir gives our gal free reign on all ready to wear and furs in stock (or in the RKO costume department.)

Moreover there’s a too-fat Santa and Eddie’s office is littered with the latest hi-fi equipment for sale in the store.  Also the Eddie drives a British import Nash Metropolitan.  Very cool.   

Bill Goodwin, who pitched Carnation canned milk on Burns and Allen, is a very officious manager at the make belive department store.

The opening song, It’s All About Love, with Eddie is a knock out.  Bundle is very sentimental holiday stuff with the romance is fueled by a cute kid with curly blond hair.  Buy the Warner Archives DVD or catch it on TCM this month.