Two years after their onscreen pairing in On Moonlight Bay, Doris Day and Gordon MacRae returned as the same characters in this 1953 confection. Picking up the plot from the first film, this outing finds MacRae’s character newly returned home from World War I and Day’s character very eager to put a ring on it, aside from one temporary bobble. Like its predecessor, the film purportedly draws from Booth Tarkington’s Penrod novels, but mostly sidelines the mischievous young boy character in favor of Day and MacRae’s musical romance.
Buy By the Light of the Silvery Moon from MovieZyngDay plays Marjorie Winfield, still somewhat up to her old tomboy antics as a car mechanic but now much more interested in romance and marriage. MacRae is the dashing soldier, Bill Sherman, just back from the front but not quite ready for domestic bliss. This leads to a bit of a role reversal from the first film, as Marjorie is now trying to convince Bill to succumb to the societal expectations of romance while he dithers. It’s never really clear what his problem is, other than the need to generate some friction before the inevitable happy ending. The rest of the Winfield family get amusing subplots, including the cantankerous housekeeper and the Penrod stand-in, Wesley, along with his pet turkey, but the movie is mostly a showcase for Day, MacRae, and nine musical numbers including “Ain’t We Got Fun” and the title track.
Day continues to hone her comedic chops here as she transitions from a serious song-and-dance star to her rom-com calling. Both Day and MacRae struggle to pull off their 20ish characters in their early 30s, but they’re so charming and infectious together that disbelief is mostly suspended. Their production numbers are entirely engaging, particularly the closing title track staged on an impressive ice-rink set dressed to look like an exterior pond. The slim plot gets upstaged by the songs, but it’s all lighthearted fun with well-matched stars.
Buy By the Light of the Silvery Moon from AmazonThe Blu-ray is formatted at 1.37:1 with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono sound. Like its predecessor, the Technicolor hues are slightly muted, consistent with films of its era, but colors and brightness levels are firm throughout all scenes. No visible defects are evident, aside from occasional minor focus issues from the original camerawork. Sound is also crisp and error-free. Bonus features are a classic cartoon, two classic comedy shorts, and the original trailer.
