Copyright 26 December 1961 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at neighborhood cinemas: 26 August 1962. U.S. release: 14 February 1962. U.K. release: June 1961 (sic). Running time of U.S. version titled "Swingin' Along": 74 minutes. Running time of U.K. version — not a cut-down of American version, see NOTES below — titled "Double Trouble": 68 minutes (6,112 feet).
SYNOPSIS OF "SWINGIN' ALONG": Simple-minded Freddy Merkle (Tommy Noonan) has hopes of entering a song writing contest. A fast-talking promoter named "Duke" (Pete Marshall) tells Freddy he will be his manager (for a profit). "Duke" is attracted by pretty Carol Walker (Barbara Eden) whom he spots in a limousine. She turns him down for a date at first but later consents. Carol tells "Duke" that she is only a private secretary and when she demands he take her home by cab, he convinces Freddy to do it instead. Freddy spends his last cent and has to walk home, stopping in at a nightclub for a drink of water and witnessing a performance by Ray Charles, singing his smash hit "What'd I Say". Freddy's girl friend surprises him with a visit and the two love birds take a stroll in the park and come upon a young teenager (Bobby Vee) serenading a group of girls. Thanks to his girl's help, Freddy completes his San Francisco Sonata but the music is blown away by the wind. All seems lost, so Freddy tries to end it all, but fails in this as in everything else. But when the contest winner is announced in the Park pavilion, to everyone's surprise it turns out to be Freddy. A kindly Catholic priest had found the music and entered it in Freddy's name. So Roger Williams no less plays Freddy's Sonata and all ends on a high note.
SYNOPSIS OF DOUBLE TROUBLE: Freddie Merkle is a simple-minded delivery boy totally incapable of finishing any of his artistic projects; his try at a painting is half completed, his sculptured horse has only a rear end, and his original sonata consists of merely a few opening bars of music. However, when his delivery scooter is wrecked in a collision with a circus elephant, Freddie decides to earn fame and fortune by winning a San Francisco song- writing contest. Encouraging him is a fast-talking con man named Duke who hopes to get part of the $2500 prize money. Disaster strikes when Freddie's piano is re-possessed by a finance company and then re-sold. But the boys get the piano away from the new owner by claiming it must be removed for re-tuning. Thanks to the inspiration of his girl friend Ginny (plus the help of a cat that runs across the piano keyboard), Freddie completes his sonata only to have the music blown away by a breeze. Disconsolate, he tries to commit suicide. But, in typical fashion, he bungles the job. Unknown to him, a kindly priest has found his music and entered it in the contest. And, after learning he is a finalist in the competition, a delighted Freddie races to Golden Park just in time to receive first prize.
COMMENT: So here we have two films with many similarities, but with quite a few differences, some significant — top guest stars Ray Charles, Roger Williams and Bobby Vee don't appear in "Double Trouble" at all — some trivial — Tommy Noonan plays Freddy in "Swingin' Along", Freddie in "Double Trouble".
How in Hollywood did all this come about? The answer's simple. Well, sort of. "Double Trouble" was finished first. Only it wasn't called "Double Trouble" then. It was called "The Schnook". That was late in 1960. It was decided to change the name to "Double Trouble" and after the new title was cut in, prints were shipped to England. But then someone had the bright idea of adding the musical interludes. The movie was all about song-writing, so why not? But of course this required the writing and filming of bridge scenes. As there is only a difference of six minutes between the two movies — and the musical numbers themselves occupy at least ten or twelve — considerable cutting and some re-shooting of the original scenes was required. Thus it came about that Art Baker substituted for Bill Bradley as the TV announcer. So it's Art Baker as the TV announcer in "Swingin' Along", but Bill Bradley in that role in "Double Trouble". Clear? Told you it was easy to explain.
VIEWERS' GUIDE (BOTH FILMS): Suitable for all.
COMMENT: Unless you're a really real-gone fan of Tommy Noonan, Double Trouble's inept collection of inane slapstick routines is just plain awful. The situations are not new — in fact they're as old as vaudeville — but classic comedians like Laurel and Hardy managed to give them fresh life. Not so, Noonan and Marshall. True, the present comics are not helped by heavy-handed direction from veteran Abbott & Costello director Charles Barton. This was Barton's last film — and no wonder!
"Swingin' Along" sounds a much better entertainment proposition, but unfortunately I've not seen it, so for the moment we'll all have to rely on Variety and Bob Salmaggi in OTHER VIEWS below.
OTHER VIEWS: Frivolous farce-musical concoction... The picture is lopsided, adhering to the storyline in the early going, later evolving into a staccato musical comedy patchwork... Inclusion of the 'guest' passages palsies the tempo of the film and virtually wrecks the continuity of the comedy storyline. — Variety.
In this amateurish account of an aspiring composer's triumph in a song-writing contest. Noonan mugs too much. Ray Charles, Bobby Vee and Roger Williams, for no apparent reason, are thrown in for musical interludes. — Robert Salmaggi in "The New York Herald Tribune".
SYNOPSIS OF "SWINGIN' ALONG": Simple-minded Freddy Merkle (Tommy Noonan) has hopes of entering a song writing contest. A fast-talking promoter named "Duke" (Pete Marshall) tells Freddy he will be his manager (for a profit). "Duke" is attracted by pretty Carol Walker (Barbara Eden) whom he spots in a limousine. She turns him down for a date at first but later consents. Carol tells "Duke" that she is only a private secretary and when she demands he take her home by cab, he convinces Freddy to do it instead. Freddy spends his last cent and has to walk home, stopping in at a nightclub for a drink of water and witnessing a performance by Ray Charles, singing his smash hit "What'd I Say". Freddy's girl friend surprises him with a visit and the two love birds take a stroll in the park and come upon a young teenager (Bobby Vee) serenading a group of girls. Thanks to his girl's help, Freddy completes his San Francisco Sonata but the music is blown away by the wind. All seems lost, so Freddy tries to end it all, but fails in this as in everything else. But when the contest winner is announced in the Park pavilion, to everyone's surprise it turns out to be Freddy. A kindly Catholic priest had found the music and entered it in Freddy's name. So Roger Williams no less plays Freddy's Sonata and all ends on a high note.
SYNOPSIS OF DOUBLE TROUBLE: Freddie Merkle is a simple-minded delivery boy totally incapable of finishing any of his artistic projects; his try at a painting is half completed, his sculptured horse has only a rear end, and his original sonata consists of merely a few opening bars of music. However, when his delivery scooter is wrecked in a collision with a circus elephant, Freddie decides to earn fame and fortune by winning a San Francisco song- writing contest. Encouraging him is a fast-talking con man named Duke who hopes to get part of the $2500 prize money. Disaster strikes when Freddie's piano is re-possessed by a finance company and then re-sold. But the boys get the piano away from the new owner by claiming it must be removed for re-tuning. Thanks to the inspiration of his girl friend Ginny (plus the help of a cat that runs across the piano keyboard), Freddie completes his sonata only to have the music blown away by a breeze. Disconsolate, he tries to commit suicide. But, in typical fashion, he bungles the job. Unknown to him, a kindly priest has found his music and entered it in the contest. And, after learning he is a finalist in the competition, a delighted Freddie races to Golden Park just in time to receive first prize.
COMMENT: So here we have two films with many similarities, but with quite a few differences, some significant — top guest stars Ray Charles, Roger Williams and Bobby Vee don't appear in "Double Trouble" at all — some trivial — Tommy Noonan plays Freddy in "Swingin' Along", Freddie in "Double Trouble".
How in Hollywood did all this come about? The answer's simple. Well, sort of. "Double Trouble" was finished first. Only it wasn't called "Double Trouble" then. It was called "The Schnook". That was late in 1960. It was decided to change the name to "Double Trouble" and after the new title was cut in, prints were shipped to England. But then someone had the bright idea of adding the musical interludes. The movie was all about song-writing, so why not? But of course this required the writing and filming of bridge scenes. As there is only a difference of six minutes between the two movies — and the musical numbers themselves occupy at least ten or twelve — considerable cutting and some re-shooting of the original scenes was required. Thus it came about that Art Baker substituted for Bill Bradley as the TV announcer. So it's Art Baker as the TV announcer in "Swingin' Along", but Bill Bradley in that role in "Double Trouble". Clear? Told you it was easy to explain.
VIEWERS' GUIDE (BOTH FILMS): Suitable for all.
COMMENT: Unless you're a really real-gone fan of Tommy Noonan, Double Trouble's inept collection of inane slapstick routines is just plain awful. The situations are not new — in fact they're as old as vaudeville — but classic comedians like Laurel and Hardy managed to give them fresh life. Not so, Noonan and Marshall. True, the present comics are not helped by heavy-handed direction from veteran Abbott & Costello director Charles Barton. This was Barton's last film — and no wonder!
"Swingin' Along" sounds a much better entertainment proposition, but unfortunately I've not seen it, so for the moment we'll all have to rely on Variety and Bob Salmaggi in OTHER VIEWS below.
OTHER VIEWS: Frivolous farce-musical concoction... The picture is lopsided, adhering to the storyline in the early going, later evolving into a staccato musical comedy patchwork... Inclusion of the 'guest' passages palsies the tempo of the film and virtually wrecks the continuity of the comedy storyline. — Variety.
In this amateurish account of an aspiring composer's triumph in a song-writing contest. Noonan mugs too much. Ray Charles, Bobby Vee and Roger Williams, for no apparent reason, are thrown in for musical interludes. — Robert Salmaggi in "The New York Herald Tribune".
