LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Christophe Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

llewis001 All the previous reviews/critiques are probably right-on. I was happy to see the film because it presented a bit of theatrical history, showing something of what minstrel shows were like, especially in the opening "Gentlemen Be Seated" bit. Of course, there are similar historical pieces in other movies as well. I don't know that I had ever seen Benny Fields before, although he apparently had done many television appearances in the past, so I was curious to see him and hear him sing. Having seen this film, I rather understand why Ralph Meeker was chosen to play Fields in "Somebody Loves Me" opposite Betty Hutton and I now appreciate that bit of casting.

donniefriedman As a super fan of Al Jolson, I was really interested in seeing this movie, but was sadly disappointed. It strained credulity to believe that the lead, a character named Dixie Boy Johnson, had any kind of following, let alone star power. Voice, body language, dance routines, character - all this was sorely lacking. The scenes of minstrelsy, notwithstanding the elaborate costumes, were dead in the water. I don't understand how the music was nominated for an Oscar. Really it was very ordinary. Moreover, the songs functioned as padding for a storyline was lame from start to finish. Too bad. If you want to see minstrelsy at its entertaining best, check out Swannee River, the biopic of Stephen Foster with Al Jolson as E.P.Christy and give Minstrel Man a pass.

dbborroughs Story of a star performer in minstrel shows who loses his wife in childbirth then gives up on his daughter who begins to rise to prominence as a performer in her own right. Okay backstage drama suffers from a leading man who is a cold fish. Its not clear how he would have been a star of any sort since the actor portraying him has such little charisma that you really don't care and he brings everything down. The music is okay with big production numbers that would make you think this wasn't a Poverty Row film. I know the subject matter of minstrel shows will not sit well with some people. Having seen a couple of similar films set in and around a minstrel show I found this film's portrayal more likely to be offensive then others. As an entertainment in its own right I found it just okay with the lead's poor performance and the subject matter diminishing my enjoyment.

didi-5 This PRC cheapie made the Poverty Row studio a lot of money but really, it is very routine and not that interesting or groundbreaking. 'Dixie Boy' Johnson is a vaudeville performer, played by Benny Fields, who had been in vaudeville himself. He has a lovely voice to sing songs like 'Melancholy Baby' and 'Carolina' but he can't act to save his life; which is a pity considering he is in the lead role.After his wife dies giving birth to a daughter (who grows up to be 'Dixie Girl' Johnson), 'Dixie Boy' runs out and starts a life incognito, elsewhere, eventually maybe being lost at sea ... at this point I gave up and just waited patiently for the film to end. Of course, 'Dixie Girl' Johnson becomes a star in her own right, there's a reconciliation with her long-lost dad, and all is well with the world.Interesting what passed as entertainment in the 1940s ... but actually, this one isn't a turkey - the musical numbers are good, and with Gladys George in the cast at least we get a bit of glamour.