Diamond Horseshoe

The best thing I like about Diamond Horseshoe is the original songs that Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote for the score, interpolating it with some old standards. The More I See You and I Wish I Knew were mega hits in 1945 bigger for Dick Haymes than Betty Grable because Haymes was a big selling recording star for Decca Records and Darryl Zanuck kept Grable as he did many of his stars away from the record studios.

The backstage plot is simple enough and doesn't get in the way of the extravagant musical numbers for Grable, Haymes and the rest. Haymes is the son of veteran performer William Gaxton who doesn't want Haymes going into show business. He might become the victim of golddigging dames so Grable is supposed to make Haymes fall for her and dump him. Then Haymes will go back to medical school and become a doctor as he's supposed to.

Of course best laid plans never quite work out in these situations and in Diamond Horseshoe that's no exception.

It was nice to see William Gaxton who did most of his work on Broadway in this, one of his rare screen appearances. According to a recent biography of Betty Grable she was one of the very few of his co-workers to have a kind word for Dick Haymes. He was not one of the most savory people out there in spite of having one mellow singing voice. She did do The Shocking Miss Pilgrim with him a couple of years later.

Darryl Zanuck spared no expense with Diamond Horseshoe, one of the bigger budget items for 20th Century Fox that year. It holds up very well and a must for fans of its leads.