Bundle Of Joy (1956)

A young, unmarried salesgirl (Debbie Reynolds) at an upscale department store finds an abandoned infant on a doorstep. Despite her protestations, everyone assumes she is the mother which causes a series of misunderstandings. Directed by Oscar winning director Norman Taurog (SKIPPY), this is a remake of the 1939 Ginger Rogers screwball comedy BACHELOR MOTHER but this time as a musical. It worked perfectly well before as a straight comedy and the sub par songs here are not only unnecessary but drag the movie down. The film is also saddled with that lumpen presence known as Eddie Fisher as its leading man. The only time I laughed was at a brief scene where Fisher's father's (Adolphe Menjou) butler (Melville Cooper) kept replacing his spoon. I'm not sure if I laughed because it was genuinely funny or out of desperation. Still, everybody (as if compensating for Fisher's inability) pushes hard. With Tommy Noonan, Una Merkel and Nita Talbot.