** boys clothing depictions in movies : Make a Wish








Make a Wish - (US, 1937)


Figure 1.--Here Bobby Breem (Chip) with two men. We re not sdure who ntyhey are, but we think the man on the right is his mother's fiancé with whom Chip has issues.

The 1937 film 'Make a Wish' was set around the singing of a 10-year old star (Bobby Breen) who plays Chip Winters. Breen was a popular child star in the late 1930s and early-40s. Chip goes to Birchlake Summer Camp located deep in the Maine woods. Many American summer camps in the 1930s had uniforms. The camp uniform can be seen on the previous page. He makes friends with the othr boys who are impressed with nis singing. Johnny Selden, a famous but failing composer played rather incongrously by Basil Rathbone. Selden has decided that a stay in the country might spark his creative juices. So he leaves the city high life to try to to compose new works. He moves into a neigboiring cottage. He hears Cips singing and the two become friendds. Chip decided that Johnny might be just what his widowed mother, also a singer, needs. Billy Lee plays one of the campers Pee Wee. Chip's mother Irene (Marion Claire), a retired opera singer, wrote letters to Chip at camp which began inspiring Selden's creativity. She comes to camp to visit Chip. Her unplesant fiancé, Walter Mays, comes wih her. Chip is not pleased to see Mays. SElden is imediately smitten with Irene. Johnny tells her about his work on an operetta. Mays had insusted that Irene her operatic singing career. He is offended when Irene sings one of Selden's operetta's songs at a party. Mays decided that he and Irene are going back to the New York City and Chip with them. Chip has to says goodbye to his new camp friends. Selden for hi prt is crushed. Afrer hearuing Irene sing he begab to think of her as his future prima donna. Selden tells his butler, Joseph, to take the final act of his opertta to his producer. Incislent about Irene, he disappears. Joseph who fancies himself a songwriter and two other song writer friends, Moreta and Brennan, mange to lose the manuscript. The operetta's investors panic and try to sunstutute their mediocre material. Chip upon learning about this davs the day. He sings snippets of the last act in the producer's office. Chip and Irene manage to reconstruct the lost final act. Irene defies Mays and appears in the show. On opening night, Seldenshows up, embrcing his prima donna. Not a very imaginative film. You know what is going to happen after just the first few minutes. The film is purely a vehicle for Breen's singing.






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Created: 2:54 AM 10/18/2004
Last updated: 6:42 AM 5/18/2022