Words and Music (1948) on Netflix
Lorenz "Larry" Hart writes lyrics and needs a composer, so Herb Fields brings him together with Richard "Dick" Rodgers in 1919. Work is scarce, and Dick considers selling children's underwear.
- Netflix2.0/5
- IMDb6.4/101,698 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes14%
Trailer
Plot summary
The pairing of the lyricist Lorenz "Larry" Hart and the composer Richard "Dick" Rodgers begins in 1919, and the two scramble for a foothold. Larry is impressed by the singer Peggy Lorgan McNeil, both personally and professionally, and promises her the starring role in the show that at last heads for Broadway. The producer has already lined up his own protégé, Joyce Harmon, for that part. Dick is drawn to Joyce, who considers him too young for her, and later to the young Dorothy Feiner, who finds him too old. Larry proposes marriage to Peggy, who refuses him. Hit songs and hit shows follow, but Larry takes little pleasure in the success, and his unreliability and frequent absences strain the partnership.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Words and Music (1948)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
The script sanitized Lorenz Hart's complex psychological problems, alcoholism and self-destructive behavior, which broke up his writing partnership with Richard Rodgers and hastened his early death, and it also changed his sexual orientation.- Words and Music is remembered as the final screen pairing of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, and for its lavish showcasing of the Rodgers and Hart song catalogue.
- Two songs sung by Perry Como, "Lover" and "You're Nearer", were deleted from the film and surfaced among the video and audio outtakes on its 2007 Warner Bros. DVD.
