Sonnie Hale in 'My Song For You'

Original credits

Summary of action on screen

Opens with shot of gorgeous yawl in South of France. Kiepura as Gatti in trunks and swimming cap seen swimming sidestroke near side of yacht, then climbs up boarding ladder. Sings 'My Song for You' to watching children on rocks by side of harbour,while releasing halyards to lower the sails (mysteriously set although yacht is visibly moored up fore and aft!) Yacht looks just like grand version of Broads yachts.

Kiepura appears somewhat thickset around middle.

Sonnie seen typing and eating sandwich with strange affected motions. Gatti wanted on telephone: he mimes staring out to sea then flutters around running for 'phone, dashing back to pick up sandwich etc. Strange waddling gait.

Gatti finishes song and dashes off in smart 1930s launch.

Sonnie, still carrying plate with sandwich, arrives at 'phone and promptly trips over — his first line of dialogue is "All right — d'oh!" In process he has pulled out telephone cord and makes fuss when he can't hear anything.

Vienna State Opera House on line — man also eating sandwich.

"I manage the business: he just does the singing." Negotiations — "we're on our holidays, you know" "How much? Oh dear, dear, no, we couldn't sing for that..." Affected laughter.

Gatti grabs receiver — Sonnie keeps miming broadly at him while listening in on other earpiece: "all expenses paid, and travelling train de luxe — for me also."

At the Opera House, Baron Kleeberg has put his elbow down in secretary's sandwich: "Will you throw that filthy sandwich away!" Sonnie, on other end of line, looks down at 'phone in disbelief, tosses away his sandwich hastily, then mimes peering down earpiece.

Baron Kleeberg is courting Mary.

"This time I have to tell you you're going to marry me."

"Who said so?"

"My clairvoyant."

She leaves to go to meet her lover, accidentally attempting to exit via wardrobe.

Mary turns up at State Opera House where Theodore is applying for job, and gets mistaken for extra in Gatti's Aida rehearsal.

Gatti is busy sketching caricatures while singing aria.

Sonnie turns up behind Mary, carrying plate with sausages (wurst). He grins inanely and mimes at Gatti with beckoning sausage, accidentally snapping sausage in half. He quickly stuffs sausage into his mouth and grins at Gatti with rapture, head on one side. He keeps trying to attract Gatti's attention to food by pointing and grinning. Sausage gets impaled on quill in hat of woman extra standing next to him — he mimes puzzlement at where it can have gone to, then snatches it off hat and glares at her.

Gatti finishes aria and Sonnie thrusts plate into Mary's hands so he can applaud like others. Gatti finally spots food and eats off Mary's plate during back-slapping conversation with Sonnie — she, annoyed, thrusts plate into hands of male extra and vanishes. Extra starts to eat Gatti's food, to tenor's surprise and annoyance.

Mary tries to leave set, encounters elephants, and recoils into Gatti's arms. He is obviously favourably impressed by this glimpse. She continues trying to escape and falls foul of elephants again, ending up taking part in temple dance with other female extras.

Gatti sketches caricature of her and gives it to her with his phone number. She continues comedy attempts to flee set, ending up in props chest.

"Phone me —
Hotel Alhambra.
Don't be frightened.
I'm no elephant!!
R.G." [Ricardo Gatti]

He tries to invite her out but she firmly and repeatedly rejects him. He follows in another taxi and ends up singing "With All my Heart" in courtyard of flats in attempt to bring her to window. Everyone else rushes to see but she escapes in confusion.

Sonnie in Gatti's room getting in way while men set up equipment for radio broadcast. Mary rings — "hold on a minute please" — he stuffs receiver in his pocket, walks away and pulls telephone over. Rushes round letting technicians out. Picks up end of power cable of equipment they are carrying out, while proposing hopefully "A few words of introduction from me might be welcome, don't you think?" "No!"... and gets cable shut in door as men leave. A crash promptly sounds from outside.

"This is the ballet girl speaking..." "Oh yes, yes, the ballet, yes" — he mimes ballet gestures and poses to indicate 'ballet': Gatti, entering behind him, can be seen shaking his head in resignation, then grinning. Sonnie tries to chat her up as she takes him for Gatti — Gatti cottons on to her identity and grabs 'phone.

Gatti asks her out for that night — Sonnie grabs radio mike, points and mimes to indicate broadcast — Gatti thrusts it away, Sonnie tries to push it into his hand, Gatti treads on his toes and Sonnie squeals and hops in agony. He continues limping and Gatti makes assignation, seizes him and dances him round in jubilation — "You've got to broadcast" "I don't care!" — and dashes out. Sonnie still limping.

Mary feigns tiredness to go to bed early (and slip out to meet Gatti) and her mother forces her to take a sleeping draught.

Sonnie with exaggerated gestures tells Gatti he can't go out as he has to broadcast. Turns key 'surreptitiously' and tiptoes with exaggerated stealth across room to other door. Confiscates telephone and room bellrope with much mouthing to show how cunning he is being. Pulling out bellrope covers him in plaster dust.

"What are you doing wis ze telephone?" "Taking it out to supper!"

Sonnie with enormous grin locks door on far side, raises his hat in Gatti's direction, dusts off plaster and exits looking pleased with himself.

Gatti escapes by singing "With All My Heart" out of hotel window, attracting crowds and causing traffic jam. When police arrive (admitted by hotel management with passkey) in his room to ask what he is doing, he exits rapidly.

Kleeberg is entertaining an amie in room wanted by Gatti — restaurant staff ruin their meal to get rid of them, ending by spilling red wine down her dress.

Mary succumbs to sleeping draught and falls asleep during assignation. Gatti is a gentleman and simply admires her sleep.

Sonnie, grinning widely at his own cleverness, goes to release Gatti for broadcast. He finds him gone and gestures wildly to indicate this to technician, who brushes him off. Stumped, he starts gnawing his fingers in confusion.

"I'm going to the control room" — "control room? oh, my bedroom." Sonnie realises that technician will remain in other room throughout broadcast and starts to impersonate a conversation with a non-existent Gatti, running backwards and forwards as he switches characters and gestures.

Starts to sing "With All My Heart" in Kiepura's accent (although without his resonance) but breaks off — "Is good, Charliee?" — strategically on brink of high note!

He struggles to find material for his talk on Gatti's life and dashes to get encyclopædia — "Florence is the ancient capital of Tuscany...."

Mary wakes up and supper is served.

Cut back to Sonnie, hair now dishevelled, clutching handkerchief to mop his brow, and still improvising madly in character. Restaurant staff hear him on radio — if that's Gatti, then the man dining must be an imposter!

Mary asks Gatti for an introduction to the Opera for Theodore 'her brother'. Manager comes in and pointedly switches on radio.

Sonnie now very dishevelled, collar open, tie disarranged: "I think it is only fitting to introduce to you the man who has made this possible — the man who made me Gatti, the Gatti. Ladies and gentlemen: my secretary, Charlie!"

He springs from side to side of the microphone switching personas, Gatti-grin versus his own disgruntled expression. "Ladies and gentlemen: well, this is the most embarrassing moment of my life..."

Gatti, listening, bursts out laughing and manager waves radio programme in front of him to prove him an imposter — unfortunately it has a large photo of Gatti in it and manager is discomfited. Gatti arranges to hush it up and secretly sends for Theodore, who nearly gives the game away on arrival: "I have no sister" — but hastily declares Mary to be his step-sister.

Mary takes offence at Theodore's failure to be jealous, and when Gatti, enchanted, gives Mary the recommendation she destroys it. Theodore, furious, tells her he never wants to see her again, and they part.

Sonnie seen exhausted on large pile of reference books, supporting himself by clutching microphone (and handkerchief at same time). "My time is now nearly finished —" he rolls eyes heavenwards in relief — "so, in conclusion —"

Gatti enters and starts singing in outer room: "One song..." and Sonnie instantly grabs microphone and brandishes it outwards, rushing to door to meet Gatti and gesturing frantically to mike as Gatti breaks off in puzzlement. He mimes a tenor performing at full volume and waves mike in Gatti's direction again, and Gatti suddenly gets the idea and sings into microphone (see sketch). Technician in bedroom, who has been snoozing all through Sonnie's impersonation, is woken with a jolt.

Sonnie retreats backwards to desk, drawing on a happily-singing Gatti; Sonnie's expression is full of simultaneous relief, triumph and promised threat. He picks up his watch from on top of book open on desk and indicates urgently that the broadcast is almost over, then mimes sleep, resorting to a snore. "Good night!" Gatti beams, bounces, and claps his hands together in self-congratulation as Sonnie raises both fists in exasperated threat: "Ohhh, if only I could —"

Technician comes in. "Signor Gatti, that was most interesting. I wouldn't have missed a word..." Close-up on Sonnie's alarmed face as he rushes to interpose his body in front of pile of reference books while Gatti hastens to usher man out.

Annoyed Sonnie seen pretending to read magazine at table as a beaming Gatti approaches. "Charlie, don't be angry wiz me —"

Sonnie pointedly ignores him, then glances up. Bitterly: "How did you get out — through the keyhole?" He returns to his magazine as Gatti announces blithely "All right, all right — I forgive you!"

This brings Sonnie up incredulously: "You forgive me?" Then "Do you realise that I've spent 25 years of your life in half an hour?"

"I'd do the same for you — I'd do the same for you!" Gatti tries to seize him by the shoulders but is shaken off with a snarl. He starts to sing "Your help in my memory will never fade — I'd do the same for you," as Sonnie gets up with a dismissive movement and starts to walk away... but we see a smile start to tug at the corner of Sonnie's mouth as he continues around the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

As Gatti goes into full-on tenor mode Sonnie releases his hands and starts to mime the responsive soprano, laughing, while Gatti goes down on his knees before 'her'. Sonnie turns away coquettishly, playing coy with a beaming smile, only for Gatti to slap 'her' roundly across the backside, much to his indignation; Gatti seizes his hand and swings him into a frantic pirouette which culminates in Sonnie grabbing onto him for support to the accompaniment of a soundtrack percussion roll. Recovering his composure, he goes into a hand-slapping dance with Gatti that concludes in his mounting a stack of furniture, waving his handkerchief in both hands, to drop the handkerchief graciously to Gatti below as the tenor finishes his serenade, then to jump down with one arm poised above his head ballerina-style. He vanishes behind some boxes as Gatti gestures over him.

We see Gatti enter onto the rehearsal stage with Sonnie, behind him, busy spreading his hands in a don't-know gesture. "Are all ze ballet girls here?" enquires Gatti anxiously, and Sonnie turns to leave with resignation: "I'll go and see..." He starts counting along all the girls on stage with one finger, while Gatti gazes around hopefully. He thinks he has recognised her, but it turns out to be a flattered stranger.

Sonnie strides up to him and grabs him: "All the ballet girls are here." Instructed to find the "she" who is nevertheless not here, he attempts to find out from Gatti what she looks like.

Gatti beams heavenwards in ecstasy: "She is beeyootiful..." Sonnie's heavenward glance is of a very different nature: "Well, this is going to be easy!" But Gatti suddenly remembers Theodore, and instructs Sonnie to ask for "Bruckner" at the Imperial Café — raises fists: "...and if you come back without her—"

Sonnie holds up both hands with a smug I-know-what-you're-going-to-say-next look. "Don't tell me... you'll sack me." He smiles at this sally, but Gatti confirms the verdict without any answering smile, and Sonnie, his grin fading abruptly, turns with an exasperated noise and rushes off.

He enquires ingratiatingly after "Bruckner" from an unhelpful headwaiter, finally achieving the answer "Oh... he doesn't work here any more." Cue double-talk: "But he knows where she is..." "Where who is?"

Finally he gives up, exasperated, "Oh, you're a great help..." and plonks himself down on the seat beside the headwaiter (who is still busy reading his newspaper), grabbing him by the shoulders to compel attention: "I've got to find a girl."

"Ahhh," observes the headwaiter, who thinks he has finally caught on, and Sonnie mimicks back his leer: "Ahhh..." then snaps "Well, it's nothing like that!" The phlegmatic response is that he had better advertise for her, then: Sonnie mimicks this back too, then suddenly realises (resuming, for some reason, the affected tones and gestures of the earlier part of the film) "Wait, that's a marvellous idea." Kissing the disconcerted man vigorously on both cheeks — "you gorgeous headwaiter—" he rushes off in a mincing fashion, only to return a moment later (the headwaiter makes an instinctive gesture to ward him off) for his hat.

An advertisement duly appears in the paper — presumably at Sonnie's instigation rather than Gatti's — "To my fair companion at the Monbijou..." volunteering Gatti's talents for a charity concert on condition that the young lady herself turns up to nominate the charity of her choice. Mary nearly betrays herself to her parents over the breakfast table: "Charity? It's blackmail!"

Sonnie seen answering the telephone in affected voice while eating. "Hellow... yah... yah..." Then, as the gist of the call penetrates, he suddenly becomes excited. "Send her up immediately!"

Rushes across the room towards Gatti (seen stripped to the waist and exercising with boxing gloves), skidding to a halt on polished floor: "She's here!" He rushes back with same arm-waving gestures, only to skid to a halt again as Gatti calls "Who?", skid across the room again to answer and rush back, arms still pumping — finally giving up in exasperation to walk normally, as Gatti still hasn't the faintest idea what he is going on about: "Ohhh... the girl of my advertisement!"

Now Gatti starts to jump up and down and rush as well, throwing on clothes: "Quick — speed—" and calling for Sonnie to fetch his trousers (he is wearing loose exercise garments).

At this moment girl arrives, and Sonnie hurries to answer door, still clutching Gatti's trousers. In response to his employer's anguished whisper he glances down at his hands, tosses the trousers negligently over his shoulder, and advances on their guest... who is disclosed to be a completely different young lady, the one who was at that same restaurant with Kleeberg that night and who now wants the wine-stained dress (which the Baron had undertaken to get cleaned) back.

Sonnie, of course, while making all the right conversational noises has not the faintest idea what she is talking about — "You took your dress off?" — but is very intrigued and obviously interested: the girl gives him a look and fends him off with "I think you'd better tell him [i.e. Gatti, whom she thinks is Kleeberg] I'm here."

"She wants it back." "What?" "You ought to know — you took it off!" "What?" Gatti, dumbfounded, rushes off to unravel the knot with Sonnie clutching after him, and both he and the girl discover their mutual mistake as Sonnie offers her an ingratiating grin: "Why so formal? Don't mind me..."

He titters, cut off abruptly as Gatti prods him sharply, then begins to look a little uncertain. "Why — don't you two know each other?" They (in chorus): "No!" Sonnie, with great curiosity: "Then... who did take your dress off?"

Cut... to Baron Kleeberg, futilely scrubbing at wine stain...

Meanwhile, Mary's eye strays to the neighbouring advertisement in the paper, and she has a brilliant idea to call Gatti's bluff...

We see the public swimming baths filled with concert-goers, all eager to see the mysterious lady reveal her identity, and a list of prices: "Loges 100- (sold out) Stalls 50- (sold out) Water stalls 30- (sold out..." and remaining tickets offered as "Water standing room 20-" and "Deep end 5-"!

Ropes have been strung across baths to help support swimmers: chairs in waist-deep shallow end, all full of people in bathing suits (including one old man with improvised buoyancy aids). Concert-goers in bathing costumes and in evening dress pass in foreground and background respectively, using precisely the same gestures.

Gatti appears in full evening dress... to perform from diving board! Sonnie seen at side of pool among crowd below, beaming and rubbing hands in proprietorial manner.

Gatti finishes aria and bows. We catch a glimpse of Sonnie again as camera pans widely through audience (show-stealing as usual, he promptly takes the opportunity to start making gestures at this precise moment in attempt to lead audience applause...)

Shot of Sonnie again. He is standing under a poolside shower head, which drips on him. Annoyed, he pushes it away. It swings back and sends a rather larger shower of water over the grandee behind him. Sonnie fiddles frantically with shaft of pipe and succeeds in switching shower on full before he can turn it off. With a not-my-fault shrug he dismisses the whole incident and his soaked neighbour, turning back to applaud.

The orchestra strike up "My Song for You", and Sonnie gestures broadly up to Gatti with a beaming smile — go on then! Audience enraptured.

At end of song, Sonnie seen making fussy little shushing noises so that he can read out prepared text. Much inane grinning and preening. "Ladies and gentlemen — I am not going to make a speech—" At this his neighbour coughs pointedly, and Sonnie accidentally drops text, to guffaws.

He proceeds to climb ladder to diving platform as he declares "—I have something very very important to tell you..." Conferring with Gatti, he steps back... off edge of platform... but rapidly recovers himself with grab at Gatti and handrail, as audience gasps with horror. A little embarrassed titter and wave of thanks at Gatti, and he proceeds to invite "the young lady" to step forward, according to her half of the bargain...

A large woman stands up amid general audience turmoil, and Sonnie grabs at Gatti with ingratiating grin and points her out eagerly. Gatti gives him a quelling look, and Sonnie turns a hard stare upon the offending lady, before turning back to Gatti with an expression of query.

A second invitation, with nervous titter, for the young lady to "please... ah... stand up", and he and Gatti turn back to back to scan the audience from their vantage point.

On the third appeal, Mary, who has been looking very unhappy throughout concert, finally stands up, and both men rush for ladder down from diving board platform. Gatti gets there first — Sonnie is swung all the way round handrail, out to dangle over the edge again, and round to sprawl upon his back on the platform as Gatti rushes down.

Mary, however, gets the last laugh by claiming that the whole affair has been secretly a publicity stunt to raise money for charity — Gatti could not have been dining with her since everyone knows he was actually broadcasting live on the radio at that time! Sonnie's horrified face as he realises that his two brilliantly improvised schemes have backfired to undermine each other...

Gatti clearly admires Mary's audacity enormously — but Mary deflates him as he advances by promptly introducing him to "my future husband, Baron Kleeberg... you must come to our wedding..."

Sonnie, grinning broadly to see Gatti discomfited in his turn, approaches to poolside and tells tenor tartly "Now try and sing that off!" He laughs. Gatti gives him a look, and proceeds to push his secretary vigorously into the pool, evening dress and all.

Cut as Sonnie vanishes flailing below the water... to a shot of Sonnie in bathing costume emerging from underwater, hair flopping in his eyes. He rolls over and swims powerful overarm stroke, displaying unexpectedly broad shoulders, to side of open-air pool in grounds of villa, before leaping out, thrusting back hair, and performing a peculiar balletic caper to either side (jumps high and strikes other foot aginst leading leg), then adopting strange waddling gait towards stone bench with pile of clothing.

He runs along side of pool clad in ankle-length towelling robe, collecting post along the way from servant who has just received it, and flings himself down in chair in affected, expansive mood beside withdrawn Gatti — "Oooh... it was beautiful in the water. I've left some for you — why don't you go in?" Gatti continues to brood. "Heavens above — look at me. Did you ever see me moping? Hah — I've had thousands of love affairs. Did I allow them to get me down? Not on your life. I'm the one —" prodding himself in the chest — "who gets them down..." laughing loudly at his own joke.

Gatti, however, is still moping. "Charliee — it is is absolutely impossible that she can marry zis man..." and Sonnie rolls eyes to sky in exasperation. "Ohhh... are you still thinking of that?"

But as he chatters he notices a letter from Mary among the post that he is busy opening, and thrusts it into the breast of his towelling gown [next to the wet swimming costume he is still wearing...] He tries to cover this conversational lapse up, but Gatti has noticed and makes a grab for the letter — a wedding invitation.

Sonnie, silenced for once, stares at Gatti's face, clearly at a loss; Gatti announces, resolute, "I vill be there!" and walks off, leaving Sonnie to stare after him.

Gatti's car arrives, with Sonnie fussing round it, still in towelling robe: "Oh dear dear dear dear dear... Now listen, if you get into trouble, send for me!"

He gets robe caught in car door and is dragged along as car starts around carriage sweep, capering madly. "Hey, I don't want to go with you! Open the door, you idiot, open the door —"

Finally robe comes free and Sonnie is revealed in bathing costume, striding back to house in irritation.

Gatti turns up at wedding and sings 'Ave Maria' to win over Mary from Kleeberg.

In final scene they are seen together raising sails of Gatti's yacht as it leaves harbour. Sonnie seen reposing in dinghy towed astern, smugly reading magazine with his feet up. Gatti has bright idea while singing "My Song for You" and indicates cheerfully to Mary before casting off tow. He continues to sing rapturously to her while Sonnie, left astern out at sea, realises what has happened and starts to signal frantically. He stands up, waves both arms and falls over backward in boat. Fade out on shot of him standing and waving again in distance as Gatti heard on soundtrack.

Sections of the performance which work

Sonnie has an effective 'snide' delivery in this film, with the result that his dialogue here works rather better (and is considerably funnier) where his character is making dry observations than where he is babbling inanely. For example, the brief jibe about 'taking the telephone out to supper' is amusing, where the exaggerated physical gyrations that precede it are not (least of all the oh-so-predictable gag where he tugs on the bellrope and brings it, and the ceiling, down on his own head).

His impersonation of Gatti on the radio is wickedly accurate, and this sequence is his sole section of stand-out performance in a film from which, on the whole, his appearances tend rather to detract. His character is in a tight spot (with our sympathies, for once, not with his long-suffering employer, who really is behaving badly here) and gets out of it with ingenuity and inspiration, rather than simply playing stupid and/or making affected movements.

The contrast between the two men's singing voices is interesting: Sonnie Hale is perfectly capable of mimicking the tenor's delivery, but while he is competent to handle the notes involved, his voice simply doesn't hold the power and projection behind the opera star's performance: an explicit demonstration of the difference between the London musical stage and the full-scale operatic world.

Sonnie's characterisation continues somewhat less annoying in the following scenes, where the secretary is giving as good as he gets in exchanges with Gatti and is responsible for coming up with a scheme to track down the missing heroine: however, the character soon reverts again to the camp preening persona that caused American reviewers to allude to the "over-acting of Sonnie Hale" as marring the film, and to "Sonnie Hale as the tenor's half-wit manager"...

He has various physical stunts, most notably the two attempts where he barely saves himself from falling into the swimming pool followed by the one where he is subsequently pushed — also his impromptu ballet spin and jump during the dance with Jan Kiepura. The main function of the character, however, appears to be to relieve the Polish star from the burden of too much English dialogue by talking nineteen to the dozen himself, explaining plot points, supplying background, and simply trying to be funny — generally trying rather too hard, unfortunately.