Walking My Baby Back Home (1953) DVD-R

Starring Donald O'Connor, Janet Leigh, Buddy Hackett, Lori Nelson, Scatman Crothers,
Kathleen Lockhart
Directed by Lloyd Bacon

Print: color
Runtime: 95 min.
Genre: musical

Walking My Baby Back Home is a bubbly musical of no significance whatsoever, but this
doesn't diminish its enjoyability factor. The film wastes no time in showing off the singing
and dancing skills of star Donald O'Connor, who is seen cavorting about during the opening
credits. O'Connor plays war veteran Jigger Millard, who forms a band with several other
musically inclined ex-GIs. Unfortunately, Jigger's music isn't what the public craves, so he's
forced to join a minstrel show headed by Colonel Wallace (George Cleveland), the uncle of
pretty Chris Hall (Janet Leigh). As he performs the old "down in Dixie" numbers required of
him, Jigger is inspired to reorganize his band into a Dixieland aggregation, with the
considerable input of black musician Smiley (Scatman Crothers). Buddy Hackett is on hand
as comedy relief Blimp Edwards. A tantalizing excerpt from Walking My Baby Back Home
was seen in an ironic context during a 1970s Columbo TV episode, guest-starring Janet
Leigh as the murderer.