Young Man with a Horn (1950)
It's a sad state of affairs when this is likely my number #2 film right now. Young Man with a Horn is kinda a mess of film. It's basically three different films told in three different acts...it starts off as a Citizen Kane ripoff moves into musical/romance territory and closes out as a noir. It's like you are watching something that doesn't know what it wants to be. Kurt Douglas plays a horn player who starts to court Doris Day. This is early Doris Day she's playing a Judy Garland style role here where she's the virtuous girl as opposed to Lauren Bacall's darker character.
The problem is in a film like this you kinda strip away the sex and drugs and left with drinking and ennui. It's not really enough for a third act of a story. Amy just isn't written well enough at this point to be a good enough antagonist and the romance and conflict with Jo is simply to hurried. Had the film simply tried to be a musical it could have been much greater rather than being simply good.
The music is the strongest part of the film and the thing that carries it along. This is the part where Doris Day shines...the fact that you get orchestra style music to go with the lounge act keeps things from becoming tedious. It's the first two acts which helps lift it ahead of some of junk nominated in this hall.