Painting the Clouds with Sunshine is a moderately entertaining unofficial entry in the Gold Diggers series of films, but it lacks something that the original entries had plenty of: innocence. Not innocence in terms of sexuality, for there's a sauciness and a knowingness in the earlier films that is often quite entertaining. But the earlier films really believed in the silly backstage/romantic storylines that they trafficked in; Sunshine doesn't, and that lack of innocence in terms of the freshness of the story puts a bit of a damper on things. Snappy dialogue would help things, but Sunshine's dialogue is as tired as its plot. Sunshine does have an agreeable cast, with Virginia Mayo very easy on the eyes and Lucille Norman particularly easy on the ears. Norman, along with Dennis Morgan, sounds especially good on the title number and "With a Song in My Heart." When not singing, Morgan is a bit stiff, but Gene Nelson adds spark to his scenes and when given half a chance to dance, lights up the screen. Indeed, when Sunshine is singing or dancing, things are just fine; it's when it talks that one begins to feel a bit restless.