AllMovie

Walking My Baby Back Home was the kind of musical Donald O'Connor was making when he should have been making more Singin' in the Rain's. O'Connor was one of the brightest talents of the musical film in the 1940s and '50s, but that talent was too often wasted in pictures that were beneath him. Granted, he was a bit difficult to cast; an excellent comic actor and dancer with a good voice, he wasn't leading-man material -- still, it shouldn't have been so hard to find the man better material. Certainly, Baby has little in it that showcases the star; the production numbers don't really jell, the direction is lackluster, and the screenplay is a hodgepodge of too many elements, none of which are mixed together with the artistry required. To make things even more difficult for O'Connor, he has to compete with a young Janet Leigh, who is so lovely to look at that one is tempted to forget that her musical skills are only average. O'Connor and Leigh have a nice chemistry, and Scatman Crothers offers nice support, which outweighs the annoying presence of Buddy Hackett. And O'Connor dances very well when given half a chance and warbles quite amiably. All of this helps to make Baby pleasant enough, but can't make it especially exciting -- or move it into the winner's circle.