On Moonlight Bay

Play trailer

On Moonlight Bay

1951,

1h 35m,

Romance/

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

87%

45 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

A teenage tomboy (Doris Day) with a fun family makes music with a college man (Gordon MacRae) in circa-World War I Indiana.

Critics Consensus

Doris Day and Gordon MacRae reunite in this droll, nostalgic musical that takes out many song pages from the tunes of yore with pleasant results.

Read Critics Reviews

Marjorie McCabe

San Francisco Chronicle

Apr 7, 2026

It may not hang together very well, but many of its sequences are little short of captivating.

Go to Full Review

Marion Kelley

Philadelphia Inquirer

Apr 7, 2026

It is Gray's antics, however... that are highlights.

Go to Full Review

Orlando Sentinel Staff

Orlando Sentinel

Apr 7, 2026

A good family film, old and young alike enjoy the bright Technicolor scenes and the familiar songs of mom and pop's day.

Go to Full Review

Jay Carmody

Washington Star

Apr 7, 2026

As they are played under the direction of Roy Del Ruth, however, that are all a little too nice.

Go to Full Review

Citizen Staff

Ottawa Citizen

Apr 7, 2026

It does have lots of bright tunes and an assortment of laughs.

Go to Full Review

Phyllis Lauritz

Oregonian

Apr 7, 2026

Penrod, as dreamy and demonic as ever, is with us again.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Feb 2, 2019

The best musical movie ever made!

Leia W

Dec 22, 2017

(No spoilers) I hate musicals. Despise them. Would consider banning them and forcing them underground if I ever came in to power. With the exception of Pink Floyd The Wall and The Who's Tommy. That being said, I was basically forced to watch On Moonlight Bay by a good friend of mine who promised I would enjoy it. He was right. It's a great movie. Give it a chance, even if you despise musicals as much as I do. There is a small part where the main character played by Doris Day is alone in her room and does a song. We fast forwarded through that part because it's pretty bad, even though it's only like 3 minutes. Feel free to give it a chance though. Solid 4 stars. Would be 5, but I docked it a star simply because it is a musical after all. Great story, great cast, fantastic acting. A true classic.

See more

Read all reviews

Roy Del Ruth

Director

Doris Day

Marjorie "Marjie" Winfield

Gordon MacRae

William "Bill" Sherman

Jack Smith

Hubert Wakely

Leon Ames

George "Father" Winfield

Rosemary DeCamp

Alice "Mother" Winfield

The Breaking Point

100%

88%

The Breaking Point

Watchlist

Disneynature: Ghost of the Mountains

88%

Disneynature: Ghost of the Mountains

Watchlist

Happiness Is in the Field

81%

Happiness Is in the Field

Watchlist

Boy! What a Girl

80%

86%

Boy! What a Girl

Watchlist

Trinity Is Still My Name

81%

Trinity Is Still My Name

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

A teenage tomboy (Doris Day) with a fun family makes music with a college man (Gordon MacRae) in circa-World War I Indiana.

Director: Roy Del Ruth
Producer: William Jacobs
Screenwriter: Jack Rose, Melville Shavelson
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 26, 1951, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 35m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings