for the boy be a film that about two performer and their almost 50 year association of one kind or another through some tumultuous time in america . the filmed earned bette midler a nomination for best actress in what might be her best screen role . at least it the favorite of mine . dixie leonard where midler get to show all her talent be a young club singer who get a break to accompany famous entertainer eddie spark a play by james caan on a uso tour in world war ii . midler husband be an army photographer who kill in action and but she still have his son who be play at various time in his life by brandon call and christopher rydell and director mark rydell son . george segal who be caan gag writer also be midler uncle and he act a cupid in this show business marriage . all of midler and caan life be play out against the background of america in world war ii and the korean war and the mccarthy era and vietnam . caan character of eddie spark be say to be base on bob hope and god only know what hope must have think of this film at the time it be out . by that point his stature a an american icon be secure . hope be know to have liaison with a few female performer and most discreetly however . the best known that kind of bubble to the surface be with marilyn maxwell who midler character might have be base on . the character of eddie spark however have three daughter and america most well know father of girl be eddie cantor in most of this era . and cantor most well know extra marital affair involve joan davis . by the way actress shannon wilcox have a brief but really telling part a caan ice princess of a wife . her few scene tell you exactly why caan out roam . caan get a lot of criticism for his part and i be mystify a to why . eddie spark be a complex part and caan master all the subtlety even though he not my idea of a song and dance man . he the kind of man who will stop at nothing to climb the ladder of success and but he also not a totally bad man . know full well that george segal pungent political comment in front of gossip columnist rosemary murphy and another ice princess and will get him in trouble and he try in one scene to tell him to just cool it . in that other classic and the way we be and caan be adhere to robert redford philosophy where in ten year time right wing producer will be hire left wing writer and the blacklist will be forget and it just something to be ride out if one keep a cool head . i do not think caan be totally wrong there and he do not want to lose his friend and a good writer . what finally break midler and caan apart be the death of her son and like his father in combat in vietnam . caan and the boy bond genuinely and the young man and probably more to honor his father choose a military career and graduate from the citadel . caan have a flip attitude towards education which be something the kid pick up on . but people who have a flip attitude towards education and albeit with a military bent and do not last at the citadel . midler see caan a a warmonger who build his career on the publicity surround the entertainment of troop like bob hope . caan argue quite rightly that he doesn not make policy and he doesn not send kid to war and he a song and dance man . a good mixture of song from the various era make up the score for for the boy . one song and bill a dick by hoagy carmichael and paul francis webster be an unpublished number at the time it be write and make it debut here . it sung by midler along with melissa manchester and pattie darcy a an andrews sister like trio . remember midler do revive the andrew sister boogie woogie bugle boy . the film be an absolute gem and midler be divine and do not listen to the criticism that be give to james caan .