Cult Flops - Lovely to Look At

MGM, 1952
Starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Ann Miller, and Red Skelton
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy (with Vincent Minnelli)
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Otto Haurbach, Dorothy Fields, and others

MGM had been trying to get their remake of Roberta off the ground ever since they bought the property in 1945. After almost a decade of false starts, they finally brought it together in 1952, under the name of the Oscar-nominated song Lovely to Look At. How does this trip to Roberta's compare with our previous one? Let's start in New York this time, as three young men try to convince a group of backers to produce their show, and find out...

The Story: That audition does not go well. Performers Al Marsh (Skelton), Tony Naylor (Keel), and Jerry Ralby (Gower Champion) just can't get anyone to back their new revue. They convince Tony's dancer girlfriend Bubbles (Miller) to give them the money to go to Paris after Al learns he's inherited a dress salon. Turns out he's only part-owner. His adopted cousins Stephanie (Grayson) and Clarisse (Marge Champion) own the other half. Hoping to get them to sell, Jerry and Tony romance the ladies and take them out on the town. Bubbles turns up too, hoping to get in on their new show. Tony convinces the bankers who are about to foreclose on Roberta's to let them put on an innovative new fashion show.

Meanwhile, Stephanie, besotted with how Tony has taken over the fashion show, is falling for Tony, and Jerry and Clarisse are now crazy about each other. Al has a crush on Stephanie, but he eventually starts looking Bubbles' way. It looks like Roberta's may be saved, until it turns out that their model Zsa Zsa (Zsa Zsa Gabor) has a boyfriend who is a renowned Broadway producer. He may be willing to give Tony his chance...if he leaves Roberta's right away...

The Song and Dance: The cast is the thing here, along with some great dancing and fabulous 50's fashion. If you love the clothes from this era, you'll really enjoy this one. At the very least, three performers inheriting a dress shop makes slightly more sense than a football player inheriting a dress shop, and they use more of the original score than the previous version (though not the original plot). Skelton in particular has fun as the sweet comedian who's gotten too used to letting his faster-talking buddy make all the decisions; his "Go and Tell Aunt Rhodie" routine is hilarious.

Favorite Number: Ann Miller gets a good one in the beginning with the chorus boys, the racy "I'll Be Hard to Handle." Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson get in a good "You're Devastating," while Grayson has "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" here. The Champions have two fun duets, the comic "I Won't Dance" as Jerry tries to get Clarisse out of the dress shop, and a lovely instrumental "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" with a starry background.

The big one here is the finale, a riot of color, movement, and gowns by none other than ace costumer Adrian (who came out of retirement for this movie). Vincent Minnelli directed the fashion show sequence, and it does evince his touch, especially in its stunning use of color. The Champions have an odd cat burglar dance that looks good but doesn't have much to do with anything. Keel and Grayson's "The Touch of Your Hand" and Miller's striptease in a tight lounging outfit come off better.

Trivia: This was originally supposed to have reunited Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in 1948, but that fell through.

What I Don't Like: Bubbles was right towards the end. Tony was a jerk through most of the movie, full-stop. He took credit for pretty much everything, used the ladies and Roberta's to get what he wanted, and then almost ran out. He's such a pain, it's hard to figure out why Bubbles and Stephanie are after him.

I wish they'd been able to film in Paris. Other than Zsa Zsa, this has no French flavor whatsoever. Stephanie and Clarisse don't look or sound French (or Russian, for that matter). And I do wish they'd retained more of the original plot to go with most of the original score.

The Big Finale: This was a flop on first release, and while it's not the best MGM musical ever, I think it deserved a lot better. If you love vintage mid-20th century fashion, the cast, or classic dances, you'll find a lot to enjoy here.

Home Media: Currently only on DVD via the Warner Archives. (I actually dubbed my copy off TCM.)

DVD