The Harvey Girls

MGM, 1946
Starring Judy Garland, Angela Landsbury, John Hodiak, and Marjorie Main
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Hoping to come up with the film equivalent of the stage hit Oklahoma!, producer Arthur Freed refashioned this robust western as a vehicle for then-major star Garland. Does the tale of waitresses who tame a small southwestern town serve the goods today, or should it be sent packing on that famous train? Let's start on the train as the titular Harvey House waitresses are on their way to town and find out...

The Story: Susan Bradley (Garland) thinks she's coming to Sand Rock, Arizona to marry the man of her dreams. Turns out the fellow is actually a grizzled old cowboy (Chill Willis) who no more wants to marry her than she wants to marry him. They break things off amiably before Susan learned that the gentleman who owns the local saloon, Ned Trent (Hodiak), wrote the letters for the cowpoke as a joke. Susan tells him off, then join the Harvey Girls, the clean-cut waitresses at the Harvey House. The Harvey House competes with the saloon for the customers coming off the train. Ned's business partner Judge Sam Purvis (Preston Foster) will do anything to scare the girls off, including shooting bullets in their windows and planting rattlesnakes in their room. Ned,  however, is falling for Susan, to the frustration of his girl Em (Landsbury), and is starting to wonder if civilization isn't such a bad thing after all.

The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is it's one of the very few female-centric westerns, musical or otherwise. The guys may own the buildings, but it's the ladies who are the leads and whom the story really revolves around. Garland definitely earns her top billing as the strong-willed young woman who will not be bullied by anybody. She's especially funny when she goes to retrieve steaks from the saloon that were stolen by two local mugs and during a huge all-out girl fight after Em catches Susan trying to bring dancer Deborah (Cyd Charisse) back to the Harvey House. Main and Willis have some fun moments as the tough cook at the Harvey House and the good-natured cowpoke.

Favorite Number: The big one here is the epic ensemble routine "On the Atcheson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe." This giant number has Garland, Ray Bolger, and almost everyone in the cast explaining who they are and dancing with the backdrop of the steaming train. It's so catchy and fun, it won the Oscar for best song in 1946.

Other nice songs here include "Oh You Kid," a routine for Em and the dance hall girls at the saloon, "It's a Great, Big World" as Susan and her two new friends Deborah and Alma (Virginia O'Brian) sing about what brought them to the west and what they want from their new jobs. Alma also gets a nice solo after she ends up helping horse-shy blacksmith Chris Maule (Ray Bolger) with his work, the comic "Wild Wild West." The Harvey Girls join the local men for the waltzing "Swing Your Partner" before they finally shoo out the bad girl saloon dancers.

Trivia: Harvey House was, indeed, the first restaurant chain, created by Fred Harvey in the 1840's as a better option for train diners. Harvey Houses continued as a family owned operation until 1968, when they were bought out by a Hawaiian real estate company. They were known for their excellent food, elegant dining rooms, and their beautiful and clean-cut waitresses, known as "Harvey Girls."

This was originally intended to be a drama with Lana Turner, but Freed heard about it and thought it would make a wonderful western musical. Ann Sheridan was originally given Landsbury's role, but dropped out due to personal problems.

Two songs - "My Intuition," a duet for Garland and Hodiak, and another chorus routine at the Harvey Girls' party "March of the Doagies," were filmed but cut before release. Both exist; "March of the Doagies" was used in That's Entertainment III. Another Garland number, "Hayride," was recorded but not filmed.

What I Don't Like: Hodiak is supposed to be the handsome bad man, but he's even more bland opposite the dynamic Garland than "boy next door" Tom Drake in Meet Me In St. Louis. The two have no chemistry whatsoever; Deborah's romance with the pianist at the saloon (Kenny Baker) is more believable. Landsbury is no naughty saloon chanteuse, either (and was dubbed to boot). Other than two solos dance numbers and his bit in "Wild Wild West," Bolger is barely in the film.

The Big Finale: While not the enduring masterpiece that Oklahoma! is, this is still a fun romp for fans of Garland, Landsbury, or the big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's.

Home Media: Currently available on DVD from the Warner Archives, at least one Garland collection, and on several streaming companies.

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