Cover Girl

Columbia Pictures, 1944
Starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Eve Arden, and Phil Silvers
Directed by Charles Vidor
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

This was one of Rita Hayworth's most popular movies, and one of the biggest hit musicals of the war years. It was also her only chance to star with Gene Kelly, who was on loan from MGM. Columbia rarely went all-out, but they threw everything they had into this one, including Technicolor, lavish sets and costumes, Kern and Gershwin, and Kelly's first chance to choreograph his own dances. Did it pay off? Let's head to a nightclub stage in Brooklyn as the show is about to begin to find out...

The Story: Rusty Parker (Hayworth) is a chorus girl at a nightclub owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly). On a lark, Rusty joins fellow dancer Maurine (Leslie Brooks) in a contest to appear on the cover of Vanity Magazine. Maurine jealously tells her to act goofy around secretary Cornelia Jackson (Eve Arden), who dismisses her. Her boss John Coudair (Otto Kruger) has a different opinion when he sees Rusty dancing at the club. She's a dead ringer for Maribelle Hicks (Hayworth), the dancer he loved and lost 40 years before.

He's so delighted by her dancing, he brings producer Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) to see her act. He wants to put her on the cover, but she's reluctant to leave Danny. Not wanting to stand in her way, he starts an argument with her and finally gets her to leave. She does become a hit on Vanity, and later on Broadway. Wheaton's so enamored of her, he wants to marry her...but she can't forget Danny.

The Song and Dance: This one goes the unusual route of cutting between Rusty's attempt to become a star and Danny's desire for her happiness and her grandmother's romance with the young Coudair (Jess Barker). Either way, it's a feast for the eyes, with stunning costumes and some of the most glorious Technicolor cinematography of the era. Kelly finally gets the chance to develop some of the ideas he'd bring back to MGM, from taking out a wall and dancing up and down the street for "Make Way for Tomorrow" to his "Alter Ego Dance" with himself. The supporting cast is just as much fun, including sarcastic Arden as the woman in charge of choosing the new cover girl and Bowman as the dapper producer.

Favorite Number: There's some classics here, starting with "Who's Complaining." Phil Silvers is very glad that Hayworth and the chorus girls are taking over men's jobs in this cute dance routine at the club. "Make Way for Tomorrow" has Kelly, Silvers, and Hayworth romping all over the street, using various items they find around garbage cans to make music. Kelly and Stanley Donen's choreography is inventive and fun, and it's just a treat to watch. "Cover Girl (The Girl on the Cover)" turns from chorus girls (and one literal little girl) highlighting famous magazines to Hayworth coming out of the clouds and dancing down a long, winding ramp with boys in tuxes.

The gorgeous ballad "Long Ago and Far Away" was the hit here, and it gets a romantic number worthy of it too, with Barker and Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) doing a brief but lovely duet. "Alter-Ego Dance" has Kelly literally performing with his "reflection" via special effects that still look pretty good today and foreshadows many ideas and motifs he'd work with in his more elaborate dances at MGM.

Trivia: Supposedly, Kelly's character here inspired his same-named character almost 40 years later in Xanadu. 

Cover Girl made Kelly and Hayworth major stars and encouraged MGM to give Kelly more control over his choreography in his next movie Anchors Aweigh.

What I Don't Like: Like most musicals from the 30's and 40's, this one is fairly lightweight. Silvers can be occasionally annoying, and Danny sometimes comes off as more obnoxious than self-sacrificing. It's not for folks looking for a heavier or more substantial story.

The Big Finale: A sheer delight, with glorious color, some of Kern's best film music, and fabulous numbers. If you're a fan of Kelly and Hayworth or the musicals of the 40's, you'll want to check this one out.

Home Media: DVD or streaming's your best bet here. The Twilight Time limited edition Blu-Ray is expensive.

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