Starring Gower and Marge Champion, Dennis O'Keefe, and Monica Lewis
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music and Lyrics by various
Married dancers Marge and Gower Champion had success as the second leads in MGM musicals of the early 50's like Show Boat and Lovely to Look At, usually performing a dance or two while the main couple sang their hearts out. Executives decided they'd done well enough by 1953 to be featured in a showcase of their own. The story they concocted for them hit a little close to home for the Champions...and we start in a theater on Broadway with a show that's in rehearsal to find out just how close...
The Story: Pamela (Marge) and Chuck (Gower) Hubbard are a married dance couple who are about to have their first big show on Broadway. He always claims to get whatever pains or illness she gets...and she's had aches and pains and has felt dizzy. What they think is nerves turns out to be a baby on the way. She gives birth to their daughter Pamela, prompting them to move to a larger house in the country. Chuck insists that his wife be the one to take care of their child and give up her dancing for a while.
Meanwhile, her understudy Sybil Meridan (Monica Lewis) takes over her spot in the show...and the next one...and the next one. Pamela's concerned that she's also taking over her spot in her husband's life as he's away for increasingly longer intervals. He hits the roof when she insists on returning to the stage. She eventually asks for a divorce...but all she really wants is to be dancing with him again.
The Song and Dance: And given the Champions' main occupation, "dance" is the operative phrase here. This is an interesting small-scale musical with a couple of nifty routines and a fairly dramatic and intimate story for a musical from this era. Musicals don't often follow the creation and growth of one family in a few years. For all the backstage talk, this has a homey feel that's rare in musicals and is most welcome. Some of the discussions about who should be in charge of child-rearing, who should work outside the home, and the importance of both parents in a child's life makes this almost more relevant now than it was then.
Favorite Number: Chuck tells Pamela that, no matter how many pains or upset stomachs she has, he'll always follow her "Like Monday Follows Sunday" in a charming dance set on a dark city street. "Seventeen Thousand Telephone Poles" is Sybil's big number in the first show with Chuck, as a lady counting poles on a bus until she gets back to her boyfriend. "Derry Down Dilly" is Marge's big solo on her patio, as she performs a goofy comic dance with a multitude of hats to prove she's still got the dancing moves in her. Chuck's solo is a "Serenade for a New Baby" as he amuses his tiny daughter when her mother is out of the room. The film concludes with a dreamy ballet, Pamela imagining her taking Chuck back and dancing with him again in a soft world of pink clouds.
What I Don't Like: The story may be unusual for musicals (maybe too much for the time), but the solution is extremely 50's. Nowadays, men are expected to do more of their share with taking care of a household and raising children, and most families have both parents working with few complaints. There's less of a stigma against divorce, too. The Champions are wonderful dancers, but they're not actors and aren't really up to some of the heavier moments later in the movie. The supporting cast is dull too, especially O'Keefe and Dean Miller as the Hubbards' producer and agent.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out if you're looking for something smaller and more intimate than the usual MGM spectacles or are fans of the Champions or the musicals of the 1950's.
Home Media: DVD-only from the Warner Archives.
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