Starring Jane Powell, Walter Pidgeon, Roddy McDowell, and Ilona Massey
Directed by George Sidney
Music and Lyrics by various
We jump over the border from Southern California to Mexico to celebrate Cinco De Mayo and honor Mexico's independence with this story about a teenager trying to show her father how independent she is. This was Jane Powell's first movie at MGM, and it would set the standard for most of her vehicles through the rest of the decade - teen in exotic location helps her single parent find romance, while looking for love of her own. How well does the formula work south of the border? Let's begin with two animated birds who wonder why the telephone line at the home of Ambassador Jefferey Evans (Pidgeon) is always busy and find out...
The Story: The phone is always tied up because his teenage daughter Christie (Powell) is usually gossiping on it about her father and her friends. He has high hopes that she'll her old friend Stanley Owen (McDowell) as boyfriend material, but she thinks he's too babyish and considers herself to be too busy running her father's household. He shoves her into attending Stanley's sixteenth birthday party; she retaliates by giving Stanley one of his pipes. She's more interested in setting up a party for her father and the French Ambassador (Mikhail Rasuhmny). Yvette, the ambassador's daughter (Helene Stanley), has a crush on her father and begs to come.
Christine gets her own first crush on an older man when she asks pianist Jose Iturbi (himself) to play at the party. She also invites lovely Hungarian singer Countess Toni Karpathy (Massey), not realizing her father once had a relationship with her. The party is a success, other than she's so busy, she forgets to dress herself and misses half of it. She's not happy when her father starts spending more time with Toni and even drags Stanley to a nightclub to spy on them. She's thrilled when Iturbi is so impressed with her ability to run a household, he asks her to sing at his concert. She thinks he loves her, but learns the hard way that not every first romance turns out like we expected.
The Song and Dance: Powell's first vehicle at MGM is a charming confection, beautifully showing off not only her gorgeous soprano, but Massey's as well. McDowell matches her well in one of his earlier roles as the slightly nerdy teen boy who wishes Christine would see him as more than a friend. Pidgeon is far more personable than the men who usually play Powell's fathers in these films; you really do feel his genuine affection for her, and their relationship is lovely and believable. MGM spared no expense on her first production, either, with lavish gowns for the ladies and stunning Technicolor sets.
Favorite Number: We start off with Christine singing "Italian Street Song" over the phone, not knowing it's the French Ambassador listening in. Xavier Cugat, his little dog, and his Orchestra play "Yo Te Amo Much - And That's That" amid swirling dancers in pink and green peasant dresses and tall hats. Massey sings the traditional folk song "Csak Egy Szep Lany" in peasant costume at a nightclub in Pidgeon's first flashback sequence, and she's ravishing enough to make you understand why she fell for her.
Iturbi's first solo number is the "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor." It's done artfully, with the orchestra and Iturbi reflected in the smooth instrument. He and his real-life wife Amparo perform "Polonaise In A Flat. Opus 53" together for their grandchildren. "I Think of You" is the song Christine sings with Iturbi that causes her to fall for him. They later do "Les filles de Cadiz" together. "Ave Maria" is her number at the concert. For a kid singing with a hundred-piece orchestra in front of a huge audience, she performs beautifully.
Trivia: "Why So Gloomy?" a number Powell sings with a grumpy Asian boy, was filmed but cut. It exists in full and can be found on the "Musical Jukebox" disc with the 2004 That's Entertainment box set.
Powell and McDowell became close friends while making this movie; Powell later said McDowell was one of the only friends she had at MGM at this point.
One of two movies with Fidel Castro as an extra; he supposedly is in the crowd scenes.
What I Don't Like: Like most of Powell's vehicles from the late 40's, this is lightweight romantic comedy fluff that doesn't pretend to be anything else. It might be a little more realistic if Powell fell for any musician but Iturbi, who is a rather dull man with no personality beyond his piano playing. He's also old enough to be her grandfather (and has grandchildren), as several characters point out. Not to mention, all the Iturbi and Cugat in the world can't give this more than a drop of real Mexican flavor. It probably could have been set anywhere, swapping out Iturbi and Cugat for other localized orchestras and older musicians, without changing a beat. It's also way too long, with too many numbers that do nothing but pad out the story.
The Big Finale: Charming way to pass two hours on TCM if you're a fan of Powell, McDowell, Pidgeon, or the MGM musicals of the 1940's.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only from the Warner Archives.
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