Starring Judy Garland, Freddie Bartholomew, Mary Astor, and Scotty Beckett
Directed by Edwin L. Marin
Music and Lyrics by various
Judy Garland would have turned 100 on June 10th. To honor her centennial, our first two entries this week cover two of her lesser-known vehicles. This was the last movie she made before achieving international stardom with The Wizard of Oz and Babes In Arms. We also honor the start of summer vacation season with this tale of two teens who take the mother of one on a road trip to find her a husband. How well does it come off now? Let's start with the end of the school year, as Herbert "Buzz" Mitchell (Bartholomew) gives a speech for the school that doesn't come out the way he intended, and find out...
The Story: Buzz's girlfriend Pinkie Wingate (Garland) is having far more trouble than figuring out what to do during summer break. Her mother Dottie (Astor) claims she's going to marry a stuffy banker (Gene Lockhart) in order for her children to have a better life. Pinkie's so disturbed by her mother being engaged to someone she doesn't love, she and Buzz practically force Dottie and Pinkie's brother Billy (Beckett) into their trailer for a vacation.
They meet not one, but two candidates for their mother's hand on the road. Richard Thurlow (Walter Pidgeon) is a carefree photographer and bachelor who loves being on the road. He claims to not want to settle down, but he and Dottie hit it off right away, and Pinkie and Scotty like him. They also like J.J Slattery (Alan Hale Sr.), a wealthy man who lets the children stay at his home. Pinkie favors Richard, but practical Buzz prefers J.J. Now the two have to figure out which man is really right for Dottie, before their vacation comes to an end.
The Song and Dance: Charming B-movie is basically a family comedy with a few songs, but those songs do show Garland to best advantage. One, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," became associated with her for the rest of her life and remains a standard to this day. Astor and Pidgeon make a very sweet and believable couple, especially during the second half when they're laughing over the kids' antics, and Hale makes a twinkly-eyed rich old bachelor.
Favorite Number: We open with Pinkie singing "Zing!" with the school orchestra. She does so well with it, you can see why her mother wanted to send her away for vocal training. Once Dottie's become more used to the idea of basically being kidnapped, she and the kids sing about how being "On the Bumpy Road to Love" is rough on more than the rear. Pinkie reassures Billy during a rainstorm that all that thunder and lightning are just "Ten Pins In the Sky" making noise.
Trivia: Garland and Astor would play mother and daughter again in a far more famous MGM musical, Meet Me In St. Louis.
Garland was already doing preliminary makeup and costume testing for The Wizard of Oz by this point.
What I Don't Like: Once again, this is basic sitcom fluff. Pinkie and Buzz are extremely lucky they didn't get into far more trouble for not only more-or-less kidnapping two people, but forcing two more into their schemes. I really do wish it was a lot longer than 70 minutes. They could have expanded it into a full musical. Astor couldn't sing, but Hale and Pidgeon could, and songs for them and Beckett might have been nice. And speaking of Beckett, Billy comes off as more of a spoiled brat than a cute kid, especially when he throws an absolute fit after being attacked by a skunk and not wanting to give up his "Daniel Boone" wild west outfit.
The Song and Dance: Cute way to pass an hour on your own family's vacation if you're a fan of Garland or charming low-key romantic comedies.
Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming, the former in a remastered edition from the Warner Archives.
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