Saturday, May 3, 2025

Celebrating Cinco Del Mayo - Fiesta (1947)

MGM, 1947
Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, and Fortunia Bonanova
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Music and Lyrics by various

The other major event this weekend takes us south of the border to celebrate Mexico's victory over the French Army in 1862. Cinco Del Mayo is really more of a celebration of Mexican culture here in the US, which brings us to this movie. South and Latin American settings and culture were also popular in American films of the 30's and 40's after the market for US movies in Europe closed due to World War II. Studios responded with movies like this one that celebrated Latin American culture and heritage...including bullfighting, a major sport in Spanish-speaking countries. How well does MGM do in representing that culture? Let's begin with the birth of the twin son and daughter of famed bullfighter Antonio Morales (Bonanova) and find out...

The Story: Morales hopes for his son Mario (Montalban) to follow in his footsteps, but his real interest is music. Mario's twin Maria (Williams) is the real bullfighting protege, but her father largely ignores her. Maria is more understanding about her brother's love of music. She sends a copy of his symphony to famous conductor Maximino Contreras (Hugo Haas). Contreras is impressed and visits the family right before Mario's first bullfight. Morales doesn't want to distract his son and dismisses the musician. 

Mario is so furious when he finds out, he walks out of the bullfighting ring after his second fight and vanishes. Hoping to save face and her family's name, Maria takes his place. Contreras has his composition played on the radio to draw him out. It does the trick...but his return to see his sister play in his place nearly ends in disaster.

The Song and Dance: This may be Williams' most unique vehicle. MGM took many pains to make this as authentic to Mexican culture as possible, including location shooting in the real Mexico. The Mexican landscapes glow in brilliant Technicolor. This was Montalban's debut as a leading man and Williams' with her name over the credits, and he in particular isn't bad as a driven musician. Actual Mexican Bononova adds authenticity and lots of bluster to his role as the father who is so determined that his son follow in his footsteps, he ignores his real talents...and that his daughter is even more talented in the ring. Mary Astor is lovely as the concerned mother, too. (I also appreciate that Maria and Mario already have committed relationships when the story begins. The real focus is on their family and ambitions, not romance.)

The Numbers: Mario's big composition that we hear throughout the film is called "Fantasia Mexicana," but it's actually based on the Aaron Copeland piece "El Salon Mexico." If "La Bamba" sounds familiar, it's today best known for the 1958 version performed by Richie Valens and the later 1987 remake. Charisse and Montalban have a fiery dance routine with her swirling in a white gown with a stunning contrasting coral red petticoat. We also get "The Mexican Hat Dance" and "La Raspa."

What I Don't Like: MGM's drive for authenticity didn't extend to the actors. Only Bononova and Montalban are actual Mexicans. Despite being a vehicle for her, Williams is about as Mexican as a hamburger and seems a bit out of place. She only gets a very brief swimming sequence, making this one of her few vehicles where she doesn't spend a ton of time in the water. John Carroll as Williams' love interest has far less to do than Cyd Charisse as Montalban's sweetheart and comes off as so bland, you can understand why Maria is reluctant to go off with him. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being far better than I thought it would from the fairly absurd premise. Fans of Montalban or Williams who want to see her in a different light will want to give this one a look. 

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives. 

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Riding High (1950)

Paramount, 1950
Starring Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Clarence Muse, and Raymond Walburn
Directed by Frank Capra
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and others; Lyrics by Johnny Burke and others

Bing Crosby's other release of 1950 also had him playing a guy who preferred a "lesser" career or no career to working in an office and was a remake of an earlier non-musical comedy, but is otherwise a different animal...literally, given this one has Bing as the caretaker to a beloved race horse. It was a subject near and dear to Bing's heart. He was a huge horse racing fan and owned many horses in real-life. Capra originally filmed this in 1934 Broadway Bill with Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy, but he was never happy with that version. How well does he do with this retelling? Let's begin after seeing horses racing in the credits with a secretary calling all of the sons-in-law of J.L Higgins (Charles Bickford) for a family meeting...including one who isn't on the job...and find out...

The Story: Dan Brooks (Crosby) gives up managing Higgins' box company and marrying his daughter Margaret (Frances Gifford) so he can devote himself to racing his newest horse Broadway Bill. He and his partner Whitey (Muse) want to race Bill in the Imperial Derby, but they need money. They try to get it from Professor Pettigrew (Walburn), but he's a con-man who doesn't have much more than they do. Even when they do get the money, Bill ends up throwing his rider and running from the track.

Dan is determined to try again, but they're even more broke now. Whitey tries gambling, but he's beaten instead. Alice does manage to get the money, but it's no use. Bill is carted away and Dan winds up in jail...until a sick but wealthy man (Gene Lockhart) thinks Bill is a sure shot and bets on him. Now gangster Eddie Howard (Douglas Dumbrille) would rather his own horses win. Dan still insists that his jockey Ted Williams (Frankie Darro) get Bill across the finish line...but pushing the horse to do so ends up having tragic consequences.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. Bing fits in far better here as a race track fan who loves his horse than he did as a songwriter in Mr. Music. He's more than matches by a terrific cast of character actors, many of them reprising their roles from the original film. Walburn is a delightfully twinkly and befuddled Professor, Muse manages to be dignified even when he's been ripped to shreds for gambling, and William Demarest gets some very funny lines as one of Dan's race track buddies. I even like that the ending gets a little bit dark. It does ultimately end on a happy note, but most of the final twenty minutes are more bitter than sweet. 

The Numbers: Our first song isn't until almost ten minutes in, but it's the lovely ballad "It's a Sure Thing," which Dan sings as he dresses for the family meeting. Whitey starts off "Someplace On Anywhere Road" while he and Dan drive Broadway Bill to the races. Dan eventually joins in. He and the Professor sing Yale's "Whiffenpoof Song" to get out of paying their restaurant receipt. Alice, Whitey, and Dan cheerfully sing and dance as they make a "Sunshine Cake" in the guys' ramshackle shack...before it starts raining. "The Horse Told Me" is a chorus number for Dan and everyone at the track the night before the big race. Dan, Alice, and Whitey are joined by a group of kids for "Camptown Races" as they walk Bill to the track.

Trivia: Look for Oliver Hardy in a rare solo cameo as a gambler at the first race.

Final film for venerable character actor Harry Davenport, who died three months after filming ended, radio comedian Ish Kabibble (M.A Bogue), and Frances Gifford.

What I Don't Like: Capra's not quite firing on all cylinders here. Apparently, a lot of footage is reused from the original Broadway Bill, including scenes at the track and sequences with Dumbrille and Walburn. It was due to budget concerns, but many people online complain that it looks cheaper. Gray is cute and does "Sunshine Cake" well with the guys, but she's certainly no Myrna Loy, who originated the role. Gifford has even less to do. Muse's dignity and Dan treating him like an equal partner does make his slightly stereotypical role a lot easier to take. 

The Big Finale: Not Capra's greatest achievement, but this is one of Bing's better musicals from later in his career. Check it out this Kentucky Derby weekend if you're a fan of Capra, Crosby, or the original Broadway Bill

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD.

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Mr. Music

Paramount, 1950
Starring Bing Crosby, Nancy Olsen, Charles Coburn, and Ruth Hussey
Directed by Richard Haydn 
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke

We move from the early spring holidays to the busier late spring and early summer season with our reviews this week, kicking off with two of Bing Crosby's lesser-known vehicles from 1950. Our first is based on the 1935 Broadway comedy Accent On Youth, where an older playwright fell for his younger secretary. It wasn't much of a stretch to turn the playwright into a songwriter and tailor it to Crosby's laid-back persona. How well does he work in this all-star comedy that also includes several big cameos at the end? Let's begin with the announcement that producer Alex Conway (Coburn) is going to produce Paul Merrick's (Crosby) first musical in three years and find out...

The Story: Alex and Paul visit Paul's old alma mater Lawford College, where they're putting on one of his older shows. The school's no-nonsense valedictorian Katherine Holbrook (Olsen) demands that he adds a phrase about her boyfriend and champion athlete Jeff Blake (Robert Stack) in one of his songs. Paul's more comfortable joining in on the production. 

Worried that Paul will spend more time on the golf course than working, Alex hires Kate as his secretary to keep him on track. Paul would rather lavish money on his girlfriend Lorna Mavis (Hussey). Lorna finally decides she prefers someone who actually has the money to spend and leaves Paul for millionaire Tippy Carpenter (Donald Woods), the show's backer. After Jeff arrives, Paul tries to get Kate interested in Jeff, but she prefers more worldly Paul. 

Paul tries to push her towards Jeff again when Lorna returns, but then Kate learns that Tippy pulls his money from the show. Kate's Aunt Amy (Ida Moore) tries to interest her wealthy and eccentric friend Jerome Thisbee (Haydn) in being the back, while the Friar's Club and an all-star array of Hollywood luminaries stage it for a benefit. Kate is still ready to run, but "Mr. Music" may still have some surprises up his sleeve, especially when Lorna realizes she really does love money more than him.

The Song and Dance: With a story that pedestrian, the song and some decent performances are the only saving graces here. Half the reason to see this is for those cameos at the end, including Dorothy Kirsten and some very funny lines from Groucho Marx. The other is the supporting cast. Moore is fun as the dotty old dear who knows her niece's heart better than the girl does, while Tom Ewell has some good moments as Paul's valet and chauffeur who doesn't appreciate his boss calling him "Cupcake." Olsen makes for a nice strong-willed college student, too.

The Numbers: Our first big routine is "Once More the Blue and White." Paul joins in Lawford's school song, before he realizes that the kids are actually cheering on Jeff. The students (including a young Norma Zimmer) perform "Milady" in Paul's ancient Viennese-style operetta. Paul comes onstage for "And You'll Be Home." He tells Lorna that she's "High On the List" at a swank nightclub, then reprises it out of pure anger when Kate tells him to sit down and start writing or else. She finally gets a song out of him, "Wouldn't It Be Funny," which he performs to Lorna after she visits his apartment. 

"Accidents Will Happen" turns up twice. Paul sings it to himself on a tape recording as he and Kate work on the instrumentation. He and Dorothy Kirsten reprise it in a big number near the end of the movie, complete with lavish sets. We get a tiny bit of "Wasn't I There?" from Paul before he and Peggy Lee sing the charming "Life Is So Peculiar." Marge and Gower Champion get a nifty routine to it in the apartment afterwards. Paul and Groucho Marx reprise it hilariously near the end of the film, following an equally delightful run-through by the Merry Macs. The chorus gets the title song. 

What I Don't Like: Some cute numbers aside, most of this movie is a crashing bore. I'm not sure what Kate saw in Paul or Jeff. Jeff was obsessed with his track titles and nothing else, while Paul was a jerk who really was too old for her. Stack did make a surprisingly energetic track star, but Crosby didn't seem terribly interested in the whole affair and had no chemistry with Olsen or Hussey. Hussey was even more bored in a thankless and underused other woman role. 

The Big Finale: Honestly, some terrific numbers and the charming "Life Is So Peculiar" aren't enough to offset a dull plot and Crosby's uninterested performance. Skip the movie and see if you can find the "Life Is So Peculiar" sequence and the finale around instead. 

Home Media: And this will be made easier by the fact that currently, the only way you can see this is on a wildly out-of-print video or on YouTube in a washed-out copy with Portuguese subtitles.

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Family Fun Saturday - Donkey Skin (Peu D'Ane)

Cinema International Corporation, 1970
Starring Catherine Denveuve, Jean Maris, Jacques Perrin, and Delphine Seyrig
Directed by Jacques Demy
Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Jacques Demy

Jacques Demy's first two musicals The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort were huge international hits, but for his third musical, he went with something a little less prosaic. Having done a bleak drama in Hollywood that didn't go over well, he returned to France for a full-on fantasy. This adaptation of a Charles Perrault fairy tale went over far better in France, where it was one of the bigger hits of 1970. Does it retain the same magic today? Let's begin with the introduction of the Blue King (Maris), his lovely wife (Denveuve), and their beautiful and gentle daughter (Denveuve) and find out...

The Story: After his wife dies, the King is encouraged to find a new wife and produce an heir. The queen insisted that he marry someone even lovelier than her...and the only person he can find is his daughter. On the advice of her godmother the Lilac Fairy (Seyrig), she holds her father off by asking for dresses the color of a good weather day, the moon, and the sun. She then demands that he kill and skin the magical donkey who has been excreting jewels and coins for him. The Fairy gives the princess her wand and a trunk with the three gowns, then covers her in dirt and wraps her in the donkey skin.

Fleeing her father's kingdom in this disguise, she manages to find a job as a pig keeper and a little hut in the woods. The prince of the kingdom (Perrin) sees her in the hut and falls so much in love with her, he becomes literally lovesick. He begs that Donkey Skin be told to bake a cake that will restore his health. She bakes her ring into it, proving her love for him. All the women in the kingdom are called to see if the ring fits their finger. No one thinks it could fit Donkey Skin, but the prince has his suspicions...

The Song and Dance: Like Demy, I've always been fascinated by fairy tales. The original version of this story comes off as rather dour. After all, it does involve incest and death. Demy manages to make all this sweet, whimsical, and even playful. Perrin and Denveuve are a charming royal couple, and Seyrig is hilarious as the Lilac Fairy who has her own reasons for keeping the princess from marrying her father. 

The production is nothing less than stunning, with the two kingdoms dressed in all cobalt blue and scarlet red. Even the faces of the couriers are blue and red. The costumes are acres of puffs, ruffles, and bows, with puffed sleeves that dwarfs the actors' heads. Gorgeous cinematography too. Real French castles and the actual French countryside glow like those incredible sun and moon gowns. 

The Numbers: We open with "Amour, Amour" performed on the piano by the princess as we're introduced to her family, the blue kingdom, and the magical donkey. The Lilac Fairy explains why it's a bad idea for a princess to marry her father in "Conselis de la Fee des Lilas." Our first chorus number has the peasants throwing "Les Insultes" at Donkey Skin for being so dirty and different. 

"Chanson du Prince" is the Prince's song when he sees her at the hut. The princess explains about her plan to put the ring in the cake in "Recette Pour un Cake D'Amour." The Prince and Princess dream of rebelling against their parents and being together in "Reves Secrets d'un Prince et d'une Princesse." The last number is also the second chorus routine. Every woman in town tries to make her finger slender enough to fit that ring in "Les Massage des Doights."

What I Don't Like: First of all, same deal as Demy's other movies. There's no dubbed version of this. If you don't speak French and aren't willing to use subtitles, you may have a hard time understanding a lot of what's going on. Second, while the incest subtext isn't pushed too hard, it is there. The original version of this story was a lot darker. In some versions (including the short "Sapsorrow" from Jim Henson's The Storyteller), the father dies in the end. Some details border on goofy for silliness' sake, like the Lilac Fairy and Blue King turning up in a very anachronistic helicopter in the end.

The Big Finale: Highly recommended for families with pre-teen princess lovers who are willing to read a few subtitles or those who love French cinema or who are big fairy tale fans like me. 

Home Media: Only on disc in the US as part of a pricey Jacques Demy blu-ray set from the Criterion Collection. You may be better off streaming this one.

Thursday, April 24, 2025

Cult Flops - Les Girls

MGM, 1957
Starring Gene Kelly, Taina Elg, Kay Kendall, and Mitzi Gaynor
Directed by George Cukor
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Our second lesser-known MGM musical this week would also be one of their last original titles, among other lasts. It was Gene Kelly's final musical for MGM, and Cole Porter's final film score and the next-to-last score he wrote. In other ways, this was as up-to-date for the late 50's as one could get, including a unique plot inspired by the 1950 Japanese epic Rashomon, wide-screen cinematography, Technicolor, and bizarre Jack Cole choreography. How does all this mix with the story of how a guy-and-girl dance act ended up in court? Let's begin with two of those girls, Lady Sybil Wren (Kendall) and Angele Ducros (Elg), as they arrive at the courtroom in London and find out...

The Story: Lady Sybil just released a tell-all memoir about her days with the act. Angele is suing her for libel, claiming she was falsely portrayed. Sybil paints Angele as a lying, manipulative wench who chased after the head of their act Barry Nichols (Kelly) while engaged to wealthy Pierre Ducros (Jacques Bergerac). She broke down during one of their performances and never showed up to the one she was supposed to do with Barry. 

Angele denies ever having a relationship with Barry. According to her, Sybil was a frothing drunk and was the one who really fell for him. At the time, she was already promised to Sir Gerald Wren (Leslie Phillips), who got into a fist fight with Barry at a nightclub. Sybil supposedly attempted suicide in their apartment later that night, and would have died if her friends hadn't rescued her.

Barry finally gives the truth as he saw it. He never had any interest in Angele or Sybil. He'd been after their roommate and the third girl in the act Joy Henderson (Gaynor) from the start. The fiancees of the other two came to him to fire their sweethearts so they can get married. He claims this would make things worse and comes up with a phony heart condition instead. This does break up the act, but it also ends with Angele and Sybil in that fateful apartment, this time with Joy and Barry coming to the rescue. Joy wonders, however, if Barry really did have feelings for her partners after all...

The Song and Dance: This is an elegant treat, and possibly one of the most unusual musicals MGM ever did. You don't see too many musicals told in flashback or even partially set in a courtroom. Orry-kelly's incredible gowns for the ladies and the awesome sets won an Oscar. The Technicolor nearly pops off the screen, with all of the bold, stylized blacks, reds, and whites, cool blues of Paris, and those bizarre Jack Cole dances. 

Kelly has his own fun as the man they're all after, but it's the ladies in question who wiggle away with the film. Kendall is so hilarious as a proper British drunk, you understand why she won a Golden Globe (and seriously regret that her career was tragically cut short two years later by leukemia). And if anyone knew how to direct women on screen, it was George Cukor, who lends the film a strange, warm feeling all its own.

The Numbers: We open with Angele's dance and sing that introduces her to the act, and shows off the deceitful personality Sybil assumes her to have. Elg and Kelly perform a truly bizarre ballet in a cage-like set constructed of colored wire as they dance and wrap golden ribbon around each other. The first big number is the huge "Les Girls" act, with women of all nationalities in black and white strutting across the stage as Barry sings about how much he loves his ladies...and then the three in question show up to strut down the runway in stunning black and red frocks. 

Angele claims during a boat ride it's "Ca, C'est L'Amour" for her and Barry. We see the powdered wig-and-gown royalty spoof "Ladies In Waiting" twice. In Sybil's version, Angele is so upset by Pierre and his parents being in the audience, she spoils the number and doesn't show up for the golden ribbon ballet. Angele insists it's Sybil who spoiled the number by being too drunk to perform it. Sybil and Barry have a blast spoofing the upper crust while packing his clothes, claiming that "You're Just Too Too." 

The other big ballet is "Why am I So Gone About That Gal." Kelly's spoof of Marlon Brando and biker films has him as the leader of a biker gang who falls for waitress Joy. It would be totally absurd if their dancing wasn't so good and the stylized red and white diner wasn't so cool.

What I Don't Like: First of all, those three points of view means that this runs almost two hours, which is a tad long for a frothy musical. It sometimes feels disorganized and slow-moving, especially in the second half during Barry's rather pedestrian flashback. Second, while the Porter songs are amusing, even he admitted that they aren't among his best or most memorable work. Phillips does get to be involved in that very funny fight sequence, but the handsome Bergerac is basically there as window dressing and has nothing to do. 

The Big Finale: One of the most underrated musicals made during MGM's golden era, this is highly recommended for fans of Kelly, the leading ladies, Porter, or 50's musicals if you have time on your hands.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats; the discs are currently from the Warner Archives.

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Cult Flops - Mr. Imperium

MGM, 1951
Starring Lana Turner, Enzio Pinza, Marjorie Main, and Cedric Hardwicke
Directed by Don Hartman
Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

This week, we dig into the MGM vaults to check out two of their lesser-known films from the 1950's. This was the first of two attempts to turn stage and opera star Enzio Pinza into a movie idol, though it was the second released. The previews for this one went over so badly, they rushed his second movie, Strictly Dishonorable, out first. Despite that not doing well, they still released this one, pushing it into the lower half of double bills. Did it deserve that fate, or should it be rediscovered? Let's begin in 1939 Italy, as "Mr. Imperium" (Pinza) waits to see singer Fredrica "Fredda" Brown (Turner) do her act, and find out...

The Story: Mr. Imperium manages to get into Fredda's dressing room. She's not impressed, but he manages to charm her anyway when she sees him in the balcony adjourning hers. He shows her the Italian countryside and tells her about his little five-year-old son. He also admits that his real name is Prince Alexis, and will inherit the throne on his father's death. That comes all too soon when his father becomes sick and he has to join him. He gives a note to the family butler Bernand (Hardwicke) intended for Fredda. Bertrand merely claims that the prince has seduced and abandoned her.

Twelve years later, Fredda is a major movie star. Alexis, however, is no longer king, thanks to a revolution in his country after World War II. He arrives at a Palm Springs resort where Fredda is considering a proposal from her producer Paul Hunter (Barry Sullivan) and to decide who should play a king in her next movie. They reconnect when he takes the room next to hers. She thinks he could be the king in her film, and he thinks she could be the queen in his life. Trouble is, his country has decided it needs a king after all. His son is being groomed for the role, but he could end up being the target for assassins if his father doesn't step in.

The Song and Dance: The song and the MGM largess are really all this one has going for it. Pinza was a Metropolitan Opera star who made a splash on Broadway in the original cast of South Pacific. He was such a hit, MGM snapped him up to be their next leading man in musicals. Turner also ended up in a few musicals in the early 50's, despite not being a singer or dancer by any stretch of the imagination. At least they're surrounded by a gorgeous production, with fabulous full-skirted gowns for Turner, elegant suits for Pinza, and glowing cinematography in Italy and Palm Springs. Marjorie Main and Debbie Reynolds make the most of their scenes as the owner of the California hotel and her nosy niece who suspects something is going on between the movie star and the mysterious "Mr. Imperium."

The Numbers: We kick off with the rather absurd nightclub number "My Man and My Mule," which Fredda performs while perched on the back of a cardboard mule cut-out. Alexis implores Fredda to "Let Me Look at You" when he realizes she has the balcony next to him. "Adiamo (Let's Go)" is the appropriately bouncy ballad Fredda and Alexis sing during a donkey cart ride in the countryside. Real-life guitarists The Guadalajara Trio accompany Alexis and Fredda as they duet on the Spanish-language standard "You Belong to My Heart."

Trivia: Turner was dubbed by Trudi Erwin. 

What I Don't Like: Apparently, the movie went through a difficult production, and it shows on the lackluster performances from Pinza and Turner. He's trying too hard to be charming and witty; she looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. They have no chemistry whatsoever. You'd never believe that these two would seek each other out at all, let alone after twelve years. In fact, he apparently tried to hit on her and she was having none of it, which explains the frosty tone between the two.

There's also the fact that he's too old for her, and frankly for the role he's playing. Main, Reynolds, Hardwicke, and Sullivan are all capable of doing far more than their small and rather thankless roles allow. And as lovely as the costumes are, you'd never know it was 1939 in the first half if they didn't tell you. It looks like 1951 for the entire film.

The Big Finale: For die-hard opera nuts or Turner fans only. 

Home Media: Thanks to this being in the public domain, it's pretty easy to find anywhere. It's currenly streaming for free with commercials on Tubi.

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Easter Short Subject Special - An Easter Story

Showtime, 1983
Voices of Paul Fusco, Lisa Buckley, Rich Schellbach, and Robert Fappiano
Directed by Terry Kyne
Music and Lyrics by Ed Bruter, Michael Solden, and Jeff Cannata

Let's celebrate Easter with a unique blast from my childhood. Fusco is best-known today as the creator and long-time voice of the furry alien ALF. From 1981 to 1983, Fusco made a series of holiday specials for Showtime featuring cuter and more cartoon-like puppets. The Easter special debuted in 1983 as his second-to-last holiday show. It would turn up on Nickelodeon and elsewhere on cable for a few years before disappearing for three decades. Now that Fusco's early work has re-emerged online, how does this one stack up to that better-known visitor from Melmac? Let's begin with the Easter Bunnies at their factory in a cave as they prepare for Easter and find out...

The Story: O'Hare, the Easter Bunny's right-hand rabbit, recalls the year the factory almost had to stop production. The factory was running out of paint, and Miss Fifi and her chickens couldn't produce enough eggs, even when the head Easter Bunny gave them a color TV to watch soaps. His magic-obsessed son tries to help, but his spells keep producing jelly beans instead of eggs. E.B is worried he won't be able to live up to his father's legacy...but when all seems dark, he gets a spark of inspiration from two boys who waited to see the Easter Bunny and suggest that they might be able to color their own eggs to help out. 

The Song and Dance: Charmingly goofy story features some nifty puppet work from Fusco, especially down below with all of those rabbits working on the production line. The subplot with E.B's son and his constantly producing jelly beans is actually pretty funny and may be my favorite part of this. That opening and closing "Work, Work, Work" number is kind of catchy, too, despite the synthesizer arrangements. 

The Numbers: We open and close with "Work, Work, Work" as the bunnies explain what they do and how they're getting ready for Easter Day. E.B gets a number directly to the camera mid-way through, which is sort of a song/recitation on how E.B wishes he could live up to his father's legacy and what he'll do if the factory closes, "Pressures." 

What I Don't Like: First of all, nitpicking, but...Fusco is so recognizable as ALF by now, it's hard to hear him as an Easter Bunny who's concerned about his workers. You keep expecting him to try to eat a cat or something. O'Hare sounds kind of annoying, too. It's also obvious that there was only one female puppeteer, as the two female characters have the same breathy voice. Second, it's pretty obvious all of these specials were low-budget. The rabbits barely move, and until E.B goes above-ground and catches the kids waiting for him, we're mostly in the rather dull-looking factory.

The Big Finale: That said, this is still a fun watch before the Easter egg hunt, especially for fans of ALF, the Muppets, or other similar puppet shows. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming for free, including on Amazon Prime and Tubi.