Three Little Girls In Blue

20th Century Fox, 1946

Starring June Haver, Vivian Blaine, Vera-Ellen, and George Montgomery

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

Music by Josef Myrow and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others

We began the summer with Moon Over Miami, the tale of three women seeking wealthy husbands in a glamorous resort, so it makes sense to end it with a later version of the same story. This time, we jump back to 1902 and north to New Jersey, where three lovely chicken farmers dream of a huge inheritance that'll make them wealthy ladies. How does the story look set in a rosy nostalgic past? Let's begin on that chicken farm in Red Bank, as the "little girls" of the title go about their daily chores, and find out...

The Story: Sisters Pamela (Haver), Myra (Vera-Ellen), and Elizabeth Charters (Blaine) are disappointed when the much-desired inheritance turns out to be about $2,000, not enough to fund their dreams of landing rich husbands. Pam poses as a rich woman, Elizabeth as her secretary, and Myra as her maid in order to save money and attract attention. Pam does indeed gain two wealthy suitors in southerner Steve Harrington (Frank Latimore) and his friend Van Damn Smith (Montgomery). Myra's happier with their bell hop Mike Baily (Charles Smith). 

Pam falls for Van Damn and Elizabeth for Steve, but it turns out that Van is as much of a faker as the girls are. Strapped for cash, Pam accepts Steve's sudden proposal instead. They all end up down at his home in Maryland, where they're introduced to his flighty sister Miriam (Celeste Holm). Miriam is also interested in Van Damn, but Pam's no longer certain if she wants to continue the charade.

The Song and Dance: All four leading ladies stand out, but it's Vera-Ellen and, in a smaller role, Celeste Holm who walk off with the film. Vera-Ellen is adorable as the youngest sister who is perfectly happy with a normal guy of modest means, and Holm's a riot as Steve's silly southern belle sister. There's also the gleaming Technicolor sets and costumes, ably recreating Atlantic City during it's early 20th century heyday of elegant resort palaces and the post-antebellum south. 

Favorite Number: We hear "On the Boardwalk In Atlantic City" at least three times in the opening, including as the girls dream of becoming grand ladies while romping in the hay and after they arrive in their palatial hotel room. Vera-Ellen (dubbed by Carol Stewart) sings "I Like Mike" twice, notably as a dance routine done partially in her frilly undergarments as Elizabeth helps her dress for a night out at Steel Pier. Vivian Blaine gets a lovely solo ballad, "Somewhere In the Night," directly after that number, as Elizabeth wishes to find a suitor of her own. Holm claims she's "Always a Lady" at Pam's introductory party, even when belting comedy numbers in French. 

The big one here is "You Make Me Feel So Young." Somehow, the film draws this out into a huge dream sequence, where Myra imagines cavorting as children with Mike on a fantasy Steel Pier with mountains of cotton candy and bell hops in rainbow costumes surrounding her. It's truly bizarre and goes on for too long, though Vera-Ellen dances the heck out of it and looks like she has a wonderful time doing so. 

Trivia: Celeste Holm's film debut.

The romantic duet "This Is Always" was filmed but cut, though it's listed in the credits and heard as underscoring during Pam and Van's dance in the hotel.

What I Don't Like: Um, did I mention this is a remake of Moon Over Miami, and would be remade again as the non-musical comedy How to Marry a Millionaire in 1956? All the Atlantic City and frilly gowns and "You Make Me Feel So Young" in the world can't entirely disguise the threadbare plot. The farcical second half in Maryland was a problem in Miami and is here, too. At least they cut the subplot with the third sister's guy trying to give them away...but that doesn't leave much else besides a goofy fox hunt and a few quips from Holm. 

The biggest problem are that the male leads don't come anywhere near the charisma of their female counterparts. Montgomery and Latimore are interchangeable blocks of wood. I have no idea how Pam and Liz could tell them apart, let alone fall for them. Too bad they didn't keep Victor Mature for Van Damn; he may not be the best singer or dancer, but he doesn't lack in the charm department. Smith barely registers as the sweet bell hop.

The Big Finale: Moon Over Miami really has the better cast and does (slightly) more with the material, but this probably has the better musical numbers. Worth checking out for fans of Vera-Ellen or the musicals of the 40's and 50's for the music alone. 

Home Media: Only on DVD (in a fairly washed-out copy) from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - Strange Magic

Touchstone/Lucasfilm, 2015

Voices of Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenowith, and Meredith Anne Bull

Directed by Gary Rydstrom

Music and Lyrics by various 

George Lucas long wanted to make a movie about fairies and princesses for his three young daughters. He came up with the idea in the early 2000's, even working on it alongside the Star Wars prequels, but didn't really pick up production until just before Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012. It was one of the final films released by Disney's distribution arm Touchstone, and Lucas' last crack at an animated film before returning to the Star Wars universe. Is this literal fairy tale just as good of a fantasy as Lucas' major franchise, or does it deserve to be dropped in the dark forest? Let's start with fairy princess Marianne (Wood) on her wedding day and find out...

The Story: Marianne is devastated when she catches her intended Roland (Sam Palladio) in the arms of another. She trains as a warrior and vows never to love again. The Bog King (Cumming) in the dark forest made a similar vow, to the point where he's locked up the Sugar Plum Fairy (Chenowith) to keep her from making love potions. 

The Elf Sunny (Elijah Kelley) badly wants Marianne's little sister Dawn (Bull) to see him as something more than a friend. Angry that Marianne spurned him again at the Spring Ball, Roland tricks Sunny into retrieving a love potion to use it on Dawn. The love potion is so potent, the victim will fall in love with the first person they see after being hit with it. That brings the Bog King and his monstrous creatures into the Light Forest. They kidnap Dawn before she can see anyone...and when the first person she sees is the Bog King, she refuses to leave. Marianne goes after her and falls for the Bog King herself when they realize how much they have in common, including needing to let go of how badly they've been hurt.

The Animation: Lucasfilm worked hard to make this as different from every other fantasy film out there. I'm not sure how well they succeeded. The characters move fluidly, especially in the air, the backdrops in both sides of the forest are gorgeous and well-rendered and appropriately colorful and shadowy, and there's some jaw-dropping special effects with the magic and the Sugar Plum Fairy. The fairies themselves have nifty butterfly wings, but can otherwise come off as almost creepy-looking. with their big eyes and narrow faces. The Elves are even creepier, and frankly almost as ugly as the Bog King and his monsters.

The Song and Dance: The music and some good animated effects are the only remote saving graces here. There's more than 40 songs from between the 60's and the early 2000's, and most of the cast really knows how to put them across. Among those with even the slightest idea of how to handle the material are Chenowith as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Cummings as the Bog King whose ugliness hides a gentler heart than the fairies want to believe, and Maya Randolph as his sensible and tough mother Griselda, who just wants to see her son happy. And I do give Lucasfilm some credit for trying something a little different, instead of going into Disney fantasy adaptations. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Can't Help Falling In Love" as Marianne prepares for her wedding day and dreams of adventure, at least before Roland reveals his true colors. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is her big training montage, showing how she trades her white gown for a darker warrior's costume. Roland sings "C'mon Marianne" at the ball with his lackeys to win her over, but this time, she has too much sense to buy his sleazy flattery. Marianne declares "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" when she goes after her sister in the dark woods. 

The Sugar Plum Fairy and Griselda remind Sunny that "Love Is Strange" when he comes for the potion. Dawn keeps singing "Can't Help Myself" every time she sees the Bog King in his dungeon, to his annoyance! He and Marianne fall in love to the tune of the title song, but Griselda and Dawn have to encourage her to "Tell Him" in the finale. Lucasfilm goes psychedelic with kaleidoscopic effects as Marianne and the Bog King end with a romantic version of "Wild Thing." 

What I Don't Like: Pretty much everything else. The characters are  often either silly, selfish, obnoxious, or just plain unlikable. Roland's toxic masculinity would be apparent to anyone paying the remotest attention, well before Marianne figures it out, and Sunny comes off as more of a jerk than a concerned friend. There's plot holes the size of both forests put together, and what's there often doesn't make a lot of sense. 

The Big Finale: This jukebox fantasy may be the definitive "love it or hate it" cult flop. There's people who think it's as grossly mistreated as the Bog King and find it innocent and charming, and others who are put off by the overuse of music and the annoying characters and story. Take a look for yourself and see which side of the forest divide you fall on. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming; it's free on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Disney Plus

The Love Parade

Paramount, 1929

Starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Lupino Lane, and Lillian Roth

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Music by Victor Schertzinger; Lyrics by Clifford Grey

Novarro wasn't the only non-American star appearing in a big original operetta that year. Major French headliner Maurice Chevalier made his American sound debut in Innocents of Paris. Though it did fairly well at the box office, critics eviscerated it as dull and cheap. Paramount wanted a classier follow-up and turned to Ernst Lubitsch, already well-known for his sexy silent comedies and epic dramas. Jeanette MacDonald, then a rising stage ingenue, also made her film debut here. How does the first operetta made expressively for the big screen look today? Let's begin in Paris, with Count Alfred (Chevalier) and his latest conquest, and find out...

The Story: After Alfred's conquest nearly shoots herself and her husband tries shooting him, he's called back to the tiny principality of Sylvania by Queen Louise (MacDonald). Louise would enjoy running her country more if everyone from her maid Lulu (Roth) to her cabinet officers wasn't so obsessed with her finding a husband. She want to reprimand Alfred, but is so taken by his charm and candor, she ends up marrying him instead. Alfred finds marriage to a queen disappointing; she has all the royal duties, leaving him with nothing to do. Now she needs a loan from another country or they'll go into bankruptcy, unless he appears as a happily married man at the opera. 

The Song and Dance: Like the next Chevalier-MacDonald musical Love Me Tonight, critics have crowed about this one for years. They're right here, too. Lubitsch expertly weaves musical numbers with the frothy story in a way that's revolutionary for backstage-obsessed 1929. There's a naughty vibe with all the locked doors and closed window shades, giving us a hint of things that still couldn't be shown even then. Everyone puts in sensational performances, including MacDonald in her first film, ace British comic Lupino Lane as Alfred's valet, and sassy Lillian Roth as the Queen's loyal maid. Heck, even Afred's dog gets a part of "Paris Stay the Same" and a comic storyline of his own. There's stunning costumes and sets, too, including some amazing gowns, fur-trimmed day dresses, and barely-there frilly negligees for MacDonald. 

Favorite Number: Alfred laments his being called back from all the luscious ladies of France in "Paris, Stay the Same." His valet Jacques picks it up as he sings about missing the maids of Paris, and even his dog barks to the females of his species. MacDonald first performs the rhapsodizing "Dream Lover" as her maids help her into the bath and prepare her for her daily duties. She does a tearful reprise later before the ball, when Alfred threatens to return to Paris. He claims he'll do "Anything to Please the Queen" after they meet and sparks fly. MacDonald's joined by her army in their uniform for the rousing "March of the Grenadiers," while Chevalier laments about his boredom to the dog and the camera in "Nobody's Using It Now." Lane and Roth enjoy their own type of romance when they perform an acrobatic soft shoe to "Let's Be Common."

What I Don't Like: The second half has a lot of problems, the worst of which is the story hasn't dated well. Nowadays, the Queen would either take Alfred as her full partner and share the duties with him, or he'd accept that she has the right to rule and leave her to it. It slows down here too as the subplot with the loan kicks in. Alfred's not the only one who gets bored at this point. Frankly, the story comes as more than a little chauvinistic and can leave a slightly sour taste, despite Lubitsch's skill in hiding and revealing sexual details. There's also times when this being an early talkie kicks in with an occasional bit of stiff dialogue or camera that stays in one place for too long. 

The Big Finale: Even with the dated story, this is still a delightful operetta with four excellent performances by the leads and a director who knows how to make music on film work. A must for fans of Lubitsch, the stars, or early sound films. 

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of the Criterion Eclipse Lubitsch Musicals collection that also includes The Smiling Lieutenant, Monte Carlo, and One Hour With You. 

DVD - Criterion Eclipse Series 8: Lubitsch Musicals

Devil-May-Care

MGM, 1929

Starring Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, Marion Harris, and John Miljan

Directed by Sidney Franklin

Music by Clifford Grey; Lyrics by Herbert Stothart

Mexican actor Ramon Novarro was already a matinee idol in swashbucklers like Scaramouche and dramas like The Student Prince when sound came in. The Pagan was a silent movie with sound sequences, and revealed Novarro possessed a decent singing voice along with his good looks. MGM let him take time off to study voice, then brought him back for this huge operetta. How does Novarro's introduction to sound film look today? Let's start in Paris during the early 19th century, just as Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated the throne to King Louis, and find out...

The Story: Armand de Treville (Novarro) is among the soldiers loyal to Napoleon who is scheduled to be executed. He manages to escape to the home of his friend Countess Louise (Harris), who despite her own Royalist leanings, offers him a job as a groom. Louise does have feelings for Armand, but he sees her as more of a big sister. He's really in love with her cousin, Leonine De Beaufort (Jordan), another Royalist. He admired her on his way there, but she only saw his face in shadow and wouldn't recognize him. Even when Louis is overthrown and Leonine is scheduled to be married, Armand is determined to return to his beloved lady.

The Song and Dance: I'm impressed with this one. Sidney Franklin really keeps everything moving for the early talkie era; there's several sword duels and even a nifty montage number towards the end. Harris walks off with the movie as the intelligent, more mature friend who wishes Armand would look her way, and even gets to show off her own voice with a lovely ballad. In fact, I appreciate how much MGM went out for their star's big debut, with decent songs for all major players, and even that still-existing and quite pretty two-strip Technicolor dance sequence. 

Favorite Number: We kick off with Novarro and Napoleon's soldiers singing "March of the Old Guard" as they're ousted...and later with Armand doing a satirical version right before he's sentenced to execution. Harris sings "If He Cared" twice, first at the piano before Armand arrives, and later with Jordan as she explains her feelings. Novarro sings about how he finds Leontine "Charming" as he scrubs her shoes in the courtyard. 

The big color number is "The Love Ballet." The Albertina Rasch Dancers show off their fancy black and white striped dresses as they swirl with stoic black-clad soldiers against a backdrop of flower garlands and fountains. The color is a bit battered, but given how many color films from 1929 are lost today, we're lucky to have this at all.

What I Don't Like: I don't know why MGM kept pairing Novarro with Jordan. She's as shrill and dull as she would be in Call of the Flesh a year later, and still has no chemistry with him. Harris looks and sounds a lot more interesting. The color sequence comes from out of nowhere and while it looks decent, the dancing isn't terribly good, and it's likely there only to sneak in some color and give the Albertina Rasch girls something to do.

The Big Finale: Novarro makes a sound (pardon the pun) debut in this swashbuckling operetta. Well worth your time if you're interested in him or early talkie musicals.

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Musicals On TV - The Cheetah Girls: One World

Disney, 2008

Starring Adrienne Balion, Kiely Williams, Sabrina Bryan, and Michael Steger

Directed by Paul Hoen

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cheetah Girls 2 was one of the Disney Channel's biggest-ever hits, but there was trouble behind the scenes. Raven-Symone felt ostracized by the other girls and wanted out. Not to mention, Cheetah Girls was no longer their only musical franchise. High School Musical and its sequel were phenomenal successes and stole a lot of The Cheetah Girls' pre-adolescent fans. With Slumdog Millionaire having made India and Bollywood musicals fashionable in Hollywood, it seemed to make sense to return to the formula of the previous movie and send the Girls overseas. How does their second trip abroad look now? Let's start in New York with the remaining Girls and their dreams of stardom and find out...

The Story: With Galleria away at college and their offers thin on the ground, the Cheetah Girls consider splitting up, until enthusiastic young Indian director Vikram (Steger) casts them as the leads in his big new Bollywood musical. The girls fly to India, only to discover that his Uncle Kamal (Roshan Seth) is the actual producer and only wanted one girl to star. They claim they won't let the competition come between them, but that doesn't last long. Dorinda (Bryan) helps the film's male star Rahim (Rupak Gimm) romance the choreographer Gita (Deepti Daryanai), Chanel (Balion) gets closer to Vik, and Aqua (Williams) falls for Amar (Kunal Sharma), the rich computer tech service worker she's been contacting online. With the three boys promoting each girl and the girls all good at different things, it seems that the film may come between them after all...

The Song and Dance: This franchise absolutely needs a strong director to integrate the numbers and mask how cliched it all is. Hoen's not quite the choreographer that Kenny Ortega is, but he does know how to make a Disney Channel musical work, having helmed both ZOMBIES films and the second Camp Rock. I'm pleased to see how they mostly respect Indian culture and traditions, particularly with the Swami Ji (Vinod Pargal) they meet when they arrive. I also appreciate that there's no obvious villain, a problem in the previous films. Uncle Kamal is less "bad" than he is stubborn. He wants to make the movie, too, just in a different way than his nephew.

Favorite Number: The movie opens with "Cheetah Love," the flashy sequins-and-chorus-boys routine with the Girls imagining themselves as big stars. They challenge Gita to a hip-hop/Indian dance-off in the fast-moving "Dance Me If You Can." The Girls try to show off their greatest strengths and push the others aside at the audition for the film, while their guys argue why their girl should be the star in "I'm the One." They realize there's "No Place Like Us" as they each admit they miss the other at the hotel. The movie ends with a riot of color, glittering Bollywood dancers, and showing pink petals amid the rollicking title song.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how cliched it all is? While they do manage to avoid the obvious villain trap, the rest of it is as artificial and silly as the other films. Vikram shouldn't have told the girls he'd take them all or assume his uncle would change the movie because he wanted him to. His uncle was in charge and had every right to be upset and frustrated with his nephew's behavior. This may also be the right time to point out this is the only film where Aqua gets that much to do or even really any kind of personality. They should have done something with Williams long before this. 

The Big Finale: In the end, I'm afraid this franchise is strictly for girls in the appropriate 8 to 14 age range and those who grew up with it on The Disney Channel. Anyone else will likely be put off by the dull and dated plots, silly dialogue, the girls' abrasive personalities, and the bland pop music. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD (often for under 5 dollars) and on streaming.

DVD

Disney Plus

Dangerous When Wet

MGM, 1953

Starring Esther Williams, Jack Carson, Fernando Lamas, and William Demarest

Directed by Charles Walters

Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

We continue to celebrate Esther Williams' 100th birthday with another hit vehicle from the same year. After the massive water ballets in Easy to Love, this one switches the focus to the cast and some nifty musical numbers. It also shows off animation, with MGM cartoon stars Tom & Jerry making their second appearances in a musical. This time we begin in Arkansas, as the Higgins family shows off their daily routine and we get an idea of what makes this one a little different...

The Story: The Higgins family are dairy farmers, but they're also big believers in health and exercise. Traveling salesman Windy Weebe (Carson) is impressed with their vigor and energy and enters them into a race to swim the English Channel. Oldest daughter Katie (Williams) is especially determined for them to win. Pa Higgins (Demarest) bought a lot of new equipment, and they need a new bull. Even when they do make it over, it turns out Katie's the only one who's in good enough shape to swim the rough currents on the Channel. Katie has her own problems fending off handsome Frenchman Andre Lanet (Fernando Lamas), while French swimmer Gigi Mignon (Denise Darcel) pursues her coach Windy.

The Animation: Pretty well-done, especially if you've seen a Tom & Jerry short from this era. Williams is mostly well-integrated, except for when a background inexplicably changes while she's trying to escape the octopus hanging onto her ankle. She interacts fairly well with Tom, Jerry, an angry shark who is likely supposed to represent Windy, and especially the amorous octopus who represents Andre and keeps trying to fondle her. In That's Entertainment III, Williams called Tom & Jerry "more animated than some of my leading men." 

The Song and Dance: For all the weird story, this one has a lot of charm to it. It also feels like more of a musical than a lot of Williams' films, with songs for all of the leads and a couple of dance routines along with the big water sequence. There's even genuine tension in the finale, when Katie's finally in the race and may or may not make it across the Channel. As I mentioned in the Easy to Love review, Williams does best when she has leading men who are up to the demands of her ease in front of the camera and in the water. Carson is hilarious as the blow-hard salesman who's convinced a whole family of healthy people will really sell his tonic, while Lamas looks fetching alongside Williams and swims well with her. 

Favorite Number: The film kicks off with the Higgins family's morning routine, preparing to swim as "I Got Out of Bed On the Right Side." Katie's sister Susie (Barbara Whiting) sings why "I Like Men" as Windy attempts to sell his vitamin tonic to the Arkansas farmers. The entire cast gets in on "Ain't It Grand," moving from Whiting with the boys in the lobby to Carson and Darcel teasing each other to Greenwood and Demarest showing off enviable high kicks and soft shoes to Lamas and Williams doing a water pas de deux. 

Trivia: Williams married Lamas 16 years later, in 1969. They were married until his death in 1982.

What I Don't Like: As cute as the story is, it's also complete piffle, and a bit strange. Despite the well-done building of tension in the finale, you can still guess how it's all going to come out. The music, while sweet, isn't terribly memorable, either. The Tom & Jerry sequence is awkwardly inserted via Katie reading comics to her sister.

The Big Finale: No danger here; this makes up for the lack of extravagant water pageants with a great cast, nifty story, and that iconic Williams animated routine. Highly recommended for fans of Williams, Tom & Jerry, or the musicals of the 1950's. 

Home Media: Available on at least three DVD collections of Williams' films and on streaming.

DVD - Silver Screen Icons: Legends: Esther Williams Vol 1

Amazon Prime

Easy to Love

MGM, 1953

Starring Esther Williams, Van Johnson, Tony Martin, and John Bromfield

Directed by Charles Walters

Music and Lyrics by various

Esther Williams was at the height of her popularity in the late 40's and early 50's. Her extravaganzas grew bigger and bigger, with more elaborate water ballets and fancier special effects. None other than Busby Berkeley did the choreography for the big finale number in this one, and he has a far bigger stage than usual to work with. Cyprus Gardens opened in Winter Haven, Florida in 1936; by 1953, its lavish trees and flower displays and famous water skiing shows made it one of the top attractions in central Florida. How does this story of the Gardens' star attraction and her demanding boss look today? Let's begin at Cyprus Gardens with a show in progress and find out...

The Story: Julie Hallerton (Williams) is the biggest star in central Florida. She's so popular, her boss Ray Lloyd (Johnson) pushes her from show to beauty pageant to photo shoot...but doesn't pay her enough or really appreciate her. Her swimming partner Hank (Bromfield) wants to marry her, but she finds him dull. 

On a trip to New York with Lloyd, Julie encounters singer Barry Gordon (Martin) at a set for a lipstick ad. Barry's smitten with her and introduces her to the producer of a water show in New York. Julie would love the money, but what she really wants is Ray. At least, she thinks she does, until it only seems like he loves her star status. Then Gordon comes down to Florida, setting off Hank's jealousy. Julie has to figure out which man she truly loves, before they all dunk each other into the blue Florida waters.

The Song and Dance: Williams is at her best when she can play off leading men who are equal to her charisma in and out of the water. Johnson and Martin are more than up to the task as two of the three men who fall under her spell. The Cyprus Gardens cinematography is gorgeous, showing off the Technicolor with blooming flowers on turquoise waves and Williams' gorgeous array of pastel and creamy black and white gowns. 

Favorite Number: Martin gets his first number in a New York night club, warning "Look Out! I'm Romantic" to a bevy of chorus girls...and Julie, too. He performs the title ballad with Julie in a beautiful swan boat on her way to a romantic swimming ballet in Cyprus Gardens, then while laying on a pier. Martin serenades the swooning older ladies at Julie's hotel with "That's What a Rainy Day Is For" as a heavy rain shower falls outside. He encourages the ladies to sing along, and even gives them flowers.

The big numbers here are the three instrumental water routines. The first introduces Julie as she swims through rows and rows of rainbow blossoms with Hank. The second gets her dressed as a water-bound clown goofing off with a chimpanzee and avoiding a mechanical crocodile. Berkley's elaborate finale shows off the famous Cyprus Gardens Water Skiing Show, with Williams and an army of water skiiers jumping over the orchestra and weaving around water spouts. It's spectacular, beautifully filmed, and is probably Berkeley's last great masterpiece.

Trivia: Carroll Baker made her film debut as Barry's jealous girlfriend Clarice.

Williams was pregnant during filming, which is why she wouldn't do the incredibly high dive off the swing into the water during the finale.

Cyprus Gardens eventually fell victim to the tremendous popularity of Walt Disney World down the road and several hurricanes in the 90's and early 2000's. It closed in 2009 and is now a part of Legoland Florida. 

What I Don't Like: For all the incredible numbers, the story is pretty much water-logged. Ray is such a jerk to Julie until the last few minutes of the film, you almost wish she would take Hank, who at least treats her well. Smarmy Barry is no prize, either. The second half of the film, where they're all arguing over her like she's a piece of meat, gets really annoying after a while. The ending is less an ending than "we're almost done, let's throw everyone with someone." (Although who Barry ends up with is really funny if you know anything about Martin's long-time marriage.)

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Williams and her water spectacles, dive right in. Silly story aside, this is one of her better ones. 

Home Media: Only on DVD as part of the Esther Williams Spotlight Collection Volume 2. You're better off looking for this one used or catching it occasionally on TCM. 

DVD

Musicals On TV - The Cheetah Girls 2

Disney, 2006

Starring Raven-Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan, and Kiely Williams

Directed by Kenny Ortega

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cheetah Girls was a smash success on The Disney Channel. It turned the four singers into superstars and made them household words among pre-teen girls, who admired their spunk and powerful messages of sisterhood. With success like that, a sequel was inevitable. Disney really stepped up its game, adding more music and dance and bringing in Ortega, a director and choreographer who just came off the blockbuster High School Musical. How well did he do with this girl-power franchise? Let's begin in New York, where the girls are performing for the end of their junior year, and find out...

The Story: Chanel (Bailon) is upset when her mother Juanita (Lori Alter) insists on taking Chanel to Barcelona, Spain to meet her boyfriend Luc (Abel Folk) for the summer. The Girls are disappointed they'll be separated, until Galleria (Raven-Symone) hits on them joining the Barcelona Music Festival. They convince Galleria's mother Dorothea (Lynn Whitfield) it'll be perfect for their summer vacation.

Everything does go well in Barcelona at first. Galleria encounters a cute guitarist at a local club named Angel (Peter Vives), while Dorinda falls for the handsome son of a count who works as a dancer (Golan Yosef) and Aquanetta (Williams) is thrilled to meet her fashion designer idol. The girls are thrilled to meet Spanish pop star Marisol (Belinda) and her mother Lola (Kim Manning) at the club. Lola sees how well Chanel and Marisol sing together and decides Chanel would be perfect to help her daughter win the Festival after losing three years running...but that would require breaking up the Cheetah Girls...

The Song and Dance: Ortega's input makes all the difference here. This is a full-on musical, with chorus numbers, reprises, and the entire cast joining in, rather than the girls singing a few numbers crammed into a silly plot. It also helps that the cast is now older and more mature. They've grown literally and figuratively quite a bit in the three years between movies, and while they still scream a little more than necessary, they've otherwise shed many of their more annoying traits and admit when they've behaved badly. 

The movie being filmed in the real Barcelona helps as well. The colorful scenery and use of actual Spanish locations goes a long way to bringing authentic Spanish flavor to the decidedly American plot. 

Favorite Number: We kick off in high style with the number the Cheetah Girls perform at graduation, "The Party's Just Begun." Angel helps the girls to "Strut" at the club on their first day in Barcelona. Marisol asks "Why Wait?" for stardom when she's already a superstar while doing her number at the club. The Spanish number "A La Nanita Nana" is the big song Chanel and Marisol sing together that convinces Lola she'd be a perfect partner for her daughter. "Dance With Me" shows off some great tango moves as Dorinda falls for Joaquin the count's son at his dance class. The girls think "It's Over" when Galleria believes she's lost Chanel's friendship and the girls realize they haven't been spending much time together. 

"Amigas Cheetahs" is the big finale, as the girls and all the people they befriended in Barcelona come together to blow the Festival away with their dramatic costumes and message of sisterhood. Appropriately, there's incredible costumes in this sequence, along with some of the movie's best moves.

What I Don't Like: The girls may be juniors, but their dialogue remains strictly freshman-level. It still sounds like they're trying too hard to be "hip." Clichés abound in the fairly dull plot. Dorothea shouldn't have been the only one who figured out what Lola was up to ages before the girls did. Her intentions were telegraphed from a mile off. Frankly, the whole thing is only slightly less silly than last time. 

The Big Finale: I do give it credit for being a huge improvement over the first film...but that cliched and dated plot assures that it's still best for pre-teen girls, their families, and anyone who grew up watching this on The Disney Channel as a kid.

Home Media: Same deal here - easily available on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Disney Plus

Going Places

Warner Bros, 1938

Starring Dick Powell, Louis Armstrong, Walter Catlett, and Anita Louise

Directed by Ray Enright

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Like most minority performers in Hollywood during the 30's and 40's, Armstrong's roles were usually confined to specialty numbers that were easily censored for southern audiences. This is one of the few movies he had more of a major role in. How does the story of a sports store clerk who gets in over his head when he claims to be a jockey look now? Let's start at the prestigious sporting store Detridge & Frome as two sales clerks attempt to sell riding clothes and find out...

The Story: Peter Mason (Powell) suggests he and his fellow clerk Franklin Dexter (Catlett) attend a steeplechase at a local horse track to advertise their wares, posing as famous jockey Peter Randall and his valet. Peter figures it'll only be for a day or two...until he meets lovely Ellen Parker (Anita Louise) and is smitten by her. He keeps up the charade in order to be near her. Things get really hairy when two goofy gamblers (Allen Jenkins and Harold Huber) try to fix him up with the notoriously wild horse Jeepers Creepers. This equine fireball is the best jumper at the track, but he can only be tamed when horse caretaker Gabriel (Armstrong) plays the song he named after him. Now Peter's going to have to ride whether he wants to or not, but Gabriel and his friends have a way of keeping Jeepers Creepers on track.

The Song and Dance: Powell, Catlett, and Armstrong are basically the only reason to watch this today, besides some decent numbers. Powell reeks of charm, even when he's trying desperately to hang on to that horse. Catlett has a few amusing scenes fussing over Powell's dilly-dallying with the opposite sex and the possibility of them being discovered. Armstrong gets into a few good numbers and has a great time with that poor horse. 

Favorite Number: Armstrong and the Dandridge Sisters (including Etta Jones and Dorothy Dandridge) really get the joint jumping with the wild jitterbug routine "Mutiny in the Nursery" at the night club that transforms familiar nursery rhymes into swinging tunes. The gangsters insist Mason prove himself to be what he claims with a song, which turns into the spoof of old-time weepers "Oh What a Horse Was Charlie," with Catlett showing off some decent dancing moves.

Of course, the big one here is the Oscar-nominated standard "Jeepers Creepers." It's heard a few times throughout the film, but most memorably when Armstrong sings it to the horse in the beginning. Creepers threw several men off his back, but Gabriel knows this horse loves nothing more than a good song.

Trivia: Based after the non-musical play The Hottentot from 1920. Warners filmed the original play three times, as a silent in 1923 (which partially survives), an early talkie in 1929 (which is lost), and a 1936 Joe E. Brown vehicle, Polo Joe. 

What I Don't Like: For all of Armstrong's prominent role, he and most of the other black characters are still played as the broad stereotypes typical of the time. Despite his charm, Powell's role is thankless and a bit silly. No wonder he did one more movie at Warners, then moved to RKO for meatier parts. Ronald Regan, who shows up in the second half as a socialite who eggs Peter into that race and flirts with Ellen, has even less to do. None of the music in the film comes close to being as memorable as "Jeepers Creepers," either. Powell's one ballad was cut from the film, though he does get a line in.

The story is pretty cliche by this point, too...and was even in 1938. MGM beat Warners to the racing musicals starting line by over a year. The Broadway Melody of 1938 and A Day at the Races have very similar plots. The former also has spectacular Eleanor Powell numbers and the latter features the Marx Brothers. They go a lot further in distracting folks from seeing how threadbare and ridiculous the story is. 

The Big Finale: Too silly for anyone besides major fans of Armstrong or Powell or those looking for a fairly cute time-waster on TCM.

Home Media: And indeed, it seems TCM is likely the only place you can see this one at the moment, as it doesn't appear to be currently available elsewhere on disc or streaming. 

Watch TCM

Musical Documentaries - Jazz On a Summer's Day

Galaxy Attractions/New Yorker Films, 1959

Starring Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Thelonius Monk, and Chuck Berry

Directed by Bert Stern and Aram Avakian

Music and Lyrics by various

We travel to Newport, Rhode Island for something completely different. The Newport Jazz Festival began in 1954 and was an instant success, attracting more than 13,000 jazz aficionados to the posh New England coastal resort town. Some of the wealthier citizens were opposed to the students and teens who drove in and camped wherever they could find room; others opposed the traffic. The release of this film coupled with the festival's ongoing popularity helped to convert many of the naysayers and showcase some of the greatest jazz and rock performers of the era. How does this love letter to the hot jazz of the late 50's look today? Let's begin at Newport to watch the America's Cup races and find out...

The Story: Jazz, gospel, and Dixieland performers (and one early rock star) strut their stuff in front of an increasingly appreciative audience of music lovers at Newport, Rhode Island. The first half-hour intercuts the footage with sequences from that year's America's Cup yachting race.

The Song and Dance: The performances are key here, along with the chic intimacy of the piece. The early goings give us a good sense of Newport and its glowing docks and beaches, including the Yale Quartet riding around in an old jalopy, playing Dixieland music for folks on the road. The many close-ups of not only singers, but also the youthful and diverse dancers and hipsters for the night shows give us a sense of how intense this music is for fans and musicians alike. There's some wonderful color shots early in the film, not only of the America's Cup yachts gliding over the cerulean Atlantic Ocean, but of the hot and tired crowd in their short-brimmed straw hats and checked caps as they sweat out the afternoon shows.

Favorite Number: Jimmy Giuffre opens the movie with a startling closeup showing the intensity of his performance to "Train on the River." Thelonious Monk and his trio give us one of his better-known numbers, "Blue Monk." Anita O'Day warbles two standards during the day sequences, "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Tea for Two," while Dinah Washington gives us a more dynamic "All of Me." Chuck Berry takes us into the night segments while really getting down on the early rock hit "Sweet Little Sixteen." Bold, brassy Big Maybelle really throws her weight into her amazing "I Ain't Mad at You." Louis Armstrong's best number is his first, the "Tiger Rag." Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson brings in the morning and ends the festival with "The Lord's Prayer."

What I Don't Like: Not everyone will appreciate Stern's cutting between the show and the yachting sequences in the first half of the film. Many would probably prefer he focused entirely on the show, and not on boats in the harbor. I also wish he'd maybe included fewer shots of the reactions of the audience and more of the actual singers, especially on Berry and Armstrong's numbers.

The Big Finale: A wonderful snapshot of a time and place when jazz was at a turning point; a must-see if you're an aficionado of jazz, gospel, early rock, or any of the musicians. 

Home Media: Beautifully restored for DVD in 2009, it's now easy to find in all formats. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - The Cheetah Girls

Disney, 2003

Starring Raven-Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Sabrina Ryan

Directed by Oz Scott

Music and Lyrics by various

The Disney Channel's first musical franchise was this girl-power series based after the young adult novels of the same title. While Disney put out its own TV movies from its inception, it didn't start branding them as such until the release of the horror comedy Under Wraps in 1997. By the time The Cheetah Girls debuted, Disney Channel Original Movies, or "DCOMs," often pulled in some of the highest ratings on cable and frequently gave major boosts to whatever young stars Disney had appearing on its shows of the time. Ultra-hip pop groups made up of teens or young adults, like the Spice Girls or the Backstreet Boys, were also huge with kids in the late 90's, selling CDs and concerts in the millions. How do the two come together in this story of four girls hoping to make it big as rock stars in Manhattan? Let's start at a birthday party in Central Park as "The Cheetah Girls" start to realize their dreams and find out...

The Story: Best friends Galleria (Raven-Symone), Chanel (Adrianne Bailon), Aquanette (Kiely Williams), and Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) are hoping to become the first freshmen to win their school talent show. Their audition thrills their drama teacher and attracts the attention of record producer Jackal Johnson. He thinks the girls have what it takes to become big stars. Convinced the girls will become rich and famous, Galleria talks them into ditching the talent show in favor of recording a song with Jackal. Turns out Jackal's more interested in molding them into his idea of a teen group and having them lip-sync to other people's songs than what the girls really have to offer. Galleria splits when she thinks the others are interested and they admit they're tired of her bossiness. It takes Galleria's dog Toto falling down a pipe to reunite the Girls and remind them of the joy the feel when they sing together.

The Song and Dance: The girl power runs thick and fast here with an empowering message of girls achieving their dreams. I appreciate that all of the girls have curvy, fairly normal bodies and are from diverse backgrounds and races. I also like how the parents are generally portrayed. Though it seems at first like they're neglectful or holding the girls back, Chanel and Galleria's parents really do love them and want what's best for them. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Cheetah Sisters," that awkward but high-energy dance routine the girls perform for Chanel's little brother at his birthday party. It ends with Aquanette stumbling over her feet, but the girls are still encouraged to pursue their dreams. Their cover of the early 2000's hit "Cinderella" is the one that wins them the audition. The girls do have a pretty decent routine and put across the song's message of independence well. The movie ends with everyone celebrating over that pipe as the girls discover that "Together We Can" save a dog and make music together.

What I Don't Like: Oh boy, do the clichés run hot and heavy in this one! The four best friends who break up when one gets a big head, then suddenly makes up and are best friends again...stop me if you've heard that one. Stiff and silly dialogue that tries way too hard to be "hip" and the girls' constant screaming and squealing makes the movie that much harder to sit through and dates it badly. And that finale, with the girls in their coordinating outfits somehow bringing all of New York together over a dog and managing to win a show they dropped out of, is utter claptrap. 

The biggest problem are the Girls themselves. They're spoiled, obnoxious poor little rich brats who constantly whine and shriek over their rather petty problems. Chanel maxes out her mother's credit card and won't give her boyfriend a fair shake, Galleria makes fun of Dorinda's clothing and refuses to listen to the girls when they look interested in Jackal's proposal, Aqua is a germ phobic who won't even ride a cab, and Dorinda probably should have gotten out and taken that dance tour while she could and make real money. Dorinda is the only one who comes off as even remotely sympathetic, making it very hard to root for them like you're intended to.

The Big Finale: Even more than most DCOMs, this one is too silly and annoying for anyone outside of the appropriate 6 to 14 age range and those who grew up watching it on The Disney Channel. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, usually for under $10. 

DVD

Disney Plus

Calendar Girl (1947)

Republic Pictures, 1947

Starring Jane Frazee, William Marshall, Kenny Baker, and Gail Patrick

Directed by Allan Dwan

Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Harold Adamson

Let's return to New York on a sultry summer's afternoon for our next entry. The major studios weren't the only ones who created nostalgic fantasies of an idealized past in the 40's and early 50's. Republic normally specialized in low-budget westerns and crime and comedy series, but as we saw back in June, they did occasionally put out musicals without singing cowboys. How does the story of two young men seeking their fortunes in Greenwich Village in 1900 fare now? We begin with their arrival in New York and their greeting at Lulu Varden's (Irene Rich) boarding house, and their interest in one of her boarders...

The Story: Penniless composer Johnny Bennett (William Marshall) and wealthy artist Steve Adams (James Ellison) have just arrived in New York from Boston, determined to make their fortunes. The two fall for sweet Patricia O'Neill (Frazee) after seeing her dance on the patio behind their brownstone. Steve manages to convince Patricia to model for a racy calendar portrait he's going to send to a contest. She intends to buy a silver trumpet for her police officer father (Victor McLaglen), but he's more scandalized by the brief artwork. Steve manages to seduce her with a night on the town, but it's the struggling Johnny who really loves her...and Steve has a secret he's not exactly willing to share with Patricia. 

The Song and Dance: I'm impressed with how good this is for a B musical, especially the hummable songs by Hollywood pros McHugh and Adamson and Dwan's imaginative direction. Frazee is a bit less pushy and funnier here than she was in Rosie the Riveter. Rich and McLaglan really ham it up as the tough old lady and the old-fashioned Irish cop who would rather his daughter chose a more respectable way of making a living. The costumes and sets are surprisingly up to the task of representing both the seamier and more traditional sides of New York as the 19th flipped to the 20th century as well. The low-budget production has a sweetly intimate feel that goes along well with the era.

Favorite Number: It's "A Lovely Night to Go Dancing" when Johnny, Steve, and Johnny's singer friend Byron James (Kenny Baker) catch Patricia gliding across the patio in a lovely solo dance and fall for her at first sight. The cast gets to perform the adorable novelty number "At the Fireman's Ball" at said location; Frazee and the (dubbed) Marshall chime in by describing how "New York Is a Nice Place to Visit." We get another fun chorus routine at the local beer hall, "Let's Have Some Pretzels and Beer. Marshall's dubber David Street introduces the ballad "Have I Told You Lately?" at the beer hall with Baker and his girl Janet Martin; Street reprises it solo later after Johnny thinks he's lost Patricia. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Marshall is stiff and dull in the boring love-interest role and was dubbed to boot. He's definitely not up to the rest of the cast in the numbers or the histrionics. Other than his two songs, radio star Baker probably could have been given more to do. The black and white on scratchy copies like the one at Amazon Prime and those intimate sets are a stark reminder of this movie's low-budget origins. 

The Big Finale: If you want to check out a Republic musical that doesn't involve cowboys crooning to their horses, this isn't a bad place to start. Recommended for fans of 40's musicals or those looking for something sweet and smaller-scale.

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere. The copy released on DVD last year is said to have a better print than the barely-watchable one at Amazon Prime. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Two Weeks With Love

MGM, 1950

Starring Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Carleton Carpenter, and Ricardo Montalban

Directed by Roy Rowland

Music and Lyrics by various

With summer in full swing, it's time pack up and take our musical dreams on vacation. Our first two entries this week focuses on family trips to idyllic summer resorts in the early 20th century. City dwellers traveled to rugged mountain inns and fabulous grand resorts to enjoy fresh air and "get away from it all." This one has more than a little bit in common with a much later family resort tale, Dirty Dancing, from the Catskills setting to the plot of a teenage girl falling for an older man her parents don't approve of. Let's meet the Robinson family as they prepare for their trip at home in New York and see just how alike - and how different - the story is set 50 years earlier...

The Story: Oldest sister Patti Robinson (Powell) falls for handsome Cuban playboy Demi Armendez (Montalban) after she accidentally knocks tapioca pudding on his jacket. Trouble is, her mature dancer friend Valerie Stressman (Phyllis Kirk) is also after him...and unlike Patti, she's able to wear corsets and long skirts. Patti's mother Katherine (Ann Harding) still insists on dressing her in frilly ankle-length skirts and shapeless bloomer bathing suits. Her father Horatio (Louis Calhern) is slightly more understanding. Patti's devastated when Valerie announces to everyone at the resort that she doesn't wear a corset. She thinks she has to hide forever, but her dad has a way to make her feel a lot better. Meanwhile, her younger sister Melba (Reynolds) chases towering Billy Finlay (Carpenter), the son of the resort's owner (Clinton Sundberg) who has his own growing problems.

The Song and Dance: Powell called this adorable cross between Meet Me In St. Louis and Dirty Dancing her favorite starring vehicle, and I can understand why. She's delightfully awkward as the teenage girl in the midst of her first really adult crush. It's especially funny when she's trying to hide from Demi, whether having her siblings bury her in the sand to avoid seeing her frumpy bathing suit or falling out of a canoe after trying to flirt with him. Reynolds and Carpenter steal the show as the bolder young teen who has no difficulty chasing the boy of her dreams and the skinny youth with a puppy love crush on Patti who barely notices her sister, and Harding and Calhoun do equally well as their flummoxed elders. 

The other place where this one scores is recreating the Catskills of over a hundred years ago. We get a lovely glimpse of what those mountain resorts were like in their heyday, from swimming in bloomer bathing suits in the local lake to amateur shows and 4th of July fireworks put on by the resort's staff. The gorgeous Technicolor ably shows off the glowing greens and soft pastels of the Catskills Mountains. Gorgeous costumes, too, and fairly accurate for the era.

Favorite Number: Patti joins her sister and the other teens at the resort for the energetic ragtime routine "The Oceana Roll" the night they arrive. All of the principals perform "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" as couples row on the lake in the summer moonlight...except poor Patti, who sings alone while Valerie flirts with Demi. Reynolds and Carpenter had major hits with their funny and energetic "Abba Dabba Honeymoon" at the party the night before the 4th of July and the boardwalk-themed "Row, Row, Row" at the amateur show.

Powell shines in two extended dance routines. The first is a dream sequence after she's refused to attend the amateur show because of her shame over not wearing a corset. She somehow turns her appearing in a frilly girdle and wide flowered hat into an operetta spoof, complete with the customers at the resort singing "My Beautiful Lady" in elaborate fairy-tale costumes, Carpenter and Montalban lunging into a sword duel, and Powell serenading the victorious Demi with "My Hero." The second finally allows Patti to dance a sumptuous tango in the arms of her Demi at the amateur show, "A Media Luz."

What I Don't Like: As cute as it is, it's not quite up to St. Louis. First of all, Valerie's selfish and spoiled behavior exemplifies the old saying about not needing enemies when you have friends like her. Montalban doesn't really have much to him other than being charming and Cuban, especially compared to the energetic performances from the younger and older people around him. Patti's emotional outbursts are fairly realistic for her age in the film, but some people may find them annoying or a bit much. (Melba certainly did!) We don't really see much of the girls' younger brothers, either, other than building sandcastles at the lake and a wacky sequence with their father trying to sleep with them, then accidentally setting off fireworks under their bed.

The Big Finale: An underrated charmer from MGM's "golden era." Highly recommended for fans of Powell, Reynolds, or the big musicals of the 1950's. 

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives. 

DVD