Columbia Pictures, 1955
Starring Betty Grable, Marge & Gower Champion, and Jack Lemmon
Directed by H.C Potter
Music and Lyrics by various
By the time this movie came out, Grable's career was in freefall. The down-to-Earth, all-American girl she played in movies of the 40's had been supplanted by more exotic beauties like Audrey Hepburn or sensual bombshells like Marilyn Monroe. This would be her second-to-last movie, and her last musical. On suspension from 20th Century Fox, she joined Columbia. They paired her with up-and-coming dancers Marge and Gower Champion (on loan from MGM) and Oscar winner Jack Lemmon for this musical remake of the W. Somerset Maugham's farce Too Many Husbands, best known for it's non-musical version from 1940 with Jean Arthur. How does it look today? Let's start with a weird musical number under the credits, a unique version of "Someone to Watch Over Me" with harlequins and pirouts dancing in rainbow costumes, and find out...
The Story: Broadway star Julie Lowndes (Grable) married songwriter and performer Vernon Lowndes (Gower Champion) after his best friend and songwriting partner Marty Stewart (Lemmon) is reported missing in action during the Korean War. Turns out Marty is very much alive, and he returns to pick up with his wife. Julie doesn't mind being married to both of them, but they're not as eager to share her. There's also Julie's dancer best friend Gwen (Marge Champion), who has a crush on Marty and wishes Julie would make up her mind.
The Song and Dance: This is one bizarre musical. Between the strange Jack Cole choreography and Julie's insistence on keeping both men despite being branded a bigamist, the story is pretty darn unique. Grable thoroughly enjoys being between the two men, and the Champions have some of their best dances here. The strange story is amplified by some gorgeous costumes, especially in those dances.
Favorite Number: That first crazy harlequin-themed number under the credits is a very stylized and colorful version of the Gershwin standard "Someone to Watch Over Me." Marge Champion wistfully sings it later, when she's the odd woman out in the marriage triangle. This is followed up by a strange instrumentla ballet, with Grable and Marge literally fighting a duel in ball gowns for their men to the tune of the classical "Polovetsian Dances." Marge admits her feelings for Gower during their duet towards the end to an instrumental "Watch Over Me."
"Down Boy" has Julia imagining herself as an Arabian queen with more husbands than she knows what to do with, and each and every one of them pawing her. "I've Got a Crush On You" is simpler, just Grable and Lemmon recalling the early days of their courtship and how they first fell in love over a piano. Grable does her own version of Marilyn Monroe's sweet-sensual routines among languid dancers in tropical costumes as she insists "I've Been Kissed Before" in the finale, before joining the chorus for "How Come You Do Me Like You Do," ending up on top of Lemmon's piano to win him back.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention how weird this is? First of all, most of the numbers have nothing to do with anything...and even when they do, they're too strange to fit in, like that danced duel with the ladies in their long trains. I give them credit for a fairly original plot for a musical, but it doesn't make much sense. Did Julia really think she'd get away with keeping both men? Grable and Lemmon are playing different styles, and she looks about a decade older than him. The newer songs aren't terribly memorable, either.
The Big Finale: Not Betty Grable's best work, but not as horrible as many online make it out to be. Mainly for fans of her, Lemmon, or the bold and brassy musicals of the 1950's.
Home Media: Easily found on disc as part of a collection with 20 other musicals and online. It's currently free with ads on Tubi.
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