MGM, 1949
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Betty Garrett
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Roger Edens and others; Lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and others
We celebrate America's birthday with a movie about it's favorite pastime. Kelly and Sinatra came together for a second time to play baseball stars who moonlight as vaudeville performers in the off-season, joined by popular comedienne Garrett and a land-locked Esther Williams. Does this sports tale hit a home run with audiences today, or does it strike out? Let's head to Opening Day for the Chicago Wolves at the turn of the 20th century and find out...
The Story: Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) and Eddie O'Brian (Kelly) return from vaudeville to discover that the Wolves have a new owner. K.C Higgins (Williams) is not only a woman, but is smart, athletic, and knows as much about baseball as the guys do. Dennis is smitten with her, but Eddie thinks she's a pain when she pushes their training. Dennis has his own fan, the very determined Shirley Delwyn (Garrett). Eddie's annoyed by K.C at first, until he too starts to see her charms.
Meanwhile, two gangsters have money on the Wolves losing in the pennant, and they think the best way to do that would be keep their best player, Eddie O'Brian, away from the team. They first offer him a dancing gig to tired him out, and when he quits that, outright knocks him out to keep him out of the game. When Shirley figures out what's going on, she, K.C, and Dennis have to find a way to get Eddie back in the game.
The Song and Dance: Charming confection features some enjoyable dances, glowing Technicolor costumes and sets, and a unique ball-field-meets-backstage plot. There may be a few other musical baseball tales, but not ones where the players are also performers. Kelly and Sinatra show all the chemistry and spirit they'd displayed five years before in Anchors Aweigh and would with Munshin again later that year in On the Town. Garrett is also having a lot of fun as she tries to get Sinatra to see her as more than just a groupie.
Favorite Number: Kelly and Sinatra start off strong with their vigorous rendition of the title song as part of their vaudeville act. "The Girl Said No" and "O'Brian to Ryan to Goldberg" are their numbers with Munshin, describing their adventures with various ladies across the US and their big winning triple play respectively. "Strictly USA" is the sole large chorus number, sung first by the guests at Garrett's big 4th of July clambake, then at the end by the four leads as part of their vaudeville act finale. Kelly's soft-shoe solo spoofs another holiday with an authentic Irish song, "The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore Upon St. Patrick's Day."
Trivia: Berkeley didn't direct that much of the movie, despite his name being on the finished film. He dropped out due to personal problems, and the film was finished by Kelly and Stanley Donen.
Ginger Rogers was originally supposed to play K.C Higgins, but dropped out a month before filming began. She replaced Judy Garland, who left due to her ongoing substance abuse problems.
What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious Williams, despite her real-life athletic prowess, was a last-minute choice for K.C. She gets one short swimming scene, has zero chemistry with Kelly (and didn't get along with him or Donen in real-life), and doesn't really have that much to do after she shows up the guys on the ball field. The gangster plot also seems shoehorned in to give the second half more of a lift. I actually think seeing the guys go back-and-forth to their two jobs and how they dealt with that would have been more interesting without the cliched betting story. Not to mention, the finale is really kind of abrupt and rather ridiculous.
The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half between barbecues on the 4th of July if you're a fan of any of the stars or the big MGM Technicolor musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Showing posts with label Betty Garrett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty Garrett. Show all posts
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Monday, September 9, 2019
My Sister Eileen (1955)
Columbia, 1955
Starring Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, and Bob Fosse
Directed by Richard Quine
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Leo Robin
First of all, quick reminder that Musical Dreams Reviews will be on vacation hiatus from the 13th through the 20th. To make up for it, you'll be getting not one, but two extra reviews this week.
Wonderful Town was a major hit on Broadway in 1953. Columbia owned the rights to the original 1942 play the show was based on, but couldn't afford the rights for the musical and opted to create their own version. Is it as much fun as the Broadway show? Let's head to Grenwich Village in New York City with the Sherwood sisters as they search for an apartment and find out...
The Story: Ruth (Garrett) and Eileen (Leigh) Sherwood have come to New York to make their fortunes as a writer and an actress, respectively. They're sold on a Village apartment by the crafty Papa Appopolous (Kurt Kaznar), but the basement room is falling apart, has a window that opens onto the street, and a construction company is blasting to build a new subway route.
The girls don't have much luck with getting jobs at first, either. Editor Bob Baker (Lemmon) thinks Ruth's romance stories are too melodramatic, and all producers want is to ogle Eileen's body without even giving her an audition. Eileen finally meets a handsome soda jerk, Frank (Fosse), at a local drug store. He's smitten and offers to help her find decent auditions...but so's reporter Chick Clark (Tommy Rall).
While Eileen is falling for both men, Ruth has finally written a story that Baker likes, about her sister and her suitors. When he's interested, Ruth quickly claims that she's the one who it all happened to and her sister was fictitious. That makes him think she's a loose woman. Now the two women have to figure out how they can find real jobs and figure out their love lives, before their money runs out and they end up on the next train back to Ohio.
The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is it's endearingly low-key for a musical of the 1950's. It's just the story of two young women, their suitors, and a few wacky locals who discover just how hard it can be to make it in the Big Apple. It has an almost domestic feel that, like How to Succeed, brings it closer to the sitcoms of the time than your typical musical.
I'm glad they gave Garrett a chance. She's very funny as Ruth, who is shocked that there's a man out there who might like her and not her sister. Leigh is very sweet as Eileen, and Rall and Fosse are hilarious as her two suitors. And who knew Dick York would work out so well as Ted "The Wreck" Loomis, an out-of-work athlete who lives with his fiancee over the girls and visits them frequently.
Favorite Number: The girls and Papa get the jaunty "We're Great but No One Knows It" in the beginning when the girls are ready to conquer New York. The girls also get "There's Nothin' Like Love" when Ruth explains to her sister why she has trouble with men. Rall and Fosse join the ladies for the rousing brass band spoof "Give Me a Band and My Baby" when they're all on the town.
Fosse's choreography shines in two extended instrumental dance numbers. His show-off routine with Rall is more typical of his style, with the men competing to see who can do Fosse's stylized moves better. A duet with Leigh towards the end is more romantic than usual for Fosse, with sweeping spins and longing glances.
What I Don't Like: Some aspects of this story haven't dated well. Bob may have been right that Ruth needed to "write what she knows," but he was a major jerk after she claimed she was the one with the many suitors. And Frank wasn't much better; nowadays, "Bohemian" would hardly be the worst thing you could accuse someone of, and I suspect Wreck sleeping in their apartment would cause far less of a stir.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast or want to try a smaller musical, you'll want to get to know the Sherwood sisters and their eccentric Grenwich Village neighbors, too.
Home Media: Once again, the limited-edition Twilight Time Blu-Ray is expensive, making DVD and streaming your best option. It's also on that Musicals 20 Movies Mill Creek set.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, and Bob Fosse
Directed by Richard Quine
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Leo Robin
First of all, quick reminder that Musical Dreams Reviews will be on vacation hiatus from the 13th through the 20th. To make up for it, you'll be getting not one, but two extra reviews this week.
Wonderful Town was a major hit on Broadway in 1953. Columbia owned the rights to the original 1942 play the show was based on, but couldn't afford the rights for the musical and opted to create their own version. Is it as much fun as the Broadway show? Let's head to Grenwich Village in New York City with the Sherwood sisters as they search for an apartment and find out...
The Story: Ruth (Garrett) and Eileen (Leigh) Sherwood have come to New York to make their fortunes as a writer and an actress, respectively. They're sold on a Village apartment by the crafty Papa Appopolous (Kurt Kaznar), but the basement room is falling apart, has a window that opens onto the street, and a construction company is blasting to build a new subway route.
The girls don't have much luck with getting jobs at first, either. Editor Bob Baker (Lemmon) thinks Ruth's romance stories are too melodramatic, and all producers want is to ogle Eileen's body without even giving her an audition. Eileen finally meets a handsome soda jerk, Frank (Fosse), at a local drug store. He's smitten and offers to help her find decent auditions...but so's reporter Chick Clark (Tommy Rall).
While Eileen is falling for both men, Ruth has finally written a story that Baker likes, about her sister and her suitors. When he's interested, Ruth quickly claims that she's the one who it all happened to and her sister was fictitious. That makes him think she's a loose woman. Now the two women have to figure out how they can find real jobs and figure out their love lives, before their money runs out and they end up on the next train back to Ohio.
The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is it's endearingly low-key for a musical of the 1950's. It's just the story of two young women, their suitors, and a few wacky locals who discover just how hard it can be to make it in the Big Apple. It has an almost domestic feel that, like How to Succeed, brings it closer to the sitcoms of the time than your typical musical.
I'm glad they gave Garrett a chance. She's very funny as Ruth, who is shocked that there's a man out there who might like her and not her sister. Leigh is very sweet as Eileen, and Rall and Fosse are hilarious as her two suitors. And who knew Dick York would work out so well as Ted "The Wreck" Loomis, an out-of-work athlete who lives with his fiancee over the girls and visits them frequently.
Favorite Number: The girls and Papa get the jaunty "We're Great but No One Knows It" in the beginning when the girls are ready to conquer New York. The girls also get "There's Nothin' Like Love" when Ruth explains to her sister why she has trouble with men. Rall and Fosse join the ladies for the rousing brass band spoof "Give Me a Band and My Baby" when they're all on the town.
Fosse's choreography shines in two extended instrumental dance numbers. His show-off routine with Rall is more typical of his style, with the men competing to see who can do Fosse's stylized moves better. A duet with Leigh towards the end is more romantic than usual for Fosse, with sweeping spins and longing glances.
What I Don't Like: Some aspects of this story haven't dated well. Bob may have been right that Ruth needed to "write what she knows," but he was a major jerk after she claimed she was the one with the many suitors. And Frank wasn't much better; nowadays, "Bohemian" would hardly be the worst thing you could accuse someone of, and I suspect Wreck sleeping in their apartment would cause far less of a stir.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast or want to try a smaller musical, you'll want to get to know the Sherwood sisters and their eccentric Grenwich Village neighbors, too.
Home Media: Once again, the limited-edition Twilight Time Blu-Ray is expensive, making DVD and streaming your best option. It's also on that Musicals 20 Movies Mill Creek set.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Words and Music
MGM, 1948
Starring Mickey Rooney, Betty Garrett, Tom Drake, and Janet Leigh
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
This was the second lavish MGM musical biography about popular songwriters of the early part of the 20th century after Till the Clouds Roll By in 1946. The spotlight here is on Richard Rodgers and his first partner, the complex and troubled lyricist Lorenz "Larry" Hart. Hart had a difficult and tragic life that was often reflected in his dark, introspective words to Rodgers' graceful music. How does that come across on-screen in this time period? Let's join Tom Drake as Rodgers as he discusses how his relationship with Hart began to find out...
The Story: Richard Rodgers (Drake) first meets Lorenz Hart (Rooney) when their friend Eddie Anders (Perry Como) introduces them in the early 20's. Larry's late for their very first meeting, but he arrives with the lyrics for "Manhattan" already hashed out. They have little success for the next few years, until starlet Peggy McNeill (Garrett) performs their songs at a party. The number used in the revue The Garrick Gaieties is a hit and turns them into one of the most popular songwriting duos on Broadway. Their words and music are a perfect match, but Dick is getting tired of Larry's habit of disappearing for weeks while working on lyrics, his obsession with his height and lack of looks, and his partying, and his never being on time.
Neither man does especially well with the opposite sex at first. Peggy continuously turns Larry down; Dick is rejected by older Broadway star Joyce Harmon (Ann Southern) and teenager Dorothy Feiner (Leigh). Dick does eventually marry Dorothy and have two girls with her, but Larry never manages to settle down. Even when they go out to Hollywood, Larry still pops up whenever he feels like it after a spree. He's seriously depressed and sick, especially after Peggy rejects him one last time. Dick's tired of his never being on time, his heavy partying, and constantly disappearing and is considering taking a new partner. Larry is deliriously feverish, even as he wanders dazed into the theater in the rain to see one last show.
The Song and Dance: As with Till the Clouds Roll By, the musical numbers are the thing here. Energetic Rooney really throws himself into playing Hart, the brilliant wordsmith who ultimately succumbed to his demons, and Jeanette Nolan is very sweet as his beloved mother (whom he lived with for much of his life). Some of the costumes are gorgeous; I especially love the outfits for Southern's "Where's That Rainbow?" routine.
Favorite Number: "Where's That Rainbow?" was the only song I'd never heard of before I saw this movie. I'm glad I discovered it. Ann Southern and the chorus have a great time with the lively routine in their colorful dance outfits. June Allyson is squired by the Blackburn Twins in their adorable trio "Thou Swell." Lena Horne scores with stunning renditions of two of Rodgers and Hart's best songs, "Where Or When" and "The Lady Is a Tramp." Rooney and Drake (dubbed by Bill Lee) kick things off with a very cute version of "Manhattan." Cyd Charisse dances a lovely "Blue Room," sung by Como, while Ann Alyn McLerie and the chorus join him for rustic Okalahoma-esque "Mountain Greenery."
The movie is probably best known for two numbers towards the end of the film. Rooney and his long-time friend Judy Garland performed together on the big screen one last time, and it was worth it to get them together. Their "I Wish I Were In Love Again" is absolutely hilarious. Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen perform the Rodgers ballet "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" from the Broadway show On Their Toes as far darker and more dramatic than pretty much anything else in the movie.
Trivia: Although the movie was a hit, it was so expensive that it barely recouped its costs.
For all the inaccuracies, some things really did happen. Most of Hart's destructive habits, including his chronic lateness, his running off for weeks while working, his obsession with his lack of looks and his shortness, and his partying, are portrayed more-or-less realistically. A friend really did introduce Rodgers to Hart; their first big show was The Garrick Gaieties. Hart was considered to be part of the Rodgers family. Dick and Dorothy's daughters thought of him as a fun-loving uncle.
Sadly, Hart's death is also portrayed fairly accurately. He did indeed die of pneumonia after wandering around in the rain the night of the the opening of the revival of A Connecticut Yankee.
What I Don't Like: This was even more sanitized than Till the Clouds Roll By. Hart was a closeted homosexual, something they couldn't exactly discuss in 1948. He did have problems with his relationships...with men. Richard Rodgers, who was consulted on the film, was well-known for being a control freak and a bit of a jerk. He was nothing like the blandly attractive Drake. Hart was actually witty and soft-spoken, very different from the brash and energetic Rooney. Drake's romances mid-way through the film feel almost as manufactured as most of the second half of Clouds Roll By. His attempt to woo the ladies just isn't that interesting.
Once again, there's no attempts whatsoever to represent the clothes of time period accurately. It looks like 1948 for the entire movie, including in the 20's in the opening.
The Big Picture: Same deal here. If you're a big fan of Rodgers and Hart or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, you'll find a lot to enjoy if you can ignore the inaccuracies.
Home Media: Currently available on DVD and several streaming companies.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Mickey Rooney, Betty Garrett, Tom Drake, and Janet Leigh
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
This was the second lavish MGM musical biography about popular songwriters of the early part of the 20th century after Till the Clouds Roll By in 1946. The spotlight here is on Richard Rodgers and his first partner, the complex and troubled lyricist Lorenz "Larry" Hart. Hart had a difficult and tragic life that was often reflected in his dark, introspective words to Rodgers' graceful music. How does that come across on-screen in this time period? Let's join Tom Drake as Rodgers as he discusses how his relationship with Hart began to find out...
The Story: Richard Rodgers (Drake) first meets Lorenz Hart (Rooney) when their friend Eddie Anders (Perry Como) introduces them in the early 20's. Larry's late for their very first meeting, but he arrives with the lyrics for "Manhattan" already hashed out. They have little success for the next few years, until starlet Peggy McNeill (Garrett) performs their songs at a party. The number used in the revue The Garrick Gaieties is a hit and turns them into one of the most popular songwriting duos on Broadway. Their words and music are a perfect match, but Dick is getting tired of Larry's habit of disappearing for weeks while working on lyrics, his obsession with his height and lack of looks, and his partying, and his never being on time.
Neither man does especially well with the opposite sex at first. Peggy continuously turns Larry down; Dick is rejected by older Broadway star Joyce Harmon (Ann Southern) and teenager Dorothy Feiner (Leigh). Dick does eventually marry Dorothy and have two girls with her, but Larry never manages to settle down. Even when they go out to Hollywood, Larry still pops up whenever he feels like it after a spree. He's seriously depressed and sick, especially after Peggy rejects him one last time. Dick's tired of his never being on time, his heavy partying, and constantly disappearing and is considering taking a new partner. Larry is deliriously feverish, even as he wanders dazed into the theater in the rain to see one last show.
The Song and Dance: As with Till the Clouds Roll By, the musical numbers are the thing here. Energetic Rooney really throws himself into playing Hart, the brilliant wordsmith who ultimately succumbed to his demons, and Jeanette Nolan is very sweet as his beloved mother (whom he lived with for much of his life). Some of the costumes are gorgeous; I especially love the outfits for Southern's "Where's That Rainbow?" routine.
Favorite Number: "Where's That Rainbow?" was the only song I'd never heard of before I saw this movie. I'm glad I discovered it. Ann Southern and the chorus have a great time with the lively routine in their colorful dance outfits. June Allyson is squired by the Blackburn Twins in their adorable trio "Thou Swell." Lena Horne scores with stunning renditions of two of Rodgers and Hart's best songs, "Where Or When" and "The Lady Is a Tramp." Rooney and Drake (dubbed by Bill Lee) kick things off with a very cute version of "Manhattan." Cyd Charisse dances a lovely "Blue Room," sung by Como, while Ann Alyn McLerie and the chorus join him for rustic Okalahoma-esque "Mountain Greenery."
The movie is probably best known for two numbers towards the end of the film. Rooney and his long-time friend Judy Garland performed together on the big screen one last time, and it was worth it to get them together. Their "I Wish I Were In Love Again" is absolutely hilarious. Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen perform the Rodgers ballet "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" from the Broadway show On Their Toes as far darker and more dramatic than pretty much anything else in the movie.
Trivia: Although the movie was a hit, it was so expensive that it barely recouped its costs.
For all the inaccuracies, some things really did happen. Most of Hart's destructive habits, including his chronic lateness, his running off for weeks while working, his obsession with his lack of looks and his shortness, and his partying, are portrayed more-or-less realistically. A friend really did introduce Rodgers to Hart; their first big show was The Garrick Gaieties. Hart was considered to be part of the Rodgers family. Dick and Dorothy's daughters thought of him as a fun-loving uncle.
Sadly, Hart's death is also portrayed fairly accurately. He did indeed die of pneumonia after wandering around in the rain the night of the the opening of the revival of A Connecticut Yankee.
What I Don't Like: This was even more sanitized than Till the Clouds Roll By. Hart was a closeted homosexual, something they couldn't exactly discuss in 1948. He did have problems with his relationships...with men. Richard Rodgers, who was consulted on the film, was well-known for being a control freak and a bit of a jerk. He was nothing like the blandly attractive Drake. Hart was actually witty and soft-spoken, very different from the brash and energetic Rooney. Drake's romances mid-way through the film feel almost as manufactured as most of the second half of Clouds Roll By. His attempt to woo the ladies just isn't that interesting.
Once again, there's no attempts whatsoever to represent the clothes of time period accurately. It looks like 1948 for the entire movie, including in the 20's in the opening.
The Big Picture: Same deal here. If you're a big fan of Rodgers and Hart or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, you'll find a lot to enjoy if you can ignore the inaccuracies.
Home Media: Currently available on DVD and several streaming companies.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Monday, May 27, 2019
Happy Memorial Day! - On the Town
MGM, 1949
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen
Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens; Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
We're honoring Memorial Day and those who fought and died for our country with a story of the adventures of three sailors on leave in a wacky New York City. This would be the third and final pairing of Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, and their second movie together about sailors on shore leave. It was a huge hit in 1949, but how does it measure up nowadays? Let's join those sailors as they disembark their ship and find out...
The Story: Chip (Sinatra), Gabey (Kelly), and Ozzie (Munshin) are in New York for a day of adventure. Ozzie and Gabey intend to pursue glamorous women, while Chip just wants to see the sights. Gabey sees a poster of New York's Miss Turnstiles for the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), on the subway and falls in love at first sight. He takes the poster, prompting the cops to come after them for damaging property. The trio split up, searching for the elusive Ivy all over town. Chip finds cab driver Hildy Ezerhay (Betty Garrett), who'd rather he came up to her place than see all the sights in his dated guidebook. Ozzie falls for anthropologist Claire Huddesen (Ann Miller) at the Museum of Natural History, but he knocks over a dinosaur, sending them off and more cops after them.
Gabey does finally find Ivy practicing at Symphonic Hall. She tries to act aloof at first, but eventually agrees to a date with him that night. The trio and their ladies meet at the Empire State Building for triple date to several nightclubs. Gabey's upset when Ivy takes off. Hildy tries to replace her with her sniffly roommate Lucy Schmeeler (Alice Pearce), but when Gabey discovers that Ivy's working at Coney Island, they all end up following her there.
The Song and Dance: The first musical to shoot on location (if just briefly in the beginning and end), On the Town is a joyous romp with fun performances from just about everyone. Kelly and Vera-Ellen are warm and charming as the gob who wants to date a pretty girl and the girl who thinks she has to show off for him. Garrett's hilarious as the woman cab driver with more than driving a guy around town on her mind.
Favorite Number: Two of the ballets from the original Broadway On the Town made it here, the funny "Miss Turnstiles" that shows what Gabey hopes his fantasy girl looks like, and "A Day In New York," which pretty much reprises Gabey's storyline up to that point. Garrett tries to get Sinatra up to her apartment in one of the few songs retained from the original show, "Come On Up to My Place." The title number is an exuberant romp for the leads on the Empire State Building when they're about to go out for the night. Miller and Munshin have a great time describing "Prehistoric Man" at the museum.
Trivia: Kelly and Donen had to do a lot of talking to convince MGM to let them shoot in the real New York; MGM figured they'd be fine on the lot. They filmed in vans to block groupies from chasing Sinatra.
The original Broadway show debuted in 1944, and was one of the first major projects of Comden, Green, and Bernstein. It's been revived three times in New York since then, most recently in 2014.
What I Don't Like: I really wish Edens wasn't so against Bernstein's original score. Some of the songs are gorgeous, and it's disappointing that they weren't used. Most of his replacements are a bit bland. While I appreciate the historic location filming, the very real shots of the guys in New York makes the sets used in the rest of the movie look that much more fake.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of any of the cast, ballet on film, or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, this is a classic favorite that's worth going on the town to check out.
Home Media: As one of the most popular Golden Age MGM musicals, this is easily found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin, and Vera-Ellen
Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Music by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens; Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
We're honoring Memorial Day and those who fought and died for our country with a story of the adventures of three sailors on leave in a wacky New York City. This would be the third and final pairing of Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, and their second movie together about sailors on shore leave. It was a huge hit in 1949, but how does it measure up nowadays? Let's join those sailors as they disembark their ship and find out...
The Story: Chip (Sinatra), Gabey (Kelly), and Ozzie (Munshin) are in New York for a day of adventure. Ozzie and Gabey intend to pursue glamorous women, while Chip just wants to see the sights. Gabey sees a poster of New York's Miss Turnstiles for the month, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), on the subway and falls in love at first sight. He takes the poster, prompting the cops to come after them for damaging property. The trio split up, searching for the elusive Ivy all over town. Chip finds cab driver Hildy Ezerhay (Betty Garrett), who'd rather he came up to her place than see all the sights in his dated guidebook. Ozzie falls for anthropologist Claire Huddesen (Ann Miller) at the Museum of Natural History, but he knocks over a dinosaur, sending them off and more cops after them.
Gabey does finally find Ivy practicing at Symphonic Hall. She tries to act aloof at first, but eventually agrees to a date with him that night. The trio and their ladies meet at the Empire State Building for triple date to several nightclubs. Gabey's upset when Ivy takes off. Hildy tries to replace her with her sniffly roommate Lucy Schmeeler (Alice Pearce), but when Gabey discovers that Ivy's working at Coney Island, they all end up following her there.
The Song and Dance: The first musical to shoot on location (if just briefly in the beginning and end), On the Town is a joyous romp with fun performances from just about everyone. Kelly and Vera-Ellen are warm and charming as the gob who wants to date a pretty girl and the girl who thinks she has to show off for him. Garrett's hilarious as the woman cab driver with more than driving a guy around town on her mind.
Favorite Number: Two of the ballets from the original Broadway On the Town made it here, the funny "Miss Turnstiles" that shows what Gabey hopes his fantasy girl looks like, and "A Day In New York," which pretty much reprises Gabey's storyline up to that point. Garrett tries to get Sinatra up to her apartment in one of the few songs retained from the original show, "Come On Up to My Place." The title number is an exuberant romp for the leads on the Empire State Building when they're about to go out for the night. Miller and Munshin have a great time describing "Prehistoric Man" at the museum.
Trivia: Kelly and Donen had to do a lot of talking to convince MGM to let them shoot in the real New York; MGM figured they'd be fine on the lot. They filmed in vans to block groupies from chasing Sinatra.
The original Broadway show debuted in 1944, and was one of the first major projects of Comden, Green, and Bernstein. It's been revived three times in New York since then, most recently in 2014.
What I Don't Like: I really wish Edens wasn't so against Bernstein's original score. Some of the songs are gorgeous, and it's disappointing that they weren't used. Most of his replacements are a bit bland. While I appreciate the historic location filming, the very real shots of the guys in New York makes the sets used in the rest of the movie look that much more fake.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of any of the cast, ballet on film, or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, this is a classic favorite that's worth going on the town to check out.
Home Media: As one of the most popular Golden Age MGM musicals, this is easily found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Neptune's Daughter
MGM, 1949
Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett, and Red Skelton
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
The controversy over the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" during the recent holiday season and the advent of colder weather in my part of the US has inspired me pull out this one. The song and the movie were major hits in 1949. "Cold Outside" actually won the Oscar for Best Song that year. Does this movie flow along swimmingly, or does it unravel like an old bathing suit? Let's float along to Southern California to see for ourselves...
The Story: Joe Backett (Keenan Wynn), a partner in a swimsuit-designing firm, convinces champion swimmer Eve Barrett (Williams) to give up her amateur status and join the company. She becomes one of their top models and even designs her own line of popular bathing suits. Her sister Betty (Garrett) is more interested in the arrival of a South American polo team and their handsome star, Jose O'Rourke (Montalban). Betty meets what she thinks is O'Rourke, but is really Jack Sprat (Skelton), the team's clumsy masseur, who is pretending to be O'Rourke - and South American - in order to be more magnetic to women.
Sprat's attempts to woo Betty work too well. Eve thinks the real Jose is after her sister, and tells him as much when she sees him at the swimsuit factory. He's more interested in wooing her. Joe, who has a crush on her, would prefer she didn't woo anybody and focused on work. Eve agrees to date Jose only to keep him from dating her sister, but she ends up falling for him.
Meanwhile, gangster Lukie Luzette (Ted de Costa) has bet big money on the polo game and orders his men to kidnap Jose and keep the South American team from winning. They initially kidnap the wrong Jose, grabbing Jack instead. After they do find the real Jose, Betty has to get Jack on a horse and lead the team to victory and pair her sister up with the right man at her swimming ballet show.
The Song and Dance: A great cast works out nicely in this tropical-themed romp. Montalban is one of Esther Williams' few leading men who seems just as relaxed in the water as she does and looks fetching in a polo uniform. Garrett and Skelton have a great time together as the man-crazy sister and the masseur who just wants a girl, any girl, to like him. This is also one of the rare times we get to see a live-action Mel Blanc as Skelton's buddy Pancho. The Technicolor cinematography is gorgeous - check out the swimsuit fashion show halfway through or the big water ballet in the finale.
The sudden gangster plot seems a bit out of left-field, but it does add some needed excitement to the second half. It gives the movie a lift beyond the usual romantic comedy plots of most of Williams' other films and allows Skelton to have fun on horseback.
Favorite Number: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was the hit of the film and is probably it's most famous number, and it doesn't disappoint. We actually get the innuendo from both genders - first Jose performs it for a reluctant Eve, then Betty uses it to try to get Jack to hang around.
This movie's two best numbers don't need any words to astonish. Xaviar Cugat and His Orchestra provide the music for "Jungle Rhumba," an amazing tropical dance routine for the chorus, while Williams and Montalban perform the unnamed water ballet in the finale that involves colored lights under the surface and fabric rolling across the water.
Trivia: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was a last-minute addition. The song originally intended for that number was "Slow Boat to China," but the censors didn't like some of the lyrics. Ironically, it went on to become a pop hit on it's own.
What I Don't Like: I feel sorry for poor Joe. He really loved Eve, and not only did her relationship with Jose seem kind of sudden, he did act kind of smarmy with her, especially in the first half. I almost wish she'd let Betty have Jack, sent Jose back to South America, and kept Joe and the business. In fact, most people will likely be less offended by "Cold Outside" (at least it lets both genders in on the innuendo) and more by Blanc's stereotypical Mexican. (And I can't be the only one who sees Speedy Gonzolez every time Blanc opens his mouth.)
While the plot isn't quite as thin as some of Williams' other vehicles, it does lose steam mid-way through. The whole mistaken identity thing becomes wearisome and a bit boring by the end of the movie, and the gangsters suddenly turn up in the last act for no reason other than to give Skelton a reason to goof around on the polo court.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast, Loesser, or Williams' other vehicles, or want to know where "Baby It's Cold Outside" came from, this is worth seeing for the two dance routines and "Cold Outside" alone.
Home Media: At press time, this one is only available as part of two Esther Williams/TCM DVD collections and on several streaming platforms.
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One
DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Films: Legends - Esther Williams Vol. 2
Google Play
Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett, and Red Skelton
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
The controversy over the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" during the recent holiday season and the advent of colder weather in my part of the US has inspired me pull out this one. The song and the movie were major hits in 1949. "Cold Outside" actually won the Oscar for Best Song that year. Does this movie flow along swimmingly, or does it unravel like an old bathing suit? Let's float along to Southern California to see for ourselves...
The Story: Joe Backett (Keenan Wynn), a partner in a swimsuit-designing firm, convinces champion swimmer Eve Barrett (Williams) to give up her amateur status and join the company. She becomes one of their top models and even designs her own line of popular bathing suits. Her sister Betty (Garrett) is more interested in the arrival of a South American polo team and their handsome star, Jose O'Rourke (Montalban). Betty meets what she thinks is O'Rourke, but is really Jack Sprat (Skelton), the team's clumsy masseur, who is pretending to be O'Rourke - and South American - in order to be more magnetic to women.
Sprat's attempts to woo Betty work too well. Eve thinks the real Jose is after her sister, and tells him as much when she sees him at the swimsuit factory. He's more interested in wooing her. Joe, who has a crush on her, would prefer she didn't woo anybody and focused on work. Eve agrees to date Jose only to keep him from dating her sister, but she ends up falling for him.
Meanwhile, gangster Lukie Luzette (Ted de Costa) has bet big money on the polo game and orders his men to kidnap Jose and keep the South American team from winning. They initially kidnap the wrong Jose, grabbing Jack instead. After they do find the real Jose, Betty has to get Jack on a horse and lead the team to victory and pair her sister up with the right man at her swimming ballet show.
The Song and Dance: A great cast works out nicely in this tropical-themed romp. Montalban is one of Esther Williams' few leading men who seems just as relaxed in the water as she does and looks fetching in a polo uniform. Garrett and Skelton have a great time together as the man-crazy sister and the masseur who just wants a girl, any girl, to like him. This is also one of the rare times we get to see a live-action Mel Blanc as Skelton's buddy Pancho. The Technicolor cinematography is gorgeous - check out the swimsuit fashion show halfway through or the big water ballet in the finale.
The sudden gangster plot seems a bit out of left-field, but it does add some needed excitement to the second half. It gives the movie a lift beyond the usual romantic comedy plots of most of Williams' other films and allows Skelton to have fun on horseback.
Favorite Number: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was the hit of the film and is probably it's most famous number, and it doesn't disappoint. We actually get the innuendo from both genders - first Jose performs it for a reluctant Eve, then Betty uses it to try to get Jack to hang around.
This movie's two best numbers don't need any words to astonish. Xaviar Cugat and His Orchestra provide the music for "Jungle Rhumba," an amazing tropical dance routine for the chorus, while Williams and Montalban perform the unnamed water ballet in the finale that involves colored lights under the surface and fabric rolling across the water.
Trivia: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was a last-minute addition. The song originally intended for that number was "Slow Boat to China," but the censors didn't like some of the lyrics. Ironically, it went on to become a pop hit on it's own.
What I Don't Like: I feel sorry for poor Joe. He really loved Eve, and not only did her relationship with Jose seem kind of sudden, he did act kind of smarmy with her, especially in the first half. I almost wish she'd let Betty have Jack, sent Jose back to South America, and kept Joe and the business. In fact, most people will likely be less offended by "Cold Outside" (at least it lets both genders in on the innuendo) and more by Blanc's stereotypical Mexican. (And I can't be the only one who sees Speedy Gonzolez every time Blanc opens his mouth.)
While the plot isn't quite as thin as some of Williams' other vehicles, it does lose steam mid-way through. The whole mistaken identity thing becomes wearisome and a bit boring by the end of the movie, and the gangsters suddenly turn up in the last act for no reason other than to give Skelton a reason to goof around on the polo court.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast, Loesser, or Williams' other vehicles, or want to know where "Baby It's Cold Outside" came from, this is worth seeing for the two dance routines and "Cold Outside" alone.
Home Media: At press time, this one is only available as part of two Esther Williams/TCM DVD collections and on several streaming platforms.
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One
DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Films: Legends - Esther Williams Vol. 2
Google Play
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