Musicals On TV - Our Town (1955)

NBC, 1955

Starring Frank Sinatra, Eva Marie Saint, Paul Newman, and Paul Hartman

Directed by Delbert Mann

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

We celebrate our second week of All-American Weekdays with two very different TV musicals set in the early 1900's. Thornton Wilder's Our Town originally debuted on Broadway in 1938, where it was an instant success with its unique depiction of fifteen years in a typical New Hampshire town during the early 1900's. It even won the Pulitzer for drama that year. That very simplicity made it an odd choice for musical treatment, but NBC dusted it off anyway for its Producers' Showcase and front-loaded it with some of the biggest stars of the time, including Sinatra. How does this powerful exploration of life, love, and memory look as a musical? Let's begin with Sinatra, our Stage Manager, as he introduces us to the people of Grover's Corners and tells us their eventual fate and find out...

The Story: We follow neighbors Emily Webb (Saint) and George Gibbs (Newman) from their impatient teen years through their marriage, and her eventual death on the birth of their second child. She's reluctant to leave her life behind, until she's able to see her 12th birthday and realizes what she missed then and how beautiful life and love are. Meanwhile, the Stage Manager introduces the rest of the town, letting us know these people and see their charming, full everyday lives.

The Song and Dance: This may be far from the first play I'd think of adapting for a musical, but darned if they don't pull it off. The cast alone makes it worth seeing. Saint is utterly luminous as the young woman who goes from young girl yearning for love to hopeful bride to woman who discovers in death just how precious life is. Sylvia Field is charmingly bossy as George's mother, and Shelly Fabares is adorable as his younger sister. The score is also excellent, and even tossed off a standard, "Love and Marriage." Period-accurate costumes work well with the minimal sets.

The Numbers: Sinatra opens with "Our Town," and introduces us to the residents of "Grover's Corners." He first performs "The Impatient Years" while Emily and George court and tease each other behind him. They perform it later, as they recall the events leading up to their wedding. Sinatra introduces the standard "Love and Marriage" during the start of the second act, as silhouettes of Emily and George's playful courtship are seen behind him. The cast says "Wasn't It a Wonderful Wedding?" as George and Emily delight in being married. Sinatra initially sings "Look To Your Heart," but Emily picks it up in the finale as she realizes just how the little things in life mean so much.

Trivia: "Love and Marriage" would be the biggest hit written for a TV musical. It's now likely best-known for being used as the theme for the late 80's-90's sitcom Married With Children. 

Originally filmed in color, the surviving kinetoscope is in black and white. 

What I Don't Like: Newman is overage for his role and under-rehearsed...but to give him some credit, he was apparently a last-minute replacement for James Dean. More worrying is Sinatra is pretty much the only singer in the cast. Saint can carry a tune well enough to at least somewhat manage "Listen to Your Heart," but Newman definitely can't. Sinatra may sing "Love and Marriage" with aplomb, but his Hoboken street-wise persona does seem a tad out of place in early 1900's New Hampshire.

The Big Finale: Even the terrible copy currently on YouTube is worth seeing if you love the cast, 50's musicals, or want to see where "Love and Marriage" came from.

Home Media: And that blurry, washed-out black and white copy is currently the only way to see this one.

YouTube

A Salute to TCM - It Happened In Brooklyn

MGM, 1947

Starring Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, and Kathryn Grayson

Directed by Richard Whorf

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Our first two reviews this week are in honor of cable channel Turner Classic Movies, who celebrate their 30th anniversary this month. TCM began as a way for Turner Broadcasting to show off its enormous catalog of vintage movies from MGM, Warner Bros, and RKO without commercial interruption. They became known for their unique interstile segments, their use of indie rock and jazz music in their station promotions, and for showing older films uncut and in widescreen before this was common on home media. 

They're also known for returning many lesser-known and neglected films to the public eye, including this small-scale musical from MGM. How does this sweet story of three talented friends in New York who search for fame while helping a teen in need look today? Let's begin in England, as Danny Miller (Sinatra) waits to go home to Brooklyn, and find out...

The Story: Danny does finally make it there, only to run headlong into the post-war housing shortage. Nick Lombardi, the kindly janitor for his old high school, gives him a room in the basement with him. He first meets music teacher Anne Fielding (Grayson) there. She doesn't share his positive outlook or his feelings about New York. She tried to become an opera singer, with no success, and ended up at the school instead. Also turning up at the school is Jamie Shellgrove (Lawford), a shy young Englishman whom Danny met before he left London. His grandfather thought Danny could show Jamie how to really live.

Jamie and Danny are too shy to try for a music career themselves. Danny initially ends up as a shipping clerk in a music shop, until Nick helps him to audition. He then adds words to Jamie's music, turning his funeral march into a lovely ballad. All three argue in favor of a teen in Anne's class (Billy Roy) for a music scholarship, but he's just a half-year too young. They end up getting him to give a concert in the music shop in order to show everyone in Brooklyn what he can do. Meanwhile, Danny is in love with Anne, but she's more interested in Jamie. He loves her, too, but doesn't want to hurt Danny's feelings.

The Song and Dance: I first saw this movie on TCM in college around 2001 and really enjoyed it. It's delightfully sweet and unpretentious for an MGM musical of the 40's and 50's. The black and white cinematography and Whorf's intimate direction gives it the feel of some of the better 50's sitcoms. It also has a surprisingly good score for one of MGM's smaller titles, including the standards "I Believe" and "Time After Time." 

While Sinatra and Lawford are adorable as the shy guys who try to work on breaking out of their shells, it's Durante who dances off with the movie. He's hilarious, whether explaining the post-war housing situation to Sinatra or joining Sinatra to help cheer up one of the kids at the school (Bobby Long). Sinatra even does a credible imitation of him in "Song's Gotta Come From the Heart." Look for Gloria Grahame in the beginning as a mouthy nurse who questions Danny being from Brooklyn. 

Favorite Number: We open with Danny briefly playing "Whose Baby are You?" in England on the piano. Jamie ends up having to encore the number at the music shop in Brooklyn for a group of swing-crazed teenagers. Sinatra sings "The Brooklyn Bridge" on the actual Brooklyn Bridge when he arrives home. He, Grayson, and her students turn a Bach song into "Invention Number 1" during a class. Danny and Nick encourage Johnny with "I Believe," as they remind him that there are many things we can't see, but still have faith in. Likewise, Nick encourages Danny to audition at the music shop by reminding him that "The Song's Got to Come From the Heart." Danny sings "It's the Same Old Dream" as a typical ballad...but teen singers the Starlighters aren't impressed and do their own swing version.

The big hit here was "Time After Time," which is first heard performed by Danny after he adds words to Jamie's music. Anne gets to do her own lovely rendition later when Danny announces that the music shop intends to publish it. Anne and Danny sing the opera duet "La Ci Darem La Mano" from Don Giovanni while out to dinner; Jamie accompanies them on piano. Near the end of the movie, Anne imagines herself performing the difficult "Bell Song" from Lakme in a fully-staged version of the opera. 

Trivia: That's a 17-year-old Andre Previn playing all of the piano solos in the film, including the one in the finale that cements that scholarship. 

Despite singing and dancing so well in "I Believe," Bobby Long apparently dropped out of show business shortly after the film's release and would join the Navy from 1951 to 1955.

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, this is not for those who prefer their musicals on the big, bold, and brassy side. It's small and quiet for a musical from this era. It's not even filmed in color. Grayson's first opera duet with Sinatra is cute, but her big fantasy "Bell Song" sequence late in the film comes totally out of left field and is never mentioned again. It was probably added to give Grayson more to do and show off her soprano. The producer was right that she can come off as a cold fish compared to the guys, even after she's supposedly thawed later in the movie. The story can come off as cutesy and trite, especially in the second half, when they're trying to help the teen get his scholarship. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the four leads or are looking for a smaller-scale MGM musical, this is an underrated charmer that's worth buying the Brooklyn Bridge for. 

Home Media: On streaming and DVD, the latter currently from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Higher and Higher (1944)

RKO, 1944

Starring Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan, and Leon Errol

Directed by Tim Whalen

Music and Lyrics by various

This began life on Broadway in 1940 as a rare flop for Rodgers and Hart. RKO bought it and turned it into Sinatra's second movie and a vehicle for him and dancer Haley. By this point, Sinatra's star had already started to rise, and he looked like a clear threat to the popularity of older crooners like Bing Crosby. We get an even younger crooner, Mel Torme, here as well. How does this twist on the Cinderella tale of a servant who discovers where she belongs fare today? Let's begin with all the servants of millionaire piano manufacturer Cyrus Drake (Errol) going about their daily duties in song and find out...

The Story: They won't have those duties for much longer. Cyril is broke. He's in bankruptcy, and the courts may foreclose on his home. With Cyril's family on a long trip overseas, they form a "corporation" to turn pretty scullery maid Millie (Morgan) into the spitting image of his daughter Pamela Drake and have her marry rich. They choose wealthy Sir Victor Fitzroy Victor (Victor Borge) as the man for her. Millie is really more interested in Cyril's valet Mike O'Brian (Haley), but she does find handsome crooner Frank Sinatra (himself) attractive. So does Katherine Keating (Barbara Hale), the real debutante daughter of a friend of the Drake family. Mike thinks Millie wants Sinatra, but the others push her towards Victor. Millie has to decide what she really wants, and if she's really willing to go to the alter in the name of money.

The Song and Dance: This turned out to be way more fun than I figured from the B-level cast and small production. Sinatra's still a little stiff, but he's obviously much happier playing himself than he was a writer in Step Lively that same year. Errol and Mary Wickes have delightful moments as the desperate millionaire who will do anything to get back into easy riches and the social secretary who just wants to keep her job. 

Lovely Morgan is especially charming as the scullery maid who only wants to marry the man of her dreams. She gets her own hilarious moment at the ball when she can't figure out how to make a speech and blurts random lines out. There's some gorgeous gowns once they send Millie into high society, especially during the "Butler's Ball" where the two competing debs announce their sponsorship. And I have to admire the creative ending and how they do finally get Drake out of hock. It's also nice to see performers like Borge and dancers Paul and Grace Hartman who rarely made movies. 

Favorite Number: Sinatra naturally gets to croon several gorgeous ballads, including two hits, "The Music Stopped" and the Oscar-nominated "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night." Both are performed with Dooley Wilson, as the family's chauffeur and house pianist. He also gets a funny number with besotted pre-teen maid Marcy McGuire, who claims "I Saw You First" while chasing him around the house and his bike.

We even get three nice chorus routines for the family. The movie opens with "It's a Most Important Affair," as the servants do their duty all around the house to prepare their employer for his evening on the town. "Today I'm a Debutante" and "Disgustingly Rich" are the numbers where Mike convinces everyone to "incorporate" and turn Millie into a high society beauty. Wilson tells Mel Torme and McGuire that "You're On Your Own" in love. It eventually spreads to the entire household, including the two sets of lovers going for a walk in the garden. 

Trivia: This was Sinatra's first and last time playing himself in a film, and Borge's first and last time playing someone other than himself in a film. It's also Mel Torme's first movie. 

"Disgustingly Rich" is the only remaining Rodgers-Hart song from the original show, which barely lasted a month in 1940. It did manage to toss off a standard despite the short run, "It Never Entered My Mind."

Morgan was dubbed by Martha Mears.

What I Don't Like: First of all, Errol, Borge, and Haley are wasted in roles that barely require them to do much dancing or comic piano-playing. Torme only sings in the chorus numbers with the servants, too, and never in a solo. Second, while admittedly the score here is said to actually be better than the one in the original stage show, they couldn't have at least retained "It Never Entered My Mind" for Sinatra? Not to mention, they supposedly changed the plot to shoehorn Sinatra in, too. It does feel like one man too many is after Millie. There's also that fluffy plot. The "corporation" behaves like a pack of wolves after a bone, and it does get a little annoying until Mike stops the whole thing during the wedding. 

The Big Finale: Charming surprise is worth a look if you're a big fan of Sinatra, romantic comedies, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Step Lively

RKO, 1944

Starring Frank Sinatra, George Murphy, Gloria DeHaven, and Adolph Menjou

Directed by Tim Whalen

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Frank Sinatra got his start in movies as a singer with Tommy Dorsey's band or a side character. This is the first film where he got star billing. RKO intended to build him up as a major star, borrowing George Murphy and Gloria DeHaven from MGM to partner him in this remake of the 1938 non-musical farce Room Service. How does this very stage-bound play work as a musical? To find out, we begin in the lobby of the hotel where producer/director Gordon Miller (Murphy) is rehearsing his new musical show, and see just how wild a remake can get...

The Story: The trouble is, Miller's broke. He's living off credit, and hotel manager Joe Gribble (Walter Sleazak) is tired of feeding the hungry actors trooping into his room. Head manager Wagner (Menjou) wants them out yesterday, or at least to pay their bills. Miller is facing being kicked to the sidewalk until playwright Glenn Russell (Sinatra) turns up, demanding to know if Miller's producing his play. Miller doesn't remember his play...but he does discover Russell has a golden voice, which he's used to earn money on the side. He first sends his leading lady Christine Marlowe (DeHaven) to turn on the charm and convince him to join them. That works too well. Now they have to keep Wagner off their backs long enough for the representative of their backer (Eugene Pallatte) to see what they can do...and keep an excited secretary (Anne Jeffreys) from chasing Russell.

The Song and Dance: Lively little farce shows off everyone to best advantage. Despite Sinatra's top billing, Murphy is the one who really dominates the lunacy. As the producer who will do anything to stay in the hotel long enough to sell their show, he's perpetually in motion, so fast that he's already coming up with the next big idea while the previous one is still going. DeHaven has a great time vamping it up for Sinatra, before Christine realizes that she's falling for the sweet scribe, and Jeffreys makes the most of her short screen time as the secretary who's nuts about Glenn's singing. The supporting cast has even more fun, especially Menjou as the frustrated hotel manager who can never keep up with Miller's scheming. 

Favorite Number: "Where Does Love Begin?" gets two good outings, as DeHaven and the chorus rehearse it in the hotel room in the beginning, and later between Jeffreys and Sinatra as he tries to dodge her advances. Sinatra performs "As Long As There's Music" several times, notably in the beginning when he's showing off what he can do for Murphy. "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are" begins with Sinatra and DeHaven on a balcony, gradually turning into a huge Busby Berkeley-style routine with black-and-white-clad swirling around them as their colors change in time to the music. 

What I Don't Like: Sinatra was a lot more relaxed in comedies by the 50's and 60's, but at this point, he was new at acting and stiff as a board. Neither he nor Murphy can make anyone forget the Marx Brothers from the original Room Service, and DeHaven's no Lucille Ball, either. Jeffreys later became a popular performer on stage and TV and was certainly capable of a lot more than chasing Sinatra around.

Despite the attempts to open up the story with the musical numbers, it's pretty obvious this started out as a stage play. Sinatra and Jeffreys' song is the only one that moves the plot along, and the book scenes are stage-bound and a bit static. Miller's constant lying and yelling and conning and all the craziness gets wearisome after a while.

The Big Finale: Energetic bit of "B" fluff if you love farce or are a big Sinatra fan.

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD from the Warner Archives and on streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

High Society

MGM, 1956

Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm

Directed by Charles Walters

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Let's return to the US for another romantic comedy, this one a bit more down-to-earth. The Philadelphia Story debuted on Broadway in 1939 as a vehicle for Katherine Hepburn. She appeared in the film version a year later, with Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. MGM returned to the material in 1956, this time with Kelly in Hepburn's role of the society beauty who learns a lesson in humility from her ex-husband and two tabloid journalists. How does this retelling fare now? Let's join Louis Armstrong and his band on the road to Newport, Rhode Island, and find out...

The Story: Tracy Samantha Lord (Kelly) wants everything to be absolutely perfect for her upcoming wedding to prominent mining executive George Kitteredge (John Lund). That includes keeping out her ex-husband C.K Dexter-Haven (Crosby). He lives next door, where he's organizing a jazz festival that includes Armstrong and his band. Tracy's little sister Caroline (Lydia Reed) and her mother (Margalo Gilmore) adore Dexter, but Tracy thinks his songwriting is vulgar.

She's even more offended when journalists Liz Imbrie (Holm) and Mike Connor (Sinatra) from tabloid magazine Spy also arrive at the party. Their editor wants them to take pictures of the wedding in exchange for not printing a salacious article on Tracy's divorced father (Sidney Blackmer). They don't think much of Tracy or her wedding at first, especially once Tracy and her family try to appear affected and silly to get rid of them. Drunk on champagne, Tracy first takes Mike to her uncle's house to explain that the rich have their own problems, then winds up in his arms at the party the night before her wedding. Now Tracy has to figure out which man she really loves...and realize that she wants to be a lot more than an ice goddess to be admired.

The Song and Dance: One of my favorite Cole Porter movie scores highlights this brittle confection. Kelly does better with Tracy in ice goddess mode in the beginning than the fluttery young woman who is brought down to earth by a supposed indiscretion. Sinatra isn't bad either as the skeptical reporter who learns that the rich have their problems, too. Love the gorgeous costumes, a variable 50's fashion plate in a riot of soft sherbets and florals and floaty tulle for the ladies and smart dark suits for the men.  

Favorite Number: We start off with Armstrong giving us an explanation of what we're about to see and what happened with Tracy and Dexter's marriage in the rollicking opening number "High Society Calypso." Dexter delights Tracy's smitten little sister Caroline with the lilting ballad "Little One." Caroline is so charmed, she promptly declares them engaged. Mike and Liz make their own comment on the veddy rich as they admire Tracy's wedding gifts and ask "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Dexter introduces Armstrong and his band in "Now You Has Jazz." Mike and Dexter make their own commentary on the scandals of the rich, including Tracy, in "Well, Did You Evah!" 

The hit song was "True Love," a gentle ballad that turns up in a flashback near the middle of the film. Tracy recalls her honeymoon with Dexter after he gives her a model version of their yacht the True Love. Crosby sings with Kelly laying back on him, and even she tosses in a few decent lines.

Trivia: Last film for Grace Kelly and Louis Calhern. After she made this movie, Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. Kelly wore her actual engagement ring during the film. 

What I Don't Like: For all the color and terrific music, the movie frequently lacks the sparkle of its predecessor The Philadelphia Story. Crosby is too laid-back to suggest a husband desperate to get back into his wife's good graces, and Kelly is a much better ice queen than she is a goddess who has fallen off her pedestal. Wish they could have integrated Louie Armstrong and his band better, too. They have two of the film's best numbers, including that great opening. 

The Big Finale: The terrific songs alone makes it necessary for fans of the cast, Porter, or the MGM musicals of the 1950's. 

Home Media: As one of the more popular MGM musicals, this is very easily found on DVD or streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - That's Entertainment, Part 2

MGM, 1976

Starring Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly

Directed by Gene Kelly

Music and Lyrics by various

That's Entertainment! was such a smash, MGM began a follow-up almost immediately. Unlike the first film, it only featured two hosts...but considering they were Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, two of the best-known and most beloved dancers in the history of film, they were all it needed. Archivists once again dove into the MGM vaults, not only for musical sequences, but for scenes from dramas and comedies featuring popular stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. How does this mix look today? Let's begin with Astaire and Kelly, as they introduce a sequence from The Band Wagon, and find out...

The Story: Two of the most famous dancers in films introduce a series of sequences from MGM films of the late 1920's through the early 60's. Among the subjects they discuss are black-and-white musicals, comedy teams and their work at the studio, musicals set in Paris, how musicals have depicted songwriting over the years, Frank Sinatra's career at MGM, and Kathrine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's work as a team. 

The Song and Dance: And for all the comic and non-musical sequences, "song and dance" are the operative words here. This is the second and last time Astaire and Kelly would dance together. Kelly was 64 when he made this film and Astaire turned 77 shortly after filming, but you'd never know it from watching them dance together. They were good friends in real-life and are obviously enjoying the opportunity to work together. Kelly was right that their dances literally keep the film moving, more than a host standing in front of a set could. 

Of the non-musical segments, my favorite by far was almost the entire stateroom sequence from Night at the Opera. You can never go wrong with The Marx Brothers. The Hepburn-Tracy montage, showing off their equally fascinating appearances in comedies and dramas, is also well-done. 

Favorite Number: We kick things off with the title number from The Band Wagon, joining sequences from other films that illustrate the lyrics as Astaire, Oscar Levant, Jack Buchanon, and Nanette Fabray clown and show off their own world of entertainment. Greta Garbo gets a rare chance to wriggle to the instrumental dance number "Chica Choca" in her last film Two-Faced Woman. Judy Garland introduces one of her signature songs, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," in the 1938 comedy Listen, Darling. Jimmy Durante gives us his own signature song "Inka Dinka Doo" in the 1944 film Two Girls and a Sailor. 

Trivia: This was the last time Fred Astaire danced on-screen, though he continued appearing in films through 1981. Gene Kelly's last time dancing on-screen would be in the 1980 cult flop Xanadu. 

Hanna-Barbara did the brief animated sequence. Saul Bass designed the imaginative opening credits that homages the various styles of credits in MGM movies of the 30's through the 50's. 

What I Don't Like: Astaire and Kelly's narration is a little better than the gushing hosts in the first movie, but it's still a little stiff. Not to mention, this admittedly misses the nostalgia factor of seeing all those major stars together in one film. The giant rainbow-colored blocks behind the men for most of their sequences look more like a kid dropped their blocks than the sets for a major documentary...especially compared to Gene's elegant segment in the real Paris. As much as I love Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, and others, I really wish they'd focused entirely on musicals again. The comedy and drama sequences feel more than a little out of place. 

And once again, there's the fact that you can find almost all of these films on DVD, Blu-Ray, or streaming now, some of them quite easily.

The Big Finale: If you love the two hosts, the first film, or are looking for more background music at home or work, this one is definitely worth checking out. 

Home Media: Same deal here - the individual DVD is out of print, but the Blu-Ray set for the full series is available, and it's on streaming. 

DVD

Blu-Ray - That's Entertainment!: The Complete Collection

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - That's Entertainment!

MGM, 1974

Hosted by Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more

Directed by Jack Haley Jr.

Music and Lyrics by various

The tagline for this one in 1974 ran "Boy, do we need it now!" And we still need it now, more than ever. Yes, I know most of these movies are on DVD and video or turn up frequently on TCM, but there's just something satisfying about seeing them all here, with the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood who actually appeared in them talking about their work. By 1974, MGM was on the way to demolishing its famous backlot. Jack Haley Jr. wanted it to go out in a blaze of glory...and he more than succeeded. Let's start on the lot with Sinatra and go way back to the beginning...of sound in movies and film musicals...and see just how much fun these numbers are after all these years...

The Story: The stars of the MGM musicals of the 1930's, 40's, and 50's talk about the history of musical film, the rise of MGM, and how MGM became synonymous with sumptuous, crowd-pleasing musicals until the studios began to disintegrate in the late 50's. Your hosts for this evening:

Frank Sinatra discusses the early talkie musicals, Eleanor Powell's vehicles, and the black-and-white musicals of the 30's and 40's.

Elizabeth Taylor discusses the musicals of the later 40's and early 50's and her involvement with them.

Peter Lawford discusses how the MGM studio system worked, how he occasionally ended up in musicals despite not really being a great singer or dancer, and the "teen musicals" featuring young talent in the late 40's and early 50's. 

James Stewart returns us to the early talkie era to discuss performers who, like Lawford, were thrown awkwardly into musicals, from Robert Montgomery to Clark Gable to his own (better than he'd admit) performance of "Easy to Love" in Born to Dance.

Mickey Rooney discusses his close friendship with Judy Garland, their famous series of "barnyard musicals," and the director who worked on them - Busby Berkeley.

Gene Kelly discusses Fred Astaire's career, including their first of two times dancing together in Ziegfeld Follies. 

Donald O'Connor discusses Esther Williams and her swimming extravaganzas of the later 40's and 50's.

Debbie Reynolds discusses how she got started at MGM and the 1951 MGM version of Show Boat.

Fred Astaire discusses the career of his good friend Gene Kelly.

Liza Minelli discusses her mother Judy Garland's career at MGM.

Bing Crosby discusses his two MGM musicals and touches on the MGM films of the mid and late 50's, including Gigi, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Hit the Deck. 

Frank Sinatra returns to end with one of the crowning jewels of MGM musicals, "The American In Paris Ballet" from the Oscar-winning 1951 film of that title. 

The Song and Dance: You want big stars? You get them here. If nothing else, this is invaluable as a record of many of these stars late in their careers, and Minnelli early in hers. In fact, at this writing, Minnelli is the only host still alive today. It's even more valuable as a record of the crumbling MGM studio, right before it was demolished to build housing units (which are still there to this day). 

Most of all...if ever a movie could be described as "feel-good," the That's Entertainment documentaries fit the bill. Despite the tinge of melancholy with the fading backlot sets, you really do get a sense of how much fun - and hard work -went into these movies, and how beloved they were for audiences of the day and (most of) the people who made them.

Favorite Number: Clark Gable gets an "A" for effort for his goofy girls-and-hoofing routine to "Puttin' On the Ritz" from the otherwise non-musical drama Idiot's Delight. Even Jimmy Stewart called the number "delightfully corny." Cary Grant does so well with his "Did I Remember?" with Jean Harlow in the drama Suzy I wish he appeared in more flat-out musicals. Garland gets a rare chance to join up with teen soprano Deanna Durbin (who later joined Universal) in "Americana" from the short Every Sunday. A montage of colorful water ballets from Esther Williams movies may show the numbers to better advantage than her generally dull vehicles do. 

What I Don't Like: This is wonderful if you love MGM musicals like I do, but first of all, this being produced by MGM means you don't get the whole story. Other studios made musicals during the Golden Age of Hollywood, too. You miss hearing about Shirley Temple and the Fox Blondes, what happened to Deanna Durbin when she was picked up by Universal, Crosby's formative years at Paramount, and Rita Hayworth and the Columbia musicals of the 40's and 50's. Second, the hosts can frequently come off as too gushy, and other than Lawford's admittance to not being a willing participant in most of his musicals, don't really get into the darker side of the Studio System. (We'll hear more about that when Lena Horne hosts in That's Entertainment III.) 

Third, there are times, like when Minnelli discusses her generation "just beginning," when the movie doesn't really date very well. There's also the fact that almost all of these films can be found in full on DVD, Blu-Ray, streaming, and cable. You no longer need to tune into a documentary to catch the best of classic musical film. 

The Big Finale: Great background music if you love musicals like me, remember when this was huge in 1974, or are a big fan of the MGM musicals of the 30's, 40's, and 50's.

Home Media: Blu-Ray and streaming seems to be your best bet for the That's Entertainment films at the moment. The solo DVDs and original That's Entertainment DVD collection are out of print and expensive, but the Blu-Ray collection from the Warner Archives was re-released last August, and all three movies and That's Dancing can be found on streaming as well.

DVD

Blu-Ray - That's Entertainment: The Complete Collection

Amazon Prime

Happy 4th of July! - Take Me Out to the Ball Game

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

Can-Can

20th Century Fox, 1960
Starring Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier, and Louis Jordan
Directed by Walter Lang
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Let's take a trip to Paris in the late 1890's to forget our cares and enjoy a big, bright musical comedy. This Cole Porter hit did well enough on Broadway in 1953, where it introduced Gwen Verdon to audiences. It was enough of a hit for 20th Century Fox to adapt it to film seven years later as a vehicle for popular comedienne and dancer Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jordan coming off the success of Gigi, and Frank Sinatra. How does the story of a cafe owner who romances a judge in order to perform the scandalous dance in her establishment look now? We head to Montmartre, with it's colorful street life, to find out...

The Story: La Mome Pistache (MacLaine) runs a popular cafe in Montmartre where she performs the infamously leg-barring dance the Can-Can. Her lover and lawyer Francois Durnais (Sinatra) claims he has it all arranged, but the cafe is raided and her dancers arrested for indecency. Francois' friend Chief Magistrate Paul Barriere (Chevalier) tries to drop the charges, but his new colleague Judge Phillippe Forrestier (Jordan) truly thinks the Can-Can is indecent. He goes to the cafe under a different name the next night to find out for himself. Pistache tries to seduce him...and it works too well, as he falls for her.

After he arranges for another raid on the cafe, Francois tries to blackmail him with a photo of him in a compromising position. Turns out it's unnecessary. Phillippe has already dropped the charges and asked Pistache to marry him. She accepts his proposal, only to call it off after embarrassing herself getting drunk at a party on a boat. To get Francois back for plying her with liquor, she borrows money to hold a ball and signs the cafe over to Francois, only to have him arrested for showing the Can-Can this time. Now they all have to prove that showing a little leg is not a bad thing, and that the Can-Can is really good clean fun for all.

The Song and Dance: "Song and dance" are really the operative words here. The fluffy plot is mostly a framework for some of Cole Porter's best songs. MacLaine has a great time, whether she's dancing the Can-Can or trying to seduce Jordan. Chevalier and Jordan bring along some of the Gallic flair and wonderful chemistry that they also showed in Gigi, and in very similar roles. Juliet Prowse made her film debut here, and she does well in what little screen time she has. The lavish sets and costumes do a magnificent job of bringing Paris both high and low to life; the glittering costumes were Oscar-nominated.

Favorite Number: Sinatra and Jordan introduce us to the delights of Paris' red-light district in the opening number "Montmartre." "Maidens Typical of France" brings on Pistache's girls to show that they are anything but! Sinatra and MacLaine revel in their unmarried relationship with a tango to the ribald "Let's Do It." Barriere tries to convince his colleague to "Live and Let Live" after the second raid on the cafe. Sinatra sings a really nice "It's All Right With Me" to an attentive Prowse. "Come Along With Me" is Pistache's drunk song at the party, and MacLaine really throws herself into it, kicking and reeling and sitting in laps with abandon.

MacLaine figures into all three of the film's big numbers. She does an apache dance early on with two unnamed male dancers that shows her in a slightly more dramatic light. The Adam and Eve Ballet at the ball has her as Eve frolicking with a barely-clad Adam and dancers in animal costumes, before the snake brings the apple and turns up the heat. The finale is the big can-can in full, with Prowse and MacLaine swirling amid a riot of frills and black stocking-clad legs.

Trivia: The then-head of Russia, Nikita Khruschchev, visited the set and watched the can-can number be filmed, only to denounce it as "pornographic" and "depraved."

The original Broadway production of Can-Can was a hit in 1953 that ran a year and made a star of Gwen Verdon, who won her first Tony in Prowse's role. It also did relatively well in London a year later...but its success ended there. The movie was a hit, but was so expensive that it couldn't make its money back, and a Broadway revival in 1981 shuttered after five performances. A heavily revised London revival could only push three months in 1988 and 1989.

What I Don't Like: There's a reason this show doesn't do well in revival. This is pretty much fluffy, overlong silliness. It reduces Prowse's role to almost nothing, dropping a major subplot revolving around Claudine and her artist boyfriend, and didn't give Chevalier much to do either. Jordan's role is dull, and Sinatra is even more so. He was pretty much forced to do this after he dropped out of Carousel, and other than some good singing, doesn't look like he wants to be there. MacLaine and Sinatra sound and act more like residents of 1960 New York than 1890's Paris, especially compared to the actual French actors around them.

Several songs from the original show were cut from the film. The most notable loss was "I Love Paris," which is heard over the credits but not in the film itself. Apparently, it was filmed with Sinatra and Chevalier, but dropped. Wish they'd kept it. It's one of the show's signature hits. Other losses include "Never Give Anything Away" for Pistache and her girls, the solo ballad "I am In Love" for Judge Forrestier, and "Alles Vous-En" for Pistache.

The Big Finale: If you love the cast or want to check out some great Cole Porter music and have time on your hands, this is one trip to Paris worth making.

Home Media: On DVD as part of 20th Century Fox's Marquee Musicals series and on several streaming services.

DVD
Google Play

Pal Joey

Columbia, 1957
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, and Barbara Nichols
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

This was originally a minor hit on Broadway in 1940, but a revival in 1952 was such a smash, Columbia Studio head Harry Cohn bought it for his most popular actress, Rita Hayworth. By the time they got to filming it, Hayworth had switched to the older woman role, and the ingenue role went to Cohn's newest discovery Kim Novak. Columbia also couldn't get original 1940 star Gene Kelly and ended up reworking the title role into a singer for Frank Sinatra. How does the story of a heel who uses women and people to get his own nightclub look nowadays? Let's join Joey (Sinatra) on the train to San Francisco and find out...

The Story: Joey Evans (Sinatra) is literally tossed on the train after getting into girl trouble in his previous job. He manages to talk his way into a gig at a second-rate club, mainly because he's interested in one of the chorus girls, Linda English (Novak). However, as much as he likes her, he has loftier ambitions. He pursues a previous girlfriend and stripper-turned-rich widow Vera Simpson (Hayworth), even living with her on her yacht in order to get her to fund his new club Chez Joey. Even with his relationship with Vera growing, Joey still has eyes for Linda and gets a job for her at the club. Vera, however, doesn't appreciate that one bit...and her growing jealousy ends with Joey having to decide once and for all which woman really owns his heart.

The Song and Dance: If you love musicals that veer toward the dark-ish, you'll probably enjoy this. Even with the story toned down, this is still pretty cynical for a musical. Sinatra is perfect as the man who uses and abuses women, only to be floored when he actually falls for one. Novak and especially Hayworth are also quite good as the women in his life. They're surrounded by a gorgeous Technicolor production, with the ladies dressed in tight-fitting, jewel-toned 50's gowns and San Francisco recreated in all it's gritty and glamorous Golden Gate glory.

Some people may be bothered by the changed ending, but I actually kind of like it. It remains ambiguous and somewhat downbeat for a musical from this era, even as Joey does get himself a girl (and a dog).

Favorite Number: Sinatra scores with two of his best recordings, a relaxed "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" when he talks his way into the first club job, and one of my favorite-ever versions of the standard "The Lady Is a Tramp" later at Chez Joey. Novak gets in on the intentionally cheesy chorus girl routine "That Terrific Rainbow" and sits in an old-fashioned valentine to croon one of my favorite Rodgers and Hart ballads, "My Funny Valentine." Hayworth has two terrific solos, the stripper spoof "Zip" where she poses as a striptease artist who knows about a lot more than taking her clothes off, and another standard Rodgers and Hart ballad, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" as she showers and dresses after Joey agrees to live with her.

Trivia: Gene Kelly and 20's operetta favorite Vivianne Segal were Joey and Vera in the original 1940 Broadway cast. Segal was retained for the popular 1952 revival, joined by dancer Harold Lang. Lang and Carol Bruce appeared in the first London showing in 1954. It's been revived three times, in 1963, 1976, and 2008; none ran longer than three months. The story was substantially re-written in the 2008 version.

What I Don't Like: The ending isn't the only thing that was changed from the original show. A whole subplot about gangsters blackmailing Joey and Vera was dropped, and several characters were combined or eliminated. Vera's husband was still alive, and her affair with Joey was "on the side." There were a few songs that were performed outside of the nightclub; here, all of the numbers but "Bewitched" and the big finale "What Do I Care for a Dame?" are sung as club numbers. Many songs were dropped as well, including Vera and Linda telling each other to "Take Him" and Joey insisting "You Mustn't Kick It Around."

And even with the darker edges sanded off, this still isn't the musical for you if you're looking for something lighter and fluffier or more overtly romantic, or with a stronger story.

The Big Finale: Not my favorite Sinatra movie, but it's worth a look if you're a major fan of his or Hayworth's or love Rodgers and Hart.

Home Media: Currently available via the made-to-order Sony Choice Collection. That and streaming are your best bet - the limited-edition Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is expensive. (I watched it for free on the streaming service Crackle, which was previously owned by Sony/Columbia.)

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Ship Ahoy

MGM, 1942
Starring Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, and Virginia O'Brien
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music by Burton Lane and others; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and others

I had so much fun with the travel films last week, I'm going to continue the theme for my weekday entries. This is best-known today as the second movie to feature Frank Sinatra (as a singer with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra), but it has other things to recommend it as well, including several nifty dances by Powell and comedy bits from O'Brian, Skelton, and Lahr. How does an unusual spy story tie in with this cast of comics and the ship-board setting? Let's head to the docks in New York to find out...

The Story: Tallulah Winters (Powell) is a dancer with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (themselves). She's convinced to transport a top secret magnetic mine to Puerto Rico by government officials. Turns out that the "officials" are really Nazi spies who stole the mine and are trying to get it out of the US under the nose of the real government agent Art Higgins (Stuart Crawford). They got the idea from the adventure novels written by Merton Kibble (Skelton). He and his buddy Skip Owens (Lahr) are also on-board. Merton's looking for a way to reinvigorate his writing...but he never expected inspiration to come from being caught up in Tallulah's wild plot.

The Song and Dance: Well, it's definitely one of the more original musicals I've seen. There just aren't that many musical spy stories out there. Energetic Powell and sarcastic O'Brian have a lot of fun with the loopy plot. Skelton and Lahr also have some nice bits, especially towards the end, when they're dodging the Nazis. You don't often see a dancer tapping out Morse code, either. I give MGM credit for trying for something at least somewhat unique, even when the story gets more than a little strange.

Favorite Number:  Sinatra gets to lay into "The Last Call for Love" in the beginning, joined by the Pied Pipers and Dorsey and his orchestra. Legendary drummer Buddy Rich provides the beat for Powell's "Hawaiian War Chant" tropical-themed routine. Rich also gets in on "I'll Take Tallulah" as Powell is swung across the screen. She also does a nice Spanish-tinged "Cape Dance." The most famous number from this is the glittery "On Moonlight Bay," where yes, Tallulah does tap the location of the Nazis on the ship in More Code for Art, Skip, and Merton.

Trivia: This was Sinatra's second movie. He'd make movies mostly with MGM through the 40's.

What I Don't Like: The plot may be original, but it's also convoluted and kind of thin. It's hard to believe that the otherwise-sensible Tallulah would be naive enough to believe the spies' rather flimsy story. Those who are here for Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey will be disappointed; they have a few numbers in the beginning and the end, but otherwise have very little to do. Lahr's mugging is a little more annoying here, especially given he spends a lot of the film's running time chasing women half his age (including O'Brian).

The Big Finale: If you love Skelton, Powell, tap dancing, or big band music, this is worth checking out at least once if you can find it.

Home Media: Currently only available via the Warner Archives in a remastered edition. (My copy was dubbed off TCM by a friend.)

DVD

Musicals On TV - Anything Goes (1954)

NBC, 1954
Starring Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, Bert Lahr, and Sheree North
Directed by Sid Smith
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

We debark from the romantic Grecian isles to take a cruise to London in the 1920's. This is an early live TV version of the Cole Porter show, which had been a big hit with Merman in 1934 on Broadway. The Colgate Comedy Hour did this as a "special" in 1954, the only pairing of Merman and Sinatra. How does this tale of mistaken identity on the high seas look today? Let's head to the docks, where the ship is about to set sail, and find out...

The Story: In the 1920's, stage star Reno Sweeney (Merman) takes a cruise to London to marry her stuffy aristocratic fiancee, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Arthur Gould Porter). She's followed by her ex-boyfriend Harry Dane (Sinatra), who badly wants her back. Meanwhile, Moonface Martin (Lahr), the fifth most wanted hood in America, and his bubbly blond girlfriend Bonnie (North) are also on the boat, avoiding the police and trying to move up to the fourth most wanted. Moonface is disguised as a missionary after he got the real one (Nestor Palva) arrested. Harry ends up with the ID of the number one most wanted gangster in America and seeks help from Moonface to avoid the cops, while trying to make his case with a reluctant Reno.

The Song and Dance: I suspect this is the closest most people would get to see a live version of this onstage until the rise of YouTube. Despite being streamlined, the story is still closer to the Broadway show than either of the film versions. Lahr revels in the intimacy of the small screen, mugging and joking and having a ball. The glittery costumes for the most part nicely reflect the glamour of sea travel during the Roaring 20's, with North and most of the women wriggling in beads and sequins and Merman resplendent in several furs.

Not to mention, there's the simple history involved in seeing a big TV musical from the 1950's, since many live productions from the time recorded on kinetoscopes have been lost.

Favorite Number: The show kicks off nicely with Merman performing the title song to explain the lunacy of the era. She and Bert Lahr have a lot of fun with "Friendship," and her "You're the Top" with Sinatra isn't bad, either. Sinatra's best solo is "All Through the Night" when he's in the brig; Merman's best solo moment is the rousing "Blow, Gabriel Blow" (which becomes a plot point when she uses it to point out Sinatra hiding among the guests).

Trivia: Merman was Reno Sweeney in the original Broadway production in 1934, with stage comedians William Gaxton and Victor Moore as her co-stars. The show would be revived off-Broadway in 1962, and successfully on Broadway twice, in 1987 with Patti LuPone as Reno, and in 2011 with Sutton Foster in the role.

Every version of Anything Goes since the original has added songs from his lesser-known shows of the 20's and 30's. This one includes "You Do Something to Me" from Fifty Million Frenchmen, "Just One of Those Things" from Jubilee, and "Friendship" from DuBarry Was a Lady.

Speaking of DuBarry, Merman and Lahr first performed together in the original 1939 Broadway cast of that show.

What I Don't Like: There's a reason this would be the only time Merman and Sinatra appeared together. They have no chemistry whatsoever, making Billy and Reno's constantly being pulled apart and thrown together even less believable. Their singing and performance styles are totally different; it's not as obvious in the comic "You're the Top," but their attempts at ballads in a reprise of "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You Do Something To Me" have all the heat of two dead fish. The condensed show combines Reno with the ingenue role...which doesn't really work with Reno's character or Merman's tough personality. Lahr's attempts to bump up his notoriety are more interesting than Reno and Harry's romance.

And why was this set in the 20's? Every version of this since then has been set in the 30's, when the show and songs were written and first debuted.

The Big Finale: An interesting curiosity if you love Merman, Sinatra, Porter, or 50's musicals. Everyone else is better off listening to Merman and Sinatra's solo recordings of these songs.

Home Media: Out of print but not that hard to find on DVD; it can also be found on streaming.

DVD
Amazon Prime

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

Robin and the 7 Hoods

Warner Bros, 1964
Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Peter Faulk
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Today and Saturday, I'm going to be looking at two versions of one of the most beloved legends in English history, that of the outlaw Robin Hood. It's been told in every way possible and in every possible setting since the 12th century. This musical gangster tale, the last of the four "Rat Pack" films, may be one of the more unusual. How well does this tale of a mob boss who robs a corrupt fellow gangster to give to the poor fare now? Let's head to the birthday party of "Big" Jim Stevens in Chicago to find out...

The Story: "Big" Jim Stevens (Edward G. Robinson) was the most respected and feared mob boss in Chicago in the early 30's...until his second-in-command Guy Gisborne (Faulk) had him shot down at his birthday party. Gisborne demands that all the mobs in town come together under him and pay him protection money. Robbo (Sinatra) and his boys don't like this one bit. Rob was close with Big Jim, and he has no desire to share the town with Gisborne or anybody.

Trouble is, Rob has only a few boys, including the pool shark "Little" John (Martin) whom he hires after he sees him play and gun-crazy Will Scarlet (Sammy Davis Jr.). Gisborne has nearly 90, plus is bribing the corrupt Sheriff Glick (Robert Foulk) to look the other way. They end up destroying each other's nightclubs. When the Sheriff insists on not doing further harm, Gisborne has him eliminated. Meanwhile, Jim's elegant daughter Marion (Barbara Rush) tries to get Rob to help her avenge her father's death. Rob turns her down, even when she offers him 50,000 dollars.

His men turn her cash over to an orphanage. The grateful secretary Allan A. Dale (Crosby) announces to the newspapers that Robbo is a "Robin Hood" who gives to the poor. He convinces Rob to set up a string of charitable operations as a front for his nightclubs, with Dale in charge of the charities. Suddenly, Rob and his boys are not only doing gangbusters business, but they have the public on their side, too. Gisborne's determined to show Rob for what he is...and Marion still wants in on the take, too. When Gisborne accuses Rob of murdering the sheriff and Marion goes after John, it'll take all of Rob's ingenuity - and a little help from the public - to not end up part of a cornerstone of building on the Miracle Mile.

The Song and Dance: Evidently, this was a troubled production from the get-go, with several actors replaced, Sinatra's friend John F. Kennedy being assassinated during filming, and his son being kidnapped shortly after. Whatever headaches they went through were worth it. This is a colorful and unique tale with a great score and some fun performances. Faulk makes a surprisingly good greedy mob boss, and lumbering Victor Buono is hilarious as the slow-witted Deputy Sheriff Potts. I'm also glad that Sammy Davis Jr. is treated a little better here than in most of the "Rat Pack" movies, even getting a nice solo in "Bang Bang!" and a funny scene where he has to find a telephone in the remains of a room wrecked by Gisbourne's boys.

Favorite Number: "My Kind of Town" was the hit and got an Oscar nomination, but my favorite number from this one is "Style." Rob and John teach the old-fashioned Allan A. Dale how to update his fashion sense and his vocabulary by letting him pick and choose from their closets. Three of the most famous singers of the 20th century in a simple "straw hat and cane" routine - it doesn't get any better than that.

Crosby also gets in on two catchy chorus numbers. He admonishes the boys at the orphanage "Don't Be a Do-Badder" after Rob is framed, and joins Rob and the other guys at the soup kitchen for the rousing faux revivalist song "Mr. Booze."

Trivia: Peter Lawford was originally supposed to be Allan A. Dale, but he got into a feud with Sinatra shortly before filming and was replaced with Crosby.

What I Don't Like: I kind of wish Marion had a number, even just a slow solo to try to lure the guys in. Maybe she should have sung instead of Faulk. His solo "All for One" in the opening was painful. I'm a bit surprised Sinatra doesn't have more songs in his own vehicle, either. Both Crosby and Martin sing more than he does.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Rat Pack, Crosby, or gangster movies, this is a stylish and funny musical that definitely deserves a look.

Home Media: Pretty easy to find solo and as part of a set with the other Rat Pack movies on disc and streaming.

DVD
DVD - The Rat Pack Collection
Blu-Ray
Google Play

Saluting Our Troops - Anchors Aweigh

MGM, 1945
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Dean Stockwell
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

In honor of Veterans Day, we're going to be covering one of MGM's biggest musicals of the 1940's. This tale of two Navy officers on leave who help a struggling singer was wildly popular during the waning days of World War II, and even won an Oscar for best musical score. Nowadays, it's probably best-known for Kelly's dance routine with Jerry the Mouse. Let's head to Hollywood to see if the movie still holds up, or if Jerry isn't the only one who should be worrying...

The Story: Naval officers Joe Brady (Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (Sinatra) are given shore leave in Los Angeles for four days after Joe rescues Clarence when he falls overboard. No sooner do they get on dry land than they encounter little Donald (Stockwell) at a police station. He's run away to try to join the Navy. They take him home to get that idea out of his head and meet his aunt, the lovely Susan (Grayson). Susan is movie extra, but what she really wants to do is sing with classical pianist Jose Iturbi (himself). Joe, seeing how badly Clarence is smitten with her, lies and tells her that his buddy is friends with Iturbi. The duo spend most of the next few days trying to sneak past a persistent cop (Rags Ragland) to see Iturbi at the MGM lot and secure an audition for Susan. Trouble is, not only has Clarence fallen for a waitress from Brooklyn he met on Olvera Street (Pamela Britton), but now Joe's beginning to have feelings for Susan too.

The Song and Dance: Kelly and Sinatra do have a lot of fun together; they have more chemistry than each other than with Britton or Grayson. We get some invaluable glimpses of the real MGM studios in the mid-40's, including members of the actual MGM Studio Orchestra playing "The Donkey Serenade" with Iturbi. Stockwell has some amusing bits early-on when the guys catch him and they're trying to get him to go back home.

Favorite Number: By far the most famous routine from this movie is "The Worry Song," the one that has Kelly dancing with a cartoon Jerry the Mouse in a fantasy castle. The effects with the two hoofing together still look impressive to this day. Kelly gets another well-choreographed fantasy dance routine towards the end of the movie, as he uses his swashbuckling prowess to imagine himself as a dashing lover and Grayson as his beautiful senorita. Sinatra has two really lovely ballads, "What Makes the Sunset" and "I Fall In Love Too Easily." He and Kelly get a hilarious duet right at the beginning, "We Hate to Leave," as they describe Kelly's legendary prowess with the opposite sex.

Trivia: This movie was nominated for five Academy Awards; as mentioned, it won for Musical Score. It was also nominated for Best Actor for Kelly, Best Picture, Best Song ("I Fall In Love Too Easily"), and it's color cinematography.

Sinatra and Kelly would re-team in two more MGM musicals in 1949, Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town.

What I Don't Like: I have no idea why this got all those Oscar nods. The story is overlong piffle. Grayson is stiff as Aunt Susan (and Joe is right that she really should be paying more attention to her nephew than to going out to the opera). As much fun as Kelly's Spanish fantasy ballet and "The Worry Song" are, they're basically padding and add nothing to the story. Sinatra's only slightly better here than in The Kissing Bandit; Kelly isn't doing anything he doesn't usually do. I can understand getting nominated for the score and "Fall In Love Too Easily," but almost everything besides the music and dancing is as generic as you can get for the 40's.

The Big Finale: Like DuBarry Was a Lady, this one was made for it's time and place and just hasn't dated well. Recommended only if you're a really big fan of Sinatra, Kelly, or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's. Everyone else can look up the musical numbers on YouTube or in the That's Entertainment films.

Home Media: Another one that's pretty easy to find on DVD; it's also one of the few classic MGM musicals on Blu-Ray and Amazon Prime.

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Amazon Prime

The Kissing Bandit

MGM, 1949
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, J. Carrol Naish, and Mildred Natwick
Directed by Laslo Benedek
Music by Nacio Herb Brown; Lyrics by Earl Brent and Edward Heyman

If you've never heard of this Frank Sinatra vehicle, you're in good company. The only place I'd ever seen it before I found the DVD for rent at a local library was the "Dance of Fury" showing up in That's Entertainment III. Evidently, it was obscure even when it was new. According to Wikipedia, it was a massive flop in January 1949 and would become one of the least-successful musicals of MGM's 40's and 50's golden age. Does this tale of a shy young bandito deserve to ride off into the sunset, or should it be trampled under the feet of those fiery flamenco dancers? Let's find out...

The Story:  We're in California in the 1850's. Ricardo (Sinatra) is called back from Boston by his late father's former partner Chico (Naish) to take over as the Kissing Bandit, a legendary thief who steals from the ladies, then kisses them before taking off. Ricardo is tall, skinny, shy, can't ride a horse, and is awkward around girls. He's never kissed a girl in his life! He'd rather return to Boston, but he's more-or-less forced into it. On his first raid,  he falls head-over-heels for feisty Teresa (Grayson), the beautiful daughter of the Governor Don Jose (Mikhail Rasumny). His sister Isabella (Natwick) is her guardian and confidante. He wants to tell her how he feels, but not only does she think he's the Bandit, he's just too shy.

Meanwhile, he and Chico discover that a rude man who visits their inn (Carleton G. Young) and his fat general (Billy Gilbert) are tax collectors who intend to bilk the government out of the money. They pass themselves off as the nobleman and his general to get their hands on the gold themselves. While it works with Don Jose and Isabella, Teresa knows better. Ricardo can't bring himself to hurt her, no matter what Chico wants, even it means playing the Bandit for real and stopping the nobleman from doing any real harm.

The Song and Dance: The character actors and stunning Technicolor costumes and sets carry the day. Southern California of the 1850's is a rainbow of lime greens, flame oranges, and sunset golds, with everyone costumed in the most elaborate finery this side of the Cisco Kid. We even get some actual outdoor scenery in the beginning, during the raid. Naish and Natwick are particularly fun as Ricardo's sidekick and the one who keeps him from running off and Teresa's strong-willed aunt.

Favorite Number: As mentioned above, the movie is best known for "The Dance of Fury," performed at the fiesta towards the end of the film. Ricardo Montalban finds himself dealing with two of MGM's best dancers, Cyd Charisse and Ann Miller, who definitely don't want to share him! It's a blaze of color and fancy footwork that stands out in the dull surroundings. Broadway dancer Sono Osato also gets a nifty solo with a whip about half-way through. Sinatra's "Siesta" is actually kind of funny, and is much better than the attempts at ballads earlier.

What I Don't Like: Sinatra and Grayson were pretty much forced into this movie. Neither thought they were suited for it, and it wound up being among their least-favorite of their films. I'm afraid they were right. While Grayson isn't bad as the lovely senorita, Sinatra is totally at sea as the timid young scholar who would rather be studying in Boston than stealing from pretty women. The two have no chemistry; their romance is stiff and dull. Like Bing Crosby, Sinatra just wasn't made for period films.

The two amazing dances make up somewhat for the music being bland. Neither Sinatra nor Grayson's big ballads register, and the differences in their instruments mean there's no duets.

The Big Finale: Unless you're a really huge fan of Sinatra, Grayson, or MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, I'd look up "The Dance of Fury" online or in That's Entertainment III and skip the rest.

Home Media: While it is easy to find solo on DVD and on Amazon Prime, your best bet may be to pick this up with a collection of other lesser-known Sinatra vehicles from the 40's, Frank Sinatra: The Early Years.

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Amazon Prime
Frank Sinatra: The Early Years DVD set

Guys and Dolls

Samuel Goldywn/MGM, 1955
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, and Vivian Blaine.

The Story: Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) runs an illegal crap game on Time Square in New York. He needs money to find a place to hold the game for major player Big Jule (BS Pully) from Chicago. Sky Masterson (Brando) is the biggest gambler on Broadway. He'll make a bet on anything...including whether he can take pretty young missionary Sarah Brown (Simmons) on a date to Havana. Meanwhile, Nathan has his own doll problems. Miss Adelaide (Blaine), his fiancee of 14 years, is telling him between psychosomatic sniffles that she wants to finally tie the knot and for him to give up gambling.

Sky and Sarah do make it to Havana, and after an incident at a nightclub, they do fall for each other...until they catch Nathan and the guys using the mission for their crap game. Adelaide's even angrier that Nathan's still playing, too. Sky's willing to risk it all to prove to his mission doll that he's willing to change...and that if she can go to Havana, maybe he and Nathan can give being "respectable" a try.

The Cast: Ironically, it's the non-singers who give the best performances. Brando's only so-so as a crooner, but his Sky Masterson is both intense and likable. Simmons is even better as Sarah, the uptight religious woman who learns to let loose and maybe even love a criminal. Blaine played Adelaide on Broadway, and she's not bad, especially in her "Adelaide's Lament" on her chronic cold. Sinatra wanted to play Sky Masterson badly...and as good as Brando was, maybe he had a point. He was obviously stiff and uncomfortable as perpetual loser Detroit. Stubby Kaye and the other gangsters are much better, especially Pully as tough-guy Big Jule.

Favorite Number: Simmons has a sweet singing voice that did well by "If I Were a Bell" and "I'll Know." She and Brando didn't sound too bad on "A Woman In Love," either. Brando's "Luck Be a Lady" is a high point, beautifully capturing Sky's feelings on his need to win this bet. There's some great choreography in the crap game dance routine right before "Luck Be a Lady" and in the famous "Runyonland" opening number. Stubby Kaye has a blast with the gospel spoof "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat."

What I Don't Like: Sinatra's bitterness over losing the role of Masterson carries over to his performance. "Sue Me" and "Adelaide" are stiff when they should be warm and funny. He sounds better in chorus numbers like the title song. I wish they'd kept some more of the songs from the stage version. I would have especially liked to have heard Brando's take on "My Time of Day."

The Big Finale: Required viewing if you're a fan of Brando and Simmons or the musicals of the 1950's.

Home Media: DVD
Blu Ray