How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

American International Pictures, 1965

Starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Mickey Rooney, and Beverly Adams

Directed by William Asher

Music and Lyrics by Guy Hermic, Jerry Styner, and Lynn Easton

Let's kick off summer with the last Beach Party movie I haven't reviewed yet. This is also the second-to-last in the series, and the last to feature Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Buster Keaton. With families and older movie-goers staying home to watch TV, movies desperately tried to court this new breed known as the teenager. Teens had disposable income, and they wanted to get outside and away from their families. Turns out smaller companies who churned out B-movie fodder had a better feeling for teens than the big leagues. How does the story of a young man who is desperate to make sure his girlfriend is faithful tie into the usual lunacy with Harry Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), his biker Rats, fun on the beach, and even a bit of magic? Let's begin at a Tahiti island, where Naval Reserve Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is enjoying the amorous advances of a local girl (Irene Tsu) and find out...

The Story: Frankie turns to island witch doctor Bwana (Buster Keaton) to conjure up something that'll allow him to make sure his girl Dee Dee (Funicello) is true to him while he's gone. Bwana's daughter (Elizabeth Montgomery) conjures up a gorgeous lady in an animal-print bikini who calls herself Cassandra (Adams). 

It works too well. The girls are jealous. The boys are crazy about her. Advertising executive J. Peachmont "Peachy" Keane (Rooney) wants to make her his biker model. His partner Ricky (Hickman) is interested in Dee Dee, but she blows hot and cold with him. And then there's Harry Von Zipper and the Rats, who think their leader would be the perfect Boy Next Door to Cassandra's Girl Next Door. It all culminates in a big bike race to see who would really be the best model...and who Dee Dee really wants to be with.

The Song and Dance: I'm continually impressed with the music in these movies. There's actually fewer performance numbers with the Kingsmen and more songs that move the plot along, and they're woven in fairly well for what amounts to a spoof. Rooney jumps into his role as the ad man and his two big numbers with relish. (Not to mention, enjoys being around all those scantily-clad beach bunnies.) Keaton has some funny moments as the least-likely witch doctor in the history of film, while Lembeck's having a great time both in his normal leather-clad mode and shocking his group by turning up in a suit.

Favorite Number: The title song turns up twice, as the first number when the cast sings about what they hope will be a wild summer, and later in the film by vocal group The Kingsmen. "How About Us?" say the beach bunnies to Peachy after he announces his biker ad campaign. He's so smitten with Cassandra, he won't consider anyone else. Rooney and advertising head BD McPherson (Brian Donlevy) join their fellow ad men to sing about the importance of "Madison Avenue" in a corporate spoof that seems to have been dropped in from How to Succeed In Business Without Even Trying. 

Von Zipper and the Rats get two numbers, with Zipper insisting he's "The Boy Next Door" and telling his group to "Follow the Leader," even if they have to wear suits. Funicello has a sweet solo, "Better Be Ready," at their hang-out. She and the girls talk about "The Perfect Boy" after she gets a letter from Frankie telling her how much he misses her. 

Trivia: Avalon and Funicello had relatively limited roles because he was in the middle of filming another AIP Beach Party-style movie, Sergeant Deadhead, and she was pregnant. That's why she's covered up on the beach and constantly has popcorn or Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets in front of her. 

The genuinely unique stop-motion opening credits were done by Art Clokey, of Gumby fame. 

What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a goofy beach-bound satire with an old white silent comedian playing a witch doctor and a bikini suddenly appearing out of nowhere. You know what you're getting into. These are the kind of movies you'll either think are hilarious, or are really, really dumb. The story makes absolutely no sense, even by the standards of this series. This is also the only film in the series to dial down the "Party" aspect. The Kingsmen are the only group to appear, and they do two chorus numbers and two brief instrumentals. Funicello, who did not enjoy making this movie (she called it her least favorite Beach Party film), seems bored and lacks chemistry with an overeager and annoying Hickman.

The Big Finale: Most people call this the worst Beach Party movie...but truth be told, I think if you enjoy one, you'll probably like them all. Likewise, if you're not into one, you won't enjoy the others. I wouldn't start with this one, but it has enough of interest to be worth checking out for fans of the series. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and on disc from Olive Films.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Journey Back to Oz

Filmation, 1972

Directed by Hal Sutherland

Voices of Liza Minnelli, Paul Lynde, Ethel Merman, and Herschel Bernardi

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Adaptations of the Wizard of Oz books go as far back as 1908. The MGM version from 1939 is probably the most famous, but it's far from the only one. After the 1939 film was a hit on TV, there was a notoriously low-budget production in 1969, and then this animated one in 1972. Neither is well-regarded today, but this has a slightly more impressive pedigree. Filmation began this around 1962, but they ran out of funds until over a decade later. 

By the time it came out, Disney-esque fantasies were out of style, and it wasn't a success...on the big screen. It did far better on TV starting in 1976, when live-action sequences featuring Bill Cosby (and later, Milton Berle) were added for syndicated showings. The original would turn up on video later, and that's what this review is based on. Does it reach the same heights of the original film, or should it stay in Kansas? Let's begin in Kansas, as Uncle Henry (Paul Ford) scolds Dorothy (Minnelli) for not helping get ready for a storm, and find out...

The Story: This time, Dorothy and Toto are themselves caught up in the cyclone, no house needed. After landing in Oz, they first encounter a talking signpost (Jack E. Leonard) whose signs all point to the Emerald City...going different ways. Fearful Jack Pumpkinhead (Lynde) only wants to go one way - away from his creator, the evil witch Mombi (Merman). She conjures up green elephants to stampede through the Emerald City, where she kidnaps Toto and the Scarecrow (Mickey Rooney). 

Dorothy goes to her old friends for help, but the Cowardly Lion (Berle) and Tin Woodsman (Danny Thomas) are too afraid of Mombi to help. Glinda (Rise Stevens) does better, giving her a box to use "in dire need." Dorothy will need all the magic she can get if she, Jack, and Charlesworth the Wooden merry-go-round horse (Bernardi) are to defeat Mombi and save the Scarecrow and Toto!

The Animation: Not bad for Filmation at this time. The colors are, appropriately for an Oz movie, the real selling point. They pop off the screen, brilliant greens and velvet purple when Dorothy first arrives, sparkling silver in the land of tin, deeper green in the Emerald City. The stylized designs move well enough; the Tin Woodsman especially is rather cute here. 

The Song and Dance: Impressive cast for a relatively low-budget undertaking. Liza does just as well as her mother playing the budding young woman who only wants to help her friends. Lynde's hilarious as the fearful but loyal Jack, and Bernardi gets some of the best lines as the sarcastic wooden carousel horse. Rise Stevens lends her Metropolitain Opera soprano to a gentle Glinda. Merman's a rather scary witch, too, and it is amusing to hear Margaret Hamilton play Aunt Em in the beginning, the total opposite of her Wicked Witch from the 1939 film! 

Favorite Number: Minnelli's "Over the Rainbow" song to Toto in Kansas is "A Faraway Land" as she longs to return to Oz and see its lovely greenery and unique citizens again. She also gets the upbeat "Keep a Happy Thought" after Jack laments about never finding the Emerald City. This time, the witch gets to sing, too. Mombi creates her green elephants in "An Elephant Never Forgets" and explains her mother's dying wish to her, "If You're Going to Be a Witch, Be a Witch." 

Stevens' glorious soprano makes the most of her song explaining to Dorothy why she doesn't need magic...because "You Have Only You." Minnelli finishes with the "Return to the Land of Oz March" and her telling the others why she wants to go back to Kansas, "That Feeling for Home." Herschel's number is "That Horse On the Carousel" as Charlesworth tells the others how he ended up where he was.

Trivia: Danny Thomas' voice recording was of such poor quality, he was largely re-recorded by Larry Storch. 

The 1976 ABC showing had live-action wrap-around segments featuring Bill Cosby as The Wizard, searching for two munchkins. Milton Berle would appear as The Wizard for syndicated airings. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, there's a lot of padding in this movie. The signpost and his song have no function in the story. He's neither seen, nor mentioned again after Dorothy leaves him. The numbers for the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodsman, and Scarecrow exist more to show off the actors than move the story along, and contradict their character development from the original book and 1939 film, too. Speaking of the songs, they're not bad, but they certainly aren't as memorable as the ones from 1939. 

It also appears to be a mash-up of characters and events from many later Oz books, mainly the second, The Marvelous Land of Oz. Dorothy largely replaces the boy Tip who created Jack Pumpkinhead in the book, though. Mombi wasn't the one who originally created the elephants, either. And Charlesworth may be based after the title character of the final book in the series, The Merry-Go-Round Horse of Oz. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing at least once for fans of Oz or Filmation for the cast and some decent numbers. 

Home Media: The DVD is in print, but very expensive and hard to find. You're better off streaming this one. 

 

DVD

YouTube

Girl Crazy (1943)

MGM, 1943

Starring Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Nancy Walker, and Rags Ragland

Directed by Norman Taurog and Busby Berkeley

Music by George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

We leave New York and head out west for Mickey and Judy's last full film together. By 1943, Garland and Rooney were among MGM's top stars. Garland was gunning for more adult roles, and Arthur Freed wanted to remake the classic Gershwin stage musical after MGM acquired the rights in the late 30's. It's a bit different than the other Judy/Mickey movies in several ways, starting with the western college setting replacing the barns, backyards, and Broadway. It's also the second Broadway adaptation they appeared in after Babes In Arms. How close to the original show is this? Let's start in New York, as college playboy Danny Churchill (Rooney) goes out on the town with two luscious ladies, and find out...

The Story: Danny's wealthy newspaper owner father Danny Sr. (Henry O'Neil) is incensed when his son's antics with nightclub chorus girls land on the front pages of his own publications. Hoping to avoid more of such shenanigans and get him to focus on his schoolwork, he sends him to the all-male Cody College in Arizona. Danny manages to meet and fall for the only girl in the area, postmistress Ginger Gray (Garland), on his way there, but she dismisses him as a useless Easterner. 

She's right at first. He can't ride a horse, won't get up early, and thinks the other students' cowboy abilities are silly. He starts to change his tune when Ginger finally starts to return his interest. Things are finally starting to look up for Danny when the Governor announces the college may close due to lack of interest. He and Ginger come up with the idea for a big western rodeo and a Queen of the Rodeo pageant...but that means there will be more girls at the college, and Ginger will have more competition for Danny...

The Song and Dance: The Broadway pedigree, terrific Gershwin music, and a unique modern western-meets-High School Musical plot makes all the difference here. Helps that, unlike with Babes In Arms, they kept almost the entire original Broadway score. Location shooting at a real dessert ranch in California adds a great deal of authenticity to the western setting. Garland may have been overworked and over-medicated during filming, but it doesn't show in her delightfully sarcastic performance. Here, we come full circle - Rooney is now officially chasing her and showing her what he can do, but she's not buying. He's having a great time, especially trying to ride a horse during a camping trip. Rags Ragland actually puts in one of his best performances as the kindly cowpuncher who befriends Ginger and Danny.

Favorite Number: June Allyson channels her inner Merman to demand Danny and various sugar daddies "Treat Me Rough" at the nightclub. It gets even funnier when Danny ends up onstage and the chorus girls shove him around. Garland and the cowboys are "Bidin' My Time" in a laid-back routine during the campout. Danny asks Ginger "Can You Use Me?" when they're driving back to the college, literally climbing all over her jalopy while she's trying to drive. The cleaned-up cowboys tell Ginger at her birthday that there's no one like "Embraceable You" as they all want to dance with her at once. Danny joins Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra for a wild piano solo to the only additional song, "Fascinating Rhythm."

The film's two best numbers are at the end. Garland puts in a gorgeous performance of "But Not For Me" after she loses Queen of the Rodeo and thinks Danny's abandoned her and the college. We end with that massive version of "I Got Rhythm" that Berkeley and Garland feuded over during filming. You'd never know how much trouble that number caused. It's a literal blast, with Garland and Rooney dancing with multitudes of cowboys and cowgirls and running under the girls' ribbons as the boys set off their guns. 

Trivia: Film debuts of June Allyson and Richard E. Strickland (as Danny's rival at the college). 

Berkeley was fired after pushing the dancers too hard and feuding with Garland during the "I Got Rhythm" number. He was replaced by Norman Taurog; Charles Walters did the remaining numbers and appeared as a dancer. 

The original Broadway show debuted in 1930, with Ginger Rodgers in Garland's role and Ethel Merman as a performer who also comes out west. The pit orchestra alone included such later notables as Glenn Miller, Gene Krupa, Jack Teagarden, and ironically, Tommy Dorsey. It came back to Broadway in 1992 in a heavily revised version, Crazy for You, that was an equally big hit. Neither has been seen on Broadway since, though the original turned up as off-Broadway concerts in 2001 and 2009. 

Remake of the 1931 Wheeler and Woosley musical by the same title. Would be remade in 1965 as Where the Boys Meet the Girls.

What I Don't Like: While this is a little bit more mature than Garland and Rooney's previous romps in the big city and suburbs, the story can still come off as a little cliched, especially if you've seen other musical college stories like Good News. Wish Nancy Walker, as Garland's mouthy cousin, had more to do. MGM never did figure out what to do with her. And why did they change Danny from being sent to a dude ranch to a western college? Wanted to go for the Good News vibe, or just thought Rooney looked a little too young to be running ranches? 

The Big Finale: Terrific numbers, a great Gershwin score, and some nice performances make this the best of the four Garland-Rooney movies. Highly recommended for fans of them or the MGM musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Easy to find in all major formats; the solo discs are from the Warner Archives. It's currently on HBO Max with a subscription.

DVD

DVD - The Mickey & Judy Collection

DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Rooney & Garland

Blu-Ray

HBO Max

Babes On Broadway

MGM, 1941

Starring Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Fay Bainter, and Virginia Weidler

Directed by George Sidney

Music and Lyrics by various

We're finally finishing up the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland teen backstage movies this week. By this point, the two were bona-fide starts the world over. Garland just had her first adult role the year before and was trying to get away from playing kids, but she didn't mind appearing alongside her best friend Rooney. How does the slightly more mature story of teens trying to make it in Manhattan look today? Let's begin with radio's Town Crier, Alexander Woollcott (himself), as he discusses the influx of hopeful children and teens to New York for stage careers and find out...

The Story: Tommy Williams (Rooney) is one of those hopefuls. He performs in a spaghetti house with his friends Ray Lambert (Ray McDonald) and Morton Hammond (Richard Quine). He doesn't believe it when a lady who gives them a big tip (Bainter) says she's a theatrical agent, but when they do show at her office, she says she has work for them. He's so thrilled, he tells half the kids in New York, including Penny Morris (Garland). 

Penny wants the kids at the orphanage where she works and her friend Barbara Jo Conway (Weidler) lives to have a trip to the country this summer to help their many aliments. Tommy sees it as a great way to promote his act. He convinces the kids to put on a show and a block party to help them. It turns out to help more than just their kids when British kids come around as well and are broadcasted to their parents. They make enough to rent a theater...but first Tommy gets a big job opportunity in Philadelphia, and then, the theater turns out to be run-down. Neither will stop the kids from achieving their dreams or learning that hard work often requires a great deal of sacrifice.

The Song and Dance: It's interesting to see how the two and their relationship have evolved since Strike Up the Band. Here, Judy is an independent young woman living on her own, making her own money, and too busy to pine for anyone. For once, it's Rooney who's chasing her. When she's angry at him, it's not because of some girl, it's because he really is being selfish. He's still going a mile a minute, but his ideas are a lot bigger than small-town barns or getting a school orchestra to a big band competition. 

They're backed by a decent supporting cast. McDonald has a few great tap solos, notably during the "Hoe Down" number, and Weidler is far more appealing here than she was whining over her boyfriend in Best Foot Forward three years later. Bainter has a few funny lines as the woman agent who finally gets the kids their big break.

Favorite Number: Busby Berkeley was the choreographer here, and he really goes to town with the energetic barnyard stomp "Hoe Down" in the auditorium. Garland and Rooney are in overalls and calico, kicking up their heels along with kids in goofy dancing horse costumes. "Chin Up, Cheerio, Carry On" is Garland's song for the visiting British kids and their families on the air, a reminder that the badly battered England had already been at war for two years at that point. The kids sing about that "Bombshell from Brazil" at the aborted show for the orphans...which turns out to be Rooney dressed in drag as Carmen Miranda and singing one of her signature tunes, "Mama Yo Quiero." 

Garland and Rooney are at their best in one big, expansive number and one small, intimate one. They really get into their medley of songs and scenes representing theater greats who once appeared on the stage of that aging theater. Garland' does especially well by the old Blanche Ring number "Rings On Her Fingers," and Rooney really gets into his Cyrano De Bergerac. 

The other big one here is "How About You?" This charming ballad was nominated for an Oscar in 1942. No wonder, with Mickey and Judy happily singing about how much they have in common on the piano, then doing a seemingly spontaneous little dance around the music room. It's sweet, simple, adorable, and proof that you don't always need Berkeley largess to be the best number in a movie.

Trivia: Vincent Minnelli conceived and supervised the "ghost theater" montage. 

Another satire of late 19th century theatrical tropes, the melodrama spoof "The Convict's Return," was filmed but cut and has since been lost (though the songs survive). 

Film debuts of Margaret O'Brian (as one of the kids at the audition) and Donna Reed (as Miss Jones' comely secretary). 

There was to have been a third "Babes" film, "Babes In Hollywood," but it was scrapped in favor of the somewhat more mature Girl Crazy after Garland admitted she was tired of teen roles. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, let's discuss that minstrel show finale. As with the almost identical number in Babes In Arms, it was seen as nostalgia for earlier theatrical tropes in 1940. Nowadays the bad blackface and stereotypical jokes will likely offend more people than they amuse. There's also the cliched story about the kids and their need for country air. It's not as melodramatic as the friend in need in Strike Up the Band, but it's still pretty obvious...and what Mickey and his buddies give up for it is worse. 

The Big Finale: Minstrel show aside, this is delightful fun with Rooney and Garland at the top of their game and some creative musical numbers. Highly recommended for fans of them or the MGM musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Easy to find in all major formats. The solo DVD is from the Warner Archives.

DVD

DVD - The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection

DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Rooney & Garland

Amazon Prime

Broadway to Hollywood

MGM, 1933

Starring Frank Morgan, Alice Brady, Russell Hardie, and Eddie Quillan

Directed by William Mack

Music and Lyrics by various

Dancing Lady wasn't MGM's only attempt to imitate the new Warners-style backstagers then in vogue...but this one has an unusual pedigree. In 1930, MGM producer Harry Rapf filmed a series of enormous dance numbers in 2-strip Technicolor for what he intended to be his biggest revue yet, The March of Time. Filming began in mid-1930...just as musicals began to fall out of favor with the viewing public. He tried for the next three years to figure out how to get those numbers to the public. Some ended up in a movie made for the German market; others were dumped in shorts. The rest finally went into this through-the-years melodrama...or at least, they originally did. How does this tale of three generations of a show business family look now? Let's begin at the theater, as Lulu (Brady) and Ted (Morgan) Hackett begin their performance, and find out...

The Story: Lulu and Ted raise their son Ted Jr. (Hardie) to be part of their vaudeville act, The Three Hacketts. He's even more popular on the vaudeville circuit than they are, and is soon offered a starring role in a Broadway show. He also goes against his parents' wishes and marries the lovely Anne Ainsley (Madge Evans). Mistrust and his big head after his success tears apart him and Anne, even after they give birth to a son, Ted III (Quillan). When tragedy strikes, he turns his son over to Lulu and Ted Sr. to raise and joins the army. Years later, when Ted III becomes and even bigger success in talking pictures, he brings his grandparents out to be a part of his success...but his grandfather ends up having to save him from following the same path of drink and degradation as his father.

The Song and Dance: Brady and Morgan dominate the film as the central Hacketts. Brady has some hilarious moments, especially early in the film, where she has to keep her husband on the straight and narrow and away from conniving chorus girls. Morgan does equally well; he has a wonderful speech to his grandson in the finale where he reminds him of just how much show business is in his blood.

Favorite Number: "We are the Two Hacketts" introduces us to Lulu, Ted, their old-fashioned song and dance act, and the running gag of some unknown admirer always tossing Lulu flowers. Later, it becomes "We are the Three Hacketts" when first Hardie, then a fast-tapping young Mickey Rooney joins the act. "The Honeysuckle and the Bee" is the big dance routine for Evans and the Albertina Rasch Dancers. Evans gets to show off some amazing limber acrobatic work at one point as she turns cartwheels in a huge dress. The brief "Snow Ballet" returns us to the Albertina Rasch girls, as chorines in fluffy winter wear prance in a winter landscape. The finale has us "Knee Deep In Rhythm," as the girls join Quillan for a big dance routine that shows just what Ted III learned from his vaudeville roots.

Trivia: For all the fuss over using the March of Time numbers, they're mostly missing from the copy currently shown on TCM. 

Moe and Curly Howard of The Three Stooges have cameos as the clowns who strip off Ted Jr.'s costume when he's fired from a show. They're virtually unrecognizable in the makeup. 

Nelson Eddy debuts, briefly singing "In the Garden of My Heart," though it's mostly heard in the background.

The film also features many similarities to the life of Buster Keaton, who was working at - and feuding with - MGM at the time. He was all too aware of it, and it only added to the growing friction between him and the studio. Didn't help that his March of Time scenes were cut from the film. 

What I Don't Like: Oh lord, the melodrama runs thick and fast here. I love the "through the years" theme that focuses on one family, but neither Hardie nor Quillan can handle the dramatics and come off as silly and dull next to Morgan, Brady, and even Madge Evans. You'd never believe these apple-cheeked pretty boys would drink anything worse than an ice cream soda on a Sunday, let alone allow their families to fall to ruin. 

I wish director William Mack would focus on the musical numbers. He keeps cutting away to everyone's reactions to them and things going on in the background...which is why we don't get to see any number complete and in full. The movie is really something of a mess. It was created to showcase those huge March of Time numbers and seems dull and pointless without them. 

The Big Finale: Completely unnecessary unless you're a huge fan of 30's musicals, historical show business stories, or anyone involved.

Home Media: At the moment, it can only be seen occasionally on TCM.

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Musical Documentaries - That's Entertainment III

MGM, 1994

Hosted by Gene Kelly, Lena Horne, Esther Williams, Mickey Rooney, and others

Directed by Bud Friedgen and Michael J. Sheridan

Music and Lyrics by various

It took the financially-strapped MGM almost 20 years to bring another MGM documentary with the That's Entertainment moniker to the big screen. In the interim, Turner Entertainment released many of the most popular MGM movies on home video, and cable channels specializing in older films like American Movie Classics showed even more. These movies were no longer as difficult to find as they'd been in 1974, nor were they really out of the public eye. Did we still need these movies by the mid-90's, or should the curtain come down on this franchise? Let's return to MGM Studios with Gene Kelly, and find out...

The Story: Once again, some of the most popular stars of MGM during the Golden Age of Hollywood talk about their vehicles and the dazzling array of films MGM made during its heyday, including many numbers dropped from those films. Your hosts here are:

Gene Kelly discusses the early two-strip Technicolor films of the late 20's and how they fell out of fashion, the sex-charged musicals of the pre-Code early 30's, and the black-and-white operettas and backstage films that replaced them. 

Esther Williams discusses her water-bound swimming extravaganzas of the 40's and 50's. 

June Allyson discusses the dance-heavy musicals of the late 40's and early 50's, along with how an actor got into working at MGM during the Golden Age. 

Cyd Charisse discusses the career of Gene Kelly, including two of his ballets from An American In Paris and Words and Music.

Debbie Reynolds discusses how she joined MGM, how the studio "glamorized" its actresses, and how voice dubbing works. 

Lena Horne discusses her (frequently rough) treatment as a black performer at MGM, how she lost the role of Julie in the 1951 Show Boat to Ava Gardner, and several other actors who lost roles at the studio.

Mickey Rooney discusses the career of his beloved best pal Judy Garland.

Ann Miller discusses the career of Fred Astaire.

Howard Keel discusses how the rise of television and technology like stereophonic sound and widescreen processes and new types of music like rock and roll impacted the MGM musical in the late 50's. 

Gene Kelly finishes the film with a montage of the studio's most famous musical moments over "That's Entertainment!" from The Band Wagon. 

The Song and Dance: The idea of showcasing numbers cut from films wasn't nearly as common in 1994 before the internet and streaming sites allowed many of these lost numbers to be more widely viewed. In fact, those "lost" numbers are among my favorite moments in the movie. The hosts' dialogue feels a little looser and less gushy. The fact that they allowed Lena Horne to touch on how badly she was treated at the studio showed how much time had changed...and how audiences were now a little more familiar with what really went on behind the scenes at the studios during the so-called Golden Age. 

Favorite Number: We see "Fascinating Rhythm" from Lady Be Good again, this time with alternate shots revealing how MGM put together this amazing Eleanor Powell routine. "Solid Potato Salad" showcases the creepily limber Ross Sisters doing crab imitations in the semi-revue Broadway Rhythm. Reynolds shows off the more glamorous version of "A Lady Loves" from I Love Melvin...and Donald O'Connor's view of things with her as a more down-home farmer's wife that was dropped from the movie. Fred Astaire dances with himself in split-screen in two takes on "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man" from The Belle of New York...and we see just how perfectly rehearsed he was when the two numbers are exactly the same despite the different costumes. 

"Two-Faced Woman" gives us two routines using the same recording. I have to agree with Reynolds that they probably should have left Cyd Charisse's chorus routine in The Band Wagon; it's certainly aged better than Joan Crawford's tropical blackface routine from Torch Song. Horne has a ton of fun in the bubble bath singing one of her signature numbers, "Ain't It the Truth," from Cabin In the Sky. Judy Garland does far better dancing with a passel of kids and clowning to "Doin' What Comes Naturally" than with the exhausting "I'm an Indian Too" from Annie Get Your Gun.

What I Don't Like: Time and technology keeps catching up with these movies. Most of the cut numbers (and many more) can be found on DVD and Blu-Ray with the films they came from or on YouTube or other sharing sites. Once again, only MGM musicals are discussed. While 20th Century Fox has done at least one documentary of it's own, I really do wish many of the other older studios would dive into their vaults and showcase their older material. 

The Big Finale: I found this movie on video in the late 90's and have owned it in one form or another ever since. The slightly more honest tone and rare numbers makes this my favorite of the three Entertainment movies...but they're all recommended if you love classic musical film like I do. 

Home Media: Slightly easier to find on solo DVD than the other two, but you're still better off looking for the Blu-Ray collection or watching it online. 

DVD

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

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. 

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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.

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

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Babes In Arms

MGM, 1939

Starring Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Charles Winninger, and Margaret Hamilton

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music and Lyrics by various

We jump back a year to the first of the Garland-Rooney "put on a show" films. This one started out as a hit Broadway show in 1937. It proved to be even more popular on the big screen, bigger than Garland's other major film that year, The Wizard of Oz. Does it continue to delight audiences with it's talented teens and their barnyard show today, or should it be sent to the orphanage? Let's begin with the birth of a future trooper and find out...

The Story: Mickey Moran (Rooney) is literally born into show business. He dances with his parents in their vaudeville act, at least until the arrival of talking pictures, radio, and the Great Depression brings an end to variety shows. Many aging vaudevillians moved their families to a small town in Long Island, New York after their careers ended, including Joe Moran (Winninger). He encourages the other former vaudevillians in the town to go on tour and prove they're still relevant, before their homes and children are taken away.

Meanwhile, his son is equally determined to show that their children can be every bit the performers their parents are. After their parents claim they'll just be "baggage" on the road, he encourages his sister Molly (Betty Jaynes), his best friend Patsy Barton (Garland), and the local kids to help him put on a show in a barn. Patsy's upset when Mickey initially gives former child star "Baby" Rosalie Essex (Preissler) her role, to the point where she leaves...and there's the lady from the work houses (Hamilton) complaining that the kids should be going to school and studying for a trade, not show business.

The Song and Dance: Berkeley's first movie at MGM shows a lot of creativity, especially in dealing with the kids. There's a lot of energy from everyone, especially the ever-moving Rooney. What I really like is, unlike with Strike Up the Band, there's real stakes here. It's not just winning a contest or helping a friend. The kids are trying to keep their families together by doing what they love during the worst economic downturn anyone ever knew. It makes the melodrama later on a bit easier to take than it is in Strike Up the Band. 

Favorite Number: Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney really get things moving with their lively version of "Good Morning," sung on the piano before an interested song publisher. Betty Jaymes and Douglas McPhail are supposed to be singing a romantic "Where or When" on a moonlit boat ride, but Rooney doesn't think they're putting enough heart into it. He points to Garland to show them how to really pour passion into a song. Speaking of passion, she gets the hit ballad "I Cried for You" on the bus after arguing with Rooney over Rosalie taking her place in the show. The movie ends with a huge patriotic extravaganza, "God's Country," and Rooney and Garland parodying the popular conception of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt at the time, "My Day."

Trivia: The "My Day" Roosevelt spoof was cut after Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945. It was thought lost until the 1990's, when it was discovered on 16 millimeter film and restored. "God's Country" was originally introduced in a stage show called Hooray for What! MGM bought it, but never filmed it. 

This was Garland and Rooney's second film together after the drama Thoroughbreds Don't Cry. 

The original show debuted on Broadway in 1937 and did well for the time, running a little over 9 months, with music by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and choreography by George Balanchine. It was heavily re-written and sanitized in 1959; though the original does turn up from time to time, the 1959 version is the one usually seen in revival and performed by community theaters.

What I Don't Like: Too bad they couldn't have kept more of the original plot or songs. Garland and Rooney proved they were perfectly capable of handling gems like "I Wish I Were In Love Again" and "Johnny One Note" in the later Rodgers and Hart biography Words and Music. "The Lady Is a Tramp" can be heard in the background when Rooney's trying to woo Preissler, but it's not performed on-screen. There's also the big minstrel show number, with Rooney, Garland, and all of the kids in blackface and bad southern accents. It was nostalgia for an earlier era of entertainment then; nowadays, many modern audience members will likely be offended well before rain brings the number to a premature end. 

The Big Finale: This one isn't bad, but I think the Garland-Rooney movies got better as they went along. There's enough good numbers here for this to get a recommend, particularly for fans of the two young stars. 

Home Media: All of the Garland-Rooney musicals are easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives. 

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Strike Up the Band

MGM, 1940

Starring Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, June Preissler, and William Tracy

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we return to the US to join Mickey and Judy in two of their "barnyard musicals" of the late 30's and early 40's. Truth be told, most of them didn't take place in a barn. "Teen musicals" probably would have been a more appropriate description. Judy and Mickey always played a couple of talented kids who put on a show for some worthy cause - in this case, helping a friend and playing with Paul Whiteman - and find love with each other in the process. How does this version look nowadays? Let's head to Riverwood High School, just as the orchestra is in rehearsal, and find out...

The Story: Jimmy Connors (Rooney) is tired of playing the usual classical music for the school orchestra. He wants to put his drumming talents to use as the head of his own "modern dance" (i.e swing) outfit. His gal friend Mary Holden (Garland) supports his ambition, and so does the school principal after they agree to show off their talents at a school dance. The dance is a success, but Jimmy's already off and running again. Now he wants to take the band to Chicago for a big school orchestra contest put on by Paul Whiteman (himself). The principal (Francis Pierlot) can't afford to send them all, so the kids put on a spoof melodrama at the Elks Club to earn their way to Chicago.

The show goes over well, but Willie (Larry Nunn), a friend of Jimmy's who has a crush on Mary, is hurt when he's jerked around on the wire apparatus. He desperately needs an operation on his arm. Now, Jimmy has to decide whether to help a friend, or use the money from the show and a loan by a local bank officer to attend the contest.

The Song and Dance: Garland and Rooney are the thing here, and they're a ball of energy as the drumming prodigy who refuses to let anything come between him and stardom and the smart girl who just wishes he'd put the sticks down and look at her. June Preissler isn't bad as the cute blonde who distracts Jimmy about mid-way through, and she can do some of the most amazing acrobatic bends I've ever seen (in a long gown, no less). Busby Berkeley's hand can be seen all over the place, from the fruit orchestra to the huge "Do the La Conga" number at the dance. 

Favorite Number: "Our Love Affair" starts off as a typical romantic ballad for Rooney and Garland, but ends in fairly bizarre territory. Rooney pulls fruit from a bowl to represent his imagined orchestra, and it becomes fruit playing instruments in a nifty stop-motion segment. "Do the La Conga" is the big dance number. Rooney, Garland, and the other teens really get into it, swinging and kicking at each other with abandon. The entire "Nell of New Rochelle" melodrama spoof, from the kids singing "The Gay Nineties" to Garland's "Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl" to Preissler tumbling through "Ta-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" is a hilarious delight. The big finale, a montage of the title song, "La Conga," and "Love Affair," gets into patriotic turf as it begins with the orchestras playing the title number and ends with Garland and Rooney's faces superimposed against an American flag. 

What I Don't Like: The movie is as melodramatic as the blood-and-thunder adventures the kids make fun of at times. The entire subplot with the kid needing the operation and Rooney's sacrifice can seem awfully corny nowadays. That big patriotic finale comes out of nowhere and, while stirring for audiences who were seeing more of World War II in the news, is just a little bit too much nowadays. 

The Big Finale: The imaginative numbers alone makes this a lot of fun for fans of the young stars, Berkeley, or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50s. 

Home Media: Easily available in all formats. The DVD and Blu-Ray are from the Warner Archives.

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Cult Flops - Summer Holiday (1948)

MGM, 1948
Starring Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, and Frank Morgan
Directed by Rouben Mamoulien
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Ralph Blaine

Rouben Mamoulien was one of the true maverick directors of stage and film from the 1920's through the 1950's. He often fought with studios and crews in order to get his vision on the screen, but more often than not, it paid off. Even when his shows and movies, like the first three-strip Technicolor feature Becky Sharp and the landmark Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess in 1935, didn't make money, they were usually critically acclaimed. Mamoulien had so many problems trying to see his vision through, this movie was finished in 1946 and wasn't released until 1948. Did it deserve better? Let's take a stroll down the street in Danville, Connecticut in 1902 and find out...

The Story: Richard Miller (Rooney) is a teenager with a lot of high-minded ideas about the rights of the common man that he picked up from the books he reads. He spouts them to anyone who'll listen, including his father, newspaper owner Nat Miller (Huston), and his nervous girlfriend Muriel (DeHaven). Angry when Muriel's banker father catches her reading his books and forbids their relationship, he goes out to a bar with a floozy (Marilyn Maxwell)...and learns that maybe he's not quite ready for adulthood yet.

He's not the only one in the Miller family who's having problems with his love life. Perpetually drunk Uncle Sid (Morgan) is trying to court Aunt Lilly (Agnes Moorehead), but she'll only take him if he gets a decent job and stop drinking. She's not happy when he doesn't quite manage to do either, especially after he guzzles down giant pitchers of beer at the Danville 4th of July Picnic.

The Song and Dance: This is such a charming movie. Mamoulien made much use of his trademark dialogue flowing naturally into music and back again, especially in the opening number and during the picnic. The supporting cast is even better. Morgan and Moorehead make a cute couple, and Huston is warm but firm as Richard's (mostly) supportive father. Maxwell gets to have fun vamping it up as the chorus girl who thinks she's found an easy mark in Richard. The lovely costumes and colorful Technicolor cinematography ably brings the early summer of over a century ago to life.

Favorite Number: The opening number "In Our Home Town" is actually a series of shorter numbers that introduce each member of the family, starting with Nat Miller explaining Danville and how things work there, and ending with Rooney and DeHaven in a soda shoppe. We get a more dynamic version of this in the "It's Independence Day" picnic sequence, as the music takes us to everyone's very different celebrations - the men drink their way through the holiday, the kids swim in a local pond, the teens dance together, and the women play croquet and enjoy their huge spread. "Afraid to Fall In Love" is a cute duet for Rooney and DeHaven as he tries to convince her to kiss him.

"I Think You're the Sweetest Kid I've Ever Known" is initially performed as Maxwell's come-on to Rooney. It makes clever uses of colored filters, making Maxwell's costume get scantier the drunker Rooney gets.

Trivia: This is based after the 1934 Eugene O'Neil play Ah, Wilderness. MGM had done an earlier, non-musical version in 1935 (with Rooney in the little brother's role), and there would be a stage musical in 1959 called Take Me Along with Robert Morse as Richard and Jackie Gleason as Sid.

MGM cut at least three numbers that appear in audio form on the limited edition CD soundtrack - "Never Again" for Morgan and Moorehead, "I Wish I Had a Braver Heart," a solo for DeHaven, and "Omar and the Princess," an extended fantasy sequence for Rooney and DeHaven that likely derived from the Persian poetry Richard gave to Muriel.

It was indeed finished in 1946 and not released until '46, after which it was one of their bigger flops of the year.

What I Don't Like: Rooney and DeHaven are way too old for their roles and try too hard to behave like teenagers. I kind of wish MGM had let Mamoulien do what he wanted and kept the numbers. The movie feels too rushed, and we don't really see much of Morgan and Moorehead, especially compared to how important they are in other versions.

A lot of this seems like an imitation of Meet Me In St. Louis, a much bigger MGM nostalgic hit from 1944. This is especially obvious in "The Stanley Steamer." Not only is the song just so-so, but it's pretty directly imitating "The Trolley Song."

The Big Finale: An adorable bit of Americana with some creative musical staging and a nice supporting cast that deserves to be better-known.

Home Media: Currently only available on DVD through the Warner Archives.

DVD

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.

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