In the Good Old Summertime

MGM, 1949

Starring Judy Garland, Van Johnson, Buster Keaton, and S.Z Sakall

Directed by Robert Z. Leonard and Buster Keaton (uncredited)

Music and Lyrics by various

Despite the title, this mainly takes place during the holiday season. It's the second film version of the Miklos Laszlo play Parfumerie after the 1939 non-musical comedy The Shop Around the Corner. How does this one compare to that and the 1998 retelling You've Got Mail? To find out, we begin in Chicago around the turn of the 20th century, just as music shop salesman Andrew Larkin (Johnson) begins his busy day...

The Story: Andy loves his job working at Otto Oberkugen's (Sakall) music shop, with Otto's nephew Hickey (Keaton), stock man Rudy Hansen (Clinton Sundberg), and secretary Nellie (Spring Byington). He doesn't love Veronica Fisher (Garland), whom he literally ran into on his bike in town. She manages to get a job at the shop after she uses her musical skills to sell a harp to a wealthy woman. Veronica and Andy spend their time at work constantly bickering and trying to one-up each other. What they don't know is that they've been writing each other for months as anonymous pen pals and are really in love with each other. Veronica may think she hates him, but she's really concerned when Andy gets in trouble after accidentally loaning a priceless violin to a hopeful music student (Marcia Van Dyke). 

The Song and Dance: No doubt about it, this was a real charmer. Garland and Johnson are adorable as the two workers who think they hate each other, but don't realize how much they're truly in love. Keaton has some nice gags (several he devised himself) as Otto's deadpan nephew. The costumes and sets are lovely and (mostly) historically accurate, beautifully reflecting the Chicago of over 120 years ago. 

Favorite Number: Garland performs the lovely waltz "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland," on the harp when she's trying to sell it to a rich customer and land a job. She joins a barbershop quartet for "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines Nellie" and "Play That Barbershop Chord" at the big Christmas party, then launches into an energetic "I Don't Care." The holiday ballad "Merry Christmas" turns up at the end, performed by Garland at the shop.

Trivia: Liza Minelli makes her film debut as Johnson and Garland's little girl in the final shot of the film.

Keaton was a gag writer at MGM when the producers came to him to figure out how one could destroy a violin. They figured out that he was the only one who could really do the gag he came up with and ended up giving him a role in the movie. He wrote and directed the sequence where Veronica and Andrew meet and he destroys her dress and hat, too. 

In the Good Old Summertime wasn't the last time Parfumerie was adapted as a musical. She Loves Me debuted on Broadway in 1963. It ran a little under a year with Barbara Cook in Garland's role and Daniel Massey in Johnson's; unlike Summertime, it's based after the original play, retaining the original characters and 30's setting. She Loves Me has always been a critical darling, enough to have been revived on Broadway and the West End in the mid-90's and 2016. 

What I Don't Like: Why didn't they do what She Loves Me eventually did and actually adapt Parfumerie as a musical? They use the basic idea of the story and some details (like Veronica thinking she's been stood up when Andrew appears at the café where she's supposed to meet her pen pal), but eliminate or revise many characters and move the setting. It probably didn't need to be set at the turn of the century, either. Buster Keaton has so much fun with his bits, I wish we could have seen a little more of him. 

Would have been nice if someone besides Garland and the chorus could have sung some numbers, too. Johnson and Keaton are capable singers, and Sakall could manage. This is really more of a romantic comedy with a couple of vintage tunes shoehorned in than a typical musical.

The Big Finale: Sweet and charming romantic comedy makes adorable background music during December for fans of Garland, Keaton, Johnson, or the MGM musicals of the 1940's and 50's. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and two DVDs; the solo DVD is currently released by the Warner Archives.

DVD

DVD - Silver Screen Icons: Judy Garland

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Cricket On the Hearth

Rankin-Bass, 1967

Voices of Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Ed Ames, and Roddy McDowell

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass

We kick off this year's holiday reviews with the first Rankin-Bass 2-D animated special. This debuted as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show in 1967. It promptly disappeared for 30 years until it turned up on video in 1998 and then on The Family Channel as part of their "25 Days of Christmas" marathon. Is it really a "lost Dickens treasure" like the blub on the video claimed, or should it be dumped at sea? Let's start with Danny Thomas introducing the cartoon on his show and find out...

The Story: Cricket Crockett (McDowell) first encounters Caleb Plummer (Danny Thomas) while looking for a hearth to adopt. Plummer and his daughter Bertha (Marlo Thomas) are toy makers with a lovely shop of their own. Crockett moves in just as Bertha's sailor fiancée Edward (Ames) is being shipped out. She's willing to wait for him...until a government official announces he's lost at sea. She goes blind from the shock. Her father spends so much money trying to restore her sight, he loses the shop and is forced to look for work. 

Crockett finds a toy factory in need of workers...but it's run by nasty Mr. Tackleton (Hans Conried) and his crow Uriah (Paul Frees). Tackleton is a miser who who'll let the Plummers live at the factory, but refuses to pay them. Caleb's told Bertha that they're living in a beautiful home and Tackleton is a wonderful man. This backfires when Tackleton asks Bertha to marry him. Crockett tries to keep her from agreeing, but Tackleton orders Uriah to get him out of the way. And who's that gentle old man who suddenly appears in front of the shop?

The Animation: Not as whimsical as the later 2-D Rankin-Bass specials designed by Paul Coker, this one looks more like early anime. The eyes are wide and expressive, even though the characters don't really move much. What I like about this one are the brilliant colors - the psychedelic backgrounds frequently pop against the golds, browns, and corals on the characters and the green of Cricket Crockett.

The Song and Dance: Well, it's one of the more interesting Rankin-Bass specials.. Abbe Lane steals the show with her ribald saloon number, and Conried makes a great Scrooge-esque mean old miser, too. There's an occasional unusual idea or cute gag, like the animals who help Crockett head off Tackleton before Bertha gives him her answer or how Crockett gets back to land.

Favorite Number: The title song opens that opens and closes the special explains the legend of the Cricket on the Hearth and how they're said to bring good luck. Ames performs the lovely ballad "Don't Give Your Love Away" as he imagines Bertha waiting patiently for him. Lane's big number is "Fish and Chips," performed by a cat singing about her boyfriend claiming he has more money than he does in the dive bar where Uriah and the Captain meet. Caleb tells Bertha why they'll be all right if they don't have an extravagant holiday, reminding her that "The First Christmas" wasn't fancy, either.

What I Don't Like: I agree with one review that says this feels more like the bizarre specials Rankin-Bass made a decade later than the ones they put out during the 60's. The melodrama is completely ridiculous and features pretty much every dramatic cliché possible, from his dying at sea to her suddenly becoming blind to the Tackleton's conversion. Danny and Marlo Thomas may be the reason this exists, but they're not exactly believable as a British toymaker in the 1840's and his daughter, and though Ames sings beautifully, he's even more wooden. Most of the songs, especially Lane's saloon routine, have nothing whatsoever to do with the story and are there more as filler or to show off the animation. 

My biggest complaint is, despite being the narrator and title character, Crockett often feels like an afterthought in his own vehicle. He claims to be important to the family, but the special puts more focus on the Plummers' problems than the cricket they taken in. He doesn't even have a song of his own. This is also pretty dark for Rankin-Bass, especially the violent fate of Uriah Caw. It's really not for very young children.

The Big Finale: Too melodramatic for all but the most ardent Rankin-Bass fans, Dickens enthusiasts, or lovers of 60's and 70's holiday specials.

Home Media: Just re-released last year on DVD and Blu-Ray; can also be found on several collections of older Rankin-Bass holiday specials.

DVD 

DVD - The Original Christmas Specials Collection

Blu-Ray

The Devil's Brother (Fra Diavlo)

MGM/Hal Roach, 1933

Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dennis King, and Thelma Todd

Directed by Hal Roach and Charley Rodgers

Music by Daniel Auber; Lyrics by Eugene Scribe

Laurel and Hardy first appeared in an operetta in 1930's The Rogue Song, which was also the debut of opera star Laurence Tibett. Alas, nothing is left of that Technicolor extravaganza today but a few fragments of gags and dance routines. We go straight into their second operetta, featuring another legendary stage idol, Dennis King. How does this saucy pre-code tale of bandits and petticoats look today? Let's begin at a bandit camp, the home of the infamous Fra Diavlo (King) himself, and find out...

The Story: In early 18th century Italy, Fra Diavlo poses as the Marquis San de Marco to woo the Lady Pamela (Todd), hoping to find the location of her jewels and her husband Lord Rocburg's (James Finlayson) fortune. His men ride to their castle, and while they do get the jewels, they can't find His Lordship's money. Meanwhile, Stanlio (Laurel) and Ollio (Hardy) have also been attacked by bandits. They become bandits themselves in order to earn money, but first try to rob a poor woodsman who gives them a sob story, then run afoul of Fra Diavlo. 

Diavlo not only spares their lives, he takes them as his servants. They arrive at an inn, where Lady Pamela and Lord Rocberg are staying. Also at the inn is the innkeeper's daughter Zerlina (Lucile Browne). She loves a soldier named Lorenzo (Arthur Pierson), but Diavlo plants the jewels on him. While Lorenzo tries to prove he's innocent, Ollio and Stanlio attempt to capture Diavlo for the reward money.

The Song and Dance: Laurel and Hardy have a great deal of fun with their gags here, especially their attempt to rob that unfortunate woodsman and later, when Stanlio's showing off his dexterity with the knees-hands bit and Ollie just can't imitate him. Todd's also having a marvelous time (and shows off an attractive singing voice) as the flirtatious noblewoman who finds the handsome Marquis far more to her liking than her stuffy husband; Finlayson more than matches her as the suspicious lord. King is a surprisingly dark villain for Laurel & Hardy. There's a layer of menace under his veneer of charm and sophistication that makes you understand why the locals fear him. 

Favorite Number: Diavolo's theme song, which he performs throughout the film, becomes a major part of the plot when he hears Stanlio singing it on the road and confronts them. There's a couple of nice chorus numbers, especially towards the end when the town is preparing for Zerlina's wedding at the Inn.

What I Don't Like: First of all, neither this nor The Bohemian Girl are for people who don't like operettas or comic opera, or are expecting something closer to Laurel and Hardy's shorts that focus wholly on them. Zerlina and Lorenzo are barely in the film and really don't add much to it, other than Lorenzo's being set up by Diavolo. The second half that puts the focus on the lovers and the stolen jewels and off the boys does tend to drag a little as well.

The Big Finale: Along with March of the Toy Soldiers, this is my favorite of the Laurel and Hardy operettas. Highly recommended for fans of comic opera or "the boys."

Home Media: Can be found on streaming and on two Laurel & Hardy sets, the newer from the Warner Archives. I have The Laurel & Hardy Collection, which features a second disc of rare material (including the surviving bits of The Rogue Song). 

DVD - The Devil's Brother/Bonnie Scotland (Warner Archives)

DVD - TCM Archives: The Laurel & Hardy Collection

Amazon Prime

The Bohemian Girl

MGM/Hal Roach, 1936

Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jaqueline Welles, and Mae Busch 

Directed by James W. Horne & Charley Rogers

Music by Michael William Balfe and others; Lyrics by Alfred Bunn and others

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy graduated from shorts to appearing in feature-length films around the time sound films came in, turning up as comic relief in four operettas from 1930 to 1936. This is the fourth and final one, a robust tale of gypsies and stolen babies. How does this comic opera look today? Let's start at the gypsy camp, just outside of the castle of the Count of Arnheim (William P. Carleton), and find out...

The Story: Ollie and Stan live with the gypsies and Ollie's wife (Mae Busch). She's having an affair with the roguish gypsy Devilhoof (Antonio Moreno) while the boys are out picking pockets. Hoping to get revenge on the Count for giving her lover 20 lashes, she steals the Count's little daughter Arline (Darla Hood), then dumps the toddler on Ollie and Stan. The duo raise the child as their own, telling Arline that Ollie is her father.

They return to the Count's woods twelve years later. Once again, the Count mistreats the gypsies, throwing the now-grown Arline (Welles) in jail for trespassing. Now Stan and Ollie have to rescue their adopted daughter, despite Stan being very drunk on home-made wine!

The Song and Dance: Laurel and Hardy and a few good songs are the main attractions here. They get some really cute gags, especially their attempts at pickpocketing three very different gentlemen. Busch has a few good moments early-on haranguing Ollie for laziness and neglecting her, too. 

Favorite Number: Thelma Todd made her final screen appearance performing the opening chorus number at the gypsy camp, "Heart of a Gypsy." Tenor Felix Knight performs "Then You'll Remember Me" to a pretty gypsy lass at the camp a bit later, shortly before Devilhoof is lashed. The most famous song from this opera is "I Dreamt I Dwelled In Marble Halls," sung by Welles to her adopted father and uncle as she relates her fantasies of living in a castle and attending a ball.

Trivia: Todd originally had a far larger role, but it was cut down to her song after her mysterious and untimely death in 1935. Devilhoof was supposed to be her lover. After her death, he was switched to Ollie's wife.

What I Don't Like: I wish they used more of the original opera. Arline's lover and the entire third act were cut. There just isn't much going on here; Stan and Ollie can only prop up the cliched plot for so long. It's also obvious this was a relatively low-budget production. While the gypsies' costumes are appropriately florid, the sets are a bit cramped and stagey.

The Big Finale: Not Laurel & Hardy's most memorable film, but an enjoyable enough way to spend an hour if you're a fan of them or comic opera. 

Home Media: Not currently on DVD, but it can be found on streaming and occasionally on TCM.

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Billy Rose's Jumbo

MGM, 1962

Starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Stephan Boyd

Directed by Charles Walters

Music by Richard Rodgers and others; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and others

MGM tried for years to get this one off the ground, ever since the Broadway version debuted in 1935. They were first going to it in the 40's with Stanley Donen or Walters directing and Howard Keel starring, and then in the 50's with Debbie Reynolds, but that fell through. It wasn't until 1960 that Doris Day and her then-husband Martin Melcher thought it would be the perfect musical vehicle for her and for Busby Berkeley, who created the circus routines. How does this old-fashioned tale of "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" look today? Let's head to the Wonder Circus as they set up for a show in Iowa and find out...

The Story: Kitty Wonder (Day) loves the circus life and her father, Anthony "Pop" Wonder (Jimmy Durante), but she's tired of him constantly gambling away their finances. Their performers haven't been paid in weeks, and creditors are breathing down their necks. The only ones who are really faithful are Lulu the palm reader (Raye), who is in love with Pop, and the talented elephant Jumbo who is (literally) their biggest asset. 

Enter Sam Rawlins (Stephan Boyd), a strapping young man and virtuoso tightrope performer who insists on a job. Kitty resists him at first, but Pop sees him perform in place of an aerialist who left and hires him on the spot. Sam and Kitty eventually fall for each other, but Sam has his own agenda. Pop's rival James Noble (Dean Jagger) would do anything to get Jumbo, even use a few dirty tricks up his sleeve. Even when the Warners are down, it'll take Sam to remind them that the show must go on, and there will always be "sawdust, spangles, and dreams."

The Song and Dance: An adorable confection with some decent numbers and wonderful sets and costumes. MGM really threw themselves into recreating the circus world of the early 20th century. You can almost smell the peanuts and sweat and feel the sticky cotton candy on the floor. Durante in particular has a lot of fun recreating his Broadway role, including his infamous "What elephant?" line when he tries to hide Jumbo towards the end. Raye more than matches him as the loud-mouth psychic whose lines more often than not seem to be crossed. Day's spunky as ever playing Pop's strong-willed daughter who loves her father, but wishes he'd spend more time pushing the circus and less throwing dice. And I do give them credit for keeping the majority of the original score and plot, with two additional Rodgers and Hart numbers ("Why Can't I?" and "This Can't Be Love") that fit in pretty well.

Favorite Number: We kick off the movie with the romantic "Over and Over Again," as Kitty rehearses with the circus performers, and everyone gets to show their stuff in a Berkeley big-top extravaganza. Berkeley has even more fun with "Circus On Parade," as Raye plays a roaring lion in a cage and a monkey escapes his cage and ends up in the crowd. "Why Can't I?" lament Kitty and Lulu as they wish their men would just pay attention while traveling to the next town. Sam tells Kitty she's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" as he works on the merry-go-round, then waltzes gracefully around the sawdust with her. "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is the big finale, as Kitty, Lulu, Sam, and Pop show off different acts and explain why they love what they do.

Trivia: This was Busby Berkeley's last film, Jimmy Durante's last major role in a movie, and Doris Day's last musical. 

No one seems to know who dubbed Stephan Boyd, or if he was, indeed, dubbed. Studio singer James Joyce was credited, but he has no listing for any other musical, and no one is credited on the soundtrack.

The original Broadway Jumbo debuted at the massive Hippodrome Theater in 1935, the last show to play there before it was demolished in 1939. Despite the success of the Rodgers and Hart score, it only ran six months. To my knowledge, it hasn't been seen since, though "My Romance," "Little Girl Blue," "Over and Over Again," and "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" remain standards. 

What I Don't Like: Let's start with that plot. If it was old-fashioned in 1962, it's cliched as heck now, and nothing you haven't seen before in dozens of backstage and circus-themed films as late as the live-action Dumbo from last year. Stephan Boyd is basically cardboard, too stiff and dull to make one believe he could ever liven up a real circus (and was dubbed to boot). The finale "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is a bit odd, as the four leads play every circus role, from clowns to bareback riders. Is it their imagination? Is the Pop Warner Circus back on top? We never find out. Doesn't help that the song isn't up to the rest of the score - it was written by Richard Rodgers with Roger Edens. 

Not to mention, this movie is just plain too long. A lot of the circus routines and the draggy middle section could have been cut with no one the wiser. 

The Big Finale: This was a flop in 1962, and it was really the wrong movie at the wrong time. It was just too old-fashioned for the streamlined early 60's. If you love Day, Raye, or Durante, or are looking for a fun musical for the whole family, I'd grab a ride on Jumbo and head on down to the Warners' tent. 

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

DVD

Amazon Prime

Broadway Hostess

Warner Bros, 1935

Starring Wini Shaw, Lyle Talbot, Allen Jenkins, and Genevieve Tobin

Directed by Frank McDonald

Music by Allie Wrubel; Lyrics by Mort Dixon

In the 30's and 40's, Warners mainly specialized in two types of musicals - backstage extravaganzas like the Busby Berkeley films and small-scale nightclub melodramas with music. This is a typical example of the latter. Wini Shaw, who brightened big numbers in movies like Gold Diggers of 1935, had one of her few starring roles in this tale of a chanteuse who falls for her manager, only to lose him to a socialite. Is this club tale worth the visit? Let's begin as Winnie Wharton (Shaw) arrives at a club in New York in search of her big break and find out...

The Story: Winnie manages to wrangle an audition with the Intime club, thanks to Ted "Lucky" Lorimer (Talbot), who becomes her manager. Thanks to his promotion, she becomes a huge star on the nightclub circuit in New York. She's in love with him, but he claims he's not interested in marriage. He really has his sights set on sophisticated socialite Iris Martin (Tobin), but she's not interested in men without money. Desperate to prove he can make as much money as anyone, Lucky opens a casino. What he didn't realize is Iris' brother Ronnie (Donald Ross) is a major gambler who ends up in hock to him for 30,000. He sells his sister's jewels to pay him back, but cops think Lucky did it. Meanwhile, Winnie's pianist Tommy (Phil Regan) is in love with her, but she regards him as a friend.

The Song and Dance: Decent numbers enliven this familiar tale. I definitely appreciate that Iris isn't the bad guy here. She's a bit of a brat, but she's not really a horrible person, or even someone who would be driven to theft like her brother. It's a nice twist on the usual romantic triangle. Even Winnie realizes this at the end. Allen Jenkins has a few nice moments as Lucky's buddy who falls for the wealthy widow Mrs. Duncan-Griswald-Wembly-Smythe (Spring Byington).  

Favorite Number: "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" is the bluesy ballad that puts Winnie over with the Intime club owners. "Playboy of Paree" in the revue towards the end is an attempt at an imitation Busby Berkeley number on a lower budget, with chorus girls appearing as bubbles in a glass of champagne. 

Trivia: "Playboy of Paree" was nominated for Best Dance Direction in 1935.

This was director Frank McDonald's first movie.

What I Don't Like: While the clichés are a little bit more interesting than they would be in the somewhat similar B musical Talent Scout two years later, this is still pretty typical stuff. Regan is such a nonentity, you can understand why Shaw wasn't interested until later in the film. Talbot and Shaw do well enough, but they're just not interesting enough to carry even an hour long movie. The complicated plot, especially in the second half, drags and drags, making this short film feel twice as long.

The Big Finale: Only come here if you're a really huge fan of the musicals of the 1930's or if you happen to run into it on TCM during a boring afternoon. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Lady Be Good

MGM, 1941

Starring Ann Sothern, Robert Young, Eleanor Powell, and Red Skelton

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Music and Lyrics by various

MGM hoped to build comedienne Ann Sheridan up as a major musical star with this release. They paired her with smooth leading man Robert Young and their most popular musical performer, Eleanor Powell, along with up-and-comers like Red Skelton and Virginia O'Brian, and brought Busby Berkeley along as choreographer. How does this mix of experience and vitality look today in this story of a pair of songwriters who can't seem to stay together look today? Let's begin in the courtroom, as Judge Murdock (Lionel Barrymore) hears the story of lyricist Dixie Donegan (Sothern) and her up-and-down relationship with composer Eddie Crane (Young) and find out...

The Story: Dixie and Eddie first start writing together when she's with him and his current lyricist Bill Pattison (Dan Dailey) and they can't think of words for his music. When she sings the words she wrote on a handkerchief, Eddie realizes that she and the words are a perfect match. The song is a hit, and they end up getting married. It doesn't last for long. She would prefer to return to work, and he wants to entertain his society friends. The judge decides they're not compatible and grants the divorce.

Dixie's best friend Marilyn Marsh (Powell), singer Buddy Crawford (John Carroll) who has a crush on Marilyn, Eddie's best friend Joe "Red" Willet (Skelton), and his deadpan girlfriend Lull (Virginia O'Brian) all try hard to get them back together. It seems to work for a while, long enough for Dixie and Buddy to write another smash hit, "Oh Lady Be Good" and get remarried. Once again, though, she wants to work and he wants to play - she wants to start in on a show, and he wants to go on a honeymoon. It'll take a ploy playing on Eddie's hot temper and jealousy to make the two of them realize just how much their words and music can't live without each other. 

The Song and Dance: This unique twist on the typical romantic comedy musical is mostly a peg on which to hang some excellent numbers. Powell gets two of her best solo routines and handles the sequence when she and Dixie are using Carroll to make Eddie jealous very well. Skelton and O'Brian have their own fun as the comic relief couple. The Berry Brothers, a black dancing trio, show of some amazing dance moves in several numbers. While not elaborate to the degree of his earlier Warners extravaganzas, Berkeley still puts in some great work, especially on "Fascinating Rhythm." Barrymore makes the most of his brief but memorable role as the judge with some wise words on marriage for Dixie and Eddie in the end. 

Favorite Number: "Your Words and My Music" is the major hit that brings Eddie and Dixie together after they divorce the first time. After they get a cute rendition at the piano, we hear a more operatic version from Carroll and O'Brian's deadpan spin. The Barry Brothers get two amazing, high-splitting dance routines to "You'll Never Know" and "Oh Lady Be Good." "Lady Be Good" turns into a long montage, showing how the song becomes wildly popular across the country. Sothern gives a lovely performance "The Last Time I Saw Paris" at the awards dinner honoring their partnership. 

Powell has the film's two most memorable numbers. She's joined by a lively pup who performs in perfect time to an instrumental "Lady Be Good." Berkeley's touches pop up for "Fascinating Rhythm," including the sets that move as Powell taps away in her white tuxedo, ending with a great finale that has her being tossed to the camera by many hands.

Trivia: When Powell couldn't find a trained dog she liked for the Lady Be Good dog number, she bought one from a prop man and trained it herself. 

"The Last Time I Saw Paris" won an Oscar, despite not being written for the film. Jerome Kern, who intended for it to be a pop song, was one of the major people who pushed for the rule change to only original songs written for the film being eligible. 

The original Broadway Lady Be Good debuted in 1924 and was a hit for the time, running almost a year. There were two film versions. The silent version from 1928 that used the original film has since been lost. This one uses absolutely nothing from the original show but "Lady Be Good" and "Fascinating Rhythm." The Broadway show itself doesn't often turn up nowadays outside of an occasional summer staging. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, as good as the musical numbers are, most of them don't really have much to do with the story and barely move it along. Young's charming and sings well, but he's too laid-back to be a temperamental musician. Southern has the same problem - she's funny, but doesn't seem much like a workaholic, either. The story is a bit of a muddle, especially once they get into the elaborate and rather annoying attempts to make Eddie jealous in the end. 

The Big Finale: The terrific numbers alone make this highly recommended if you're a fan of Powell, Skelton, or the MGM musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD via the Warner Archives and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime