Film Legends Of Yesteryear: Screen Team & “Musical Screen Teams (September 2022)” featuring… Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Today, we’re here to get into my first entry for my own Musical Screen Teams blogathon! That would be the 1953 musical Kiss Me Kate, featuring the team of Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel in their final film together!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Washee Ironee (1934)

(available on Blu-ray as part of The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 4 (1933-1935) from ClassicFlix)

(Length: 16 minutes, 38 seconds)

Rich boy Waldo (Wally Albright) tries to get into a football game with the Gang, and ends up falling in the mud. His mother is throwing a society party (at which she expects him to play the violin), so the Gang tries to help wash out his clothes. This one was decently entertaining. In particular, Spanky (George McFarland) going through town in his goat-led “ambulance” (complete with him imitating a siren) was one of the shorts’ more amusing bits, as was the kids making a mess of the society party. It does go a bit wrong when Spanky stops to get help from a Chinese kid at the laundry (the main problem being the way the other kids all treat him by attempting to speak “Chinese”). Apart from that, though, I enjoyed this one, and would gladly watch it again!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Barney’s Hungry Cousin (1953)

(Available as an extra on the Kiss Me Kate Blu-ray from Warner Home Video)

(Length: 6 minutes, 42 seconds)

Barney Bear has come to Jellystone National Park, hoping to enjoy a nice picnic. However, one of the bears living there keeps trying to steal his food! This one was quite fun. Admittedly, it is essentially the same joke over and over, as the one hungry bear keeps stealing Barney’s food, no matter what Barney does to get away from him or prevent it. Still, it serves its purpose in being funny, which makes it worth seeing!

And Now For The Main Feature…

Composer Cole Porter (Ron Randell) has put together a musical version of the Shakespearean play The Taming Of The Shrew, with plans to have it directed by Fred Graham (Howard Keel) with Fred also playing the lead role of “Petruchio.” They both want Fred’s ex-wife, Lilli Vanessi (Kathryn Grayson), to play the part of “Katherine,” and they invite her to Fred’s apartment to convince her to be a part of the show. She almost consents until Fred’s current girlfriend, nightclub performer Lois Lane (Ann Miller), shows up. Lilli decides to leave but quickly returns to accept the role when Fred and Cole decide to be sneaky and offer Lois the part of “Katherine.” During rehearsals, Fred and Lilli continue to argue, but start to reconcile right before the show’s opening night. However, Fred sends some flowers to Lois with a note (but his valet mistakenly delivers the flowers to Lilli), and Lilli (who believes the bouquet of flowers were meant for her) reads the note during a moment onstage. In a rage, she starts going off-script and hitting Fred hard. In retaliation, he spanks her onstage at the end of the first act. Having had enough, Lilli decides to leave the show immediately and go to be with her fiancé, Tex Callaway (Willard Parker). Fred at first has no clue how to convince her to stay and finish the show, but he quickly comes up with an idea. Fred learns that his castmate Bill Calhoun (Tommy Rall) (who is actually Lois’ boyfriend) had taken part in a crap game earlier, and lost a lot of money (but signed Fred’s name on the IOU). While he’s initially mad at Bill, due to the two thugs (Lippy, as played by Keenan Wynn, and Slug, as played by James Whitmore) hounding him about the money, Fred is able to make use of the situation by convincing the two men that he can only pay them back if the show is a hit (and it needs Lilli to stay for that to happen). So, the two men force Lilli to go through with the show for a while. However, between acts, the two men find out that their employer has been killed, thus negating Fred’s “IOU.” Without their help, can Fred convince Lilli to stay with him (and the show), or will she go off to live life with a millionaire?

The whole idea was the result of a 1935 performance of Shakespeare’s The Taming Of The Shrew in which then-stage manager Arnold Saint Subber watched the show’s stars, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, fight backstage. Later on, as Arnold Saint Subber was becoming a Broadway producer, he decided to make use of the idea as a backstage musical. With the help of his new partner, Lemuel Ayres, he brought in Bella and Samuel Spewack to write the book along with composer Cole Porter to write the score. They were all hesitant about the project, but they were able to come up with a show that would be a big hit with audiences, one of the few to run more than one thousand performances at the time. MGM quickly bought the movie rights, but film production was delayed since they couldn’t start until the Broadway show’s run had ended. In making the transition from stage to screen, the musical kept most of its score (save for at least one song that ended up being spoken), and added the Cole Porter song “From This Moment On” (originally written for the Cole Porter show Out Of This World, even though it was dropped before its premiere). Of course, the song “From This Moment On” is famous here for the fact that Bob Fosse had the opportunity to choreograph a section of the dance for himself and his partner, Carol Haney, which helped him greatly on the path to becoming a famous choreographer.

I picked this film (which I’ve seen many times over the years) to go with my Musical Screen Teams blogathon, with my planned focus on Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel, who had worked together previously in Show Boat (1951) and Lovely To Look At (1952). While I don’t quite think the film itself is the best of the three, I do think that their characters’ relationship works the best here. Unlike the other two films, we don’t see their original romance here. Instead, they’ve already been a married couple and gotten divorced. Yet, the seeds of love between them still exist somewhat despite the anger and hatred that Keel’s Fred keeps causing by his current relationship with Ann Miller’s Lois (even if Lois is just using him to help her own career and that of her boyfriend). On the musical side of things, Keel and Grayson only have two duets (the rest of the time, they are part of an ensemble), but those two songs, “So In Love” and “Wunderbar” are among some of the film’s best moments. “So In Love” is indeed, as it’s title suggests, a beautiful love song, used mainly as an audition for Grayson’s Lilli (and, even though Fred is using it to help manipulate her into doing the show, it still helps show enough of those seeds of attraction I already referred to). “Wunderbar” is just plain fun, as their characters recall a previous show they did together, with them even goofing around and trying to upstage each other, while also dancing together.

Of course, Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson are hardly the only things that make this movie wonderful. One thing this movie is noted for is the fact that it was made as part of the 3-D fad during the early 1950s (when Hollywood was trying to come up with ways to get people out to the theatres due to the rise of television). I personally can’t speak to how good the 3-D is, since I’ve never seen it on a big screen, and I haven’t had any of the technology to see it that way at home (since the Blu-ray came out while 3-D Blu-rays required a 3-D player and a 3-D TV, neither of which have I ever had). Still, one can get a sense of the 3-D aspects through many moments in the film, especially when they throw stuff at the camera during some of the dances. In general, Ann Miller (in some respects, the “third member” of the screen team, since she was also kind of the girlfriend briefly for Howard Keel’s character in Lovely To Look At) gets some of the best moments to show off her dance abilities. Her tap solo “auditioning” for the show to “Too Darn Hot” is one of the film’s highlights (regardless of whether you see it in 3-D or not). She also has “Why Can’t You Behave?” with Tommy Rall on the rooftop, and several routines with him, Bobby Van and Bob Fosse, all of which are fun! In my opinion, this is a very highly regarded musical for good reason, with great music by Cole Porter, great singers and dancers, wonderful comedy and Shakespeare! So, it’s certainly a film I would recommend very highly!

This movie is available on Blu-ray, either individually from Warner Archive Collection or as part of a four-film Musicals collection from Warner Home Video.

Film Length: 1 hour, 50 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #5 in Top 10 Movies Watched In 2022

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Lovely To Look At (1952) – Kathryn Grayson

Calamity Jane (1953) – Howard Keel – Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)

Lovely To Look At (1952) – Ann Miller – Deep In My Heart (1954)

Good News (1947) – Tommy Rall – Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)

Bob Fosse – Give A Girl A Break (1953)

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

“Musicals: With A Song And A Dance In My Heart (September 2021)” featuring… Deep In My Heart (1954)

For today’s entry in the Musicals: With A Song And A Dance In My Heart blogathon, we’ve got the 1954 all-star musical biopic on composer Sigmund Romberg, Deep In My Heart, starring Jose Ferrer, Merle Oberon and Helen Traubel!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Strauss Fantasy (1954)

(Available as an extra on the Deep In My Heart Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection)

(Length: 9 minutes, 49 seconds)

Johnny Green conducts the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a medley of tunes by the three Strausses: Johann Strauss Sr., Johann Strauss Jr. and Josef Strauss. It’s a nice, short little concert with some fun, recognizable classical music (even if it is slightly edited to fit in the short runtime). This short is probably best played in the background of whatever you might be doing, but it’s still enjoyable! My only real complaint is that, on this Blu-ray, this short is using an old, unrestored, non-anamorphic transfer, and I wish that could be improved upon.

Coming Up Shorts! with… The Farm Of Tomorrow (1954)

(Available as an extra on the Deep In My Heart Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection or as part of Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 2 on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Archive Collection)

(Length: 6 minutes, 32 seconds)

We are shown the “farm of tomorrow.” This one has some fun, but I’ll admit it quickly goes a little sour for me. Instead of being as much about farming, it quickly devolves into gags revolving around the crossbreeding of different animals (and some objects). There are some good gags to be found here, don’t get me wrong, but it just seems like it goes the wrong direction. Still, it’s one I’ll probably find myself returning to here and there (with my expectations in check). Of course, the transfer for this cartoon is older on the Deep In My Heart Blu-ray, so it doesn’t look as good as it does on the Tex Avery set released several years later.

And Now For The Main Feature…

In New York City, composer Sigmund “Romy” Romberg (Jose Ferrer) works at the Café Vienna, run by his friend Anna Mueller (Helen Traubel). One night, a music promoter named Berrison, Sr. (David Burns) listens to Romy’s music, but determines it to be old-fashioned. Inspired by Berrison’s descriptions of what type of music he wants to promote, Romy writes a ragtime tune that quickly becomes a hit. That song’s success attracts the attention of theatrical impresario J. J. Shubert (Walter Pidgeon), and Romy auditions a new song for Shubert’s upcoming show. Shubert’s leading lady, Gaby Deslys (Tamara Toumananova), is at first indifferent to Romy’s new song, but when a visiting actress, Dorothy Donnelly (Merle Oberon), praises it, Gaby decides to have Shubert buy it. When he sees the show on opening night, Romy is disgusted with the overall presentation of his song. Anna holds a party at the Café Vienna afterwards, where Romy is offered a five-year contract by producer Bert Townsend (Paul Stewart). Initially, Romy turns it down. As he explains to his new friend Dorothy Donnelly, he had wanted to bring his show Maytime to Bert and Shubert, but couldn’t bring himself to do it after what they did with his song. Dorothy encourages him to sign the contract, so that he can become better-known and gain enough clout to get them to do the show. He signs, although he frequently finds himself at odds with the shows he writes for. Still, he keeps doing them because of his free-spending habits with the checks he is given. He tries asking Bert Townsend to produce Maytime again and again, but he keeps turning Romy down. Going back to Dorothy for advice, she suggests a slight deception. The two of them go to a fancy restaurant, where they run into Florenz Ziegfeld (Paul Henreid). While being watched by Shubert, they pretend to show Ziegfeld Maytime, and he goes along with their ruse. It works, prompting Shubert to finally do it. Maytime becomes such a big hit, that they have a second company performing it at the same time. Romy’s success goes to his head, and he comes up with another show called Magic Melody. With Bert unwilling to produce it, Romy decides to do so himself (but it fails). Broke and humbled, he returns to Bert repentant. Of course, Bert needs him back, and he sends him along with two of his writers to Saranac Lake to work on a show. They work hard on the show, but when frustrations run high, the two writers push Romy to go out for a bit. While out riding his bicycle, he meets and falls for Lillian Harris (Doe Avedon), who is staying at Saranac Lake with her mother (Isobel Elsom). Lillian develops some affection for Romy, but her mother thinks he is too vulgar. Things go wrong when Bert visits and insists on hearing what Romy and the two writers have put together (all, of course, while Lillian and her mother are trying to visit). Bert likes what he hears, but it horrifies Lillian’s mother. Lillian is willing to make up with Romy, until Bert sends flowers to all the women at Saranac Lake (in an attempt to get Romy to come back to Broadway), which is too much for Lillian. A year later, Romy has helped put together another show, but he still hasn’t gotten over Lillian. Dorothy tries to rouse his spirits by asking for his help in writing music for a show she’s been adapting, but he is feeling too low and plans a trip to Europe after the opening of the show. Will Lillian return and help him out of his funk, or will he make that trip to Europe (and be miserable the whole time)?

In the early 1950s, MGM made plans for a musical biopic on composer Sigmund Romberg, with producer duties assigned to Arthur Freed. Originally, the plan was to have the real Sigmund Romberg make an appearance as himself in a prologue to introduce the film, but he died before the film could go into production. Producer Arthur Freed ended up giving this one to his regular associate producer, Roger Edens, as he attempted to launch his own unit at MGM, and Roger Edens hired Stanley Donen as the director. It wasn’t necessarily a movie that either of them wanted to make, though. The musical biopics that MGM had produced tended to be more like revues featuring some of the big-name talent at MGM for various songs, without much plot, which didn’t appeal to Stanley Donen (but he did the project because Roger Edens, who had been championing Stanley’s rise, asked him to do it). Being his first producing gig, Roger Edens felt that he needed something that would have been a success, even if he didn’t find the material appealing (and ended up producing only one more film, Funny Face, after this). The original plan was to have Kurt Kasznar star as Sigmund Romberg, but rising star Jose Ferrer expressed interest in doing a musical, and that was the end of that.

To be perfectly honest, this is a movie that I have both a difficult time recommending and yet also an easy time recommending. If you find that confusing, then allow me to explain. I first saw this movie as part of the nine-film DVD set Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory Volume 3, which included films like Hit The Deck (1955), Kismet (1955), Broadway Melody Of 1936 (1935), Born To Dance (1936) and a few others that I haven’t gotten around to reviewing yet. At that time, I hadn’t seen ANY of those films, just clips here and there. Of that group of nine films, I originally came out with the lowest opinion on Deep In My Heart. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it a little bit, but I also would have told you at that time that that first viewing was also going to be my last. My biggest problem (at that time)? Complete lack of familiarity with composer Sigmund Romberg and his music. I had already seen some of the other musical biopics on different composers like Jerome Kern (Till The Clouds Roll By), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (Words And Music), Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby (Three Little Words), etc., and was at least familiar with their music from some of the various film musicals that they had written for. But Sigmund Romberg? I hadn’t heard of him, and I hadn’t heard any of his music (not helped by the fact, if I am remembering correctly, that the only clips with his music in any of the That’s Entertainment films came from the Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy film New Moon, which I hadn’t seen at that time and had no plans to see). So I went in blindly, and came out barely remembering anything with any fondness (maybe the song “I Love to Go Swimmin’ with Wimmin” done by Gene Kelly and his brother, Fred Kelly, but that was it on my first time).

So, that’s what I held against the film (and why I have a difficult time recommending it). But, as you will look at my score (and the fact that I also feel I CAN easily recommend it), my opinion has changed. What caused me to go back and give this film a second chance? Maytime (1937). I will grant you that, to the best of my knowledge, only one song from the original Broadway show’s score made it into that film, which was “Will You Remember?”, but that song alone gave me a very positive feeling towards that whole movie. In the back of my mind, I somehow remembered the song being included in Deep In My Heart, and the name “Sigmund Romberg” seemed familiar, so I was willing to revisit this movie. I found myself enjoying it much more the second time around, now that I was a little more familiar with Sigmund Romberg’s music. I’ve since seen a few other films with Sigmund Romberg’s music and enjoyed them (mostly just the Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy films The Girl Of The Golden West and New Moon, but I certainly hope to see more when I get the chance).

I will say that, more than anything, the music (and dancing here and here) is what makes this movie so appealing to me. I certainly enjoy the song “Will You Remember” by Vic Damone and Jane Powell quite a bit (it’s not as good as the version from the 1937 Maytime, but that is partly because that film gives the song an actual context as part of the story, leaving me much more emotionally attached, but I can still enjoy this film’s version, too). It is also kind of fun seeing Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney (married offscreen, with her appearance in this film due to Jose Ferrer pushing MGM to borrow her from Paramount) doing the rather appropriate song “Mr. And Mrs.” Gene Kelly joined by his brother Fred Kelly for the aforementioned song “I Love to Go Swimmin’ with Wimmin” is quite entertaining, and one of the better dance routines in the film. The other is Cyd Charisse and James Mitchell dancing to the song “One Alone,” which is just breathtaking to watch (and a little steamy, too). The closest objection that modern audiences might have (besides the overall lack of recognition of Sigmund Romberg) is the “Jazz-a-doo” stuff with Jose Ferrer putting on soot that resembles blackface (although that would likely be historically accurate, given that he was imitating Al Jolson, who did that, from what I’ve seen and heard). Personally, while it took me a few tries to like this film, I’ve come to enjoy seeing it every now and then, and consider it my second favorite composer biopic from that period (trailing only Three Little Words). If you can familiarize yourself with the music of Sigmund Romberg beforehand, then I do think that this is a fun movie worth seeing (without that recognition, it’s much harder to recommend)!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Archive Collection.

Film Length: 2 hours, 12 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

The Caine Mutiny (1954) – Jose Ferrer

Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) – Walter Pidgeon – Hit The Deck (1955)

Now, Voyager (1942) – Paul Henreid – Never So Few (1959)

White Christmas (1954) – Rosemary Clooney

Brigadoon (1954) – Gene Kelly – Invitation To The Dance (1956)

Athena (1954) – Jane Powell – Hit The Deck (1955)

Athena (1954) – Vic Damone – Hit The Deck (1955)

Kiss Me Kate (1953) – Ann Miller – Hit The Deck (1955)

Brigadoon (1954) – Cyd Charisse – Silk Stockings (1957)

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954) – Howard Keel – Kismet (1955)

Music In My Heart (1940) – Tony Martin – Hit The Deck (1955)

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954) – Russ Tamblyn – Hit The Deck (1955)

“Musicals: With A Song And A Dance In My Heart (September 2021)” featuring… Hit The Deck (1955)

Today’s entry in the Musicals: With A Song And A Dance In My Heart blogathon is the 1955 film Hit The Deck starring Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, Gene Raymond, Ann Miller and Russ Tamblyn!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Prefabricated Pink (1967)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 (1966-1968) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 11 seconds)

The Pink Panther sees a “Help Wanted” sign at a construction site, and hops right in to help out the workers. I found this one to be middle-of-the-road as far as the Pink Panther is concerned. It has its moments, as everything the Panther does keeps causing trouble for the various Little Men. Honestly, I was slightly disappointed when the short started out with the Panther causing trouble for some of the workers, who would then get in trouble with the foreman (which was quite hilarious!) before dropping that idea entirely. I’ll admit, sometimes jokes can go on too long, but that one wasn’t used enough in my opinion, with the remainder of the short just being similar to a lot of the stuff that the Panther has done before. There is some fun and humor to be found here, that’s for sure, but I just feel I’ve seen the Panther do better with similar situations.

And Now For The Main Feature…

Chief Boatswain’s Mate William “Bilge” F. Clark (Tony Martin) and his two buddies, Rico Ferrari (Vic Damone) and Danny Xavier Smith (Russ Tamblyn), are on leave in San Francisco. Bilge wants to go see his nightclub performer girlfriend, Ginger (Ann Miller), but Rico and Danny have some other plans. When Bilge offers to have Ginger find them some dates, they agree to meet back at the club later. However, none of them find things to be as they expect. Bilge surprises Ginger, but she is mad at him for the fact that they have been engaged for six years, and tells him that she has met somebody else. Rico goes to visit his mother, Mrs. Ottavio Ferrari (Kay Armen), but she is spending time with her neighbor (whom she likes), Mr. Peroni (J. Carrol Naish). However, when Mr. Peroni sees just how old Rico is (as opposed to the picture his mother has of him at the age of nine), he leaves. At home, Danny finds his father, Rear Admiral Daniel Xavier Smith (Walter Pidgeon), leaving for a meeting that will last the duration of his leave, and finds his sister Susan (Jane Powell) getting ready to go out and audition with the star of a Broadway show, Wendell Craig (Gene Raymond). Danny goes to the theatre (which is right next to Ginger’s nightclub) to see Susan audition. There, he meets actress Carol Pace (Debbie Reynolds), who tells him that Wendell’s “auditions” usually happen at his hotel room. The three buddies gets back together and commiserate over their troubles. The three decide to go over to Wendell’s hotel room to get an unsuspecting Susan out of there. Rico takes her away while the other two duke it out with Wendell, but she gets away from him. When she arrives, she finds Danny and Bilge gone, and the place is a mess. Wendell has already called the shore patrol, with intentions of filing charges (especially when he learns that one of the men was Susan’s brother). She leaves with the intention of warning them and immediately runs into Rico. He takes her to his mother’s apartment, where everybody (including Carol) has gathered, with Ginger joining them later on. They all try to figure out how to get the guys out of the mess they are in, but all that happens is everybody starts getting mad at everybody else and leaving. The next day, the guys try to reconcile with the gals, and try to fix things. But, with the shore patrol constantly breathing down their neck, can Susan and the guys convince Wendell Craig to drop the charges?

In 1922, a play called Shore Leave (by Hubert Osborne) was produced for the stage. After that, the story would be adapted in many ways, including the 1927 stage musical Hit The Deck (with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Leo Robin, Clifford Grey and Irving Caesar), plus different movie versions coming from both versions of the tale. As early as 1947, MGM bought the film rights to the stage musical from RKO studios. However, the delay in actually doing anything with the property hurt its chances. By the time the studio got around to it, television had become big, keeping more and more people at home instead of going to the movie theaters. As a result, the studios would try cramming a bunch of stars into one film, hoping their star power would be enough to get audiences into theaters. For Hit The Deck, their star power wasn’t *quite* enough, and most of the cast were fired by MGM either directly after this film, or within one or two more.

Hit The Deck has a number of wonderful musical moments, but I’d be remiss to not talk about the film’s best-known one, the song “Hallelujah” (which is done twice in the movie). The first time is done within the first ten minutes (give or take) by Tony Martin, Vic Damone and a (dubbed) Russ Tamblyn (with backup by The Jubalaires). That version is kind of fun, but it pales in comparison to the second time (done as the film’s finale by the majority of the cast). I’ll tell you, that finale is about as joyful a musical number as any that I can think of, and is easily enough reason for me to stick this movie on every now and then! I love the singing, I love the orchestration, and I enjoy Ann Miller’s dance routine. Admittedly, done as a tap routine where she “drills” the sailors with her tap steps reminds me very strongly of Fred Astaire’s dance to “I’d Rather Lead A Band” in Follow The Fleet (1936) (incidentally, that was another filmed version of the play Shore Leave, albeit with a score by Irving Berlin). Personally, I prefer Fred’s version, but Ann Miller still does quite well here.

Of course, the song “Hallelujah” is hardly the only reason I like to watch this movie. I also enjoy some of the other music, including “Lucky Bird” (sung by Jane Powell), “Why, Oh Why?” (done twice, once with the men, and once later with the ladies), “Chiribiribee” with most of the cast, “Lady From The Bayou” with Ann Miller, and “A Kiss Or Two” and the Funhouse dance with Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn (and quite frankly, the last two I mentioned make me wish that Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn had been teamed up for more films together). Of course, I know this movie is not without its issues. There is some argument to be made that, with its huge cast, not everybody gets equal screen time, and that is fair. Quite frankly, I also think the first few minutes of the film with the three guys before they get to San Francisco have little to do with the rest of the movie, and could be removed without losing much of the story. It’s not the MGM musical at its absolute best, but I do enjoy this movie, and it’s one I’ve enjoyed sticking on every now and then. If for nothing else, it’s certainly good for cheering me up when I’m down! Definitely a movie I would recommend!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Archive Collection.

Film Length: 1 hour, 52 minutes

My Rating: 9/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Jane Powell

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Tony Martin

Athena (1954) – Debbie Reynolds – The Tender Trap (1955)

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Walter Pidgeon

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Vic Damone – Kismet (1955)

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Ann Miller – The Opposite Sex (1956)

Deep In My Heart (1954) – Russ Tamblyn

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Opposite Sex (1956)

This week, we’ve got more musical fun with the 1956 film The Opposite Sex, starring June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan and Ann Miller! Of course, before we get into the movie, we’ve got another Ant And The Aardvark cartoon, available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Ant And The Aardvark from Kino Lorber! So sit back, and have some fun with this one!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Dune Bug (1969)

(Length: 6 minutes, 34 seconds)

The ant is trying to vacation on the beach, but the aardvark keeps coming for him. While the aardvark is obviously chasing the ant as always, this short adds in a lifeguard that believes the aardvark is a dog and keeps throwing him off the beach. That adds a lot to the fun, even if the lifeguard does look like a complete idiot for mistaking the aardvark for a dog. But, it all helps to set up the final gag, which is quite hilarious! All in all, a very fun and memorable cartoon that I don’t mind coming back to periodically!

And Now For The Main Feature…

At Sydney’s salon, Sylvia Fowler (Dolores Gray) learns from her manicurist Olga (Alice Pearce) that Steven Hilliard (Leslie Nielsen), the theatrical producer and the husband of one of her friends, is having an affair with a chorus girl. Sylvia is delighted at the news, and rushes to tell another friend, Edith Potter (Joan Blondell). Later, when they meet up for lunch with Steven’s wife (and former singer) Kay Ashley Hilliard (June Allyson) and writer Amanda Penrose (Ann Sheridan) to plan out the show for the Footlights Home Benefit, Sylvia tries to hint at Steven’s unfaithfulness to Kay, but she is oblivious. Amanda, who had also heard the gossip, tries to shush Sylvia, but Sylvia won’t take no for an answer, and suggests Kay go to her manicurist, Olga, at Sydney’s salon. Meanwhile, the showgirl, Crystal Allen (Joan Collins), tries (and fails) to meet up with Steven, but he is trying to end the affair. When Kay goes to Sydney’s, Olga accidentally reveals the existence of Crystal’s affair with Steven to her. After talking with Amanda, Kay tries to hide her knowledge of the affair, but she struggles when she is asked to sing a love song at their tenth anniversary party. She decides to go on a trip to Bermuda, and when Crystal reads about her leaving for Bermuda without Steven, she believes the marriage is on the rocks, and tries to meet up with Steven when he is in the park with his daughter, Debbie (Sandy Descher). Kay returns early from her trip, and things seem to be alright. However, at the Footlights Home Benefit, Crystal flaunts herself at Kay to get a rise out of her, although Kay tries to ignore her. Though after Sylvia reveals her knowledge of Crystal meeting up with Steven and Debbie at the park, Kay goes in and slaps Crystal before she takes off, despite Steven’s protests.

Kay leaves on a train for Reno, Nevada to get a divorce. On the train there, she meets and befriends the Countess (Agnes Moorehead) and Gloria Dahl (Ann Miller). They all go to stay at the D-Bar-H Ranch, owned by Lucy (Charlotte Greenwood). While there, Kay has to fend off the advances of ranch hand Buck Winston (Jeff Richards). Not long after, Sylvia comes to stay there as well, as her husband has left her for someone else. When Sylvia receives a letter from a friend that includes a newspaper clipping that reveals that it is Gloria that her husband left her for, they both get into a fight, before Sylvia is charmed by Buck. After Kay’s divorce goes through, her friend Amanda comes to accompany her home, and tries to convince her to go back to Steven. She is too late, however, as Kay gets a call from Steven telling her that he is marrying Crystal. So, Kay goes back to being a singer. At one point, she finds out from Edith that Sylvia has returned, and brought Buck back with her. The news is that Sylvia both wants to marry Buck herself and promote him as a singer. Meanwhile, Crystal and Steve aren’t getting along, which daughter Debbie sees firsthand (and she also catches Crystal talking on her private phone to her new lover, Buck). When Debbie tells her mother about this, her mother springs into action, making plans to help Steven out of his current marital woes.

The Opposite Sex came from a 1936 play by Clare Booth Luce called The Women which MGM had successfully made into a movie in 1939. In both of those previous cases, the cast was entirely female. MGM had been falling on hard times, as, due to the rise of television, audiences were no longer going to the movies, forcing all the studios to make some changes. With changing leadership, MGM tried, among other things, to look back at their past for inspiration. About this time (1956), they tried doing a lot of remakes of earlier hits, like High Society, Gaby, Designing Woman, Silk Stockings, etc., with varying results. For their remake of The Women, they opted to add in men, make it a musical, make it in color, and in cinemascope (not to mention other changes like character names, relationships, professions, etc.).

For many, The Opposite Sex is an inferior version of the story. Now, I haven’t seen the play or the 1939 movie (yet) or the 2008 remake, so I am at best judging this movie on its own merits. It’s not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but I enjoyed it more than its reputation would have indicated. I think June Allyson works very well here for the most part as Kay. For a character that is described as, at times, being too nice, she fits the bill. I do think her performance falters a little at the end when she is supposed to “have her claws out,” but she isn’t bad enough for me to trash the movie over it. I think the rest of the cast is good here, too, especially Dolores Gray as Sylvia, who is almost every bit the film’s “villain” as Joan Collin’s Crystal Allen (and I won’t deny that I cheered when she got her comeuppance multiple times). And the rest of the cast is full of familiar faces, whether they be Agnes Moorehead, a very quick appearance for Dean Jones (early in his career, you know), Joan Blondell, Dick Shawn, Jim Backus and a host of others, which adds to the fun (at least for me). Honestly, I would say that one of this movie’s biggest sins is the lack of musical numbers for some of its stars. I mean, we’ve got Dolores Gray here, who is a very good singer, and all she sings is the title song over the opening credits. We’ve also got dancer Ann Miller here, and she doesn’t sing or dance at all for the entire movie. My own opinion of the music, written by Nicholas Brodszky and Sammy Cahn, is that it’s not that great or memorable (although I won’t deny some of the music can get stuck in my head for a while, with no complaints from me). Again, I can only speak to this movie and not any other version of the story, but I enjoyed it, and would certainly recommend giving it a try!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Archive Collection. The Blu-ray is sporting a new transfer that REALLY shows off the film’s color, it’s so vivid! And that alone certainly makes this movie a treat to watch! So, if you have to see it, see it in high definition with the new blu!

Film Length: 1 hour, 56 minutes

My Rating: 7/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

The Glenn Miller Story (1954) – June Allyson

Joan Collins – The Road To Hong Kong (1962)

Kismet (1955) – Dolores Gray – Designing Woman (1957)

Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) – Ann Sheridan

Hit The Deck (1955) – Ann Miller

Leslie Nielsen – Tammy And The Bachelor (1957)

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954) – Jeff Richards

Show Boat (1951) – Agnes Moorehead

Stand-In (1937) – Joan Blondell – Desk Set (1957)

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2019) on… Lovely To Look At (1952)

“To me, dancing is the loveliest way I know to meet a girl. It’s the only way I can hold a girl in my arms in a crowded room and still have her all to myself. Dancing is the whistlestop before romance.” – Gower Champion in Lovely to Look At

Now we’re back for the 1952 musical Lovely To Look At, starring Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton and Howard Keel.

Tony (Howard Keel), Jerry (Gower Champion) and Al (Red Skelton) have plans for a Broadway show, but find they are under-financed to convince anybody to back the show. Then Al receives a letter stating that his Aunt Roberta had passed, and he had inherited half of her dress shop in Paris. So Tony, Jerry and Al make the trip to Paris to sell Al’s half to finance their show, but they find that the shop, now run by Stephanie (Kathryn Grayson) and her sister Clarisse (Marge Champion), has seen better years. With the creditors closing in, the three men decide to convince them to put on a big fashion show with music, dancing comedy. Of course, there are different romances brewing, as Jerry and Clarisse fall for each other, while Al falls for Stephanie, she likes Tony, and Tony likes her, except his girlfriend Bubbles Cassidy (Ann Miller) shows up (but ends up falling for Al). But when one of the models (Zsa Zsa Gabor) introduces them to producer Max Fogelsby (Kurt Kasznar), who offers them the chance to do their show immediately, will they stay to help with the fashion show or will they return to New York?

As the second filmed version of the Broadway musical Roberta (following the Astaire/Rogers film from the 1930s), this film brought back some songs dropped from the earlier film while retaining some that were written for the previous movie. Having seen the earlier Roberta many times, Lovely To Look At was a movie I was curious about, but had low expectations for when I first saw it nearly a decade ago. All I can say is that I’m glad I was curious, as it has become one of my favorite movies, usually one I try to watch at least once a year!

The score, with music written by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Otto Harbach (and some updated lyrics by Dorothy Fields), is absolutely wonderful! In That’s Entertainment, Part 2, Fred Astaire said that “Jerome Kern wrote some of the loveliest melodies I’ve ever heard, and none lovelier than this one, sung by Kathryn Grayson” (referring, of course, to the song “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”). That’s a sentiment I very much agree with, as I very much prefer this sung version of the song. Kathryn does it so wonderfully and with so much emotion, I know I can’t help but want to cry along with her as she finishes. That being said, the instrumental version used earlier in the movie for husband-and-wife dance team Marge and Gower Champion is even better yet! It is such a wonderful combination of beautiful music and breathtaking dancing, I look forward to it every time I watch the movie (and, for those who noticed, it made my Top 10 Dance Routines list, too)! Also worth noting for Marge and Gower is the song “I Won’t Dance,” a fun and flirtacious dance between the two that is full of fun and lifts as well!

Of course, with Red Skelton in the cast, you can bet there is room for some comedy, too! Early on, he gets a chance as he rides an elevator that looks so unsafe in how it moves that most of us would much rather walk up the stairs after seeing it in action (and then a bit later when somebody else tries to use it, and we listen to him with his badly mangled French). But his best moment is probably his “Irish Tenor” comedy bit later in the movie. Seriously, if you can get through that without laughing, then I don’t know what you’re even reading about this film for, it’s so good!

Overall, this is very much a fun musical that I always enjoy. I admit, the fashion show sequence at the end of the movie is a bit odd (partly due to the fact that that sequence was directed by Vincente Minelli instead of Mervyn LeRoy who directed the rest of the movie), with the Marge and Gower dance routine to “Yesterdays” really being a jolt, but over time and multiple viewings, I’ve still come to appreciate it just as much as the rest of the movie! A very highly recommended movie if you get the chance to see it!

This movie is available on DVD from Warner Archive Collection.

Film Length: 1 hour, 42 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #5 in Top 10 Movies Watched In 2019

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Show Boat (1951) – Kathryn Grayson – Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Ziegfeld Follies (1945) – Red Skelton – Susan Slept Here (1954)

Show Boat (1951) – Howard Keel – Calamity Jane (1953)

Show Boat (1951) – Marge Champion – Give A Girl A Break (1953)

Show Boat (1951) – Gower Champion – Give A Girl A Break (1953)

On The Town (1949) – Ann Miller – Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2019) on… On The Town (1949)

And we’re back from the sea for another musical romp with Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Jules Munshin as they go On The Town with Betty Garrett, Ann Miller and Vera-Ellen.

On leave for just one day, sailors Gabey (Gene Kelly), Chip (Frank Sinatra) and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) explore New York City. While on the subway, Gabey sees a subway worker putting up a poster of Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen), the new Miss Turnstiles. He decides to find her, and his buddies try to help. Along the way, they are helped by cab driver Brunhilde Esterhazy (Betty Garrett), who takes a shine to Chip, and Claire Huddesen (Ann Miller), who likes Ozzie. Gabey does find Ivy, and they all go out as a group (at least until Ivy sneaks away to get to her job). Gabey tries to find her again, all the while the group has to evade the police, due to the dinosaur skeleton that Ozzie had accidentally knocked over at a museum that they visited, as well as the cab that Brunhilde was driving beyond her shift.

This is the third and final movie that Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly made together (well, unless you want to count them both being hosts of the first That’s Entertainment documentary). And of the three, it was the only one that Gene Kelly actually got paired up with a dancer, as Kathryn Grayson was mainly a singer and Esther Williams a swimmer. This movie is based on a Broadway show with music by Leonard Bernstein, although only a handful of songs were retained, with new music provided by associate producer Roger Edens. Of course, this movie is remembered as much for the behind-the-scenes team of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen (who had worked together as choreographers for some of Gene’s movies and co-wrote the story for Take Me Out To The Ball Game) being upgraded to co-directors, a team that also co-directed the classics Singin’ In The Rain and It’s Always Fair Weather.

I enjoyed this one. I do have to admit, it took me several viewings over a number of years, but my opinion has improved. While it does veer back into the “sailors-on-leave” territory that Frank and Gene did with Anchors Aweigh, it maintains some of the improvements made for Take Me Out To The Ball Game (TMOTTBG), including the shorter runtime and Jules Munshin as the third buddy. I will say I don’t like the music quite as much as TMOTTBG, but it is a huge improvement from Anchors Aweigh. And, to a lesser degree, I almost wish they had given Jules Munshin a little more screentime, as he is the only one of the sailors that we don’t see on his own when they all separate. But, again, that’s just a minor complaint. For me, this is an increasingly fun film to watch, and one I would heartily recommend.

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD individually and on Blu-ray as part of the five film Frank Sinatra Collection from Warner Home Video.

Film Length: 1 hour, 38 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949) – Frank Sinatra – Young At Heart (1954)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949) – Gene Kelly – Summer Stock (1950)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949) – Jules Munshin – Silk Stockings (1957)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949) – Betty Garrett – My Sister Eileen (1955)

Easter Parade (1948) – Ann Miller – Lovely To Look At (1952)

Vera-Ellen – White Christmas (1954)

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2019) on… Easter Parade (1948)

Happy Easter! Happy Easter! Happy Easter to you! We’re here now for the classic 1948 MGM musical Easter Parade, starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire!

When his vaudevillian partner, Nadine (Ann Miller) decides to break up the act, Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) starts searching for another partner to prove he can get along without Nadine. He finds Hannah Brown (Judy Garland), who is working at the bar Don stops to drink at. At first, Don tried to make her over like Nadine (without realizing it), but success doesn’t come their way. Once Nadine accuses him of doing so, he decides to let Hannah be herself, and success comes their way. Of course, the whole time, Hannah has been in love with Don, while he still pines for Nadine, which creates trouble between Don and Hannah, especially after he declares his love for Hannah.

Personally, I would say most of the fun here comes from the movie’s stars and its score by composer Irving Berlin! Irving Berlin’s score contains a mixture of new songs written specifically for the movie, some he wrote back in the 1910s (when this movie is supposed to take place) and a few written in between. This ended up being the sixth and final film where Fred Astaire would work with Irving Berlin, and it produced some of their best moments! I know I always enjoy watching Fred do the song “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” I can’t help but whistle along with Fred on “Happy Easter,” I enjoy the romantic “It Only Happens When I Dance With You,” and I love watching Fred sing and dance and play drums to “Drum Crazy!” And of course, I love listening to Judy sing, especially “I Want To Go Back To Michigan.” Honestly, I could easily list any of the songs and dances, as they all are quite catchy, and just further my enjoyment of this movie!

This is a wonderful movie, one I enjoy watching around Easter. I know the connection to the holiday is barely there (depending on your beliefs), with some references to the Easter Rabbit, and the old tradition of wearing special outfits for the day. But I like to think that the variety in color shown onscreen heralds the arrival of spring. Of course, in some respects, it’s just an excuse to watch a wonderful movie once a year, particularly at a time when it readily cheers you up! I will admit, the music doesn’t really serve the plot or characters, but I don’t think it needs to with this movie! So, yes, do yourself a favor and give this one a try!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Home Video.

“I’m just a fella. A fella with an umbrella…”

Film Length: 1 hour, 43 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #1 in Top 10 Movies Watched In 2019

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

The Pirate (1948) – Judy Garland – In The Good Old Summertime (1949)

Blue Skies (1946) – Fred Astaire – The Band Wagon (1953)

Good News (1947) – Peter Lawford – Never So Few (1959)

Ann Miller – On The Town (1949)

Jules Munshin – Take Me Out To The Ball Game (1949)