pacificgroove Reviews

Give a Girl a Break (1953)

Comments and conjecture

[7/10 · 1 November 2012]

Interesting what another reviewer said here about this movie originally being written for Kelly, Garland, etc. I suspected it was intended for Kelly or Astaire, with Kazner part written for Oscar Levant, and Fosse part intended for Donald O'Connor. The screen writers were some of MGM's best, who usually wrote big budget films.

I wonder if the entire film, or most obviously, the dance number the Champions do with all the vertical poles were shot in 3D. That dance seems smartly designed for 3D, and the film was made in 1953, the year Hollywood made something like 80 3D films.

OK now my very brief review. This film is mostly a delight, as were several other early 50's, small scale MGM musicals. All that talent, in front of and behind the screen, make the slim and tired story, and modest production values irrelevant.

Two Tickets to Broadway (1951)

MGM at RKO

[6/10 · 15 July 2012]

Designed partially as a showcase for RKO owner Howard Hughes girlfriend, Janet Leigh. Hughes could afford to import quite a lot of first rate talent in the effort, mostly from best in the musical business MGM. Current or former MGM talent included Leigh, Ann Miller, Gloria DeHaven, and Tony Martin, along with musical number director Busby Berkeley. Leigh proved herself competent as a singer and dancer, and is certainly pleasant in personality and a pleasure to look at.

In the musical numbers featuring the four "girls", Gloria DeHaven is the standout (sorry Ann Miller fans). DeHaven sings superbly, handles the dancing with aplomb, has just the right mix of charisma, humor, sincerity, and takes a back seat to no one in the beauty department.

I thought the musical numbers well staged and mostly very pleasant (exception the very banal Pellican Falls school song). The comedy of Smith and Dale, I could live without, if you'll excuse the expression. And Eddie Bracken is too frenetic and broad in his comedy for my taste.

Though none of the songs became a standard, a couple are excellent; I especially enjoyed "The Worry Bird", and "The Closer You Are" has a gorgeous melody.

All in all, the film is the equal of many of the lower budget MGM musicals, and that ain't bad at all.

The Doctor Takes a Wife (1940)

My take on this especially funny romantic comedy, with some "insights" other reviewers missed

[7/10 · 6 January 2011]

I agree with the other positive reviews here, with one reservation. The film is a very funny, well written and performed screwball comedy. I especially enjoyed the sequence where Miland has to scramble between two adjoining apartments, a situation I've seen lots of times in comedy films; it's delightful here because of Miland's perfect performance and the spot on comic pacing. It's great fun seeing the cutsy-pie, air head performance of Gail Patrick; in her other "other woman" roles ("My Favorite Wife", etc.) she plays it stern and bland, here she's very funny and likable. OK, my one reservation--Loretta Young is miscast; she is off-putting in the first half of the film, seeming a total bitch. Later in the film, as her character softens she becomes a sympathetic character and right for the part. Hers is a role that seems to have been written for Roziland Russel or Jean Arthur; as I watched the film it was very easy to imagine those actresses fitting the part and the dialog to perfection. Occasionally Young seems to be handling her lines as Russel would, including her vocal inflections.

Somebody Loves Me (1952)

Far far away from the best

[3/10 · 14 December 2010]

At the time I'm writing this, late 2010, there are 6 glowing reviews of this film on IMDb, all seem like they are written by the same person, a big Betty Hutton fan and fan of this film. Netlix recently put this on their watch instantly list and I watched about half.

Somebody Loves Me is completely undistinguished, barely mediocre, far from Hutton's best, and lightyears inferior to Singin' In The Rain, made the same year. Hutton sings well, but the songs are a bore, mostly very old fashioned material. The script is third rate; at least Warners, and occasionally MGM, made well written and emotionally moving musical bio's; this one is bland.

Ralph Meeker is badly miscast, he brims with dangerous macho sex appeal, perfect for Mike Hammer, all wrong for this picture. And he "sings" several songs; the vocal double is a complete mismatch, though if you'd wanted someone to imitate Bing Crosby, the singer was just about perfect.

Betty's costumes are gorgeous, but the rest of the production, including musical numbers, looks cheap.

One interesting aspect, Hutton plays a character who is somewhat of a prima donna, demanding and self absorbed. Apparently this is a mild version of the real Betty Hutton.

Athena (1954)

Pretty far down the quality scale for an MGM musical but . . .

[5/10 · 29 April 2010]

Not one of the better "B" musicals of MGM's golden age, but worth a look despite unusually cheap looking sets, mediocre choreography, and wooden Purdom. Debbie Reynolds sparkles with energy and talent, Jane Powell looks and sings beautifully. Some of the songs are musically fresh and innovative, others just serviceable. The satire of the new age and fitness lifestyles are surprisingly ahead of it's time, though often show ignorance of the real thing (Debbie Reynolds sings and dances a song where she happily sprays some DDT, for example). Interesting: Some of Debbie and Jane's "sisters" are also in the far superior "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers".

Little Old New York (1940)

Winning combination of historical fiction, comedy, action, with only a modest amount of florid romance

[7/10 · 12 January 2010]

This film sports winning performances (Alice Faye is delightful and very accomplished as a light comic actress), plenty of well-played comedy and well-staged action, a fine Alfred Newman score. But what really impressed and intrigued me were some elaborately staged outdoor scenes which appeared to be at least partially shot on a real 18th century seaport, not just the back lot. Either Fox spent a whole lot of money constructing a very large and realistic looking seaport set, or some of this was shot on location at some historic recreation site, or the art director was a genius in making the back lot look a lot bigger than it was. Interesting to see what a muscular hunk Fred MacMurray was, very different than his image in later years.

The Thrill of Brazil (1946)

MGM caliber musical comedy, well worth watching

[7/10 · 12 January 2010]

Among the widely divergent IMDb reviews of this film, I'm inclined toward the positive. Having missed seeing the credits, I thought I'd come upon an obscure but worthy MGM musical (Kennon Wynn was an MGM player, Ann Miller about to become one, the set's, choreography, musical arrangements were MGM caliber, so maybe they borrowed Evyln Keyes from Columbia. . .) Well in fact it was a Columbia picture.

The witty, fast paced dialog was better than that in most 1940's MGM musicals. The arty, sexy, and unusual choreography by Eugene Loring (Nick Castle is co-credited) is very similar to what he did in "Yolanda and the Thief" with Astaire and company at MGM the year before.

Evyln Keyes does an excellent job giving a Roz Russell performance with just the right comic tone, zest, facility with fast paced comic repartee. Keenon Wynn is the weak link, he's no Carry Grant, and seems to me loud, obnoxious, and hard to take. Ann Miller is genuinely sexy in this film, something I never thought she was at MGM.

Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)

Inferior Sequel To "The Robe"

[4/10 · 3 December 2007]

If made today, they'd call this The Robe II. Mostly a beefcake fest and spectacle rather than a first class religious drama--which is what "The Robe" was. This one has lots of gladiator fights in the arena and "a day in the life " at gladiator school stuff. The action is quite excitingly staged, but lessened by the handicap of early Cinemascope, where close ups and even medium closeups looked distorted and were very seldom used.

Susan Hayward is fun to watch as a sexually ravenous and manipulative noblewoman. Victor Mature confirms his acting chops (see "My Darling Clementine") by making a the struggling hero part believable, in a part that could have been cardboard rendered by many an action hero actor.

The video quality on this DVD is disappointingly mediocre; Fox obviously didn't spend any money on restoration, as they do with many of their titles from the 1950's. Colors are muddy, and the print, while perfectly watchable, is scratched. Stereo sound is so-so, and at least on my system, I didn't hear any surround sound, which this movie certainly had (this was a significant aspect of early Cinemascope presentations).

The actor playing bad guy Caligula gives one of the most hammy, over the top performances I can remember; he seems to have studied at the Simon Legree school of melodrama.

The Girl Next Door (1953)

Obscure Musical Is Innovative and Well Made, with Execellent DVD Extras

[7/10 · 3 December 2007]

This obscure film was a treat for me, a classic film buff; it's a rare musical from Hollywood's golden age that's I've never seen nor even heard of. The Girl Next Door is not only very well made and entertaining, but in 1951 this was cutting edge both in story and in the way it's musical numbers are staged.

Plotwise, it's a mild domestic drama, coupled with a conventional romance. Innovative is that the story portrays a warm, friendship-based father-son relationship which functions very well without a mother or other woman being around. When the father falls for the professional singer-dancer woman next door, the son is resentful.

The dance numbers are not only well staged and performed, but refreshingly creative. The standout is a film-noirish number, shot with highly stylized camera angles, stark lighting, highly effective use of contrasting colors, and slinky jazz dance moves. The capper is that the number is supposed to be a nightclub performance with Dan Daily in the audience; mid-number, he imagines himself into the number, first as a shadow and then as the primary male dancer (a la "The Purple Rose of Cairo", decades later). The film's opening is remarkable for it's time; credits are superimposed (very unusual for the time) on the first of a three song extended musical number which immediately set's up the story and gives us a lot of information about June Haver's character.

Dan Daily is likable, charming, masculine, believable, as well as being a good enough dancer and singer. June Haver is sexy in a very wholesome way, has a great body, moves well, but is somewhat bland in the personality-acting department. Her singing is dubbed. The only weakness in the film are that Denis Day is barely mediocre as a comic second banana, though his singing is beautiful, if you like old fashioned Irish tenor vocalizing. Cara Williams is radiant and sassy in the typical role of wisecracking friend of the heroine, but she's given little screen time and the zingers she's given to say are bland. Otherwise the dialog is far above the norm for musicals of it's era.

The DVD includes 3 documentary featurettes; 2 are very informative and well done, one is about the film and the other about Dan Daily. The third is about Billy Gray (Bud of "Father Knows Best"), it's hampered by not having any footage from non-Fox films he made, nor from the classic TV show.

The Fantasticks (2000)

Be sure to watch the DVD bonus material in this magical musical.

[10/10 · 5 November 2005]

Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys musicals, I found it delightful. Thought the filmmakers did a smart and effective translation of the minimalist stage show into a motion picture. The cast of little knowns (plus Joel Gray) are excellent, the musical arrangements, production design and cinematography are all top notch, despite a limited budget.

This is one DVD where you've got to watch the deleted material. The film was extensively re-edited for DVD release, and the cut material is wonderful, including a couple of songs and funny and creative dialog scenes. I'd love to know more about why it wasn't released theatrically in 1995 and am curious about the extensive re-editing done for the DVD in 2000. It appears to me that besides shortening the film, the editing significantly cut the part of El Gallo, who I'd guess was too dominant in the original cut, thus to put more focus on the young lovers.

We Were Strangers (1949)

Amazingly radical, pro-revolutionary Hollywood film

[7/10 · 5 November 2005]

This has to be the most radical, left wing film ever made in Hollywood. It is amazing that Huston and some of the other principals were not blacklisted afterwords; the McCarthy era was well underway in 1949 when the film was released. (Garfield was blacklisted, but not as a result of this particular film.)

This is a taut, suspenseful, exciting movie. But what stands out for me is that the central theme and focus of the story is the "need" to dedicate one's life to the overthrow of a dictatorship by whatever means necessary. I've never seen an American film so uncompromisingly pro-revolutionary. The heros of the film are guerrilla warriors planning a bombing that will kill dozens or hundreds of innocents along with lots of deserving government officials.

One significant drawback to this film is it's very extensive use of process photography, shooting the principal actors against background film shot on location. Whole scenes are shot this way and it's distracting.

Up in Central Park (1948)

Performers and screenplay are first rate, but physical production shows a very limited budget

[6/10 · 3 October 2005]

Durbin and Price are in top form; both are charming, and hit just the right light note in their acting style. Dick Haymes sings very well, but lacks charisma and spark as an actor. The actor playing Durbin's Irish father is strictly from the Barry Fitzgerald school of ersatz Blarney.

Contrary to what another reviewer said, this 100% soundstange shot film shows all to clearly that Universal didn't spend much money on it. Sets are unusually limited in scope for a musical. One example: In one number immigrant Durbin on the deck of a boat coming to America sings about the new countries glories. Not only is the boat deck tiny with the only backdrop a painted sky, but there is not one shot showing what she is singing about, what is supposedly inspiriting her song.

The plot and characters are hardly realistic, but work just fine for a musical. The dialog is well written, better than in the majority of musicals of this era.

The music, what there is of it, has big, well written orchestrations, and the fidelity is excellent on the VHS tape. Johnny Green is credited as composer- music director, and I believe he was head of MGM's music department at the time, so I suspect Universal farmed out musical duties to MGM (L.B. Mayor was father in law to Universal's chief). If so, it was a good decision.

As was standard practice in this era, only a few of the songs written for the stage show on which the film was based made it to the film. The glaring omission is "We'll Be Close As Pages In A Book", which I believe is the only song from the theater production to become popular and have a life outside of the show. It's not in the film, but is very prominently featured in the instrumental title music and is the music which closes the film. Makes me suspect they filmed the song, but cut it before the film was released.

Joan of Arc (1948)

I have seen the DVD, full length version--a very flawed film with some redeeming aspects

[9 November 2004]

A very poor film translation of a stage play--rather than being tailored to the movie medium, this is very stagy, overly talky. The dialogue is arty and artificial. Everyone is obviously acting, giving a performance, though Bergman is radiant and her performance is passionate and sincere.

All of the exteriors (outdoor shots) which feature close ups of the lead actors are obviously shot on a sound stage. Some beautiful outdoor footage is used occasionally for establishing shots or transitions between scenes, but Bergman never leaves the soundstage.

On the positive side, the film is beautifully photographed, many individual shots are works of art, masterfully lit and composed. However, the camera moves only when necessary to follow the actors, the shots are static, adding to the staginess of the production. Which reminds me of CB DeMille; you could get a good idea of this film by saying it's like a DeMille film, only with more high art pretensions and less spectacle (no cast of thousands here).

The most outstanding aspect of 'Joan of Arc' is the music, it's prominently featured, good and loud, and it deserves to be--it's gorgeous.

The DVD has no extras at all, though the image and sound are excellent--a very good restoration job. A commentary track would have been very welcome; my guess is this was a challenging production, possibly with a long production period (three cinematographers are listed). It was a commercial failure, at least in part because of public condemnation of Bergman's personal life. I believe director Victor Flemming died soon after production. Lots of meat here for an interesting commentary or two.

Can't Help Singing (1944)

A delight for fans of traditional musical comedy, and surprisingly innovative too!

[4 September 2004]

You don't need to be a Deanna Durbin fan to find this film delightful. It should appeal to anyone who enjoys traditional musicals like "Oklahoma" and "Showboat".

Can't Help Singing is filled with humor and wit, played with a wink to the audience and genuine gusto--not dated in the least. Akim Tamaroff is especially funny; you can clearly see how he was the model for "Boris Badinov" in the "Bullwinkle" cartoons.

The songs are first rate; Kearn's melodies are beautiful and Harburg's lyric to "Californiay" is full of wit, creativity, and surprises; his other lyrics are well done, but nothing special.

Another layer of delight and interest to someone who knows about the history of movie musicals, like myself, is how far ahead of it's time this film is. The large majority of it is filled outdoors, a lot of it on location. This is unique and innovative in an era when virtually all musicals were filmed inside sound stages with some use of the studio back lot. One of the musical numbers features Durbin in outdoor locations which vary from shot to shot, while she continues to sing seamlessly. This is something that became common a decade or more later, but certainly pioneering in 1944.

Durbin and Paige are both fine singers, most likable, adept at playing the light humor their roles call for. This is a film that should be much better known and appreciated.

Singapore (1947)

Second rate imitation of Casablanca mixed with film noir elements

[4 May 2002]

SINGAPORE (1947) Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner. ** Bland mix of film noir, and imitation CASABLANCA. Imagine all the CASABLANCA characters portrayed by competent but unmemorable actors. Place them, again, in an exotic setting, in a story about passionate lovers separated by war and later reunited. Once more, the love of the hero's life is married to another man, but this time the plot includes amnesia and pearl smuggling. Gardner is radiant and sexy, but her acting inexperience shows. MacMurray is wooden. First rate cinematography, however.

Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

Stale production values and Production Code Restrictions but witty and charming performances

[4 May 2002]

Delightfully witty dialogue and charming performances by Laughton and Pitts make this a comedy classic. On the minus side: Boland is irritatingly shrill, cinematography and staging are very static--almost a photographed stage play. Made soon after the Production Code was instituted, virtually all allusions to sex are noticeably absent. It seems obvious that the novel and play on which the film was based probably included elements of marital infidelity, for which this film ineffectively substitutes drinking binges. The painted lady, who the respectable women scorn and the men adore, is reduced here to running "beer busts" and singing folksongs with her guests!