VICK'S FLICKS
February 2012
Victor Brandt ~ Click to enlarge
With A Song In My Heart
Carousel - Wow! It’s like the Wuthering Heights of musicals. All the people are either mean or stupid and it’s a total downer. It opens in a 2nd grader’s version of heaven and just goes downhill from there. Again Shirley Jones and Gordon McRae have bad grammar and weird accents but their voices sure are dreamy. Too bad most of the songs are forgettable. I’ve never gotten through this movie without falling asleep.
State Fair - This one was written for the screen and didn’t come from Broadway first. Jeanne Crain plays a farmer’s daughter with super frizzy, immobile hair (it stays in place on the ferris wheel) and a zillion yards of ric-rac on her costumes. Dana Andrews plays the handsome leading man who gets the girl and there’s a pig, too. The songs are ok and like most other musicals from the 40’s everything is phony and predictable but it’s still entertaining- cuz there’s Dana Andrews and a giant pig.
Meet Me in St. Louis - The only bad thing about this movie is Judy Garland’s wig. Even the annoying children aren’t bad. It’s corny/hokey/clichéd and fabulous! The songs are great, the costumes, dances, sets, cast, etc. Everything but Judy’s wig. Double A+ for this. Except the wig. But "The Trolley Song" even almost makes up for it.
Singin’ in the Rain - There is so much more to this than the title song, which begs the question-why is it the title? Set at the beginning of talking pictures, some of the best non-musical scenes are of them learning how to use the new technology. Jean Hagen is hysterical in my favorite scene where she’s getting elocution lessons. You’ve heard and/or seen the title number probably a million times but that’s just the cherry on top of this awesome sundae of a movie.
Funny Face - Audrey Hepburn plays a beatnik girl in a bookshop who gets hijacked by a fashion editor (the glorious Kay Thompson) and turned into a model. Fred Astaire is the photographer who accompanies them to Paris. Some of it is really funny and Audrey looks amazing, especially in the Paris photo shoot montage. Bad thing—Astaire plays the love interest. Eww.
There’s No Business Like Show Business - I guess someone at 20th Century Fox said in 1954 "Let’s write a movie about a vaudeville family and stick in a bunch of Irving Berlin songs," so they did. The result is this funny, entertaining film starring the incomparable Ethel Merman, Donald O’Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and Marilyn Monroe. The production numbers are fantastic; the acting uh, not so much. Still, it doesn’t matter because it’s just fun, kind of dopey entertainment.
Kiss Me, Kate - So, they moved the songs around and filmed in 3-D, which is sometimes distracting, but the end result is still tons of fun. The plot and subplots are funny and the minor characters, especially the gangsters are too. A glorious Cole Porter score, gorgeous Kathryn Grayson, hottie Howard Keel, and Ann Miller (and her giant mouth) make this totally worth repeat viewings.
High Society - A musical of The Philadelphia Story?! Sounds great in theory. Too bad Grace Kelly, while beautiful, is no Kate Hepburn. Also too bad- her leading men are Bing Crosby (child-abusing king of schmaltz) and Frank Sinatra (over-rated and under-talented). Even Cole Porter’s songs couldn’t save this stinker. Plus, why is Louis Armstrong there?
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - OMG! This movie is so great. There are four stars in this movie: Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell and their Maidenforms. They play showgirls going to Paris on a cruise ship with a private eye dating Jane while spying on the gold-digging Marilyn. Jule Styne’s songs are perfect for these sassy gals - Jane has a great number in the gym with the Olympic team. Apparently the Olympics that year were all gymnastics, ballet, and wrestling. This is the movie where Marilyn sings "Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend" and that’s enough reason to watch.
In the Good Old Summertime - Another Judy Garland classic. Thank God she’s not wearing a horrible wig. This is the musical remake of Shop Around the Corner which in turn was remade as You’ve Got Mail. But this one has songs, Judy, Van Johnson, and Buster Keaton! A guy and girl who work together and don’t like each other are actually pen pals who are in love. Except they don’t know it and hilarity ensues. Therein lies the beauty of musicals and regular movies from the golden age of Hollywood - who cares how far-fetched and unrealistic it is as long as it’s entertaining!
I’m running out of space and movies. And mean things to say. I could really go on for pages but that would just be obnoxious. The next musicals column (not next month) will be about the 60s and 70s so I have to save some mean things for that…
Thanks for reading.
~ Victor Brandt
Judy Garland sporting a bad wig in
Meet Me in St. Louis