Summer Stock (1950)

“We're trying to tell a story with music, and song, and dance. Well, not just with words. For instance, if the boy tells the girl that he loves her, he just doesn't say it, he sings it.”
“Why doesn't he just say it?”
“Why? Oh, I don't know, but it's kind of nice.”

            I think that quote perfectly sums ups all musicals ever made. Even had that thought though if you watch musicals why doesn’t the boy just tell the girl he likes her instead of singing it? I will agree that the singing is nice but then I think if musicals were in the real world and some guy broke out into song for me I would probably get really embarrassed and slap him the damn face. I am so romantic aren’t I?

            Anyway, Summer Stock is about Jane Falbury (Judy Garland) and the time her freewheeling sister brought the theater troupe she was with to the family farm.

            Jane has taken care of the family farm for several years. It has fallen on some hard times but she is still optimistic the farm can make money. Unfortunately, two of the old family farm hands do not share Jane’s optimism and they leave to go somewhere to get paid. Jane believes if she had a tractor she can take care of the farm herself. She goes into town to the local store and nervously orders a tractor. She gives her order to Orville (Eddie Bracken) who happens to be her fiancé of four years. Orville is a nervous guy with all kinds of issues. He is deathly afraid to tell his father. The father freaks out a bit and then comes up with the idea that the tractor can be a wedding present for her. Jane does not in any way take the tractor as a gift she tells the father she will work hard and pay the tractor off.

            When Jane returns home there are hundreds of people walking all over the farm. She has no idea where they have all come from. A guy named Joe Ross (Gene Kelly) bumps into her. Joe informs Jane that is a friend of her sister Abigail and that they are going to put on a show in the barn. Abby failed to make any mention of her plans to Jane so she is not too happy. She wants them all gone by the morning. The whole troupe is upset especially Abby. When Jane sees how upset she changes her mind and lets them all stay but on the condition that they all wake up early and help around the farm.

            The following day Orville comes to the farm to tell Jane that his father wants to see her because there is a rumor that there are actors staying on the farm and they want to put on a show. Jane goes with Orville and the father explains that her own people passed a rule that no shows can come through the town because they are a peaceful farming community. On the other hand though there is a dance held at the barn every year for quite a few decades. The father shoots back that the dance has been supported by the town’s historical society. The dance that night is dull. It accidentally picks up when Joe tries to find Jane to tell her about her busted tractor before a group of boys tells her. The rest of the troupe think Joe has joined the dance even though they are not supposed to. They follow their leader and take over the dance. Needless to say the old farts are not happy about the actors taking over and Jane doing a dance with Joe.

            Of course Jane finds out about the tractor. The next morning she has it out with Abby that everyone has to go and she has to stay home and be a help on the farm. Jane goes outside to start the day and sees the actors have bought her a brand new tractor. Joe sold his car to get the tractor. Again she has a change of heart and everyone can stay. Not long after Orville and his father come by. Jane is in a bit of a stupor and she agrees to marry Orville as soon as the actors leave the farm. She really loves Joe but does not want to admit it to herself.

            At rehearsals Abby is not doing too well. Joe yells at her to get her to focus. Jane hears this and tells Joe to take it easy with her sister she is trying to do her best. Outside the show’s backer, Keath tells Abby he may have something for her in New York City. They up and leave for the city that night. To make up for her sister leaving Jane takes Abby’s place in the show. Orville comes by and is not too happy to see his fiancé has become an actor. He yells at her to get off the stage and come with him. Well Jane yells right back and gives Orville a piece of her mind. Orville goes back to his father who then yells at and belittles him and Orville yells back that he will put a stop to Jane doing the show. He drives all the way out to the city and picks Abby up so she can come back to her part.

            Jane has a great time performing in the show. She does a few numbers with Joe and one great performance by herself. Orville comes back with Abby. Jane freaks out and yells at both of them and then turns around and kisses Joe.

            Happy musical ending all around.

            Summer Stock is not a bad musical but it is not one of the best. Judy Garland and Gene Kelly made a wonderful screen pair. All their dance numbers together were perfect. You can see they were friends off screen they carried that chemistry on screen. One of my all time favorite musicals numbers comes from Summer Stock: “Get Happy”. I love this number so much. I love Judy Garland singing it and I LOVE her outfit. She was fantastic, totally killed the song and dance. (If you would like to hear a great rendition of this song, look for Zoe Birkett’s version from the Pop Idol Big Band album. It’s the reason I love the song so much). Although Summer Stock is alright it is still worth watching especially for “Get Happy” and Judy Garland and Gene Kelly’s pairing.

Singin in the Rain: 60th Anniversary Showing

“Of course we talk. Don’t ev’rybody?”

            It was a treat to have seen my all time favorite drama Casablanca in theaters for its 70^th anniversary a few months ago and it was an even bigger treat seeing my all time favorite musical Singin’ in the Rain in theaters for the film’s 60^th anniversary. I have seen Singin’ in the Rain countless times at home either by myself or with friends and family. But there is no experience in the world like watching a classic film in theaters with other fans and to hear them laugh at all the funny scenes and applaud when a dance number ended.

            Singin’ in the Rain is a film I watched when I was younger and, according to my parents, loved to sit through. Apparently I also liked Brigadoon making me a Gene Kelly fan since I was little. The first time I ever took notice of who Gene Kelly was was in the God awful movie Xanadu. Yes, folks I have seen Xanadu and even own it because it is so bad that it is fabulous. When I first got the movie on VHS I asked my mom who Gene Kelly was. By that time he was an older man with white hair but could still dance like no one else. So she told me I used to watch him in Brigadoon and Singin’ in the Rain all the time when I was little. As the years went by and I got older and got into classic Hollywood I rediscovered Singin’ in the Rain.  I remember seeing a photograph of Gene Kelly from the film and thinking “hey that’s the old guy from Xanadu when he was younger. Wow does he look different with black hair!” I can also remember the day I first bought Singin’ in the Rain on DVD and watched for the first time in years. I thought it was a very good film but for the life of me could not figure out why Singin’ in the Rain was the title it was so silly and did not fit.

            I can proudly (and maturely) say that I understand why the film is titled what it is and that Gene Kelly is no longer just the old guy from Xanadu for me but Don Lockwood from Singin’ in the Rain as well as Jerry from An American in Paris and Serafin from The Pirate and several more characters from his great films.

            So much has been said for how brilliant Gene Kelly was and how great his dancing is. So much has also been said for the great performances by Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. All three of them are fantastic no one deserved the roles of Don Lockwood, Cosmo Brown, and Kathy Selden more than they did. To me no one deserves more credit and praise for making this film so funny and so enjoyable than Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. I cannot remember my reaction when Lina first uttered a word but now when I sit through it with someone who has never seen the film I always look at them to see their reactions. I have seen this film so many times and I still die laughing when she first opens her mouth and this high pitched uneducated voice comes out. Lina Lamont is one of my all time favorite movie characters. I do not think of her as a bad guy I think of her as a hysterical antagonist. Kelly even said it himself that the film would not have been as good without Hagen playing the role. I read in a great book called Singin in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece that Betty Comden and Adolph Green who wrote the screenplay were friends with Judy Holiday and wrote the character of Lina Lamont as Judy Holiday on speed. Hagen was not a blonde she was really a brunette. She auditioned for the role with a blonde wig from another part and the producers liked her hair and had her keep it. She was also a very good actress and did not have a squeaky high pitched voice. Hagen’s real voice can actually be heard in the film in the scene where Kathy is supposed to be dubbing Lina. Hagen was dubbing for Debbie Reynolds whose character was supposed to be dubbing for Lina! That is one of the best pieces of film trivia ever! (if you would like to see Hagen in other roles with her brown hair and real voice look for her in The Asphalt Jungle, Adam’s Rib, and Dead Ringer). I feel awful that Jean Hagen is never given much attention and consideration for what she brought to this film. I believe that is because she died before she could really give interviews about working on the film (she died in 1977 from throat cancer).

            My favorite musical numbers are “Good Mornin’” , “Singin’ in the Rain (of course), “All I Do is Dream of You”, “Make ‘em Laugh”, “Moses”, and “Beautiful Girl”. When “Good Mornin’” comes on I am like a little kid I love that song and number so much. That is the number that never fails to cheer me up when I feel down.

            Singin’ in the Rain is a musical I can watch over and over again and never tire of. Whenever I put this film on I always feel better and lighter and happier. I always know that I will laugh whenever Lina comes on the screen or the scene where Kathy is giving Don a lift in her car or Cosmo performs “Make ‘em Laugh”.  Singin’ in the Rain is such a perfect musical with a perfect story. I love seeing Don happily in love singing the title song; it makes me hope for the day where I will be happy in love with someone like he is with Kathy. It was such a great experience to see this musical masterpiece on screen and to enjoy with other fans. 

The Three Musketeers (1948)

“To die among friends. Can a man ask more? Can the world offer less? Who wants to live 'till the last bottle is empty? It's all-for one, d'Artagnan, and one for all.” 

            The Three Musketeers has gone through many incarnations over the years. I remember the first Three Musketeers movie I watched when I was little was the one with Chris O’Donnell. So far until I viewed the 1948 version with Gene Kelly that was the only version I had seen. While I have not seen the others I am going to go ahead and say this is the best version just because it was made by MGM with a cast that includes Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, Van Heflin,  Vincent Price, Angela Lansbury, and Frank Morgan.

            D’Artagnan (Kelly) sets out from a small provincial town in France to the capital. He has a letter in his hand to give to the head of the king’s musketeers to join them. D’Artagnan stops in a town where he is met by a royal guard. The guard does not tolerate his humor and a lady in the carriage signals for her guards to knock him out.

            The musketeers allow D’Artagnan to join them but he still needs to train and practice in order to become a full member. He clumsily bumps into two different musketeers and each one challenges him to a fight to the death. D’Artagnan meets with Athos (or so I think it is) to fight and is met by Porthos and Aramis (or so I think). Before the men can start fighting they are met by governor’s Richelieu’s (Price) soldier lead by Rochefort. D’Artagnan helps in the fighting do several acrobatic moves and outsmarting the other soldiers. He basically defeats them all and sends Rochefort running all by himself.  

            D’Artagnan is a made a full musketeer and given his own apartment. His landlord asks him if he could watch his daughter Constance (June Allyson) who is a lady for the queen. The father thinks Constance is in trouble and being followed by Richelieu’s men. D’Artagnan saves Constance from the hit men and falls madly in love with her.

            Queen Anne (Lansbury) is seeing the Duke of Buckingham. She gives him two diamond studs as a gift. Richelieu and Lady DeWinter (Turner) want those studs and plan on getting Anne into trouble with her husband Louis XIII (Morgan). Constance overhears what is their plan is and tells the musketeers. D’Artagnan manages to get the jewels back in time before the queen is found out.

            There is much more to the adventure but it would take too long and the plot to me got a little complicated to the point where I kind of stopped paying attention. Also I would not want to give much of the action away as well the parts I did pay attention to were very good.

            The cast is excellent. Gene Kelly was the perfect choice for D’Artagnan because he was so athletic and a complete charmer. I did not explain too much about the character of Lady DeWinter, she was evil and Lana Turner did a fabulous job. She had the perfect sinister look for the wicked lady. Tuner looked gorgeous every one of her costumes were beautiful shades of green. Turner in Technicolor was gorgeous her eyes were such a gorgeous blue. Angela Lansbury in her small parts was great but then again when is nothing but fabulous. Vincent Price was so evil and so wonderful. He had the perfect voice for a bad guy. Van Heflin was alright, his dramatic scenes especially the one at the end was very good. June Allyson I have never seen in a film before this. I liked her she was pretty and she was a good actress. Frank Morgan as King Louis XIII was only in the film for glimpses really. He was funny I always enjoy seeing him in a film no matter how long he is in it.

            In Singin in the Rain the clip of Don and Lina’s movie that is shown at the premier in the beginning is a scene of Don sword fighting with the bad guys to protect Lina. The scene that was shown was actually taken from The Three Musketeers. MGM recycled the scene when D’Artagnan has gone to seen Lady DeWinter about Constance whereabouts and her guards attack him at her command. I read about this fact and knew it but as I was watching I completely forgot until the scene came up. It was pretty exciting to see the scene from Singin in the Rain in the real film it comes from.

            The 1948 version of The Three Musketeers is very entertaining. Although I found some of the scenes slow and some of the plot to be confusing I enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed Lana Turner’s scenes. There is no doubt that this The Three Musketeers is the ultimate version to see.

 

Christmas Holiday (1944)

“It was nice meeting you, Lieutenant. It was even nicer of you to listen to me. Good luck.” 

            A while ago I read a book called The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinger. The book is about the studio system and how the heads of the studios massed produced their stars. They would get a new actor and put them in several types of films to see what type of character the audience liked to see the actor/actress in. Sometimes they even went against type just to try something new. One example Basinger brought up was Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly in Christmas Holiday. Christmas Holiday is considered a noir… Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin in a Film Noir you say?! Why yes I do! These are people associated with light and sweet musical comedies not dark dramas with twisted characters and murders.

            Lt. Charlie Mason has just graduated from the military academy in West Point on Christmas Day. He has plans to fly out to San Francisco to see his fiancée but he gets a letter from her saying she has married someone else. A friend of his tells him to stay in New York but Charlie is angry and wants to have it out with his former fiancée. On the way there is a bad storm and the plane has to land in New Orleans.

            A reporter named Simon Fenimore is at the hotel the soldiers are staying at. There really is no story just the fact that it had to land because of bad weather nothing of real interest. Fenimore sees that Charlie is upset over something so he takes the kid out for a drink at a local nightclub. Fenimore knows the head of the nightclub very well and asks if a girl named Jackie Lamont (Durbin) can keep the lieutenant comfortable and entertained. The singer and the lieutenant get to talking.

            They both go to midnight mass. As the mass progresses Jackie gets very upset and starts to cry. After the mass they get something to eat. Jackie explains the reason why she cried was because she felt guilty she felt if she went she would be forgiven. She starts by telling Charlie her real name is Abigail Manette. She was married to a man named Robert Manette (Kelly) until he killed someone and was sent to jail. She changed her name so she could find work. Abigail and Robert were married for six months until one night he came home really late and the next day he and his mother were acting strange. Mother and son would not tell her what was going on. There was a stain on his paints and the mother threw them in the incinerator. The police start coming to the house looking for Robert then finally when he is arrested they look for the money he stole.

            It gets late. Charlie wants to go back to his hotel, Jackie tells him she will stay at the café until the morning when the next bus comes around. Charlie will have none of that and invites her back to his room. The next morning Jackie tells Charlie how she and Robert had first met a concert. They dated for a while before he asked her to marry him. His mother approved of the marriage because she thought Abigail would change her irresponsible son. Jackie even says that had his mother told her everything about Robert that day who knows how different things might have turned out. Robert takes her to a bar where he places his bets for what he says is the last time. But that did not turn out in a good way, Robert went right back to gambling. At the trial his mother hits Abigail because she feels that the girl was not strong enough for her son or really saw what he did.

            That night the papers report that Robert has escaped from jail. Charlie brings Jackie back to the nightclub and Robert is there waiting for her. She tells him she wants to go with him but he replies that he feels that she has been living fine without him. Before Robert can get his revenge he is shot and killed by a police officer.

            I do not even know why this is even considered a Film Noir to me it is just a drama. Deanna Durbin kind of has the look of a femme fatale but she is not I have read she is considered one but there is no way she is. I have only seen clips of her musicals and Durbin was very cute she was a good actress but I think I like her more as a dramatic actress. The girl really did have talent. There was a few times where her acting felt a little flat but for the most part I really liked her. At just twenty-two Durbin was beautiful and that voice! She sang “Spring Will Be Late This Year” and “Always” which was an absolutely beautiful song. Gene Kelly to me is not one of the greatest actors ever his dancing and singing made up for his acting at times. He was ok but his looks were perfect because you could believe looking at him that deep down he was a really nice guy but he just made bad, irresponsible choices in his life. All the characters felt empty because they were not very well fleshed out and explained. It felt like there was something missing with every single character.

            This is an early directorial by Robert Siodmak who would go on to make the incredibly amazing Film Noir The Killers with Ava Gardner and Bert Lancaster. The film definitely has his noir touch but that is it just a touch.

            I liked watching Christmas Holiday. The only complaint I have is that the script was a bit and the characters were not very well written. But what we are given to view is not bad. The story is not hard to follow. I always love a good flashback I liked how they went out of order instead of starting off when they met. I really liked seeing Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin going against type. For Deanna Durbin it worked for Gene Kelly not so well. At least give Christmas Holiday one viewing.

            The film is currently available to view on youtube.

 

The Pirate (1948)

“I know that underneath that prim exterior there are depths of emotion, romantic longings, unfulfilled dreams.”

The Pirate is one of MGM’s best musicals. When the film was over I immediately wanted to get it on DVD. It is a fun, entertaining film and one of Gene Kelly’s and Judy Garland’s best.

            The Pirate takes place in a Spanish Caribbean town. A girl named Manuela (Garland) has been betrothed to the mayor of the town. She does not love him but is doing what her aunt and uncle (well, mostly her aunt) wish. The mayor is rich and very well off he can offer security to her family. Manuela, though, dreams of being a pirate named Macoco aka Mack the Black. She longs to join the famous pirate on his many sea voyages and adventures instead of being sheltered.

            Manuela’s dress comes into port and she really wants to meet it since she have never been down there. She begs her aunt to go and her aunt agrees. Down at the port a troupe of entertainers lead by an actor named Serafin (Kelly) have arrived in town for a few performances. Serafin is a lady’s man looking for love. He lays eyes on Manuela and followers her but she does not want anything to do with him. Serafin’s troupe just so happens to put up their stage in front of Manuela’s hotel and that night she cannot sleep so she dresses and rushes down. Serafin notices her in the crowd and decides to hypnotize her with a device he has. As he is hypnotizing her he has her who she really loves hoping it will be him. Manuela says she loves a man named Macoco. After a nice performance from Manuela, Serafin snaps her out and she runs away in shame.

 

            Manuela and her aunt return home but on her wedding day she gets a bit of a surprise. Serafin and his troupe have arrived to perform not knowing that Manuela lives in the town. Serafin is every bit excited and immediately begins to chase his heart’s desire. Manuela’s aunt manages to trap the actor in Manuela’s room and call for the mayor. The mayor is a big man and Serafin is a little intimidated by him at first but then he realizes the mayor is the real Macoco! The mayor becomes nervous begging the actor not to tell anyone. Serafin seizes the opportunity and runs downstairs proclaiming to be Mac the Black to win Manuela’s heart.

            Of course things do not go smoothly with this plan in many aspects but Manuela begins to fall for Serafin.

            Judy Garland was most definitely at her best here. I like more in The Pirate than I do in The Wizard of Oz. I often find her annoying but here I found her to be so funny and her acting was really good. The part that clinched me loving this film is when Manuela finds out that Serafin is not Macoco. She starts throwing whatever she can get her hands on at him and she is just raging. I was laughing so hard throughout the entire scene I loved it and mostly because Garland was perfect it was a side of her I never saw before. Gene Kelly channeled Douglas Fairbanks from his hair to his mustache right down to the acrobatics. I liked his character of Serafin because he saw that Manuela wanted more, dreamed of more than the life she was living. Kelly was just a mass of boundless energy and as always he was amazing with all his dancing and running around. Judy Garland and Gene Kelly made an excellent pair all their films together are so much fun to watch.

            MGM and Vincente Minnelli did a fabulous job creating a fantastic Caribbean town. The film never would have worked as well as it does had it been made in black and white. The blue of the sky and all the colorful costumes are beautiful. Famed set designer Cedric Gibbons created the sets and costume designer Irene made the costumes.

            My favorite musical numbers are “Mack the Black” and “Be a Clown.” The rest of the numbers are ok. Gene Kelly’s dance numbers always tend to be a few minutes too long for my attention span.

            The Pirate is an adorable musical. Although MGM dominated the musical film genre and released dozens of fantastic musicals in their long history none of them have the charm and all out fun that The Pirate does.