1h 31min | Musical | 6 September 1946
Director: S. Sylvan Simon
Stars: Evelyn Keyes, Keenan Wynn, Ann Miller, Allyn Joslyn.
Nick Castle ... dance director
Jack Cole ... dance director
Eugene Loring ... dance director
bootleg, ok copy.
Remake of His Girl Friday ('40), with the change of occupations from journalism to stage shows, and locale from NYC to Rio. Some dialog is familiar.
Cast correlation:
Cary Grant::Keenan Wynn
Rosalind Russell::Evelyn Keyes
Ralph Bellamy::Allyn Joslyn
Songs performed (order not confirmed):
- The Custom House, Danced by Ann Miller
- Man is brother to a mule, Sung and danced by Ann Miller, Tito Guízar, and chorus
- Copa-Cabana, Performed by Tito Guízar
- Minute Samba, Performed by Enric Madriguera and his orchestra
- Mucho Dinero, Performed by unidentified singer, with Enric Madriguera and his orchestra
- Thrill of Brazil, Performed by Tito Guízar
- You Never Say Yes, You Never Say No, Performed by Tito Guízar
(Somewhere in there is the finale: a dance number by the ensemble, which has a Jack Cole flavor to it.)
The execution of the bickering between the 2 leads requires finesse. CG & RR had it. Plus, CG & RR shared a LOVE of journalism, of chasing the story and writing it most artfully. Here EK loves staging musical numbers, but KW is not her equal, cannot edit her. So it's not at all justified that she wants to return to him.
In HGF, RB was calm, naive, moral. Here AJ is nervous, fearful.
The dancing in this film is superior to most, and that's not a surprise given AM and the choreographers involved. I'd like an official release.
Columbia, dir. Simon; 6+
