1h 22min | Comedy, Musical | 29 June 1951 | Color
Directors: Roy Rowland, Buster Keaton (uncredited), Edward Sedgwick (uncredited)
Stars: Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, Macdonald Carey
Hermes Pan ... choreographer
With great foresight, the characters here imagine the "future", even predicting that clothes will weigh less, and all sorts of other things.
The race includes early cars with different power sources: gasoline, ether, steam, electric (wet battery). Steering is a bit of a problem, as is the car running away once started by crank or especially by pushing. Probably supposed to be funny. The race is long and tedious, occupying the last 20-30% of the film.
As a musical, this disappoints. The singers did not make careers of singing on film, and the ensemble dances are closer to the old-timey way of the time portrayed. They do "jass" music (the early name for jazz), and the style is early. The exception is a fantasy in ch6, which comes from MC daydreaming about the future.
Songs performed (9 chapters, no menu); no performers on Soundtracks; these are from Wikipedia:
- ch2. I'd Like to Take You Out Dreaming, Performed by Macdonald Carey and Chorus
- ch3. Lorelei Brown, Performed by Monica Lewis and Chorus, introduced by Herbert Anderson and Sally Forrest
- ch3. Goin' Steady, Sung by Macdonald Carey, Monica Lewis, Sally Forrest, Red Skelton and Chorus
- ch4. Spring Has Sprung, Performed by Red Skelton and Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray)
- ch4. Get a Horse, Performed by Macdonald Carey, William Demarest and Chorus
- ch5. That's for Children, Performed by Monica Lewis, Red Skelton and Chorus
- ch6. Lorelei Brown (reprise), Danced by Sally Forrest and Chorus in modern clothes and dance style
- ch7. Spring Has Sprung (reprise), Sung by Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray)
Except for the mildly interesting dance in ch6, and the variety of cars in the race, this is tedious, and goes a long time without musical numbers after that dance. (The ch7 reprise is brief.) Per the Wikipedia article linked above, this lost a bunch of money; I can see why.
MGM, dir. Rowland, Keaton, Sedgwick; 6-
