1h 27min | Comedy, Music, Musical | 15 August 1951 | Color
Director: Richard Sale
Stars: Betty Grable, Macdonald Carey, Rory Calhoun, Eddie Albert, Fred Clark, Irene Ryan, Steve Condos, Jerry Brandow, Gwen Verdon.
Jack Cole ... choreographer
Angela Blue ... dance instructor: Betty Grable (uncredited)
Marie Bryant ... assistant dance director (uncredited)
Billy Daniel ... dance director (uncredited)
Al Siegel ... dance manager (uncredited)
Bootleg copy; pretty good print. I'd hope an official release is better.
In the Tap! Appendix for Jerry Brandow, Steve Condos, Betty Grable.
Songs performed (7 chapters, no menu):
- ch1. MEET ME AFTER THE SHOW, Sung and danced by Betty Grable, Steve Condos & Jerry Brandow with chorus
- ch3. BETTING ON A MAN, Sung and danced by Betty Grable with chorus
- ch4. MIAMI (OH, ME! OH, MI-AMI), Sung by chorus
- ch4. IT'S A HOT NIGHT IN ALASKA, Sung and danced by Betty Grable with chorus
- ch5. (EV'RY DAY IS LIKE) A DAY IN MAYTIME, Sung by Macdonald Carey
- ch5. NO TALENT JOE, Sung and danced by Betty Grable with Gwen Verdon and chorus
- ch6. I FEEL LIKE DANCING, Sung and danced by Betty Grable and Gwen Verdon with chorus
- ch6. NIGHT MUSIC, Danced by Betty Grable and chorus
This is Steve Condos' 1st of 2 films with Jerry Brandow as his partner; they have several TV credits before and after this ('50-'57). They perform in the opening number of the title song; they're in old-man makeup and tuxedos, dancing with BG. Everything is in unison, no improv, and no 5-tap wing. The sound of the taps is marvelous; BG's footwork doesn't match the sound, but the men do.
Gwen Verdon gets some face time dancing in 2 numbers to Jack Cole choreography. That's the best reason to own this film. She's terrific. When she dances in unison with BG, she has that extra dance versatility and expressiveness that attracts the eye.
The leading man is MC, with rivals EA and RC. MC is the most boring of the 3, and none of them are terribly interesting.
The plot is that MC married BG and turned her into a stage musical star. The backer of their latest production is a young rich widow with designs on MC. BG catches them, and sues MC for support (this is a separation?); BG also gets a doctor's letter to quit the show for exhaustion, so the show falters and MC can't pay the court-ordered support.
I'm getting too deep into the details, but let's not forget that BG and MC each develop amnesia for part of the film.
There were several moments in Miami where BG talks and acts like MM's persona, which hasn't fully emerged yet. BG has none of the vulnerability of MM.
Watch this for the musical numbers, not the plot.
Only 4 more BG films remain: 2 in '53, 2 in '55.
Fox, dir. Sale; 6+
