1h 35min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 9 July 1951 | Color
Director: Norman Taurog
Stars: Jane Powell, Danielle Darrieux, Wendell Corey, Vic Damone, Fernando Lamas, Marcel Dalio, Una Merkel, Richard Anderson.
Nick Castle ... stager: musical numbers
This time the father (WC) has protected his daughter (JP) from her mother (DD), who abandoned the family when JP was 2, going back to France because she's homesick.
Songs performed (10 chapters, no menu):
ch2. Deep in the Heart of Texas, Sung by JP, WC
ch2. L'amour toujours (Tonight for Sure), Sung by DD, dancing with male chorus.
ch3. There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie, Sung by Danielle Darrieux
ch4. Wonder Why, Sung by Jane Powell and Vic Damone separately
ch4. I Can See You, sung by JP, VD
ch5. Paris, sung by FL
ch5. We Never Talk Much, sung by DD, FL
ch6. Wonder Why, Sung by Jane Powell and Vic Damone together
ch7. We Never Talk Much, sung by JP, VD
ch7. Dark is the Night, Sung by DD
ch8. Old Piano Roll Blues, sung by JP, VD, FL
ch8. How D'Ya Like Your Eggs in the Morning, Sung by Four Freshmen (as The Four Freshmen)
ch10. Paris, sung by the cast
Somehow this comes across as dull. I'd say part of it is the lack of close-ups; I feel like we rarely see anyone emoting up close. Maybe DD, and maybe that's the only face worth watching for emotions. But I feel a distance from the characters; maybe they're just flat actors. (Marcel Dario could act them all under the table, but I haven't seen him in that kind of role in America - only in France with Jean Renoir.)
The other reason it's flat: there's no tension about JP learning that DD is her mother. WC is concerned and tries to prevent it, but when JP finally overhears WC & DD arguing about it, she acts mildly pleased. We know from her prior films she can splatter histrionics about corsets, so this is a writer/director choice.
And this is VD's 1st of 9 films, so expecting him to act is a stretch. As a singer, he has a beautiful voice, but I don't think of him delivering a story with his songs.
So, this is shrug-worthy.
MGM, dir. Taurog; 6
