1h 37min | Musical | 24 August 1950 | Color
Director: Norman Taurog
Stars: Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, David Niven, J. Carrol Naish, James Mitchell, Rita Moreno.
Eugene Loring ... dances staged by
Disc sticks at 37 min but recovers and continues after min 43.
Good dance with JM & RM in ch5; 2nd of 51 films for RM. My eye is drawn much more to JM than RM despite her red petticoat. It's a shame we don't get more of his dancing on film. (I know of The Band Wagon ('53) and Oklahoma! ('55); Deep in My Heart ('54) looks likely.)
Lots of good singing (despite only 1 song in the Soundtracks; not something I can fix.)
Offends my feminist sensibilities, since ML is encouraged by his bayou friends to be more macho, and he follows that advice to win KG, grabbing and holding her wrist(s) all during the Madame Butterfly duet, and . it . works. Big emphatic angry wince (from me).
The 55min biography of ML on this dvd is nauseating. Yet another performer who lived a tragic, short life.
MGM, dir. Taurog; 6
