The Girl Rush (1955), 6 Color, fs

In this comedy sequel to Wonderful Town, Kim, a museum worker from Providence, Rhode Island, inherits half ownership of a Las Vegas hotel when her father dies.
1h 25min | Comedy, Musical | September 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Robert Pirosh
Stars: Rosalind Russell, Fernando Lamas, Eddie Albert, Gloria DeHaven, James Gleason.
Robert Alton ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048118/

Watched online, cropped/compressed print, blurry.

Marion Lorne, who played Samantha's Aunt Clara on Bewitched ('64-8), plays a character of the same name here.

www.famousfix.com/topic/matt-mattox

The trio of men dancing with GD or RR are Robert Fortier (plays GD's brother), Matt Mattox, and Don Crichton. MM was Caleb in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ('54), the ax-wielding soloist in the Lonesome Polecat number. There he was a redhead with a beard. Didn't recognize him here with black hair, clean-shaven. For next time, with hopefully a better print, here's a photo. All 3 moved very well. Too bad this is an indie prod, with no official release.

RR (b. '07) dances pretty well, too. Makes sense that she did Gypsy ('62), but not that she did only 4 musicals. Ah, she sang in more films, though: 12 Soundtracks credits.

Songs performed (no chapters), all written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, except *:

• The Girl Rush, sung by male chorus with opening credits
• Champagne, sung/danced by GD, Robert Fortier with ensemble
• If You'll Only Take a Chance, Performed by Rosalind Russell and male trio 
• "Birmin'ham, Performed by Rosalind Russell and Eddie Albert 
• Out of Doors, sung by EA, RR 
• An Occasional Man, Sung by Gloria DeHaven, danced by ensemble
• At Last We're Alone, sung by FL 
• Homesick Hillbilly, Performed by Rosalind Russell and male chorus 
• ??Miss Jemina Walks By* 

This is ok. The plot about Vegas, casinos, gambling losses, investments, romance, stage numbers is all predictable enough. Seemed hard to tell whether how the pairs would finish: RR/EA, GD/FL, or RR/FL, GD/EA, or...? Nor did I grow to like anyone enough to care how it ends.

The only reason to watch this is for the men dancing: very athletic and good vertical heights. Also to hear EA sing again; I feel like he's been in more musicals where he didn't sing than did.

Paramount, dir. Pirosh; 6

Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955), 6- Color, FS

Two Broadway showgirls, who are also sisters, are sick and tired of New York as well as not getting nowhere. Quitting Broadway, the sisters decided to travel to Paris to become famous.
1h 39min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 22 September 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Richard Sale
Stars: Jane Russell, Jeanne Crain, Alan Young.
Jack Cole ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048111/
Bootleg; print is a copy of vhs, blurry, compressed/cropped

This is people doing pale imitations of their own prior work, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ('53). Anita and Mary Loos, writers, Jack Cole, dance director, JR, performer. But they borrowed songs from various unrelated sources, and had JR & JC double up as their no-talent, all-flash antecedents (mother, aunt). Then produce it at Columbia, not a dream factory for musicals. No wonder the IMDb rating is 5.2 with 400+ votes.

For me, add the blurry, cropped print, which is so bad it gave me a mild headache to watch it. And no official release yet. (I can't believe someone listed Loving the Classics (2018) as a distribution company. They have a BBB rating less than 2/5, and are just a dupe company with many names and a bad reputation.)

Songs performed (17 chapters, no menu); Jeanne Crain's singing is dubbed by Anita Ellis:

• ch1. Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, Sung by Johnny Desmond over opening and closing credits
• ch1. You're Driving Me Crazy, Sung by Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain
• ch4. Have You Met Miss Jones, Sung by Rudy Vallee
• ch6. My Funny Valentine, Sung by Jeanne Crain
• ch7. I've Got Five Dollars, Sung by Jane Russell and Scott Brady (dubbed by Robert Farnon)
• ch9. I Wanna Be Loved by You, Sung by Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain, also by Rudy Vallee
• ch11. Daddy, Sung by Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain
• ch14. Ain't Misbehavin', Sung by Alan Young, Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain
• ch??. Miss Annabelle Lee, listed in opening credits

AY doesn't sing well, and the staging of Ain't Misbehavin' is just miserable, with JR&JC in costumes imitating MG in The I Don't Care Girl ('53, Fox), also with JC as dance director.

Good news: 1 or 2 widescreen prints are online now. Next time, search for them and see if this is less offensive to the eye, at least.

I'll be generous and leave this as a 6 (prior rating) but with a minus.

Russ-Field Prod., distr. UA, dir. Sale; 6-

My Sister Eileen (1955), 7- Color, WS

After submitting a story of her beautiful sister, a woman assumes her identity to maintain the attention of a playboy publisher.
1h 48min | Musical, Comedy, Romance | 22 September 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Richard Quine
Stars: Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Betty Garrett, Bob Fosse, Kurt Kasznar, Dick York, Tommy Rall.
Bob Fosse ... choreographer (as Robert Fosse)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048401/

In the Tap! Appendix for Bob Fosse, Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Tommy Rall.

3 dance numbers bolded below form the reason to watch this. It's almost impossible to absorb both dancers when they move together in ch5. Not so when the women are included; while competent, they're not primarily dancers, at least not at the level of Fosse and Rall.

It's a pleasant film, and JackL shows a lot of the talent that will be put to even better use elsewhere (ex: Mister Roberts was released earlier this year.)

Songs performed (Music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Leo Robin; 12 chapters with menu):

• ch1. Atmosphere, Performed by Chorus
• ch2. As Soon As They See Eileen, Performed by Betty Garrett
• ch3. I'm Great, Performed by Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Kurt Kasznar and Dick York
• ch5. Competition Dance, Danced by Bob Fosse and Tommy Rall
• ch6. There's Nothin' Like Love, Performed by Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh
• ch8. Give Me A Band And My Baby, Performed by Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Bob Fosse and Tommy Rall
• ch9. It's Bigger Than You And Me, Performed by Jack Lemmon
• ch9. There's Nothin' Like Love, Reprised by Janet Leigh and Bob Fosse
• ch11. Conga, Performed by Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Kurt Kasznar and sailors

Nice to have performers singing with their own voices in an integrated musical.

Previously rated 7, I'll stay with that, but with a minus.

Columbia, dir. Quine; 7-

Puccini: Tosca (1985), 8

"Tosca" is an episode of The Metropolitan Opera Presents. An opera in three acts about an escaped political prisoner, a prima donna, and the brutal chief of the secret police.
2h 7min | Music | Episode aired 27 March 1985
Director: Kirk Browning
Giuseppe Sinopoli ... conductor
Stars: Hildegard Behrens, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500167/

Excellent dvd navigation, with each act on its own page, and all songs listed and accessible (separate chapters); especially nice: the characters involved in each song are also listed.

Very good cast, opulent production, gorgeous music.

I felt that HB did not hit that particular high note when she discovers Scarpia is dead. Maybe it was brief.

Mario is not onscreen enough, not when played by Domingo.

Scarpia was wonderfully evil. 

I love the way Puccini telegraphs who is coming and what will happen by using leitmotifs, and adapting them. I love that the nature of Scarpia is shown to us in a church.

First performed in 1900.

Metropolitan Opera Assoc., distr. PBS, cond. Sinopoli; 8

The Complete Hal Roach Thelma Todd Patsy Kelly Collection, 6

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026298401/

24 shorts released '34-'36; 21 starring Todd with Kelly, 1 with Kelly & Pert Kelton, 2 with Kelly & Lyda Roberti. They run 17-21 min each. IMDb ratings range from 5.1 to 7.1.

As illustrated by the photo, PK does more of the physical schtick, although TT does her share. They play friends, but TT is the dominant one, bossing PK, who takes it.  I sometimes hear an Oliver Hardy speech pattern from TT; she  worked with L&H frequently.

In 1 of the shorts (I should have noted which), PK taps a few times. The body is comedic, but the taps have a proficient rhythm. I've seen her dance pretty well elsewhere.

After watching these, my favorite TT films are still her appearances with the Marx Bros: Monkey Business ('31) and Horse Feathers ('32).

There are no chapter stops within a short.
Disc1
1933-09-16 .Beauty and the Bus
1933-11-14 .Backs to Nature
1933-12-23 .Air Fright
1934-02-10 .Babes in the Goods
1934-03-31 .Soup and Fish
1934-05-19 .Maid in Hollywood
1934-06-23 .I'll Be Suing You
1934-07-14 .Three Chumps Ahead
Disc2
1934-08-01 .One-Horse Farmers
1934-10-06 .Opened by Mistake
1934-11-10 .Done in Oil
1934-12-15 .Bum Voyage
1935-01-26 .Treasure Blues
1935-03-02 .Sing Sister Sing
1935-03-30 .The Tin Man
1935-04-20 .The Misses Stooge
Disc3
1935-09-07 .Slightly Static
1935-10-12 .Twin Triplets
1935-11-16 .Hot Money
1935-12-21 .Top Flat
1936-01-25 .An All American Toothache
1936-12-29 .Pan Handlers (Kelton)
1936-04-04 At Sea Ashore (Roberti)
1936-04-24 Hill-Tillies (Roberti)

Hal Roach Studios, distr. MGM; 6

The Skin of Our Teeth (1955), 6

This Thornton Wilder play, the story of life on Earth from prehistoric times through World War II as lived by Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus, their two children, and their house maid, Sabina, is ...
1h 30min | Drama, Musical, Comedy | 11 September 1955
Director: Vincent J. Donehue
Stars: George Abbott, Helen Hayes, Mary Martin, Don Murray.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212514/
Bootleg, good print on small screen.

Announced to be broadcast (TV) in color, but this print is b/w. It must have been filmed, because the visual quality is much better than kinescope.

Unfortunately, IMDb attaches the genre to TV episodes from the Series level, and does not provide for alterations to episodes. Some episodes of the series are musical, including the next show, which was announced to be a musical version of Our Town. This episode is NOT musical, despite MM as Sabina.

I first saw this play in a high school production, watching and photographing rehearsals for the school website. It starred one of my D/F Alg1 (or maybe PreAlg) students who went on to continuation school the next year. I found the production charming and funny.

I've also seen (& own) a production from '83 with Blair Brown, Sada Thompson and Harold Gould, whose voices I could hear while the '55 cast was speaking, especially Harold Gould, who delivers funny very well. This '55 production did not come across as funny, and MM got very emotional in the final act, and I don't remember that from other productions at all.

If this were the first SoOT that I saw, I would not pursue others.

Showcase Prod., distr. NBC, dir. Donehue; 6

It's Always Fair Weather (1955), 8 Color, WS

Three soldiers meet ten years after their last meeting in New York, and find out that they have little in common now.
1h 41min | Comedy, Drama, Musical | 2 September 1955 | Color, WS
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Stars: Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Dolores Gray, Michael Kidd.

Stanley Donen ... dances by

Gene Kelly ... dances by

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048216/

In the Tap! Appendix for Dan Dailey, Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd.

3rd of 6 film credits for DG; she played a singer in 2 non-musicals before this film.

After this, GK releases a dance film ('56) that's not really a musical, a musical that's not a great dance film ('57, at least, I don't remember much of his dancing there), 4 films in which he does some dancing ('60, '64, '67, '80) and 6 non-musicals in between.

Songs performed (30 chapters with menu); MK singing dubbed by Jud Conlon:

• ch2. March, March, Performed by Gene Kelly, Michael Kidd (dubbed) and Dan Dailey 
• ch4. Binge dance, by GK, DD, MK, with trash can lids
• ch5. The Time for Parting, Performed by Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd (dubbed) 
• ch8. I Shouldn't Have Come, Performed by Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd (dubbed) 
• ch11. Music Is Better Than Words, Performed by Dolores Gray 
• ch14. Stillman's Gym, Performed by Lou Lubin, Harry Wilson and chorus 
• ch15. Baby, You Knock Me Out, Sung by Cyd Charisse (dubbed by Carol Richards) and chorus, Danced by all in Stillman's Gym; that green skirt with all the fabric gathered in the back!
• ch17. Saturation-Wise, Performed briefly by Paul Maxey and guests, Reprised by Dan Dailey 
• ch18. Once Upon a Time, Performed by Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey and Michael Kidd (dubbed), the split-screen trio dancing in unison
• ch20. Saturation-Wise, Performed briefly by Paul Maxey and guests, Reprised by Dan Dailey 
• ch23. I Like Myself, Performed by Gene Kelly, tapping on roller skates, and the wheels are not frozen
• ch25. Thanks a Lot, but No Thanks, Performed by Dolores Gray with chorus boys; lyrics are worth turning on captions to make sure you get them all
• ch29. The Time for Parting, Reprised by David Burns and offscreen chorus at the end 

Outtakes:

• Jack and the Space Giants, sung/danced by MK & children (should not have been cut!)
• Love is Nothing But a Racket, sung/danced by GK, CC at the costume shop; CC taps! Reminds me of Cover Girl ('44) scene with mannequins.
• The Binge, danced by GK, DD, MK, just little slivers
• I Thought They'd Never Leave (audio only), sung by DG

The 4 dance numbers bolded above are very satisfying. I like DG a lot, and the song in ch25 is a good use of her talents.

TV is featured in this film, since DG's show is on TV. The actual TV show MGM Parade featured this film in its first 2 episodes (excerpts included on the dvd).

The cynicism of this film is an interesting reflection of 50's culture, a prelude to the drop-out culture of the 60's. The ending isn't necessarily a transformation of these lives, but the hope thereof.

MGM, dir. Donen & Kelly; 8

Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), 6- Color, WS

In 1927, a Kansas City, Missouri cornet player and his band perform nightly at a seedy speakeasy until a racketeer tries to extort them in exchange for protection.
1h 35min | Crime, Drama, Music | 31 July 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Jack Webb
Stars: Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Lee, Andy Devine, Lee Marvin, Ella Fitzgerald.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048484/
Watched online, good print.

21st of 40 film credits for Martin Milner ('47-'75); 73 TV credits ('50-'97). 1st film for Jayne Mansfield. She may have been the cigarette girl in an early scene; I didn't spot her.

Previously rated 5 (Netflix, so that's not accurate), but I can't be so harsh today. Then again, there was little pleasure here. PL plays a drunken singer, so her singing is not good. EF sings 3 times, and has a few lines, but she's not onscreen much.

JW is actor, director and producer. Mark VII Ltd. is the production company for Dragnet, Adam-12, and other hard-boiled TV. And this film is hard-boiled, too. He also narrates the film, which is annoying.

Mark VII Ltd., distr. Warner, dir. Webb; 6-

How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955), 6 Color, WS {nm}

2 girls on the lam hide out in a college fraternity.
Approved | 1h 29min | Comedy | 22 July 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Nunnally Johnson
Stars: Betty Grable, Sheree North, Robert Cummings, Charles Coburn, Tommy Noonan, Orson Bean.
Paul Godkin ... choreographer
Sonia Shaw ... choreographer (Shake, Rattle and Roll, per AFI)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048183/

Bootleg, cropped to FS, blurry.

BG, SN & 2 other chorus girls perform the title song on a Barbary Coast bar/burlesque house. The headliner gets shot, and they go on the lam, landing at a college fraternity. The premise reminds me of Some Like It Hot ('59), but this has 2 antecedents and no descendant; I've seen neither: She Loves Me Not (1934), True to the Army (1942), both from Paramount. The '34 version also happens at a college; '42 at an army camp.

Shake, Rattle & Roll is a rock 'n roll song, danced to by SN in stripper fashion. I'll be curious to see what RnR dancing looks like by teens. Rock Around the Clock (3'56) should show me, if not something else sooner.

Rated 5.3 by 146 voters (actually, the arithmetic mean is 5.4), I don't find this to be quite that bad. However, it is decidedly not a musical, and it's not a terrific comedy either. And it was very sad to see BG in the final fade-out, and think that was her last moment on film.

Fox, dir. Johnson; 6

You're Never Too Young (1955), 6 Color, WS {nm}

When an aspiring barber becomes inadvertently involved in the theft of a valuable diamond, necessity forces him to masquerade as a 12 year-old child - with humorous consequences.
Approved | 1h 42min | Comedy | 20 July 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Norman Taurog
Stars: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Diana Lynn, Raymond Burr.
Nick Castle ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048822/
Watched online, mediocre print.

Remake of The Major and the Minor (1942), although I don't remember any jewel thief there.

DM plays a teacher at a girl's school, and doesn't know JL, but they cross paths and inadvertently, and unbeknownst to them, both get involved with that jewel theft.

I missed why DM was at the train station to help the 12 yo JL buy his half-price ticket. Because JL gets involved with DL on the train, he ends up at the girls school.

6 songs in the Soundtracks (with only 1 having a performer credit), yet this is not a musical? The songs are nice interruptions of the story, mostly sung by DM, of course. One is a comedy performance of JL "conducting" a choral group, with DM singing solo. I didn't track the performer for each song (I kept falling asleep), so I can't really make a case for this being a Musical, although I think it does qualify.

It's manic, as expected from M&L. DM gets to do some of the physical comedy, and the big waterski/boat chase is lively.

Paramount, dir. Taurog; 6

Verdi: La traviata (1994), 8

Courtesan falls in love, lives with her man, but his father convinces her to give him up. Some time after they parted, they have an ugly public confrontation. Ultimately, consumption decides her fate, and her lover regrets his actions.
2h 14min | Drama, Music | TV Movie
Directors: Humphrey Burton, Peter Maniura

Richard Eyre ... directed for the stage by

Georg Solti ... conductor (as Sir Georg Solti - Music Director Laureate)
Stars: Angela Gheorghiu, Frank Lopardo, Leo Nucci.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253836/

First performed in 1853; action takes place in '46-7

The 2 most familiar arias are in Act 1. The big choral number in ch18 is also pleasing. The acting in the finale is quite moving. I can see why this is in the "frequently performed" category, and why this dvd has such good ratings.

"Traviata" translates as "a woman who has gone astray." Violetta, was a historical figure, a courtesan named Marie Duplessis, the lover of Alexander Dumas fils, the author of the story on which the libretto is based, and of Franz Liszt among others. She died of consumption at age 23, and is described as sensual but disinterested, simple but loving luxury, gay with a strain of sadness (per George Martin's The Opera Companion, p445.)

This Violetta comes close to that description, although I don't see her as terribly gay, not even in the party scene.

There is a dvd menu, plus the booklet indicates chapter stops for the acts and plot points/arias:
ch2. Act 1, at The Party
ch9. Act 2, Scene 1, at The Country House
ch16. Act 2, Scene 2 at a friend's salon in Paris
ch19. Act 3, Violetta's toom

This is well worth watching again, with concentration, on a big screen (I watched on a little one), to pick up more of the performances and of the story.

live opera, cond. Solti; 8

Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), 7 Color

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
2h 8min | Fantasy, Music, Musical | 1 April 1951 | Color
Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Thomas Beecham ... conductor (as Sir Thomas Beecham Bart.)
Stars: Moira Shearer, Robert Rounseville, Ludmilla Tchérina, Ann Ayars, Léonide Massine.
Frederick Ashton ... choreographer
Alan Carter ... assistant choreographer
Joan Harris ... assistant choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044103/

Got my 9-film order from overseas today, and have watched more than tested the discs. Thought I should write about this one.

I have the feeling that the more I watch this, the higher my rating will go. I would love to compare this with a live opera staging, because P&P have done some fantastic things with images here, which will be missing onstage. And, I wonder how much ballet is involved in an opera staging.

Per Simon's 100 Greatest Operas, Offenbach's opera was first staged in 1881, and consists of a prologue, 3 acts and an epilogue. Hoffman sings about his 3 past loves: Act 1 is for Olympia, the mechanical doll, Act 2 for Giulietta, the courtesan, and Act 3 is for Antonia, the consumptive opera singer. These are played by Shearer, Tchérina and Ayars, respectively. Shearer also plays Stella, Hoffman's current love.

The music is lovely, and P&P do wonders with color, even without Jack Cardiff here.

I'm not a fan of ballet, but this and P&P's The Red Shoes ('48) are exceptions, perhaps because the dancing is so dramatically constructed and surrounded by cinema trickery (in a good way).

This wasn't included in the chronology because I didn't already own it, and it's not American.

The Archers, distr. British Lion Film Corp., dir. Powell & Pressburger, cond. Beecham; 7

Lay That Rifle Down (1955), 6

Judy works for a pittance as a char in her aunt's hotel. To add spice to her life she enrols on a charm course but it's a scam. Soon the swindlers show up and plan to use her to con her aunt out of her money.
1h 11min | Comedy, Music, Romance | 7 July 1955 | b/w, fs
Director: Charles Lamont
Stars: Judy Canova, Robert Lowery, Jil Jarmyn

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048290/
Watched online, ok print.

3 songs in the Soundtracks, sung by JC. Not much of a musical, and JC did no vocal gymnastics (she can yodel).

Started to skip watching this, then remembered she once made me proud in a feminist way, since she was competent and, although she wanted romance, she didn't linger on the idea, and solved her own problems. It was the same here. She's a wise innocent, trusting people because she chooses to, yet ready to right wrongs when they happen. In this film, she takes verbal abuse from her aunt, and is taking a correspondence course trying to attain charm, but she's maintains a positive attitude throughout. This persona would have been good to have around during the Depression, but (b. '13) she made only 5 films in the 30's (a couple of those credits say specialty singer with her family).

Republic, dir. Lamont; 6

Not as a Stranger (1955), 7 {nm}

An ego-driven, aspiring physician, intolerant of the weaknesses of others, especially those closest to him, comes to grips with his own imperfections.
2h 15min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance | 28 June 1955 | b/w, fs
Director: Stanley Kramer
Stars: Olivia de Havilland, Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford, Charles Bickford.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048432/
Watched online, good print.

In the queue because I wanted to track FS. Watched because directed by SK. RM is the dominant character, and in an atypical role for him.

In '54, FS won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity (1953). This role isn't miniscule, but it's not as big as you'd expect for a recent Oscar winner. No filming dates on IMDb; don't know if this was filmed after his Oscar win. He plays an interesting character. 

Both FS & RM are doctors in training, and then in practice. So they're playing people with brains, but RM has the rough background, and manages to throw FS against some furniture when he gets mad. (FS gets bullied in the movies too.) FS plays the more cynical character; seems to have chosen medicine for the income. RM wants to be a great doctor to save lives. Then he goes into private practice in a farm town, and is plenty busy, so the town isn't super small. They have a hospital, perhaps nearby.

The IMDb plot summary is optimistic. RM doesn't face his imperfections until the final moments, The End. We don't know if he really faces them, or is just having an appropriate reaction to the operation he performed, and will return to his old ways.

Interesting and effective.

Stanley Kramer Prod., distr. UA, dir. Kramer; 7

Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (1961), 6

Married titled woman has young lover who will soon move on to someone more age-appropriate.
3h 12min | Comedy, Music, Romance | TV Movie 9 October 1962
Herbert von Karajan ... conductor
Stars: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Otto Edelmann, Sena Jurinac.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056426/
Watched online, mediocre print: ok-ish for small screen, blurry on large screen.

Wow, the big lesson from watching this: I NEED SUBTITLES. Although they provided a synopsis of the upcoming action before each act, I didn't feel like I followed what was going on. It's supposed to be a comedy, and the players look amused at moments, but I didn't SEE anything amusing, so it must have been something they said?

First performed in 1911, but takes place in 18th century.

The other thing I need to research is "trouser roles". To me, there is some significance to having a woman portray a man beyond the composer wanting a soprano voice in the role.

Perhaps I should also stop an unfamiliar opera when an Act ends, and read again what supposedly happened. That's a little dangerous, though, since whatever source I read may not be exactly what this production did.

Let me try to recap what I read about the plot. The titled woman (TW) has a young lover (YL, a woman playing a man), and to escape detection in her bedroom, the lover dresses as a chambermaid (woman playing a man pretending to be a woman). The woman's cousin (WC) comes to ask ES to have a cavalier (YL) deliver a silvered rose to his arranged fiancée. He's a bloated lesser-titled man; the fiancée is a young woman, more the age of TW. He thinks TW, dressed as the chambermaid, is cute, and flirts with and paws her(him).

YL delivers the rose, and whoops, the arranged fiancée and YL instantly fall in love.

Then I get confused. Someone in this story arranges to get revenge (?) on WC, tormenting him with people popping out of walls from behind mirrors (why did the walls have holes under the mirrors every 3 feet?), and up from a trap door in the floor. It seems to get him out of the way so the young lovers can unite. TW is melancholy about the transfer of affections, but knew it would happen. The 3 sopranos, TW, YL and the fiancée, sing a lovely trio. The end.

Nearly every woman in the story has grounds to tweet #MeToo. I'd be interested to know how much of this story was the early 20th century's composer/librettist team making fun of what they thought mores were 100+ years earlier, or whether they felt this was current behavior, just in bigger skirts. Y'know, boys will be boys.

I'm not done with this opera. Maybe not even with this performance of it, which is highly praised; that's why I chose to watch it. I don't think I'll post my rating on IMDb. The DVD has subtitles, and a rating of 4.6 with 54 reviews, no 1's or 2's. And opera buffs are finicky.

live opera, cond. von Karajan; 6

Puccini: Madama Butterfly (1997), 8

Around 1900, Naval Lt. Pinkerton marries innocent Butterfly, and sails away, promising to return within a year. Three years later, Butterfly and their son are still waiting, when he does return with an unpleasant surprise. Tragedy ensues.
2h 21min | Music | TV Movie 1997
Patrick Summers ... conductor

Stars: Cheryl Barker, Jay Hunter Morris, Douglas McNicol, Ingrid Silverus.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2653832/

I was just going to test the disc to file it away, and the music hooked me immediately.

The production is traditional, except that no makeup is used to make the Japanese characters look less Anglo (and they're all Anglo, or maybe some Mediterranean); only costumes and wigs make the distinction, which in the case of the marriage broker is confusing, because he wears Western attire.

From the synopsis in Simon's 100 Greatest Operas: first performed in 1904, the story takes place in Nagasaki, which we destroyed in '45. Also, the ending here is not as Simon describes it: that B'fly blindfolds her son, commits her act, and Pinkerton runs in to discover them. Instead, the boy is given to Kate, and B'fly commits her act alone, curtain.

The audio is very remote, meaning the microphones were some distance from the singers. Pinkerton looks a little like Aldo Ray; not like a Naval Lt, nor an opera singer, more like a shot putter, baseball player or military non-officer. B'fly is beautiful of face and of voice, and acts well enough.

live opera, cond. Summers; 8

The Seven Little Foys (1955), 7- Color

After the young wife of vaudevillian Eddie Foy passes away, he incorporates their seven children into the act and takes it on the road.
1h 33min | Biography, Comedy, Drama | 1 June 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Melville Shavelson
Stars: Bob Hope, Milly Vitale, George Tobias.
Nick Castle ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048604/
Recorded in VistaVision, but this print is not WS.

In the Tap! Appendix for James Cagney, Bob Hope.

Narrated by Charley Foy; sounds just like Eddie, Jr., which is probably just like the father.

The biggest joy in this film is ch5, where JC dances, reprising his role as George M. Cohan from Yankee Doodle Dandy ('42). He's still in great form, doing familiar steps in his unique style. Then BH competes, and they dance together. When they do, JC comes across as the more precise of the pair, but BH might be playing his character. He certainly can dance. Old-school, but good, both tapping and traveling.

Otherwise the film is just ok. I did enjoy the song Nobody, written by Bert Williams; I think I've seen/heard him perform it.

Songs performed (10 chapters, menu, but not song-annotated or numbered):

• ch1. I'm the Greatest Father Of Them All, Sung and Danced by Bob Hope and The Seven Little Foys
• ch2. Nobody, Sung by Bob Hope, assisted by Milly Vitale
• ch4. I'm Tired, sung by BH
• ch5. Yankee Doodle Dandy, Danced by James Cagney
• ch5. The Irish Washerwoman, Danced by Bob Hope
• ch5. Mary's a Grand Old Name, Danced by James Cagney and Bob Hope
• ch6. Smiles, Sung by Lydia Reed and Linda Bennett
• ch7. Row, Row, Row, Sung by Lydia Reed and Linda Bennett, Danced by Bob Hope and The Seven Little Foys
• ch7. Chinatown, My Chinatown, Performed by Bob Hope and The Seven Little Foys
• ch8. I'm the Greatest Father Of Them All, Sung and Danced by Bob Hope and The Seven Little Foys
• ch9. Smiles, Sung again by Lydia Reed and Linda Bennett

Paramount, dir. Shavelson; 7-

Borodin, Prince Igor (1981), 6

Legendary bass Evgeny Nesterenko sings the title role in this live 1981 Bolshoi Opera production. Though this operatic masterpiece is rarely performed outside of Russia, its Polovtsian Dances" ballet sequence is one of the most famous in all of opera, and the popular tenor and bass arias are well known to opera lovers. With Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Mark Ermler.

Starring: Evgeny Nesterenko, Elena Kurovskaya, Vladimir Sherbakov, Bolshoi Opera
Runtime: 2 hours, 49 minutes

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07111MW75/

Can't find this title in IMDb. Here is the dvd link for more info/reviews: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00342AO3O/

My review on Amazon:

Poor quality video (streamed via Prime): blurry.
Mediocre quality recording, with microphones visually evident and picking up audio that you probably wouldn't hear in the theatre. It was almost as if the cast would bump into a mic occasionally.
Liked the ballet (Polovtsian dances), although not always the way it was filmed.
Good to give you an idea of the opera, but not a production I'd treasure for my collection.

live opera, cond. Ermler; 6

The Seven Year Itch (1955), 9 Color, WS {nm}

When his family goes away for the summer, a so far faithful husband is tempted by a beautiful neighbor.
1h 45min | Comedy, Romance | 1 June 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Billy Wilder
Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oskar Homolka, Victor Moore.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048605/

Released on MM's b'day (b. '26). At one point in the film she says she's 22. With that persona, it's believable.

This is a perfect utilization of MM's persona.

Fascinating that the play was racier, and the man actually had an affair with his neighbor, not just a flirtation. According to the featurette (watch it!), lots of dialog was too racy as well. I might have liked the play, but I'm very happy with this script, and with having the footage that was edited out of extant scenes for censorship as well (tub scene, subway grate scene.)

Fox, dir. Wilder; 9

Love Me or Leave Me (1955), 6 Color, WS

A fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to stardom.
2h 2min | Biography, Drama, Music | 26 May 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Charles Vidor
Stars: Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell.
Alex Romero ... dances originated by / dances supervised by
Hal Bell ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048317/

This is tough stuff. JC, who walks with a limp here, and does not dance, plays a tough guy, and does so very well. So we always have the threat of violence, in his business dealings and his employees, including with DD. We get violence with DD twice: once seems to be a forced sexual encounter (then the next scene is their marriage announcement), and once he slaps her. The capper is that he shoots her music director. So this is very unpleasant.

We get 2 vintage shorts ('30, '32) starring the real Ruth Etting, and even taking into account the change in performance styles and technology, DD has far more talent than RE displays. DD sometimes dances in production numbers (which RE did not do in these shorts), which is nice, but she's done more impressive dancing elsewhere.

Songs performed, most only partial (33 chapters with menu):

• ch1. Love Me or Leave Me, Played during the opening credits
• ch3. Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl?), Danced by Doris Day and chorus girls
• ch3. I'm Sitting on Top of the World, Sung by Claude Stroud
• ch5. It All Depends On You, Sung by Doris Day
• ch8. You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It), Sung by Doris Day
• ch9. Stay On the Right Side, Sister, Sung by Doris Day
• ch11. Everybody Loves My Baby (but My Baby Don't Love Nobody but Me), Sung by Doris Day
• ch11. Mean to Me, Sung by Doris Day
• ch14. Sam, the Old Accordion Man, Sung by Doris Day
• ch17. Shaking the Blues Away, Sung by Doris Day, Danced by Doris Day and chorus
• ch20. (What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry?, Sung by Doris Day during the sheet music montage
• ch20. I Cried for You, Sung by Doris Day during the sheet music montage
• ch20. My Blue Heaven, Sung by Doris Day during the sheet music montage
• ch20. Ten Cents a Dance, Sung by Doris Day
• ch23. I'll Never Stop Loving You, Sung by Doris Day (uncredited)
• ch25. Never Look Back, Sung by Doris Day (uncredited)
• ch28. At Sundown (Love Is Calling Me Home), Sung by Doris Day
• ch32. Love Me or Leave Me, Also sung by Doris Day
• ch?. I Miss My Swiss (My Swiss Miss Misses Me), Sung by the chorus girls during rehearsal

Very strange that this is MGM, since both DD & JC were Warner stars.

Previously rated 8, I'm far too sensitive to the violence and menace of violence to keep it there.

MGM, dir. Vidor; 6

Daddy Long Legs (1955), 7- Color, WS

On a trip to France, millionaire Jervis Pendleton sees an 18 year old girl in an orphanage. Enchanted with her, but mindful of the difference in their ages, he sponsors her to college in ... 
2h 6min | Musical, Romance | 5 May 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Jean Negulesco
Stars: Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Thelma Ritter.
Fred Astaire ... dances staged by
Roland Petit ... ballets by
David Robel ... dances staged by

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047969/

In the Tap! Appendix for Fred Astaire.

FA (b. '99) & LC (b. '31) make an unlikely romantic couple; he's old enough to be her roommate's great-uncle. Of course, he dances much better than your average 56 year-old, and they dance together several times.

Songs performed (28 chapters with menu), all songs by Johnny Mercer, except *:

• ch3. History of the Beat, Instrumental with Fred Astaire on drums 
• ch5. C-A-T Spells Cat, Sung by Leslie Caron 
• ch7. Daddy Long Legs, by Chorus 
• ch9. Welcome Egghead, Sung by Girls at Walston College 
• ch12. Texas Millionaire, Danced by Fred Astaire 
• ch13. International Playboy, Instrumental danced by Fred Astaire and Chorus Girls 
• ch14. Guardian Angel, Instrumental danced by Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron 
• ch18. Sluefoot, Sung by The Pied Pipers with Ray Anthony and His Orchestra, Danced by Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, and Chorus 
• ch21. Something's Gotta Give, Sung by Fred Astaire, Danced by Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron 
• ch25. Dancing Through Life, Ballet danced by Leslie Caron and Chorus 
• ch25. Nightmare Ballet* (Paris, Hong Kong, Rio), Danced by Leslie Caron with Fred Astaire present but not dancing. 
• ch28. Dream, Danced by Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron 

Colorful sets in the fantasy/dream sequences are emulating An American in Paris ('51), as is the abundance of dance and particularly ballet, while the Nightmare Ballet takes place in something more akin to The Girl Hunt Ballet's bar&wharf in The Band Wagon ('53), but the pace is much slower, less athletic.

I was less aware of Cinemascope creating distance between me and the characters. I think they used more closeups than earlier C.scope films. Or I'm getting used to it.

Previously rated 7, and it's really not great. Don't know if other versions of the film also have the big age difference between the principals. In Curly Top ('35), John Boles (b. '95) is the benefactor, and Rochelle Hudson (b. '16) the elder ward (S.Temple the younger). 21 years is more reasonable than 32 years, and Boles is just barely 40 at the time.

I skipped the c.track, only remembering it a couple of movies later. Can't imagine why that film warranted one.

Fox, dir. Negulesco; 7-

Interrupted Melody (1955), 7 Color, WS

The film chronicles Australian-born opera star Marjorie Lawrence's success, her battle with polio, and her eventual career comeback.
1h 46min | Biography, Drama, Music | 20 April 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Stars: Glenn Ford, Eleanor Parker, Roger Moore.
Vladimir Rosing ... stager: operatic sequences
Marjorie MacKay ... assistant: Vladimir Rosing (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048210/

Watched online, ok print.

16 songs (arias) in the Soundtracks.

IMDb trivia: "Eleanor Parker can read music, and has perfect pitch as a singer. She decided to study the scores of the opera songs used in this film on her own. She rented a cabin in Lake Arrowhead, California, and played the records while singing along, until she had the breathing and phrasing memorized. Then when filming the scenes, instead of lip-synching to the tracks recorded by Eileen Farrell for the movie, she sang full voice (but an octave lower). She is proud of the fact that they never had to do a re-take, in order to "match" the tapes. She nailed it on the first take every time."

Previously rated 7, I agree today.

I don't usually like either of the stars, but the story and the music make this a worthwhile film. EP is not always cheerful and optimistic, GF is not always supportive of her career. But they struggle through, and find success on multiple levels. 

Just read the Wikipedia page on the subject of this film; she really did sing the wide range of roles shown in the film.

MGM, dir. Bernhardt; 7

The Glass Slipper (1955), 5 Color

Tomboyish outcast "Cinder" Ella and the duke's charming son Charles fall in love in this comedic rendition of the classic fairy tale.
Unrated | 1h 33min | Musical, Romance | 24 March 1955 | Color
Director: Charles Walters
Stars: Leslie Caron, Michael Wilding, Keenan Wynn, Estelle Winwood, Walter Pidgeon.
Roland Petit ... choreographer: ballet

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048124/

Watched online: part 1, part 2. Blurry, possibly cropped.

I'm not a fan of the Cinderella story, and this does nothing to improve that. I'm also not a fan of LC; she's good for the tomboy part, and for  balletic dance (during daydreams here), but I never care whether she gets the boy at the end, not even in An American in Paris ('51).

EW is delightful, as nuttily distracted as usual, good for a fairy godmother.

EL is wasted as the stepmother. Even when she's onscreen, WP does the talking, as the unseen narrator, who even says characters' dialog instead of letting them speak. Guess that's supposed to remind us of being read the story as children?

KW is 3rd billed, and gets almost nothing to do. He's cast poorly into this setting anyway.

MW is fine as the prince, but boring. In this story, he meets LC well before the ball, brings her an invitation, and teaches her how to dance the various social dances that will be expected of her. He even calls her by name at the ball; she's the only one with tomboy cropped hair. But he brings the abandoned glass slipper directly to her, saving us time, thankfully.

I can't imagine that I would feel better about this if I saw an official, non-blurry print that might actually be widescreen.

MGM, dir. Walters; 5

Too Many Husbands (1940), 7+ {nm}

Long-missing Bill Cardew returns to find his wife Vicky remarried...and in no hurry to settle for just one husband.
1h 21min | Comedy, Romance | 21 March 1940
Director: Wesley Ruggles
Stars: Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas, Harry Davenport.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033174/

Antecedent to Three For the Show ('55).

Same source: Based on the 1919 play Too Many Husbands by W. Somerset Maugham.

This is cuter, more personal, with a very funny ending.

Makes me nostalgic for pre-war (pre-US involvement) films.


The primary differences:

• Regular full-screen, not letterboxed Cinemascope, which creates distance between viewer and subject on a modern TV.
• Not a musical.
• The men are partners in a publishing company, not writing/performing partners.
• The 2nd woman interested in both men is their secretary, and doesn't continue to be involved in the dilemma after 1 scene with JA.
• How the final decision is determined.
• Not as sexually suggestive; JA likes the double attention, not necessarily in bed.
• No fantasy/dream sequences.

Columbia, dir. Ruggles; 7+

Three for the Show (1955), 7- Color, WS

A widowed singer marries her late husband's songwriting partner, which leads to trouble when her first husband turns up very much alive.
1h 33min | Musical | 24 February 1955 | Color, WS
Director: H.C. Potter
Stars: Betty Grable, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Jack Lemmon.
Jack Cole ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048719/

Final music/al film for BG. She does 1 more this year with S.North that has no performance credits in the Soundtrack. She looks tired, and doesn't dance as much as usual.

3rd of 58 films for JL.

BG (b. '16), JL (b. '25), GC (b. '21), MC (b. '19)

Based on the 1919 play Too Many Husbands by W. Somerset Maugham.

Absurdist film that got a few things past the censors, not the least of which is its premise. Unlike My Favorite Wife ('40, RKO)/Move Over Darling ('63, Fox), where the point is to conceal the 1st wife from the new one, this reveals early that she married again, and we have several bedroom scenes, some with the trio. Tame ones, but still fully suggestive. And she has even more suggestive fantasies, one where she has dozens of husbands, several for each day of the week, in a harem (not doing chores around the house.)

Songs performed (10 chapters, no menu):

• ch1. Someone To Watch Over Me, Performed by Marge Champion and Gower Champion during the opening titles
• ch3. Which One, Performed by Marge Champion
• ch3. Polovetsian Dances, Used as introductory music for "Down Boy"
• ch3. Down Boy, Performed by Betty Grable, Gower Champion, and Jack Lemmon
• ch4. Someone To Watch Over Me, sung by Marge Champion
• ch5. classical medley, danced by M&G, ensemble (can't find credit for balletic dancer who's dressed as BG in this dance), includes Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" aria #4 & #5 
• ch6. I've Been Kissed Before, Performed by Betty Grable
• ch6. I've Got A Crush On You, Performed by Betty Grable, JL
• ch6. Finale from 'William Tell Overture', Danced to by Gower Champion
• ch8. Someone To Watch Over Me, Performed by Marge Champion and Gower Champion
• ch9. How Come You Do Me Like You Do, Performed by Betty Grable, ensemble
• ch9. I've Got A Crush On You, also performed in the finale by Jack Lemmon, Marge Champion and Gower Champion
• ch??. Just One Of Those Things, Performed by Betty Grable, Marge Champion and Gower Champion; might be part of the opening number? Not listed on the AFI catalog page

Actual credit sequence for the songs (Soundtracks page follows neither this nor appearance order):

1. Someone To Watch Over Me
2.  I've Got A Crush On You
3. How Come You Do Me Like You Do
4. Down Boy
5. Which One
6. I've Been Kissed Before

Someday compare the costumes in How Come You Do Me Like You Do with Heat Wave in There's No Business Like Show Business ('54, Fox). Especially since they share Jack Cole choreography, I keep expecting that song when I see the intro.

Mostly enjoyable for M&G and Jack Cole dance numbers. I can't imagine why we don't see GC at least uncredited as choreographer. 

Columbia, dir. Potter; 7-

Hit the Deck (1955), 6 Color, WS

Sailor Danny Xavier Smith and two other gobs try to save his sister Susan's virtue. She wants to get a role in the show "Hit the Deck". After wrecking the producers hotel suite, they land ... 
1h 52min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 24 February 1955 | Color, WS
Director: Roy Rowland
Stars: Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, Gene Raymond, Ann Miller, Russ Tamblyn.
Hermes Pan ... stager: musical numbers

Angela Blue ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048171/

In the Tap! Appendix for Ann Miller.

More Than You Know is one of my favorite songs; I'm surprised to find it dates back to '29.

Songs performed (27 chapters with menu), most are from late 20's:

• ch1. Join the Navy, Played during the opening credits and sung by an unidentified chorus
• ch2. Hallelujah, Sung by Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone and The Jubalaires
• ch3. Happy Birthday, Performed by Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone and Chorus
• ch4. Keepin' Myself for You, Performed by Ann Miller, Tony Martin and showgirls
• ch6. Lucky Bird, Performed by Jane Powell
• ch7. A Kiss or Two, Performed by Debbie Reynolds, Russ Tamblyn and Chorus
• ch9. Why, Oh Why?, Performed by Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn and Vic Damone
• ch10. Sometimes I'm Happy, Performed by Jane Powell with Gene Raymond
• ch12. I Know That You Know, Performed by Vic Damone and Jane Powell
• ch14. The Lady from the Bayou, Performed by Ann Miller and chorus, barefoot
• ch15. Ciribiribin, Performed by Kay Armen, Accompanied by Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and Ann Miller.
• ch17. Why, Oh Why?, Performed by Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and Ann Miller
• ch20. More Than You Know, Performed by Tony Martin and Ann Miller
• ch21. Devil's Funhouse Dance, Performed by DR & RT with ensemble
• ch23. Join the Navy, Performed by Debbie Reynolds and Sailors in a show
• ch23. Loo-Loo, Performed by Debbie Reynolds and Sailors in a show
• ch26. Hallelujah, Sung by Kay Armen, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone and Chorus, danced by AM and sailor chorus

15 songs, and VD gets NO solo? The closest is VD with JP in ch12, which is a full duet, and doesn't show off his voice at all. Of course, the same can be said about TM, but he was so prominent when he sang, that it felt like anyone else was just singing support, not on equal footing.

On the Town ('49) is shorter by 21 min, has the same number of performers (3 sailors, 3 girls, plus 1), and delivers a good story with great numbers (13 total). Of course, we had more dancers there, which is my preference. Here, none of the men are dancers; RT comes close and passes for a dancer, but that puts him at the F.Sinatra level, and G.Kelly and J.Munshin were both pros. Among the women, JP & DR are good dancers, but don't do anything exciting here. DR has a couple of numbers in the show she's doing, but they're just cutsey, not great.

The funhouse number was brief, and felt completely derivative of F.Astaire with Burns&Allen in A Damsel in Distress ('37). Guess which was better.

Somehow having the majority of dances be actual showbiz numbers makes them far less interesting than civilians bursting into dance in OtT. And the quality of the dancing and choreography can't compare to G.Kelly and V.Ellen.

AM's tapping in the finale is delightful, even just to listen to, but again it's brief.

MGM, dir. Rowland; 6

Jupiter's Darling (1955), 8 Color, WS

Fabius loves his beautiful but vulnerable city, Rome, and he also loves his beautiful but invulnerable fiancée, Amytis. Fascinated by the tales she has heard about Hannibal, who is about to...
1h 35min || 10 February 1955 | Color, WS
Director: George Sidney
Stars: Esther Williams, Howard Keel, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, George Sanders, Richard Haydn, William Demarest.
Hermes Pan ... choreographer

Genres: Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048239/

Bootleg, letterboxed on 4 sides, blurry.

This is EW's last H'wood swimmer; she appears to swim in her last film with husband F.Lamas, made in Italy.

This is a very enjoyable historical spoof.

I did spot Douglas Dumbrille as the Roman general, Michael Ansara in Hannibal's tent (no dialog?, but screen credit) while planning the attack.

Songs performed (7 chapters, no menu):

• ch1. Horatio's Narration, sung by Richard Haydn
• ch1. If This Be Slav'ry, Sung and Danced by Marge Champion and Gower Champion 
• ch2. I Had A Dream, Sung by Esther Williams (dubbed by Jo Ann Greer) 
• ch2. Hannibal's Victory March (?), sung by HK & chorus
• ch3. Never Trust A Woman, Sung by Howard Keel 
• ch3. non-musical swim scene: EW pushes the floating, non-swimming HK across the surface
• ch4. Don't Let This Night Get Away, sung by HK 
• ch5. The Life Of An Elephant, Danced by Marge Champion and Gower Champion 
• ch6. non-musical underwater chase sequence, with EW outswimming Hannibal's men, on location at Blue Cavern Point, Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California
• ch??. This Is What I Love (not on the AFI catalog page.)

In the Slav'ry number, the choreography is very cute, mimicking ancient art on urns, etc. with angular arms and legs, plus M&G do their usual athletic adagio.

The Dream number is where EW swims with underwater statuary that comes to life. Amazing that the makeup didn't come off onto EW. The swimming cherubs looked like real children, not midgets. At least everyone had those big columns to hide breathing aparati. 

HK looks great in ancient togs; his thighs are impressive. I also like him with the beard.

EW is her usual athletic self, from the opening chariot sequence to the final bare-legged costume.

Guilty pleasure: the performing elephants. I wonder if any of them also performed in M&L's 3 Ring Circus ('54).

MGM, dir. Sidney; 8

Young at Heart (1954), 7 Color

The lives and romances of three sisters in a musical family; the youngest daughter's life is complicated by the subsequent arrival of a charming composer and a cynical music arranger.
1h 57min | Drama, Musical, Romance | December 1954 | Color
Director: Gordon Douglas
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Gig Young.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047688/

9 songs in the Soundtrack: 3 for FS, 4 for DD, 2 duets. Good songs,  sung at a piano.

Same studio as A Star is Born ('54), which makes the attempted sacrificial suicide by FS a little repetitive and odd. This is a remake of Four Daughters (1938), which I didn't watch (I wasn't searching online then?) so I don't know if the suicide attempt is in the source novel. J.Garfield played the FS part. All 3 Lane sisters were present; I'd guess Priscilla had the DD part.

Not sure that this romance, based on DD's desire to rescue FS from himself, has a good foundation. But if any personality type can make it work, the DD persona might.

So the story is edgy, no comedy here. But the songs are good, and the singers are excellent.

Warner, dir. Douglas; 7

There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), 7+ Color, WS

Molly and Terry Donahue, plus their three children, are The Five Donahues. Son Tim meets hat-check girl Vicky and the family act begins to fall apart.
1h 57min | Comedy, Drama, Musical | 16 December 1954 | Color, WS
Director: Walter Lang
Stars: Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray, Mitzi Gaynor, Hugh O'Brian.
Robert Alton ... dances and musical numbers staged by

Robert Alton ... choreographer

Hal Bell ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Jack Cole ... choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047574/

In the Tap! Appendix for Fox/ Dan Dailey, Donald O'Connor.

Songs performed, all by Irving Berlin (28 chapters with menu useless for finding most songs):

• ch2. When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam', Performed by Ethel Merman and Dan Dailey 
• ch2. Play a Simple Melody, Performed by Ethel Merman 
• ch4. A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody, Performed by Ethel Merman and Dan Dailey, Danced by Dan Dailey 
• ch6. You'd Be Surprised, Performed by Dan Dailey 
• ch6. Let's Have Another Cup o' Coffee, Performed by Ethel Merman 
• ch7. Alexander's Ragtime Band, Performed by Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, Johnnie Ray, and chorus 
• ch7. Puttin' on the Ritz, Instrumental performed by the nightclub orchestra prior to Vicky's audition 
• ch9. After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It, Performed by Marilyn Monroe 
• ch12. Remember, Performed by the cast 
• ch12. When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam', Later performed by Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor, imitating parent's old act at a party
• ch13. If You Believe, Performed by Johnnie Ray 
• ch15. Heat Wave, Performed by Marilyn Monroe 
• ch17. A Man Chases a Girl (Until She Catches Him), Performed by Donald O'Connor and Marilyn Monroe, Danced by Donald O'Connor 
• ch19. Lazy, Performed by Marilyn Monroe, Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor 
• ch21. A Sailor's Not a Sailor ('Til a Sailor's Been Tattooed), Performed by Ethel Merman and Mitzi Gaynor 
• ch24. Marie, Performed by an uncredited male trio at a nightclub when the family is searching for Tim 
• ch26. Cheek to Cheek, Performed off screen by theatre orchestra at the Hippodrome closing performance while Molly Donahue is in the dressing room 
• ch27. There's No Business Like Show Business, Performed by Ethel Merman 
• ch28. Alexander's Ragtime Band, Performed by Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and Johnnie Ray 
• ch27. There's No Business Like Show Business, Performed by the cast 

Great to have the Merm performing IB tunes, and DD dances nicely, but in small segments. DO has a good solo in ch17, and MM has a good production number in ch15. MG gets to imitate EM in ch12.

I don't care for JR's voice or vocal stylings; I can feel R&R coming in the orchestrations.

The plot is slightly more interesting that the usual backstager, with DO's ego/drinking problems, but we don't have to suffer through a lot of bouts, because he leaves the screen, causing the conflict to rest in the family's lap with worry about his unknown status.

Fox, dir. Lang; 7+

3 Ring Circus (1954), 5 Color, WS {nm}

Jerry and Pete are two friends with no money, looking for some job. They finally find one as workers in a circus, but Jerry has different dreams. He wants to become a clown.
1h 43min | Comedy | 22 December 1954 | Color, WS
Director: Joseph Pevney
Stars: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Joanne Dru, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Wallace Ford, Sig Ruman, Nick Cravat, Elsa Lanchester.
Nick Castle ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047582/

Watched online; print is cropped and/or pan/scan, and very blurry.

Soundtrack (and AFI catalog) lists only 3 songs, 1 each for JL & DM, 1 duet.

Indeed this is not a musical, not even close.

The film did not engage me at all. The poor print, the lack of musical performance, and the circus theme all contributed. I never spotted Nick Cravat, don't remember Sig Ruman here. Didn't follow why DM went from day laborer to bossing everyone. JL as the clown makes perfect sense, but shrug-worthy to me.

Wallis-Hazen, distr. Paramount, dir. Pevney; 5

So This Is Paris (1954), 6+ Color

Three sailors on leave (Joe, Al and Davy) head for Paris with one thing on their minds. Joe pursues chanteuse Colette D'Avril who proves to be more than she appears; Davy is pursued by sexy... 
1h 36min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 15 December 1954 | Color
Director: Richard Quine
Stars: Tony Curtis, Gloria DeHaven, Gene Nelson, Corinne Calvet.
Gene Nelson ... choreographer
Lee Scott ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047508/
Bootleg, blurry.

In the Tap! Appendix for Tony Curtis, Paul Gilbert, Gene Nelson.

1st film credit of 7 for PG; he also started his TV credits (of 10) this year with his own series (13 eps).

11th of 31 director credits for RQ, 3rd musical viewed. As an actor, he had 29 credits, and only 5 musicals. His first acting credit was age 13.

22nd film credit of 95 for TC; 1st of 5 musicals. Yes, he sings and dances. Not so that I'm going to scour the internet to own his other musicals, but well enough to perform between GN & PG.

Songs performed (10 chapters, no menu):

• ch1. SO THIS IS PARIS, Performed by chorus (behind credits) 
• ch1. WAIT 'TIL PARIS SEES US, Performed by Tony Curtis, Gene Nelson and Paul Gilbert & filles
• ch2. I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE, Performed in French by Gloria DeHaven and dancers 
• ch3. LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO LOVE, Performed by Gene Nelson 
• ch5. IT'S REALLY UP TO YOU, Performed by Tony Curtis, Gloria DeHaven and children 
• ch6. A DAME'S A DAME, Performed by Tony Curtis, Gene Nelson and Paul Gilbert 
• ch6. IF YOU WERE THERE, Performed by Gene Nelson and Gloria DeHaven 
• ch7. THE TWO OF US, Performed by Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHaven 
• ch8. THE TWO OF US, reprised by Gloria DeHaven as All of Us
• ch9. THREE BON VIVANTS, Performed by Tony Curtis, Gene Nelson and Paul Gilbert 
• ch9. I CAN'T DO A SINGLE, Performed by Paul Gilbert 
• ch10. WAIT 'TIL PARIS SEES US reprise, Performed by cast
• ch10. SO THIS IS PARIS, Performed by chorus (behind credits) 

The plot includes romantic complications of TC & GN wanting the same 2 women (or did GN just want GD, and gave CC a big kiss just because?) They put on a show to help 5 orphans being raised by GD & her grandmother. But they perform musical numbers well before any show is mentioned; the show is only ch9, and half of it is PG; we didn't see any rehearsal, but somehow they were well oiled, and said something about doing a number they knew, from where I didn't catch..

Mediocre musical, but GN dazzles again with his dancing. Very happy to have this print since I found no official release, and want an official one should it ever happen.

Universal, dir. Quine; 6+

The Country Girl (1954), 7

A director hires an alcoholic has-been and strikes up a stormy relationship with the actor's wife, who he believes is the cause of all the man's problems.
1h 44min | Drama, Music | 15 December 1954 | b/w
Director: George Seaton
Stars: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046874/

Oscars went to GK for Best Actress and to Seaton for Best Writing, screenplay. Those make sense to me. BC lost the Best Actor award to M.Brando in On the Waterfront, also understandable.

This is tagged Music because the setting is the mounting of a musical play, with BC as star. He sings a handful of songs, none a favorite of mine.

This is good stuff. Didn't think I'd be in the mood, but it definitely engaged me, for all the right reasons. The bulk of the script was the mystery of the married relationship, the death of the son, and whether BC would rise to be a star in this new play. The ending was satisfying.

Since BC's 1st wife Dixie was an alcoholic, I wonder what went through his mind during this project. No idea if GK had an personal connection to the topic.

Perlberg-Seaton Prod., distr. Paramount, dir. Seaton; 7

Deep in My Heart (1954), 6 Color, WS

Biographic movie about the American composer Sigmund Romberg.
2h 12min | Biography, Comedy, Musical | 9 December 1954 | Color, WS
Director: Stanley Donen
Stars: José Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Helen Traubel.
Eugene Loring ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046896/

In the Tap! Appendix for Fred and Gene Kelly, Ann Miller.

I have 5 prior films with Romberg music; 4 starring J.MacDonald (2 8's 2 6's), 1 starring D.Durbin (7). The quantity of Romberg music does not predict my rating.

On his B'way database page, it lists 66 musicals tagged as Original, and 11 tagged as Revival. The 1st was in 1914, and the last Original with more that 1 song was active 3 years after his death in '51.


Songs performed (32 chapters with menu), all music by Sigmund Romberg:

• ch2. You Will Remember Vienna, Sung by Helen Traubel, Originally from the film Viennese Nights (1930) 
• ch3. Leg of Mutton, Sung by José Ferrer and Helen Traubel 
• ch. 'Allo, 'Allo, Performed by Tamara Toumanova (possibly dubbed by Betty Wand) 
• ch5. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise, Performed by Tamara Toumanova (dubbed by Betty Wand)
• ch6. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise, Also sung by Helen Traubel, Originally from the musical "New Moon" (1928) 
• ch8. Mr. and Mrs., Sung by Rosemary Clooney and José Ferrer, Originally from the musical "The Blushing Bride" (1922) 
• ch10. I Love to Go Swimmin' with Wimmen, Performed by Gene Kelly and Fred Kelly, Originally from the musical "Love Birds" (1921) 
• ch11. The Road to Paradise, Sung by Vic Damone, Originally from the musical "Maytime" (1917) 
• ch11. Will You Remember (Sweetheart), Sung by Jane Powell and Vic Damone, Originally from the musical "Maytime" (1917) 
• ch16. The Very Next Girl I See, Performed by José Ferrer
• ch16. Fat, Fat Fatima, Performed by José Ferrer
• ch16. Jazzadadadoo, Performed by José Ferrer, Originally from the musical "Bombo" (1921) 
• ch20. It, Sung and Danced by Ann Miller, Originally from the musical "The Desert Song" (1926) 
• ch22. Serenade, Sung by William Olvis, Originally from the musical "The Student Prince" (1924) 
• ch24-5. One Alone, Sung and Danced by Cyd Charisse (dubbed by Carol Richards) and James Mitchell, Originally from the musical "The Desert Song" (1926) 
• ch26. Your Land and My Land, Sung by Howard Keel, Originally from the musical "My Maryland" (1927) 
• ch27. Auf Wiedersehn, Sung by Helen Traubel, Originally from the musical "The Blue Paradise" (1915) 
• ch28. Lover, Come Back to Me, Sung by Tony Martin and Joan Weldon, Originally from the musical "New Moon" (1928) 
• ch30. Stouthearted Men, Sung by Helen Traubel, Originally from the musical "New Moon" (1928) 
• ch32. When I Grow Too Old to Dream, Sung by José Ferrer, Helen Traubel and chorus, Originally from the film The Night Is Young (1935) 

From AFI catalog, for future research on the 2 other missing titles, then perhaps add all 4 bolded to the IMDb Soundtracks:

"Deep in My Heart, Dear," "Girls Goodbye," "Serenade" and "Your Land and My Land," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly
"Leg of Mutton," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Roger Edens
"I Love to Say Hello to the Boys," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Alex Gerber
"Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise," "Lover Come Back to Me," "Stouthearted Men" and "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
"Mr. and Mrs.," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Cyrus Wood
"I Love to Go Swimmin' with Wimmen" and "Fat, Fat Fatima," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Ballard MacDonald
"You Will Remember Vienna," "Road to Paradise" and "Will You Remember," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Rida Johnson Young
"The Very Next Girl I See," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by R. Harold Atteridge
"Jazzadadadoo," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by R. Harold Atteridge and Roger Edens
"It" and "One Alone," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
"Auf Wiedersehn," music by Sigmund Romberg, lyrics by Herbert Reynolds.

This film is ok; no idea about the biographical accuracy. Clearly with 66 shows, Romberg produced far more music than can be represented in a single film. Nothing here jumped out at me as one of my favorites, nor do any of the songs in the other films I have.

It is interesting to see JF perform adequately singing/dancing. There was no particular chemistry in the number with then wife RC (m. '53-'67, 1st son born '55), but it was just a vaudeville-style song&dance, and did not require much.

The only reason to own this is the sole film appearance of brothers Fred & Gene Kelly, singing&dancing together. The 2 other dance numbers, It with Ann Miller & chorus, and One Alone with Cyd Charisse & James Mitchell, are good, but not fabulous. Mitchell is again mostly a ballet teamster, artfully lifting and moving CC, but dancing very little himself.

MGM, dir. Donen; 6