1h 42min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 29 December 1953 | Color
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, Arthur Hunnicutt, Mary McCarty.
Billy Daniel ... dance numbers staged by
Watched online, part 1, part2, ok/mediocre print.
1st film credit for Kim Novak (model). I don't think she was one of the primary 8 in the fashion show.
This is very much a musical. 9 songs performed, 4 by JR sometimes with others, 3 by Gilbert Roland, 1 dance by Billy Daniel (with trays of canapes), 1 by Mary McCarthy & others. No mention of a dubber for GR. He has 1 other film with a singing credit. He was serviceable here, so I'm surprised we have only those 2, but that may be a Soundtracks problem. Most dancing other than BD's number is showgirl stuff.
You see the synopsis above; a little overstated about finding a man on a cruise, but true about traveling incognito. What it left out is that she pays a woman to take on her identity, and the imposter is on her honeymoon, but must take a separate room from her husband, and then must date JR's intended (GR) to test his desire for JR. As if that wasn't enough extra conflict, JR's "guardian" (AH, the foreman of her oil exploration and old friend/partner of her deceased father) hires GR to watchdog JR, fearing she'll get into trouble without him. But instead of doing something sensible like give GR a photo, GR assumes he'll figure out who he needs to protect. So he's dating JR, thinking she's a model, and having a steward keep an eye on her double.
I like JR, but don't really care about this character. GR (b. '05, 1st feature film in '23) looks and acts like an aging gigolo here. If they hadn't done the big scene with a dozen young women coming to say goodbye, I would assume he made a living off wealthy women. (He was supposedly in showbiz?) The music ranges from meh to irritating, and I didn't see any interesting dancing.
RKO, dir. Bacon; 6
