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
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.
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| 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
