Thursday, June 21, 2018

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


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-
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