Director: Max Liebman (& producer)
Stars: Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, Cyril Ritchard
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406983/
bootleg, very poor quality, s/b color
It's hard to tell whether a better print, even in b/w, would help this. This is a kinescope of a TV broadcast; not sure if it was performed live.
The production feels too claustrophobic, with the camera too close to the players. Remember the cameras were huge back then, and this is being played in a TV studio.
I've watched several operas in recent weeks, and of course I'm used to pre-recorded songs in movie musicals for years. The singers here appeared to be singing live for the camera, and frequently muffed a line (also in dialog), or their voice cracked. Maybe theatre enthusiasts would like seeing that; not I. The whole thing felt under-rehearsed.
The story isn't necessarily magic either. Apparently based on historical fact (Mrs. Murray helped delay the British), but I didn't see any mention (in the few websites I skimmed) of her falling for a British officer, nor of her niece. Dramatic license perhaps.
Shruggable made insufferable by the performance flaws and the miserable print.
NBC, dir. Liebman; 5
