1h 54min | Comedy, Musical, Family | 11 December 1959 | Color, WS
Director: Melvin Frank
Stars: Leslie Parrish, Stubby Kaye, Peter Palmer, Julie Newmar, Stella Stevens.
Michael Kidd ... stager: musical numbers, original stage production
Dee Dee Wood ... stager: musical numbers
Watched on AmazonPrime.
16 songs in the Soundtracks.
Valerie Harper (uncredited) is one of the Dogpatch wives, and easily spotted throughout.
Previously rated 5, I almost agree. The saving smidgeon is the dancing. Lots of Kidd-style moves, very athletic. Before I found he was the original choreographer, I thought "without 7 Brides, this dancing doesn't exist" because 7 Brides broke the "but the characters aren't dancers" barrier.
These moves are more gymnastic than dancerly. But now both women and men dance in this style. It's all ankles and elbows, handsprings and batwings (I don't know if that's a step, but some of this is high-flying with limbs wide spread, so it should be.)
Although I can appreciate the athleticism, I don't much like the dancing, because it's so thoroughly in character, and I don't like the characters.
The story is even worse. A-bomb testing, yokum-berry tonic, Sadie Hawkins, Colonel Cornpone, ugh. And the hicks are such broad hicks that Jerry Lewis has a cameo as one of them, does his most extreme shtick, and fits right in.
Paramount, dir. Frank; 6-
