Color / 176 mins
After a four-year absence from movies, Judy Garland makes her comeback in the style of a true diva in "A Star Is Born."
In 1950, Judy filmed her last film for MGM, "Summer Stock," and then she was released from her contract due to drug use and personal problems. However, happy times were soon ahead. She met B-rate movie producer Sid Luft, married him, and had a daughter (and later a son). The couple decided to try their hand at a film, "A Star Is Born," produced by Warner Brothers, that put Sid Luft on the A-list.
The film opens in the middle of a Hollywood gala, where Judy's character, Esther Blodgett, is in a singing group with two men that is opening for some of the big acts. The group is onstage singing "Gotta Have Me Go With You" when a hopelessly drunk film star, Norman Maine (James Mason) staggers onto the stage. Esther quickly smoothes over the situation by cleverly dancing with Norman, and after the show, he claims that she saved his life. She, like the rest of the world, considers him a lazy slacker and bids him a friendly goodnight.
Later that evening, she is singing in a club, where she performs the sensational number "The Man That Got Away." Norman just happens to be there, amazingly sober, and starts trying to convince her that she has just what it takes....that extra quality....to be a star. He pleads with her for most of the night to stay in the city and audition for his studio. Although she originally thinks the idea's stupid, she relents at the crack of dawn.
After several weeks, no success has been had for Esther Blodgett, and Norman is out of town filming a movie on location. Feeling duped, she does a series of low-paying commercials and struggles to survive. But finally, Norman returns and gets her an audition at his studio, where the makeup department gives her a ridiculous blond wig and practically clown makeup. She journeys to Norman's trailer, where he helps her wash it off and look natural. She aces the audition and is signed.
Esther returns to the studio the next day having been renamed "Vicki Lester," and all of the staff members seem very impersonal and shallow. However, it isn't long until her first picture is out, which contains a very impressive medley of songs, most notably Judy's version of "Swannee," which she was famous for singing throughout her life. Instantly a star, Esther has no trouble making friends, but irritatingly, Norman seems to want to have nothing to do with her.
Despite the fact that Norman is a severe alcoholic, Esther has fallen completely in love with him and tries to win him over. The two start officially dating. One day, Esther enters the studio to record a song for her latest picture, a lovely, emotional little number called "Here's What I'm Here For." While the orchestra is playing, she steals off to a cozy, darkened little stairwell with Norman. The conductor plays the song back, and unbeknownst to Esther and Norman, a hidden microphone had recorded their whole conversation. Norman is heard popping the question on the record....a very public proposal indeed, but very heartfelt!
Of course, Esther accepts, and the two are gleefully married. They share a tender duet, "It's a New World," on their honeymoon, and all looks happy for the time being. However, it isn't long before trouble comes; having grown tired of Norman's constant drunkenness, the studio fires him for holding up production (not much unlike Judy's personal trauma). Undeterred, Esther still makes money for the family; she is now a big star, and performs an amusing sequence called "Someone at Last" one night for Norman. Though the number is very long, Judy gives a thoroughly energetic performance.
Soon, Esther is nominated for an Academy Award. Predictably, her husband skips the ceremony, but when she wins, he shows up drunk. He makes his way up to the stage and totally embarrasses her by giving a little speech about how he needs a job. It isn't long before another mishap occurs and Norman ends up in jail. Esther pleas with the judge for his release, and he is granted it to stay under her care.
The end of this movie is very shocking, so I won't spoil it here.
Judy is just amazing in this movie. Her skillful artistry is very apparent, for it is clearly her show and displays all of her capabilities. She successfully breaks out of the mold that MGM cast her in of the wide-eyed, innocent young woman, which had not been working well in recent years, and became a real character. As Esther Blodgett, Judy shows all of her vulnerability, charm, wit, and sheer talent. Usually in movies, Judy's problems seemed silly and overdramatized; her trials in "A Star Is Born" were realistic and mature. The work as a whole is much deeper than anything else Judy starred in. She pulled the whole thing off with a grace and serenity that only a fantastic actress could have.
James Mason played a convincing Norman Maine, though he pales in comparison to Judy, and besides the two of them, there aren't really any other characters! "A Star Is Born" is basically a one-woman show starring a dynamite powerhouse.
Besides the actors, other things were great as well. The dialogue is interesting and fast-paced, and the lighting, scenery, and costumes add great flair.
In addition, the Warner Brothers two-sided DVD is loaded with special features, including a reconstruction that puts the film at nearly its original length. In 1983, film historian Ronald Haver found audio versions of the cut sequences and restored "A Star Is Born" to nearly its original length.
Twenty-two years after this movie was made, Barbra Streisand starred in a popular remake.
You would like this movie if: you are a Judy fan at all and want to see her in her element. This movie is also for all different types of fans. Even if you don't relish the forced merriment and sentimentality of her earlier movies, you'd still like this one because it feels much more modern and realistic. It's just a different kind of musical.
You might not want to watch it if: you hate long movies. It runs nearly three hours! It also might not be a good choice if you have bad eyes, because the widescreen version is tiny.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: ****
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
Color / 103 mins
"In the good old summertime, in the good old summertime. Strolling through the shady lanes with your baby mine!"
Quaint, lush, and beautiful, the MGM Silver Anniversary picture "In the Good Old Summertime" captures Victorian America with style, grace, and nostalgia. Set in long-ago Chicago, the film takes the viewer back to the happy, simple days of neighborhood shops and community picnics.
The film is essentially a remake of 1940's "The Shop Around the Corner", which starred Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart, and the story would later be turned into Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's hit "You've Got Mail". In all three movies, store clerks who hate each other fall in love through romantic pen pal letters. Although the plot was by no means original, director Robert Z. Leonard knew how to make it work in a splendidly fun musical comedy.
Andrew Delby Larkin (Van Johnson) narrates the opening sequence, a light musical bit that establishes his industrious, if somewhat goofy character. Though he spends much of his time flirting with pal Louise (Marcia Van Dyke) and reading romantic letters from a mysterious pen pal, he is gainfully employed in the music shop of Otto Oberkugen (S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall). One day, on his way to work, he knocks over a thoroughly disgusted Veronica Fisher (Judy Garland), who later enters the shop and applies for a position. After doing a better job selling a harp than Andrew, she is hired as the newest staff member, to both parties' disliking. After this, Veronica rushes home to her aunt Addie (Lillian Bronson) and pores over her romantic letter of the day.
After a while, the secret lovers decide to meet up. To both Andrew and Veronica's dismay, Mr. Oberkugen keeps them late on the special night to do inventory, but Veronica makes it to the restaurant with time to spare. Andrew shows up and sees her through the window. He has trouble realizing what has just happened, but joins her and annoys her in the restaurant without letting on that he's the writer. Veronica returns home in tears after having her night of bliss with the secret suitor ruined by Andrew Larkin of all people.
Mr. Oberkugen finally proposes to his longtime cashier Nellie (Spring Byington), and the two throw an engagement party in which a rather skilled barbershop quartet entertains. Judy also sings two numbers, the harmonious "Play That Barbershop Chord" and the flighty, silly "I Don't Care".
After all this, Veronica realizes that she has fallen in love with Andrew, but when she sees him hugging Louise, she is devastated. Andrew quickly devises a plan to dethrone the unknown letter writer and win Veronica's heart.
"In the Good Old Summertime" is simply a delightful movie from the start to finish. As it is one of Judy's last films at MGM, the viewer can see the progression of filmmaking in general from her early movies. The plot is very fast-paced, the dialogue is funny and witty, and the Technicolor is beautiful and easy on the eyes. Every player in the cast is wonderful in his or her role, particularly Van Johnson, who carries the film, and the costumes and sets are impeccable.
Even five years later, MGM was still trying to cash in on the success of 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis", Judy's biggest movie. Set around the turn of the century, "In the Good Old Summertime" shows nostalgia for old America in much the same way, and Judy is cast as the young girl who has no experience with boys, although she had married twice in real life and had a daughter. She also wore a red dress and hairdo very reminiscient of her famous "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" scene (in "St. Louis"), which was a bad move by MGM, as this similarity only heightened the differences between her 1944 and 1949 demeanor. By this time, Judy's drug use had escalated to the point where she was nearly impossible to work with, and she looks tired and washed-up in this film. She would only make one more movie, "Summer Stock", before being fired from MGM.
Perhaps the weakness of this movie is its rather forgettable slew of musical numbers; while mildly entertaining, none are destined for success except for the old tune "In the Good Old Summertime". However, the score is fantastic, and one cannot help but feel that they have traveled back in time.
You would like this movie if: you love the Victorian era, you're a fan of Van Johnson, you want a good old-fashioned romance movie, you want to see Judy be witty, or....the real treat for some may be the introduction of two-year-old Liza Minnelli in the closing scene!
You probably wouldn't be a big fan if: you're intent on hearing Judy sing tremendously memorable songs, you need big musical numbers, you don't enjoy the somewhat saccharine peace and harmony of the early 1900's.
Rating: ***
Judy score: **
"In the good old summertime, in the good old summertime. Strolling through the shady lanes with your baby mine!"
Quaint, lush, and beautiful, the MGM Silver Anniversary picture "In the Good Old Summertime" captures Victorian America with style, grace, and nostalgia. Set in long-ago Chicago, the film takes the viewer back to the happy, simple days of neighborhood shops and community picnics.
The film is essentially a remake of 1940's "The Shop Around the Corner", which starred Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart, and the story would later be turned into Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's hit "You've Got Mail". In all three movies, store clerks who hate each other fall in love through romantic pen pal letters. Although the plot was by no means original, director Robert Z. Leonard knew how to make it work in a splendidly fun musical comedy.
Andrew Delby Larkin (Van Johnson) narrates the opening sequence, a light musical bit that establishes his industrious, if somewhat goofy character. Though he spends much of his time flirting with pal Louise (Marcia Van Dyke) and reading romantic letters from a mysterious pen pal, he is gainfully employed in the music shop of Otto Oberkugen (S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall). One day, on his way to work, he knocks over a thoroughly disgusted Veronica Fisher (Judy Garland), who later enters the shop and applies for a position. After doing a better job selling a harp than Andrew, she is hired as the newest staff member, to both parties' disliking. After this, Veronica rushes home to her aunt Addie (Lillian Bronson) and pores over her romantic letter of the day.
After a while, the secret lovers decide to meet up. To both Andrew and Veronica's dismay, Mr. Oberkugen keeps them late on the special night to do inventory, but Veronica makes it to the restaurant with time to spare. Andrew shows up and sees her through the window. He has trouble realizing what has just happened, but joins her and annoys her in the restaurant without letting on that he's the writer. Veronica returns home in tears after having her night of bliss with the secret suitor ruined by Andrew Larkin of all people.
Mr. Oberkugen finally proposes to his longtime cashier Nellie (Spring Byington), and the two throw an engagement party in which a rather skilled barbershop quartet entertains. Judy also sings two numbers, the harmonious "Play That Barbershop Chord" and the flighty, silly "I Don't Care".
After all this, Veronica realizes that she has fallen in love with Andrew, but when she sees him hugging Louise, she is devastated. Andrew quickly devises a plan to dethrone the unknown letter writer and win Veronica's heart.
"In the Good Old Summertime" is simply a delightful movie from the start to finish. As it is one of Judy's last films at MGM, the viewer can see the progression of filmmaking in general from her early movies. The plot is very fast-paced, the dialogue is funny and witty, and the Technicolor is beautiful and easy on the eyes. Every player in the cast is wonderful in his or her role, particularly Van Johnson, who carries the film, and the costumes and sets are impeccable.
Even five years later, MGM was still trying to cash in on the success of 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis", Judy's biggest movie. Set around the turn of the century, "In the Good Old Summertime" shows nostalgia for old America in much the same way, and Judy is cast as the young girl who has no experience with boys, although she had married twice in real life and had a daughter. She also wore a red dress and hairdo very reminiscient of her famous "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" scene (in "St. Louis"), which was a bad move by MGM, as this similarity only heightened the differences between her 1944 and 1949 demeanor. By this time, Judy's drug use had escalated to the point where she was nearly impossible to work with, and she looks tired and washed-up in this film. She would only make one more movie, "Summer Stock", before being fired from MGM.
Perhaps the weakness of this movie is its rather forgettable slew of musical numbers; while mildly entertaining, none are destined for success except for the old tune "In the Good Old Summertime". However, the score is fantastic, and one cannot help but feel that they have traveled back in time.
You would like this movie if: you love the Victorian era, you're a fan of Van Johnson, you want a good old-fashioned romance movie, you want to see Judy be witty, or....the real treat for some may be the introduction of two-year-old Liza Minnelli in the closing scene!
You probably wouldn't be a big fan if: you're intent on hearing Judy sing tremendously memorable songs, you need big musical numbers, you don't enjoy the somewhat saccharine peace and harmony of the early 1900's.
Rating: ***
Judy score: **
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
Black and white / 92 mins
If you've ever wondered why Judy Garland thought she wasn't pretty, watch this movie.
"Love Finds Andy Hardy" is an episode in the popular Andy Hardy series, which starred Judy's real-life friend Mickey Rooney. In this story, Andy is just aching to go to the junior-high dance with his girlfriend Polly (Ann Rutherford) and dreams of finding $8 to complete payment on a $20 jalopy. However, a glitch in the plans occurs when Polly suddenly has to visit relatives out of town. Andy is devastated when he learns he won't escort Polly, who will be wearing a shoulder-baring gown, to the dance.
His friend Beezy (George P. Breakston) has a crush on seductive Cynthia Potter (Lana Turner, in her film debut), and Andy promises to date her until he returns from a trip to keep the other boys away. In return, Beezy will find $8 for the car. In the meantime, Andy falls in love with Mary, who is very flirtatious and high-maintenance. During all this, Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), a girl who is staying with her grandparents next door, pines after Andy and wishes he'd ask her to the dance. However, he thinks she's just a little kid and doesn't take her obvious advances seriously.
When Beezy fails to choke up $8, Betsy gives Andy the money for his car. However, Cynthia falls through, and now he's got a car but no girl. So voila! Betsy's mother, a musical theatre star in Chicago, airs her a glamorous ballgown, and Andy agrees to take her to the dance. They run into a musical friend who insists that she sing, and young Judy Garland delivers two songs that stop the show.
Still, she sadly doesn't get him.
While "Love Finds Andy Hardy" clearly defined Judy as a rising star, she was typecast into a role that she really didn't want to play. Much of the trauma in Judy's life came from a deep-rooted feeling that she was unattractive and worthless, and this movie gives us a sense of how that perception came to be. While Lana Turner, who became Judy's rival in her teenage years, played a suave, cosmopolitan glamour girl, Judy was relegated to play a twelve-year-old at age fifteen. The first time she is seen in this film, she literally babbles in a child's voice about how she wishes to meet big old Andy Hardy (who is not very studly). Throughout the film, her attempts at getting his attention are so embarrassing that dating book authors would cringe and just give up their craft. With a mix of bashfulness, loudness, and unabated enthusiasm, Judy gives the world the impression of the annoying kid next door.
On the other hand, Judy really was awkward and somewhat chubby at this point of her life, and she showed both determination and vulnerability through her music. Her three numbers stopped the show. At the Christmas dance, she performs "It Never Rains But What It Pours" and "Meet the Beat of My Heart" with pitch accuracy and a lovely glow. But the real song in this movie was her sincerely-delivered "In Between", in which she bemoans her awkward stage with the cleverness of a veteran actress.
You would like this if: you want to see Judy sing in a good early performance.
You wouldn't enjoy it if: you're annoyed by slow-moving preteen plots. Brady Bunch haters will definitely not like this.
If you've ever wondered why Judy Garland thought she wasn't pretty, watch this movie.
"Love Finds Andy Hardy" is an episode in the popular Andy Hardy series, which starred Judy's real-life friend Mickey Rooney. In this story, Andy is just aching to go to the junior-high dance with his girlfriend Polly (Ann Rutherford) and dreams of finding $8 to complete payment on a $20 jalopy. However, a glitch in the plans occurs when Polly suddenly has to visit relatives out of town. Andy is devastated when he learns he won't escort Polly, who will be wearing a shoulder-baring gown, to the dance.
His friend Beezy (George P. Breakston) has a crush on seductive Cynthia Potter (Lana Turner, in her film debut), and Andy promises to date her until he returns from a trip to keep the other boys away. In return, Beezy will find $8 for the car. In the meantime, Andy falls in love with Mary, who is very flirtatious and high-maintenance. During all this, Betsy Booth (Judy Garland), a girl who is staying with her grandparents next door, pines after Andy and wishes he'd ask her to the dance. However, he thinks she's just a little kid and doesn't take her obvious advances seriously.
When Beezy fails to choke up $8, Betsy gives Andy the money for his car. However, Cynthia falls through, and now he's got a car but no girl. So voila! Betsy's mother, a musical theatre star in Chicago, airs her a glamorous ballgown, and Andy agrees to take her to the dance. They run into a musical friend who insists that she sing, and young Judy Garland delivers two songs that stop the show.
Still, she sadly doesn't get him.
While "Love Finds Andy Hardy" clearly defined Judy as a rising star, she was typecast into a role that she really didn't want to play. Much of the trauma in Judy's life came from a deep-rooted feeling that she was unattractive and worthless, and this movie gives us a sense of how that perception came to be. While Lana Turner, who became Judy's rival in her teenage years, played a suave, cosmopolitan glamour girl, Judy was relegated to play a twelve-year-old at age fifteen. The first time she is seen in this film, she literally babbles in a child's voice about how she wishes to meet big old Andy Hardy (who is not very studly). Throughout the film, her attempts at getting his attention are so embarrassing that dating book authors would cringe and just give up their craft. With a mix of bashfulness, loudness, and unabated enthusiasm, Judy gives the world the impression of the annoying kid next door.
On the other hand, Judy really was awkward and somewhat chubby at this point of her life, and she showed both determination and vulnerability through her music. Her three numbers stopped the show. At the Christmas dance, she performs "It Never Rains But What It Pours" and "Meet the Beat of My Heart" with pitch accuracy and a lovely glow. But the real song in this movie was her sincerely-delivered "In Between", in which she bemoans her awkward stage with the cleverness of a veteran actress.
You would like this if: you want to see Judy sing in a good early performance.
You wouldn't enjoy it if: you're annoyed by slow-moving preteen plots. Brady Bunch haters will definitely not like this.
The Harvey Girls (1946)
Color / 101 mins
Ever noticed how after a novel story is a smash hit, a watered-down, similar imitation often follows?
Well, "The Harvey Girls" is one of these, but with a twist: it's actually good.
After the wild success of Rogers and Hammerstein's Broadway play "Oklahoma", which started in 1944 and broke all box office records, the moguls at MGM decided that they needed to produce a similar story. So in 1946, "The Harvey Girls" hit motion picture theatres everywhere.
In the opening scene, a train full of prim-looking young girls are heading out to a Western town called Sandrock to staff a Harvey House. These restaurants, which really existed, were an attempt by businessman Fred Harvey to bring civilization to the far-flung areas of the U.S. As supervisor Sonora Cassidy (Marjorie Main) says, "Wherever a Harvey House appears, civilization is soon to follow."
While these ladies are happily daydreaming of the romantic life of the West, Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) nervously and expectantly tries to imagine her future, perilously standing on the back of the train. She sings a pretty but rather forgettable melody, "In the Valley". Susan is an Ohio girl who has a much different reason for coming to the West: she is a mail-order bride, engaged to the hopelessly romantic letter writer Mr. H. H. Hartsey. When Susan makes her way back to the train and tells the girls of her lover's poetic words, they all swoon with jealousy.
The train gloriously makes its way into Sandrock to "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe", which won an Academy Award for "Best Song." This musical spectacle is not rivaled by any other Judy number except for "The Trolley Song", in my opinion, and is much better than anything in "Oklahoma." The ensemble charmingly sings and dances in several minutes of film, but Judy commands attention as the star from the second she steps off the train. Looking fresh and beautiful in her lavender dress and stately hat, she conveys the excitement of a bride-to-be with incredible poise and a much brighter tone to her voice than usual. "The Harvey Girls" is worth watching for this number alone.
Once the train lands in Sandrock, however, Susan's beau turns out to be a creepy old man who doesn't have the heart to go through with the cruelly mismatched marriage. In fact, the girls find out that his eloquent letters were actually penned by shifty Ned Trent (John Hodiak), who works at the Harvey House's nemesis, the saloon.
Immediately, two musical numbers, "The Train Must Be Fed" and "Oh, You Kid!" are performed comedically, both very entertaining and with expert camera work. "The Train Must Be Fed" stars Marjorie Main as she barks out orders to the Harvey Girls, while "Oh, You Kid!" is our first real glimpse of the other star: Angela Lansbury as Em, who is performing in one of her first films as the main saloon harlot. She sings and does a teasing dance much in the style of a looser Rosemary Clooney.
It turns out that the saloon crowd is a particularly rough one, and they don't relish having the pristine Harvey Girls in town. For a long time, the crowd harrasses the girls, shooting theit windows and once stealing all their steaks (which includes a hilarious scene with Judy Garland holding the saloon owners at gunpoint). Several of them leave, but not young, determined Susan. She befriends Alma (Virginia O'Brien) and Deborah, a young Cyd Charisse, and the three of them decide that they will not let the ill tempers of a few ruin their time in the West. The three girls enjoy a melodious trio on the porch, "It's a Great Big World", a rather long number with perfect, subtle choreography in lieu of a big dance. The scenery is so lush that you can almost feel the crisp but warm air of the early summer night.
As Ned and Em bother the girls, life moves on for those who stay. Alma develops a friendship with dandy blacksmith Chris Maule (Ray Bolger), who comedically acts rather cowardly during "The Wild, Wild West." He can dance, but O'Brien can't sing very well, and this number is rather grating on the nerves. The interesting thing is that Bolger was Judy's co-star in the "Wizard of Oz"; he played the scarecrow, and he's even better in this picture.
Immediately after, Susan confronts Ned about all his misdeeds in "his" valley, where she surprisingly learns (gasp!) that he's not a totally evil person after all. A great deal of well-scripted teasing goes on, both of the actors in their element, before he kisses her and she nearly faints. However, the budding romance is cut short when, upon their return, a snake has been placed in the girls' closet and Susan turns on Ned again.
Two momentous scenes follow. Worried about their competition, the whores of the saloon take on the Harvey girls in a gigantic brawl. Words can't even describe this. You have to see it to believe it. Afterwards, the groups decide to end their hostility with a party, in which a dance scene similiar to the "Meet Me in St. Louis" number "Skip to My Lou", which even borrows its music and one of its dances. However, Ray Bolger definitely steals this scene with his amazingly limp tap dancing that could definitely give Fred Astaire a run for his money.
The rest of the movie is definitely entertaining as the rest of the plot unfolds, but no more information will be given away here!
All in all, "The Harvey Girls" is a great movie. It's an underrated classic that should rival films like "Oklahoma" and "For Me and My Gal" in popularity. MGM had a limited number of Technicolor productions, so they obviously utilized those they were granted with amazingly beautiful costumes and sets, perfect to the last detail.
This movie in particular doesn't seem that dated, except in the main points of the plot. The dialogue is clever, the pace is fast, and for about the first time, the cinematography is much better than most movies of its time; in fact, better than many musicals from the 1960's! "The Harvey Girls" also launched the careers of Angela Lansbury and Cyd Charisse, both hugely popular American actresses.
For Judy, "The Harvey Girls" was a good performance. In her first musical since the 1944 sensation "Meet Me in St. Louis", her comeback was solid, though she was beginning to look pale, sickly, and old by this point. Director George Sidney obviously tried to capitalize some of the success of "Meet Me in St. Louis". In the opening song, Judy is immediately seen teetering on the back of the yellow train with the world rolling by, very reminiscent of "The Trolley Song". After Judy's Esther Smith-like dialogue and innocence, and not to mention the borrowed music during the party, Judy runs to Ned's valley in a scarf and with her hair fixed in very much the style of the Christmas party. In some ways, however, "The Harvey Girls" is somewhat of a downer, because there is no way that Judy can rise, even with a brilliant performance, to the height of her previous musical.
The special effects are also interesting, especially as the men literally leap through fire.
"The Harvey Girls", simply stated, is great. If nothing else, see it for the good musical numbers, the stunning dancing talent of Bolger, and the great vocal talent of Garland.
You'd like it if: you want to see a musical of a similar time and style of "Meet Me in St. Louis". Also, anybody would probably like its fast pace and lush color.
It may not be for you if: you're extremely sensitive to Native American plights. The movie portrays Indians almost mockingly. They just "hang around" and are present in nearly every scene sulking. In one scene, they are even seen moping in a fenced-in area.
Rating: ****
Judy score: ***
Ever noticed how after a novel story is a smash hit, a watered-down, similar imitation often follows?
Well, "The Harvey Girls" is one of these, but with a twist: it's actually good.
After the wild success of Rogers and Hammerstein's Broadway play "Oklahoma", which started in 1944 and broke all box office records, the moguls at MGM decided that they needed to produce a similar story. So in 1946, "The Harvey Girls" hit motion picture theatres everywhere.
In the opening scene, a train full of prim-looking young girls are heading out to a Western town called Sandrock to staff a Harvey House. These restaurants, which really existed, were an attempt by businessman Fred Harvey to bring civilization to the far-flung areas of the U.S. As supervisor Sonora Cassidy (Marjorie Main) says, "Wherever a Harvey House appears, civilization is soon to follow."
While these ladies are happily daydreaming of the romantic life of the West, Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) nervously and expectantly tries to imagine her future, perilously standing on the back of the train. She sings a pretty but rather forgettable melody, "In the Valley". Susan is an Ohio girl who has a much different reason for coming to the West: she is a mail-order bride, engaged to the hopelessly romantic letter writer Mr. H. H. Hartsey. When Susan makes her way back to the train and tells the girls of her lover's poetic words, they all swoon with jealousy.
The train gloriously makes its way into Sandrock to "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe", which won an Academy Award for "Best Song." This musical spectacle is not rivaled by any other Judy number except for "The Trolley Song", in my opinion, and is much better than anything in "Oklahoma." The ensemble charmingly sings and dances in several minutes of film, but Judy commands attention as the star from the second she steps off the train. Looking fresh and beautiful in her lavender dress and stately hat, she conveys the excitement of a bride-to-be with incredible poise and a much brighter tone to her voice than usual. "The Harvey Girls" is worth watching for this number alone.
Once the train lands in Sandrock, however, Susan's beau turns out to be a creepy old man who doesn't have the heart to go through with the cruelly mismatched marriage. In fact, the girls find out that his eloquent letters were actually penned by shifty Ned Trent (John Hodiak), who works at the Harvey House's nemesis, the saloon.
Immediately, two musical numbers, "The Train Must Be Fed" and "Oh, You Kid!" are performed comedically, both very entertaining and with expert camera work. "The Train Must Be Fed" stars Marjorie Main as she barks out orders to the Harvey Girls, while "Oh, You Kid!" is our first real glimpse of the other star: Angela Lansbury as Em, who is performing in one of her first films as the main saloon harlot. She sings and does a teasing dance much in the style of a looser Rosemary Clooney.
It turns out that the saloon crowd is a particularly rough one, and they don't relish having the pristine Harvey Girls in town. For a long time, the crowd harrasses the girls, shooting theit windows and once stealing all their steaks (which includes a hilarious scene with Judy Garland holding the saloon owners at gunpoint). Several of them leave, but not young, determined Susan. She befriends Alma (Virginia O'Brien) and Deborah, a young Cyd Charisse, and the three of them decide that they will not let the ill tempers of a few ruin their time in the West. The three girls enjoy a melodious trio on the porch, "It's a Great Big World", a rather long number with perfect, subtle choreography in lieu of a big dance. The scenery is so lush that you can almost feel the crisp but warm air of the early summer night.
As Ned and Em bother the girls, life moves on for those who stay. Alma develops a friendship with dandy blacksmith Chris Maule (Ray Bolger), who comedically acts rather cowardly during "The Wild, Wild West." He can dance, but O'Brien can't sing very well, and this number is rather grating on the nerves. The interesting thing is that Bolger was Judy's co-star in the "Wizard of Oz"; he played the scarecrow, and he's even better in this picture.
Immediately after, Susan confronts Ned about all his misdeeds in "his" valley, where she surprisingly learns (gasp!) that he's not a totally evil person after all. A great deal of well-scripted teasing goes on, both of the actors in their element, before he kisses her and she nearly faints. However, the budding romance is cut short when, upon their return, a snake has been placed in the girls' closet and Susan turns on Ned again.
Two momentous scenes follow. Worried about their competition, the whores of the saloon take on the Harvey girls in a gigantic brawl. Words can't even describe this. You have to see it to believe it. Afterwards, the groups decide to end their hostility with a party, in which a dance scene similiar to the "Meet Me in St. Louis" number "Skip to My Lou", which even borrows its music and one of its dances. However, Ray Bolger definitely steals this scene with his amazingly limp tap dancing that could definitely give Fred Astaire a run for his money.
The rest of the movie is definitely entertaining as the rest of the plot unfolds, but no more information will be given away here!
All in all, "The Harvey Girls" is a great movie. It's an underrated classic that should rival films like "Oklahoma" and "For Me and My Gal" in popularity. MGM had a limited number of Technicolor productions, so they obviously utilized those they were granted with amazingly beautiful costumes and sets, perfect to the last detail.
This movie in particular doesn't seem that dated, except in the main points of the plot. The dialogue is clever, the pace is fast, and for about the first time, the cinematography is much better than most movies of its time; in fact, better than many musicals from the 1960's! "The Harvey Girls" also launched the careers of Angela Lansbury and Cyd Charisse, both hugely popular American actresses.
For Judy, "The Harvey Girls" was a good performance. In her first musical since the 1944 sensation "Meet Me in St. Louis", her comeback was solid, though she was beginning to look pale, sickly, and old by this point. Director George Sidney obviously tried to capitalize some of the success of "Meet Me in St. Louis". In the opening song, Judy is immediately seen teetering on the back of the yellow train with the world rolling by, very reminiscent of "The Trolley Song". After Judy's Esther Smith-like dialogue and innocence, and not to mention the borrowed music during the party, Judy runs to Ned's valley in a scarf and with her hair fixed in very much the style of the Christmas party. In some ways, however, "The Harvey Girls" is somewhat of a downer, because there is no way that Judy can rise, even with a brilliant performance, to the height of her previous musical.
The special effects are also interesting, especially as the men literally leap through fire.
"The Harvey Girls", simply stated, is great. If nothing else, see it for the good musical numbers, the stunning dancing talent of Bolger, and the great vocal talent of Garland.
You'd like it if: you want to see a musical of a similar time and style of "Meet Me in St. Louis". Also, anybody would probably like its fast pace and lush color.
It may not be for you if: you're extremely sensitive to Native American plights. The movie portrays Indians almost mockingly. They just "hang around" and are present in nearly every scene sulking. In one scene, they are even seen moping in a fenced-in area.
Rating: ****
Judy score: ***
Friday, February 8, 2008
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Color
Quite simply, I consider this to be the best musical that Judy Garland ever appeared in.
St. Louis in 1903 was a very exciting place to be, for the city, though growing, had not lost its hometown feel. This "little town" had a very exciting prospect in its future....the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or the St. Louis World's Fair, which would take place in downtown's spacious Forest Park. Here, many exciting things would premiere, such as the bright electric lights on the outside of a building and the young kids' cotton candy.
Sally Benson wrote a series of short stories about her home at 5135 Kensington Avenue around the turn of the century, and in 1944, director Vincente Minnelli took parts from several of them and turned it into a musical masterpiece.
The Smith family of the movie is impatiently awaiting the fair, just like everybody else in town. Though set in Victorian times, director Vincente Minnelli brought the most modern filming techniques and designs to the movie while staying amazingly true to the period. When you're watching it, you feel like you're viewing something filmed in the 1990s.
Meet Me in St. Louis is divided into four parts, all based on seasons. The movie opens with a breathtakingly beautiful, colorful view of a lively Victorian street, and then we view a normal afternoon at the Smith house, in which we see the women cooking dinner, children playing, and the two teenagers of the house gleefully singing the title song, "Meet Me in St. Louis". When father Alonzo (Leon Ames) comes home from his job at a law firm, he is authoritative and bossy, but winning. From the very beginning, the viewer gets a sense of just what all of these remarkably well-rounded characters have to offer in the story.
Judy Garland immediately shines from the beginning, singing of her infatuation for her neighbor John Truett (Tom Drake) in "The Boy Next Door" and leading a rousing version of "Skip To My Lou" at her brother Lonnie's (Henry H. Daniels, Jr.) going-away party before his freshman year at Princeton. Margaret O'Brien, who plays young Tootie Smith, is charming from her very first scene, and Judy returns to her vaudeville roots when the two sing a corny number, "Under the Bamboo Tree", a cakewalk complete with hats and canes.
The dialogue is fresh and funny, showing both the naivete and sophistication in the older girls and cleverness in the younger two. The viewer really gets the feeling of a close-knit family in this movie.
The best scene, however, occurs when Esther joins in on a trip to the unfinished fairgrounds via the trolley, where she sings the famous "Trolley Song". This is, in my opinion, Judy's best performance in an MGM musical. The colors are bright, the chorus girls are vivacious and happy, but Judy in her black velvet steals the show. I can't even describe how wonderful it is. Just watch it and you'll want to join in. And the amazing thing is that it was filmed in one take.
The Halloween sequences come right after the trolley scene, and this focuses more on the younger girls, tomboy Agnes (Joan Carroll) and charming Tootie (O'Brien). While this part is probably the slowest of the movie, the viewer learns a lot about the Victorian customs of Halloween, which differ from modern notions. The lighting in this part is phenomenal and doesn't seem dated at all.
Late Halloween night, Esther is led to believe that her love, John Truitt, hit Tootie, and she flies over to his house in a rage and beats him up (which is really hilarious). After learning that Tootie was lying, she returns to his house, where he kisses her. On a cloud of air, she floats back into her living room, but the scene is less than happy. Her father has just decided to move the family to New York, where they will live in a small flat and....gasp....miss the fair!
None of the family is happy about this, and they resolve to make the best of the remaining time in their dear city. When the Christmas dance comes around, Esther plans to attends with John, and he asks her to marry him afterward. She gladly accepts, but is worried about their plans for the future since the family is moving to New York the next day.
Esther climbs the stairs and hears Tootie crying in her room. She tries to console her with the now-legendary song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which is introduced in this film. Tootie rebels and violently smashes the snowmen in the yard....guess what? The father calls the family into the living room for a surprise meeting. They aren't moving to New York after all!
The scene of the actual fair follows, and everybody is having a great time.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is an absolute masterpiece and must-see for everybody on the planet. Everything is wonderful: the music is harmonious, the scenery is lush, the camerawork hardly looks dated, and a sense of sweet nostalgia and harmony accompanies the movie from beginning to end. Judy Garland has never been more charming or beautiful in a film, and her voice was at its prime. Newcomer to MGM Lucille Bremer, who played her older sister Rose, is graceful and funny, and silent movie star Mary Astor plays a very convincing role as the mother. Margaret O'Brien rounds out the main cast as the youngest daughter, and she is a sensation of a child actress. The way she delivers her lines in such a natural but cute way is very rarely, if ever, paralleled.
The DVD is loaded with special features, including the short film "Bubbles," which Judy appeared in at age seven, a Vincente Minnelli trailer gallery, a full-length commentary, the history of "Meet Me in St. Louis," and more!
You would like this movie if: you like beautiful music, you have an interest in the Victorian age, or you just want to see a masterpiece of the MGM musical (and old movie in general) collection. Also considered a perk is the abundance of well-known musical numbers: "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." None of the other numbers are throwaways; all have real musical value and further the plot.
You wouldn't like this movie if: you don't like musicals. That's the only reason I can think of.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: ****
Quite simply, I consider this to be the best musical that Judy Garland ever appeared in.
St. Louis in 1903 was a very exciting place to be, for the city, though growing, had not lost its hometown feel. This "little town" had a very exciting prospect in its future....the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or the St. Louis World's Fair, which would take place in downtown's spacious Forest Park. Here, many exciting things would premiere, such as the bright electric lights on the outside of a building and the young kids' cotton candy.
Sally Benson wrote a series of short stories about her home at 5135 Kensington Avenue around the turn of the century, and in 1944, director Vincente Minnelli took parts from several of them and turned it into a musical masterpiece.
The Smith family of the movie is impatiently awaiting the fair, just like everybody else in town. Though set in Victorian times, director Vincente Minnelli brought the most modern filming techniques and designs to the movie while staying amazingly true to the period. When you're watching it, you feel like you're viewing something filmed in the 1990s.
Meet Me in St. Louis is divided into four parts, all based on seasons. The movie opens with a breathtakingly beautiful, colorful view of a lively Victorian street, and then we view a normal afternoon at the Smith house, in which we see the women cooking dinner, children playing, and the two teenagers of the house gleefully singing the title song, "Meet Me in St. Louis". When father Alonzo (Leon Ames) comes home from his job at a law firm, he is authoritative and bossy, but winning. From the very beginning, the viewer gets a sense of just what all of these remarkably well-rounded characters have to offer in the story.
Judy Garland immediately shines from the beginning, singing of her infatuation for her neighbor John Truett (Tom Drake) in "The Boy Next Door" and leading a rousing version of "Skip To My Lou" at her brother Lonnie's (Henry H. Daniels, Jr.) going-away party before his freshman year at Princeton. Margaret O'Brien, who plays young Tootie Smith, is charming from her very first scene, and Judy returns to her vaudeville roots when the two sing a corny number, "Under the Bamboo Tree", a cakewalk complete with hats and canes.
The dialogue is fresh and funny, showing both the naivete and sophistication in the older girls and cleverness in the younger two. The viewer really gets the feeling of a close-knit family in this movie.
The best scene, however, occurs when Esther joins in on a trip to the unfinished fairgrounds via the trolley, where she sings the famous "Trolley Song". This is, in my opinion, Judy's best performance in an MGM musical. The colors are bright, the chorus girls are vivacious and happy, but Judy in her black velvet steals the show. I can't even describe how wonderful it is. Just watch it and you'll want to join in. And the amazing thing is that it was filmed in one take.
The Halloween sequences come right after the trolley scene, and this focuses more on the younger girls, tomboy Agnes (Joan Carroll) and charming Tootie (O'Brien). While this part is probably the slowest of the movie, the viewer learns a lot about the Victorian customs of Halloween, which differ from modern notions. The lighting in this part is phenomenal and doesn't seem dated at all.
Late Halloween night, Esther is led to believe that her love, John Truitt, hit Tootie, and she flies over to his house in a rage and beats him up (which is really hilarious). After learning that Tootie was lying, she returns to his house, where he kisses her. On a cloud of air, she floats back into her living room, but the scene is less than happy. Her father has just decided to move the family to New York, where they will live in a small flat and....gasp....miss the fair!
None of the family is happy about this, and they resolve to make the best of the remaining time in their dear city. When the Christmas dance comes around, Esther plans to attends with John, and he asks her to marry him afterward. She gladly accepts, but is worried about their plans for the future since the family is moving to New York the next day.
Esther climbs the stairs and hears Tootie crying in her room. She tries to console her with the now-legendary song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which is introduced in this film. Tootie rebels and violently smashes the snowmen in the yard....guess what? The father calls the family into the living room for a surprise meeting. They aren't moving to New York after all!
The scene of the actual fair follows, and everybody is having a great time.
"Meet Me in St. Louis" is an absolute masterpiece and must-see for everybody on the planet. Everything is wonderful: the music is harmonious, the scenery is lush, the camerawork hardly looks dated, and a sense of sweet nostalgia and harmony accompanies the movie from beginning to end. Judy Garland has never been more charming or beautiful in a film, and her voice was at its prime. Newcomer to MGM Lucille Bremer, who played her older sister Rose, is graceful and funny, and silent movie star Mary Astor plays a very convincing role as the mother. Margaret O'Brien rounds out the main cast as the youngest daughter, and she is a sensation of a child actress. The way she delivers her lines in such a natural but cute way is very rarely, if ever, paralleled.
The DVD is loaded with special features, including the short film "Bubbles," which Judy appeared in at age seven, a Vincente Minnelli trailer gallery, a full-length commentary, the history of "Meet Me in St. Louis," and more!
You would like this movie if: you like beautiful music, you have an interest in the Victorian age, or you just want to see a masterpiece of the MGM musical (and old movie in general) collection. Also considered a perk is the abundance of well-known musical numbers: "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." None of the other numbers are throwaways; all have real musical value and further the plot.
You wouldn't like this movie if: you don't like musicals. That's the only reason I can think of.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: ****
Friday, January 25, 2008
For Me and My Gal (1942)
Black and white / 104 minutes
That's what I call a good musical.
Obviously WWII propaganda designed to bring back nostalgia for WWI, "For Me and My Gal" is a love story in the exciting world of vaudeville. It's interesting and fun the whole way through, from the grand orchestration of the opening credits, to the both upbeat and tear-jerking ending.
Gene Kelly makes his film debut as vaudevillian Harry Palmer, who is performing in a B-rate single dancing act. Jo Hayden (Judy Garland) performs in a much more polished, but still small-time act with two friends, Jimmy (George Murphy) and Lily (Lucille Duncan). They are playing in a small town on the same night, and when cocky Harry makes a pass at Jo unboarding the train, she immediately detests him.
Later that night, both are drinking coffee when Harry proposes that Jo join his act. She scoffs at him, but then he brings out a rendition of "For Me and My Gal", which he sings badly. In an effort to help, she joins in, and before long, they are performing a wonderful number. They pair up as "Hayden and Palmer", and of course, it isn't long before Jo falls madly in love with Harry. To complicate things, he lusts after Eve Minard (Martha Eggerth), who is a star. Even worse, Harry is drafted into the Army right before it comes his turn to be famous, and the whole group ends up overseas.
Judy is absolutely spectacular in this film. It's one of her first adult roles, and she handles it with sweetness and sensitivity. Her innocence is not at all contrived, and she separates herself, to a large degree, from the one-dimensional roles of her adolescence. She shades her work well.
Judy's musical numbers in "For Me and My Gal" were astoundingly good, and this film provided bountiful opportunities for her to really show her talent. Directed by Busby Berkeley, she pairs up in a difficult tap dance with Gene Kelly in "For Me and My Gal", and that doesn't hold a candle to the sensational "Ballin' the Jack", which in my opinion is the best dance number that she was ever involved in. She keeps right up to speed with his dancing, and their enthusiasm and chemistry is contagious.
Other notable songs that Judy sang were "After You've Gone", which was a big hit both on the radio and in her concert years; "How Ya Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm", and "When Johnny Come Marching Home".
Supporting characters provided great performances as well, such as Martha Eggerth's charming and beautiful rendition of "Do I Love You?" and Ben Blue's corny tap numbers.
"For Me and My Gal" keeps a good pace, being thoroughly engaging from the beginning to end and never seeming to drag. Just when you think that you've seen the best musical number, a better one pops up five minutes later, and the enthusiasm keeps building and building until the end.
From the very first second that the characters walk off the train and begin talking, the excitement of vaudeville is captured. That form of entertainment was definitely vanishing by 1942, and now, it is so obsolete that most people know very little about it. The film does a great job of glorifying the era both with great spectacles such as "Ballin' the Jack", tunes of the time like "When You Wore a Tulip", and mundane, behind-the-scenes aspects like finding their dressing rooms, arranging music, and riding trains overnight. And of course, it stays true to every vaudevillian's dream: playing the esteemed Palace in New York City.
The DVD has great special features, including two rare Judy shorts, deleted scenes, and a radio production.
It reminded me a lot of "White Christmas", but I like "For Me and My Gal" better because there's more to the acting.
You would like it if you're: a Judy fan, a Gene Kelly fan, interested in vaudeville, or a fan of musical numbers. If you want both sensational songs and great acting, you should watch "For Me and My Gal".
You wouldn't like it if: the only reason I can think of is if you don't like vaudeville. Then it's definitely the wrong movie for you.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: ***
That's what I call a good musical.
Obviously WWII propaganda designed to bring back nostalgia for WWI, "For Me and My Gal" is a love story in the exciting world of vaudeville. It's interesting and fun the whole way through, from the grand orchestration of the opening credits, to the both upbeat and tear-jerking ending.
Gene Kelly makes his film debut as vaudevillian Harry Palmer, who is performing in a B-rate single dancing act. Jo Hayden (Judy Garland) performs in a much more polished, but still small-time act with two friends, Jimmy (George Murphy) and Lily (Lucille Duncan). They are playing in a small town on the same night, and when cocky Harry makes a pass at Jo unboarding the train, she immediately detests him.
Later that night, both are drinking coffee when Harry proposes that Jo join his act. She scoffs at him, but then he brings out a rendition of "For Me and My Gal", which he sings badly. In an effort to help, she joins in, and before long, they are performing a wonderful number. They pair up as "Hayden and Palmer", and of course, it isn't long before Jo falls madly in love with Harry. To complicate things, he lusts after Eve Minard (Martha Eggerth), who is a star. Even worse, Harry is drafted into the Army right before it comes his turn to be famous, and the whole group ends up overseas.
Judy is absolutely spectacular in this film. It's one of her first adult roles, and she handles it with sweetness and sensitivity. Her innocence is not at all contrived, and she separates herself, to a large degree, from the one-dimensional roles of her adolescence. She shades her work well.
Judy's musical numbers in "For Me and My Gal" were astoundingly good, and this film provided bountiful opportunities for her to really show her talent. Directed by Busby Berkeley, she pairs up in a difficult tap dance with Gene Kelly in "For Me and My Gal", and that doesn't hold a candle to the sensational "Ballin' the Jack", which in my opinion is the best dance number that she was ever involved in. She keeps right up to speed with his dancing, and their enthusiasm and chemistry is contagious.
Other notable songs that Judy sang were "After You've Gone", which was a big hit both on the radio and in her concert years; "How Ya Gonna Keep Them Down on the Farm", and "When Johnny Come Marching Home".
Supporting characters provided great performances as well, such as Martha Eggerth's charming and beautiful rendition of "Do I Love You?" and Ben Blue's corny tap numbers.
"For Me and My Gal" keeps a good pace, being thoroughly engaging from the beginning to end and never seeming to drag. Just when you think that you've seen the best musical number, a better one pops up five minutes later, and the enthusiasm keeps building and building until the end.
From the very first second that the characters walk off the train and begin talking, the excitement of vaudeville is captured. That form of entertainment was definitely vanishing by 1942, and now, it is so obsolete that most people know very little about it. The film does a great job of glorifying the era both with great spectacles such as "Ballin' the Jack", tunes of the time like "When You Wore a Tulip", and mundane, behind-the-scenes aspects like finding their dressing rooms, arranging music, and riding trains overnight. And of course, it stays true to every vaudevillian's dream: playing the esteemed Palace in New York City.
The DVD has great special features, including two rare Judy shorts, deleted scenes, and a radio production.
It reminded me a lot of "White Christmas", but I like "For Me and My Gal" better because there's more to the acting.
You would like it if you're: a Judy fan, a Gene Kelly fan, interested in vaudeville, or a fan of musical numbers. If you want both sensational songs and great acting, you should watch "For Me and My Gal".
You wouldn't like it if: the only reason I can think of is if you don't like vaudeville. Then it's definitely the wrong movie for you.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: ***
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Bubbles (1929)
Short subject / Black and white / 8 minutes
Once in awhile, a random creation that isn't a big deal at the time is suddenly very valuable, as in the case of this short subject by the Vitaphone company. Filmed as the last subject in a set, "Bubbles" is now popular because of young Frances Gumm, a seven-year-old soloist who would later hit the big time as Judy Garland.
Long thought to be lost, the film was discovered in the last ten years at the Library of Congress. It was originally filmed in primitive two-strip Technicolor, but only the black and white negative survives. The children in this film are from the Ethel Meglin Dance School, which also taught singing and acting, and they had been incorporated into a group called the Vitaphone Kiddies.
The film opens in a cheesy way, with a creepy old man in overalls and a teenage girl blowing bubbles with two children. Notable here is that the teenage girl is Mae Questel, who would later become the voice of Betty Boop. Then, they are transported to a magical world, the "land of let's pretend", where girls of all ages are dancing and warming up.
Judy appears next as the youngest Gumm Sister, singing with Mary Jane (14) and Jimmie (12). They wear strange costumes that look like clown suits. Little Frances Gumm, or "Baby", as they called her, must have been extremely talented, for at the age of seven, she was selected to sing their solo in the number. This is a rare glance into Judy's vaudeville childhood, and she performs her lines with grace and elegance. Though she is not a standout, she definitely has potential.
On the whole, the singing and dancing in "Bubbles" is superb. After having a childhood of dancing myself, I recognize how amazingly talented Meglin's troupes were. Kids, who appear to be under high school age, perform tap dances on pointe, which is a feat I would never even attempt, nor have I seen anyone else do. One cute little girl has an acrobatics solo, and she performs a one-handed front handspring, two front flips, successive front walkovers, back handsprings, and several hard leaps without the aid of even a mat. The tap dancing is good, and the only act that annoys me at all is this overenthusiastic jazz singer who looks like she's never eaten before in her life. The film is cute, like an elementary school talent show, except that all of the acts are actually good.
This is definitely my favorite of all of her shorts, and it's available on the "Meet Me in St. Louis" 2-disc special edition.
You would like this if: you want to see this rare footage of Judy Garland as a child. Also, everybody who grew up dancing or singing should definitely watch it, because it'll bring back good childhood memories with spectacular talent.
You probably wouldn't like this if: children can be annoying to you. Anyone who hates Shirley Temple will hate this. Also, if you don't like corny things, "Bubbles" is probably not a good idea.
Rating: **
Judy Score: ***
Once in awhile, a random creation that isn't a big deal at the time is suddenly very valuable, as in the case of this short subject by the Vitaphone company. Filmed as the last subject in a set, "Bubbles" is now popular because of young Frances Gumm, a seven-year-old soloist who would later hit the big time as Judy Garland.
Long thought to be lost, the film was discovered in the last ten years at the Library of Congress. It was originally filmed in primitive two-strip Technicolor, but only the black and white negative survives. The children in this film are from the Ethel Meglin Dance School, which also taught singing and acting, and they had been incorporated into a group called the Vitaphone Kiddies.
The film opens in a cheesy way, with a creepy old man in overalls and a teenage girl blowing bubbles with two children. Notable here is that the teenage girl is Mae Questel, who would later become the voice of Betty Boop. Then, they are transported to a magical world, the "land of let's pretend", where girls of all ages are dancing and warming up.
Judy appears next as the youngest Gumm Sister, singing with Mary Jane (14) and Jimmie (12). They wear strange costumes that look like clown suits. Little Frances Gumm, or "Baby", as they called her, must have been extremely talented, for at the age of seven, she was selected to sing their solo in the number. This is a rare glance into Judy's vaudeville childhood, and she performs her lines with grace and elegance. Though she is not a standout, she definitely has potential.
On the whole, the singing and dancing in "Bubbles" is superb. After having a childhood of dancing myself, I recognize how amazingly talented Meglin's troupes were. Kids, who appear to be under high school age, perform tap dances on pointe, which is a feat I would never even attempt, nor have I seen anyone else do. One cute little girl has an acrobatics solo, and she performs a one-handed front handspring, two front flips, successive front walkovers, back handsprings, and several hard leaps without the aid of even a mat. The tap dancing is good, and the only act that annoys me at all is this overenthusiastic jazz singer who looks like she's never eaten before in her life. The film is cute, like an elementary school talent show, except that all of the acts are actually good.
This is definitely my favorite of all of her shorts, and it's available on the "Meet Me in St. Louis" 2-disc special edition.
You would like this if: you want to see this rare footage of Judy Garland as a child. Also, everybody who grew up dancing or singing should definitely watch it, because it'll bring back good childhood memories with spectacular talent.
You probably wouldn't like this if: children can be annoying to you. Anyone who hates Shirley Temple will hate this. Also, if you don't like corny things, "Bubbles" is probably not a good idea.
Rating: **
Judy Score: ***
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935)
Short subject; color; about 20 minutes.
"La Fiesta de Santa Barbara" contains the only existing recording of the Garland Sisters since 1929, and they appear in a tiny part of the film singing "La Cucaracha". A high point is seeing sisters Suzy (19, who used to be Mary Jane) and Jimmie (17), especially in their solos, and the harmonies of the group are definitely up to par with standards set by their time. This is the last time the Garland Sisters will ever sing together; Suzy would soon marry musician Lee Kahn, and Judy would be signed by MGM only two months later (curiously, the studio filmed this short and didn't notice her then).
Twelve-year-old Judy has a rich and mature voice, and the act obviously revolves around her at this point. She sings the longest solo, the whole first verse of "La Cucaracha", and though she is in the rough, she is definitely a gem. This is the first time Judy is filmed in color, and the last time until the "Wizard of Oz".
Apart from the Garland Sisters, the short has its good and bad moments. Masquerading as a celebration of Santa Barbara's Spanish heritage, it's politically incorrect to the max, making a mockery of Spaniards. Every sentence contains some superficial, ignorent jab posing as comedy, and curiously, Native Americans are represented in small numbers. There is a really lame bullfight that takes about 10 minutes to actually accomplish, and the bull is obviously an actor in a costume.
There are good points, too. The color is lavish for 1935, and the studio dancers do a couple of beautiful numbers. One ingenuitive girl even performs on her pointes, dancing on a table top, for a long period of time. Overall, the film's interesting and fun in a way, but I've yet to watch the whole 20 minutes without skipping at least something.
It is found as a special feature on the DVD of "For Me and My Gal".
You should watch this if: you are interested in seeing the Garland Sisters or the early three-strip Technicolor recordings, you like Spanish things (but you have a good sense of humor), you like to laugh at extreme corniness, and you love watching lush dance numbers.
This might not be a good idea if: you can't stand stereotyping or you're impatient (the Garland Sisters appear, I believe, about 14 minutes into it, and have a BRIEF part).
Rating: *
Judy Score: **
"La Fiesta de Santa Barbara" contains the only existing recording of the Garland Sisters since 1929, and they appear in a tiny part of the film singing "La Cucaracha". A high point is seeing sisters Suzy (19, who used to be Mary Jane) and Jimmie (17), especially in their solos, and the harmonies of the group are definitely up to par with standards set by their time. This is the last time the Garland Sisters will ever sing together; Suzy would soon marry musician Lee Kahn, and Judy would be signed by MGM only two months later (curiously, the studio filmed this short and didn't notice her then).
Twelve-year-old Judy has a rich and mature voice, and the act obviously revolves around her at this point. She sings the longest solo, the whole first verse of "La Cucaracha", and though she is in the rough, she is definitely a gem. This is the first time Judy is filmed in color, and the last time until the "Wizard of Oz".
Apart from the Garland Sisters, the short has its good and bad moments. Masquerading as a celebration of Santa Barbara's Spanish heritage, it's politically incorrect to the max, making a mockery of Spaniards. Every sentence contains some superficial, ignorent jab posing as comedy, and curiously, Native Americans are represented in small numbers. There is a really lame bullfight that takes about 10 minutes to actually accomplish, and the bull is obviously an actor in a costume.
There are good points, too. The color is lavish for 1935, and the studio dancers do a couple of beautiful numbers. One ingenuitive girl even performs on her pointes, dancing on a table top, for a long period of time. Overall, the film's interesting and fun in a way, but I've yet to watch the whole 20 minutes without skipping at least something.
It is found as a special feature on the DVD of "For Me and My Gal".
You should watch this if: you are interested in seeing the Garland Sisters or the early three-strip Technicolor recordings, you like Spanish things (but you have a good sense of humor), you like to laugh at extreme corniness, and you love watching lush dance numbers.
This might not be a good idea if: you can't stand stereotyping or you're impatient (the Garland Sisters appear, I believe, about 14 minutes into it, and have a BRIEF part).
Rating: *
Judy Score: **
Every Sunday (1936)
Short subject; about 10 minutes; black and white
"Every Sunday" is a short film, that most agree was only shown at an exhibitor's convention, that shows Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin shortly after they were signed at MGM. It is the first film of Garland's after she was signed, though she did appear in one MGM short with her sisters a year prior to this.
Judy (Garland) and Edna (Durbin) are trying to save Edna's grandfather's job conducting an orchestra at a local park. They try to convince everybody in town to attend the concert the next Sunday, but alas, no crowd shows up. In one last desperate chance, Edna takes the stage and sings opera, and people begin to come. After she finishes, Judy sings jazz, and does it very well. Her version of "Waltz With a Swing" and "Americana", which were arranged by her teacher, Roger Edens, show her to be full of life and musically correct at the age of thirteen. The girls conclude by singing a duet, the seats now full with an excited audience, and Edna's grandfather gets to keep his job after all.
Legend is that this was a test devised by Louis B. Mayer, and that one girl would be dropped after its completion. Obviously, Garland stayed and Durbin went to Universal, but one account claims that Universal was noted for changing Edna Mae Durbin's name to Deanna before the film was even made, and that it was in Durbin's contract to do this before she switched. Some people say that Mayer said to "drop the fat one" (meaning Garland) and a mistake was made at the front office, and others say that Durbin was chosen to go. Whatever the reason for making this short, it's a good thing it survived, for it contains a rare rave performance by two thirteen-year-olds. It is included on the special features of the DVD "For Me and My Gal".
You will like this if: you want to see Judy's earliest MGM performance (which is amazing), you are interested in opera and classical music, or you want a cute diversion for the kids.
You might not like it if: short subjects with a silly plot irritate you.
Rating: ***
Judy Score: **
"Every Sunday" is a short film, that most agree was only shown at an exhibitor's convention, that shows Judy Garland and Deanna Durbin shortly after they were signed at MGM. It is the first film of Garland's after she was signed, though she did appear in one MGM short with her sisters a year prior to this.
Judy (Garland) and Edna (Durbin) are trying to save Edna's grandfather's job conducting an orchestra at a local park. They try to convince everybody in town to attend the concert the next Sunday, but alas, no crowd shows up. In one last desperate chance, Edna takes the stage and sings opera, and people begin to come. After she finishes, Judy sings jazz, and does it very well. Her version of "Waltz With a Swing" and "Americana", which were arranged by her teacher, Roger Edens, show her to be full of life and musically correct at the age of thirteen. The girls conclude by singing a duet, the seats now full with an excited audience, and Edna's grandfather gets to keep his job after all.
Legend is that this was a test devised by Louis B. Mayer, and that one girl would be dropped after its completion. Obviously, Garland stayed and Durbin went to Universal, but one account claims that Universal was noted for changing Edna Mae Durbin's name to Deanna before the film was even made, and that it was in Durbin's contract to do this before she switched. Some people say that Mayer said to "drop the fat one" (meaning Garland) and a mistake was made at the front office, and others say that Durbin was chosen to go. Whatever the reason for making this short, it's a good thing it survived, for it contains a rare rave performance by two thirteen-year-olds. It is included on the special features of the DVD "For Me and My Gal".
You will like this if: you want to see Judy's earliest MGM performance (which is amazing), you are interested in opera and classical music, or you want a cute diversion for the kids.
You might not like it if: short subjects with a silly plot irritate you.
Rating: ***
Judy Score: **
Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
Black and white / 132 minutes
The lives of three different talented ladies cross in the musical extravaganza "Ziegfeld Girl", directed by Robert Z. Leonard. I actually consider this to be one of my favorite Judy Garland movies, even though her part isn't huge, because the musical numbers and the plot are just so great.
In the 1920's, Florenz Ziegfeld basically created Broadway-style shows with the "Follies" at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The show glorified the American girl with elaborate costumes and scenery (though now Ziegfeld's use of girls as sexpots would definitely be considered inappropriate). The smokiest, most seductive girls would be featured gracefully walking down stairs, while standout singers, dancers, and comediennes such as Fanny Brice and Marilyn Miller rose to stardom through musical numbers. It was the American dream in every way: any pretty girl could be discovered for the shows, and the stars made millions in the days before income taxes.
It happens just this way in "Ziegfeld Girl". Sheila (Lana Turner) is discovered as an elevator operator; Sondra (Hedy Lamarr) is practically forced to join while she is waiting for her violinist husband to finish his audition; and Susan (Judy Garland) is signed after Ziegfeld sees her vaudeville act.
Throughout the film, the girls undergo different struggles. Sondra, whose husband leaves her when he finds out she's going to be a showgirl, fights temptations that arise when she befriends star crooner Frank Merton (Tony Martin). The pair doesn't have outstanding on-screen chemistry, but Lamarr's glamour makes it all right. She seems to be there for decoration, floating through her Ziegfeld scenes like someone who has been hypnotized, and she's sometimes a little one-dimensional in her mooning for her husband. However, Lamarr's performance is solid, and she serves the purpose of being a desirable woman who rises above it all to settle in once more with her husband and lead a normal life.
Though James Stewart and Judy Garland take the first two credits, the film really belongs to new MGM-signee Lana Turner. After playing in a series of small roles, she rises to fame playing Sheila Hale in "Ziegfeld Girl", a diva who never has had the chance to live richly. After she is discovered as an elevator operator in Brooklyn, she becomes mad for the good life, pushing even those out of the way that are meaningful to her. Since she is exceptionally beautiful and poised, she quickly earns a large paycheck and a host of admirers. She moves into a luxurious apartment and begins a love affair with Geoffrey Collis (Ian Hunter), ignoring her loyal suitor Gil (Stewart), whose truck-driving career can't provide her with all the frills that she needs. Sheila eventually has to hit rock bottom before she can put her life into perspective and settle down.
Judy Garland has a comparatively small role in this movie, shining in musical numbers but having by far the simplest plot of any main character. Unglamorous to the max, she pines after her father (Charles Winninger), from whom she has been separated due to the Follies, and she seems very one-dimensional as she reads his letters in a dreamy, childlike fashion. She is stuck in her usual stereotype: plain, gabby, and unsophisticated, but a good friend and a great talent. Rather than rejecting or succumbing to any serious temptations as a star, she innocently grabs a couple of sodas with Sheila's kid brother, which can hardly be called a romance.
"Ziegfeld Girl" has one of the most interesting and quick-moving plots I've seen in any Judy Garland movie, and having three stories incorporated in it makes for some variety. As a man backstage says, "the Follies is real life, sped up", and we see three possible outcomes of a Follies draftee: a wife, a star, and a terribly fallen star.
The songs themselves are rather unmemorable, with the exception of "You Stepped Out of a Dream", sung by Martin, which would later be covered by numerous jazz artists, and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", which Garland would sing throughout her career (perhaps a response to "Over the Rainbow" of two years before). Another one that sticks out is the throwaway vaudeville number "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides", a cute father-daughter routine of Garland and Winninger's that gives Garland a chance to showcase her talents from her childhood days with the Gumm family act.
If you like amazing, outstanding, lavish musical numbers, this film is definitely for you. Busby Berkeley did an amazing job of bringing the Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920's to life. Even in black and white and without fantastic songs, every number was glitzy, glamorous, and polished. Girls walked up and down stairs in inventive, flowing outfits, and a couple of exceptional dance numbers were included. Garland had two good "Follies" scenes, and every bit of coverage I've ever viewed of the Follies convinces me that Berkeley did a good job of staying true to the style of the original shows.
You'll like this if you want: outstanding musical numbers, lots of glitz and glamour, an interesting plotline, and you're interested in old-time Broadway.
This may not be for you if: you don't like Lana Turner (she's in practically every scene with a crybaby sort of attitude), or you aren't very interested in Broadway.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: **
The lives of three different talented ladies cross in the musical extravaganza "Ziegfeld Girl", directed by Robert Z. Leonard. I actually consider this to be one of my favorite Judy Garland movies, even though her part isn't huge, because the musical numbers and the plot are just so great.
In the 1920's, Florenz Ziegfeld basically created Broadway-style shows with the "Follies" at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The show glorified the American girl with elaborate costumes and scenery (though now Ziegfeld's use of girls as sexpots would definitely be considered inappropriate). The smokiest, most seductive girls would be featured gracefully walking down stairs, while standout singers, dancers, and comediennes such as Fanny Brice and Marilyn Miller rose to stardom through musical numbers. It was the American dream in every way: any pretty girl could be discovered for the shows, and the stars made millions in the days before income taxes.
It happens just this way in "Ziegfeld Girl". Sheila (Lana Turner) is discovered as an elevator operator; Sondra (Hedy Lamarr) is practically forced to join while she is waiting for her violinist husband to finish his audition; and Susan (Judy Garland) is signed after Ziegfeld sees her vaudeville act.
Throughout the film, the girls undergo different struggles. Sondra, whose husband leaves her when he finds out she's going to be a showgirl, fights temptations that arise when she befriends star crooner Frank Merton (Tony Martin). The pair doesn't have outstanding on-screen chemistry, but Lamarr's glamour makes it all right. She seems to be there for decoration, floating through her Ziegfeld scenes like someone who has been hypnotized, and she's sometimes a little one-dimensional in her mooning for her husband. However, Lamarr's performance is solid, and she serves the purpose of being a desirable woman who rises above it all to settle in once more with her husband and lead a normal life.
Though James Stewart and Judy Garland take the first two credits, the film really belongs to new MGM-signee Lana Turner. After playing in a series of small roles, she rises to fame playing Sheila Hale in "Ziegfeld Girl", a diva who never has had the chance to live richly. After she is discovered as an elevator operator in Brooklyn, she becomes mad for the good life, pushing even those out of the way that are meaningful to her. Since she is exceptionally beautiful and poised, she quickly earns a large paycheck and a host of admirers. She moves into a luxurious apartment and begins a love affair with Geoffrey Collis (Ian Hunter), ignoring her loyal suitor Gil (Stewart), whose truck-driving career can't provide her with all the frills that she needs. Sheila eventually has to hit rock bottom before she can put her life into perspective and settle down.
Judy Garland has a comparatively small role in this movie, shining in musical numbers but having by far the simplest plot of any main character. Unglamorous to the max, she pines after her father (Charles Winninger), from whom she has been separated due to the Follies, and she seems very one-dimensional as she reads his letters in a dreamy, childlike fashion. She is stuck in her usual stereotype: plain, gabby, and unsophisticated, but a good friend and a great talent. Rather than rejecting or succumbing to any serious temptations as a star, she innocently grabs a couple of sodas with Sheila's kid brother, which can hardly be called a romance.
"Ziegfeld Girl" has one of the most interesting and quick-moving plots I've seen in any Judy Garland movie, and having three stories incorporated in it makes for some variety. As a man backstage says, "the Follies is real life, sped up", and we see three possible outcomes of a Follies draftee: a wife, a star, and a terribly fallen star.
The songs themselves are rather unmemorable, with the exception of "You Stepped Out of a Dream", sung by Martin, which would later be covered by numerous jazz artists, and "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows", which Garland would sing throughout her career (perhaps a response to "Over the Rainbow" of two years before). Another one that sticks out is the throwaway vaudeville number "Laugh? I Thought I'd Split My Sides", a cute father-daughter routine of Garland and Winninger's that gives Garland a chance to showcase her talents from her childhood days with the Gumm family act.
If you like amazing, outstanding, lavish musical numbers, this film is definitely for you. Busby Berkeley did an amazing job of bringing the Ziegfeld Follies of the 1920's to life. Even in black and white and without fantastic songs, every number was glitzy, glamorous, and polished. Girls walked up and down stairs in inventive, flowing outfits, and a couple of exceptional dance numbers were included. Garland had two good "Follies" scenes, and every bit of coverage I've ever viewed of the Follies convinces me that Berkeley did a good job of staying true to the style of the original shows.
You'll like this if you want: outstanding musical numbers, lots of glitz and glamour, an interesting plotline, and you're interested in old-time Broadway.
This may not be for you if: you don't like Lana Turner (she's in practically every scene with a crybaby sort of attitude), or you aren't very interested in Broadway.
Rating: ****
Judy Score: **
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