In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

And so sings Jane Powell, the Judy in the story, entertaining her friends in the Foster family parlor. The MGM Hollywood "dream factory" is in full form here providing yet another idealized view of "typical" American life post World War II. The families are affluent, in comfortable homes and the inhabitants always appear freshly pressed. This is enjoyable movie fluff, reaffirming the mythic idyll of small town USA, a celebration of the American character and way of life. Jane Powell is the perky teen-ager Judy Foster whose dating anxieties, insistence on self- assertion and dealing with the annoying teasing to which her younger brother subjects her--- is what amounts to the sum total of her problems. Love those old time drug store soda fountains so ubiquitous generations ago! Robert Stack appears playing a character with a job description long obsolete; he is the town "soda jerk." Stack, as Stephen Andrews, however, is just a little too mannered and poised to be believable behind the counter of a soda fountain. The job does afford him special privilege, an unobstructed view of the town girls. Beautiful eye-fulls like Elizabeth Taylor, playing rich girl Carol Pringle, frequent the counter ordering humongous chocolate whip cream sundaes as a matter of course. Wallace Beery, a screen veteran and highly gifted actor is the paterfamilias of Judy's family. Beery reputedly was a terror of a man and not shy about his virulent dislike of children. This role where Beery plays Melvin Foster, a husband and father of two, in essence a devoted family man, certainly stands as a testimonial to his acting skill; it is a character diametrically opposed to what he himself was off screen. His Melvin Foster is the epitome of respectability, a solid citizen and businessman who tampers with his reputation by daring to learn to dance the rumba. His teacher is the Latina chiquita, Carmen Miranda, who appears here true to form, showcased in an energetic solo number. Not the best example of the MGM musical genre, but worth watching for nostalgia value.

Jane Powell plays Judy--a kooky teenager who can sing like a bird but who has difficulty picking friends. That's because her best friend, Carol (Elizabeth Taylor) is a rich, meddling, spoiled jerk--yet Judy doesn't seem to recognize this. And throughout the film, Carol does her best to make Judy's life miserable. For no particular reason, Carol drives a wedge between her brother, Oogie, and Judy--who are sweethearts. However, this backfires when Judy ends up with a much handsomer and older man, Stephen (Robert Stack). Now, jealous, Carol is determined to take Stephen for herself. But Stephen is no dummy--he sees that Carol is gorgeous but also lets her know that he can see right through her and her wiles.In a smaller side story, Judy's father (Wallace Beery) is a nice guy--but a nice guy who is embarrassed that he doesn't know how to dance. With his anniversary coming up, he decides to secretly take dance lessons (with Carmen Miranda) but due to Carol's meddling, people begin to think that he and Carmen are in love! SO, Judy decides the best way to fight this is to make her father feel loved--and she and the family lay it on thick. Clearly this is Beery at his best--and he's easy to love (despite his very nasty personality off-screen).This is the sort of light family musical-comedy that MGM did best. Films like "On Moonlight Bay" and "Meet Me in St. Louis" are just a small sampling of the sort of genre that the studio made to perfection. They also made some non-musicals with similar plots that just can't be beat, such as "Life With Father", the Andy Hardy films and "Cheaper By the Dozen" (the original--not the new crappy version). These films aren't especially deep but are filled with pleasant plots, a bit of minor melodrama, some laughs and, most importantly, nice folks you'd like to meet. My only complaint is that although Powell has a good voice, her high-toned style and high pitch is NOT to my liking. It's far less simple and pleasant than Judy Garland ("Meet Me in St. Louis") or Doris Day ("By the Light of the Silvery Moon" and "On Moonlight Bay"). I am also not a huge Carmen Miranda fan, though when she wasn't singing, she was just fine. Overall, while not a great family musical comedy, it's a good one and well worth your time.

This has the stamp of MGM's fabled dream factory all over it—big houses with dutiful servants, spiffy clothes right off the rack, families with perfect diction and manners, and a world where the biggest complication is a date for the prom. Okay, I'm no fan of the dream factory, but then this is a musical, so most any kind of fantasy world is permitted.The trouble is that this musical has too little music, too few chuckles, and too much repetition. Powell and Taylor are good to look at, and for that matter, so is Stack. But whether the 30- year old Stack will end up with the 19-year old Powell or the 16-year old Taylor does get tiresome. It might have worked had director Thorpe gotten some bounce or sparkle into the proceedings. However, things pretty much plod along, that is, until that Brazilian firecracker Carmen Miranda arrives to literally shake things up. I expect the slender material was stretched in order to show off the budding Powell and Taylor. Too bad it also had to show off Hollywood's biggest slice of slobbering ham, Wallace Beery. However, I'm still marveling over how Taylor at 16 can look and act like a gorgeous 35-year old. Amazing.Anyway, this rather flat 113-minutes is a long way from MGM's tradition of lively colorbox musicals. In my book, MGM did manage a couple of sparkling little song & dance features during this same period, also with youthful stars—I Love Melvin (1953) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), both with a bubbly young Debbie Reynolds. Catch up with these little gems if you can. Meantime, this one's for those wanting a peek at an idealized time when teenagers were named "Oogie".

This is a fine musical from the late 1940's starring Wallace Beery and the wonderful Jane Powell. She blows away Elizabeth Taylor in every way. I'm not sure how she became the bigger star than Jane did.Jane plays Judy and she is getting ready to go to a high school dance. She listens to her friend Carol(Elizabeth Taylor) about how to sing a song and what color of dress to wear. She does not know she is giving her advice to hurt her and not help her. She also gives advice to her brother Oogie(Scotty Beckett) to arrive late and wow Jane at the dance. Jane is furious when his little brother shows up to take her to the dance. She storms out and sees Stephen(Robert Stack) at the ice cream parlor. He is the nephew of the owner and he sets up Stephen to take her to the dance. She falls for him and he falls for Carol. Oogie is left looking on as he sees her kissing Stephen.Wallace Beery plays Jane's father and he has some funny scenes. He learns to dance the rumba from Carmen Miranda. he also has a good scene with Oogie where he gives him advice on how to get back Judy. Judy decides to give up on men because nothing is working out. Carol falls for Stephen, but he thinks she is spoiled and tells her father about it and blames him for ignoring her. He tries to do better. Judy gets help from Carol to spy on her dad. Judy thinks he is seeing another woman. She finds out he was only taking dancing lessons from Carmen Miranda. He dances at their wedding anniversary and Stephen ans Carol get together. Judy and Oogie are left up in the air. This is a good movie, but it could have been 20 minutes shorter.