Good concept, poorly executed.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

'Anything Goes' has always been one of my favourite Cole Porter musicals. The songs are some of his most memorable and catchy and the lyrics some of his cleverest.This screen adaptation is slightly disappointing but also with plenty to enjoy. It is not among the best screen adaptations of his work (i.e. 'Kiss Me Kate') but not one of the weakest either (i.e. 'Can-Can'). The story is very lightweight and even more flimsy, and the grand production finale is a little overblown, the more lavish production values not quite meshing with the slightly less cinematic look where some lacking-in-finesse editing can be seen.Porter's songs are simply wonderful and brilliantly sung by Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby, but did deserve better treatment. There are some glaring omissions and lyric changes to accommodate the censors meaning that the risqué naughtiness that made Porter's lyrics so clever is swapped for tamer and safer writing and, as much as one tries to judge on its own feet, it just doesn't feel the same.However, apart from the editing it is a good-looking film, not lavish but nicely photographed in black and white and attractive enough costumes and sets. The music is wonderful, even with the changes and not quite feeling like Porter, and the choreography is never cluttered or leaden. The script is clever and witty, with some pleasing humour, and it's all solidly directed.Nothing to fault with the performances. It is very easy to see why Merman was a triumph in her role here on Broadway, belting out powerfully in the title song (one of Porter's most famous classics for very good reason), "You're the Top" and particularly "I Get a Kick Out of You", the latter being the highlight of the film. Crosby looks relaxed and is charming, while Ida Lupino radiates in beauty and charisma and Charles Ruggles enjoys himself enormously.To conclude, so much to enjoy but full potential is not quite met. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Fans waiting for the ultimate film version of Broadway's greatest 1930's musical comedy will have to pray for a miracle or recall the 1987 Lincoln Center Production (with Patti LuPone) or the 2010 revival with Sutton Foster. There has not yet been the definitive movie or TV production of that tap-happy show, this production truncating the score down to four songs, the classic title song (seen on the Tony Awards for both revivals) heard only over the credits, albeit briefly. Ethel Merman repeats her Broadway role of Reno Sweeney, and shines with the material she is given, somewhat overshadowed by Bing Crosby in screen time, but every inch the leading lady as she would only do one more time with her screen version of "Call Me Madam". Crosby, as Billy Crocker, is an above average choice for the role, and adds a lot more zest than he did with most of his laid-back acting during this time. Cast mostly in forgettable formula musicals, he shows off a skill as a comic that would have to wait until he started on the "Road" with Bob Hope.Crosby and Merman shine with the altered lyrics for "You're the Top", but it is Merman's repeat of "I Get a Kick Out of You" that is the musical highlight here, not the newly written "Shanghai De-Ho" production number finale. Of the non-Cole Porter songs written for the film, only "Sailor Beware" holds any interest. Cutting out the phenomenal "Blow Gabriel Blow!" was a drastic mistake, as was Billy's ballad, "All Through the Night", and a lively chorus number, "Buddy Beware!", although "Bon Voyage!" is heard briefly as an orchestral interlude as the ship Crosby is on sails.Broadway's lovable Victor Moore has been replaced here by the much different Charlie Ruggles as Moonface Martin, and as much as I would have liked to have seen the chubby Moore in the part, I truly adored Ruggles in it. Grace Bradley and Ida Lupino (much different than her 1940's drama queen) are the supporting females, the essence of loveliness, yet not standing out. An assorted group of familiar character actors play the passengers and crew, most recognizably Margaret Dumont as a wealthy philanthropist passenger whose Pomeranian aids Crosby in his search for a disguise, Jack Norton as (of course) a drunk, and Robert McWade as a Bishop who is mistaken for Moonface Martin after an amusing exchange with Ruggles that includes the gem of a gag about Indo-China.

In New York, 1936 Cole Porter was the toast of the town...in Hollywood he was just another songwriter. When RKO turned his "The Gay Divorce" into "The Gay Divorcée", "Night and Day" was the only original song kept in the film, but Fred and Ginger were given "The Continental" and "A Needle in a Haystack" to make into standards. "Anything Goes" unfortunately didn't have such luck. It was Cole Porter at his best but censorship was always going to be a problem in bringing his risqué songs to the screen. While the censors relented about the plot, an on the run gangster, Moon Face Martin, Public Enemy 13 disguising himself as a priest, the songs were scrupulously cleansed of any references to cocaine, burlesque dancers and "Holy Moses". The main songs left out were "All Through the Night", "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and "Anything Goes" (amazingly!!) in which Ethel Merman sang a couple of lines over the opening credits.She soon appears on a swing singing a very cleaned up version of "I Get a Kick Out of You" then confusion sets in. This is not Bing Crosby's finest moment. Charlie Ruggles is a riot as Moon Face Martin, Public Enemy No. 13 (although having seen Victor Moore in a couple of films I can imagine how funny he would have been). Crosby is mistaken for Snake Eyes Johnson, a fellow gangster - he has followed Hope Harcourt (luminous Ida Lupino) on to a liner, thinking she is being harassed by gangsters, but in reality her father has hired private investigators. There is a scene were Reno Sweeney (Merman) and Arthur Treacher start a conversation with "you do something to me" (from Porter's "50 Million Frenchmen" (1929)) - perhaps it was to convince the audience that this movie was based on a Cole Porter musical and they were in the right movie house!!! Mostly the film is filled with lack lustre, forgettable songs although "You're the Top" is sang with verve by Crosby and Merman. The finale "Shanghi De Ho" is a lavish number that looks as though it is filmed in a theatre and not on the docks as it is supposed to be. The film, to me, seemed to have a cheap look about it!!!

The trouble with filming Cole Porter shows is that the book and lyrics were normally, so naughty, so risqué that it was inevitable those sharp eyed censors feasted mightily on cuts.This first version of Anything Goes was no exception. All the naughty lyrics and risqué situations and dialog were cut out to make this product G rated. It wasn't until Kiss Me Kate was done in the 1950s that a really successful adaption of one of Cole Porter's Broadway shows was done. The best success Porter had on the screen was when he wrote directly FOR the screen. Born to Dance, Rosalie, High Society, etc.What this Anything Goes has to recommend it was the fact that this was only one of two instances where Ethel Merman reprised one of her Broadway successes for the screen. At that she sung some G rated lyrics for the title song and I Get A Kick Out of You.The only thing that Bing Crosby got to do in the movie that was from Cole Porter was a duet with Ethel Merman with You're the Top. If I had to nominate a song in history that's had more lyrics done for it would have to be this one. The melody is eternal and the lyrics are constantly being updated. Someone ought to investigate the Cole Porter estate and see just how many verses he actually wrote to You're the Top. Surely there haven't been any since 1964, but you can hear versions of You're the Top even today with up to date topical lyrics:You're the Top, you're Madonna's reinventionYou're the Top, you're Bush's stolen electionNow I just made that up, but it's a tribute to a great songwriter and an eternal melody.A whole bunch of Hollywood songwriters gave Bing Crosby some serviceable tunes for him, but it ain't Cole Porter. I think this has to do with the family image that Crosby had even back then. No naughty Cole Porter lyrics for Der Bingle.Yet he has some moments with songs. I particular like the number he does from the ship's crow's nest, Sailor Beware. Good song, but it's a typical example of the cheap production numbers that Paramount gave Crosby at this time. If you look at it, try to imagine what Busby Berkeley would have done. He also has a nice ballad to sing to Ida Lupino in My Heart and I. Finally there's a song called Moonburn which sold a few 78 rpm platters back in the day. On record Crosby sings it with just the accompaniment of jazz pianist Joe Sullivan. It's classic Bing.Charlie Ruggles was never bad in anything he did, but I do kind of wish that Victor Moore reprised his part from Anything Goes. He was a big hit on Broadway as squeamish Public Enemy 13, Moonface Martin.Ida Lupino gives very little indication of the classic actress she became on screen. But she's serviceable as Bing's love interest.Look at the trio of sailors singing, They'll Always Be a Lady Fair and you'll recognize Chill Wills.Add to that a badly butchered job in editing and you haven't got one of Bing Crosby's best films, but still enjoyable for fans of Der Bingle like your's truly.