What makes it different from others?

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Best movie of this year hands down!

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This is a largely uninspired movie. There are a few memorable musical numbers - "You gotta have heart", "What Lola wants" - but even they aren't staged in a memorable way. The musical ran for years on Broadway, so there must have been something to it. But whatever it was didn't transfer to this movie.Some of it may have had to do with casting the then-popular Tab Hunter in the male lead. He wasn't a dancer, so that leaves Gwen Verdon, who was a fine dancer, to dance largely by herself. And that, in a movie musical, is a problem. It's one of the things, for example, that separates the Eleanor Parker movies from the Astaire-Rodgers movies.But the script is also flat. Compare this movie to Music Man, for example, which also only has 3 memorable musical numbers. But that has a great script, incredible energy, wonderful lines. This is simply not at the same level.And no, it really has next to nothing to do with baseball.There's nothing actually wrong with this movie. No one gives a bad performance. It just doesn't have much energy, and doesn't get us to care about any of the characters.Again, I suspect the Broadway show was a lot better.

This is not a very good musical. So much is lacking: the lead actor can't dance enough for the big production number, the lead actress can dance but is downright homely (there's a point in the script where she says she used to be the ugliest girl in such-and-such a town before Ray Walston turned her into a vamp, and one can't help but think, gosh, is this the best he could do? It makes the devil seem damn weak.) That young Tab Hunter is so pretty makes her uglier in comparison--just bad, bad, casting. (She no doubt looked leggy and good from a second balcony, but on screen--gah!) Most of the dancing is dull, shockingly enough to this Fossy choreography fan, until the big drunken production number. And the songs aren't good at all.What's better about it is that the plot (until the illogical ending) is an engaging baseball-Faust, Tab Hunter is sweet and adorable as Shoeless Joe, Ray Walston is as terrific as he always is, and the wardrobe is quite good.But since a major thrust of the plot is Lola's attempted seduction of Joe, and she's just so awfully homely, the plot is weakened. That leaves Ray Walston being devilish and Tab Hunter being aw-shucks cute--perhaps enough to support a straight comedy, but not nearly enough to support a musical-comedy.The same group of songwriters, etc. did Pajama Game, which is a much better musical, with a couple wonderful songs. Knowing this one had run for several years on Broadway, I had hoped for something as good as Pajama Game but was disappointed.

"Damn Yankees" is old-fashioned entertainment, a bit too talky and literal-minded, but great songs and great dancing never get old. It's worth plodding through the more mundane aspects of this film to relish the classic numbers. "Who's Got The Pain?" has nothing whatsoever to do with the plot, but it proves beyond question that Gwen Verdon is the prime interpreter of the Fosse dance style. "Whatever Lola Wants" is actually rather tame in comparison. The highlight is the smoky, seductive duet "Two Lost Souls," where Verdon lets loose with the greatest of ease. The surprise here is Tab Hunter, who holds his own and handles all the Fosse moves just fine. Jean Stapleton's Sister Miller is an early rehearsal for Edith Bunker. I personally prefer the other George Abbott/Stanley Donen collaboration "The Pajama Game," which is livelier. See them both.

It may well have been the Devil's cleverest trick to have persuaded us that he does not exist,but it is a relatively recent one.Even 50 years ago when "Whatever Lola wants" was released the concept of an anti - Christ was widely accepted in the West and the possibility of entering into a diabolical bargain for earthly riches and success was not considered seriously - "get thee behind me,Satan",as my Auntie Edie used to say.Now,it appears,almost everybody will do anything to be rich and famous and looking at the richest and most famous of them all it is hard to discern any particular talent or merit they might possess. Accordingly,Faustian compacts may have been entered wholesale thus assuring the Devil an endless supply of souls like Joe Hardy whose relatively harmless vice was the Great American Game. Portrayed by Mr R.Walston as an earthly form with a certain raffish charm and an All-American name "Mr Applegate",the Devil is a" can do" kind of guy.His assistant - Lola - played by Miss G.Verdon is the epitome of feminine seductiveness employed to keep Joe in line. As a Brit to whom baseball is little more than a more butch version of the rather girlie game of rounders the back story and plot of the movie have little cultural significance.It's significance to me is purely based on its merits as a musical - and they are considerable.Certainly Miss Verdon got me very hot under the collar as an 18 year old,and Mr Walston made me laugh a lot.Mr Tab Hunter was very good - looking and had already been in the "Top Twenty" in the U.K. with "Young Love",so it had a whole lot going for it.I had a 78 of "Heart" by the Four Aces and my friends and I had a lot of fun copying the harmony parts so it would be fair to say that I was quite involved in the whole "Whatever Lola wants" experience.Time,sadly,has not been very kind either to me or the movie,and,when I saw it recently only "Heart" moved me as it had done originally,the other songs - although remaining clever - lacked much substance and only the dancing of the wonderful Miss Verdon raised the level to that I remembered .Nevertheless it remains a nostalgic favourite,and a movie with "Heart" - in both meanings.