Highly Overrated But Still Good

An absolute waste of money

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Attractive songs plus super-vivacious Ann Miller and well-voiced newcomer Kay Armen, just manage to surmount an impossibly old-hat, totally unbelievable screenplay, plus dull as a dry dock direction, plus listless and mostly indifferent staging (except when Miss Miller is on hand) and, worst of all, dreary acting from Tony Martin, Vic Damone, Russ Tamblyn and even, alas, Debbie Reynolds! However, In defense of Tony Martin and Debbie Reynolds, it must be said that their ridiculous and impoverished roles were simply impossible to play at all, let alone well! On the other hand, however, Vic Damone seems be irritatingly content to be just naturally dull. And as for Russ Tamblyn, as usual, he gives the impression of trying too hard. (True, you're supposed to try hard, but you've got to make it look real easy. That, Russ and Vic, is the number one essence of movie acting). Producer Pasternak has given the film some lush, but creatively empty, production values. In at least 90% of cases, it's no use spending money on costumes, sets and scenery, if your script, your director and your players are all three, well below par.

Movie musicals like this rise or fall - or, to stick with this movie's theme, sink or swim - as a function of the quality of the music and the performances of it. This music is largely unremarkable, as are the performances of it.Case in point: one of the other reviewers praises Kay Armen's performance as Vic Damone's mother. It's fine, but not outstanding. Like the performance she leads of "Ciriciribin." If you want to see the performance that make this a hit tune, and see the difference, watch Grace Moore's performance in *One Night of Love*, which you'll find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-6QrL26gw The picture is bad, and she sang it even better later, after more practice. But this is life. Kay Armen's performance is just nice.

One of the most expensive musical comedy films of the 1950's, its high technology cinemascope friendly presentation and its star cast, with Walter Pidgeon, J. Carrol Naish, Richard Anderson and Alan Hale supporting an unusual set of Principals - Jane Powell, Ann Miller,Debbie Reynolds, Tony Martin, Vic Damone and Russ Tamblyn, it seems to have generated surprisingly little recent buzz. The Hubert Osborne play, later a musical comedy play by Herbert Fields, then a Hollywood film whose plot seems surprisingly similar to "Follow the Fleet" and "On The Town", offer particular strong and memorable episodes though not a strong and memorable film. Perhaps its time period, the 1950's Hollywood musical whose unwelcome attempts to meld dance style set pieces with crooning style set pieces pleased neither the generic dance audience nor the generic crooner audience, is to blame.

.,, except for the underrated Ann Miller who breathes a little life into this leaden musical. Miller's "bayou woman" number is fun, but Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Vic Damone, and the god-awful Tony Martin and Russ Tamblyn just lie there like dead fish. The Fun House number with Reynolds and Tamblyn is a pale copy of the one in A Damsel in Distress, which featured Fred Astaire, Gracie Allen, and George Burns. Powell is at her sugary worst; Damone looks embarrassed throughout. Even dependable Gene Raymond, Jane Darwell, and J. Carrol Naish don't add much zip. Lousy production numbers abound, and the set decoration looks like a yard sale. Stinker!