Very well executed

Not even bad in a good way

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Good news! That good old showbiz standard, the college musical, is back with a future T.V. series character, and this time, it isn't the big football game that is in jeopardy, it is the whole school. Poor Charles Lane, the chemistry professor, who has to find new educational quarters to continue his Freshman science class, that is if Bobby Van's Dobie doesn't drive him into an early retirement. And really, is English professor Hans Conreid so naive that he doesn't notice that Dobie's essay is plagiarized? So don't expect a campus reality film, just a future sitcom with songs and dances, and that includes a hillbilly number featuring Jerry Lewis's long-time foil, Kathleen Freeman.It all starts at their orientation date where happy-go-lucky future roommates Bobby Van and Bob Fosse meet and instantly attract two females, the studious but closeted fun-loving Debbie Reynolds and the boy crazy Barbara Ruick who is wild about Dobie who only has eyes for Debbie. She gets to sing a slower version of "All I Do is Dream of You" than the one she danced to as part of the chorus in "Singin' in the Rain", but does get to perform a juke box dance # with her three co-stars. In fact, it's obvious after "Singin' in the Rain" that MGM was promoting her more than the three co-stars, the two males who soon went off to Broadway. Fosse even gets to show off his signature hat turn here, obviously having invented that himself. Young Ms. Ruick, best known for playing Carrie in the movie version of "Carousel" and one of the stepsisters in the 1965 "Cinderella", reminds me a lot of a young Gloria DeHaven here and gets to be both perky and impish without being annoying.A great cast of character actors support the four youngsters, with Almira Sessions very funny as Reynolds' imperious aunt and Hanley Stafford over the top as Reynolds' possessive father. MGM was making very few black and white films at this point, let alone a musical, which makes this one appear almost like an after thought and one that doesn't stand out when compared to everything which came before and those which would come after. The stars are perky and fun, but the story (what little there is of it) seems forced and artificial.

What a pleasant surprise for a hardened old cynic like me. Ordinarily I would avoid a title like The Affairs of Dobie Gillis as if it were the plague. But the sheer bounce and charm of Weis's direction along with Van and Reynolds proved completely beguiling. Sure it's dated. The innocence and idealized portrayal of college-age youth belong to a bygone era. Still, Van's easy way with a song and a smile continues to captivate, while even Reynolds' manages an energized side that doesn't annoy (the sight of her pony-tailed wholesomeness crouched demonically over a boiling witch's brew is hilarious). Surely these two were made for each other in some malt-shop heaven. There are so many nice touches, including: Hans Conreid's arrogant professor (his tight-lipped barbs at Dobie are priceless), Kathleen Freeman's gap- toothed Polish band (I'm sorry we didn't hear more), and the utterly delightful song and dance numbers (a whole lot simpler and more spontaneous than MGM's over-produced foot- stompers of the day). Clearly, the studio dribbled out a bare-bones budget to give their younger talent a chance, and the youngsters responded in spades. I'm only sorry that Van didn't get the career his talent deserved-- watching him and Fosse was a treat. All in all, this is a much better movie than it had any right to be, and a fine piece of unexpected pleasure for viewers of any age.

In an effort to meet young women, bubbly Bobby Van (as Dobie Gillis) goes to college. There, he immediately begins to date cute Debbie Reynolds (as Pansy Hammer), while blond boyfriend Bob Fosse (as Charlie Trask) goes after well-developed Barbara Ruick (as Lorna Ellingboe). This "Dobie Gillis" bears only a little resemblance to the one played, in the later TV series, by Dwayne Hickman (who unexpectedly became a teen spokesperson for the "Beat Generation"). The opening theme sounds more like "The Donna Reed Show" than "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (which is nice). Several TV sitcom regulars give it some life, but not much. Dancing is the highlight, with Mr. Fosse especially outstanding.***** The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (8/14/53) Don Weis ~ Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, Barbara Ruick

t's strange that this was spun off into a television series. (I have ever seen the TV show.) It's a peculiar movie: It's an MGM musical in black and white. It's mildly amusing but no more. The only performer who went on to stardom is Debbie Reynolds.Almira Sessions was a very odd choice for the New York City aunt of a Grainbelt U. student. She looks like a crony of Ma Kettle.I can't comment on the many -- well, undertones. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of the whole thing is Bob Fosse's dancing, which must have seemed astonishing in 1953. We have seen it now in his own work and in those that have been influenced by him. But the rest of the movie seems -- if not unappealing, and it's not -- quaint and dated.