This week’s video discusses:
-My Louise Brooks costume based on the lost silent film “Now We’re in the Air” (1927)
-My favorite horror film-which is limited, because I am too much of a scaredy cat to watch horror films
-And I sing a little for you!
My Halloween costume modeled after Louise Brooks in “Now We’re In the Air” (1927)
Did you dress up as anything classic film related this year? Be sure to e-mail me your photos at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com and I will help you show them off on Comet!
Stay safe tonight. And if you throw flour in anyone’s face (a la Margaret O’Brien in “Meet Me In St. Louis” (1944), make sure everyone knows that you are the “most horrible.”
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
Starring:
Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Margaret O’Brien, Lucille Bremer, Marjorie Main, Tom Drake, June Lockhart, Harry Davenport, Chill Wills, Joan Carroll.
Plot:
“Meet Me In St. Louis” revolves around the Smith family who lives in St. Louis and follows them from Summer of 1903 until the 1904 World’s Fair. The film is broken up into story segments such as Summer, Fall of 1903 with Halloween, Winter of 1903 with Christmas and Summer of 1904 when they go to the World’s Fair.
Esther (Garland) falls in love the boy next door, John Truitt (Drake) and her sister Rose (Bremer) is a flirt who likes older men. The two younger sisters Tootie (O’Brien) and Agnes (Carroll) cause mischief. The conflict comes when their father (Ames) needs to move the family to New York.
Trivia:
-Van Johnson was originally supposed to play John Truitt rather than Tom Drake.
-The daughter of a lighting man was originally cast as Tootie. When O’Brien was cast instead, the lighting man intentionally attempted to drop a light on O’Brien.
-Arthur Freed dubbed Leon Ames’s singing voice.
-Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli met on this film. They were married from 1945 to 1951.
-Garland was 21 when she was in this movie and was disappointed to play another teenager. She wanted to move on to other adult roles.
-“Meet Me in St. Louis” was made into a Broadway show in 1989, according to “Hollywood Musicals Year by Year” by Stanley Green.
-Director Vincente Minnelli’s first film hit, according to The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity by Raymond Knapp
Judy Garland as Esther singing “The Trolley Song”
-The film is based off a series of autobiographical stories by Sally Benson published in “The New Yorker,” according to Knapp’s book
-A personal favorite film of producer Arthur Freed.
-The highest grossing film at the time for MGM since “Gone with the Wind” (1939).
-The film was remade twice for television. Once in 1959 starring Jane Powell, Jeanne Crain, Patty Duke, Walter Pidgeon and Myrna Loy. The second time was in 1966 starring Shelley Fabares and Celeste Holm.
Highlights:
-The terrific cast. Though the leads are amazing, I would argue that the secondary leads of Marjorie Main and Harry Davenport steal the show.
-Lon’s going away party with “Skip to My Lou” and Tootie and Esther singing “The Cake Walk” is one of my favorite parts.
-I love the holiday portions of the film such as:
–Halloween: Tootie and Agnes trick-or-treating in their spooky costumes-Agnes as a drunken ghost and Tootie as a horrible ghost. The two are dared to throw flour on neighbors and shout “I HATE YOU.” I’m always shocked that these kids parents don’t care they are starting a huge bonfire in the middle of the neighborhood.
Margaret O’Brien as Tootie being the “most horrible”
–Christmas: Esther (Garland) and Rose (Bremer) go to a dance and try to sabotage Lucille Ballard’s (Lockhart) dance card by giving her dopey boys to dance with. The scene where Esther dances with all of the silly boys is hilarious.
–More Christmas: Tootie (O’Brien) is a snowman murderer. Tootie is upset the family is moving so she destroys the snowmen.
-And then there is Warren Sheffield (Robert Sully)
Notable Songs:
-The Trolly Song sung by Judy Garland. The most famous song in the film. It’s such fun and Garland did the scene in one take.
-“Skip to My Lou”/”Under the Bamboo Tree” sung by Judy Garland and Lucille Bremer during the party scene. It’s so fun and I wish my party was like this.
-“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” sung by Judy Garland is also another famous song from the film. It makes me mother cry every time. And I have recently inherited sappily crying during the scene.
-“The Boy Next Door” sung by Judy Garland
My Review:
This is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s one of those movies that I have been watching since I was a baby and it never gets old. The humor, the gorgeous Technicolor and the wonderful songs. The story flows well and the songs fit in effortlessly.
I can’t think about this movie without smiling.
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
“Centennial Summer” (1946)–Musical #505
Studio:
20th Century Fox
Director:
Otto Preminger
Starring:
Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Cornel Wilde, Walter Brennan, Constance Bennett, Dorothy Gish
Plot:
Set in Philadelphia during the United State’s centennial celebration in 1876, the plot focuses on the Rogers family. Their Aunt Zenia (Bennett) comes to visit from Paris, France for the celebration and brings her French nephew Philippe (Wilde). The oldest Rogers sisters Edith (Darnell)-the flirty older sister who gets all the boys- and Julia (Craine)-the more quiet sister who has never had a romance- immediately both are enchanted by the Frenchman. The two both work for his affections.
Trivia
-Composer Jerome Kern’s last musical score for either stage or film, according to “Hollywood Musicals Year by Year” by Stanley Green
-The film was Fox’s response to MGM’s hit “Meet Me In St. Louis” (1944). Both films focus on turn of the century nostalgia.
-Based on a book by Albert E. Idell
-Very few of the actors do their own singing. Crain was dubbed by Louanne Hogan (who also dubbed Crain in “State Fair“) and Darnell was dubbed by Kay St. Germain Wells (who also dubbed Darnell in “Hangover Square“).
Edith (Darnell) and Julia (Craine) compete for the attentions of Phillippe (Wilde). Comet Over Hollywood/ Screencap by Jessica P.
Highlights:
-The vibrant, Technicolor sets and costumes make this film.
-The movie includes items that were introduced during this time period such as a magic lantern show.
-Cornel Wilde carrying two dachshunds as he gets off the train….only because I’m a dachshund owner.
-I love the large cast ranging from silent film star Dorothy Gish, pre-code queen Constance Bennett to fresh faced Jeanne Craine.
Notable Songs:
For Jerome Kern’s last work before his 1945 death, none of the songs in this film were memorable.
Many of them seemed misplaced. For example: Philppe (Wilde) and Jesse (Brennan) were about to have a serious conversation in a saloon about Julia (Craine) when African-American singer Avon Long enters the saloon and starts singing “Cinderella Sue.” Though the song was probably one of the more entertaining tunes in the film, it cut right into the middle of a scene. Why would they do that?
Philippe and Jesse look ridiculous dressed in French costumes (after a masquerade) in a saloon. Comet Over Hollywood/Screen Cap by Jessica P.
My Review:
This is actually one movie I wish was not a musical. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the cast and the story line and thoroughly enjoyed watching it. But right as the plot was moving right along, it would come to a grinding halt with a misplaced, forgettable song.
It’s very obvious that this was 20th Century Fox trying their hand at a turn-of-the-century family stories since Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had so much success with “Meet Me in St. Louis” (1944).
However, “Centennial” is more frustrating than heartwarming.
All of the actors did a wonderful job, particularly Jeanne Crain who has always been a favorite of mine. However, Cornel Wilde’s French accent sounded more like a Charles Boyer impression.
“Centennial Summer” is a film I have searched for and wanted to see for years. Thank you to our friends over at Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings for letting me know it is currently up on Youtube and contributing to an enjoyable afternoon.
You have read Comet Over Hollywood here and maybe you follow me on Twitter or the Comet Over Hollywood Facebook page.
Now I’m bringing yet another way to celebrate classic Hollywood.
Every week, Youtube videos – just another way to discuss classic films. They could vary from testing a classic beauty tip, visiting a celebrity museum or footage from the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival.
This week’s introduces the videos and myself and also further discusses the interview I had with actress turned nun Dolores Hart back in September.
Enjoy!
Subscribe on Youtube or follow along at Comet and look out for next week’s video!
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
Starring:
Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Zizi Jeanmaire
Plot:
A fictitious telling of the life of Hans Christian Andersen. The film was not meant to be a biography of Andersen’s life but a “fairy tale about this great spinner of fairy tales,” said producer Samuel Goldwyn.
Hans Christian Andersen (Kaye) is shoe cobbler and journeys to Copenhagen. He becomes a cobbler and tells stories such as Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling and the Emperor’s New Clothes to the local children. With his stories he also become a famous writer. Andersen does work as a cobbler for a temperamental ballerina (Jeanmaire) named Doro and falls in love, not realizing she is married to Niels (Granger). Andersen confesses his secret love by writing the ballet “The Little Mermaid” for Doro. After Doro tells Hans that she is married, he returns home to Odense.
Trivia:
Danny Kaye as Hans Christian Andersen tells stories to village children.
-Goldwyn had writers working on a “Hans Christian Andersen” musical in 1938, but the time was never right to produce it. Before starting, according to the A. Scott Berg biography “Goldwyn.”
-Farley Granger thought the film was ridiculous and said it was beginning to be a joke around town, “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets boy,” he said, according to the “Goldwyn” biography.
-“Hans Christian Andersen” cost $4 million to make, according to “Goldwyn.”
-Danes did not appreciate the depiction of Hans Christian Andersen and Andersen scholars said Kaye looked nothing like Andersen, according to “Goldwyn.”
-“Hans Christian Andersen” is the second highest grossing Goldwyn picture behind “The Best Years of Our Lives,” according to “Goldwyn.”
-Actress and ballerina Moira Shearer was supposed to play the role of Doro couldn’t because she was pregnant.
-Samuel Goldwyn originally wanted animated
-Zizi Jeanmaire dances with Roland Petit in the Little Mermaid ballet sequence. The two were married in 1954 and remained married until Petit’s death in 2011.
-The film opened the week of Thanksgiving in 1952. It was first aired on television in 1966.
-Actress Barie Chase has an uncredited role has a ballerina.
-The soundtrack released after the film includes Jane Wyman singing the female songs with Danny Kaye.
Highlights:
-There are two notable dream sequences in the film: 1. Hans falls in love with Doro the ballet dancer has a colorful dream sequence of the couple singing “No Two People.”
2. Andersen gets locked in a closet and can not see the performance of “The Little Mermaid.” As he’s locked in the closet, he imagines how it is performed. The imagined performance is the one he audience sees.
Zizi Jeanmaire as Doro performs the ballet of “The Little Mermaid” in “Hans Christian Andersen” with dancer (and future husband) Roland Petit
Notable Songs:
It’s hard to pick a favorite song from “Hans Christian Andersen” because there are so many lovely songs that are all very catchy:
-“Wonderful Copenhagen” sung by Danny Kaye, Joseph Walsh and sailors (a personal favorite of mine)
-“No Two People” sung by Danny Kaye and Zizi Jeanmaire (but Jane Wyman on the commercial soundtrack release)
-“Thumbelina” sung by Danny Kaye
-“The King’s New Clothes” sung by Danny Kaye
-“Ugly Duckling” sung by Danny Kaye
-“Inchworm” sung by Danny Kaye (another personal favorite)
My review:
I can’t deny that the premise of this film is a little silly. The film and main character named after a real historical figure but purposefully and admittedly has nothing to do with his life?
But I also can’t deny that I love this movie. It’s so light-hearted, happy and lovely.
It’s an interesting change of role for Danny Kaye. In films like “Up in Arms” (1944), “Wonder Man” (1945) and “The Kid from Brooklyn” (1946)- Kaye’s characters sang the fast talking songs (written by his wife Sylvia Fine) and played ridiculous zany characters. But Hans Christian Andersen allows Kaye to demonstrate his true vocal talents and play a calm, caring character. Kaye was interested in the film before even seeing the script, and I think it was a wise decision on his point.
I can see why Farley Granger didn’t like this film, because he does look rather ridiculous in his period costume and is an unsympathetic character. I’ll admit, his talent was wasted on this movie. It’s such a small role, you wonder why he was picked.
But that aside, “Hans Christian Andersen” is a film that simply makes me happy.
I love the music, I love the color and I love Danny Kaye.
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
Starring:
Patty Duke, Jane Greer, Jim Backus, Warren Berlinger, Billy de Wolfe, Charles Lane, Dick Sargent, Ted Bessell
Plot:
Fifteen year old tomboy Billie (Duke) finds herself on the boy’s track team when the coach sees how fast she can run. Her secret to fast running is “a beat” she hears in her head. Billie doesn’t like being treated differently from her male teammates and wants to be an equal, not a girl. At the same time of her track success her father (Backus) is running for mayor under a “keep women in the home” campaign.
Trivia:
-Based on a 1952 play “Time Out for Ginger”
-Filmed between seasons of “The Patty Duke Show”
-Actor Peter Lawford is listed as an executive producer for the film.
-Kent McCord who later starred as Officer Jim Reed on the TV show “Adam-12” has an uncredited role as a spectator student spectator.
Highlights:
-A dance number where Billie teaches the other male and female students how to have “the beat,” complete with the latest 1960s dance moves. I don’t really see how it teaches the students anything, but it works in a nice dance number with 20 kids.
-Character actor Charles Lane plays Billie’s track coach. It’s always a treat to see him. You can see him in 1930s pre-code films all the way to 1960s
-Robert Banas who was Jet “Snowboy” in “West Side Story” leads the dance “She is a Girl is a Girl.”
Notable Songs:
-”Lonely Little in Between” sung by Patty Duke. An odd song where Billie sings about being a tom boy. Includes lyrics such as “I should have been a boy but I’m a girl.” She later sings “Funny Little Butterflies” which is the exact same tune, but now she has a crush and feels like a girl.
Billie wins track meets, because she hears a beat in her head that makes her run faster
My Review:
The plot of “Billie” is actually pretty dumb, but it is still a fun one to catch. If you do come across it on TV, watch it–it’s seldom aired.
It has a lot of crazy one-liners such, mostly said by Jim Backus who seems to specialize in playing terrible parents (see: Rebel Without A Cause). Some quotes include “Try to be more like your sister” and “You did great today, son” to Duke. Another favorite is when Billie’s sister Jean says “I’ve decided to quit college and come home” and dad says “That’s marvelous!”
However, it is an interesting movie to see so many 1960s television actors such as Richard Deacon, Patty Duck, Jim Backus, Dick Sargent and Ted Bessell. You also get the chance to see 1940s actress Jane Greer playing Duke’s mother.
It’s also interesting because this movie has some feminist undertones in a time when beach movies were focusing on sex and pretty girls in bikinis.
Though “Billie” is a pretty terrible movie, It’s also a lot of fun. It’s fairly typical of most goofy, 1960s teen films. Overall, Patty Duke does a good job and is a driving force behind the films energy. While her character was 15 year old, Duke was actually 19 when this film was released in 1965. The dance numbers and songs are energetic and make you want to dance along.
If you are looking for some mindless, 1960s nostalgic, colorful film, “Billie” may be an alright fit.
Warren Berlinger as Mike Benson, Clown the dog and Patty Duke as Billie.
This is the thirty-second installment of the monthly classic actress beauty tips that I have read about and tested.
Actress Susan Hayward stayed thin with a three day diet of eggs and tomatoes.
This week I went on a diet for Comet Over Hollywood.
Red-headed Academy Award winning actress Susan Hayward claimed she stayed under 118 pounds by eating 2 eggs (prepared any way) and one tomato three times a day for consecutive three days.
“If you continue more than three days, you may start clucking like a hen,” Hayward said in an interview.
Hayward claimed you could lose five pounds in three days with this diet, which seems highly doubtful to me.
“Her (Susan Hayward) measurements are the same as they were when she was 20,” beauty columnist Lydia Lane wrote about the then 47-year-old actress in an Aug. 2, 1964, column, “Susan Hayward Gives Diet Tips.”
The Comet isn’t anywhere near 118 pounds, but I’m always a fan of weight loss and eating healthy. I decided to give it a try. I like both eggs and tomatoes so I figured it couldn’t be that hard. Here is how the three days went for me:
Tuesday, Oct. 1: Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled with a cut up tomato. It was delicious and filling. However, I realized eating one whole tomato for a meal is ALOT of tomato. Or alot more than I’m used to eating. Lunch: Was still full from breakfast so didn’t eat the hard boiled eggs and cut up tomato I brought for lunch. Dinner: Felt a bit like I was getting a cold so talked myself into getting a McDouble from McDonalds, instead of eating eggs and tomatoes for dinner.
Wednesday, Oct. 2 Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs and a tomato again. Still tasted good. Lunch: Two hard boiled eggs and a tomato. Enjoyable meal made even better when I dabbed my egg in mustard. Dinner: Sunny-side up eggs on a toasted sandwich with a cut up tomato on the sandwich. Ate the rest of the tomato by itself. Filling but growing weary of eggs.
Thursday, Oct. 3 Breakfast:Skipped breakfast because running late for work. Lunch: Another delicious meal of hard boiled eggs with a tiny bit of mustard and a tomato. Dinner: I went to the fair….and had a chicken pita wrap….Nothing fried or terribly unhealthy, but still not part of the diet.
Friday, Oct. 4
I was going to add one more day to the diet since I cheated on two meals but ended up not eating all day because was too busy at work. Had spaghetti for dinner
Hayward shows off her figure as she dances in the John Wayne film “The Conqueror” (1954).
To review: Since it was only for a few days, I can’t say if I lost weight. I can say I continuously wanted to eat a cheeseburger. However, eating healthier made me feel a little better about life. I stayed full after eating and my usually oily hair and skin felt fresher than usual at the end of the day.
For me, eating eggs and tomatoes for both breakfast and lunch isn’t difficult, but eating it a third time for dinner is when it got tiresome. By that point, I wanted to cook a pork chop or even just eat some cereal and toast.
I can’t say I will continue with Susan Hayward’s diet, but will probably continue to incorporate eggs into my diet at least once a day. I did consider taking a break for two days and doing the diet for three more consecutive days, but I’m pretty tired of eggs and tomatoes right now.
So in review, though I didn’t drop rapid weight, I did feel better about life during this diet.
This is October’s edition of Comet Over Hollywood’s film references in music videos.
Beyonce’s channels Audrey Hepburn in her music video “Countdown” released in October of 2011.
About 15 seconds into the video, Beyonce can be seen wearing a beatnik style outfit complete with a black turtleneck, black pants, white socks and black loafers.
Beyonce channels Audrey Hepburn from “Funny Face” (1957) in her 2011 video “Countdown”
The outfit is reminiscent of the outfit Audrey Hepburn wears in the 1957 musical “Funny Face.” In the film, Hepburn plays an intellectual shop girl who is transformed into a model. Hepburn is taken to Paris but has more interest in talking with the beatnik crowd.
Audrey Hepburn dances in a beatnik cafe in “Funny Face” (1957)
The white socks Hepburn wears in the scene caused trouble on set.
Hepburn thought all black, including the socks looked better. Director Stanley Donen said if she wore all black, she would fade into the the background in the dimly lit scene and there would be no definition in her movement, according to the Sam Irvin book “Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise.”
Hepburn burst into tears, went into her dressing room but came out wearing the white socks. Later she sent Donen a note saying he was right about the socks, according to Irvin.
It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals. In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
Starring:
Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban, Ann Harding, Louis Calhern, Debbie Reynolds, Carleton Carpenter, Phyllis Kirk, Tommy Retting, Gary Gray
Plot:
In the early 1900s, the Robinson family takes their annual summer vacation to Kissimee in the Catskills. It’s a coming of age story as 17-year-old Patti (Powell) is ready to grow up and wear corsets and date men but her mother (Harding) and father (Calhern) still thinks she is too young. That summer a handsome young Cuban named Demi (Montalban) visits the resort. While Patti swoons, her older friend Valerie (Kirk) works to keep Demi’s attention on her. In the background, Patti’s younger teenage sister Melba (Reynolds) has a crush on Billy (Carpenter) who is chasing Patti.
Patti’s rival Valerie is always making it hard for Patti and Demi to be alone. (Kirk, Montalban, Powell) (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen Cap by Jessica P.)
Trivia:
-Debbie Reynolds wrote in her memoir “Unsinkable,” that her mother packed her lunch of ground up bologna and pickle juice sandwiches every day. Louis Calhern’s lunches were prepared for him by the studio, but he usually traded with Debbie for her sandwiches.
Famous stars in the 1930s, Ann Harding and Louis Calhern play Horatio and Katherine Robinson in “Two Weeks with Love.” (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen Cap by Jessica P.)
-Jane Powell says this is one of her favorite movies, according to her autobiography “The Girl Next Door and How She Grew.”
“I loved making ‘Two Weeks with Love’ because it was a very special experience,” Powell wrote in her book. “The cast was so wonderful, I feel happy even now when I think about the film.”
-Debbie Reynolds plays the French horn during the song “That’s How I Love You.” Whether she is really playing the horn in the film or not, Reynolds played the French horn in high school.
-Louis Calhern once said he was miscast as playing the father of Debbie Reynolds and Jane Powell. “Me, with my long nose, and being as tall as I am, playing the father of two little button noses like Janie and Debbie,” Powell quoted in her book.
-Phyllis Kirk’s third movie.
-Debbie Reynolds fourth movie.
-The hotel where the family is staying in “Two Weeks with Love” is the same hotel in the first scene of “Annie Get Your Gun” (1951).
-The dances in the film were choreographed by Busby Berkeley, who was known for his kaleidoscope shots in 1930s films such as “42nd Street.”
Highlights:
Patti’s mischievous little brothers hide fireworks under their bed, and father (Calhern) accidentally lights a fuse. (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen cap by Jessica P.)
-The two youngest boys hide hundreds of firecrackers under their bed. They accidentally get lit when their father unknowingly lights it with his cigar. Chaos ensues.
-Powell has a few dream sequences where she imagines Montalban is fawning over her. Both are hilarious and adorable. One is when she is alone in a canoe. She imagines he proposes to her and he tells her that she is full of “latent fire” and then is outraged that she doesn’t wear a corset.
-The second dream sequence is Powell glamorously dressed in only a corset, hat and umbrella. Everyone at the hotel is admiring her. Then, everyone’s outfits turn to royal wear and Montalban and Carpenter have a sword fight over Powell. Powell sings “My Hero” as she waltzes with Montalban.
-Calhern tries to help Powell and buys her a corset in the film, not knowing what he’s buying, he gets a surgical corset. During a dance with Montalban, it locks.
Patti (Powell) dreams of being a grown up lady who wears a corset in this dream sequence. (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen Cap by Jessica P.)
Notable Songs:
-“Abba Dabba Honeymoon” sung by Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter. This is the most notable song in the movie. Carpenter and Reynolds fast, energetic singing style is what makes it memorable. The song made the Hit Parade and Reynolds and Carleton went on tour to promote the song and the film.
-“By the Light of the Silvery Moon” sung by Ann Harding and Louis Calhern. They don’t have great voices but it’s a very sweet moment.
-“My Hero” sung by Jane Powell during the corset dream sequence.
Patti (Powell) dances the tango with Demi (Montalban) in the resort’s talent show. (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen Cap by Jessica Pickens)
My Review:
“Two Weeks With Love” is a joy to watch. It has an excellent cast, is fun and colorful with it’s Technicolor. But not only is it lighthearted, it’s hilarious. There are so many jokes in the movie that keep me laughing, keeping it charming and witty. It’s wonderful to see Ann Harding and Louis Calhern later in their career if you know them more from their 1930s role. In the 1930s, Harding usually played intellectual women with lose morals and Calhern played cads with gun. But later in their career, they fill the role of loving parents perfectly. Jane Powell was an established star by now and is 21 in the film, and is delightful as always. In her first major role, Debbie Reynolds energy and enthusiasm that made her famous is already shining. If you haven’t seen “Two Weeks with Love,” I highly suggest it. It may not be as famous as other 1950s MGM films, but you will remember it once you watch it.
