Three Little Girls in Blue (1946) User Reviews (15)

Something so familiar here, but oh so charming.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 28 May 2018]

It's 1902 and there are three little girls in blue, determined to feel oh so young (and rich!) on the boardwalk of Atlantic City where they hope that life will be peaches and cream. But can they be completely happy unless there's real love? They are June Haver, fresh from being a Dolly Sister; Vivian Blaine, sans her nasal Miss Adelaide voice, and the sweet Vera-Ellen, posing as a wealthy socialite, her social secretary and maid. Their budget is minimal, but with any luck they will each find true love with eligible (rich) bachelors. Their colorful new life is accentuated by the colorful photography, accentuating the period costumes and lavish sets.

The men include Frank Latimore as a wealthy orphan, George Montgomery as his playboy rival and the oddly unbilled Charles Smith as their informant valet who even gets a song written about him that makes his credit status rather odd. Stealing the scenery in her film debut, fresh from Broadway success, is Celeste Holm as Latimore's flirtatious sister, every inch as man crazy as her Ado Annie was in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma!".

A delightful pleasant score may not move the plot along (the fourth screen version of the same story, also recently musicalized in a 1940's musical comedy with a completely different score. It's better known from 1941's "Moon Over Miami" where Betty Grable played the same part as her "Dolly Sisters" co-star. The roles of the three sisters are practically interchangable, and they all do fine jobs, with Vera-Ellen standing out with get dancing and Haver charming, if generic. Blaine adds a slight slyness to her always neglected sensible sister, getting a sweet ballad, "Somewhere in the Night". When Holm comes on for her comical solo, the film is instantly set to be stolen. This is innocuous fun made more memorable with little moments of magic that rises it above it's standard plotline.

Gold-digging fun

[AAdaSC · 6/10 · 22 May 2010]

Three sisters from a farm head off to a big city to find themselves a millionaire each. They naturally find 3 suitors, but there is a bit of a muddle over who Pam (June Havers) will choose. Will it be Van Damm (George Montgomery) or Steve (Frank Latimore)? Things work out for everybody in the end.

This is a musical that goes on for just a little too long. It's entertaining and has amusing moments, eg, Van Damm's lack of concern with Steve almost drowning, but the musical numbers are just not quite memorable enough. The songs are good and the dancing is watchable but there is nothing to wow the viewer. Vera-Ellen as Myra has a dream sequence dance to perform which is more like a nightmare. It's way too long and dull until the very end where she gets tossed around by some male dancers. As for the story, we can work out what is going to happen but it just takes a little long to get there. Celeste Holm as Miriam wins the acting honours - shame they gave her a pointless song to sing - and it's interesting to see Vera-Ellen with a bit of meat on her. I also found that June Havers and Vivian Blane, who plays Liz, were a little too similar in looks. It confused me a couple of times but then I cracked it coz Havers looks like Judy Garland for much of the film. I'm keeping onto the film to watch again because it's not bad.

One of the better Fox musicals of the day

[marcslope · 7/10 · 6 September 2023]

20th Century Fox turned out plenty of musicals in the '30s and '40s, generally boasting the likes of Betty Grable, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, John Payne, and Sonja Henie. A rich roster of talent, but most of these were hampered by weak screenplays and weaker scores, often consisting mostly of old standards that were either public domain or at least cheap. The directors were studio hacks, and this one's no exception, it's helmed by the peerlessly dull Bruce Humberstone. But it's a rare 20th attempt at a real integrated Broadway-style musical, with a Josef Myrow-Mack Gordon score that evolves naturally from the action, even with some rhyming dialogue. And the screenplay, a sort-of remake of the 1938 "Three Blind Mice," at least has a little verve. Farm girls June Haver (proficient as always, and never any more than that), Vivian Blaine (hired by Fox to replace Faye, and she didn't last long, but she did have a lovely voice), and Vera-Ellen (dubbed, and dancing up a storm in a protracted "You Make Me Feel So Young" dream ballet), alight to a fetching studio-bound Atlantic City to find rich husbands, and the best they can do are the dullish George Montgomery, Frank Lattimore, and Charles Price. But it's very colorful and tuneful, and Celeste Holm, brought in two-thirds of the way through for some plot complications and a good specialty number, walks off with the rest of the movie. There's also a nicely shot fox hunt. Not much will surprise you, but the numbers are fun, the three little girls are appealing, and it isn't overlong.

One of the best musicals you've never heard of

[MasterLcZ · 16 July 2003]

One of the most delightful musicals of the 1940s, THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE has fallen into undeserved obscurity. Its 'problem' (such as it is) is that it's an ensemble film that does not feature stars that have huge a huge fan base like Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, and that it was made by 20th Century-Fox, a studio whose musicals are often unfairly dismissed (let's face it - any studio that ISN'T the great MGM tends to gets its musicals dismissed). But from start to finish, it's irresistible, blessed by attractive performers who each get a chance to shine, Fox's lush Technicolor, a snappy script and overall good-natured cheer that never gets cloying or soggy. The plot (three sisters who fall into a small inheritance set out to trap wealthy husbands) was so popular that it was remade with slight variations over the decades, from THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM (1932), THREE BLIND MICE (1938), MOON OVER MIAMI (1941), the film under discussion, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953). Made just five years after MOON OVER MIAMI (Set in swank Art Deco Miami with Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood, Don Ameche, Robert Cummings and Jack Haley), THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE re-set the action in Atlantic City and Maryland in 1902. Musicals set in the 'Belle-Epoque' period were very popular in the 1940s, though the majority of them seem rather leaden today - THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE is a refreshing, brisk exception. Its stars were June Haver, fresh from a hit with THE DOLLY SISTERS the previous year, Vivian Blaine (her last film at Fox) and the delightful dancer Vera-Ellen (On loan to Fox from Sam Goldwyn). For the male stars, originally Victor Mature and Caesar Romero were signed, but after several weeks of shooting under director John Braham, they were replaced by George Montgomery and Frank Latimore (While Braham was replaced by H. Bruce Humberstone). Other members of the cast were Charles Smith (inexplicably uncredited!) and in her first film, Celeste Holm, who although she only makes her first appearance late in the proceedings, nearly tucks the film under her shapely arms and runs off with it as the saucy, man-hungry Cousin Miriam. The score by Mack Gordon and Joseph Myrow is bright and tuneful (unusually for a Fox musical, they mostly advance the story and are not presented 'on stage') with "You Make Me Feel So Young" (sung and danced by Vera-Ellen & Charles Smith) "On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City" "A Farmers Life is a Very Merry Life", "Always a Lady" (written for Holm in the manner of her OKLAHOMA! hit, "I Caint Say No") and "Somewhere in the Night", a dreamy ballad for Vivian Blaine being the highlights. Producer Mack Gordon borrowed his former Fox colleage Harry Warren from MGM to contribute "This Is Always" (for Haver and Montgomery), and while unusually, Warren and the song are mentioned on both the film's opening credits and the posters, the song itself was cut from the film. Thankfully, the soundtrack exists, and hopefully the picture does too. Hopefully Fox will eventually restore the film with the number put back in!

how to marry a ....

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 6 April 2020]

This version of the story is a musical. when this was introduced on Turner Classics, Michael Feinstein discussed the background of the song-writing team Myrow and Gordon. June Haver, Vera-Ellen, and Vivian Blaine are the Charter sisters, who leave the farm to go man-hunting. They have limited funds, so just like in moon over miami, one will play the rich girl, while the others will be maid and secretary. seems overly complicated, but adds mystery to the plot. it's a predecessor to how to marry a millionaire, but a successor to three blind mice and moon over miami. all similar stories, where the girls pool their resources and hope to find a (rich) hubby before they run out of cash. at one point, one of the farm girls even says you can be just as happy with a rich guy as a poor one... in true marilyn monroe style, which she quoted in both gentlemen prefer blonds and how to marry a millionaire, both in 1953. again, just like in moon over miami, there are some twists and surprises, when the girls are caught in their scheme. Not really a fan of this 1946 version; it's a period piece, takes place around 1900. I'd have to say How to Marry a Millionaire is best, and Moon over Miami is next. some of the songs they sing here just bring the story to a screeching halt. the dance on the giant piano keyboard is clever, but SO out of place in this film. another odd decision. doesn't help the story any. feels like they had a collection of songs they were determined to use, whether they fit the story or not. Directed by Bruce Humberstone. and oddly, Mack Gordon, one of the song writers is also producer and writer. he sure earned his pay on this one. it's okay, but nothing too special. the best part is a 29 year old Celeste Holm, so young and skinny. just four years later, she will be nominated for her role in All about Eve.

Thought Betty Grable was in it.

[gkeith_1 · 7/10 · 6 December 2014]

I thought Betty Grable was in it. Liked the three, though. Slow moving sort of musical. Badly faded print. Colors faded. How to Marry a Millionaire it reminded me of. Gold Diggers of 1946, lol. $9.75 daily rate for deluxe hotel suite looked like it might be $1,000 a night today. Later pics these three were in -- Look for the Silver Lining, On the Town, Guys and Dolls.

I was hoping to see a lot of dancing, but I saw one big dance fantasy scene performed by none other than Vera-Ellen, she of Miss Turnstiles fame in On the Town opposite Gene Kelly. Here, she frolics in childhood frocks on a fantasy carousel plus on a huge piano, then dances opposite a bunch of scary-looking men dressed in Dutch-Boy costumes. The dancing was very energetic, odd but different.

The two men sweet on June Haver reminded me of Mae West, who figured that it is always better to have an extra one on the back burner, just in case.

delightful in all respects

[ceva · 10/10 · 19 April 2002]

Where has this musical been hiding for the last 50 years? It's a total delight. Special bouquets go to the feminine side of the cast--June Haver, Vivian Blaine, and Celeste Holm. But perhaps the top stand-out is lovely and piquant Vera-Ellen. Her rendition of "You Make Me Feel So Young" is one of the best solo dances ever filmed.

A hard sell for me....

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 18 November 2015]

Films like "Three Little Girls in Blue" are a hard-sell for me. While I like some musicals, the style of musical that this film is would be among my least favorite films of the day. The songs are not naturally integrated into the film (like they generally were in Astaire-Rogers musicals) but were insanely big and ridiculous production numbers. So, while some of the songs were really nice (such as "You Make Me Feel So Young"), to me they were ruined with all the gloss and because they were so stilted and overdone. I am sure other old film buffs wouldn't agree with me. I am just saying this so you'll be able to put my review into context.

As for the film, it's very, very similar to the later film "How To Marry a Millionaire" but instead of three gold digger friends going to the big city to marry a mega-rich man, this involves three sisters doing the same thing (Vivian Blaine, June Haver and Vera- Ellen). But instead of the three separately looking for a guy, they pick one of them to pose as a rich woman and the other two to pose as a maid as well as a secretary. While some mind find this cute, I also have a bias and felt this wasn't exactly romance!

The overall production is extremely glossy--with the full Twentieth Century-Fox treatment--vivid Technicolor, lovely music and nice sets. The film DOES look very nice but otherwise it left me a bit flat. Watchable but nothing special.

the best movie i ever saw .. unforgettable for the happiness it produced for all the viewers

[mandalay · 10/10 · 22 February 2001]

Wish there were movies today made with the fun and laughter and brilliance this encompassed .. Loved this film and never forgot it! Would love to purchase it if anyone has an idea where I can please let me know .. Thank you ..

3 Little Girls in Blue-How Do You Don't **1/2

[edwagreen · 5/10 · 17 February 2011]

The same old theme with 3 sisters going to any lengths to catch rich guys. Of course, it's always where poor fellows get involved and everyone trying to deceive everyone else.

Naturally, our story boils down to mismatched lovers and everyone quickly comes together in the end.

The sisters are lovely and the songs are nicely staged, especially The Boardwalk song from Atlantic City.

Celeste Holm joins the cast an hour into the film. She plays the sister of the wealthy guy who has designs on one of his not-so-rich friend. At least, the Vera Ellen character is down to earth since she loves the bell-hop.

Holm actually sings her song partially in French. I am always a lady is the translation to what she sings.

For 90 minutes, it's fun filled, but musicals have been better.

smooth and simple

[mukava991 · 11 March 2020]

Three Little Girls in Blue is a smooth and simple, musical fairy tale showcasing some clever and intricate lyrics by Mack Gordon to Joseph Myrow's music which enchant the viewer right at the opening on a New Jersey chicken farm ("A Farmer's Life Is a Very Merry Life") and recur at just the appropriate junctures thereafter and include the enduring favorite "You Make Me Feel So Young." Other plusses include an intelligently lighthearted script by a large team of writers, gorgeous color photography, artful lighting effects, witty directorial touches and the three beautifully costumed and coiffed leading ladies. The male leads are less impressive, though Charles Smith as an eccentric valet who falls for Vera-Ellen is the most surprising and delightful. V-E herself as one of the titular girls is given ample opportunity to show off her balletic and acrobatic dancing skills in lively but overly busy choreography. Celeste Holm appears late in the story as an acerbically articulate, wacky but goodhearted Southern belle who helps tie up the plot in good old-fashioned musical comedy style.

When You Smile, I'm a Rich Man - The Story of Three Little Girls

[JLRMovieReviews · 9/10 · 13 July 2012]

June Haver, Vivian Blaine and Vera-Ellen are Three Little Girls in Blue, in this film about three sisters who are left alone, after their parents died and are left only enough money to get to Atlantic City and to find rich husbands. George Montgomery and Frank Latimore are constantly falling over each other to get to June Haver, ignoring Vivian Blaine at first and Vera-Ellen is smitten with a bellboy, played by Charles Smith. This is a very sweet, upbeat, and crowd-pleasing little film, with great musical numbers, including a show-stopping one with Vera-Ellen and her bellboy, that embodies the heart of the film. He says to Vera, "When you smile, I'm a rich man." Does everything work out in the end? You tell me.

it was about three sisters who go to town with an inheritance to find and marry wealthy men.

[mcjh16 · 10/10 · 17 December 2001]

it was an outstanding, award worthy,movie that left you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. the actors/actresses played their parts so well it was as if you were in the movie. the plot and unexpected twists add to the experience, you don't even notice that it's in black and white. the movie all around is a great movie.

One of the best of the forgotten musicals

[flarepilot · 19 May 2015]

Within minutes of watching this beautiful technicolor film, I was reminded of "Moon over Miami".

But this one is better. The music is better containing two great songs and lots of fine songs. "On the boardwalk in Atlantic City" was written for this film as was "You make me feel so young". both are worth the price of admission.

An unsung character actor, Charlie Smith, one of my favorites has a very nice role, perhaps his best.

I prefer the period this is set in (1902) to the other versions of this film ("Moon over Miami" in 1940) and ("How to marry a millionaire" in the 1950s".)

The story is three girls with a little money looking for boys with a lot of money. 'nuff said there.

Great Technicolor, Great orchestrations, Beautiful costumes.

There are now four movies that rank with very nice technicolor musicals that deserve your attention. Some are remakes, Some are better in some ways. Some are musicialized versions of plays.

"Summer Holiday"(mickey rooney) "Three Little Girls in Blue" "One Sunday in the Park" "Two Weeks with Love".

Overlooked, but top quality!

Vera-Ellen Steals the Show

[dougdoepke · 23 May 2015]

Lush musical where the title tells all. The three little-- actually well-developed-- farm girls are out to marry rich guys in Atlantic City. Being cute as buttons and over-dressed in styles of the day, they meet up with guys who at least act rich. Trouble is, the girls have agreed that Haver should pretend to be rich while other two sisters (Blaine & Vera-Ellen) should pretend to be her assistants. Thus complications ensue, especially of the romantic kind.

In my book Vera-Ellen steals the show with her gamin looks and lively style. Plus she gets that really long song and dance number—You Make Me Feel So Young-- which amounts to the movie's centerpiece. I hope TCF paid her well for the lengthy effort. Meanwhile, Blaine and Haver get the glamor and the good-looking guys, Latimore and Montgomery. And catch Celeste Holm's ante-bellum southern lady, with her sharp-tongued Scarlett O'Hara asides. They're a hoot for old movie fans. And in case you're in doubt about the plot, surprise, surprise, things do get sorted out in typical Hollywood musical style.

Anyway, the 100-minutes is lavishly produced, with glossy candy-box colors. I suspect the film's not better known because it lacks headliner male leads—Montgomery would eventually find his niche in B-westerns. Also, I agree with some reviewers that editing down the romance parts would give the movie and musical numbers more impact. Nonetheless, the film remains a lively mix of glamour and song from TCF's golden period.