BLG-2

I agree that after 37 years this film is dated, but it's still interesting, and the ensemble performances are excellent. That moving speech by Spencer Tracy makes me puddle up every time. Roy Glenn had the finest speaking voice ever heard on film.

Here are my quibbles: Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were both marvelous in their parts, but way too old-looking to play the parents of a 23-year-old. They were and looked older than the parents of Sidney Poitier's character, who was 37! (The wonderful Beah Richards, who like Angela Lansbury often played older parts, was only a few years older than Poitier!) For Tracy to tell Cecil Kellaway (who gave a delightful performance) that black Americans won't be accepted in Kellaway's lifetime and not even in his (Tracy's) was ludicrious. Tracy was at death's door, and it showed. Kellaway may have been older than Tracy but was obviously healthier. I also thought it rather presumptious of Katherine Houghton to say that Poitier's parents could afford to fly to Europe for the wedding, just because they flew to San Francisco to L.A. Europe is a long way from California and involves a lot more air fare.

I wanted to address some of the comments made by another reviewer below. I found it interesting that one of the other reviewers felt it wasn't realistic for Roy Glenn's character to be completely against his son marrying a white woman. This may come as a shock to you, but prejudice works both ways. It's not the exclusive domain of WASPs. Black families don't rejoice at the thought of intermarriage, and my guess would be that American Indians, Asians, Hawaiians, Hispanics, Middle Easterners, or any other group who want to retain their ethnicity don't like it much either. I don't think anyone is comfortable with the thought of their descendants, having evolved into a completely different ethnic heritage than the original ancestors (i.e., from black to white, from Asian to white, from white to Middle Eastern, etc.,) sitting around the table talking about how much they dislike the people of the same culture as their ancestors.

Regarding class, I feel the producers *shouldn't* have made this a big issue. The doctor, despite his modest upbringin, was now wealthy, and Joey's character had grown up with money. Tracy and Hepburn weren't worried about Poitier not being able to support their daughter in the manner to which she was accustomed. That was the least of their problems. The wedding announcements in the New York Times show plenty of marriages between women whose mothers are school headmistresses and fathers who are inventors and artists and men who are corporate VPs and attorneys but whose mothers sell girdles at Macy's and whose fathers are bus drivers. What's important was that the parents know how to carry themselves, know how to speak, and can walk into a mansion and feel like they belong there, as opposed to coming in dressed inappropriately, saying "dese" and "dose," and stare open-mouthed at their surroundings. Glenn and Richards were the picture of elegance and decorum.

Sweet story of a small-town girl who seeks fame and fortune on the stage. Judy Garland, like other ladies blessed with gorgeous voices, i.e. Celine Dion, Sarah Vaughan, Barbra Streisand, was not beautiful, but she looks pretty good here. I always liked Van Heflin, although due to the gaps in their ages and heights, when shot from certain angles he looks more paternal than like a love interest. I felt the romance developed too quickly and would have enjoyed seeing it happen more gradually. Judy's main song in this film, "When I Look at You," is a standout.

Sweet, romantic film that begins on a very sad basis but ends on a hopeful note. I've always liked Jack Scalia, and even though he's a little older here he's still good-looking. He and Sean Young made an attractive couple. This film is set in Manhattan, but other than some obligatory shots of the skyline and the theater district was obviously filmed elsewhere, like maybe Toronto. That was okay, but what spoiled it for me was the cop who seemed to work completely independently of protocol (a homicide cop with no partner?), bringing a civilian along for interrogations, arrests, etc. Yeah, right. This is totally unrealistic and would no more happen than you would see Steve McQueen chasing somebody at 100 mph in Bullitt. But the love story in the latter half of the film and the chemistry between the stars makes it worthwhile.

I agree that it was touching in spots, downright sad in others, but what really spoiled it for me was the fact that the leading man and lady weren't able to kiss because of the race issue. That made it seem very stilted and unbelievable. Just when did they throw out the ban on interracial kissing, anyway?

I'm rolling on the floor after reading the breakdown of a typical episode provided by a viewer dated 01/07/03. He's right on the money. But I do enjoy Lenny Briscoe's (Jerry Orbach) wisecracks. He, along with S. Epatha Merkerson, has had a long tenure on the show, plus he's past retirement age, but I hope he never leaves. I love the show! One thing annoys me, and that's the use of guest stars. Whenever Gary Busey or Henry Winkler (he was on the Friday night franchise) or John Ritter (ditto) show up in passing, you know their character has something to do with the dead body. Big names like these aren't gonna just film cameos. Just one question: Has anyone else noticed how Serena Southerlyn looks like she's going to play ball when she appears in court? Is she from the Meg Ryan Hair School. Every time I see her I want to say, "Comb your hair!"

I enjoyed this cute story of gold-diggers on the prowl. I agree with those who said that musical prologue was way too long -- it was eight minutes before the opening credits came on! This seemed the perfect setting for Marilyn Monroe to sing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," but that gem was in another of her films. I don't agree with those who said Betty Grable was too old for her part. She merely *looked* old. I tried to figure out why. She was only 35 years old. She was still slim (possibly even slimmer than Lauren Bacall, who'd recently had her second child) and her face looked relatively youthful. So why did she look 45? I concluded it was the hair. That poodle cut was unflattering and added years. I also enjoyed Grable's coy reference to real-life husband Harry James and Bacall's to Bogart. All in all, a charming movie and a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

Joan Crawford is sympathetic and more attractive than I've ever seen her (and she still looked great in a swimsuit), Ann Blyth is a monster, Zachary Scott is suave, Eve Arden sprouts zingy one-liners, Butterfly McQueen squeaks. But my favorite performance in this movie is that of Jack Carson. His Wally Fay is a joy to watch, with his quick wit and sharp business knack. They did an all right job with this movie, but I liked the book better. I guess the Hays office wouldn't allow Veda to walk off with both her mother's fortune and her mother's husband. The evil must get what they deserve! By the way, did anyone else notice that scene where Bert turns and walks off after Mildred and Veda reconcile? Mildred and Veda talk long enough for Bert to have left the house, but when Mildred realizes she hasn't thanked him, he's only a few feet away. It drives me crazy every time I see it.

From what I've heard about Lawrence Tierney, he often played brutal tough guys, but here he played against type, as a clean cut Marine just home from WWII who meets a blonde on the beach (Anne Jeffreys). The blonde returns to her beach house, and when the Marine locks his keys in his car it's a great excuse to knock on her door for help . . . but the people in the house say they've never heard of her. Thus begins a merry little chase film. With a running time of just about an hour, you could do worse with your time!

There are two numbers in this movie that are standouts, and fortunately, they come close together. Marilyn Monroe singing "Heat Wave," (anybody else notice how her navel was covered but there was a cutout below revealing part of her abdomen?) and the charming Donald O'Connor singing (and dancing!) "A Man Chases a Girl (until she catches him)." Other than that, there's practically no plot, Johnnie Ray exaggerates his lyrics (one wonders how the bisexual Ray felt about playing a priest), and Ethel Merman is typically loud (I love it when Dan Dailey says, "Who are you, Whispering Jack Smith?" when she tells him not to raise his voice to her) but looks fabulous. I remember Ethel Merman as an overweight woman with big hair and had seen photos of her in her youth she knew she was pretty in her young days, but in her middle years (she was 46 years old when this was filmed) she was still quite shapely and rather attractive. But as good as Ethel and Dan looked together, Donald and Marilyn just didn't go together. Marilyn looked much too old and worldly for Donald, even though I believe they were born the same year. Together they didn't work, but separately they were great. Too bad Donald really isn't given credit for his fine singing voice in addition to his wonderful dancing.

Charming film, funny, and leaves you with a real feel-good feeling. Does anybody know why all those babies in 1940's films look so . . . well, homely?

I like S.Z. Sakall (spelling?), and I LOVED the part where he asks the African-American waiter if "catastrophe" is good. The waiter's reply is so intelligent, you just know he's going to med school nights on the GI bill or something. This is something simply not seen in films of this era, and it floors me every time. I wish it could have happened more often . . .

Two things I noticed about the movie: The very talented Obba Babatunde, who is obviously 45+, was too old to play a young (early 20s) Harold Nicholas. He appeared older than the actor who played his brother Fayard, who in reality is about six years older than Harold! Another thing that bothered me was that scene were DD gives her manager the speech about knowing all about the South, and then she asks him to zip her so she could go to the bathroom and he gives her a Dixie cup. It makes me want to know where in the South she was able to use the bathroom!

I've seen, or tried to watch (couldn't get through the 1981 TV version) both versions of this story. The problem was that the screenwriters in both instances modernized the story, and it didn't work either time. I'd still love to see this novel brought to the screen as it was written. It was, after all, one of the best-selling books of all time, and they did it for Gone With the Wind. Most of its believability was that it took place in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. I picture a four-hour miniseries with authentic period settings and women who can convincingly play from their 20s to their late 30s. (The casting of the original three actresses was one about the only thing I thought was perfect, even if Sharon Tate wasn't as well endowed as her character was described.) With the entertainment world constantly recycling old stuff I think there's still a chance for somebody to get it right; it deserves to be told.

I only tune in to the end when Turner Classics shows this movie so I can see the Get Happy number, in which Judy Garland is just marvelous. She looks fab, too. Clearly this movie was shot in two parts with a diet in between, for in the beginning of the film Judy, a great talent but never a beauty, is also quite pudgy. It strains credulity to think Gene Kelly would be interested in her rather than her sister, played by Gloria DeHaven. But she's in top form at the end in that tuxedo jacket and hat worn at a rakish angle. This number is one of my all-time favorites.

I like the fact that this is a rare story where a woman is dependent upon her own wits to get out of a life-threatening situation instead of being doubtful when the man is trying to get out of the same. A great cast. Excellent chemistry between Michael Douglas and Genevieve Bujold, Elizabeth Ashley is cool, and nobody plays a better bad guy than Richard Widmark. Look for Tom Selleck as a patient and a young Ed Harris (with a full head of hair) who jokes that his being a pathology resident "keeps my wife in line."

I remember watching this for the first time when I was a kid. I was blown away by the Nicholas Brothers' dance, especially when they jumped down those stairs . . . and it still blows me away! Slim storyline, and Bill Robinson was way too old to play a romantic interest of the young Lena Horne, but a great look at some of the biggest African-American stars of the day: Katherine Dunham, the great Fats Waller (who died later that same year,) Cab Calloway. I could have done without the blackface makeup of the comedy team, even though their skit was amusing. And look for a young adult Stymie Beard (of the Little Rascals) with two lines as a stagehand who is directed by Bill Robinson to call half hour to showtime for the performers.

RKO managed to put out a sweet movie, even with the cheesy backdrops (the African scenes) and special effects (they obviously used toy vehicles in one scene). You'll root for the good guys and laugh at the rougish character played by Robert Armstrong as he schemes to get Joe back home. Look for Irene Ryan (who later played "Granny" on the Beverly Hillbillies) in a quick scene in the nightclub.

The performances weren't bad, but full of inaccuracies. Susann and Irving Mansfield were married in 1939, but the film shows them meeting and marrying in the 1950s. Their son was a teenager, not a little kid, when Valley of the Dolls became successful; and a grown man when Susann slipped into her final illness. And Valley was not Susann's first book. I don't understand the reason for tinkering with the dates; they easily could have shown the important stuff, skipped the unsuccessful years and then fast forwarded to the publication of the ode Susann wrote to her poodle and the writing of Valley.

Hollywood was clearly not ready for this type of drama, which is full of compromise. Screen lovers Dorothy Dandridge and John Justin are clearly not allowed to kiss. Ditto for Joan Fontaine and Harry Belafonte (incidentally, Fontaine's comment about the two of them being children together should have been left out; she looks good, but it's still obvious that she's a good ten years older than he.)

Two things I noticed about the movie: The very talented Obba Babatunde, who is obviously 45+, was too old to play a young (early 20s) Harold Nicholas. He appeared older than the actor who played his brother Fayard, who in reality is about six years older than Harold! Another thing that bothered me was that scene were DD gives her manager the speech about knowing all about the South, and then she asks him to zip her so she could go to the bathroom and he gives her a Dixie cup. It makes me want to know where in the South she was able to use the bathroom!

Two things I noticed about the movie: The very talented Obba Babatunde, who is obviously 45+, was too old to play a young (early 20s) Harold Nicholas. He appeared older than the actor who played his brother Fayard, who in reality is about six years older than Harold! Another thing that bothered me was that scene were DD gives her manager the speech about knowing all about the South, and then she asks him to zip her so she could go to the bathroom and he gives her a Dixie cup. It makes me want to know where in the South she was able to use the bathroom!