This is one of the strangest 'musicals' I've ever seen. I saw that one commenter had played Jimmy Smith in a production in 1974. I myself was one of the twin pianists in the Broadway show for the last 6 months of the run, in which I worked with Ruby Keeler, Helen Gallagher, Bobby Van, and Patsy Kelly, and after Keeler left, for Martha Raye, who was taking Patsy Kelly's maid role over but was given Ruby's big 'I want to Be Happy' number. It didn't work, but this had been a great experience for me.
I had watched 'Tea for Two' a few years ago, thought it was just fair, nothing special, I was watching just a bunch of old Doris Day things from that period. This was not one of the best, unlike 'Love me or Love Me' or 'Calamity Jane'. I don't remember how much of the score it kept, not nearly all, but here you don't even get a single whole song, except maybe one full verse of 'Tea for Two', sung by Tom and Nanette in different places. That's fairly nice, but 'I want to Be Happy' is never but a snippet, there's a little of the title song that Neagle sings at the very beginning, still only a line or two; and I think later in the movie there is a snippet of 'Take a Little One Step', which was Ruby's other big number in the B'way show, but it is not even sung as a fragment. I really don't understand this, because the sets and costumes didn't look shoddy or cheap at all. Ms. Neagle is extremely pretty and quite charming, I thought. Victor Mature is stunningly handsome at that age, he really is very much the hunk already, and very sexy. Richard Carlson is also very handsome in a different, lighter kind of way. Beautiful young people and wonderful costumes and luxury are what are on display to enjoy. I looked at the cast of the 1930 version and that at least had Bill and Lucille Early from the original production, but this plot had almost no resemblance to the show I did. Nanette did not ballet (Ms. Neagle's dancing is not terribly distinguished) and both Tom and Nanette are much more naive and 'pure ingenue'. I was surprised I enjoyed as much as I did. I just gave up on it early on as having anything much at all to do with the show I enjoyed doing live. I think it had less music than any musical I ever saw: at least 'Louisiana Purchase', although it leaves out a lot of Berlin's songs, has a couple of big numbers, even if most of the songs are left out (and that's quite a good film.)
