EASTER PARADE doesn't tell the typical tale of a love triangle; in fact, it's more like a love square. Even though it's Easter and he's just told her that 'It Only Happens When I Dance With You', Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) is most unceremoniously dumped by his dancing partner Nadine Hale (Ann Miller) for a high-prestige solo job headlining the Ziegfeld Follies. Bitter at being dumped both professionally *and* personally, Don swears that he'll pick any girl off the street and turn her into a dancer to rival Nadine (hard to imagine considering who was playing her!). Although he first tries to model her in Nadine's image (naming her, of all things, Juanita), he soon realises that the girl with the heartbreaking voice that he's picked up, Hannah Brown (Judy Garland), must remain Hannah Brown. They come up with new routines that suit 'Hannah & Hewes', while Hannah falls for Don as Don's buddy Johnny (Peter Lawford) falls for her. Things get a little messy for a while when Don can't seem to get over Nadine, Nadine has a lascivious eye out for Johnny, Johnny carries a torch for Hannah, and Hannah pines for Don. Still, the square doesn't remain a square for long.
In a lot of movie musicals, one tends to get the feeling that the writers are struggling to pad the plot with songs. There appears to be no such pretense in this film: from the very beginning, with Astaire singing 'Easter Parade' to open the film, one gets the impression that EASTER PARADE sets out to be a showcase for songs and a stage for dances--this is further emphasised when 'Easter Parade' segues immediately into Astaire's famous solo 'Drum Crazy' (with no intervening dialogue), which, while enchanting, has next to nothing to do with the story. The plot is skimpy, but not worriedly pushed to the side as in some other musicals... in fact, it quite happily moves over of its own accord to make way for the Irving Berlin tunes. Most of which are, no offense to the immeasurable Berlin, pleasant but not particularly memorable. There are exceptions, of course, particularly the fantastic 'A Couple Of Swells' (with enchanting dance accompaniment--Garland mugs and Astaire parodies his own 'top hat, white tie and tails' image to excellent effect). I'm also partial to the recurring love theme, 'It Only Happens When I Dance With You' and 'Better Luck Next Time'.
And of course, there's nothing really wrong with being all about the singing and the dancing when it's *such* incredible singing and dancing. It almost goes without saying that Garland, with that slightly off-kilter but heartbreakingly beautiful voice of hers, lights up the screen in all her scenes. (It's a credit to Peter Lawford that he manages to hold his own in their one number together 'A Fella With An Umbrella'!) There are also very few dancers better than Fred Astaire and Ann Miller; Astaire in all the scenes that has him tapping away as he was born to do, and Miller particularly in her rousing, beat-perfect 'Shakin' The Blues Away'. It will always be a mystery to me why Miller wasn't given more choice roles and more opportunities to show off her dancing skills (and legs!), since she always acquits herself wonderfully in any film I've seen her in (particularly ON THE TOWN and YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU) with the little screen time she almost inevitably gets.
In the late 1940s, one couldn't really be blamed for getting the impression that the MGM musical--though still big and splashy (witness the overblown 'calendar girls' segment shoved into EASTER PARADE)--was just limping along until Gene Kelly came along and shook things up with AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN to follow). Unfortunately, even with its impressive cast and great dancing, that's just what EASTER PARADE feels like... a filler. It's a slight, not too complicated or strenuous musical that's enjoyable but hardly a classic. Watch this for the performances of all concerned, but not for the plot. For that, the main stars (Astaire, Garland and Miller) have been in far worthier musicals.
