Las siete novias

I just saw this movie a few days ago on TCM (Turner Classic Movies), and I was not disappointed. I wasn't expecting much so I was pleasantly surprised to come away from this film with a smile on my face. The acting was even good for the type of film it was, I have not been the biggest Van Heflin fan but he is actually very likeable in this film, so much so that I think I may be a fan of his now. ;-)

The stand-out performances came from Heflin, Hunt, and Sakall but Grayson was very cute, although I am not a fan of her singing it wasn't THAT bad this time. Although still a little too high and chirpy sounding for me.

I must praise Marsha Hunt though, she seems to be good in every film she's in, even when the role doesn't call for her to do much of anything. In this role she really gets to show a comedic side that I've never seen from her before, and it gave me even more respect for her. It's such a pity she didn't become a bigger star cause she had the beauty and the talent for it.

I recommend this film if you're in the mood for some light entertainment, Toots. ;-)

"Seven Sweethearts" is about a journalist who travels to Holland, Michigan to do a story about tulip time there and falls in love. The owner of the hotel has seven young, lovely daughters, all with men's names, who live in an isolated little world of clogs and tulips. One of them is pretty Billie (Kathryn Grayson) with whom the jaded reporter falls in love. All the girls, with the exception of the ambitious, cold Reggie (Marsha Hunt) have boyfriends and are aching to get married. But tradition states that the oldest girl must marry first.

This movie seemed very long to me, strange, and somewhat boring. It's filled with B actors, with the exception of Heflin, Grayson, and character actor S.K. Sakall, who hands in one of the best acting scenes toward the end of the film when he has a confrontation with Billie. Grayson had a thin, fluttery coloratura soprano that nevertheless possessed some beautiful high notes and pianissimos, and she entertains throughout with songs and arias such as "Je suis Titania." She's good in her role. Heflin seems out of place but is quite likable.

For those who don't know, the oldest girl marrying first was and perhaps still is a tradition in many cultures. The ending is cute, but this is still a cloying film, and it's hard to believe that this family had no relatives in Holland that they were concerned about during wartime. I suppose the idea was to take everyone out of the war for a while.

An American man from NYC arrives in a small town where Dutch people live.This is a very strange place to be ,predating Minnelli's "Brigadoon" .A place where time stood still:you do not pay when you are staying at the hotel,the girls all bear boys' name -cause dad wanted boys-and they can 't get married till the eldest does.By no means one of multi-talented Borzage's greatest achievements (most of them were behind him at the time),his movie retains freshness , a "Carpe Diem" spirit ,a good antidote to stress .My favorite scene takes place in the church.Good performances by the whole cast,particularly Van Heflin who learns to like another way of life.

A wonderful film to sit back and simply ENJOY---no pretense, no attempts at greatness...just a chance to escape and enjoy the world as it was once-upon-a-time in Hollywood.

This despite a few references to WWII and even the term "goosestep" used in the lyrics to "You and the Waltz", sung by Kathryn Grayson and accompanied on the piano by Carl Esmond's character. And HEY---why were those five strapping young male suitors always hanging around the hotel, instead of off fighting the war?? But...as one reviewer said, this film was meant to take the viewer away from the overseas hostilities during the very dark and turbulent year of 1942.

I would agree that Miss Grayson's singing can be a distraction, but her light, rather quivery ("tremolo" as it's called in the film), somewhat shrill and brittle sound was the taste of the day....and she WAS in fact a very capable coloratura soprano. I wish she would have sung something other than the big "Mignon" aria at the Festival's concert scene...something more in tune with the film itself, more folksy and romantic. Loved the big outdoor Festival scene (the kind which MGM always did so well), the kitschy all-girl orchestra number as dinner music, and the singing of the moving hymn "We Gather Together" in the church; it's so refreshing and touching to see the sincerity of a scene like that appearing in a mainstream film of that bygone era.

SK Szakall is wonderful in this film; a first-rate, substantial performance, requiring lots of humor, split-second timing, and some very tender pathos. Marsha Hunt is stunningly gorgeous as always, even though her role requires that she play a pain-in-the-neck.

And where did the main pair of lovers decide to settle down? One would hope that they chose to stay right there in Tulip Town.

A delightful precursor to "Brigadoon", with certain similarities to "Seven Brides", both of which MGM would be hard at work on a decade later, during the sad decline of the Hollywood musical.

Reporter Van Heflin travels to a small town to write about their annual tulip festival, but as soon as he gets there, he's greeted with nothing but strangeness from the town's residents. First, the head honcho, S.Z. Sakall, sits in the middle of the square and plays the oboe, the local hotel is full of colorful characters, and S.Z's seven daughters all have boys' names!

Since all seven daughters are beautiful, Van has a difficult choice on his hands. The oldest, Marsha Hunt, and the youngest, Kathryn Grayson, are the highest contenders for his affections, and it isn't long before the audience finds out the reason for Marsha's heavy come-on. According to tradition, the oldest daughter has to get married before any of the others can-and S.Z.'s very old fashioned!

Most people probably aren't going to choose to sit down and watch this obscure old movie, but for the few of you out there who remember Kathryn Grayson and love listening to her beautiful voice, she's given plenty of songs to show it off. Her beautiful coloratura soprano voice shines, but if you don't like opera singing, this movie will probably drive you up the wall.

I'm the first to admit I don't usually like Van Heflin, and I usually get him confused with Van Johnson and Arthur Kennedy, but in this movie he's actually a lot more likable than he usually is! I've never seen him in a romantic comedy before, and when he smiles and jokes around, he doesn't seem as grumpy as he normally does. Kathryn is also very sweet and likable, so once again, if you're looking for a film of hers to watch-she didn't make too many unfortunately-you could do a lot worse than Seven Sweethearts.

One more compliment for this light-hearted B movie: S.Z. Sakall, usually cast as a laughable foreigner, was given the opportunity to actually act in this movie, and he did a very good job. As a father terribly attached to his daughters, when he learns they're considering marrying and leaving him, he gets very hurt. If you watch this movie, you'll find out how effective his pouts can be.