La rue de la gaieté

Remake of 1943's "Coney Island" (both starring Betty Grable!) has Victor Mature (in suits and straw hats) playing a hustler-showman conning old acquaintance Phil Harris into going in business together in 1890s Chicago. Seems nightclub owner Harris has scuffled with a rowdy drunk and believes he's killed him; Mature holds this over his head and steals his girl in the process! Screenwriter Charles Lederer has penned a great deal of smart, sassy patter (broken up every now and again by cute musical numbers), but he fumbles what little plot there is. Lederer also isn't helped by the casting: Phil Harris seems like such a genuinely nice guy (with a big, gregarious smile) that Mature comes off a bit cold-hearted by contrast (he's not the dashing romantic intended). Grable is very lively on stage and funny in a catfight scene with a showgirl; she keeps a heated temper throughout and gives the movie a good goosing. Also funny is Margaret Hamilton in small role as a crusader for decency (no one displays comic indignation better than Hamilton). Fox production values a bit low, although the trick photography during a ferris wheel sequence is well done and Harris has a funny bit there inadvertently proposing to a sailor. ** from ****

Another movie watched at period 1978's era of my youth time, haven't seeing it until nowadays for any source, due it wasn't release on DVD format and almost forgotten from cable TV and so for, thus the only way to re-watch it again appeal on Youtube where some channels had it on bad shape, any subtitles at all, it somehow has served its purpose plenty in last night.

A Fox musical with Betty Grable means a huge box-office at its time, on so glorious dancing & singing girl, in other hand the male star Victor Mature whereof hasn't any skill to do nothing on musicals, thus the producers allowed him a manager of showbiz, Wabash Avenue as title is mean a famous Chicago avenue where all began in burlesque night club where the owner Mike Stanley (Phil Harris) has a star Ruby Summers (Betty Grable) when sudden appears an old acquaintance of Mike the skunk Andy Clark (Victor Mature) whom in the past was Mike's partner, Andy is broke, meanwhile flirting on Ruby he envisages on Mike's lofty position to reach on the top, he suggests become his partner on a newest high class enterprise which Mike promptly denied.

Cornered Andy enforced a riot on the night club over the Ladies's league of the decency protesting in front there, thus the Ladies invade the place causing struggles and breaking breaks widespread, on the fight Mike ends up punched so hardly his old pal and hammered singer-tap dancer Harrigan (James Barton) that hits his head in a bar fainting after, the wise Andy grabs Harrigan and pretend him as a dead man to naïve Mike who begs to Andy does not telling it to the police, the greedy Andy agrees as long as he becomes his partner on high class night club, in a dead end Mike surrender, however the farse doesn't take too long.

A forgotten picture in lowest numbers of reviews posted here, impossible not to laugh on ferris wheel sequence when Mike is misleading by Andy, when Mike is about to asking Ruby hands for a marriage without notice a sailor in double seat, what a funniest scene, both double-crossing each other along the entire picture, priceless, as the whole, worthwhile take a look.

Resume:

First watch: 1978 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 7.

Betty Grable has always been adorable, awfully cute to look at and to watch dancing. Generally she didn't have to DO anything besides be and look cute, which she did awfully well. But act? In "Wabash Avenue" she does!

It's a slight story, full of clichés and not-especially-developed characters, but Betty Grable so completely dominates her scenes and the entire movie that "Wabash Avenue" is a must-see.

You MUST watch her face -- not just her legs -- and her body movements. She gives what must be her greatest performance, and she is absolutely marvelous. She hits just the right notes in gestures and expressions and I would recommend "Wabash Avenue" for third and fourth viewings just to see her.

Then there's Phil Harris. Usually he gets to be a cardboardish caricature of himself, which is usually all he needs to be and all we want or need him to be. But as "Mike Stanley," he out-does himself, and probably no one else could have given quite the same portrayal. He too is marvelous.

He and the other excellent cast members are helped, immensely, by some clever and entertaining dialogue, some OK music and beautiful and/or skimpy costumes, and some excellent character actors, especially James Barton, who steals every scene he's in, and the great Reginald Gardiner.

Of course we shouldn't omit mention of Victor Mature who gives a good performance without taking off his shirt or wielding a weapon. He probably deserves more respect generally.

"Wabash Avenue" is not necessarily a great movie, but it is fun and, as mentioned above, Betty Grable and Phil Harris are reason enough to watch and re-watch.

Ruby Summers (Betty Grable) plays the main attraction at a Chicago burlesque theater run by Mike Stanley (Phil Harris), when Andy Clark (Victor Mature) an old acquaintance, shows up. Set around the turn of the century, with references to Oscar Hammerstein and the suffragette movement (a scene with Margaret Hamilton playing the leader of a militant band intent on wiping out these kinds of establishments leads her girls into Harris' club). The film has numerous musical numbers with Grable dressed up in some stunning outfits, as she sings and dances across the stage backed up by knock-out chorus line girls. The arrival of Harrigan (James Barton) as a heavy drinking tap dancer, energizes an already fast paced film. Phil Harris' part as the slightly crooked owner of the club is great as he and Mature outmaneuver each other for Grable, who looks great in the outfits, with the whole thing glamorized by lush Technicolor.

What a shame. The colour is great as are the costumes for the showgirls on stage, but there is far too much time wasted with a comedy Irish drunk character and the plot will have you asking "where's the story?" as well as the story being completely ludicrous when it actually gets going. The idea is that Victor Mature (Andrew) will fool Phil Harris (Mike) into thinking Harris has killed someone in order to blackmail Harris to produce a show together and steal his girlfriend Betty Grable (Ruby).

Grable keeps this watchable with her music numbers otherwise it would be a bore and quite annoying with that idiotic drunken James Barton (Harrigan) taking up far too much screen time and grinding the film to a halt every time he appears.