Rich, Young and Pretty

Very late July, and it is my silly season for watching films. I love diversity, and I am drawn to what I call ' easy ' old films, from any country, and almost any genre. This musical is bearable because it has Danielle Darrieux in it, singing two of the most passable songs in the film. Jane Powell is always good to watch, but the Paris it is set in is beyond fake, bordering on the ridiculous. Wendell Corey and Vic Damone are awful, and the latter could not act at all. My main gripe is that it has every French stereotype in the cinematic book, some scenes cringe worthy and one example is when Corey sings a song ( badly ) called I think ' Deep in the Heart of Texas ' in a Paris restaurant. And forces other to sing along with him. No one went to Paris to make this mediocre film, and it seems to me it was a Joe Pasternak produced piece of froth firmly directed to middle America who could fantasise over Paris cliches. Darrieux holds the film together and no spoilers on the contrived plot. I have no idea why in 1951 she wanted to be in it, considering she was at her career peak with films like ' Occupe Toi D'Amelie '. A 5 for every scene that manages to bring this nonsense to life. She is superb.

Firstly, I had seen Miss Darieux in several movies. In this one, not even a trace of a French accent - amazing. Also, enjoyed Lamas, an Argentinian with a what-kind-of accent. By the way, whatever happened to his heart-throb son? Back to "Rich, Young and Pretty," I say pooh - double pooh - or poohpooh to the naysayers who dissected this movie and found fault with the performers and/or the script.

The songs were good, but certainly not MGM's best. The happiest surprise was "Deep In the Heart of Texas" - what a joy, and the song involving the great Four Freshmen.

The ballads were fairly decent - nothing more, nothing less. As for the fellow with the cane and cigar box who does not like Jane Powell - to quote Gen. McAuliffe when asked about surrendering to Germany - NUTS! I don't know if she was pretty or cute, so I settle for pretty cute. Her voice, not quite as strong as Kathryn Grayson, is still quite beautiful.

One of that era's best singers was Vic Damone who could sing powerfully, or pleasantly. I enjoyed him.

I loved the ending with its flying saucers - and knives, forks, spoons, and French cuisine.

Yes, I enjoyed the movie, and I'm proud to admit it. Onward and upward.

One of Jane Powell's best musicals for MGM is Rich, Young and Pretty and Ms. Powell winds up all three and married to boot.

She and father Wendell Corey and housekeeper Una Merkel are in Paris where Wendell is on business for the United Nations where he works.

But he wasn't always a high powered diplomat. After the first World War he took a French bride, Danielle Darrieux, back to Texas. Texas didn't agree with Danielle and she left Wendell and her infant daughter. Wendell has told Jane her mother had passed away.

Of course all this deception by Corey leaves room for more deception by Danielle upon Jane's arrival in Paris. With a little subterfuge Darrieux and Powell meet. And Powell's also got eyes for a young French official, Vic Damone and she's forgetting about the boy she's seeing back home.

The story line of Rich, Young, and Pretty gets a little too cute, but there are some talented players here to smooth out the rough spots. And Nicholas Brodzsky and Sammy Cahn wrote some nice songs. One of them, Wonder Why, was nominated for Best Song, but lost to In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening. Still Wonder Why is a very pretty ballad, sung by both Damone and Powell.

My favorite song however is Paris, a city that certainly has inspired some of our best songwriters. Here it's done by Fernando Lamas and sung well.

Fans of this talented cast will want to see their stars perform even though the story is a bit silly.

No need to recap the plot, which at the beginning resembles that of Giant (1956). Musicals generally live or die by the quality of the music. By that standard, this one is pretty much a snoozer following a string of forgettably bland numbers, which at least don't annoy.

The movie itself stands as a clear instance of lead performers outshining the material— mainly, the always sparkling Jane Powell and a fabulous Danielle Darrieux. Even the seemingly miscast Corey, so usually dour, manages an agreeable father. While in a tacked-on role, a hunky Fernando Lamas is clearly on his way up. One can sympathize, however, with boyish crooner Damone in his first film-- his self-consciousness almost flies off the screen.

I expect critics are right about the problems caused by Powell's pregnancy. The production has a less polished, more constrained look than the usual high MGM standard. This could well be due to a hurry-up schedule and Powell's growing girth. Whatever the reason, the movie's a chance to catch the ravishing French actress Darrieux in one of her few American roles. Otherwise, it's pretty forgettable.

RICH, YOUNG AND PRETTY is a perfect example of how not to film a musical. First of all, the script is a shambles, even if Sidney Sheldon did have a hand in it. The story is trite from beginning to end, Jane Powell's voice is completely wasted with forgettable songs, and I kept thinking how this was the sort of plot featured in so many Deanna Durbin films--but done with more skill and polish for Durbin.

As bad as the film is, there are a couple of compensations. First, Danielle Darrieux is charming and skillful in her role as Jane's mother, even tossing off a few songs in a professional manner. Her song partner, Fernando Lamas, has a rather thankless role but reveals a fine baritone voice for a couple of uninspired songs.

Wendell Corey sports a mustache and seems to be filling in for Walter Pidgeon, as someone else suggested. Nevertheless, his is a pleasantly foolish role and he plays it with style, even when forced to warble off key in a silly nightclub number.

For Jane Powell's fans, there is nothing distinctive about the songs she's given to sing. In fact, all of the best numbers are delivered by Danielle Darrieux who does well by them.

The whole plot is so irritatingly simple-minded, with Vic Damone giving his worst performance ever in a romantic leading role and never bothering to sound the least bit like the Frenchman he's supposed to be. Jane is a rich girl who doesn't find out until the film's last moments that Darrieux is the mother who deserted her father way back when. And naturally, in time for the last clinch, Jane's father decides it's okay for her to marry the Frenchman (Damone).

The artificial MGM settings are rigged to make us believe we're in Paris, but even that doesn't work. For an MGM musical of the '50s, this one is the pits. It's really a B-film wrapped up in A-film status but not making the grade.