Easter Parade

For those readers who favor Ann Miller's performance please forgive me, but no one can ignore the amazing performances of both Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in their only appearance on screen together. I just thought Ann Miller and Peter Lawford's performances were the fillers so that we the audience could take a breather in anticipation for Astaire and Garland's next on screen song and dance number together.

The color and cinematography in Easter Parade is second to none, even some seventy (72) plus years later. If for nothing else, please watch Fred Astaire perform his solo song and dance number early on in this film when he enters a toy store and attempts to purchase but first must grab a big stuffed toy rabbit from a young boy. This scene has Fred tap dancing his way into our living rooms like only he and maybe Gene Kelly (who had to turn this role down because he broke his ankle and was not available when filming began) could have done. This song and dance scene alone is worth the price of admission as the choreography and especially Astaire's uncanny ability to work his way through the toy store tap dancing, drumming, jumping, and singing in this one scene is simply pure entertainment.

I give it a 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

By far the best bit of this movie is early on in the running time, when the wonderful Fred Astaire has a routine in a toy shop, to the Berlin number ‘Drum Crazy'. He's there to get an Easter present for his dancing partner (played with energy by Ann Miller), but she has a bombshell to drop: she's leaving him to join a bigger name stage show, and he's left high and dry without an act.

Step forward Judy Garland, as a waitress who Fred thinks might be able to sing and dance. At first she's reluctant, and hopeless, but of course, this being MGM mush she falls for Fred and suddenly finds her talent. At this sort of thing Garland had no peer.

Also in the cast are Peter Lawford, as a rich no-hoper with a heart who first pursues Garland, and then steps aside for Fred (heading for Miller on the rebound). He sings A Fella With An Umbrella – not very well – but is certainly easier on the eye than Astaire. A tiny but scene-stealing role is given to Jules Munshin, who would be seen the following year in ‘On The Town', as a waiter describing just how the green onion salad listed on the menu is prepared.

The lead was not originally planned for Fred, but for the younger and more athletic dancer Gene Kelly, but when Kelly injured his leg the way was clear for Astaire to be coaxed out of retirement. He continued to appear in musicals for another twenty years.

The songs in ‘Easter Parade' are a bit of a rag-bag – classics such as Easter Parade, Steppin' Out With My Baby, Shakin' The Blues Away etc. jostle with old vaudeville numbers like When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'. The result is a bit of a mish-mash. Perhaps the best song shot for the movie was the one omitted before release – Mr Monotony, performed by Garland in her trademark costume of the top half of a tux and tights (two years before ‘Summer Stock' and the Get Happy number). This number can be seen in That's Entertainment III, released in 1994.

‘Easter Parade' is good, but unbelievable. I never could understand the appeal of Fred Astaire beyond his dancing, and the supposition that a character of Garland's age would be interested in him is stretching things a bit. That aside, it has excellent Technicolor and moves along at a steady pace.

For the only teaming of Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, Gene Kelly had to break an ankle playing touch football although he told the studio it was in rehearsal. So Fred Astaire who after another Irving Berlin musical extravaganza, Blue Skies at Paramount, got pulled out of retirement for this film. It was a happy accident for film fans.

Easter Parade by this time had become the national anthem for Easter and enjoys a grand seasonal popularity as Irving Berlin's White Christmas also. It was originally written for the musical revue As Thousands Cheer in 1933 and sung as a duet by Clifton Webb and Marilyn Miller. Bing Crosby reprised it in Holiday Inn in a very nice number driving a horsedrawn sleigh from church Easter services. But usually when it is presented visually, the clip of Judy Garland singing it in the finale is the one always shown.

By the way the melody originally was for a lyric entitled Smile and Show Your Dimple which bombed for Irving Berlin. Berlin was quoted as saying that popular songs are a perfect marriage between words and music and in this case the melody got divorced and married a second lyric successfully.

Easter Parade is a good mixture of old Irving Berlin material and new songs written for this film. Fred Astaire shines with one of the new ones in Stepping Out With My Baby which is a good followup to Putting On the Ritz which Astaire sang and danced to in Blue Skies. And Judy just shines in Better Luck Next Time.

The plot is a pretty simple one and for the MGM opulence that their musicals were known for their are very few actual speaking roles in this film. It's a romantic quadrangle with Fred Astaire being dumped by his erstwhile partner Ann Miller and then taking on Judy Garland in one of those 'I'll show her' moments of bravado. Peter Lawford's around to get whoever Astaire doesn't.

The acting honors in Easter Parade go to Judy. For all that talent Judy Garland was a most insecure person in life and she drew from that in bringing Hannah Brown to the screen.

Ann Miller's big number is Shaking the Blues Away which Ruth Etting introduced in 1927. Doris Day in fact does it in Love Me or Leave Me. Still Ann makes it more of a dance number than Doris did which is what Irving Berlin originally intended it to be.

The thing about Easter Parade and so many other films like it is that all that talent was contracted to that studio. You can't make a film like Easter Parade today because you'd have to pay full market price for the talent, even as Irving Berlin's numbers slip year after year into public domain.

The Easter parade with women dressed in their finest most tasteful frock is still a New York tradition on Easter Sunday. So is this film.

Easter Parade features two of the best known entertainers in movie history, glorious music, fresh Technicolor and amazing - and I mean amazing dancing routines. Prepare to be entertained and amazed! There is no other way to describe the creative, fun and bedazzling colour, costumes and dances.

Popular dancing team Don Hewes (of course, Astaire) and Nadine Hale (wonderful singer/dancer/actress Ann Miller) break up because Nadine wants to pursue her own career. Don Hewes is determined to find a new dancing partner and to make her a smash... and guess who he finds - unknown dancer Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) - who he picked out randomly. It is a relatively simple and sweet story, however flimsy it may be. You find yourself not really caring about the plot as you are emerged in a world of spectacular song, dance, costume and colour.

Three musical sequences stick in my mind: firstly, Ann Miller's mind boggling tap dance 'Shakin' the Blues Away'. Not only a great song, but an incredible dance. Then there is Fred's turn in the toy shop. The timing for that is beyond belief. Everything is perfection - the music, the decor, the dance. It isn't an ordinary Tapdance because he uses rhythm, drums and instruments to give it a more flavour. I honestly don't know how he does it. Lastly, 'Down the Avenue' is one of my favourite songs. I laugh every time I see Judy Garland and Fred Astaire - two absolute legends - dressed up as bums!! Some very famous and spectacular dancing - top notch.

Along the way there are a few laughs (Garland really helps the comedy side), but I mainly watch this movie for it's eye candy. It is a perfect way to escape reality and dive into the world of the magnificent MGM musical. One of the best.

I don't know why I haven't checked this out on DVD yet. I imagine it looks spectacular, because even the VHS looked super. I'm talking about the Technicolor. Man, those Technicolor films in the '40s were beautiful, as this certainly is.

For entertainment, you get Fred Astaire dancing, Judy Garland singing, Ann Miller dancing, and Peter Lawford singing. I didn't think Lawford could sing, but he's not bad here. The other talent must have elevated his.

Astaire consistently amazed audiences with his innovative dance routines and smooth style. He does a number here in a toy store that is really something! Miller also gives us a good tap number and Garland's songs are all winners.

This movie is more vehicle for those above-mentioned stars than it is in telling some profound the story. The story is not much, but who cares? It's the dancing, singing, the incredible costumes, overall color, nice people and just plain feel-good musical atmosphere that makes this a popular film, even to this day.