I Love Melvin

Cute B musical with a so-so plot. Best thing is the dancing by O'conner and Reynolds. His big solo number would be better if it were a dream sequence or fantasy. No one could do a number like that with those numerous costume changes in real time. Ending is quite abrupt. When Donald goes missing for three weeks he's actually living in Central Park??? How could he survive with no food or change of clothes. He should have held up in his home or Apartment. That's the big mistake in this otherwise cute little musical. Kudos for little Noreen Corcoran as Debbies sister.

Talk about an energy crisis! None of that here. Reynolds and O'Connor generate enough sheer bounce to light up a city. This is Reynolds at her most likable, a chorus girl with ambitions beyond being a human football. It's also O'Connor at his nimble toed best. They're an ideal pairing. There's not much plot, but when did a musical need much story. Melvin loves Judy, Judy loves Melvin, but first poor Mel must get past cranky Dad and then past rival Harry Flack. Good thing he's a photographer for Look magazine. Okay, if you remember Look and Life, you probably saw the movie in a theatre. The year is 1953, the Korean War is over, Ike's in the White House, and the economy has taken off. It's the 50's of Ozzie and Harriet, and happily, that carefree spirit percolates throughout the movie's candy box colors.

It's also the kind of movie dream factory MGM specialized in, a chance for their younger performers to show their stuff. But catch oldster Jim Backus as O'Connor's boss. His array of comedic expressions are a real hoot. The music may be forgettable, but the dancing is infectious. Thanks to the kids' charm and sparkle, plus fast-moving direction, the movie's an unheralded little gem. Then too, if you like this musical, catch up with The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953). It's with Reynolds and Bobby Van, and is just as sparkling as this companion sleeper.

When I used to show this hilarious musical in the late 70s (and with a new print too!) I often ran it with another funny 1953 musical GIVE A GIRL A BREAK which starred Bob Fosse and Debbie Reynolds. Customers phoning the cinema ALWAYS thought I said "Tonight we have...err...Give a Girl a Break..and .I Love Melbourne" which of course they all thought was my personal comment. The programme was such fun and it did sell a lot of tickets too! Both new prints looked so good on a movie screen! The alternative version of "The lady Loves" as the opening dance number in I LOVE MELVIN can be found in THATS ENTERTAINMENT PART 3. ....and suggest you find it .......I can see why it was changed....can you?.....I LOVE MELVIN is perfect small town (girl) MGM quality ....and must have been one of their last Technicolour filmed musicals....they made everything in ansco or metro color after 1953.

This film is an absolute delight from the pre-credit sequence where Debbie Reynolds writes the title of the film in lipstick on a mirror to the hilarious chase through Central Park at the end. In between Debbie dreams of becoming a Hollywood star in some magnificently staged dream sequences, thanks to the genius of Cedric Gibbons, in one of which she meets Robert Taylor as Robert Taylor! In another sequence she dances with three dancers in Fred Astaire masks and three in Gene Kelly masks - before winning an Oscar! Great stuff.

Debbie is perfect as both great movie star and girl next door. Her Broadway performance as a football is a riot. Equally good is Donald O'Connor as her lover and aspiring photographer. His roller-skate sequence is brilliant, as is a dance sequence in which he travels the world and plays numerous characters (again thanks to Gibbons). There is great support from Allyn Joslyn, as Debbie's exasperated father, and from Jim Backus as a crabby photographer. And the little girl has a good song too.

The score is jazzy and upbeat, and it's great to see the real Central Park and other New York locations, shot in gorgeous technicolor. I think this terrific musical is very under-rated.

I love tap dance, and Donald O'Connor is a Tap Master. When I saw him today, I was surfing to my favorite TCM, and wondered what movie this was. I looked at the channel guide, saw the name, and decided to watch. I remembered Debbie Reynolds' name associated with this movie, so I ended up watching. Debbie and Donald were really cute, as was Noreen Corcoran (Moochie's sister, of original Mickey Mouse Club).... Judy's mother's face I remember from Ginger Rogers movies. It was nice how first Melvin got rid of Judy's dumb suitor, first temporarily and later permanently. I enjoyed seeing Jim Backus. I also liked seeing Central Park from 1953; I visited NYC two weeks ago (almost one year after 9/11). At the end, I liked the search and run scene through the park, everyone looking for Melvin, and I was really surprised when he and Judy literally ran into each other (the whole thing was excellent choreography). I also liked when Debbie was being thrown around as the football, but I know that this was the subservient-50's when a female was stereotyped as an object - but a job's a job, ya know? The movie was a delightful romp. Judy's father was funny. Changing his name because he thought his daughter was going to be a big star. I saw Barbara Ruick in the closing credits, I think she was in "Carousel". I hope to see more Donald O'Connor dancing movies. Too bad he has all that fame for "Francis, the Talking Mule." I am a tap dancer. Let's hear it for the hoofers!