Springtime in the Rockies

20th Century Fox knew how to build films around Betty Grable and this is one of their better efforts, thanks to the presence of a first-rate cast: John Payne, Carmen Miranda, Cesar Romero, Edward Everett Horton, Jackie Gleason and Harry James & His Orchestra.

The usual backstage story starts with Betty and frequent co-star John Payne having a spat over his womanizing ways. Before you know it, he follows her to the Rocky Mountains resort where the misunderstandings continue, involving Cesar Romero, a very funny Carmen Miranda and the bumbling Edward Everett Horton. Miranda gets to do her thing with some fractured English and some great songs tossed in. Betty displays more than modest talent in the singing and dancing department (especially graceful with Cesar Romero) and Payne firmly established himself as the most presentable leading man of the Fox musicals in the '40s. Everyone looks great in the technicolor photography. If it's musicals you like, what's not to like?

Summing up: amiable, tune-filled entertainment of the kind that doesn't exist any more. Payne's best performance since 'Sun Valley Serenade'.

A film that takes all the stock conventions of Betty Grable musicals and distills them into one big bright package. This shows what the Hollywood dream factory could do with even the most obvious and conventional script. Filmed in lush Technicolor the film is loaded with so much talent and trimmings that the threadbare story becomes unimportant.

Betty Grable was at the peak of her popularity all dolled up in the height of 40's fashion, she and John Payne make a handsome and charming pair. They were strong enough to carry a film themselves but Fox managed to cram all the strongest supporting players from their other various movies. Charlotte Greenwood does the faithful sidekick role she did so well and gets a chance to do her unique dance routine. Caesar Romero is the dashing snook and Edward Everett Horton the droll faithful retainer. Then there's that party all on to herself Carmen Miranda fracturing the language and wearing outfits that as John Payne says are a little overdone outside a Mardi Gras. Topped off with Harry James' stellar music, including Sleepy Lagoon and I Had the Craziest Dream, weaving it's spell throughout this is the kind of shiny bauble that kept the public's mind off the war and still can't help but entertain today.

If I didn't read it somewhere, I'm sure I'd appropriate the assertion myself: "Technicolor was invented for Carmen Miranda." That fabulously talented lady from Brazil possessed a sense of humor which brightened many an hour for me. (Yes, she was assisted by scriptwriters and directors who knew how to showcase her gifts, but her personality simply leaps from the screen and into all those receptive hearts who so regret her untimely passing.)

This is one of the better films in which Carmen appeared (Luvved her character's moniker: "Rosita Murphy" - What fun!) and other comments on this site aptly point out its delights. Everyone in the cast gets to add to the pleasure and let no one cast aspersions on Miss Betty Grable - her verve and naturalness were one of Twentieth-Century Fox's most valuable assets, especially during those difficult WWII years. A friend of mine, whose youthful cinema-going was considerably less supervised than mine, was absolutely besotted with Betty's blonde beauty and bounce. I believe he saw everyone of her films first-run, when he was barely old enough to enter a theater unaccompanied, as he did, and he insisted I catch TV showings of those Grable gems (and her fabled gams) whenever he saw a broadcast listing. Each time I was able to follow his recommendation, I was not in the least sorry. And with Senorita Miranda to whip this confection into frothy perfection...well, as the saying goes: "They don't make 'em like that anymore."

Singer/dancer Betty Grable (Vicky) has an offer from Cesar Romero (Victor) to join him in his show in the Canadian Rockies. Romero wouldn't mind a bit of romance as well. However, Grable has her heart set on her singer/dancer partner John Payne (Dan) if only he would stop seeing other women. Well, it seems he can't do that so Grable goes to Romero and they produce successful shows together, even getting engaged. Meanwhile, Payne isn't doing so well on his own so shows up in the Rockies to see if he can get Grable back as his partner. In a stroke of genius, he also picks up Edward Everett Horton (McTavish) as a butler and Carmen Miranda (Rosita) as a maid on his journey out there. Harry James and his orchestra play the music and all ends happily.

It's a great cast with entertaining singing and dancing. My favourite song is the opening song sung by Grable and Payne – "Run, Little Raindrop, Run" – and we get a couple of crazy Carmen numbers as well which are always entertaining. There is also a nice song – "I had the Craziest Dream" – sung by Helen Forrest who was the singer with the Harry James Orchestra. The secondary cast are amusing but the film does lose its way a bit with the romance and Romero is just too nice a guy in the way he takes it all.

The Technicolour here isn't the rich colours that you see in "Cover Girl" but a softer shade. I've never been to Canada, but the presence of Carmen Miranda, the way Helen Forest is made-up for her song and the setting of the venue and the music gives it a South American feel. They could have thrown in a moose or two to keep reminding us that we're in Canada.

Yes, this was indeed a fun and entertaining film with my favorites John Payne & Betty Grable. Music is terrific and dancing is fantastic. The Nicholas brothers do a fantastic number, and the orchestra is Harry James. Edward Everett Horton (related to me by marriage) is always a delight with his nervous mumbo jumbo and getting hooked by Carmen Miranda and her boys from Mexico. Song that stays in my mind is "I Got The Craziest Dream".