Greenwich Village

Here is a confection designed to be a showcase for the adorable Carmen Miranda. It is her first starring role and she is given a lavish showcase in which to weave her magic. Vivian Blane, a gorgeous redhead, is given ample opportunity to show off her singing talents. In all, this is a typical example of the Fox musical of the forties. As far as the color goes, no one did it better than Fox. The vivid Technicolor fairly jumps off the screen, and the print on my DVD is extremely well preserved. WW2 saw a whole series of vividly Technicolored Fox films which were designed to take one's mind off the troubles at hand. As escapism, they were light, fluffy confections with good cheer and lovely visuals taking the place of great dramatic weight. Fox Technicolor at this time could be called super-saturated. Very bright and with set and costume design done to take full advantage of the pallete. Most of these Fox musicals have been amazingly preserved, given their age, and all have a nostalgic entertainment value. They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

Anyone looking for the Greenwich Village of bygone days will be sadly disillusioned by this film. The area known for all time for its Bohemian atmosphere and now for its outrageously overpriced just about everything will not be found here. Club owner William Bendix isn't even fond of bootleg whiskey in his joint as he's continually throwing out bootlegger Tom Dugan from his place. Of all the places in New York State during the Twenties where Governor Alfred E. Smith stated publicly he would not enforce prohibition, Greenwich Village was the area that flouted the Volstead Act the most with impunity and flare.

The score for Greenwich Village is made up mostly of old standards and the film was an opportunity for Darryl Zanuck to launch a new musical star in the tradition of Alice Faye and Betty Grable. Vivian Blaine was 'introduced' in Greenwich Village and in film she never quite got the success the other two ladies did. She did best on Broadway, most unforgettably as Adelaide in Guys And Dolls. The new songs were nothing to remember.

Young Don Ameche arrives in Manhattan from Wichita, Kansas where he was a professor of music there and he's written a concerto. No big market for concertos, but there's a passage in the concerto that sounds promising to William Bendix. It turns out to be the big hit song from the beginning of the Roaring Twenties, Whispering. Bendix has big ideas wanting to put on a big revue and if he can't get Ameche's bankroll which he's carrying, he'd sure like a loan on his talent.

It's all an excuse to put on a lot of numbers, but Greenwich Village seems to lack the creative flair of 20th Century Fox's earlier films with Betty Grable and Alice Faye. William Bendix, borrowed from Paramount where he mostly played good natured mugs, just does not strike one as a would be Ziegfeld. Carmen Miranda is just Carmen Miranda and she's the best thing about Greenwich Village.

Just not the best musical Fox ever put out.

There are three excellent reasons to settle in with this Technicolor extravaganza: Carmen Miranda, Carmen Miranda, and Carmen Miranda! The "Brazilian Bombshell" is at the top of her dazzling talent and is featured in three production numbers, each with it's own nutty, colorful and surreal style--she never disappoints! The musical itself is a slight bauble about a classical pianist finding his heart in a speakeasy (Don Ameche has written a classical concerto with themes from the pop song "Whispering"!); Vivian Blaine, billed as the "Cherry Blonde," is so obviously an Alice Faye stand-in, doing her best to establish herself in the Fox Pantheon along with Faye and Grable; there is lots of dense color saturation in many scenes, making this a visual candy-colored treat, even if the material is lightweight wartime fluff. I never found it dull, and was always entertained; I gave it an "7" not because it's a deep or particularly thoughtful film, but because it accomplishes what it sets out to do perfectly. Entertain. Sometimes you just need a break

Let me add my voice to those who say we should not judge this piece of Zanuckfluff with the same standard we'd use for The Bard of Avon or even a Gene Kelly movie. Yes, the story is preposterous, pasted together with no other reason than to showcase the talents of some remarkably talented people, all having a great deal of fun, which I suspect anyone with the slightest nostalgia for the Technicolor movies of the war years will share. William Bendix, an actor vastly underrated, is both funny and touching, and Vivian Blaine and her one day to be fellow cast member from "Guys and Dolls," B.S. Pully, are wonderful. Felix Breshart, wearing the same scarf he wore in "To Be or Not to Be," is lovable as always as the musical con man. This is Greenwich Village as it never was and will never be. Sit back, suspend disbelief, and enjoy yourself. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and I for one regret it.

"Greenwich Village" is a musical from Twentieth Century Fox starring Don Ameche, Vivian Blaine, Carmen Miranda, and William Bendix.

The film seems a bit slapped together, especially in light of the fact that one of the numbers was actually footage from "Springtime in the Rockies" that was cut.

There's not much of a story - it concerns a young composer, Kenneth Harvey (Ameche) who meets Blaine and Bendix in a speakeasy. Bendix jazzes up Kenneth's concerto, intending to use it for a show, while Kenneth hopes to have it performed in a classical genre. Kenneth also falls in love with Blaine, whom Bendix considers his girl.

Miranda is a multipurpose performer at the Danny's Den, and has some cute numbers - "Give Me a Band and a Bandana," "I Like to be Loved By You," and "I'm Just Wild About Harry," all energetically performed in some wild costumes.

Vivian Blaine looks absolutely beautiful and sings well. Ameche gives a pleasant performance as someone experiencing New York and the Village for the first time.

A great deal is made here of Greenwich Village as a haven for artists, and the sets are very much like the neighborhood as it must have been in those days - crowded and brightly lit. The street that Danny's Den was on looks like West 8th Street, and it was fun to see.

"The Revuers" who included Judy Holliday, John Frank, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, alas, were cut from the film, and the best number was "It Goes to Your Toes" performed by "untitled black musicians" who were fantastic. They were possibly The Layson Brothers. The DeMarcos turned in some sprightly dancing.

This isn't one of Fox's blockbusters, but it has the tell-tale vibrant Fox colors, likable cast, and good musical numbers normally associated with musicals from that studio.