Fotograf aus Liebe

Delightful follow-up to "Singing in the Rain" (minus Gene Kelly, which is fine with me), "I Love Melvin" is a snappy(76 minutes), tuneful Technicolored treat with one show-stopping musical number after another. A serviceable plot (Donald O'Connor plays a free-lance photographer who becomes so enamored with aspiring singer/dancer Debbie Reynolds that he promises he'll get her the cover of Look Magazine) provides a nifty frame for a series of first-rate, beautifully choreographed musical numbers that make one wonder why this terrific little MGM gem has been overlooked. The music is sensational (thank you, Joseph Myrow), the evocation of the Manhattan setting is a visual delight (MGM actually went on location for a few scenes--watching Ms. Reynolds walk across Central Park South is a time-capsule come to life.) And O'Connor and Ms. Reynolds have probably tbe best displays of their singing & dancing talents in their entire careers (their frenetic "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" is a knockout; O'Connor's solo "I Want to Wander" is a classic; and Debbie's opening dream number, "The Lady Loves," wherein she is attired in slithering pink as she delivers the sultry lyrics, hint at the dreamy sexiness she was allowed to exude in future films.) MGM produced so many classic musicals in the early 1950s that "I Love Melvin" has been unjustly neglected. Too bad, because it's a sparkling, melodious, toe-tapping treat that ranks among MGM's finest and is long-overdue for the accolades it deserves.

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 did enjoy this film, especially watching the talent of Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. When looking at this film, one has to take into account the talent of the screen performers as well as the plot/storyline etc.

Overall I don't know why people are saying these musical numbers in this film aren't as good as 'Singin' in the Rain.' In my opinion, while the melodies aren't quite as memorable, the way the music is constructed(harmonies etc) is far superior to that of it's more famous cousin.

There are plenty of strange moments throughout the movie, however. So strange that they create unexpected humour. For one, Donald's solo dance number while cleaning the studio only made sense after I read about it. When watching it, I couldn't understand what was going on. Furthermore, the football scene with Debbie in it was so bizarre that you had to laugh. I think this unintended humour made things a little better, but knowing it was unintended put a little downer on things.

What the story does well is create an emotional investment in the characters - I felt for Debbie's character as I knew how much she wanted to be on the cover of the magazine. I also felt for Donald's character as he tried to set things right. However that's about the only thing I liked about the plot.

Debbie and Donald are both great here - Donald already well established, and Debbie trying to make her break since Singin in the Rain. It's obvious these two have more chemistry than the Reynolds/Kelly combination, probably due to age differences and things(Debbie would have been around 20 and Donald around 27, whereas Gene was already 40)

While the film is short, the ending seemed extremely rushed to me, and could have benefitted from a few extra minutes of footage. What happened afterwards? A lot of unanswered questions were left. Furthermore, the very end shot of Debbie frantically fondling Donald didn't leave a great taste to end. Something more calm would have made the ending seem less frantic and rushed.

Also, there are plenty of script moments which seem very strange to a modern viewer(this is all part of historical relativism I assume) - such as a random man approaching Debbie and asking her if he could walk her places, which she just calmly responds 'No, thank you.' whereas today, this would seem extremely bizarre. Similarly, the 50's housewife persona is capitalised here - e.g. 'I'll cook just like my mother taught me'(Debbie) contrasting with the more dominant male persona(her father) is very apparent here. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, it's just a point that I noticed.

Some of the script was extremely unconvincing - a mere 30 minutes in, Donald confesses his love for her in a car, and then says 'if you marry this other boy, I'll be very frank, I'll kill myself.' I have to commend Donald for selling such an unconvincing piece of dialogue barely a third of the way through.

It has been said that both Debbie and Donald did not enjoy the process of making this film, and it's easy to see that the plot, narrative and script were not as well thought out as it could have been. However, the talent of the two main actors show how much of a triple threat they both were.

Overall, this film has some very bizarre moments, with a few plot holes, unconvincing scriptwriting and a rushed conclusion. To save it, the talent of the two main actors plus the great musical numbers and the emotional story help out.

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.