Meet Me in Las Vegas

MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS comes in toward the end of MGM's golden age. A fun story here about a gambler (Dan Dailey) who only has luck while holding the hand of ballerina Cyd Charisse. Cyd has several gorgeous dance numbers here, including a stunning "Frankie and Johnny" with vocal by Sammy Davis, Jr. The film is crammed to the gunwales with guest stars including Lena Horne, Jerry Colonna, Frankie Laine, and an adorable young Japanese singer named Mitsuko Sawamura. There are many fleeting cameos, too including Peter Lorre, Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds. Special mention should be made of Cara Williams' smashing rendition of "I Refuse To Rock And Roll," where she sets the screen on fire. Agnes Moorehead is effective as Dailey's Mother. A sharp eye will notice Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou from THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW) in a tiny part. This film is a product of 1956, set in the US's gaudiest city, and the colorful decor is properly gaudy. Car lovers will swoon over the red 1956 Lincoln convertible Dan Dailey drives in the picture. This is done in Eastman Color, which is notorious for fading, but this print has gorgeous color that could easily be mistaken for Technicolor. The sound is clear and robust, and does justice to the many musical numbers. You could find many worse ways to spend two hours than by enjoying the many charms of MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS.

All I remembered was a silly plot, with gambler Dan Dailey and ballerina Cyd Charisse winning at roulette every time they hold hands. It's unimposing stuff, and while screenwriter Isobel Lennart always gave her women characters more to act than most of her male counterparts, this is a pretty thin plot peg. But this wide-screen MGM musical from 1956 does have a lot to recommend it. Dailey, much more of an actor than most dancers, is at his most appealing here, in a glove-fitting role (you only wish he had more to dance), and Charisse, never the most nimble of actresses, loosens up more than usual, looks as sensational as ever, and dances like a dream. There's a fun supporting cast including Lili Darvas, Agnes Moorehead, Jim Backus, a scheming Paul Henreid, and Liliane Montevecchi (decades later, Charisse would replace her on Broadway in "Grand Hotel"), a slew of specialty acts, and, best of all, a Cinemascope look at what Vegas looked like in the '50s. What great cars, great clothes, great colors, how luxe and overstuffed it all is. Produced by Joe Pasternak, who never had as sure a touch as his Metro counterpart Arthur Freed, and directed anonymously by Roy Rowland, it's longer than it has to be and has few surprises. But there's plenty to look at, and we do buy the central romance and want these two to end up together.

MGM, as its glory days began to recede, threw every talent it could gets its hands on into this colorfully tasty little CinemaScope stew. Of course there's the delicious Cyd Charisse, especially leggy in the "Gal with the Yaller Shoes" production number; Cara Williams lending cleverly funny support (Whatever happened to her?); Dan Dailey, a little more engaging than usual; Agnes Moorehead, Jim Backus and Lili Darvas helping Cyd to look like she could act as well as dance; cameos by everyone MGM still had under contract and several others who had escaped or never had labored under that servitude; and a host of performers who help us to remember that one used to go to Las Vegas to see the big-name entertainment in the lounges and showrooms, rather than to gawk at the absurd splendor of the city's extravagantly stupendous hotel/resorts. I assume that the VHS version is (Phooey!) "letterboxed", but I'd add this one to my library if, perchance, they've issued it in a "Deluxe Widescreen Edition"...the ONLY way to fly!

If you like musicals, you must see this one. There are a lot of very good songs in this one and enough comedy to make this a feel good type movie. Cyd Charisse is charming as always and she and Dan Dailey do very well together. Anges Moorhead naturally, is a great supporting actress. Since the days of light hearted musicals is over for good for all of us who grew up during that period and time, it's nice to be able to go back to the 40's and 50's to view these wonderful days of MGM musicals. I know this movie is out on VHS, but I am anxiously awaiting the day they decide to release it on DVD. If you have 112 min. to spare I suggest you sit back and enjoy this wonderful old movie..

One of the great blunders committed by MGM was the fact that Cyd Charisse was never cast opposite her husband Tony Martin. Right around this time musicals were winding down, but Tony and Cyd were just getting started on a joint nightclub act that made them a premier attraction around the country for many years.

Don't get me wrong, Dan Dailey is a fine performer and he did a good job in the male lead role. But I would love to have seen Tony Martin playing the role of the rancher who gets on a hot winning streak at the Las Vegas casinos after he holds Cyd Charisse's hand. Making matters worse is the fact that Tony Martin does do one of the unbilled cameos in this film.

Cyd Charisse has some fine dance numbers, especially the Frankie and Johnny finale where she danced to the famous blues song sung offscreen by Sammy Davis, Jr. Dan Dailey has some good numbers as well, he does a nice soft shoe routine with a young Japanese girl to My Lucky Charm which was earlier sung by Jerry Colonna.

The nice thing about this film is the fact that because of the Las Vegas location you can integrate a whole lot of celebrities doing numbers and not have it mess with the story. Lena Horne, Frankie Laine and Jerry Colonna all do some nice musical numbers. Around the casinos one will spot besides Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Peter Lorre, and the man most identified with the Vegas scene shortly, Frank Sinatra.

Other members of the cast that have good supporting roles are Jim Backus as the casino manager, Agnes Moorehead as Dailey's mother, and Paul Henreid as Charisse's manager. Some of Henreid's performance seems to be modelled on that of Charisse's first husband Nico, according to the stories Charisse told in her joint memoirs with Tony Martin.

Meet Me in Las Vegas is good musical entertainment, but what a blown opportunity not to have had Tony and Cyd as leads in a musical.