Love Is Better Than Ever

Even though the performers are kid performers Love Is Better Than Ever suffers from the fact that a musical performer should obviously have been in the lead. I'm guessing that Debbie Reynolds must have been otherwise engaged because this was clearly a vehicle that would have been good for her. Similarly MGM could have cast Marge and Gower Champion in the leads and given the Larry Parks role a dancing background to make it fit Gower.

Instead Elizabeth Taylor was assigned the role of the young dancing hopeful looking for a big break and who runs a dancing school to keep the bills paid. Liz clearly does not look comfortable doing the musical parts although she doesn't have to worry about the kids outshining her.

She meets up with Larry Parks who is a theatrical agent and a player and although he breaks her heart at first, she's determined to trap him. In fact she makes it a family project with parents Tom Tully and Josephine Hutchinson in on the game.

MGM took this same idea and did it much better three years later with The Tender Trap starring Frank Sinatra and wait for it Debbie Reynolds. That film is told from the man's point of view, but it is infinitely superior to Love Is Better Than Ever.

MGM held up the release of Love Is Better Than Ever because of the blacklist which Larry Parks was prominently on. When they did release it was in deference to Elizabeth Taylor whom they were trying to build up. The film did neither of their careers any good.

In "The Big Hangover," Liz is the boss' beautiful daughter; in "Conspirator," she's an immature young wife in love; in "The Girl Who Had Everything," she's the daughter of a wealthy criminal lawyer, but in "Love Is Better Than Ever," she is a young dance school teacher from New Haven who comes to the big city for a convention and falls for a smart talent agent…

In these four films, Taylor is cast as the innocent who selects the wrong guy and the unlucky beauty in a classic mismatch…

In both "Love Is Better Than Ever" and "The Girl Who Had Everything," she's a spirited young lady with a mind of her own… In the former, she defies her small-town upbringing as she romances a city swindler… In the latter, she challenges her father in order to run off with a bon vivant with underworld connections… In "Conspirator," the misfortune girl marries a Communist… In "The Big Hangover," she's engaged to a man with a drinking problem… And in "Elephant Walk," her husband is a wealthy and potent planter with a really bad temper…

These five ladies are variations on the young innocent star who thinks she knows more than she does… In each movie, she has to be educated… The wildly careless spirit has to be limited and corrected…

In "Love Is Better Than Ever," Liz is even more provincial, an innocent tempted but never corrupted by big city frivolous amusement, a teasing beauty who falls for a cheerful bachelor... Liz is once again the determined pursuer, setting her sights on a man who does not want to marry… Shameless and stubborn, she decides to announce her engagement, hoping that fiction may stimulate fact

Larry Parks is a fast-talking, streetwise agent who falls for a Connecticut dance teacher against his will in "Love is Better Than Ever," directed by Stanley Donen. Parks and Taylor have a whirlwind romance in New York while she's there attending a dance teacher convention. She falls in love, only to learn at the end of their week together that he's only interested in a good time. Heartbroken, she returns to Connecticut, where her father helps her hatch a plot that will bring him running to New Haven and into her arms.

This is a very slight comedy, but Taylor is exquisitely beautiful and in excellent shape. It's no wonder that cynical Larry Parks can't forget her, though he claims that he wants to. In one scene, they stand and talk in profile for several minutes, and all one can think about is how perfect Taylor's profile is. Larry Parks is another story - a very strange choice for a leading man. Had he not been blacklisted, it's likely he would have gone on to character roles fairly quickly. For a studio that boasted the likes of Clark Gable and Robert Taylor, it's curious that he was cast in leads. He is, however, a very good actor, though it's hard to see why Taylor would have been attracted to him. Sadly, he only made two films after this one.

There are some nice dance sequences with the children, including some dancing fruits. "Love is Better Than Ever" has some nice moments and a dazzling 20-year-old Taylor, and that's about it.

Stanley Dornen directed this cute love story about a dancing teacher (wow Taylor really is gorgeous here) and she goes to New York for a convention but gets sidetracked into her first love affair with Larry Parks, who really doesn't want to give up his solo life. Things change at the dancing school where people talk about it like a big scandal as she is so much younger than he. But with all the waiting and shenanigans they finally end up in eachother's arms after a false wedding announcement. The story is cute, the dancing is terrific, and acting is superb, and even a Giant Baseball player, George Metkovich is in it. Larry Parks was the Giant fan.

there is really very little to recommend. The young Taylor is beautiful, but Larry Parks in the lead it totally unbelievable. Perhaps the fact he looks like a clone of Regis Philbin doesn't help. How could Taylor's character fall for this guy?? And, what is Gene Kelly doing in this flick? It is just a cameo, but I don't see the point.

Supporting performances are fine, and there is a limited amount of location filming.

I'm not sure why Taylor agreed to this MGM B movie - perhaps due to contract obligations. Probably my least favorite Taylor film from the 50s/60s.