Les heures tendres

TWO WEEKS WITH LOVE is a rarity, a movie that sets out to capture the innocent charm of the early 20th century, and succeeds. A brave confection, built on a rather silly premise, it artfully presents the conflict in the heart of a 17-year-old girl who yearns to grow up and whose parents yearn to ignore it. Jane Powell is delightful as the adolescent who has a crush on the dashing man, and Ricardo Montalban hits just the right note of sophistication and kindness as he begins to fall for her. Debbie Reynolds is perfect as the wisecracking younger sister who knows what she wants and how to get it (and "it" is Carleton Carpenter), and two little brothers add just the touch of innocent mischief we would expect from little brothers in those days. Louis Calhern is delightful as the fumbling father, and Ann Harding is elegant and regal as always as the mother.

I don't see how anyone could interpret this as the same movie as DIRTY DANCING, except they both took place in Catskills resorts. It is truly about a loving family and how they cope with growing pains all around. The later film was no such thing, with a different set of characters and a totally different story line. It was certainly a different kind of resort as well.

Jane Powell and Ricardo Mantalban headline this film made in 1950. Debbie Reynolds was the supporting star early in her career. Jane Powell has said that this was one of her favorite films to work on, despite being more famous for "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers." The plot is about Jane's character trying to break out into womanhood, despite her mother trying to keep her a little girl. Along the way, she falls for a young Cuban (Mantalban) and conflicts between Powell, her mother and her romantic rival climax at a good moment. Debbie Reynolds is Jane Powell's younger sister in the film and sings her first record hit, "Aba Daba Honeymoon" with Carlton Carpenter. This song is available from Curb Records nowadays. Not to be outdone singing at an early age, Debbie's sparkling style of acting was the real highlight of the film. Her character's wit and occasional negative attitude creates a "she's so cute" attitude towards her from the audience. Debbie fans will notice this right of the bat. Despite being 17 or 18 when the film was shot, the film calls for her to be 14 or 15, and she looks it too. This film is not one of the "Great Classics" of Hollywood, but Jane Powell and Debbie Reynolds' fans should thoroughly enjoy this one. Jane Powell would go on to star with Debbie Reynolds in "Athena" and "Hit the Deck." Ricardo Mantalban would star with Debbie Reynolds 16 years later, in "The Singing Nun."

One of Jane Powell's more popular musicals was this turn of the last century classic, Two Weeks With Love. With music and atmosphere set in the Theodore Roosevelt era, Two Weeks With Love is good entertainment and marked Debbie Reynolds's breakthrough film.

The Robinson family headed by Louis Calhern and Ann Harding are taking their annual two weeks outing in the Catskills, circa 1905. Apparent to all, but Ann Harding, her daughter Jane Powell is developing a figure. However we've got a firm rule in this family, no corset until her 18th birthday.

Another person stymied by the 18th birthday rule is Carleton Carpenter who is 17 and still in knickers. Father Clinton Sundberg owns the hotel that Robinsons stay at and will not give him long pants.

Though Powell and Reynolds can still play as teenagers, Carleton Carpenter is positively ridiculous playing a 17 year old. He's quite a bit over 6 feet tall, but that's good in a way, because that's part of his gawkiness. Where in the name of the Deity were they finding knickers back in the first decade of the last century for someone over 6 feet tall beggars the imagination.

There's a nice mixture of period, public domain music that MGM didn't have to shell out for the rights that Powell, Reynolds and Carpenter perform. Debbie Reynolds as Powell's younger sister sang Abba Dabba Honeymoon with Carpenter here and it became the hit and the song had a revival in popularity in 1950. Powell's best number is in an imaginary sequence singing Come, Hero Mine from The Chocolate Soldier. Again, MGM owned the rights by dint of purchasing that property for their Chocolate Soldier film from nine years before where Rise Stevens and Nelson Eddy duet ed this one.

Powell also dances a mean tango with Ricardo Montalban the object of her youthful crush and why she's so anxious to show her figure off.

Ann Harding as a mom is nice and loving and doesn't have a clue. She dresses her boys, Tommy Rettig and Gary Gray, in Reynolds's and Powell's old hand me down nighties. Mom, get real.

Two Weeks With Love is a nice trip down memory lane and back when it was released people actually did have memories of the turn of the last century.

I haven't seen this one in a long time, since I caught a TV broadcast some years ago. But I'll never forget its gentle high spirits; the warm and humorous work of the ensemble cast; M-G-M's studio-bound but, as always, first-class production values; and, of course, the happy showcasing of Jane Powell at her best. But one thing that amused me the most was the extremely sly performance by Debbie Reynolds, so early in her career. She appeared in many comedy-with-music films in the years to follow but I can't think of one that so cleverly mined her very special talent for, shall we say, winking at the audience and bringing her uniquely appealing sense of humor to the proceedings, without in the least stepping out of character. Think I'll splurge and get my own VHS copy of this one. Nostalgia can be fun, n'est-ce pas?!?

This movie used to be shown on the old UHF stations like WOR, Channel 5 in New York. We were able to receive this station with wonderful old movies even though we lived in the Philly suburbs. I can remember carefree summer days and movies like this on all the time. It was one of my mother's favorites and it became ours as well. I always remember Debbie Reynolds singing and how funny she was. I wanted to be there, at that same hotel, playing with Debbie and having a great time. Oh how I wish they would make movies like this again, movies that are fun and sweet.But the people creating film today enjoy wallowing in darkness and despair. But that's another topic. This is a fun film, perfect for kids and summer and escape. GallenR