The Girl Most Likely

This is one of the last 50s style musical comedies and the final film to present Jane Powell as a singing star. She is supported by Keith Andes, who can truly sing, and comedy by Tommy Noonan and Kaye Ballard. Cliff Robertson's singing is dubbed by Hal Derwin. The songs are only serviceable, even though they are written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, who gave us "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Best Foot Forward". The best musical number, however, is the title tune, actually written by Nelson Riddle, with a vocal by the Hi-Los. Riddle's arrangements, which never seem to date, keep the music interesting. As for the plot, there isn't much of one. As for the comedy, both Noonan and Ballard were better served elsewhere. The choreography, however, is spectacular; this is Gower Champion's first attempt to stage dances for performers other than himself and wife Marge. From here, Champion went to Broadway and became a legend.

JANE POWELL seems to be enjoying herself in this cheerful little mixture of music and romance. However, the film itself never succeeds in looking much more than a low-budget musical with fake RKO sets that belong in a B-movie rather than a color musical. Despite this, there are pleasant performances by Jane Powell, Cliff Robertson, Tommy Noonan, Keith Andes and Kaye Ballard that compensate for a story that's been told before as "Tom, Dick and Harry" with Ginger Rogers back in 1941 (in B&W and without music).

Jane is just as pert and pretty as Ginger Rogers in the role of a girl who can't decide which man puts her on cloud nine until she finally wakes up at the last moment on the basis of the right kiss. It's all strictly fluff meant to entertain and in its own way it succeeds beautifully, thanks to Powell's effortless charm.

She's also in good voice but is given a number of songs by Blaine and Martin that have no lasting appeal. She delivers them all in a lilting and rich vocal style. Cliff Robertson was obviously a bit ill at ease in his musical sequences but provides a hunky presence as one of her smitten suitors. Tommy Noonan provides most of the comedy relief and Keith Andes has a role he can do virtually nothing with.

There's a rather imaginative American Indian song-and-dance routine that is sure to offend some of the politically correct crowd who can't accept the sort of stereotyping that was done in films of the 1950s. A similar number from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (and one of the highlights of the MGM film) was cut from the latest Broadway version to placate the PC protesters.

It's the last theatrical film directed by Mitchell Leisen who was then near the end of his distinguished career directing a variety of films. This has got to be one of his lesser efforts but it has a certain charm as the last gasp of the musical era. RKO was virtually at a shutdown by the time the film was completed and it was released two years after being made on the lower half of a double bill.

Jane Powell is "Dodie", who toys with men, and then gets them to propose. Cliff Robertson, Keith Andes, and Tommy Noonan all want to marry her, but now she must make her choice. The story of this film production is more interesting than the plot itself... apparently it was filmed as RKO was going under, but Universal ended up releasing it. The one really bright spot here is Kaye Ballard, who was a fixture and sidekick in so many hollywood films. Ballard performed frequently around LA and Palm Springs, and was SO talented. and of course, Frank Cady was in Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. SO much singing in here....(too much). kind of a gidget film, but Powell is already much older. (sandra dee was only 17 when she played Gidget ! although this film might have inspired Gidget, two years later. ) Robertston went on to some pretty big things. Noonan died quite young. Script is so-so. Looks like it was all television for director Mitchell Leisen after this one. a big yawn. Skip this ... there's probably something better showing.

The Girl Most Likely has the dubious distinction of being the last film ever shot by RKO before the studio folded. If it looks familiar it is a musical remake of the Ginger Rogers classic Tom, Dick, and Harry. Standing in for Ginger is Jane Powell recently of MGM and directing is Mitchell Leisen. But even with those two considerable talents, The Girl Most Likely is a far cry from some of the classic expensive musicals that Powell did at MGM like Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.

The serviceable, but unmemorable score was written by the songwriting team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane who also did better things at MGM like Meet Me In St. Louis.

The Girl Most Likely does faithfully follow the plot of the film from which it was adapted. Jane who was getting a little old for these kind of parts now despite her diminutive size plays a young woman newly in the work force, but with an eye for marriage. And she accepts at different times proposals of marriage from three different guys, go getting real estate salesman Tommy Noonan, Bohemian auto mechanic Cliff Robertson, and her millionaire boss Keith Andes whom she really set her cap for.

Tom, Dick and Harry had some imaginary sequences where Ginger Rogers imagined life with each of her three prospective husbands and those do lend themselves to musical numbers. Somehow I think if this had been done at MGM by the Arthur Freed unit it would have come out a lot better.

In the supporting cast take note of Kaye Ballard as Jane's best friend in the Eve Arden part and Frank Cady and Una Merkel as her parents.

As The Girl Most Likely follows the plot of Tom, Dick and Harry those of you who saw that film know who Jane winds up with. But you won't get that out of me.

This movie features mostly people not known for their singing or their dancing... singing and dancing. The story is pretty weak and the musical numbers and dances are uninspired to put it mildly. Some of the principals were fortunate enough to be in much better films than this; how they ended up here I don't know but it's just a lame effort. The sets and color are nice enough and there are some interesting period touches for the 1950's, but overall, it's not a movie you'll finish watching (if you DO finish it) and want to see it ever again.