Two Weeks with Love

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.

This not being one of MGM's "tentpole" musicals. This is a very basic story of NYC families vacationing in the Catskills and the "resort romance" that teenagers often encounter. Despite how gorgeous and talented Jane Powell is, her character is insecure and easily embarrassed as any 17 year old. She falls for the ever gorgeous Ricardo Mantalban who shows that he can play light romantic comedy well. Debbie Reynolds is perfectly cast as Powell's little sister (actually 17 at the time) who pretty much steals the picture. Louis Calhern and Ann Harding play their parents and it was great to see Calhern in a lighter role with so many nice close ups. Carleton Carpenter was outstanding as the boy caught in the middle of the two sisters affections.

This Technicolor production was a feast for the eyes-beautifully photographed, believable sets and great costuming and make up. Whenever I see these I know what kind of stress the actors were under-those incredibly hot lights wearing heavy costumes & caked make up. This group of pros never let their discomfort show and there was lots of smiling and dancing included here.

As I said earlier, Debbie Reynolds completely stole the show, she had the best lines and the best, most energetic dance numbers. She played the typical fun loving tom boy who is just discovering boys and crushes. She plays adorably for the camera but is a real standout in her dancing with Carlton Carpenter, who is also just spectacular. I noticed the camera shot them dancing from a low angle capturing their entire bodies but close enough to clearly see their facial expressions-the brilliance of Busby Berkeley.

There is no doubt Debbie Reynolds was going to be a HUGE star. You can see it, everyone can see it. Why didn't Carpenter? He certainly is a standout. Maybe it's tougher in musical comedy when you're male?

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?!?

Patti (Jane Powell) is coming of age in the early XX century. She sights for Demi (Ricardo Montalbán) and willing to wear corset, a clear sign of becoming a woman. Until then she can not allow any man put his arms around her...or they would discover she is not wearing corset and consequently is not a woman yet. But her parents prefer to wait until she is eighteen. That means waiting a whole year, a difficult thing specially if you have a friend called Valerie (Phyllis Kirk) who is already in the adult world and fighting for Demi's love. Delightful musical comedy that includes many beautiful songs such as Oceana roll, Row, row, row, Aba daba honeymoon (a huge success after film's release that lead to a tour song through the States for both singers), By the light of the silvery moon and a The chocolate soldier's fragment, all of them perfectly fitted. In brilliant Technicolor with wonderful costumes by Edith Head, an accurated set designs and mise-en-scène and great performances by all the cast this is a film not to be missed. Specially enjoyable are the lake boat dream sequence with Ricardo Montalban appearing in Patti's dreams and the tango dance finale A media luz (made famous by tango singer Carlos Gardel) where Mr. Montalbán (a great dancer) shines dancing with Miss Powell. She said this was her favorite film. Great entertainment.

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