Mardi Gras

It's hard to think of this odd Pat Boone film as a must-see musical, but, set as it is in New Orleans during Mardi Gras it features some great costumes and street scenes. The silly plot casts Boone as a self-righteous cadet who falls for a visiting French actress, played with style by Christine Carere, herself a stunning French actress who retired from movies just eight years after this one was made. "I'll Remember Tonight" is the best song in the film, and "That Man" is amusing and "Bigger Than All of Texas" still resonates. Although the music is overshadowed by the plot, this is a much better film than I expected, and Pat Boone does have a wonderful voice. Best line: "We'll have old maids all over the world sobbing into their martinis."

This is one of the many teen-oriented comedy films of the mid-1950s along with movies like ''Gidget'' or ''Bernardine'' (with Pat Boone).

''Mardi Gras'' is set in a military school with some cadets that try to win a date with the queen of the Mardi Gras parade, and Pat Boone's character wins it. So he and his fellow buddies follow him to Hollywood and attend the parade. But the studio wants to capitalize the parade queen's affair with the cadet for having some publicity.

There are some nice songs, few sang by Pat Boone, like ''Bourbon Street Blues'', ''Bigger than Texas'' and ''I'll Remember Tonight''.

This was Edmund Goulding's last directorial effort, and there is a nice cast of fresh juvenile actors of those years, like Gary Crosby (Bing's son) and Tommy Sands as Boone's sidekicks. Also Dick Sargent (here billed Richard) as a fellow cadet and in one of his first movies, dancer Barrie Chase, who has a dancing moment in the movie, Sheree North in her last 20th Century Fox movie, and French movie star Christine Carere in one of her few movies made in America.

It's not a great movie, but who cares? It's great fun for all ages!

A traditional musical made at 20th just as traditional musicals were dying, and supposedly infused with vigor by casting it with several young heartthrobs: Pat Boone, Tommy Sands, Gary Crosby, Dick Sargent. But it's pretty tired. The first half-hour is an unexciting display of military academy life, with our four cadets marching, kidding each other, and affirming their good-natured camaraderie. Then they hit the Mardi Gras, where they're raffling off to their fellow cadets a date with movie star Christine Carrere. Pat wins, and their love affair is troubled by you're-a-movie-star-I'm-a-cadet, and her manager, Fred Clark, and his secretary, Sheree North, contribute supposedly witty sayings. Sheree proves, again, she should have been a much bigger star--she's pretty, she can sing and dance, and she's a natural comedienne--and there's also a comely Barrie Chase in a supporting part. The Sammy Fain-Paul Francis Webster score is miles below what they wrote for "Calamity Jane," and the wholesomeness-mixed-with-1950s-salaciousness may give you whiplash. A couple of nice numbers, though, and it's the last movie directed by Edmund Goulding, who made some great ones. Worth a look, then, but expect to be underwhelmed.

This movie is great for young girls. it is definitly not a guy movie. It has a lot of morals in it, which may not meet with the new generation today. it is fun to watch and good music. Great to watch during the mardi gras celebration time in new orleans. nice clean movie.

During the '50s music scene, Pat Boone had much success early in his career covering many songs originally written and recorded by black artists-in fact, many of them he recorded were at the time more successful than the originals but nowadays, his versions are considered more inferior. His ballads are more tolerable to listen to since many of those were written for him. He was a contrast to Elvis Presley which made both men very successful singers and movie stars during this period. While Presley at the time played variations of the Rebel, Boone played Clean-Cut, Goody-Two-Shoes like here as a military school cadet. Both had their own appeal and Boone's in full supply in this, only his third movie. He's not the only singer here, though, as Bing Crosby's son Gary is also in this as well as Tommy Sands. They go to New Orleans to meet a movie star of French roots, here played by Christine Carere. Other lovely ladies in this one are dancer Barrie Chase-who also was performing with Fred Astaire on TV during this period, and Sheree North, initially a possible replacement for Marilyn Monroe before 20th Century-Fox dropped her after the studio put her in this. It's interesting that Sands both filmed this movie in a state he partially grew up in-he was raised as a child in Shreveport-and also sang of the glory of Texas-since he grew up as a teen in Houston. He also had a brief reunion with Fred Clark-who had previously played his agent in the TV play "The Singin' Idol"-during a scene at the hotel. Clark here plays the publicity man for Carere. This was quite an enjoyable musical comedy-romance. It was the last time for director Edmond Goulding before his death. It was also the last time for Charles Gemora dressing like a gorilla on film as he does here in the actual Mardi Gras parade filmed at New Orleans which is only a couple of hours drive from my current hometown of Baton Rouge. In summary, Mardi Gras is worth a look. Oh, and this was Richard (Dick) Sargent's second appearance in a Pat Boone movie, having previously teamed with him in Boone's debut, Bernardine.