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Now don't get me wrong, `Dubarry Was A Lady' Is not the best Movie Musical I 've ever seen, but it is one of the prettiest. I can't figure out how they where able to achieve such a creamy coloration in the film but the rich pastels used on the sets and costumes are just stunning. There are some wonderful big band numbers with Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, featuring Dick Haymes. And a campy `Salmome' number by Virginia O'Brien. Gene Kelly looks great and does one nice dance routine, but he mostly sits around mooning over Lucille Ball. Speaking of Lucille Ball, this was her big debut at MGM, and MGM's first full Techincolor musical, and she looks incredible! Her firey red hair and trim figure were perfectly set off by the contemporary costumes, and she looks great in the powdered wigs too!

Give it a look!

This film is best-appreciated if seen as a series of skits and songs, a vehicle for the actors. It provides a chance to see Lucille Ball, Red Skelton, Virginia O'Brien and Zero Mostel in comedic action. Gene Kelly only does one solo dance number, but his agility as The Black Arrow foreshadows greater roles like that of D'Artagnan. And seeing Tommy Dorsey dressed up and dancing (or trying to) with the rest of the cast is delightful! There are funny parts as well as parts that presume themselves funny and come off as annoying, but the movie is fun to watch if you don't expect it to be a masterpiece.

Most people who know of Lucille Ball's career arc are aware that this was one of her higher-profile films, with a large budget, vibrant color, and A-list co-stars. What could go wrong? Well, nothing at the time. But with the passage of time the movie has gotten a bit stale, and drags in several parts. Ball's materialistic character is not very likable from the start, and she's introduced in a ghastly musical number with very conspicuously dubbed vocals. Couldn't they have found someone who's voice actually sounded like it could possibly be coming out of Lucille Ball?

They should have cast Ethel Merman, who played May Daly on Broadway. After all, the character didn't HAVE to be drop dead gorgeous. But it does help explain why two men would continue to pursue such an obviously shallow diva, even if she can't really sing.

The main event of this film is a dream sequence, but the setup to that point seems interminable! And all we have to keep us watching in between is one outstanding dance number by a game Gene Kelly and mildly witty banter between Red Skelton and an underused Virginia O'Brien. Skelton would be much better later in his career by toning down the Vaudevillesque physical comedy, which only appears more cloyingly corny with age. (Bert Lahr, who played the stage role was the same way.) There is also a musical interlude with three gentlemen who do vocal impressions that will definitely have you pushing the fast-forward button on your remote.

If you have the patience, there are some enjoyable musical numbers and just a few genuine laughs to keep you amused. The funniest line by far in the film is delivered by uncredited old lady Clara Blandick (Auntie Em from "The Wizard of Oz") in one of the Cleanest Subway Cars Ever to be used as a movie setting. That says it all about the dialogue between the leads. (The reason being is the good stuff from the Broadway show was deemed too lewd for the film.)

Obviously a lot went into the costumes and scenery for this film, and that alone makes it worth watching, as well as for the cast members who are always worth watching even if this isn't their best by any stretch.

On reviewer said that only a 5th grade child could appreciate this movie. Well, when I first saw it-the year of it's release-I was a 2nd grade child. Red Skelton's prat falls and his mugging seemed hilarious to me-then! Otherwise, I was clueless as to what was going on.

What stayed in my memory for decades after was the dazzling color, This was probably the first technicolor movie I had even seen. Technicolor movies were still scarce and a great novelty. Thus, the color itself was enough to etch this film in my memory. Also, all the color was amped up beyond any connection to real life, and the sets, the clothing and even Lucy's hair were bright and saturated color. Wow!

Now, unfortunately, the movie lacks wit and it drags a bit. I now worry that Skelton might injure himself in one of his multitudinous falls. Lucy is not at all funny, and, despite her showy looks, not a whit sexy. Virginia O'Brien is very good. Too bad she didn't have more songs. No one in the movie seemed to have any more of an idea of who Dubarry was and what her relationship to Louis X IV was than I did at the age of seven. The music was good and Ziggy Elman and Buddy Rich were happily prominent..

When a bunch of young women parade in front of the camera, you can expect that one or two go on to some movie fame. I spotted Marilyn Maxwell and Hillary Brooke in this movie. It had enough to keep me watching, and it brought back colorful memories of a distant world to me.

This 1943 Arthur Freed production had a great cast, gorgeous Technicolor, various personalities of the day like Tommy Dorsey (and Dick Haymes and Jo Stafford singing in the flashback sequence), but it's a rather boring film. It's a movie made for a person with the intellect of a fifth grader. I had to stop the film after an hour and watch it the next day to complete it, as my patience had reached its limit for the day. I will say that many musicals of the day had puerile plots, but this one really was on the lower half of the scale.

Lucy and Red, both talented, didn't strike me as all that funny. And Lucy singing with Rita Hayworth's voice double Martha Mears looked and sounded strange. When you're looking for Rita, and you get Lucy, it is quite the shock. I will admit that after checking my facts Martha sang for Lucy before she sang for Rita in Cover Girl one year later, but I still "heard" Rita singing.

Gene was good as always but I couldn't quite see why he wanted Lucy so much. She was beautiful but cold in an icy manner.

Clara "Auntie Em" Blandick had a small bit in a subway which was quite good. And Lana Turner also appears in the film in an uncredited cameo.

Virginia O'Brien, always fun, helped the proceedings as well.

If you're a fan of the MGM musical, you should see it, but it's not a film that will make a list of the top film musicals.

The Roy Del Ruth directed romp "Du Barry Was Lady" from 1943 I suggest is one of the most imitated of all cinematic musicals. Its sincere main storyline involving dancer lovestruck Gene Kelly with gorgeous Lucille Ball and funnnyman Red Skelton with Virginia O'Brien is solidly presented. But this Sam Goldwyn style extravagance then blossoms out to include an extended dream-fantasy sequence. The later frenetic pageant stars all the characters in a royal French misadventure with Kelly as a rebel against the corrupt King, Ball as the infamous Du Barry who falls for the handsome "Black Arrow", her chief enemy, and Red Skelton as the dreamer and inept french King Louis XV. The immense cast also includes Rags Ragland, an early Zero Mostel as the Swami, powerful Douglass Dumbrille as Kelly's rival, Donald Meek, George Givot, talented actress Louise Beavers as a lovable but bossy maid, Niagara, and the Tommy Dorsey orchestra with the Pied Pipers, at this time including Dick Haymes and Jo Stafford, plus the Goldwyn Girls. The script for this expensive and lovely musical excuse for two hours' entertainment was supplied from a play by Herbert Fields and Buddy DeSylva, adapted by Nancy Hamilton. the screenplay was provided by Irving Brecher, with additional dialogue by Wilkie Mahoney. If the viewer looks closely, one can perhaps spot Marilyn Maxwell as a Goldwyn Girl, Ava Gardner (somwhere in the background), and fine actors Emory Parnell, Kay Aldridge and Grace Albertson in bit parts. Dorsey's orchestra is given several fine numbers, featuring his many talented sidemen. But the film belongs to the Kelly-Ball mismatch and to Red Skelton, being pursued by O'Brien. The producer was Arthur Freed, who employed Karl Freund's lucid cinematography, memorable art direction of the great Cedric Gibbons, Edmund Willis's elaborate set decorations done with Henry Grace, Gile Steel's male costumes and lovely female counterparts designed by Irene Sharaff, Sydney Guilaroff's difficult hair styles and Jack Dawn's inspired makeup. Music I suggest dominates much of the film; so, mention should be made of the orchestrations by Leo Arnaud and Axel Stordahl, done with George Bassman and music adaptor Roger Edens. Sy Oliver was also involved in orchestrations along with musical director George E. Stoll. Charles Waters is credited with the choreography, including several very fine production numbers. After not having seen the film for many years, I found its theatrical basis only a bit confining--the entire main film takes place in a large nightclub the performances more than adequate and the technicolor of this production absolutely lovely. Ball is much better in the French dream sequence I judge than in the more dramatic central plot; Kelly and Skelton acquit themselves very winningly; and Dumbrille and Mostel dominate every scene they are allowed to play. This can be a most enjoyable film, I suggest, for those in the mood for pure entertainment with a stronger story line than is usual for such 1930s and 1940s extravaganzas staged by Hollywood's studio tsars.

The movie was slow action. At points, almost boring. But for someone who wants to see up-coming and major stars of this time period, this movie has many. From Ball, Skelton, Kelly, and even O'Brien, Mostel, and finally Tommy Dorsey and his band, this movie has the stars. A good sample of their earlier works.

MGM bought a seventeen song musical comedy, threw out thirteen songs ("It Ain't Etiquette", "Well, Did You Evah", and "But In The Morning, No" can still be heard as backg round music) and had five studio composers take care of the rest of the score ("Salome" is their best contribution).

The plot--Film takes place in a nightclub. Louis (Skelton) is in love with May (Lucille Ball). After he accidentally drinks a Mickey, he dreams he's back in 1743 France, where he is Louis XV, and May is Madame DuBarry.

To me, Skelton is unbearable when he plays stupid; here, he takes forever to get the idea he's back in France, and tramples jokes into the ground. I don't know if that's his fault or the fault of director Del Ruth.

Ball is good as May/Madame DuBarry. She saves the second half of the film with her comedy skills where she makes a fool out of Louis XV. She is dubbed for most of her songs, but her real voice can be heard in the song "Friendship".

Gene Kelly is good as Alec/The Black Arrow. He has the best song ("Do I Love You") and an excellent dance number on the nightclub stage.

Virginia O'Brien makes "Salome" a memorable song. Look for Marilyn Maxwell in a bit , and Lana Turner in an uncredited bit.

Obviously what was good for Broadway audiences was not always good for film--especially when censorship demanded certain changes. Thus, when MGM decided to make a screen musical out of DU BARRY WAS A LADY, they had to jettison most of the score and keep a few Cole Porter numbers just to satisfy the censors.

The result is a bland hodgepodge of a musical looking so prettily Technicolored that it seemed to be the ideal escapism the world needed in 1943. It also had the advantage of giving new exposure to GENE KELLY, MGM's new dancing star first seen with Judy Garland in FOR ME AND MY GAL. Two other talents, LUCILLE BALL and RED SKELTON share top billing with Gene, giving Lucy a big chance to shine in all her Technicolor glory.

But the story is a sappy one and gets off to a slow start with some banal musical and comedy moments that take place in the nightclub where Red works as a hatcheck man, Lucy is a singer and Gene an aspiring songwriter, before we get to Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra delivering some solid jazz/swing with Gene Krupa on the drums.

The plot starts with Lucy informing Kelly she can't afford to fall in love with a poor guy. Red becomes a wealthy gent when he wins the Irish sweepstakes and Lucy reluctantly agrees to marry him for his money with no objections from Red. When Rags Ragland offers to help Red get rid of his competition by slipping a Mickey into Kelly's drink, the plan misfires and Red falls into a coma, believing he's King Louis XV and Lucy is Du Barry with Gene as odd man out--the Black Arrow.

Unfortunately, the 18th Century part of the story has not much more wit than the modern sequences although it's amusing to see all the cast in powdered wigs and period costumes going through some slapstick paces.

Lucy and Red make a good pair with the right comic timing and chemistry, but Gene Kelly's role is a pivotal one and probably one of his weakest earlier roles.

Summing up: Lots of eye candy with all the Technicolor trimmings MGM usually put into their musicals. And watch for a brief guest star cameo from Lana Turner and an early glimpse of Dick Haymes as a singer in Dorsey's band.

Well, there's not that many laughs despite Skelton and Mostel, while the music and dance numbers are pretty spotty despite Dorsey and Kelly, and even the queen of slapstick Lucille Ball seems a tad on the stiff side. No, the material is not up to the level of talent involved. Even the screenplay comes across like a series of hasty compromises. Now, if any other studio were in charge, I would say the results are only for hardcore fans of any of the above.

But this is big-budget MGM, and this is a musical, so the production values are simply superb even when all the rest falters. In short, the color is lavish, the costuming exquisite, and the dream-sequence sets ornate down to the smallest detail. Thus, whatever other shortcomings, the movie amounts to a literal feast for the eyes. Now, I'm no particular fan of that famously detached studio, but this is precisely the kind of production where MGM's dream-factory values excelled. So there are real compensations to the general mediocrity of the material.

In passing—I expect wartime audiences really enjoyed this lavish brand of escapism. However, I worry about it's being shown to our troops abroad—all those full-color close-ups of ravishing girls spreading the glamour on a mile thick. One of two results is going to happen—either the boys are going to win the war in short order, or there'll be more guys swimming the oceans than you can count. Fortunately, it looks like the boys decided to win the war first.

Absolutely LOVE this movie!!!They definitely don't make wonderful movies like DuBarry anymore. So creative. Lucille Ball so young and beautiful! I could watch this movie every day! Red Skelton whom I loved as a child. Virginia O' Brien is funny and beautiful as well. Bears a striking resemblance to Heddy Lamar. Great acting throughout. This movie is fantastic. Why is it just showing up? So many wonderful movies I'm just discovering,!

When MGM bought the rights to Cole Porter's DuBarry Was A Lady for the Arthur Freed unit as per usual the naughty Porter score was completely emasculated and songs old and new from a variety of sources were interpolated into the film. It was like his lyric of Friendship, a perfect blendship.

If you're attentive however you can hear at least two of the songs played as background music, When Love Beckoned and Well Did You Evah which was later interpolated by MGM into High Society for that never to be forgotten duet with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Only Friendship, Do I Love You Do I and Katie Went To Haiti made the final cut in the score.

Sad also that Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr did not get to repeat the roles they did on Broadway and Darryl Zanuck would not let Betty Grable come over from 20th Century Fox. Ethel only did two of her Broadway roles for the movies, Call Me Madam and Anything Goes and Lahr for whatever reason after the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard Of Oz was given a whole of mediocre parts.

It was said that Merman was not film box office, but certainly Lucille Ball wasn't either at that time. Red Skelton was however, his career was on the rise and so television's two most famous redheads got to team on the big screen.

Lucy is the star of a nightclub chorus and Red is the hat check man who hits the lottery. He's been crushing out on Lucy for forever, but now that he's rich he thinks she might give him a second look. He puts the big moves on her. but she can only see hoofer Gene Kelly. Still his money is tantalizing.

When Red tries to slip Gene a mickey finn he winds up drinking it himself and dreams he's back in the court of Louis XV as Louis XV with Lucy as the notorious Madame DuBarry. And Kelly turns up as the dashing rebel the Black Arrow, rival for the affections of the Madame.

In both the modern and period story MGM packed a lot of entertainment in the 89 minute running time. What court or nightclub would not like to have Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra as its personal band? There are some nice solos by drummer Buddy Rich and singing with the Pied Pipers are Jo Stafford and newly arrived vocalist Dick Haymes.

Virginia O'Brien contributes a few numbers. She never did any acting roles of note, but was always welcome in an MGM production for her singing and devastating dead pan delivery of a song. Making his big screen debut as the nightclub fortune teller was Zero Mostel with just a trace of his zaniness in play.

This was one of the few films that Gene Kelly was in that he really did not have control of his material yet. Nevertheless his Black Arrow persona was a hint of what you saw later in a high flying dance number in Anchors Aweigh and in The Three Musketeers and The Pirate.

A thin plot is just an excuse to hang a lot of comedy and musical entertainment. But what I would have given to see Merman and Lahr do a faithful adaption on screen.

Nightclub singer dreams of marrying into money but is in love with a poor fellow. Fluffy musical comedy plays like a variety show, with minimal plot holding together musical numbers and comedy skits. The film looks good in Technicolor, with red hairs of Skelton and Ball (dyed for this film and kept so thereafter) featured prominently. It's nothing special, but it's not terribly painful to watch either. Lucy mostly plays it straight while Skelton provides the comedy as a hat check man who wins the sweepstakes and woos Lucy. In only his second film, Kelly completes an unlikely love triangle as Lucy's poor and sullen boyfriend.

You got Cole Porter (lost in translation). You got Bert Lahr. You got Ethel Merman. You got them on Broadway but not in this absurd (but gorgeously, - with no connection to earth's truth - colorful) attempt at what they call a movie. Red Skelton, not a favorite of mine, continues not to be a favorite while Lucille Ball, who is a favorite, could barely call upon her magic, which was yet to come. Gene Kelly, too, was not yet in full bloom, but showed his genius. Virginia O'Brien was never given the acclaim she should have gotten and Zero Mostel was soon to be wiped off the screen because of the HUAC horror, which seems to be on the rise again. Donald Meek and Douglas Dumbrille in typical good form. BUT...the bottom line...this was a toothless presentation of what had been on Broadway a hit (Betty Grable was in it, too!). How dare them! Eliminating almost all of Porter's music. Hollywood is an idiot, has always been, in ruining almost all the time, good material, slaughtered by their unvarying ability to turn gold into dust. Nice color. And the buck stops there. If you must watch it, turn off the sound and just breathe in the color, unnatural as it is.

Louis Blore (Red Skelton) is a hat check man at a club. He is in love with singer May Daly (Lucille Ball), but she is in love with Alec Howe (Gene Kelly). Louis has a drugged drink and dreams he is Louis XV and May is Madame Du Barry.

Loosely adapted from Cole Porter's Broadway musical, this was surprisingly entertaining. Red Skelton and Lucille Ball are good, and the supporting actors are all excellent, especially Virginia O'Brien, Zero Mostel and Rags Ragland. Gene Kelly doesn't get much screen time, but he does an excellent dance to "Do I Love You?".

The script is great as well. One hilarious bit has Red Skelton, who has won $150,000 in a horse race, pull out his wallet, which is full of hundred dollar bills. He then finds a five dollar bill and says "How did that get here?" and casually throws it on the floor.

This was a really fun film. First time viewing. 3.5/5

Supremely awful if you expect anything beyond a collection of skits and musical numbers. This movie reminds me of those dinners we create from rummaging through the fridge and pulling out all the odds and ends that need to be used before they go bad.

Or... it's like the end of the fiscal year and everybody's trying to use up the last of the budget so they won't let anything go to waste and lose that amount in the next budget...

Or... it's like how porn makes a half-hearted attempt at plot and story line, but we all know it's just a vehicle for... you know.

But really - I have this vision of the studio execs in an office with all the contracts where they have to put performers in one more movie, all the bills for expensive costumes that needed to have every penny's worth squeezed out of them, all the scripts and musical numbers that were cut from other movies, and tossed the whole mess into the air. Then they picked everything up in random order and shouted, "Lights! Camera! Action!"

I've watched this numerous times on TCM just to enjoy the incredible Tommy Dorsey band at its peak. The opening feature is "Well Get It" with the trumpet dual between Ziggy Elman and Chuck Peterson. Henie Beau's clarinet solo, a gutsy Don Lodice tenor sax and the twin piano solos and the drumming of Buddy Rich.

But that's not all. The band is prominently featured on Salome, I Love an Esquire Girl, Katie went to Haiti (with Jo Stafford & the Pied Pipers with Divk Haymes.

Red Skelton is funny in his usual corny way. Lucille Ball looks gorgeous and Gene Kelly, although underused, is always excellent.

Forget the plot. Enjoy it for the great music and stunning Technicolor.

Most of the reviews here are not great, but I think they are missing the purpose for this movie. I saw it recently on Lucille Ball day on TCM.

The year was 1943 in the middle of WW II. Millions of young men were fighting for theirs and our lives. This movie was meant to entertain them in very difficult times. This colorful movie is brimming with beautiful women in striking dresses. Also, included was a variety of pop radio musicians of the time, including Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra (featuring Buddy Rich and Ziggy Elman), Dick Haymes, Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers, and Six Hits and a Miss. Dancing was provided by Gene Kelly with comedy by Red Skelton, Rags Ragland and a young Zero Mostel. Virginia O'Brien's performance of "Salome" was a standout.

Lucy was at her loveliest though her comic talents had yet to be discovered. She was a pinup girls for the G. I.'s.

One sad note. I think this may have been the last movie some of our soldiers ever saw. I hope this entertained them.

Never having seen the stage play by this same name, I can't compare a stage production to the movie. But as a movie, "Du Barry Was a Lady" needs to stand on its own. I remember watching Red Skelton and Lucille Ball on their TV shows. Everyone knows about Lucy. I think Skelton was terrific on TV. His comedy characters, Clem Kadiddlehopper and Freddie the Freeloader especially always got tons of laughs, and skits with his guest stars often had we viewers rolling with laughter.

I've seen a couple of Skelton movies that were fairly good, and several in which Lucille Ball was quite good. Unfortunately, this is not a good film for either star, or for Gene Kelly. I read a couple of reviews that seemed to make excuses for MGM having to scrap much of the stage original stuff to satisfy censors. I don't buy it. I think that's letting MGM and the writers, directors and everyone off the hook. All one has to do to verify this is to look at the many good and great comedy romance and musical films that Hollywood was producing at the time. No, this one suffers from a lack of anything very funny, and I think that rests with the writers first. This just isn't a very good screenplay. It isn't funny, and its so choppy that we get poor performances out of the main stars.

Still, I give this film six stars for one reason -- the appearance and playing of Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. Dorsey does several excellent numbers – he looks to have the full size complement of his group at its peak – around 25 to 28 musicians. Anytime a movie features one of the top big bands of the swing era, I will give it six stars to begin with, and then build up from there. Because of the era and the type of music that swing was, and its lasting effect on American music especially, and its longevity in films and on the air, I think movies that feature the most prominent of the big bands have a historical value as well as their entertainment value.

So, Tommy Dorsey and his excellent musicians are the only good thing about this movie. And, that's enough of a reason to watch it if one hasn't seen it before.

this movie, i won't call it a "film," was basically about nothing and functioned mostly for the popular acts of the time. yeah the war was on full swing (pun intended), and this movie gave the troops and our audiences a treat.

but let's have something with a bit more substance.

loved seeing a young Buddy Rich on the drums. the music was good throughout.

but one cameo after another gets old fast.

i didn't even recognize Zero Mostel! so if you're one from the "greatest generation," as they say, you'll definitely enjoy this...

movie.