Crociera di lusso

On a windy, cold March afternoon I loved hearing Lauritz Melchoir, one of the great tenors, a formidable fore-runner to today's tenors. He was able to relate, even in film, his great joy in life and music - a skill that would well serve many of today's artists.

Ms. Powell is as refreshing in this role as the day she performed it. Todays youth can learn from the standards of that era. Her natural talent has always been remarkable both as a singer and actress in later years.

This motion picture joins many of the delightful films of both Ms. Powell and Mr.Melchoir as a part of a heritage and history in the industry we must cherish.

It is good to be reminded in these difficult days in our world that we can still find joy in the moment and seize these pleasant opportunities to reflect on happier times.

"Luxury Liner" is a film that surprised me. Although it is chock full of opera singing, I still loved it! Surprise, surprise, surprise!

When the story begins, a cruise ship captain (George Brent) is about to go out to sea once again. His VERY precocious daughter (Jane Powell) stows away and spends much of her time telling various ridiculous lies, trying to set up a woman with a future husband as well as trying to get a world famous opera singer (Lauritz Melchior) to listen to her sing. While this might sound pretty annoying, Powell is marvelous as this character....very likable in spite of being a busy-body! The reason is that the film is very charming and well written...and comes off much like an episode of "The Love Boat"...but with opera music! Well worth seeing and very cute.

This movie is pap, but it's pleasant enough pap and offers some wonderful musical moments. The plot is a sit-com all about a girl (Jane Powell) who stows away on the luxury ocean liner her daddy (George Brent, in his second outing in a film with this title!) just happens to captain. Havoc ensues, of course -- the details are beside the point. The real point is that Xavier Cugat is on board with his orchestra -- and lots of surprise musical guests. Audiences in the 40s knew quite well what to expect from this sort of thing -- The Xavier Cugat/Jose Iturbi Musical -- lots of "Latin-style" fun, eye-dazzling Technicolor, and tunes galore. This one is no worse than any of them, and for a few reasons may actually be a bit better. Here's the really great thing about this pic: One of the musical "surprises" on the ship turns out to be operatic tenor Lauritz Melchior! Melchior's voice was one of the finest of his era, and his Wagnerian outing here ("Winter Storms," from Die Walküre) gives a hint of just what a pleasure he was in his prime. His performs duets with Powell from the Viennese repertoire, but she's no match for his power and finesse. Also, Marina Koshetz sings a FAAAAAABulous rendition of Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin."

All in all, worth the time it takes to watch.

Jane in beautiful voice. Melchior wonderful. Brent cute and funny. Miss Dean (Dene?) powerful, sweet and beautiful. The 'boy with funny faces' a laugh riot. Exterior shot of ship looking quite modern. I realized that 1948 was only 36 years after Titanic demise, and of course people were comfortable again in going by ship. By 1948, people were flying commercially, but big boats were still very popular. A plane flight, however, wouldn't have the time needed for story development, though. Miss Dean's fiancé was very handsome, I thought. I loved all the tons of flowers he sent her, that took up so much space in her stateroom. Jane scrubbing floors on her hands and knees: pretty hard on the knees. If going by liner, it might as well have been luxury, so good thing Jane got out of those scrubbing clothes and into better looking outfits. Jane was so outgoing and cheeky in trying to get an audience with Melchior. It is good that he was so nice to her, and so accommodating. It would be a dream come true for any singer.

Jane Powell steps into a role that a decade earlier Deanna Durbin was playing over at Univeral Pictures and making great money at it. Little wholesome Miss Fixit who solves everyone's problems before the film is over and the audience gets a cadenza or two.

Luxury Liner has Jane an opera aspiring daughter of passenger liner captain George Brent. There's an opera festival in Rio and Jane just has to go and the captain says no. What to do, simply stow away, especially with the great tenor Lauritz Melchior on board.

In fact besides Jane and Melchior we also have the Pied Pipers late of the Tommy Dorsey orchestra and the ship's orchestra is that of Xavier Cugat which is perfect for a cruise south of the border. As you can see the musical guests run quite a gamut of musical taste.

Luxury Liner is a nice easy to take musical and quite frankly I miss the days when young teen stars had a great singing range like Deanna Durbin, Jane Powell, Susanna Foster, Gloria Jean. We haven't heard arias from teen mouths in decades.