Louco por Saias

The plot's ridiculous. Garland and Rooney are young and magical. Seeing Tommy Dorsey's orchestra at work is wonderful.

The movie's finale is a musical number, "I Got Rhythm", directed by Busby Berkeley. As with all the great Berkeley musical scenes, it's a unique vision. The camera moves and staging are masterful. Transcendent, even. I'd love to be a fly on the wall while this scene was being thought up and worked on.

Something I haven't seen commented on: Rooney's radio impressions, given while he and Garland wait to see the governor. Kinda fun. Mickey channels his inner Robin Williams.

Despite the plot absence, put this on your must-see list if you're serious about developing cinematic literacy.

Mickey Rooney has been disgracing papa Henry O'Neill by hanging out in night clubs instead of the Yale Quad, so he ships him out west where he encounters Judy Garland. There are some subplots, but it's mostly about Miss Garland singing Gershwin songs and Rooney mugging.

It's a transitional musical from the Freed unit. MGM had been doing musical extravaganzas in the 1930s, and operettas starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. The Arthur Freed unit was evolving the musical into the new Broadway style, in which the songs advanced or expounded on the plot, instead of stopping the horse race while Jolson did bird imitations. This one has some big musical numbers involving the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and it has some numbers that comment on the characters' states of mind like "Could You Use Me?", and the lovely "But Not For Me". It also has numbers more suited for a revue like "Biding My Time." So musically it's a mixed bag, except for the fact that it's all Gershwin tunes.

You can't fault any music by George Gershwin, but you can raise your eyebrows at some of the self-indulgent lyrics by Ira Gershwin, full of all-too-clever feminine rhymes instead of honest sentiment -- and some unfortunate arrangements, like an orchestral swing version of "Fascinating Rhythm" that reduces the rhythm to nothing under the Dorsey syrup.

Even so, the enormous energy and talent of Rooney and Garland carry this movie easily over the finish line, and if the production number of "I Got Rhythm" is directed by Busby Berkeley is over the top, the starring pair triumph over its rigorous and meaningless spectacle.

Mickey Rooney is hilarious, Judy Garland charms your socks off with her incredible talent, Busby Berkely adds his genius, Norman Taurog is in top form, and Tommy Dorsey swings the joint with his big band in this exceptional MGM wartime Musical. Top it off with a superb Gershwin's score, Rags Ragland, Nancy Walker and June Allyson in solid supporting roles and you have one helluva entertaining songfest.

What more can you ask for? If this one doesn't make you laugh and tap your toes nothing will. Sure it's fluff but oh what good fluff! Escapist fun in 1943 and just as good now. Judy and Mickey were always great together and made some decent musicals, but this is the best I've seen. A thorough delight from start to finish.

What talent Hollywood once had that is gone forever. There's more entertainment value in the first 25 minutes of this picture than in most current films I've seen lately combined.

See it. It's a gem.

Lively musical, but what else can you expect from those two sparkplugs, Garland and Rooney. Actually, Rooney is more restrained than usual which helps. Garland is in fine form, especially with the Embraceable You number, which is also very well staged and choreographed. I like the western setting, unusual for an A-musical, but it works. However, the curtain-closing I Got Rhythm appears over-done, especially the six-gun fusillade. Then too, those marching phalanxes of cowboys and girls are unmistakably Busby Berkeley at work. The plot's a typical Let's Put on a Show, only this time it's to rescue a college's floundering enrollment. The show's also a good excuse to parade around a lot of statuesque beauties, but who's complaining. Too bad, this was the dynamic duo's last pairing— together they certainly light up the screen.

I ignored this movie for years thinking it was just another over-exuberant essay in the over-abundant MGM collection of sappy adolescent musicals. I'm glad that listening to an English revival of the original musical finally motivated me to watch it, because some of the best musical numbers ever put on film are here. Busby Berkeley started as the director but was replaced for supposedly tyrannical behavior. His production numbers appear at the end and are quite amazing, choreographing "I've Got Rhythm" with guns and bullwhips. All the numbers on this movie are quite exceptional, in particular "Biding My Time" one of the Gershwin brothers' finest and most surprising tunes, but also "Treat Me Rough" and "Could You Use Me". And the arrangements are some of the best I've ever heard, anticipating the harmonies of the Hi-Los and the Four Freshmen by a decade and a half. Judy has never looked prettier nor sung as purely and Mickey pulls out all the stops without (well, almost) going over the top. He even plays a terrific piano solo, with Tommy Dorsey! I never get tired of watching this movie. It's an explosion of pure pleasure.