A Noiva de Papai

The Girl Next Door is a surprising and fascinating film, partly for what it delivers, and partly because of what it indicates the future could have been for its star. The film opened quickly, and disappeared just as quickly, in New York, because its start June Haver had already entered a convent (she, of course, didn't stay there long). Not expected to be box office, the film, though, has some extraordinary moments, and the most surprising element of all is the work of June Haver. Although her voice is dubbed, her dancing is a complete revelation. Her work with Dan Dailey is superlative and shows maturity that she had never shown before. Indeed, her torch song indicates a Haver never seen before...and never to reappear. The cartoon networking is fun, and the dish number between Dailey and Billy Gray is a joyous scene. Haver also displays a wide range of emotions that indicate she had matured as an actress and was no longer the perennial ingenue. Even her figure is more eye-watchable than in previous vehicles -- including The Dolly Sisters. The film sags badly whenever Dennis Day is at hand, and even more sadly because he sings the one number that had a brief bit of fame - If I Love You a Mountain. His voice allows no emotion, and his expressions are devoid of any acting. His vis-a-vis, Cara Williams, is totally wasted. It's nice, though, that the film has hit DVD, because its merits are commendable. Certainly, it is professional work - with the sad exception of the scenes with Dennis Day.

I am an odd person in that I like musicals BUT dislike them when they have a lot of songs or unnecessary song and dance sequences that slow down the plots. So, while I really loved the plot from "The Girl Next Door", I felt that a couple times the song and dance routines got in the way--particularly the fantasy sequences. Now this is NOT to say I disliked the film. I think it's actually highly underrated and don't exactly know why it isn't thought of as one of the better musicals. Perhaps it's because it starred Dan Dailey and June Haver--and they were not see as in the same level as Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and other top Hollywood names. Well, despite this, it is a very good picture...even with a song or two too many.

The film begins by showing us very quickly the life of the actress Jeannie Laird (Haver). Now, after wowing audiences all over the world, she has just bought a home and plans to settle down a little bit. She's still a working woman and loves acting, but now she has a house to call her own. But, on the night she's throwing a big housewarming party, she runs afoul of her neighbors--Bill and Joe Carter (Dan Dailey and Billy Gray). Fortunately, this minor tiff did not characterize the movie or their relationship and soon she and Bill are dating. The problem is that Joe LOVES all the attention he gets from his single dad--and he naturally resents anyone who might try to take him away from him. Unfortunately, Bill is a bit oblivious to this and it takes patience from Jeannie and some understanding from Joe to work through all this.

This is a very nice family film. The relationship between father and son seemed natural and sweet. Daily and Haver are exceptional, but the real star to me was Gray. While he'd played precocious and ill-behaved brats in a few previous films, here he was all boy--and I mean that in the best possible way. He seemed very natural and was in his element in the film. Overall, apart from one or two songs too many, the film has a nice story, excellent acting and is well worth your time.

By the way, this was Haver's last film, as she soon retired to be a nun. This didn't take, apparently, and a bit later she became Mrs. Fred MacMurray and never looked back at her film career. Also, get a load of the big kiss at the end--it's one of the best of the era!

If you see this on DVD, look for the special features--they are excellent!

This obscure film was a treat for me, a classic film buff; it's a rare musical from Hollywood's golden age that's I've never seen nor even heard of. The Girl Next Door is not only very well made and entertaining, but in 1951 this was cutting edge both in story and in the way it's musical numbers are staged.

Plotwise, it's a mild domestic drama, coupled with a conventional romance. Innovative is that the story portrays a warm, friendship-based father-son relationship which functions very well without a mother or other woman being around. When the father falls for the professional singer-dancer woman next door, the son is resentful.

The dance numbers are not only well staged and performed, but refreshingly creative. The standout is a film-noirish number, shot with highly stylized camera angles, stark lighting, highly effective use of contrasting colors, and slinky jazz dance moves. The capper is that the number is supposed to be a nightclub performance with Dan Daily in the audience; mid-number, he imagines himself into the number, first as a shadow and then as the primary male dancer (a la "The Purple Rose of Cairo", decades later). The film's opening is remarkable for it's time; credits are superimposed (very unusual for the time) on the first of a three song extended musical number which immediately set's up the story and gives us a lot of information about June Haver's character.

Dan Daily is likable, charming, masculine, believable, as well as being a good enough dancer and singer. June Haver is sexy in a very wholesome way, has a great body, moves well, but is somewhat bland in the personality-acting department. Her singing is dubbed. The only weakness in the film are that Denis Day is barely mediocre as a comic second banana, though his singing is beautiful, if you like old fashioned Irish tenor vocalizing. Cara Williams is radiant and sassy in the typical role of wisecracking friend of the heroine, but she's given little screen time and the zingers she's given to say are bland. Otherwise the dialog is far above the norm for musicals of it's era.

The DVD includes 3 documentary featurettes; 2 are very informative and well done, one is about the film and the other about Dan Daily. The third is about Billy Gray (Bud of "Father Knows Best"), it's hampered by not having any footage from non-Fox films he made, nor from the classic TV show.

As of this writing, the IMDb user rating for this unpretentious musical is an amazingly high 8.3 - higher than The Band Wagon also released in 1953. So what accounts for such a rating? Most of the songs are awful ("I'd rather have a pal than a gal, anytime" is an example), and the choreography is just so-so. But despite these deficiencies, The Girl Next Door is one of the most amiable entertainments from the '50s. The slight story is played with humor and warmth by the entire cast. The dialog is bright. The modest fashions and decor make this a fascinating time capsule - closer to early 50s suburbia than the highly stylized productions from MGM.

Although it's not about to supplant The Band Wagon from a critical standpoint, this film does weave a particular magic and has obviously won its way into a lot of hearts - mine included!

Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly reigned as the male masters of dance in movies through the mid-20th century. Theirs were the large-scale production numbers and solo creative routines that dazzled audiences in many very good to great musical films. But a number of other very talented "hoofers" did a good share of entertaining as well. Donald O'Connor, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Cagney, Mickey Rooney and Dan Dailey come to mind. Besides dancing, they had singing voices and could act. The one who could do the best job of the latter was Dan Dailey. This intrepid happy camper could turn from a comedic role to a serious one with seeming ease.

Dailey also had a persona about him that made audiences feel comfortable and cozy with his dance scenes. He seemed relaxed and natural in his movements. Usually those were with a romantic partner. In "The Girl Next Door," June Haver fits very nicely in that role. The Betty Grable look- alike had good dance and singing skills, so theirs was a very good match.

Other actors in this film gave top performances as well – most notably Dennis Day, Cara Williams and Billy Gray as Dailey's son. The movie has a good plot, and Dailey and Gray have a couple of very good and amusing father-son skits. While there are no hit parade numbers in this film, the songs are all quite good. Haver has one very dramatic solo dance role and Dailey has a dream sequence. Finally, two animated comic sequences round out the humor in the film. Taken together, these qualities earn "The Girl Next Door" a high score for entertainment and enjoyment.

Dan Dailey had a lot of strain and turmoil in his life. But he seemed to leave it at the stage door. He believed strongly in family life, yet he was married four times. He fought alcoholism early in his career, and his only son committed suicide in 1975. Dailey died three years later of anemia when he couldn't recover after a hip fracture from a fall. He was just 64. Dailey was well-liked by people on his movie sets, and he brought smiles and cheerfulness to rehearsals. His musicals especially, should still entertain people for decades to come.