Viva Las Vegas

No one can dance like Cyd Charise. Her grace is captivating. It's like watching a ballet. Her technique is purely her own style. She was ahead of her time with her routines. I recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys watching colorful costumes and playful, entertaining dancers.

MGM, as its glory days began to recede, threw every talent it could gets its hands on into this colorfully tasty little CinemaScope stew. Of course there's the delicious Cyd Charisse, especially leggy in the "Gal with the Yaller Shoes" production number; Cara Williams lending cleverly funny support (Whatever happened to her?); Dan Dailey, a little more engaging than usual; Agnes Moorehead, Jim Backus and Lili Darvas helping Cyd to look like she could act as well as dance; cameos by everyone MGM still had under contract and several others who had escaped or never had labored under that servitude; and a host of performers who help us to remember that one used to go to Las Vegas to see the big-name entertainment in the lounges and showrooms, rather than to gawk at the absurd splendor of the city's extravagantly stupendous hotel/resorts. I assume that the VHS version is (Phooey!) "letterboxed", but I'd add this one to my library if, perchance, they've issued it in a "Deluxe Widescreen Edition"...the ONLY way to fly!

Modestly, very modestly, entertaining romance/musical is worth seeing only for Cyd ("Legs for Days") Charisse dancing at her best; and her acting is better than usually.

Plot has rancher Dan Dailey and ballet star Charisse fall for each other in Las Vegas. Charisse shows off her versatility in two dancing ballets, a burlesque bump and grind, an "Oklahoma"-esque cowboy dance, and in a "Frankie and Johnny" number as well-sung by Sammy Davis Jr.

The dance numbers were choreographed by one of Hollywood's all-time best choreographers, Hermes Pan, and they show off Charisse at her leggy best. The burleque number is a hoot and the second ballet is high camp.

Other musical numbers are by Jerry Calonna, Lena Horne and Frankie Lane. Dailey even does a song and dance with Japanese kid singer Mitsuko Sawamura (from "Tea House of the August Moon").

Watch carefully for brief cameos by Frank Sinatra, Pier Angeli, Debbie Reynolds and Peter Lorre (he's a blackjack player saying "Hit me"!). George Chakiris (credited as George Kerris) has a brief role too.

It looks like a lot of mid-50s casinos helped with the filming, so there are no Godfathers behind the scenes. Vegas appears positively plain compared to today's glitz.

If you're into this type of show you'll love it.

Okay, so "Singing in the Rain" it's not, it's still better than... okay, I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but it's an enjoyable movie with lots of singing, dancing, pretty colors and fun cameos from a host of stars. AND it has the best version of "Frankie & Johnny" I've ever heard -- courtesy of Sammy Davis Jr.

Cyd Charisse is in the top ten of 'the-most-gorgeous-and-talented-women-to-ever-appear-in-movies'. She is displayed like a flawless multi-carat gemstone in "Meet Me in Las Vegas". In fact, there are so many gorgeous women in this movie my eyes bugged out. Wowie-wow-wOw!

If you don't like musicals, forget this one, it's just a cute diversion. If you DO like musicals, don't miss this one. It's a tad long, but it's still a winner.

Cyd Charisse has always knocked us off balance with one of the greatest pair of legs in show business. In this film she shows us a human side which, from what I have seen, has always been lacking. She gets drunk as a skunk in a hilarious scene and gets up on the stage with the show girls and instantly outclasses them. She and Dan Dailey really work well together. It seems, in the movie, if they hold hands they will have unbeatable luck in Las Vegas. It creates a situation which everyone who has ever gambled (and there are a few of us) would love to be in. I will play the tape just to watch the tipsy scene but the rest of the picture is also very rewarding. I've always liked Dan Dailey as an actor and performer. Sammy Davis Jr.'s voice is used in a great sexy ballet number "Frankie and Johnny", in which Cyd really wows 'em. I can't imagine anyone doing a better vocal rendition of this particular number. It is a classic. Treat yourself to a better Cyd, a nifty Dan and Sammy's terrific, raucous rendition of "Frankie and Johnny." ... get the video. comment welcome ... babblingbooks@shaw.ca