L'Étoile des étoiles

Rita Hayworth shows why she was dubbed "The Love Goddess" in this technicolored musical fantasy incorporating some of the supporting players of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" to flesh out its plot about Terpsichore returning to earth to help producer (Larry Parks) put on a correct version of his mythological musical. Unfortunately, the script doesn't provide Larry Parks with a role up to his Jolson impersonations and the chemistry between them isn't quite enough to make this more than a routine musical.

Rita is perfectly cast as a goddess and is at her most ravishing. She has several good dance routines which she performs with her customary grace and skill. Larry Parks, then riding the crest of his popularity after "The Jolson Story", does a workmanlike job in a lackluster role. But she steals as the spotlight as the Greek muse of the theater, unhappy about the way the nine Muses are being portrayed. Along with an angel (Edward Everett Horton), she is allowed to go down to earth in an attempt to give the show some class. It's a pleasant enough fantasy and gives Rita the chance to do some fancy footwork in dance routines staged by Jack Cole. The good cast includes Roland Culver, James Gleason and Marc Platt.

For more about Rita, watch for my upcoming career article slated for publication in FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE sometime soon.

Alexander Hall, the director of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", tried to give his old movie a new look by changing it into a musical. It must have sounded like a good idea at the times. The only problem was that this is not as charming as the model in which "Down to Earth" is based on. While the model picture seemed light and inspired, this one doesn't fare as well.

In theory, Larry Parks and Rita Hayworth, would have been a match made in heaven. Both were at the top of their fame. Larry Parks was a good actor who could act and sing as well and Rita Hayworth was a joy to watch, no matter in what vehicle. Somehow, the sparks both actors should have given their fans don't materialize, perhaps because of the way it unfolds on the screen.

There are some unexpected pleasures in the film, although not the unremarkable music. On the other hand, Rita Hayworth is quite good as the Muse who decides to take matters on her own and comes back to show Danny Miller how to stage his musical for the theater. Ms. Hayworth is at her most ravishing self dressed by Jean Louis and looking like the goddess she was! Larry Parks tries to be the suave musical theater man that falls in love with his Terpsichore.

The supporting cast is excellent. James Gleason, who played in the original film, here is seen as a theatrical agent. Roland Culver is the Mr. Jordan, who arranges the trip down to earth. The incomparable Edward Everett Horton is seen as the guardian angel, or Messenger 7013, who is made to follow Terpsichore/Kitty provoking some funny situations. William Frawley plays a small part.

This is a film to watch to see the gorgeous Rita Hayworth as the top of her profession.

There is a lot wrong with this movie, but none of it is Rita Hayworth. She plays the part of a goddess briefly visiting earth and not exactly fitting in, which indeed she was. In this movie she comes from a heaven which strangely is managed as both the place of the human afterlife and the abode of the Greek gods. Trailing after her is Edward Everett Horton, providing comic relief, but at a certain point he drops out as the movie becomes more serious and unsettling. There are songs, and they sound all right but nothing is catchy about them. There are dances, and people complaining about the dances, and you can't quite tell whether you're being ribbed for enjoying the dances or ribbed for not enjoying them. Rita Hayworth never gets a romantic dance with a partner, although Marc Platt-- as the friend becoming alienated from the male lead-- gets a few moments to show off his own energetic moves as he and Hayworth, being part of a threesome, dance to a song about how happy they are that is set in a gloomily deserted twilight playground. And how could they be happy? Everyone in the story is angry, jealous, fearful, or violent, and there is no place on earth for love. The movie is dated 1947 and for no obvious reason, men are shown more than once in military uniform. Perhaps the confusion, the uncomfortable jostling of the earthly and the otherworldly, and the threat to the solidarity of the male buddies have something to do with the atmosphere of war's end.

I suppose that Technicolour was a big selling point when this film came out (1946). The colour is beautiful to look at, but much of the rest of the film is rather slim. In this film, Rita Hayworth is a muse who becomes upset when she learns that a Broadway musical is going to portray her as a jive crazy love machine. She heads to earth to correct matters and the audience settles in for 101 minutes of unmemorable musical numbers and several poorly choreographed dance scenes.

Allow me to guess what happened here. Columbia was looking for a musical vehicle for Hayworth, then at the top of her career. They had script for a B musical ready to roll, but they needed to beef it up a bit. So what they did was steal a few of the characters from a past hit, HERE COME MR. JORDAN, added Technicolour, and hoped that it would prove enough of a draw. If you do watch this film, note how poorly the JORDAN characters are worked in - especially Max Corkle.

Elements of the Broadway musical DOWN TO EARTH also appear in Fred Astaire's THE BAND WAGON, which came out in 1953 - but the numbers in the later film were far more memorable. I had enjoyed HERE COMES MR. JORDAN, and was curious as to what the sequal would be like. My curiosity has been satisfied - yet another half-baked movie sequel.

This 1947 film still holds its own due to gorgeous Rita Hayworth, and excellent supporting cast James Gleason and Edward Everett Horton and William Frawley. Some good dance numbers. To surmise, this film is pleasant escapism fare.