Les rois de la couture

Neither the RKO 1935 version of Roberta or MGM's 1952 Lovely To Look At are anything like the original show on Broadway. RKO eschewed a male lead singer opposite Irene Dunne and went with Randolph Scott. In and of itself that necessitated change as the vocal chores got divided up between Irene Dunne and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers who were the secondary leads. In that version it was Scott who inherited the Parisian dress shop and romanced a woman who managed the place named Stephanie played by Dunne.

Stephanie played by Kathryn Grayson is still running the dress shop known as Madame Roberta's. But here it's Red Skelton who inherits half the place from his late aunt. He's partners in an act with Howard Keel and Gower Champion and they want him to sell his half so that they can get the money for a Broadway show. The three of them have to cut Ann Miller in on the deal just to get passage over to Paris.

Of course it's Keel who Grayson pairs off with and in doing so the film comes into balance vocally as the stage show did. Getting the dance numbers are Marge and Gower Champion, Marge playing Grayson's younger sister.

I think I can see the way the minds worked at MGM. In 1950 they copped the Best Picture Oscar for An American In Paris with a nice Parisian setting. Then the following year, Keel, Grayson, and the Champions were in a remake of another Jerome Kern classic Showboat which did very well. What to do, but combine all that in a Jerome Kern show that's Parisian based in Roberta. Besides why let all those expensive sets recreating Paris go to waste.

Also the fashion show finale was absolutely inspired by the fantasy ballet from An American In Paris. But the fantasy of Kelly in that film is replaced by a surreal reenactment of Jimmy Durante's famous line of 'everybody's getting into the act'.

Sometimes these things work and sometimes they don't. In this case the sum was definitely not greater than its parts. Howard Keel in his memoirs said that he felt that Mervyn LeRoy did not do right by him in this film that he had to make up his own interpretation of his character. Maybe LeRoy had too loose a hand and the film needed an overall creative genius like Gene Kelly.

Typical MGM treatment. Not much plot but the musical numbers are beautifully staged and the whole production is much more enjoyable than the Astaire-Rogers version. Grayson and Keel blend well in their duets and Ann Miller is in top form. Marge and Gower Champion have a field day in their roles and certainly deserve the praises they received during their time together. Red Skelton was always a class act and this role is no exception.

'Roberta' with Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers wasn't immune to flaws (Randolph Scott, lacking story execution), but on the whole it is a much better film, especially for the songs and their timeless renditions, production values, the choreography and the rest of the cast being used to great advantage.

'Lovely to Look At' certainly is lovely to look at, being filmed in absolutely glorious Technicolor and boasting opulent costume and set design. Jerome Kern's songs are as timeless as ever, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is one of his classics though "I Won't Dance" and "I'll Be Hard to Handle" are the standout renditions of the film. They are accompanied by choreography that's witty and poised, again the delightfully charming "I Won't Dance" and Ann Miller's knockout performance of "I'll Be Hard to Handle".

Despite garnering a reasonably mixed reaction, the fashion show is sheer visual beauty and is where the energy and interest is most apparent. Some of the cast disappoint, but Marge and Gower Champion have a field day and triumph in "I Won't Dance". Ann Miller was a scene stealer in many of her films and anybody who loves her will in no way be disappointed by her enviously energetic and poised dancing in "I'll Be Hard to Handle". It has to be admitted too, that Howard Keel does sing sublimely, he is a tender singing partner in the title song and fares even better in "You're Devastating".

On the other hand, this cannot be said for the rest of the cast. Kathryn Grayson is not at her best, pouting her way through her role and she has been in better voice, sometimes very nice but at other times shrill and fatigued. As wonderful as Keel sounds, he is unusually stiff here and he and Grayson don't seem to share much chemistry together so some of their longer scenes border on the tedious.

Then there is Red Skelton (who always was a take or leave performer), who mugs embarrassingly and comes over as irritating, and Zsa Zsa Gabor whose performance generally lacks charisma and sass in a role that gives her little to do.

Much of the story is contrived and tedious, with flashes of greatness in two or three song renditions and the fashion show but falling flat especially in the scenes between Keel and Grayson. The script lacks the light-hearted touch that worked so well in 'Roberta', as well as its warm heart and wit, disadvantaged by the comedy falling so flat particularly with Skelton and the performances of the cast varying so wildly. Mervyn LeRoy directs quite sluggishly on the whole.

In conclusion, lovely to look at but to see this talented crew on better form look elsewhere. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Lovely to Look At (Mervyn LeRoy, 1952) is a remake of the Randolph Scott and Irene Dunne romance Roberta that trims and polishes Alice Duer Miller's plot, reworks the musical numbers and winds up a whole lot more satisfying. It's also something of a dry-run for the phenomenal Kiss Me Kate (the source play of which is referenced in the script) uniting three of that movie's stars a year ahead of time: tenor Howard Keel, soprano Kathryn Grayson and curvy tap dancer Ann Miller. The toothy Keel, my mum's favourite movie star, plays an aspiring Broadway producer, trying to get a new musical off the ground. When his fellow impresario, comic Red Skelton, inherits Parisian dress shop Roberta's, they and pal Gower Champion decide they'll sell up and splash the cash on their stage show – until they catch a look of the tasty co-owners (Grayson and Marge Champion).

The film dispenses with much of its predecessor's plottiness, using Roberta's as a metaphor, rather than thinking a dress shop is massively important in itself. Howard Keel is more like Coward Heel, you see, and the selfish showman needs to learn how to do right by his friends, and the gownerie they hold so dear. Keel, who went stratospheric after Annie Get Your Gun and starred in several key musicals of the period, including Calamity Jane and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, had a wonderful voice and fair comic instincts, but appeared to lack dramatic range. That's not necessarily true, evidenced by his commanding performance in Kiss Me Kate, but he was one-dimensional unless otherwise encouraged. Skelton is asked to truly act, as well as provide the usual buffoonery, and his scenes of heartbreak contrast nicely with his over-the-top comic shenanigans. As Ben Stiller and Adam Sandler (see Punch-Drunk Love) would after him, he finds a sentimental dramatic groove through intelligent underplaying, and confounds expectations. He still puts paper in his ears and shoots a woman's fur, though, if you're worried. Skelton also has the funniest line of the picture, reminiscing about the girl he "could have married". In support, Kurt Kasznar is the pick, playing the buffoonish Max, who holds hidden depths. The way he approaches a business meeting is hilarious.

Roberta featured the incomparable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as cinema's most attractive second leads. They're replaced here by husband-and-wife dance team, Marge and Gower Champion. MGM apparently planned to remake all of Fred and Ginger's movies using the married hoofers, but this was the only one to come to fruition. They offer a pair of brilliant dance numbers, the joyous I Won't Dance – which is all done in one take – and a spot in the finale that sees them scrapping over a diamond bracelet. I was really taken with their agility, slinkiness and easy on-screen chemistry. The best number of all, though, is from Ann Miller, whose Hard to Handle is an absolute knockout: the leggy hoofer shoving aside wolfish admirers in a display of shimmering bravado. It could barely be more different from Ginger Rogers' version back in '35, which was performed in a heavy Russian accent, into a standing mic. Lafayette, a jaunty number that sees the three male leads bouncing around Paris, is great fun. The film also allows Grayson and Keel – never the most enthusiastic dancers – to stick to their strong suits and bellow two American standards introduced by Roberta. The title tune is sung by Keel, while Grayson does a touching reading of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which is modestly staged and perhaps performed at the wrong time, but lovely to listen to.

Several of these performers would scale greater heights the following year in the dizzyingly, dazzlingly inventive Kiss Me Kate. While Lovely to Look At isn't in that league, it remains an accomplished slice of high-grade entertainment, complete with some eye-popping numbers.

Trivia note: As well as leaning on Roberta, the film borrows a couple of tricks from an MGM classic of decades past: Ninotchka, which was also set in Paris. Grayson's straight-faced recollection of stats about the Eiffel Tower is taken straight from that masterpiece, while the shot of Keel upon his return is pure Lubitsch.

The original treatment of this musical is from RKO in 1935 and called ROBERTA. It is possibly one of the most sublime movies, yet alone a musical, ever created. This healthy and sumptuous remake from 1952 has several genuinely jaw-dropping sequences, such is the lavish talent and extraordinary musical treatment from MGM at their musical zenith. Imagine Hollywood trying to come even close to making this film today! That is a genuine Mission Impossible. They would have to add a few killings to get the marketing dept to even understand it. That moan aside, I am very grateful to have LOVELY TO LOOK AT as well as ROBERTA in my life to charm me and to make me and my friends very happy. The two standout sequences in particular are "I won't dance" with Marge and Gower at their snazzy stylish dancing best...and yes all in one very clever take...and the astonishing fashion show finale, which should be mandatory for study in every part of every film school. The only misgivings are the lame and out of date comedy from Red Skelton hamming it up for the American Mid West audiences, and Howard Keel bellowing as usual. But for great women and eye popping clothes..the title says it all.