La marraine de Charley

I was fortunate to see this film while a freshman in college the year it was released. Having always enjoyed musical theater I loved the movie. Unfortunately I never got to see it again until it showed up once on television about thirty years ago. By that time I had the British original cast recording with Norman Wisdom so I knew the songs and found it even more fun. Then we saw a Ray Bolger nightclub act and I got to speak with him afterward. His "Once in Love With Amy" was the high point of his act as it was in the Broadway show. In the movie he repeats his famous interaction with an audience during that number as he did on the stage. According to Cy Feuer it was that number and that interaction that made the show a hit. I agree that this movie is part of show business history and should be available on DVD.

Ray Bolger had a huge Broadway hit with "Where's Charley?" that ran from October 1948 to September 1950. Bolger even starred in a brief 1951 revival. This 1952 film version also boasts original cast members Allyn Ann McLerie as Amy and Horace Cooper as old Spettigue.

Despite a rough start in the opening Oxford scenes, the film kicks into gear when Bolger hideously yet hilariously masquerades as his aunt (whom he has never met) to maintain the social propriety that requires the presence of a chaperone among the mixed-sex young set gathered at an Oxford reunion.

The wealthy "aunt" then becomes the romantic target of two "old boys" back for their reunion. But all hell breaks loose when the real aunt shows up and pretends to be an old friend of the aunt's dead husband. Amid all these plot contrivances are peppered several musical numbers.

Bolger wonderfully recreates "Once in Love with Amy," a number that brought down the house on a nightly basis. The "aunt" is the perfect vehicle for his eccentric dancing style that seems even more bizarre while he's in drag. A major surprise is the excellent performance by Allyn Ann McLerie as Amy. Mostly remembered now for her crotchety character performances on TV, here she sings and dances up a storm in the Brazilian dream sequence. She's quite wonderful.

Cast also includes Mary Germaine and Robert Shackleton as Kitty and Jack, Margaretta Scott as the real aunt, and Howard Marion-Crawford as old Chesney.

Film closes with a massive production number, "At the Red Rose Cotillion," and a reprise of the opening number.

Still awaiting a DVD release. If you get a chance, watch this one for Ray Bolger and Allyn Ann McLerie.

You can go to Turner Home Movies website and vote for movies you'd like to see released on DVD. They keep a list, and Where's Charley is on there. You can also suggest other movies if you don't see them on the list. They've got tons of old movies, and apparently lots of them haven't been re-released yet. It's really a shame that something as classic as Where's Charley isn't available to adoring fans. To vote for Where's Charley you can just go to http://www.tcm.com/suggestamovie/index/#suggestions and complete their "suggestion" box & tell them why you want it. They send the list out to DVD companies regularly, apparently. It's worth a shot. Maybe we'll all be watching it again next year!

Due to copyright issues (the widow of Frank Loesser has kept it from circulation due to the misguided belief that it was one of her husband's lesser works), Where's Charley? has not been seen by many people for decades. It is a good film and Ray Bolger's favorite, so it is a shame that it is not accessible.

I saw it screened at Cinevent 2017, and though the color on the print was beginning to fade, it was an enjoyable hour and a half.

The story is the famous stage play Charley's Aunt set at the turn of the century at Oxford where two men try to woo their sweethearts. "Better Get Out of Here" is the best staged musical number in the film and it appears in the beginning when the girls discover there is no adult chaperone and they are therefore in violation of the morals of the time. This is what causes Charley (Bolger) to impersonate his own aunt in fear that he will not get to spend enough time with Amy (Allyn Ann McLerie) to win her heart and her hand. Although it wasn't my favorite part of the movie, I was surprised to find myself humming "Once in Love With Amy" after the fact.

I too loved this film and would be over the moon to be able to have a copy on DVD. I think that the scene where Ray Bolger sings 'Once in love with Amy' is fabulous. I think everyone remembers Ray Bolger as the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz where he was one of the main cast members (he was originally meant to play the tin man and Buddy Ebsen was going to play the scarecrow), but I think this was a true starring role for him and he rose to the challenge. It's a true family film and one where you don't have to worry about violence or language, which makes a change in this day and age. Come on people let's get this released on DVD so everyone can enjoy it.