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Undemanding but energetic fare from MGM teaming the vivacious Debbie Reynolds as the day-dreaming dancing football and the late Donald O'Connor as the goofy magazine gopher who wants to put her on the front cover. It's hardly "Singin' in the Rain" but it does have glorious Technicolor, a snappy dance number set in a park, and a memorable song in "The Lady Loves" (which doubles as a glamour showcase for Reynolds). Nice cameo from Robert Taylor too!

I did enjoy this film, especially watching the talent of Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. When looking at this film, one has to take into account the talent of the screen performers as well as the plot/storyline etc.

Overall I don't know why people are saying these musical numbers in this film aren't as good as 'Singin' in the Rain.' In my opinion, while the melodies aren't quite as memorable, the way the music is constructed(harmonies etc) is far superior to that of it's more famous cousin.

There are plenty of strange moments throughout the movie, however. So strange that they create unexpected humour. For one, Donald's solo dance number while cleaning the studio only made sense after I read about it. When watching it, I couldn't understand what was going on. Furthermore, the football scene with Debbie in it was so bizarre that you had to laugh. I think this unintended humour made things a little better, but knowing it was unintended put a little downer on things.

What the story does well is create an emotional investment in the characters - I felt for Debbie's character as I knew how much she wanted to be on the cover of the magazine. I also felt for Donald's character as he tried to set things right. However that's about the only thing I liked about the plot.

Debbie and Donald are both great here - Donald already well established, and Debbie trying to make her break since Singin in the Rain. It's obvious these two have more chemistry than the Reynolds/Kelly combination, probably due to age differences and things(Debbie would have been around 20 and Donald around 27, whereas Gene was already 40)

While the film is short, the ending seemed extremely rushed to me, and could have benefitted from a few extra minutes of footage. What happened afterwards? A lot of unanswered questions were left. Furthermore, the very end shot of Debbie frantically fondling Donald didn't leave a great taste to end. Something more calm would have made the ending seem less frantic and rushed.

Also, there are plenty of script moments which seem very strange to a modern viewer(this is all part of historical relativism I assume) - such as a random man approaching Debbie and asking her if he could walk her places, which she just calmly responds 'No, thank you.' whereas today, this would seem extremely bizarre. Similarly, the 50's housewife persona is capitalised here - e.g. 'I'll cook just like my mother taught me'(Debbie) contrasting with the more dominant male persona(her father) is very apparent here. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this, it's just a point that I noticed.

Some of the script was extremely unconvincing - a mere 30 minutes in, Donald confesses his love for her in a car, and then says 'if you marry this other boy, I'll be very frank, I'll kill myself.' I have to commend Donald for selling such an unconvincing piece of dialogue barely a third of the way through.

It has been said that both Debbie and Donald did not enjoy the process of making this film, and it's easy to see that the plot, narrative and script were not as well thought out as it could have been. However, the talent of the two main actors show how much of a triple threat they both were.

Overall, this film has some very bizarre moments, with a few plot holes, unconvincing scriptwriting and a rushed conclusion. To save it, the talent of the two main actors plus the great musical numbers and the emotional story help out.

That it was a musical, with comedy and romance, with Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds reunited after the much deserved success of 'Singin' in the Rain' was more than enough reason to check out 'I Love Melvin'.

While 'I Love Melvin' may not quite be up there with the classic musicals and is not quite a masterpiece, it's immensely fun and charming still and very difficult to dislike. It is also very well-made and performed and worthy of much more praise and more people seeing it. If anybody enjoys musicals, there's no real reason why 'I Love Melvin' can't be enjoyed.

Sure 'I Love Melvin' could have been a little better, with a less rushed and pat ending and the lyrics for a few of the songs not as corny and vapid.

However, it looks great, being beautifully shot in big, bold and richly colourful Technicolor where the colours dazzle without being too garish or too busy. The songs are not exactly hits but there are also no duds, instead they are melodically pleasant songs beautifully performed though a few of them would have benefited more from better lyric writing.

The choreography is energetic and graceful, with O'Connor's breathless roller-skating routine being the highlight and fondly recalling the immense exuberance of 'Singin' in the Rain's "Make Em Laugh". While the dream sequence with the men is somewhat bizarre it's a fascinating sort of bizarre and not the uncomfortable sort.

Musicals are often criticised for the story, and it is true that this component is rarely a strong point even in the classics, but in the best musicals one forgets that when everything else is so good (when there are musicals that are executed in a mixed-bag or bad way it's less forgivable). Here the story is slight, but is so full of fun, energy, charm and heart that it still engages, it's easy to follow and there is a nostalgic value to be had. The witty spark of the script is also worthy of note. The direction is very sure-footed throughout.

Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds both excel superbly in roles that play to their strengths as performers. Their chemistry sparkles like bubbles in a glass of champagne. O'Connor has a mischievous charm and bundles of energy, his dancing also a dream. Reynolds is bright, lively and perky and sings like an angel. Jim Bacchus is hilariously demented.

All in all, an undervalued if imperfect little gem. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I Love Melvin (1953)

*** (out of 4)

Charming Musical-comedy has Donald O'Connor playing Melvin Hoover, a wannabe photographer for Look magazine and someone who just hasn't caught his break. One day he runs into Judy LeRoy (Debbie Reynolds), a small time and unknown dancer and soon the two make it a mission to get her on the cover.

I LOVE MELVIN was released shortly after the huge success of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and we get two of the three stars from that movie. I'm a little surprised that this film doesn't have a bigger following because even though it's not a masterpiece like that movie, it's at least entertaining enough to where more people should know of it. The film runs a rather short 77-minutes and manages to have a rather good story, some fun musical numbers and of course the chemistry between the two stars.

The best thing this film has going for it are the performances of both O'Connor and Reynolds. Both of them are perfectly suited for the roles and this is especially true for Reynolds who easily steals the picture. There's no question that her charm is at 100% and she really manages to make you care for her character and you just want to root her on so that she gets the cover. O'Connor is also extremely enjoyable playing that rather silly but charming role that he'd do quite often. The chemistry between the two is top-notch and they really make for a great and fun couple. Una Merkel, Allyn Joslyn and a cameo by Robert Taylor add to the charm.

The dance sequences are all pretty good but there's no question that the highlight is the roller skate sequence with O'Connor doing some wonderful tricks. The music numbers are also good but I'd argue that the best one happens rather early when we first see the two stars on the screen. I LOVE MELVIN has a great number of laughs and as I've said the chemistry with the stars makes this very much worth watching.

This film is an absolute delight from the pre-credit sequence where Debbie Reynolds writes the title of the film in lipstick on a mirror to the hilarious chase through Central Park at the end. In between Debbie dreams of becoming a Hollywood star in some magnificently staged dream sequences, thanks to the genius of Cedric Gibbons, in one of which she meets Robert Taylor as Robert Taylor! In another sequence she dances with three dancers in Fred Astaire masks and three in Gene Kelly masks - before winning an Oscar! Great stuff.

Debbie is perfect as both great movie star and girl next door. Her Broadway performance as a football is a riot. Equally good is Donald O'Connor as her lover and aspiring photographer. His roller-skate sequence is brilliant, as is a dance sequence in which he travels the world and plays numerous characters (again thanks to Gibbons). There is great support from Allyn Joslyn, as Debbie's exasperated father, and from Jim Backus as a crabby photographer. And the little girl has a good song too.

The score is jazzy and upbeat, and it's great to see the real Central Park and other New York locations, shot in gorgeous technicolor. I think this terrific musical is very under-rated.