Three Sailors and a Girl

Jane Powell and Gordon MacRae, supported by Gene Nelson and Jack E. Leonard, are the stars that carry this musical comedy. Powell displays real beauty (accented by some sharp fashions) while singing and dancing up a storm. MacRae's voice may be the best part of this film.

Jack E. Leonard appears in his first film. A stand-up comic better known for his appearances on television variety shows like "The Mike Douglas Show" or "The Merv Griffin Show", Leonard displays great energy and a surprising lightness on his feet.

The film is about the evolution of a stage musical that is backed by some sailors (and later, some marines). It starts off as a dog, but eventually becomes a hit. The film takes a similar path; it is only in the final act that "Three Sailors" feels like a solid piece of entertainment.

Look for Merv Griffin himself as a sailor. Burt Lancaster contributes a comic cameo.

As musical comedies go, this film is a lightweight, but it has moments that are entertaining.

MGM made a ton of musicals over the years and the studio was the best for the genre. Some of them were terrific...some, well, were far from it. I would put "Three Sailors and a Girl" in the latter category.

The USS Texas has arrived in New York for shore leave (a VERY long one apparently). Before leaving the ship, three buddies come up with an interesting idea...that ALL of the sailors aboard pool their money. Then, the three pals set out to find a good investment for their shipmates. They come upon a jerk named Joe Woods, who sells them on the notion of investing their money in his latest musical show. They decide to do this because his leading lady, Penny (Jane Powell), has a gorgeous voice (at least according to the film). However, the play ends up being a flop...mostly due to a ham of an actor who is in the lead. Fortunately, he quits...and so does the producer! Now, without them, one of the sailors (Gordon MacRae) decides to play the lead AND producer! What next?

I had a hard time with this movie compared to some viewers because I found Powell's voice painful to listen to...as it was VERY high pitched and operatic. Like Jeanette MacDonald, you either love that style of leading lady or you don't. Apart from her singing, the movie was decent and enjoyable...but that WAS a big part of the film.

This is a really lame musical. So so songs and stupid unbelievable plot. What was the show they were doing all about??? How could they change the scenery and costumes in a second??? dumb, dumb,dumb. Nonsensical and implausible. The only credits are an amusing performance by Miss Powell and some nice huffing by Gene Nelson. Otherwise forget this potboiler.

An American submarine docks for shore leave in New York City. The sailors decide to invest their money in a Broadway musical, instead of spending it on women. The presence of Jack Larson and Merv Griffin among the sailors somehow makes this seem more plausible. The "Three Sailors…" of the title are singer Gordon MacRae (as "Choirboy" Jones), dancer Gene Nelson (as "Twitch"), and rotund comedian Jack E. Leonard (as "Porky"). They meet promising musical comedy star Jane Powell (as Penny Weston), "…and a Girl" completes the title. She wears some sexy costumes, to show off her hourglass figure. Also watch for the service station dance solo from Mr. Nelson.

**** Three Sailors and a Girl (11/23/53) Roy Del Ruth ~ Jane Powell, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, Jack E. Leonard

"Three Sailors and a Girl" is a lighthearted comedy musical, the only film that Jane Powell and Gordon MacRae made together. It includes Gene Nelson who was teamed with MacRae in a number of films. The boys are in the Navy and just docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yards for a month's ship repairs. They've been at sea eight months, and their pay is burning a hole in their pockets. They all have a 30-day furlough.

Most of the guys talk about living it up. That usually means a few nights of booze and girls, and then their money is all gone. But Choirboy Jones (Gordon MacRae) says he plans to invest his money to make it grow and amount to something. He said he's going to double - maybe triple his money, and he's heading for Wall Street. Well, it convinces a whole crew to chip in a chunk of their money for the same purpose. So, Choirboy is tabbed with two buddies, Twitch (Gene Nelson) and Porky (Jack E. Leonard) to invest a duffel bag full of dough -- $50,000.

But when they go to the top Wall Street investment firm of Morrow and Peabodu, they get sidetracked and conned into investing in a Broadway show. It happens to star a new singer, Penny Weston (Jane Powell), and a known actor, Emilio Rossi (played by George Givot). The original investor is Melvin Webster (played by Archer MacDonald) who wanted his play to be produced. His terrible plot is constantly being rewritten. After the promoter, Joe Woods (Sam Levene), gets into too many troubles, he sells the rights to the show to the guys. These musically talented gobs get more backing from the Army, the Air Force and the Marines, and put on a dazzling show. It all works out for the best in the end, and in a stroke of justice, Joe gets the show back and the boys double the money for the Navy guys.

There's lots of comedy, very good music and dancing and a nice romance in this film that people should still enjoy well into the 21st century. Watch for the Burt Lancaster cameo at the end. Here are some favorite lines.

Faye Foss, "Where would sailors get that kind of money?" Joe Woods, "How do I know? Maybe they're pirates."

Joe Woods, "We'll get married as soon as I get a hit. I wouldn't want a swell doll like you to marry a failure." Faye, "Oh, thanks."

Penny Weston, "But I wanna be an actress. I don't wanna make people like me just to get their money." Joe Woods, "Well, that's what every good actress does to every audience."

Melvin Webster, "Mr. Woods, I wrote a play about my childhood - a tragedy. You turned it into a musical comedy. Then you started changing scenes to get in stars. Now it's a ruin - no story, just scenes. We even have a scene of Shanghai to pay off the man who does your laundry."

Joe Woods, "Fail? Who said we failed?" Porky, "Just the audience and the critics."