Folies de Broadway

I first saw this movie back in 1985 on cable and video taped it. What a wonderful performance by the cast of this movie! Betty Grable was fantastic, as usual. And yes, I agree that this was probably her best dancing role ever. It features many wonderful costumes and beautiful set design. The entire cast is to be commended on a job well done.

Well, being the nice person that I am, I allowed a friend of mine to borrow my video tape. Well, her husband recorded a football game that started right after the 20th Century Fox introduction and ended with "THE END". I have not been able to see this wonderful movie since and am anticipating the re-release of it in the near future.

None of it happens during the film, that's for sure. We get a handful of terrible songs with awful choreography. Who had the idea for that awful finale number with the 2 girls acting the goat? It is embarrassing. Betty Grable deserved so much better than this.

The story is about married couple Grable and MacDonald Carey (Ames) and whether or not they will stay together. Given that this is a comedy (?) musical (?!), what do you think? However, none of the characters are interesting. Mixed into this less than riveting storyline, we get what are described as "songs" but aren't actually songs. It would appear that the studio hired some untalented children to make up some songs and then just shoved them into the film. You won't be able to sing any of them back to yourself.

Technicolour is good but Grable is wasted.

Released in 1951, Betty Grable's star was beginning to fade. Fox cast her in this role, which demanded a great deal more dancing than the usual Grable fair. Working with choreographer, Jack Cole, Betty gives one of her finest dancing performances on film. The film is funny, fast paced and delightful. Grable shines not only as a hoofer, but as a comedianne is this light-hearted romp of love and amnesia. Gwen Verdon appears alongside Grable in several dance numbers. McDonald Carey, Rory Calhoun and Eddie Albert are all superb in their roles of the past and present loves of Kitty Lee (Betty Grable). Memorable lines and songs are abundant in this film. This is a must-see for all Grable fans.

Alimony and amnesia are the movers of the lame plot that makes this film almost ridiculous. Almost, but Betty Grable saves the day. She shimmies and shakes and shows off her million-dollar legs delivering wisecracks that typify the times, frequently surrounded by a bevy of hunks. While the music is not particularly memorable, the dance sequences are full of fun. The battle of the sexes being the film's theme, "The Male Sex" is a clever switch on the male complaint that women are double-crossing two-timers. The final production number ("I Feel Like Dancing") teams Grable with the great Gwen Verdon; the first part of the number casts them as athletic ragamuffins and evolves into a ballet-like dream sequence showcasing Grable at her most glamorous. Favorite line, uttered by Grable as she suspected her husband of an affair with his show's sexy financial backer: "Why did you have to get a bankroll with a body by Fisher?"-a reference to a logo used on automobiles produced by General Motors. Runner up, when Grable's character has reverted to her old unsophisticated self: "Let's go back to the hotel and tie on a feed bag."

Later period Betty Grable picture gives her a chance to hoof and sing in a succession of glamorous outfits so for her fans there is plenty to enjoy within.

The problems start when the picture moves offstage. The first issue is Betty's leading man. It's not just that he's played by the less than fascinating MacDonald Carey but the character is a buffoonish, offensive sexist. It's difficult today to listen to several of the characters refer to how Carey's Jeff molded Betty into a star out of so much raw clay, as if Grable wasn't talented or intelligent enough to make it on her own. But even back in the 50's his character's condescending attitude must have made him come across as a sexist jerk.

The second problem is the script's absurd set of circumstances which stretch the bounds of logic by using the tired amnesia trope. The picture is full of quality support, Eddie Albert, Irene Ryan and Fred Clark all add a bit of spice, but it's all in the service of a weak scenario.

Bright, cheery and shallow but if you have a rainy afternoon to fill there are worse ways.