When the Boys Meet the Girls

Considering that this was produced by the famously cheapjack and incompetent Sam Katzman, and is one of the 1960s MGM musicals often cited as contributing to the death of the genre, this halfhearted updating of "Girl Crazy" isn't as bad as I'd suspected. Plenty of Gershwin and a surprising amount of the never-good original book are left intact (though Herman's Hermits insist on singing "I'm biding my time/ 'Cause that's the kind of guy I AM," ruining the rhyme), and some amusingly incongruous guest stars -- Liberace, Louis Armstrong -- are thrown in. Heaven knows Connie Francis can't act, but she does fine by "But Not for Me" and "Embraceable You," and opposite her, Harve Presnell is strong-voiced, virile, and more at ease with acting than most tenors. There's a typical mid-'60s supporting cast featuring Fred Clark, Joby Baker, and Sue Ann Langdon (a good comedienne, but not here). Of course it's over-lit and underwritten and cheap-looking, but there's one honest production number for "I Got Rhythm," and the painted backdrops and fast-motion photography contribute some fun cheesiness. An amiable time-waster.

I could not help but think this film reminded me very much of one of the many successful Elvis Presley films in which there was always a bevy of beautiful girls that Elvis would be serenading and/or a love interest who could also sing and dance, as well as some elderly parents and/or business associates who disliked this new hip culture of singing and swinging hipsters.

Connie Francis has the voice of a songbird and when you add a few 1960's top ten pop charts sung by The Herman's Hermits and lead singer Peter Noone you add a certain required quality to the film such that it is worth watching, even if it is a knock off of the many Elvis Presley films.

Yes, there is a plot in which.a then thirty two (32) year old actor Harve Presnell who plays Danny Churchill is trying hard to pass as a younger twenty (20) year old drop out college architecture student who convinces.the pretty. Ginger Gray postal worker (Connie Francis) to build a brand new hotel resort to save her fathers ranch from getting into the hands of the gangsters who.hold the gambling debts of her father. It's not clear to me how they actually build this luxurious hotel and it gets filled to capacity all within a month or so, but heh, that's show business for you.

I give the film a respectable 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Harmless time-waster about the appealing Connie Francis and her father who open a new night club, which gives Sue Ane Langdon, Liberace and others an excuse to show off their musical talents.

This is the third version of the Gershwin Brothers popular musical Girl Crazy done for the big screen. Many forget and should and early version with Wheeler&Woolsey. Then there's the classic one Mickey and Judy did in the 40s. Now we have a third version starring Connie Francis and Harve Presnell with all generations of acts to accommodate everyone's taste.

You will accommodate when you get Herman's Hermits, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, Liberace, and Louis Armstrong in addition to Connie and Harve singing the Gershwin classics. Material for the guest artists is generously interpolated while the main songs that George and Ira wrote are retained for the leads.

Once again rich Danny Churchill is sent out west for a bit of discipline and he runs into cowgirl Ginger Gray. Such character players as Frank Faylen, Stanley Adams, Fred Clark, Russell Collins are all here. So is Sue Ane Langdon, Harve's golddigging former girlfriend who finds much deeper pockets to mine in the end. She's worth watching for herself alone.

Nice to see Girl Crazy done again this time as When The Boys Meet The Girls. Maybe we'll get another version yet.

Playboy Danny Churchill (Harve Presnell) causes yet another scandal for his father and his company. A girl is threatening to sue. His father sends him away to remote Cody College in Nevada. He almost drives into postal worker Ginger Gray (Connie Francis) and falls for the fallen rider.

I don't know how many horse riding mail person there are especially in a place with roads. I only know Harve Presnell as an old veteran actor and he's good (not here). His boy scout personality can't sell the playboy character. I also know Connie Francis, but mostly as a singer. Her acting is questionable. So, this is an odd pairing to begin with. I could never guess that Harve could sing. The movie is a reworking of Girl Crazy while retaining the George and Ira Gershwin music. It's all a mess with a lot of random performances. The movie would follow a Louis Armstrong performance with a long Pepper Davis comedy bit. The central story is not that compelling. This is left to a lot of interesting but somehow wrong musical performances. For example, Connie Francis does a long number but is stuck sitting in her car surrounded by head-bopping boys. She is literally just sitting there and nobody is dancing. It's weird staging and it's not the only time. Just when they seem to be going traditional, they send in Herman's Hermits and again it's weird. The kids need to be slow-dancing that song. It's all rather messy and weird and maybe that's why it's fascinating.