When the Boys Meet the Girls

This was made in the mid-60's when Elvis movies were still a big thing, 'teenagers movies' were an uneasy mixture of chubby beach bunnies chastely doing the frug on a Hollywood beach, but movie producers were about 5 years behind real life and felt moved to toss in some oldies but goodies for the older folks - 'insurance'. Meaning people like my aunt, a big Elvis fan (and I was no huge fan, he was passe as soon as the Beatles, etc. came along) would go see Mr. Harve Presnell, Miss Connie Francis, and...omg...Liberace! (It's almost like the Ed Sullivan Show here as far as casting!) . There is a tiresome old vaudeville act with a boxer for grandpa! oy! ... Herman's Hermits do a couple numbers. (Mr. Peter Noone, was JUST here at the NYS fair performing for the hundredth year in a row (beeyotch don't age) and he is THE big attraction in this for the youngsters out there, a bone thrown out for 'the teenagers'. (oh, and groovy Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, for all the parents to point and laugh at.) .... Movies were slow to change in the 60's. One foot in the 50's, fear of those damm hippies and those new-fangled Englishmen bands. So you got odd mixtures of 50's frump and morals, and a token of the 60's freedom - but only a token! Little white gloves. A nightclub act with a song by a woman, 'Treat Me Rough', applauded approvingly by the audience...LOTS of warbling of old standards by Connie Francis...Liberace hamming it up in a gold glittering number; , Harve Presnell (with a nylon toupee) , and busty Miss Connie Francis were the BIG stars in these things. And tired old dogface Fred Clark, who has been in one billion movies and tv shows! - he looks the same age forever, never ever changing a single bit! ....kind of fun to watch, a real curiosity, not seen often.

Even Connie Francis hated this turkey in fact she makes fun of all of her movies, as she never wanted to make them. This remake of Girl Crazy has Connie singing well on Gershwin songs. It's a shame she just didn't record a Gershwin album instead of making this. Harve Presnell is lost and Connie looks embarrassed . Of her 4 movies, and her last this was the worst. She could sing the phone book though. Great chops.

Wow...how awful is this?! A rock and roll remake of Girl Crazy with the Gershwin songs included and sung, almost trad style inbetween boppy gems from Hermans Hermits. There seemed to be a theme in the early to mid 60s of making Elvis movies without Elvis....just everyone else who might have managed a support role were all clumped together in some hideous alternate version of GIRL HAPPY or TICKLE ME or ROUSTABOUT because WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS is the mashed potato version of any two reels (strung together) of those films. MGM specialised in them and we were gleefully offered WHERE THE BOYS ARE or GET YOURSELF A COLLEGE GIRL or COME FLY WITH ME or whatever film was thought of that sounded like any of the above titles. It all becomes a ghastly bag of singing jellies after a while. For some bizarre reason (like trying to please EVERYONE, Bollywood style) this pic also has Louis Armstrong and Liberace good for some completely inappropriate appearances......and I defy anyone not to be constantly appalled every 5 minutes. Connie Francis screeches her way whether singing or, well screeching, and Harve Presnell (about 11ft tall and 35years old and apparently still at college) fresh from THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN) gets a ginger hair doo and does his best to avoid sounding like Chad Everett who should have been in this instead. You will occasionally Hurrumph and mostly exclaim horror to whoever you watch this with. I loved it.

This is the third film version of the Gershwins' Broadway hit, "Girl Crazy". The songs "Embraceable You", "Bidin' My Time", "But Not for Me", "Treat Me Rough", and "I Got Rhythm" have been retained from the original score. Added to this are specialty numbers written by or for Connie Francis, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Herman's Hermits, Louis Armstrong, and Liberace. The idea of Louis and Liberace in the same movie is enough for a viewing. The screenplay merely suggests the original libretto. Connie Francis and Harve Presnell are acceptable musical comedy leads. The most interesting aspect of the film for comedy buffs is the stand-up specialty by the comedy team of Davis and Reese. They do an interview with a boxer routine which is reminiscent of, but not a copy of, the fighter routines done by Martin and Lewis and Allen and Rossi. Davis has some spark as a comedian, but Reese is an interchangeable straight man. He's not Bud Abbott, George Burns, Dean Martin, or even Duke Mitchell! This is one of the very few screen appearances of Liberace, and he is hysterical. I wonder if he knew he was that funny! Louis Armstrong is as welcome as ever and Joby Baker is wasted in his comic side-kick role. The film is an interesting mix of trying to integrate 30s musical comedy with rock 'n roll. It really doesn't work, but I give the film makers A for effort.

Just watched this cheezy-corny musical comedy on DVD disc. Made in the mid-'60s when the British Invasion was taking hold of Rock-'n'-Roll, When the Boys Meet the Girls took advantage of that by booking Herman's Hermits who not only perform one of their hit songs but also one of the George-Ira Gershwin tunes, "Bidin' My Time". Based on George and Ira's Broadway success-"Girl Crazy"-which had previously been a Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movie, this wasn't too bad a remake with Connie Francis playing the Judy part and Harve Presnell the Mickey one. They make a fine duo when singing "But Not for Me" or "I Got Rhythm" the latter with a chorus of dancers. We also get Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, and-for, I guess, the more middle-aged audience stumbling into this-Louis Armstrong and Liberace! Quite an uneven mix but if one's game, it's quite enjoyable. Also liked Sue Ann Langdon as a sexy blonde wanting to marry Presnell, Fred Clark as a potential buyer, and-since I always like to cite a player from my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, in another one-Frank Faylen as Ms. Francis' father. Also amused at some of the undercranking of chase scenes. So on that note, I say When the Boys Meet the Girls is worth a look. P.S. The drummer in Louis' band is one Danny Barcelona who-in an earlier film performance I watched on a Netflix disc called Louis Armstrong and Friends 1962-the Great Satchmo introed as his Filipino wonder though I just found out he was actually born in Hawaii.