Summer Stock (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Summer Stock' (a musical directed by Charles Walters) represented Judy Garland's swan song at MGM studios. Garland plays Jane Falbury, the owner of a vast New England farm whose younger actress sister Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) arrives home with her theater troupe in tow. As it turns out, the troupe needs a place to rehearse, and both Jane & her loyal housekeeper Esme (good 'ole Marjorie Main) reluctantly agree to let them use their large barn for practice. Realizing that the farm is having some strong financial difficulties, the actors/actresses and their entrepreneurial troupe director Joe Ross (Gene Kelly), repay Jane's hospitality by doing various chores around the grounds. Although Joe is engaged to marry Abigail, his ying-&-yang/salty-&-sweet repartee with Jane starts to seep into his heart.
He falls for Jane; and right around the time Abigail leaves him in an angry fit of rage. As for Jane, she is considered a sort of old maid at age 27 and is expected to marry (to settle) to a bumbling local named Orville (humorous Eddie Bracken), but finds herself falling in love with Joe, as well. All sorts of romantic entanglements ensue en route to the big unveiling of the show that Joe Ross is putting on in town. When Abigail no long attains the lead-singer status in the show, Jane steps into the leading-lady slot & everyone wonders if she can pull off a smash hit with critics & audiences awaiting. Well, you can guess how it all turns out {wink wink}.
Naturally, farm girl Jane opens up her mouth, lets loose with her lung power, & saves the show. It's a joyful, triumphant ending to a movie that - despite a 'so what' script - is a pleasure to watch. As mentioned, the plot is quite standard -- but you're not tuning in for the story, you want to see Judy Garland belting away, Gene Kelly dancing up a storm, gorgeous Technicolor cinematography, large sets, & showstopping musical numbers. Rrrrrrest assured, you get them all here!! Right off the top of the film, we're treated to cheerful advice from Garland as she sings "If You Feel Like Singing, Sing" while stepping out of a morning shower. I then had a grin on my face from ear to ear as she belts "Happy Harvest" from atop her tractor as she passes by neighbors on her dirt road.
Later, I enjoyed watching Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers & the company stomp-&-sing through "Dig, Dig, Dig for Your Dinner". One of the better parts of the film includes a solo dance routine in which Gene Kelly duets with a creaky floor plank & some newspaper sheets. Marjorie Main amused me with her usual antics {shooting a gun to wake people up, haha}. I LOVED a dance duet with Judy & Gene during the "Portland Fancy" sequence. What I've read is true, when Judy dances - even next to Gene Kelly - you can't help but watch her most of the time. The beautiful, poignant ballad "Friendly Star" is sung by Judy when she doesn't know that the Gene Kelly character is listening in. And the film's finale features Garland in her famous tuxedo jacket, fedora, & black nylons, singing "Get Happy".
While watching "Get Happy", you'd never know that Judy had struggled through production of this movie after having had a nervous breakdown on Annie Get Your Gun; she was later replaced by Betty Hutton. Filmed a month after the rest of 'Summer Stock' wrapped, this "Get Happy" musical number showed Judy looking considerably slimmer than she was in the rest of the movie. Her weight always fluctuated given her mental state. So, though Judy had troubles before/during/after this time period, she still delivers an excellent performance, and was buoyed by everyone involved in the production who loved her & gave her cheerleading support. This includes director Charles Walters (who used to be her dance partner in the 40s), good friend Gene Kelly, Gloria DeHaven, et al. So yeah, I enjoyed this musical quite a bit. It doesn't re-invent the wheel, but it gets the job done by providing congenial entertainment.
He falls for Jane; and right around the time Abigail leaves him in an angry fit of rage. As for Jane, she is considered a sort of old maid at age 27 and is expected to marry (to settle) to a bumbling local named Orville (humorous Eddie Bracken), but finds herself falling in love with Joe, as well. All sorts of romantic entanglements ensue en route to the big unveiling of the show that Joe Ross is putting on in town. When Abigail no long attains the lead-singer status in the show, Jane steps into the leading-lady slot & everyone wonders if she can pull off a smash hit with critics & audiences awaiting. Well, you can guess how it all turns out {wink wink}.
Naturally, farm girl Jane opens up her mouth, lets loose with her lung power, & saves the show. It's a joyful, triumphant ending to a movie that - despite a 'so what' script - is a pleasure to watch. As mentioned, the plot is quite standard -- but you're not tuning in for the story, you want to see Judy Garland belting away, Gene Kelly dancing up a storm, gorgeous Technicolor cinematography, large sets, & showstopping musical numbers. Rrrrrrest assured, you get them all here!! Right off the top of the film, we're treated to cheerful advice from Garland as she sings "If You Feel Like Singing, Sing" while stepping out of a morning shower. I then had a grin on my face from ear to ear as she belts "Happy Harvest" from atop her tractor as she passes by neighbors on her dirt road.
Later, I enjoyed watching Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers & the company stomp-&-sing through "Dig, Dig, Dig for Your Dinner". One of the better parts of the film includes a solo dance routine in which Gene Kelly duets with a creaky floor plank & some newspaper sheets. Marjorie Main amused me with her usual antics {shooting a gun to wake people up, haha}. I LOVED a dance duet with Judy & Gene during the "Portland Fancy" sequence. What I've read is true, when Judy dances - even next to Gene Kelly - you can't help but watch her most of the time. The beautiful, poignant ballad "Friendly Star" is sung by Judy when she doesn't know that the Gene Kelly character is listening in. And the film's finale features Garland in her famous tuxedo jacket, fedora, & black nylons, singing "Get Happy".
While watching "Get Happy", you'd never know that Judy had struggled through production of this movie after having had a nervous breakdown on Annie Get Your Gun; she was later replaced by Betty Hutton. Filmed a month after the rest of 'Summer Stock' wrapped, this "Get Happy" musical number showed Judy looking considerably slimmer than she was in the rest of the movie. Her weight always fluctuated given her mental state. So, though Judy had troubles before/during/after this time period, she still delivers an excellent performance, and was buoyed by everyone involved in the production who loved her & gave her cheerleading support. This includes director Charles Walters (who used to be her dance partner in the 40s), good friend Gene Kelly, Gloria DeHaven, et al. So yeah, I enjoyed this musical quite a bit. It doesn't re-invent the wheel, but it gets the job done by providing congenial entertainment.