Two Tickets to Broadway (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
Produced by Howard Hughes, this RKO Technicolor musical 'Two Tickets to Broadway' (directed by James V. Kern) stars Janet Leigh as Nancy Peterson, a small-town girl who hopes to make it in NYC, The Big Apple. Moving into a Manhattan boarding house populated by showbiz hopefuls, Dan Carter, Joyce Campbell, & Hannah Holbrook (Tony Martin, Ann Miller, Gloria de Haven), Nancy aspires to be on a popular TV variety show hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. Oily agent Lew Conway (a fun Eddie Bracken) promises to make Nancy's dream a reality, even though he doesn't know Crosby from a hole in the wall.
Along the way, Nancy falls for Dan {what a shocker}, though romance always has its hiccups - in fact, one such hiccup even has her contemplating a return back to her home town. Throughout the film, musical numbers are interspersed; including veteran vaudevillians Joe Smith & Charlie Dale, playing a couple of deli owners (their roles were meant for the wildly popular duo of Laurel & Hardy, but illness prevented Laurel from taking part in the proceedings; Hardy, too).
Despite artistic input from legendary choreographer Busby Berkeley, the movie is far too bland for my tastes. The public agreed (at the time, 1951), as it was a substantial box office failure for the movie studio. From a performance standpoint, then newcomer Janet Leigh is quite good; even if she was cast simply because she was dating Howard Hughes {haha}. But yeah, she's the best part of the movie. Tony Martin, while being a very good singer, simply cannot act very well; he's almost cringe-worthy in spots (I'm thinking of an Indian skit). Umm, what else? Let's see. Oh, Gloria de Haven is lovely.
Ann Miller knocked me out with her dancing {as always}. Her big number, 'Let the Worry Bird Worry for You' entertained me. Boy, was she a talent. I also enjoyed The Charlivels, a high wire act. Musically speaking, there are no memorable songs; which is a huge pity. Movie musicals need fantastic songs to make any mark. The production values are only so-so. But you can tell that this is not an A-quality musical; the budget looks substantially lower than the rest of them out there in the 1940s & 50s. As movies go, 'Two Tickets for Broadway' isn't awful. There are a few bright spots. But the whole thing just felt so depressingly forgettable.
Along the way, Nancy falls for Dan {what a shocker}, though romance always has its hiccups - in fact, one such hiccup even has her contemplating a return back to her home town. Throughout the film, musical numbers are interspersed; including veteran vaudevillians Joe Smith & Charlie Dale, playing a couple of deli owners (their roles were meant for the wildly popular duo of Laurel & Hardy, but illness prevented Laurel from taking part in the proceedings; Hardy, too).
Despite artistic input from legendary choreographer Busby Berkeley, the movie is far too bland for my tastes. The public agreed (at the time, 1951), as it was a substantial box office failure for the movie studio. From a performance standpoint, then newcomer Janet Leigh is quite good; even if she was cast simply because she was dating Howard Hughes {haha}. But yeah, she's the best part of the movie. Tony Martin, while being a very good singer, simply cannot act very well; he's almost cringe-worthy in spots (I'm thinking of an Indian skit). Umm, what else? Let's see. Oh, Gloria de Haven is lovely.
Ann Miller knocked me out with her dancing {as always}. Her big number, 'Let the Worry Bird Worry for You' entertained me. Boy, was she a talent. I also enjoyed The Charlivels, a high wire act. Musically speaking, there are no memorable songs; which is a huge pity. Movie musicals need fantastic songs to make any mark. The production values are only so-so. But you can tell that this is not an A-quality musical; the budget looks substantially lower than the rest of them out there in the 1940s & 50s. As movies go, 'Two Tickets for Broadway' isn't awful. There are a few bright spots. But the whole thing just felt so depressingly forgettable.