In the Good Old Summertime (1949)

It's turn of the century America when Andrew and Veronica first meet - by crashing into each other. They develop an instant and mutual dislike which intensifies when, later on, Andrew is ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Albert Hackett (written for the screen by), Frances Goodrich (written for the screen by),

Stars:

Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Judy Garland	...	Veronica Fisher
Van Johnson	...	Andrew Delby Larkin
S.Z. Sakall	...	Otto Oberkugen (as S.Z. 'Cuddles' Sakall)
Spring Byington	...	Nellie Burke
Clinton Sundberg	...	Rudy Hansen
Buster Keaton	...	Hickey
Marcia Van Dyke	...	Louise Parkson
Lillian Bronson	...	Aunt Addie

Storyline

It's turn of the century America when Andrew and Veronica first meet - by crashing into each other. They develop an instant and mutual dislike which intensifies when, later on, Andrew is forced to hire Veronica as a saleslady at Oberkugen's music store. What the two don't know is that while they may argue and fight constantly throughout the day, they are actually engaged in an innocent, romantic and completely anonymous relationship by night, through the post office.

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Plot Keywords:

clerk | stradivarius | shop | pen pal | correspondence | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Don't Care

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$3,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liza Minnelli appears in the final scene. She's the little girl with Van Johnson and her mother, Judy Garland.

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Goofs

When singing "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland", Veronica lifts the harp several times. Sometimes the bottom of the harp is plain wood, but sometimes it is covered with green felt.

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Quotes

Veronica Fisher: Mr. Larkin, what about his mind? Did you find him intellegent, witty...
Andrew Delby Larkin: Witty? No, no, not witty, but then you can't judge a man when he's out of a job.
Veronica Fisher: Out of a job!
Andrew Delby Larkin: Well, yes.
Veronica Fisher: He never said anything to me about that.
Andrew Delby Larkin: Well he probably didn't want to worry you. But he thinks you can both live quite comfortably on what you make.
Veronica Fisher: [horrified] Did he ask you what I make?
Andrew Delby Larkin: Well, after all, he is your fiance.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: Judy Garland: By Myself (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Little Brown Jug"
Written by Joseph Winner
Played for one of the dances at Nellie's party

User Reviews

In the Good Cold Summertime...

Funny that a movie which has 'Summertime" in its title spends most of its duration in the Winter. No matter, this is a charming and quaint musical from MGM. Judy and Van are anonymous pen pals, who also happen to work together, each of them not knowing the other is their mystery 'friend'.

It's a little disconcerting watching Judy Garland, as lively as ever, in her second to last MGM musical from the studio's classic period. It's unfortunate she was dropped a couple years later, because even in this minor film, she is wonderful, using her talents to better the story with her cinematic personality and melodic singing. She had a gift for comedy and a talent for drama as well.

Van Johnson, in one of his few memorable musical film roles, is good as Judy's counterpart. His role seems more like a character Gene Kelly would have played, a bit of a 'smart Alec'. I think if Kelly were cast instead, there would have been more of a balance in this film, because as it is, much of the singing in this film comes from Judy...she really is the only singer in the whole cast. The songs, themselves, are period pieces which are pleasant enough. Aside from the title tune, there is the "Dreamland" number, which is nice, Judy's rousing "I Don't Care", and her amusing song with the Barbershop Quartet. The other actors in the cast are also good. Buster Keaton has a funny, but modest role as a shop worker, along with Spring Byington and S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall, as the shop owner.

Overall, a pleasant film. Not quite what I would think of as a musical, as the songs are modest filler, not showstoppers. This is not on par with "On the Town" or "The Pirate", but it is enjoyable enough. Good costumes, charming sets, and lovely Technicolor contribute to the look of an antique hand-colored postcard. In that sense, it's something of a curio; amusing, but not quite a gem.