Happy Go Lovely (1951)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone

Writers:

Val Guest (screenplay)
Friedrich Dammann (based on a film story by) ...

Release Date:

3 September 1951 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

B.G. Bruno, a rich bachelor, the head of a successful greeting-card company in Scotland, is essentially...

Plot Keywords:

Greeting Card | Bachelor | Revue | Millionaire | American Abroad

Cast

David Niven	...	B.G. Bruno
Vera-Ellen	...	Janet Jones
Cesar Romero	...	John Frost
Bobby Howes	...	Charlie
Diane Hart	...	Mae
Gordon Jackson	...	Paul Tracy
Barbara Couper	...	Madame Amanda
Henry Hewitt	...	Dodds
Gladys Henson	...	Mrs. Urquhart
Hugh Dempster	...	Bates
Sandra Dorne	...	Betty
Joyce Carey	...	Bruno's Secretary
John Laurie	...	Jonskill
Wylie Watson	...	Stage Door Keeper
Joan Heal	...	Phyllis Gardiner

Runtime:

97 min | USA:95 min (2005 DVD release)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #14659) | Finland:S | UK:U | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Marcel Hellman Productions

Quotes:

[last lines]
Janet Jones: What does B.G. stand for?
B.G. Bruno: Paul.

Soundtrack:

Would You - Could You?

Harmless fluff but the plot is old hat...

Any movie that gives me a chance to watch VERA-ELLEN dance is worth giving it a view, in my opinion--so I watched this little musical comedy pairing her with charming David NIVEN. It's the old mistaken identity theme played to the hilt by a cast that includes CESAR ROMERO as a harried musical producer with financial woes.

Unfortunately, a clumsily staged opening Scottish number gets the musical off to a bad start with a distinct lack of charm and bad staging. The backers don't seem too enthusiastic about giving Romero a chance to go on with his show--and it's understandable. "Half of you dance as if you're flat footed," he tells the dancers.

When his star walks out, he has no other choice but to turn to VERA-ELLEN...get the picture? Especially after rumors link her with a millionaire in Scotland (David NIVEN) who might provide the right financial backing for Romero's show.

The story is obviously a showcase for VERA-ELLEN and on that level it's a bit of a disappointment. She's pert, pretty and knows how to dance. But poor David NIVEN, as the millionaire, has to wait a good half-hour before he even makes an appearance. He ambles through his role with professional ease, but it's a trifle and he knows it.

Unfortunately, the concentration on a backstage plot doesn't pay off. It's tiresome stuff and the musical numbers are banal, none of the songs making a lasting impression.

Given that it's played as a musical comedy, perhaps that's why the color is a little more garish than usual for a British film.

Summing up: At your own risk. Not a bit of inspiration in any of Vera-Ellen's musical numbers.