Everything I Have Is Yours (1952)

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Ruth Brooks Flippen (writer)
George Wells (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman

Cast

Marge Champion	...	Pamela Hubbard
Gower Champion	...	Chuck Hubbard
Dennis O'Keefe	...	Alec Tacksbury
Monica Lewis	...	Sybil Meriden
Dean Miller	...	Monty Dunstan
Eduard Franz	...	Phil Meisner
John Gallaudet	...	Ed Holly
Diane Cassidy	...	Showgirl
Elaine Stewart	...	Showgirl
Jonathan Cott	...	Freddie
Robert Burton	...	Doctor Charles
Jean Fenwick	...	Mrs. Tirson
Mimi Gibson	...	Pamela (age 3)
William Kerwin	...	Larry
Wilson Wood	...	Roy Tirson

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Soundtrack:

Casablanca (Casbah)

Nothing very 'Champion' here

Marge and Gower Champion were a popular dance team in the 1950s, probably best-known for 'Show Boat', in which their roles were very much secondary. They did some of their best work in television, notably in a musical special with Yves Montand. Although they were excellent dancers, and Gower was a very talented director/choreographer with some ability as a comedian, neither one of them had much acting ability ... which seriously compromised them when MGM attempted to move them up from supporting roles in other people's musicals.

'Everything I Have Is Yours' was MGM's attempt at a starring vehicle for the Champions. Frankly, they aren't good enough actors to carry the weight of a feature film, even a musical. The Champions play Pamela and Chuck Hubbard, a husband-and-wife dance team. (What a stretch!) The Hubbards have attained stardom together, but there are backstage problems in the marriage, and they agree to a trial separation. Pamela becomes involved with another man (Dennis O'Keefe in a bland performance), and for a while it looks like the Hubbards will go their separate ways permanently. But this is an MGM musical, so of course there's a happy ending...

'Everything I Have Is Yours' is froth ... which wouldn't be bad at all, if it were enjoyable froth. This movie is turgid. Imagine a musical version of a soap opera, and that's what you've got here. Worse luck, the musical numbers aren't incorporated into the plot of the movie ... instead, the plot screeches to a halt (and I do mean 'screeches') whenever it's time for another dance number. When the music stops, the plot lurches forward again. This is a bad movie. I'll rate it 2 points out of 10. As a trivia note, I'll mention that Marge Champion (real name Marjorie Belcher; I wonder why she changed it) was the half-sister of silent-film star Lina Basquette, who was so good in Cecil B. DeMille's 'The Godless Girl'. I recommend you see that movie instead of this one.