The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953)

Grainbelt University has one attraction for Dobie Gillis - women, especially Pansy Hammer. Pansy's father, even though and maybe because she says she's in dreamville, does not share her ... See full summary »

Director:

Don Weis

Writers:

Max Shulman (screenplay), Max Shulman (story)

Stars:

Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van, Barbara Ruick

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Debbie Reynolds	...	Pansy Hammer
Bobby Van	...	Dobie Gillis
Barbara Ruick	...	Lorna Ellingboe
Bob Fosse	...	Charlie Trask
Hanley Stafford	...	George Hammer
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Eleanor Hammer
Hans Conried	...	Professor Amos Pomfritt
Charles Lane	...	Chemistry Professor Obispo
Archer MacDonald	...	Harry Dorcas
Kathleen Freeman	...	'Happy Stella' Kowalski
Almira Sessions	...	Aunt Naomi

Storyline

Grainbelt University has one attraction for Dobie Gillis - women, especially Pansy Hammer. Pansy's father, even though and maybe because she says she's in dreamville, does not share her affection for Dobie. An English essay which almost revolutionizes English instruction, and Dobie's role in a chemistry lab explosion convinces Mr. Hammer he is right. Pansy is sent off broken-hearted to an Eastern school, but with the help of Happy Stella Kolawski's all-girl band, several hundred students and an enraged police force, Dobie secures Pansy's return to Grainbelt.

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Plot Keywords:

dobie gillis character | five word title | college | character name in title | 

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Taglines:

IT'S M-G-M's LOVE-HAPPY, YOUTHFUL MUSICAL! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Casanova Junior

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This modest (by MGM standards) black-and-white musical failed to be noted by a contemporary New York Times review. In addition, this was the only monochrome song-and-dance picture in which Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse appeared.

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Connections

Followed by The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959)

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Soundtracks

All I Do Is Dream of You
(uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Performed by Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van
Played during the opening credits and often throughout the picture

User Reviews

Debby Reynolds Sparkles, Bobby Van Sings, Bob Fosse Sings--A Nice Break From Life

My reviews often seem to be "in defense of" reviews after a group of reviews pan a movie, without really considering the genre. It is like reviewing a opera as bad when the standard being applied it a hip hop concert. Or something like that.

This movie is silly and lightweight. Folks break out singing and dancing all over the place, cuz it is an MGM musical. (I do ding it for being in black and white.)

The leads are Bobby Van and Debby Reynolds. They sing, they dance, they act as silly as can be. It is fun, it is very 50's. All is resolved in the end. It is cute. And you get to see Bob Fosse in his early days blowing everyone off of the screen with his dancing.

Great character actors abound, playing up their characters to the top, in a way that current film makers would never allow. I'm not saying I want to see lots of this kind of fluff, but as fluff it is pretty good. And the fantasy part makes me want to go back to the midwest and do college again. Well perhaps that is overstated.

Watch this to see the fun dance numbers and take a look at the Hollywood take on college in the 50's. It is a bit of an anthropological statement dressed up with some fun music. Sex,,,,Nope ya won't see that; but you do see the obsessional way that 18 year olds fall in love. And a movie that can capture that (as I remember it rather than with the rather bad parts of it) has its good moments.

Everyone is cute, everyone is white, everyone is straight (even though they sing and dance and write poetry an awful lot). If that is not you, ya got to take a bigger step or suspension of belief to become involved in the movie. The heavies are not that heavy, bad behavior is overlooked as youthful indiscretions. Looking at this view of idealized life and how it has changed in 50 years is interesting in itself. This is also one of the last of MGM's musicals. Bobby Van really did not adapt to the changing times, or at least studios did not see his potential for non-singing and dancing roles. That is a shame. Debby Reynolds is still working after the death of the musical, and Bob Fosse went stellar in spite of the death of the musical. They just kept making them for him (still do and he has been dead for about 15 years!). A good later nighter.