Give a Girl a Break (1953)

The star of an upcoming Broadway production, Janet Hallson, walks out during rehersals. The producers of the show, Ted Sturgis, Leo Belney and Bob Dowdy begin to search a replacement. After... See full summary »

Director:

Stanley Donen

Writers:

Vera Caspary (story), Frances Goodrich

Stars:

Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Debbie Reynolds

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marge Champion	...	Madelyn Corlane
Gower Champion	...	Ted Sturgis
Debbie Reynolds	...	Suzy Doolittle
Helen Wood	...	Mrs. Olga Bradshaw / Joanna Moss
Bob Fosse	...	Bob Dowdy
Kurt Kasznar	...	Leo Belney
Richard Anderson	...	Burton Bradshaw
William Ching	...	Anson Prichett
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Doolittle
Larry Keating	...	Felix Jordan
Donna Martell	...	Janet Hallson

Storyline

The star of an upcoming Broadway production, Janet Hallson, walks out during rehersals. The producers of the show, Ted Sturgis, Leo Belney and Bob Dowdy begin to search a replacement. After a quick audition, each favors someone else: Madelyn Corlane, Joanna Moss, Suzie Doolittle. The rest of the movie tells in a series of musical and dance scenes how they finally pick ...

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Plot Keywords:

ballerina | rehearsal | audition | opening night | reunion | 

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Taglines:

M-G-M's Breezy, Teasy - Color by TECHNICOLOR Musical

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pretty much ended MGM's attempt at making stars of Gower Champion and Marge Champion. The film bombed and lost over $1M. They appeared in one more MGM film in 1955.

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Goofs

The theater marquee on opening night says "Felix Jordan's New Review". It should be "New Revue."

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Quotes

Bob Dowdy: Suzy, you don't know how wonderful it is to meet someone like you. Someone I can, converse with.
Suzy Doolittle: That's the way I feel too. Everything's so crazy nowadays, that there's so many things I'd like to ask you, things I couldn't talk to my mother about. Like, for instance, rocket ships and what if you get to like someone and the first thing you know, he might have to go off and, or, all sorts of things.

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Connections

Referenced in Sobbin' Women: The Making of 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' (1997)

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Soundtracks

Symphony nº40 in G Minor, K 550 - 1. Molto Allegro
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

3 Girls 3

A good, not great, MGM musical, with the emphasis on dance. Story is: what happens when a star walks out on a Broadway show, and three girls compete for the part. The dances are so expert and entertaining, you may be able to forgive the drab quality of some of the rest of the film.

The Champions were not really movie stars, and neither was Bob Fosse. (Debbie Reynolds became a big one later, and you can see why.) Gower plays the director fairly well, but I kept picturing Gene Kelly. The part needs a more dynamic actor.

If you enjoy dancing, there's plenty of it, and it's excellent! Helen Wood is the third girl and while her acting is stiff, her dancing definitely isn't.

The score by Burton Lane and Ira Gershwin contains no hits, but I was charmed by the tune, "In Our United State," performed by Fosse and Reynolds.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Donnez-lui une chance

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:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1