I Love Melvin

When I used to show this hilarious musical in the late 70s (and with a new print too!) I often ran it with another funny 1953 musical GIVE A GIRL A BREAK which starred Bob Fosse and Debbie Reynolds. Customers phoning the cinema ALWAYS thought I said "Tonight we have...err...Give a Girl a Break..and .I Love Melbourne" which of course they all thought was my personal comment. The programme was such fun and it did sell a lot of tickets too! Both new prints looked so good on a movie screen! The alternative version of "The lady Loves" as the opening dance number in I LOVE MELVIN can be found in THATS ENTERTAINMENT PART 3. ....and suggest you find it .......I can see why it was changed....can you?.....I LOVE MELVIN is perfect small town (girl) MGM quality ....and must have been one of their last Technicolour filmed musicals....they made everything in ansco or metro color after 1953.

Cute B musical with a so-so plot. Best thing is the dancing by O'conner and Reynolds. His big solo number would be better if it were a dream sequence or fantasy. No one could do a number like that with those numerous costume changes in real time. Ending is quite abrupt. When Donald goes missing for three weeks he's actually living in Central Park??? How could he survive with no food or change of clothes. He should have held up in his home or Apartment. That's the big mistake in this otherwise cute little musical. Kudos for little Noreen Corcoran as Debbies sister.

This film is an absolute delight from the pre-credit sequence where Debbie Reynolds writes the title of the film in lipstick on a mirror to the hilarious chase through Central Park at the end. In between Debbie dreams of becoming a Hollywood star in some magnificently staged dream sequences, thanks to the genius of Cedric Gibbons, in one of which she meets Robert Taylor as Robert Taylor! In another sequence she dances with three dancers in Fred Astaire masks and three in Gene Kelly masks - before winning an Oscar! Great stuff.

Debbie is perfect as both great movie star and girl next door. Her Broadway performance as a football is a riot. Equally good is Donald O'Connor as her lover and aspiring photographer. His roller-skate sequence is brilliant, as is a dance sequence in which he travels the world and plays numerous characters (again thanks to Gibbons). There is great support from Allyn Joslyn, as Debbie's exasperated father, and from Jim Backus as a crabby photographer. And the little girl has a good song too.

The score is jazzy and upbeat, and it's great to see the real Central Park and other New York locations, shot in gorgeous technicolor. I think this terrific musical is very under-rated.

I Love Melvin (1953)

*** (out of 4)

Charming Musical-comedy has Donald O'Connor playing Melvin Hoover, a wannabe photographer for Look magazine and someone who just hasn't caught his break. One day he runs into Judy LeRoy (Debbie Reynolds), a small time and unknown dancer and soon the two make it a mission to get her on the cover.

I LOVE MELVIN was released shortly after the huge success of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and we get two of the three stars from that movie. I'm a little surprised that this film doesn't have a bigger following because even though it's not a masterpiece like that movie, it's at least entertaining enough to where more people should know of it. The film runs a rather short 77-minutes and manages to have a rather good story, some fun musical numbers and of course the chemistry between the two stars.

The best thing this film has going for it are the performances of both O'Connor and Reynolds. Both of them are perfectly suited for the roles and this is especially true for Reynolds who easily steals the picture. There's no question that her charm is at 100% and she really manages to make you care for her character and you just want to root her on so that she gets the cover. O'Connor is also extremely enjoyable playing that rather silly but charming role that he'd do quite often. The chemistry between the two is top-notch and they really make for a great and fun couple. Una Merkel, Allyn Joslyn and a cameo by Robert Taylor add to the charm.

The dance sequences are all pretty good but there's no question that the highlight is the roller skate sequence with O'Connor doing some wonderful tricks. The music numbers are also good but I'd argue that the best one happens rather early when we first see the two stars on the screen. I LOVE MELVIN has a great number of laughs and as I've said the chemistry with the stars makes this very much worth watching.

Undemanding but energetic fare from MGM teaming the vivacious Debbie Reynolds as the day-dreaming dancing football and the late Donald O'Connor as the goofy magazine gopher who wants to put her on the front cover. It's hardly "Singin' in the Rain" but it does have glorious Technicolor, a snappy dance number set in a park, and a memorable song in "The Lady Loves" (which doubles as a glamour showcase for Reynolds). Nice cameo from Robert Taylor too!