Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)

In 1950s Las Vegas, a gambling rancher and a ballerina discover that some people have luck at cards while others have luck at love.

Director:

Roy Rowland

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (screen story), Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Stars:

Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Agnes Moorehead

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Dailey	...	Chuck Rodwell
Cyd Charisse	...	Maria Corvier
Agnes Moorehead	...	Miss Hattie
Lili Darvas	...	Sari Hatvany
Jim Backus	...	Tom Culdane
Oskar Karlweis	...	Lotzi
Liliane Montevecchi	...	Lilli
Cara Williams	...	Kelly Donavan
George Chakiris	...	Young Groom (as George Kerris)
Betty Lynn	...	Young Bride
Henry Slate	...	Henry Slate - The Slate Brothers
Jack Slate	...	Jack Slate - The Slate Brothers
Sid Slate	...	Sid Slate - The Slate Brothers
Pete Rugolo	...	Conductor
John Brascia	...	Specialty Dancer

Storyline

Chuck Rodwell is a gambling cowboy who discovers that he's lucky at the roulette wheel if he holds hands with dancer Marie. However, Marie doesn't like to hold hands with him, at least not to begin with...

---

Plot Keywords:

roulette | lucky | gambling | gambling winnings | rehearsal dinner | 

---

Taglines:

All the dazzle, darlings and delights of Las Vegas...in M-G-M's gold mine of entertainment!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Musical

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a montage of 1950s Las Vegas Casinos, the following Casinos were advertised as featuring the following performers: Dunes presents Danny Thomas and Robert Merrill; Flamingo presents The Mills Brothers and Archie Robbins; Desert Inn presents Johnny Ray and Jack Durant; Sahara presents Donald O'Connor, Louis Prima and Keely Smith; Thunderbird Hotel present Raymond Chase and Peiro Bros; El Rancho Vegas presents Joe E. Lewis and Lili St. Cyr; and New Frontier presents Marge and Gower Champion.

---

Goofs

When Dan Dailey drives to his ranch he exits his car and opens the drive way gate. He drives into the ranch without closing the gate, but cattle are loose which he drives past and would walk out the open gate to wander off.

---

Quotes

Eddie Fisher: Sho!
Debbie Reynolds: Shoo!

---

Connections

Referenced in These Wilder Years (1956)

---

Soundtracks

The Gal with the Yaller Shoes
Music by Nicholas Brodszky
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung and danced by Dan Dailey, joined by Cyd Charisse, Agnes Moorehead and Chorus Boys
Also partially sung off screen by The Four Aces

User Reviews

if by "crapshoot" you mean "shooting a crappy tourist ad masquerading as a movie"...

Why do I feel like I'm watching a long commercial for Las Vegas casinos and resorts?

Probably because the plot is terribly thin: an unlucky gambler discovers he can't lose as long as he's holding a dancer's hand - a frosty workaholic dancer who's never had time for love. Will she thaw? Will they get together? Will their love last if their winning streak doesn't?

You may wonder, how can a movie stretch out such a simple story over 112 minutes? By pausing frequently to allow then-current Vegas acts to strut their stuff! It feels like the filmmakers are saying, "Here's a preview of some spectacular shows you can see if you come on down to Las Vegas right now! Don't you want to see more? Y'know, we had to censor the girls' numbers for this movie...so come check them out in the flesh and you'll see a LOT more. Flesh, that is. Well anyway... COME TO VEGAS!"

Geez, there's even a lengthy montage of billboards at various nightclubs so we can see all the names flashing in lights and know exactly who's performing, and where. I wonder if these people paid for the plug? It would be like some studio making a movie today, set in Vegas, and showing a bit of Celine Dion's act to attract more business her way. It's just...tacky. But then, so is Vegas. And Celine. They're a perfect tacky match. A much more convincing match than Cyd & Dan are in this movie. (See how I got back on topic there?)

Anyway, I never had the desire to hit the casinos, and I'm even less interested in visiting the City of Sin now. The harder this film tries to convince me that you win more often than you lose, and everybody in Vegas is so gosh darn nice - the less I buy it.

The celebrity cameos are kinda fun (in a "oh, there's so-and-so, I'm surprised" way, not because they're actually *doing* anything amusing), but pointless (unless the point is to show us that these celebs endorse Vegas - ooh maybe we'll spot 'em there! Let's go!) Dan Dailey is a grinning fool. Agnes Moorehead is good, but wasted in a tiny part. Cyd Charisse has some funny moments, even if she is basically repeating the same kind of role she played in "Silk Stockings" - complete with comical tipsy scene. Once she was uptight. Now she's just tight and barely upright. Haw!

I guess this is considered a musical, but unlike the best musicals, the songs in "Meet Me In Las Vegas" are not integrated into the story (what story?) - They do not help propel the plot forward. Instead, the action simply stops for an unrelated musical number. The songs aren't particularly memorable, and the choreography is uninspired. Cyd gets her chance to dance, but I kept getting distracted by the fact that I'd seen all these moves before! Oh, there's the step she did in "Singin' In The Rain", and she did *that* in "The Bandwagon"...etc, etc.

Not the worst movie in the world - just insubstantial, blatantly commercial and mercenary. I prefer movies that at least *appear* to have a higher goal than just trying to sell me something. I also enjoy clever dialogue and deeper characterization. Am I asking too much? Okay, how about some catchy songs? No? Well, I took a chance on this movie, and I lost. Better luck next time!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Weekend at Las Vegas

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$2,495,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55: 1