It's a great job to be a gob...

All right, kids. Last installment in the series, you ready?

Hit the Deck (1955)

This is one of my favorites. I know, I know. I say that about practically every movie I talk about on here. But if it isn't one of my favorites, then why bother? I bought this one because a boxed set that included Kismet (1955) was on sale and I'd wanted that movie for years so I snatched it up. The boxed set also included this one. I had heard about the movie only once from watching That's Entertainment! where they showed the finale. I remember watching it and thinking, "Ann Miller? Debbie Reynolds? Jane Powell? Together? What? I've got to see that!" and then I pretty much forgot about it. I bought the boxed set and watched Kismet for about a week before finally looking at the other movies I had acquired. I was, at the time, in a bit of a Vic Damone phase (I'm always in a Vic Damone phase) so when I saw his name on the cover, I was sold. I fell in love. I watched the movie and then, at ten o'clock at night, called my mom and asked if she was up for a movie, and then I went over to her house and watched it all over again. It's so cute!

The plot focuses on three sailors on leave in San Francisco. When one of the sailors, Danny (Russ Tamblyn) finds out that his sister, Susan (Jane Powell), is going out on a date, he and his pals, Bill and Rico (Tony Martin and Vic Damone, respectively) crash the party and fight with the date. After Susan's boyfriend (Gene Raymond) reports the three sailors, the pals spend their leave hiding from the Shore Patrol. But don't worry, they set some time aside for falling in love too. Bill has his fiancee, Ginger (Ann Miller) that he has to woo, Danny finds a cute actress, Carol, (Debbie Reynolds), and Rico falls for Susan! It's all fun and games until someone gets caught and then it's up to the three girls to save their men!

I'm going to warn you right now: most of the guys in this movie are pretty ridiculous. I mean, they're not the sharpest tools in the shed. They jump to conclusions and all of them are a little old-fashioned. Fortunately, they're all pretty good-looking, so that helps. What really saves the plot from being frustrating is that the girls are all totally awesome! They're clever, they're spunky, and they're all sorts of fun. The scene where Rico's Italian mother talks to the Shore Patrol is hilarious! But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The movie is basically about an over-protective brother who makes a hasty and ill-planned decision and his sister has to help him get out of the ensuing mess. Fun times!

The songs in this one are a little mismatched. They're all by Vincent Youmans but I think the lyricists are all different. The songs wind up having little to do with the actual plot, but they're fun songs anyway. And, to be honest, I'll forgive any song that Vic Damone sings because I just melt at the sound of his voice. Anyway, moving on... this movie is not the most famous or popular of '50's musicals but it's a lot of fun. I highly recommend checking it out if you have the chance! In terms of trivia, I've got nothin'. On IMDb, I read that Ann Miller's character is named Ginger after Ginger Rogers because the movie is based on Follow the Fleet. If that's the case, it's a very, very, very, very loosely based plot. There are sailors in it. Okay, so there are a couple of similarities, but very few. Anyway, I've tried to learn more about the making of this movie but it's really hard to find stuff on it. I've read Vic Damone's autobiography and I've looked at Debbie Reynolds' and it seems as though Damone was pretty much wrapped up with Pier Angeli at the time and Reynolds was busy falling in love with Eddie Fisher. So, neither had a whole lot to say about it. If you know anything, please let me know! I'd love to know more about this movie!

And that concludes the series! Did you like it? Would you like to see more of these types of posts? What was your favorite of the movies I discussed?

Don't forget to stop by my Facebook page for more pictures and film clips!

The sun's in my heart

Love, love, love this promotional shot of Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly. Is it just me, or is it hard to find good photos of Gene Kelly just dancing? I have the toughest time! Anyway, I found this one in the TCM photo archives and got really excited. I have to say, I'm pretty obsessed with the TCM archives. Be prepared to encounter lots of photos from them. I do have to be careful though because some of them have big disclaimers saying that they're the property of the company and blahblahblah. This one doesn't though. So I'm using it.

found here

My friend lent me her two-disc copy of Singin' in the Rain. I bought the movie before they came out with the special edition and now I really want to buy it! I have a hard time buying movies that I already own though. So, in the meantime, I'm watching hers. I was able to watch a documentary I've wanted to see for a while: Musicals Great Musicals which is a bonus feature in the edition. I'm pretty excited about watching the movie with audio commentary!!

it has definite possibilities

It's almost Thanksgiving!! Hooray!! Thanksgiving is one of my all-time favorite holidays. Right next to Christmas. And my birthday. And this photograph is my favorite fall-ish photo. The trees are actually pretty green in the photo, so it's probably not really fall. But it is California, so it could have been fall. Who knows? But their outfits and the coloring of the photo just say fall to me. I love it so much! I realize that I've posted it on here a bajillion times, but I never get tired of it. It's the background on my computer, and my iphone, and my computer at work. And every time I see it, I get all happy. So, here it is again.

and in Italy, everybody sings

Exciting news!!! I found one of my all-time favorite scenes from Hit the Deck on YouTube! Ah, YouTube. Seriously, what would I do without it? Anyway, this scene is one of my favorites because a) Vic Damone sings b) the song is cute and c) everybody in this scene has such good chemistry. It's incredible! I'm going to be honest; I'm not always very good at pointing out who has good chemistry with who. But. In this scene, I'm so caught up with how much fun they seem to be having with each other. You really feel like they get along famously. It's little things.
Like when:
Kay Arden winks at Tony Martin as she hands him his wine
and when Debbie Reynolds tugs on Russ Tamblyn's tie to tell him to sing
and then when Russ Tamblyn laughs after singing (probably because he really isn't)
and when Debbie Reynolds pulls Russ Tamblyn's arm closer around her and leans on his hand
and when Russ Tamblyn leans his head on Kay Arden's shoulder
and when they all dance around the room and switch partners as if it's a surprise
and when Jane Powell whispers something to Vic Damone and he laughs
and when Kay Arden taps Debbie Reynolds under the chin

can you tell I've watched this scene a couple of times?
Ahem. Yeah, I really like it. It's so fun to watch. And it's fun to sing. Try it.



Do tell me what you think of this scene!

It suits her zodiac

I absolutely love my investment of the That's Entertainment! boxed set. No, I don't watch the movies very much. I didn't really expect to. But, I have so many wonderful musical numbers at my fingertips whenever I want them. Like these little gems. The second one is an outtake. Oh, how I love Volume 3 for all of the outtakes! If you haven't seen the That's Entertainment trilogy and you're a fan of musicals - you must check them out. They're well worth the watch. And you'd be surprised by how many movies you'll discover you absolutely need to see!

P.S. I love her dress in the outtake scene (which is the second one). In a less exaggerated and costume-y version, I'm pretty sure I'd love to wear it. It's so cute!

There's them that does and them that don't

I really want to see this movie! The Affairs of Dobie Gillis. I caught the end of it on TCM the other day so now I know how it ends... but I'd like to see the whole thing! I mean, it's got Bob Fosse and Bobby Van together in a movie! That's just magical!

Why, oh why, and wherefore?

Ok. I love this photo. It's a weird photo and no one really looks all that glamorous in it, but that's why I love it. They look like normal people just hanging out. In reality, it's Debbie Reynolds, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone (I told you I was obsessed), and Tony Martin hanging out on the set of Hit the Deck. But when I see it, I think of all those silly photos I used to take of my friends in high school. It makes me want to jump back in time to this moment, so I can walk in and just hang out with them. Although, to be honest, I have no idea what Vic Damone is doing with Debbie Reynolds' head...

And what did we see? We saw the sea.

So, I'm sick. I've actually been sick but now it's moved to my nose and chest where all I do is sniffle and cough. The only good thing about being sick is that it gives you an excuse to relax. This said, I'm having a movie marathon. I love movie marathons. I think it's so fun to have a theme and plan a whole line-up of films (hmm. new blog post series?). Today, I decided to go for a theme of... well, I'll let you figure it out. Here's the line up:
Follow the Fleet (1936)
Born to Dance (1936)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
On the Town (1949)
Hit the Deck (1955)

And because movie marathons are no fun alone, I'll let you join me (without having to get sick too). Ready? Here we go:

I hope you enjoyed the movie marathon!

Were there more than 24 hours a day...

I really liked that comparing covers of songs in movies post I did a little while back, so I'm going to do another one today. This one is going to be kind of funny (well, I think it's funny) because I'm comparing "All I Do Is Dream of You," sung by Debbie Reynolds to "All I Do Is Dream of You".... sung by Debbie Reynolds! Okay, so I have an odd sense of humor. Nothing you didn't already know.

The first version is from Singin' In the Rain and is sung by Debbie Reynolds and a chorus of girls. This one is, by far, the more famous of the two versions. (Just click on the picture and it will take you to the video. YouTube wouldn't let me embed.)


I love this scene because it really sounds like a 1920's song. It's so raucous and crazy and I love the dancing in it! And ever since I was little, I've loved the "cat's meow" part. Anyway, you can't hear the lyrics very well in this version which works with the scene because no one is singing it with feeling - they're nightclub performers singing at a party. Their voices reflect this too as they all have that raucous nightclub-y type of voice. This isn't a scene to show off the girls' singing pipes; it's to show off their dancing style and their nice bodies in those cute little outfits. The song works as a vehicle to show what kind of a job Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds) has in this film and acts as a comedic foil to the highbrow way in which she treats Gene Kelly in the previous scene.

Now, for the second version. This one is from The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, which was released a year later, and it's sung by Debbie Reynolds and Bobby Van:



I find it kind of funny that one of the first comments below the video is "what an innocent time." But it really does explain the feel for this version of the song. It's very laid-back, very quiet, and much more intimate than the other version. It's sung in a way where you can actually hear the lyrics and it sounds more like a love song than in the previous version. There's nothing to distract you from the song (except the awesome harmonizing of Bobby Van - I love that!). This version is far from raucous and acts as a message to the audience on what kind of a relationship this couple has. In fact, it kind of makes me want to have a boy to go on a boat with, who'll play the ukulele and harmonize while I sing...

There was actually a third version of this song that was filmed but suffered as an outtake in Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly sang it and it's very different from both versions, although it's a little more similar to the second version. You can preview it here at last.fm. The song is, to me, a good deal sexier than either of the other two versions, probably because Gene Kelly is singing it and Gene Kelly is just sexy all-around, his voice not excluded. I know that somewhere, somewhere is a picture of Gene holding a pillow and I'm pretty sure it's from this scene. If that's the case, then that adds an extra bit of romance and whatnot to the scene as he's really thinking of her right before he goes to bed. Furthermore, this scene (which sadly, of all of them, never made the cut) best emulates the song. If I'm not mistaken, the scene was supposed to fit just after Kathy leaves Don at the party, after the cake throwing incident. It's a shame that the song didn't make it and also a shame that I can't find a video clip or photo of it anywhere! Ah well.

Movies are entertaining enough for the masses

I'm afraid I'm a couple of days late on my segment post (spotlight on a scene). This week was my last week of classes as an undergrad and I had a lot going on: 2 induction ceremonies, 3 research papers and a senior seminar presentation (to name a few).

Anyway, on Tuesday, I finally got my roommate to watch Singin' in the Rain (she firmly believed she wouldn't like it). Much to my relief, she loved it, and actually suggested watching it again on Thursday! Every time I watch that movie, I remember how thoroughly I enjoy it. One of my favorite scenes has always been the car scene with Don Lockwood and Kathy Seldon. It's such a funny scene and there are so many great lines. I went to Hollywood about four years ago and got to see Sunset and Camden - when you see this scene, you'll know why I wanted to go.


I want to apologize for having forgotten "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket" on my poll. It's one of my favorites and I really have no idea how I missed it! I hope you will vote anyway - you can vote for multiple songs.

Thank you again for following! I now have 13 followers - hooray! My goal is 15 by New Year's. Think I can do it?

The world is full of a number of things. I'm sure we should all be as happy as...

I have a confession to make: I have a dreadful habit when I watch movies: I skim. Actually, I skim in general. I skim movies, I skim books, I even skim music sometimes. This doesn't mean, of course, that I don't like movies. I love them! I think movies are a fantastic art form and that they are a wonderful source for entertainment. However, I uphold a philosophy that if something is supposed to be enjoyable and isn't, then what's the point? That's why I skim. If I'm watching a movie and it gets depressing, disgusting, unpleasantly tense, or creepy, then I skim to a part that seems better.

Because of this, 2 hour movies can be watched in about 30-40 minutes, the way I watch them. My brother once made a joke that I should get through AFI's top 100 movies list and if I did it the way I watch movies, then I'd get through it in less than a month. I actually seriously considered taking up his joke, but I'm unsure. I've looked through the list and some of the movies simply don't seem like my cup of tea. That doesn't mean they're not good movies. I've watched movies that I didn't enjoy and I still call them good movies.

But I decided recently to make my own list of top 100 movies. And I've decided today to post up one movie a week - sort of like another segment but it won't go into the segment schedule. These movies won't be in any particular order. I think I'll have to decide that when I finish the list. Besides, I'm terrible at decisions; I'd probably flip-flop over #1 for ages.

So, in no particular order. I shall begin the list today. And, for the sake of keeping count, let's say this one is number one. I would give a little blurb as to why I've picked it... maybe I will in movies that are less obvious. I'm just afraid I'll end up saying the same things over and over again. These films are my favorites, my top 100. If you disagree, you are more than welcome to say so. Now without further ado....

#1 Singin' in the Rain (1952)