it is time for stormy weather.

Cover Girl
This may be the very first Rita Hayworth movie I've ever seen. I've decided that I like her, though based on this movie, I'm a little surprised that she was such a popular pin-up. She's very normal-looking. Perhaps I don't know anything about what men want.

Rita is playing a showgirl at Gene Kelly's club. She gets put on the cover of a magazine and gets an offer to headline at a big theatre. She doesn't want to leave poor ole Gene, but he doesn't want to stand in her way of her career. However, rather than effectively communicating his feelings, he yells at her and says mean things. Feelings were only for sissies in 1944, but yelling at women was macho. Of course, Rita is not happy performing on a big stage if she can't have Gene, and so she goes back to him. I get the feeling this movie would turn out differently if it were made now. I guess that's pretty much true of most of these films.

As good as Rita and Gene are, I think the movie is really made by the supporting cast. Phil Silvers and Eve Arden are simply hilarious. Part of it is well-written dialogue, but their delivery is perfect. Phil plays the clownish third wheel. He is obviously comic relief and yet he is not annoying. He's actually, you know, funny. Eve Arden is playing the dry career woman, and she nails it. I don't know much about either of these actors, but apparently those were pretty standard roles for both. Well, then. Good job with that.

Songs and Dance: Songs were by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, the big hit being "Long Ago (and Far Away)." In the scene that I'm including Gene dances with himself as a way of showing his inner struggle. It's neat. After all, what is better than one Gene Kelly? Two of them!

Don't mind the vandalism. He's distraught.

Will I Make Josh Watch It: No.

Stormy Weather
Watching this movie makes you feel like you're discovering a lost treasure. It features many performers who were not nearly as famous as they should have been. There is so much talent in this film, it makes you very sad. Why sad? Because the reason that these names are not as well-known as Gene Kelly and Judy Garland is because the people were black.

The movie itself is pretty light on plot - it's just a showcase of black entertainers, including Lena Horne, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and the Nicholas Brothers. I had heard of three of those five names, and the only reason I know Lena Horne is because she did some Gap commercials a few years ago. I remember asking my mom who she was because I was struck by how beautiful she was - and she was 80 years old when that commercial came out. She's a sprightly 26 in this film and is positively lovely. Bojangles is a great dancer and very amiable. And Cab Calloway? I don't think I've ever actually seen him perform before, though I've heard him. That man was a bold dresser. I think now every time I see some ridiculous outfit on a celebrity, I will remember this.
The common thread through out the performances in this movie is how much the entertainers obviously love what they are doing. They seem like they are all having the time of their lives. And while I am sure that Fred Astaire likes to dance, his smile is more knowing. He seems to be smiling because someone told him to; it's part of the act. The performances in Stormy Weather are not like that. Watching Bojangles dance or Fats sing, you smile along with them because their enthusiasm is so darn infectious.

This movie features a scene where some performers do a comic act on stage in blackface. However, the performers themselves are black. It's very confusing.

Songs and Dance: Wonderful, wonderful. There is little plot to speak of in this movie, but the musical numbers are so good you don't even care. There are several scenes that are worth seeing, but if I included every single one, that would be the whole movie. So just go see it. To pique your interest, I'm going to post a particularly amazing clip, which features Cab Calloway singing and the Nicholas Brothers dancing. Your jaw will drop. Even Mr. Astaire is noted as saying that this sequence was the finest piece of tap dancing ever filmed. It's better than two Gene Kellys.


Will I Make Josh Watch It: Yes.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Just watching the credits about this movie got me excited about it. Based on a story by Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond stories. Screenplay written by Roald Dahl, my favorite children's author. Starring Dick Van Dyke, a charming, excellent all-around performer. Also, it featured Gert Frobe and Desmond Llewellyn, both actors from Bond movies. Bond + Dahl + singing + dancing = fun. Of course, the movie itself has very little in common with James Bond, other than the name of the female lead: Truly Scrumptious. There's a name that would fit in quite well with Bond girl names like Pussy Galore and Tiffany Case. Benny Hill was also in it, though he wasn't doing anything particularly Benny Hillish.

This movie reminds me a lot of Mary Poppins. That's probably because of the presence of Van Dyke and the fact that the songs were penned by the Sherman Brothers, who wrote a slew of songs for Disney movies. It's also very fanciful - half of the film is an extended fantasy sequence.

It's a sweet movie, but too long. There's the part of the movie that is "real life," which has very little plot. Then there is the fantasy part, which has a plot but ends up having no bearing on anything. So it's fun and full of bright colors and singing, but none of that is able to keep away the nagging feeling that nothing is happening. I know I've said before that when it comes to musicals, I don't necessarily need plot. But something has to take the place of a story, which I didn't get out of this one. I think the real problem is that I am about two decades too old. Had I seen this movie when I was a kid, I bet I would still love it now. Instead, I'm sort of patting it on the head condescendingly.

Songs and Dance: Good, of course. Whichever Sherman was in charge of the lyrics did a good job. There are several memorable scenes, one of which takes place in a candy factory with lots of uniformed workers dancing and whistling. The title song is very catchy. However, I selected the scene where Van Dyke and Truly Scrumptious are pretending to be singing toys. The songs are nice, but the choreography and dancing is quite impressive, if unusual.


Will I Make Josh Watch It: No. But I might show it to my kids. I think kids would like it. However, there is a scene with a lady dressed up in an outfit that you could buy from an online vendor that advertised "discreet shipping." It's not what you would expect to see in a children's musical, though maybe perhaps it came from the whole James Bond side of things.