Given how much I love musicals, this was disappointing. It's a mish-mash of musical numbers and comedy routines from an all-star MGM cast, and it's only really worth watching for a couple of segments. The comedy bits are awful. I ended up skipping through the Red Skelton bit because I found it all so annoying. I watched the film primarily to see Kelly and Astaire dance together, and I'm glad I did, but it's an odd number. Neither look entirely comfortable throughout. Out of all the big name players, Astaire gets the most screen time in this, although he is partnered with Lucille Bremer in two of them, who is clearly far beneath him as a dancing partner. Her dancing lacks any personality or passion, and she's very limited (a debuting Cyd Charisse, dancing with the bubbles, would have been much better!). But the numbers are exquisitely staged, and the Technicolour is lovely. Garland's number is okay, because she has a great talent for comedy, but she never gets to belt it out so she's wasted. The less said about the pretty, pleasant-to-watch-when-she's-not-screeching Kathryn Grayson, the better. Her hymn to "Beauty" closes out the film, and it's hardly a winner. Esther Williams gets to show off her water skills, but it's all a bit so-so. A crazy bit is when Lucille Ball appears to be dominatrix to a bunch of cat women. Overall, it's hardly the great stuff you would expect from MGM
Review of Ziegfeld Follies
