A good story about Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth) who dreams of being on broadway which means she would have to leave the small dinner theater where she works with Danny (Gene Kelly) and Genius (Phil Silvers). Rusty is in love with Danny. All three are good friends and every Friday night they go to a local bar where they get oysters so they can look for a pearl (they never eat them). The story line provides numerous opportunities for songs and dancing. The movie has two questions that Rusty must answer: Is fame all that it is cracked up to be? and Is less really more if you are happy? Answering those questions makes the movie. The movie also does a good job of showcasing the talents that all three principals had. Never a dull moment!
88 Reviews
Ignore the cheesy first dance--this one is vivid and classic in many ways
secondtake10 April 2011
Cover Girl (1944)
The war is on, and this musical covered two fronts--escapist entertainment, and good old leggy girls for the guys in uniform (those who got to see it). Betty Grable may have been the unofficial pin up actress in wartime, but Rita Hayworth was one of the real hotties of the 1940s, and another G.I. staple, and she is the visible star of this very colorful musical.
The other star, secondary except in name, is Gene Kelly, who is actually a relief in his scenes, adding some stability to a sometimes frivolous and girly musical. Hayworth is great as a presence, too, for sure, and she does do her own dancing, but her singing voice is dubbed by another vocalist. Third in importance is Eve Arden (for me) playing her usual world-weary wit, in this case in the center of the cover girl search.
An interesting if minor trick to the plot early on is the way they create two plots in two time periods, the present (1944) and forty years earlier. So the musical numbers (and lavish costumes) vary from one period to the other, with Hayworth providing the link. Most of the time, thought, it's the early 1940s with the usual competing romances, and a striving for glory takes off. This was Hayworth's biggest success to date, and she was married to Orson Welles at the time. The movie was a hit, both with audiences and with critics. It even won an Oscar (for the music).
How does it compare to other musicals? Well, for one thing it has totally vivid color, I mean vivid, true three-strip Technicolor (the ultimate), and it helps. The dance numbers are on obvious sets, carefully and beautifully designed. Kelly was instrumental in making the dance numbers work, even dominating the director (Charles Vidor) on this score. You might even see hints of his later more famous musicals (a street scene has echoes of "Singing in the Rain" in set design, without the rain--a cop even ends the scene in both cases). The dancing is something of an evolution from the 1930s Astaire-Rogers dancing which was heavily tap and ballroom kinds of couple numbers. Here we see more choreographed integration with the plot and the scenes.
The story, as the title suggests, has a great theme. Rita's character, Rusty Parker (she has reddish hair, which is common in these Technicolor affairs) is trying to be a cover girl for a magazine contest. Of course, so is everyone else in the country. And they bring it to an amazing climax by presenting "covers" designed for all the major magazines, the real thing from Cosmopolitan to Look. The actual magazines around the country got on board with the movie while it was being made and had their own contests for their covers. One dance number features each of the winning covers, seen through a giant camera lens, and each of the winning girls--so the cover models got a small dose of Hollywood stardom, too. It's fun, and clever, and it sold the film big time.
There is an odd mistake in the movie--when the original Variety cover with Rusty Parker on it is pinned up by her dance friends and rivals, it shows a picture of her looking at the camera. When the camera pulls back for a wider view, it shows a different cover! Parker is looking to one side. Pretty ridiculous boo-boo.
I can't over emphasize how much the production values of the film support it. The color, the photography, the set design, and the editing are all really fabulous. There are two photographers listed, and one is Rudolph Mate who has a number of great Hollywood films to his name (as well as a true legend, the German/Danish "Vampyr" from 1932). Technicolor consultant Natalie Kalmus is in top form (she insisted on certain colors and color pairings that worked best with the film stock).
Kelly was loaned from MGM (to Columbia) for the movie, and he was given liberties in production, making his career jump two notches. The choreography is his, and MGM began to pay attention to him at this point. The great number where he plays against his ghost on the streets is inventive and fun. The production is high here, with true Technicolor, but it lacks the high standards of MGM (see "Singin' in the Rain" for some better echoes). There are lots Broadway based visuals, with sets and contrivances. It only goes so far, and it's so infected by the "cover girl" mentality it drives any normal person not to boredom but to disappointment. I know if I say it's sexist many people think I'm just not getting it, or I'm applying a 21st Century filter to a normal situation back then. But it's an objectifying movie with all the worst stereotyping clichés you can write into a script. And the fact remains that neither Kelly nor Hayworth are what you would call great actors. Likable (and pretty) but limited in their range. It's a musical, yes, and it gets around to real music eventually, and it's no less than Kern and Gershwin. The great song is a quiet number between them, Long Ago and Far Away. Some of the other songs are formula stuff, and you have to hang in there. In fact, you start to realize you are being patient a lot, waiting for the movie to rise up.
The war is on, and this musical covered two fronts--escapist entertainment, and good old leggy girls for the guys in uniform (those who got to see it). Betty Grable may have been the unofficial pin up actress in wartime, but Rita Hayworth was one of the real hotties of the 1940s, and another G.I. staple, and she is the visible star of this very colorful musical.
The other star, secondary except in name, is Gene Kelly, who is actually a relief in his scenes, adding some stability to a sometimes frivolous and girly musical. Hayworth is great as a presence, too, for sure, and she does do her own dancing, but her singing voice is dubbed by another vocalist. Third in importance is Eve Arden (for me) playing her usual world-weary wit, in this case in the center of the cover girl search.
An interesting if minor trick to the plot early on is the way they create two plots in two time periods, the present (1944) and forty years earlier. So the musical numbers (and lavish costumes) vary from one period to the other, with Hayworth providing the link. Most of the time, thought, it's the early 1940s with the usual competing romances, and a striving for glory takes off. This was Hayworth's biggest success to date, and she was married to Orson Welles at the time. The movie was a hit, both with audiences and with critics. It even won an Oscar (for the music).
How does it compare to other musicals? Well, for one thing it has totally vivid color, I mean vivid, true three-strip Technicolor (the ultimate), and it helps. The dance numbers are on obvious sets, carefully and beautifully designed. Kelly was instrumental in making the dance numbers work, even dominating the director (Charles Vidor) on this score. You might even see hints of his later more famous musicals (a street scene has echoes of "Singing in the Rain" in set design, without the rain--a cop even ends the scene in both cases). The dancing is something of an evolution from the 1930s Astaire-Rogers dancing which was heavily tap and ballroom kinds of couple numbers. Here we see more choreographed integration with the plot and the scenes.
The story, as the title suggests, has a great theme. Rita's character, Rusty Parker (she has reddish hair, which is common in these Technicolor affairs) is trying to be a cover girl for a magazine contest. Of course, so is everyone else in the country. And they bring it to an amazing climax by presenting "covers" designed for all the major magazines, the real thing from Cosmopolitan to Look. The actual magazines around the country got on board with the movie while it was being made and had their own contests for their covers. One dance number features each of the winning covers, seen through a giant camera lens, and each of the winning girls--so the cover models got a small dose of Hollywood stardom, too. It's fun, and clever, and it sold the film big time.
There is an odd mistake in the movie--when the original Variety cover with Rusty Parker on it is pinned up by her dance friends and rivals, it shows a picture of her looking at the camera. When the camera pulls back for a wider view, it shows a different cover! Parker is looking to one side. Pretty ridiculous boo-boo.
I can't over emphasize how much the production values of the film support it. The color, the photography, the set design, and the editing are all really fabulous. There are two photographers listed, and one is Rudolph Mate who has a number of great Hollywood films to his name (as well as a true legend, the German/Danish "Vampyr" from 1932). Technicolor consultant Natalie Kalmus is in top form (she insisted on certain colors and color pairings that worked best with the film stock).
Kelly was loaned from MGM (to Columbia) for the movie, and he was given liberties in production, making his career jump two notches. The choreography is his, and MGM began to pay attention to him at this point. The great number where he plays against his ghost on the streets is inventive and fun. The production is high here, with true Technicolor, but it lacks the high standards of MGM (see "Singin' in the Rain" for some better echoes). There are lots Broadway based visuals, with sets and contrivances. It only goes so far, and it's so infected by the "cover girl" mentality it drives any normal person not to boredom but to disappointment. I know if I say it's sexist many people think I'm just not getting it, or I'm applying a 21st Century filter to a normal situation back then. But it's an objectifying movie with all the worst stereotyping clichés you can write into a script. And the fact remains that neither Kelly nor Hayworth are what you would call great actors. Likable (and pretty) but limited in their range. It's a musical, yes, and it gets around to real music eventually, and it's no less than Kern and Gershwin. The great song is a quiet number between them, Long Ago and Far Away. Some of the other songs are formula stuff, and you have to hang in there. In fact, you start to realize you are being patient a lot, waiting for the movie to rise up.
Beautiful Rita, Kern score and Phil Silvers dancing!!!
alfiefamily3 April 2004
Two of these things are to be expected, the third is a complete surprise (that would be Phil Silvers dancing).
This is a delightful, if longer than it needs to be musical. A sub-plot with flashbacks and probably the worst Jerome Kern number ever written (Poor John), do not contribute enough to make them worthwhile. It's as if they wrote the movie, realized they didn't have enough material to produce a full-length picture, and added these other scenes to "fill it out". They don't work.
It's funny to see a 1940's musical with Gene Kelly (on loan from M-G-M)clearly taking a backseat to his leading lady. His second act number where he dances with himself is one highlight of the film. Other strong points are "Make Way For Tomorrow" and the lovely, "Long Ago And Far Away" (although I thought it odd that the latter number did not have a dance sequence attached to it). "Put Me To The Test", a number where Rita and Gene get to dance together, is a very good number, but the title song does nothing for me, although it is staged wonderfully.
Rita Hayworth is absolutely breath-taking. Her dancing is excellent, and this is clearly a role that suits her. Some of her hair pieces, however are awful. In a few scenes, the color of them do not match the color of her natural hair. Very distracting.
Phil Silvers is wonderful as Genius, Gene and Rita's friend and co-worker. Seeing him dance, especially as well as he did, was a wonderful surprise.
The major problem I had with this movie was that I never believed the relationship between the three leads. I didn't believe that Kelly and Hayworth were in love, or that Kelly and Silvers were real friends. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't buy it.
Excellent supporting work by Eve Arden, Otto Kruger, Edward Brophy and Leslie Brooks.
6 out of 10
This is a delightful, if longer than it needs to be musical. A sub-plot with flashbacks and probably the worst Jerome Kern number ever written (Poor John), do not contribute enough to make them worthwhile. It's as if they wrote the movie, realized they didn't have enough material to produce a full-length picture, and added these other scenes to "fill it out". They don't work.
It's funny to see a 1940's musical with Gene Kelly (on loan from M-G-M)clearly taking a backseat to his leading lady. His second act number where he dances with himself is one highlight of the film. Other strong points are "Make Way For Tomorrow" and the lovely, "Long Ago And Far Away" (although I thought it odd that the latter number did not have a dance sequence attached to it). "Put Me To The Test", a number where Rita and Gene get to dance together, is a very good number, but the title song does nothing for me, although it is staged wonderfully.
Rita Hayworth is absolutely breath-taking. Her dancing is excellent, and this is clearly a role that suits her. Some of her hair pieces, however are awful. In a few scenes, the color of them do not match the color of her natural hair. Very distracting.
Phil Silvers is wonderful as Genius, Gene and Rita's friend and co-worker. Seeing him dance, especially as well as he did, was a wonderful surprise.
The major problem I had with this movie was that I never believed the relationship between the three leads. I didn't believe that Kelly and Hayworth were in love, or that Kelly and Silvers were real friends. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't buy it.
Excellent supporting work by Eve Arden, Otto Kruger, Edward Brophy and Leslie Brooks.
6 out of 10
Gene Kelly's pivotal role and Rita Hayworth's most glamorous.
movibuf19627 March 2003
Cover Girl's importance lies not in its originality as a book (it's a standard backstage Cinderella story), as much as it does in what happened to each of its stars. Gene Kelly was "loaned out" to do it when MGM boss L.B. Mayer didn't have much use for him at his own studio. His performance in this film, coupled with the ground-breaking 'Alter Ego' dance solo (duo?) was so successful that it made MGM take him seriously at last (he was never loaned out again) and allowed him to flourish with the soon-to-come hits of "Anchors Aweigh," "On The Town," and "An American In Paris." Likewise for Rita Hayworth; Columbia had been grooming her for years, but she had done mostly B-level films. CG showed her off as a lead in glorious Technicolor, and paved the way for GILDA, her signature (and much more adult) role. Here she and Kelly make a sweet couple, and dance well in "Put Me To The Test" and the fresh, energetic "Make Way For Tomorrow." They are at their most poignant in "Long Ago And Far Away," but the number (played on piano by Phil Silvers and sung as they both stack up nightclub chairs) seems to beg for a dance number, then doesn't have one. Another good number is the title tune, which pays tribute to the famous American magazines/cover girl models of the day. Hayworth appears as the last model, running down a curved runway in a gold dress with her flaming mane flying behind her. A dream in Technicolor!!
Kelly dazzles, Arden charms, Hayworth needs a little spark...
gaityr27 August 2002
Rita Hayworth as Rusty Parker is the COVER GIRL du jour--she's one of the dancing girls in Danny McGuire's club, the most special one according to Danny (Gene Kelly) and pretty much anyone who comes across her. Take for example, Vanity magazine magnate John Coudair (Otto Kruger): enchanted by Rusty's resemblance to her grandmother Maribelle (also played by Hayworth in flashbacks), whom he wooed devotedly when he fell in love with her, he tries to relive his youth by fixing what he thinks went wrong between himself and Maribelle. He doesn't believe that Danny could give Rusty happiness, or everything she should be entitled to--he even gets Danny believing this himself. When Rusty shoots to fame as Vanity's 'Cover Girl', Danny drives her away into the ready and waiting arms of Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman). So what happens when Danny returns to town with his sidekick Genius (Phil Silvers) in tow, only to discover that Rusty is marrying Wheaton?
As a musical, COVER GIRL benefits from the beautiful score and songs written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, including the Oscar-nominated 'Long Ago and Far Away' (possibly one of the most gorgeous ballads ever written and beautifully, sweetly sung as a duet by Hayworth and Kelly), Maribelle's number 'Sure Thing' (the more lacklustre 'Poor John' isn't a Kern/Gershwin collaboration) and 'Put Me To The Test'. The dancing, of course, is top-notch, since Gene Kelly had more than just a hand in the choreography. It shows in the simplest of dances, for example his dance with Hayworth to 'Put Me To The Test', or the joyfully exuberant 'Make Way For Tomorrow' number (performed by the trio of Danny, Rusty and Genius)... which foreshadows the reaction Gene's character has to the police cop in the title number in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Kelly especially scored a technological and artistic coup with the 'Alter-Ego' dance. Like its successors in ANCHORS AWEIGH and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Jerry the Mouse and the 16-minute ballet respectively), this dance is an example of the incredible innovation and creativity Kelly brought to the modern film musical: wanting to use the film medium to present dances that couldn't be showcased on a stage, and years before CGI, Kelly insisted on dancing with the one person who could possibly match him in talent and style--himself. The number is hardly five minutes long, but it (and Kelly's genius) still takes one's breath away, even sixty years down the line. This is the reason I watched COVER GIRL, and if nothing else, this dance is truly worth it.
You can tell that a great deal of money was lavished onto COVER GIRL and Rita Hayworth--not that she doesn't deserve it. Witness the scene when Rusty hits Broadway--the large screen showcasing all the different cover girls gives way to a staggeringly large stage rigged for Rusty's entrance. Hayworth is indeed one of the most effortlessly beautiful girls on show in the film, and she dances with a style and grace that is almost worthy of Kelly. (Very few of Kelly's co-stars have that honour.) She is hilarious in some scenes, for example her drunk scene when John and Wheaton come to get her from Joe's.
For some reason, however, her performance still lacks the spark of greatness which would help COVER GIRL overcome its general curse of mediocrity. That curse is only lifted whenever Gene Kelly is on the screen (dancing or no), or when Eve Arden as John's long-suffering secretary 'Stonewall' sidles by with another cutting comment or clever observation. Since the film, in the end, belongs to Hayworth, neither Kelly nor Arden can save it as a whole. This isn't to say that the film is bad--it isn't. It's enjoyable, with great songs and cute numbers and lots of pretty girls to look at. But it's just not quite a classic. The dancing is classic though--so watch COVER GIRL for that, and you won't regret it.
As a musical, COVER GIRL benefits from the beautiful score and songs written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, including the Oscar-nominated 'Long Ago and Far Away' (possibly one of the most gorgeous ballads ever written and beautifully, sweetly sung as a duet by Hayworth and Kelly), Maribelle's number 'Sure Thing' (the more lacklustre 'Poor John' isn't a Kern/Gershwin collaboration) and 'Put Me To The Test'. The dancing, of course, is top-notch, since Gene Kelly had more than just a hand in the choreography. It shows in the simplest of dances, for example his dance with Hayworth to 'Put Me To The Test', or the joyfully exuberant 'Make Way For Tomorrow' number (performed by the trio of Danny, Rusty and Genius)... which foreshadows the reaction Gene's character has to the police cop in the title number in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Kelly especially scored a technological and artistic coup with the 'Alter-Ego' dance. Like its successors in ANCHORS AWEIGH and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (Jerry the Mouse and the 16-minute ballet respectively), this dance is an example of the incredible innovation and creativity Kelly brought to the modern film musical: wanting to use the film medium to present dances that couldn't be showcased on a stage, and years before CGI, Kelly insisted on dancing with the one person who could possibly match him in talent and style--himself. The number is hardly five minutes long, but it (and Kelly's genius) still takes one's breath away, even sixty years down the line. This is the reason I watched COVER GIRL, and if nothing else, this dance is truly worth it.
You can tell that a great deal of money was lavished onto COVER GIRL and Rita Hayworth--not that she doesn't deserve it. Witness the scene when Rusty hits Broadway--the large screen showcasing all the different cover girls gives way to a staggeringly large stage rigged for Rusty's entrance. Hayworth is indeed one of the most effortlessly beautiful girls on show in the film, and she dances with a style and grace that is almost worthy of Kelly. (Very few of Kelly's co-stars have that honour.) She is hilarious in some scenes, for example her drunk scene when John and Wheaton come to get her from Joe's.
For some reason, however, her performance still lacks the spark of greatness which would help COVER GIRL overcome its general curse of mediocrity. That curse is only lifted whenever Gene Kelly is on the screen (dancing or no), or when Eve Arden as John's long-suffering secretary 'Stonewall' sidles by with another cutting comment or clever observation. Since the film, in the end, belongs to Hayworth, neither Kelly nor Arden can save it as a whole. This isn't to say that the film is bad--it isn't. It's enjoyable, with great songs and cute numbers and lots of pretty girls to look at. But it's just not quite a classic. The dancing is classic though--so watch COVER GIRL for that, and you won't regret it.
Long Ago & Far Away
whpratt16 February 2007
This is definitely an outstanding 1944 musical with great young stars and famous veteran actors under the direction of Charles Vidor. Rita Hayworth, (Rusty Parker),"Charlie Chan in Egypt", sang and danced with Gene Kelly,(Danny McGuire), "Anchors Away", Danny McGuire owned a night club in Brooklyn, N.Y. and was in love with Rusty Parker who was a dancer in his club along with Phil Silvers,(Genius),"Coney Island", who was the comedian in this picture and also worked and dance together with Danny, Rusty. Otto Kruger, (John Coudair),"Duel in the Sun" played the role as a promoter of a cover girl magazine and decided Rusty Parker was going to be his top model. Jerome Kern's music is heard through out the entire picture and the song, "Long Ago & Far Away" is the theme music for this musical. This film was nominated for many awards and was a big hit at the box office during WW II which kept peoples minds off of the war that was going on at the time. Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly were instant hits and their career's exploded on the silver screen for many many years. Great Musical and a film you will not want to miss, this is truly a great Classic Film. Enjoy
Many pleasures as well as big flaws
TheLittleSongbird31 August 2016
'Cover Girl' promised much. Technicolor. Music/songs by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin. And a cast that includes Rita Hayworth (one of the most beautiful classic film, and ever, stars), Gene Kelly (one of the best dancers and choreographers in the history of musicals) and Eve Arden (who has always been enjoyable in supporting roles).
It doesn't quite deliver fully on the promise though, there are some big flaws here. However, taking it for what it is it is a pleasant watch with many pleasures. The story admittedly is pure corn and contrivance and also goes on longer than it needed to. A solution to that would have been cutting out the bizarre and ridiculous to the point of embarrassment subplot with the grandmother, scenes that didn't feel right in the film.
Phil Silvers undeniably is a very good dancer and dances with great energy. However, he is one big ham here that can be taken or left. To me he was irritating and his humour grated. Several have criticised the songs. Granted, most of them are not among Kern or Gershwin's best work, but really the only number that stuck out like a sore thumb as bad was "Poor John" (which oddly enough was not penned by Kern and Gershwin, who wouldn't be seen dead writing a song as bad as that). That was a very clumsily done scene, the song stylistically is at odds with the rest and there is even an attempt at a Cockney accent that makes Dick Van Dyke's good in comparison.
On the other hand, 'Cover Girl' is a beautifully designed film and dazzles in Technicolor. The photography in the "Alter Ego" song and dance number is incredibly clever. The choreography is one of the film's pleasures, with that of "Alter Ego" being easily among Gene Kelly's most creative, best and most ground-breaking routines. While not among Kern's or Gershwin's best generally, apart from the hauntingly gorgeous "Long Ago and Far Away" (which is one of Kern's best-known songs and one of my favourites of his actually), though "Make Way for Tomorrow" and "Sure Thing" are also catchy.
Rita Hayworth is truly stunning in this film and charms effortlessly as well as showing some incredible dancing, while Kelly, even with a less likable or relatable character, has an easy-going charm and once again his dancing dazzles. Eve Arden's role is small, but she still brings sassy wit (funnier than anything that comes from Silvers) and class so she still makes an impression. Hayworth and Kelly are sweet together, and the script has its amusing and charming moments, if hit and miss with the comedy with Arden (both performance and material) faring far better than Silvers even with lesser screen time.
On the whole, not a great film with some big flaws but very, very watchable with many pleasures (and goodness are those pleasures big in size). 6/10 Bethany Cox
It doesn't quite deliver fully on the promise though, there are some big flaws here. However, taking it for what it is it is a pleasant watch with many pleasures. The story admittedly is pure corn and contrivance and also goes on longer than it needed to. A solution to that would have been cutting out the bizarre and ridiculous to the point of embarrassment subplot with the grandmother, scenes that didn't feel right in the film.
Phil Silvers undeniably is a very good dancer and dances with great energy. However, he is one big ham here that can be taken or left. To me he was irritating and his humour grated. Several have criticised the songs. Granted, most of them are not among Kern or Gershwin's best work, but really the only number that stuck out like a sore thumb as bad was "Poor John" (which oddly enough was not penned by Kern and Gershwin, who wouldn't be seen dead writing a song as bad as that). That was a very clumsily done scene, the song stylistically is at odds with the rest and there is even an attempt at a Cockney accent that makes Dick Van Dyke's good in comparison.
On the other hand, 'Cover Girl' is a beautifully designed film and dazzles in Technicolor. The photography in the "Alter Ego" song and dance number is incredibly clever. The choreography is one of the film's pleasures, with that of "Alter Ego" being easily among Gene Kelly's most creative, best and most ground-breaking routines. While not among Kern's or Gershwin's best generally, apart from the hauntingly gorgeous "Long Ago and Far Away" (which is one of Kern's best-known songs and one of my favourites of his actually), though "Make Way for Tomorrow" and "Sure Thing" are also catchy.
Rita Hayworth is truly stunning in this film and charms effortlessly as well as showing some incredible dancing, while Kelly, even with a less likable or relatable character, has an easy-going charm and once again his dancing dazzles. Eve Arden's role is small, but she still brings sassy wit (funnier than anything that comes from Silvers) and class so she still makes an impression. Hayworth and Kelly are sweet together, and the script has its amusing and charming moments, if hit and miss with the comedy with Arden (both performance and material) faring far better than Silvers even with lesser screen time.
On the whole, not a great film with some big flaws but very, very watchable with many pleasures (and goodness are those pleasures big in size). 6/10 Bethany Cox
Will success spoil Rusty Parker?
JamesHitchcock16 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Will success spoil Rusty Parker? Rusty, a chorus girl working at a nightclub run by her boyfriend Danny McGuire, gets a chance to go for the big time after being chosen as the cover girl for a prestigious magazine. Rusty becomes a Broadway star, but success threatens to spoil her romance with Danny when she is pursued by the magazine's editor John Coudair and by her Broadway producer Noel Wheaton. As, however, Coudair is old enough to be Rusty's grandfather- indeed, forty years earlier he was a suitor for her grandmother's hand- and Wheaton is the coldest of cold fish, we all know how the story will end. And that's about it as far as plot is concerned, although a couple of flashbacks tell us something of John's romance with Rusty's grandmother Maribelle. (Although these scenes are ostensibly set forty years previously in the Edwardian era, there is little attempt at period accuracy and some of the costumes are those of the 1940s).
Despite the scanty plot, "Cover Girl" was one of the most popular musicals of the war years. Indeed, plot was often regarded as relatively unimportant in musicals from this period. Even a film as highly regarded as that other Gene Kelly vehicle "An American in Paris" is really about little more than a boy, a girl and a happy ending. What mattered were sentiment, spectacle, songs, dance numbers and an overall feel-good factor. This was particularly important during the war. Despite the film's happy-go-lucky atmosphere, we are not allowed to forget that it is 1944 and there is a war to be won. Phil Silvers as the nightclub's resident comedian Genius includes plenty of jokes about the war in his act, and we learn that Danny is a former soldier invalided out of the Army after being wounded. This is one of those wartime movies which try to help the war effort, not by pushing a heavy-handed propagandist message but by keeping up civilian morale. Most of the musical routines are relentlessly cheerful with a message of "better times are just around the corner".
The film is said to be the film which made a star of Gene Kelly, although at the time it was primarily intended as a vehicle for the talents of Rita Hayworth, a rising young star at the time, showcasing not just her looks but also her skills as a dancer. She has a double role, playing both Rusty and Maribelle. Her talents did not, it would seem, extend to singing, as her voice was dubbed. This was not an uncommon phenomenon at this period; Hayworth's younger contemporary Cyd Charisse danced her way throughout numerous musicals without singing a note in any of them. During this phase of Hayworth's career she was normally offered "sweet girl next door" type parts like Rusty here. Later in the decade she would be given the opportunity to play sultry femmes fatales, as in "Gilda" and "The Girl from Shanghai", before moving on in the fifties to "sexy older woman" roles. "Gilda", incidentally, had the same director, Charles Vidor, as "Cover Girl", but the two films are very different from one another.
Trying to evaluate a film like this one is a difficult task seventy years on. It belongs to a tradition of lavish Hollywood musicals which is no longer really part of our culture, having come to an end in the seventies soon after those two late, great examples "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret". Sporadic attempts to revive this tradition have not always met with success. Moreover, the musicals of the thirties and forties can often seem stylised and unrealistic, even by the standards of their successors from the fifties and sixties. Yet we have to bear in mind that this film was a great success in its day, and it is worth trying to understand why.
The songs are tuneful, although none of them except perhaps "Long Ago and Far Away" has really become a classic. The dance numbers are well produced and the two leading stars are attractive and charismatic. Kelly's contribution, moreover, went well beyond just acting and dancing; he was also responsible for a lot of the choreography. The elaborate costumes also contributed a lot to the film's success. (This was, remember, an age of austerity).
Seen through modern eyes, "Cover Girl" looks horribly dated, but if we make the effort to see it through the eyes of our grandparents, it still has a lot to recommend it. 7/10
Despite the scanty plot, "Cover Girl" was one of the most popular musicals of the war years. Indeed, plot was often regarded as relatively unimportant in musicals from this period. Even a film as highly regarded as that other Gene Kelly vehicle "An American in Paris" is really about little more than a boy, a girl and a happy ending. What mattered were sentiment, spectacle, songs, dance numbers and an overall feel-good factor. This was particularly important during the war. Despite the film's happy-go-lucky atmosphere, we are not allowed to forget that it is 1944 and there is a war to be won. Phil Silvers as the nightclub's resident comedian Genius includes plenty of jokes about the war in his act, and we learn that Danny is a former soldier invalided out of the Army after being wounded. This is one of those wartime movies which try to help the war effort, not by pushing a heavy-handed propagandist message but by keeping up civilian morale. Most of the musical routines are relentlessly cheerful with a message of "better times are just around the corner".
The film is said to be the film which made a star of Gene Kelly, although at the time it was primarily intended as a vehicle for the talents of Rita Hayworth, a rising young star at the time, showcasing not just her looks but also her skills as a dancer. She has a double role, playing both Rusty and Maribelle. Her talents did not, it would seem, extend to singing, as her voice was dubbed. This was not an uncommon phenomenon at this period; Hayworth's younger contemporary Cyd Charisse danced her way throughout numerous musicals without singing a note in any of them. During this phase of Hayworth's career she was normally offered "sweet girl next door" type parts like Rusty here. Later in the decade she would be given the opportunity to play sultry femmes fatales, as in "Gilda" and "The Girl from Shanghai", before moving on in the fifties to "sexy older woman" roles. "Gilda", incidentally, had the same director, Charles Vidor, as "Cover Girl", but the two films are very different from one another.
Trying to evaluate a film like this one is a difficult task seventy years on. It belongs to a tradition of lavish Hollywood musicals which is no longer really part of our culture, having come to an end in the seventies soon after those two late, great examples "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret". Sporadic attempts to revive this tradition have not always met with success. Moreover, the musicals of the thirties and forties can often seem stylised and unrealistic, even by the standards of their successors from the fifties and sixties. Yet we have to bear in mind that this film was a great success in its day, and it is worth trying to understand why.
The songs are tuneful, although none of them except perhaps "Long Ago and Far Away" has really become a classic. The dance numbers are well produced and the two leading stars are attractive and charismatic. Kelly's contribution, moreover, went well beyond just acting and dancing; he was also responsible for a lot of the choreography. The elaborate costumes also contributed a lot to the film's success. (This was, remember, an age of austerity).
Seen through modern eyes, "Cover Girl" looks horribly dated, but if we make the effort to see it through the eyes of our grandparents, it still has a lot to recommend it. 7/10
Put To The Test And Passes With Flying Colors
bkoganbing3 February 2007
It took a loan out film to Columbia for Gene Kelly's home studio MGM to realize his creative talent and give him some control over what he did in his own films. Cover Girl also became Rita Hayworth's signature film for the GIs and their pinup fantasies during World War II.
Kelly plays the owner of a small nightclub in Brooklyn where Rita is a featured dancer and Phil Silvers the comic. Of course Kelly does a bit of hoofing himself there.
Hayworth comes to the attention of millionaire Otto Kruger when it turns out that Kruger had loved and lost Hayworth's grandmother. In some flashback sequences from the gaslight era, Hayworth also plays her own grandmother with Jess Barker playing the young Kruger. You might remember Jess Barker was the husband of that other legendary screen redhead, Susan Hayward.
Broadway producer Lee Bowman also is attracted to Hayward, but he's not interested in nostalgia. He wants her for his Ziegfeld Follies revue and in fact the biggest number of Cover Girl is the title song of the film. It's nicely done in Follies style.
Hayworth also gets to sing A Sure Thing in a gaslight era number and in the only song in the show not written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, Hayworth also does an old English music hall number Poor John. When I say sing, as everyone knows Rita mouths words. Singing here is done by Nan Wynn.
The biggest hit of the show is Long Ago and Far Away which is introduced by Gene Kelly. It was one of the biggest hits of the World War II era and one of the biggest sellers Jerome Kern ever wrote. It happens in fact to be a favorite of an aunt of mine who with my uncle will be celebrating 60 years of marriage this September. Long Ago and Far Away was nominated for Best Song, but lost to Swinging on a Star.
What really sets Cover Girl apart and what makes it a milestone film for Gene Kelly is the two numbers Put Me to the Test and the Alter Ego number. Harry Cohn decided to do what Louis B. Mayer had refused at MGM, to give Kelly creative control of his own material. Kelly later said the alter ego number was one of the hardest things he ever attempted in his career. In it he dances with a pale reflection of himself and the choreography is dazzling and intricate.
In fact after one more loan out film, Christmas Holiday at Universal, Louis B. Mayer never loaned out Gene Kelly for the rest of the time he was at MGM. And he did get creative control from then on.
With that dazzling technicolor cinematography and Rita's red hair and Gene Kelly's boundless creativity, Cover Girl was and is a classic and will forever be so.
Kelly plays the owner of a small nightclub in Brooklyn where Rita is a featured dancer and Phil Silvers the comic. Of course Kelly does a bit of hoofing himself there.
Hayworth comes to the attention of millionaire Otto Kruger when it turns out that Kruger had loved and lost Hayworth's grandmother. In some flashback sequences from the gaslight era, Hayworth also plays her own grandmother with Jess Barker playing the young Kruger. You might remember Jess Barker was the husband of that other legendary screen redhead, Susan Hayward.
Broadway producer Lee Bowman also is attracted to Hayward, but he's not interested in nostalgia. He wants her for his Ziegfeld Follies revue and in fact the biggest number of Cover Girl is the title song of the film. It's nicely done in Follies style.
Hayworth also gets to sing A Sure Thing in a gaslight era number and in the only song in the show not written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, Hayworth also does an old English music hall number Poor John. When I say sing, as everyone knows Rita mouths words. Singing here is done by Nan Wynn.
The biggest hit of the show is Long Ago and Far Away which is introduced by Gene Kelly. It was one of the biggest hits of the World War II era and one of the biggest sellers Jerome Kern ever wrote. It happens in fact to be a favorite of an aunt of mine who with my uncle will be celebrating 60 years of marriage this September. Long Ago and Far Away was nominated for Best Song, but lost to Swinging on a Star.
What really sets Cover Girl apart and what makes it a milestone film for Gene Kelly is the two numbers Put Me to the Test and the Alter Ego number. Harry Cohn decided to do what Louis B. Mayer had refused at MGM, to give Kelly creative control of his own material. Kelly later said the alter ego number was one of the hardest things he ever attempted in his career. In it he dances with a pale reflection of himself and the choreography is dazzling and intricate.
In fact after one more loan out film, Christmas Holiday at Universal, Louis B. Mayer never loaned out Gene Kelly for the rest of the time he was at MGM. And he did get creative control from then on.
With that dazzling technicolor cinematography and Rita's red hair and Gene Kelly's boundless creativity, Cover Girl was and is a classic and will forever be so.
OK Musical
utgard149 January 2014
Chorus girl Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth) wins a magazine's contest to pick a new cover girl. This is thanks to the magazine's editor (Otto Kruger), who was in love with Rusty's grandmother. Apparently Rusty is the spitting image of Grandma. Anyway, as things usually go in musicals, she must decide between success and love with nightclub owner Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly). Rita is gorgeous, of course, and that's only enhanced by the Technicolor. Her dancing is excellent as well. Kelly is fine in the acting department but the dancing is where he shines. This was the musical that put him on the map and from this point on he was allowed to choreograph his dance routines in films. The movie has comedy backup from Phil Silvers and Eve Arden. Arden is great but Silvers is like everybody's unfunny uncle. The musical numbers are mostly just OK. The highlight songwise is "Long Ago and Far Away." The best dance number is Kelly's solo "Alter Ego" dance. It's not a bad musical but it's not one of my favorites.
Looks nice...but most of the songs and dance numbers are second-rate
planktonrules28 September 2012
I wanted to like this film...I really did. However, the plot was quite simple (and easily resolved) and the songs were an amazingly flat and uninteresting lot. I think all this is very apparent to me because I have recently spent a lot of time watching MGM musicals as well as films about classic Hollywood song and dance films--and "Cover Girl" just doesn't stack up all that well. Perhaps this is because the film is made by Columbia--a studio not known for its musicals.
The film begins with a bunch of dancing girls all talking about some contest--where the winner is chosen as a cover girl for some magazine. Surprise....Rita Hayworth is the one picked. And, soon after this, her life changes--with great job offers and the wolfish Lee Bowman chasing after her. But what about her partner (Gene Kelly)? What about their act? What about the fact that the songs are so dull?
So what does the film have going for it? Well, the color film is nice and Rita looks swell. And, at least one song and dance number is a standout--the one where Gene dances with himself. You have to see it to know what I mean--it must have been very difficult to choreograph and execute. But this alone is not enough to make up for the film's deficiencies--such as the notion of a granddaughter looking EXACTLY like her grandmother, the badly synchronized singing in many places and the rest. In addition, there is a romantic tension between Rita and Gene--when it all very EASILY could have been solved with her going on to a better job and Kelly keeping his old one AND they could have STILL kept dating. Overall, a time-passer and nothing more--even though it looks great.
The film begins with a bunch of dancing girls all talking about some contest--where the winner is chosen as a cover girl for some magazine. Surprise....Rita Hayworth is the one picked. And, soon after this, her life changes--with great job offers and the wolfish Lee Bowman chasing after her. But what about her partner (Gene Kelly)? What about their act? What about the fact that the songs are so dull?
So what does the film have going for it? Well, the color film is nice and Rita looks swell. And, at least one song and dance number is a standout--the one where Gene dances with himself. You have to see it to know what I mean--it must have been very difficult to choreograph and execute. But this alone is not enough to make up for the film's deficiencies--such as the notion of a granddaughter looking EXACTLY like her grandmother, the badly synchronized singing in many places and the rest. In addition, there is a romantic tension between Rita and Gene--when it all very EASILY could have been solved with her going on to a better job and Kelly keeping his old one AND they could have STILL kept dating. Overall, a time-passer and nothing more--even though it looks great.
Cover Girl Shines
smithy-814 November 2003
"Cover Girl" is the best musical Rita Hayworth ever made. Ms. Hayworth will always be remembered for "Gilda", however, the next movie would be "Cover Girl". The story is great. It is about a dancer who wants to be a cover girl and makes it big in show business. She does it without the help of her talented dancer/director boyfriend (Gene Kelly). Mr. Kelly is given the chance to choreograph the musical numbers. The dances are spectacular. It is fun to see Phil Silvers, a comic, do the musical numbers with Ms. Hayworth and Mr. Kelly.
The supporting cast is perfect. Lee Bowman is given a chance to be an interesting third wheel, the other boyfriend.
The supporting cast is perfect. Lee Bowman is given a chance to be an interesting third wheel, the other boyfriend.
Dull
hcoursen6 February 2007
Except for a couple of spritely dance numbers and the lovely song "Long Ago and Far Away," which became a big hit for Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes,this one is contrived and unconvincing even for a 'boy loses girl' musical. The distance between Brooklyn and Broadway may be emotional and psychological, but it's still only a long subway ride. The characters don't seem to grasp that much. I always had a problem with Kelly's voice, which was not up to the songs he was given. Astaire realized that he was "no singer," but he put the songs over -- "Night and Day," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," etc. And it's Martha Mears singing for Rita this time, not Nan Wynn. The most ludicrous scene in this one is Kelly and Silvers entertaining the troops as they ride along in a truck. Radically unconvincing. The 1948 film "Easter Parade" stole the cover girl concept and did wonderful things with it, projecting it back to a pre WWI era accompanied by Irving Berlin's wonderful "Girl on the Magazine Cover." "Cover Girl" has about 8-10 minutes of really wonderful dance and music, but the rest of the film is dull.
Nice-Looking Cover, Not Much Inside
ccthemovieman-18 June 2007
Rita Hayworth is just stunning at times and, for me, the only reason to watch this silly film. Despite the overdone 1940s lipstick, Rita was one of the all-time glamor women of Hollywood. In fact, for a couple of years I can't imagine anyone that looked better, except maybe Elizabeth Taylor in her prime.
Anyway, the co-star of the show, Gene Kelly, does not play his normal likable, at least the kind of guy we all know him from in "Singin' In The Rain." Here, Kelly's "Danny McGuire" pouts much of the time. Phil Silvers, who I loved on TV at "Sgt. Bilko," is so stupid in here as "Genius" you will just cringe listening to his dumb jokes....and they are stupid.
The visuals are good with great Technicolor, which almost looks terrific. You get to see a lot of pretty women in here, too, not just Hayworth. Unfortunately, the story isn't all that much. It centers around Hayworth deciding about a career choice. Along the way, we get the normal shabby treatment of marriage and we get an insultingly-dumb ending. All in all, an unmemorable film, except as a showcase for Hayworth's beauty.
Anyway, the co-star of the show, Gene Kelly, does not play his normal likable, at least the kind of guy we all know him from in "Singin' In The Rain." Here, Kelly's "Danny McGuire" pouts much of the time. Phil Silvers, who I loved on TV at "Sgt. Bilko," is so stupid in here as "Genius" you will just cringe listening to his dumb jokes....and they are stupid.
The visuals are good with great Technicolor, which almost looks terrific. You get to see a lot of pretty women in here, too, not just Hayworth. Unfortunately, the story isn't all that much. It centers around Hayworth deciding about a career choice. Along the way, we get the normal shabby treatment of marriage and we get an insultingly-dumb ending. All in all, an unmemorable film, except as a showcase for Hayworth's beauty.
Energetic and Fun
laffinsal19 April 2004
For a non-MGM musical from the 1940s, this is quite a memorable and enjoyable film. Rita Hayworth, at the peak of her career, is stunning, a vision of loveliness and in full Technicolor, no less! Gene Kelly, in one of his earliest films, is a good match for her, although his character is really something of a jerk. Phil Silvers provides good comic relief, without being too obnoxious, but Eve Arden, with her dry one-liners, is an even bigger hoot.
The music score is quite good for the most part...with only one sour note ("Poor John"). The haunting "Long Ago and Far Away" is beautiful, "Put Me to the Test" is a good number for the two leads, and "Make Way for Tomorrow" is a lively, fun number. Of course, credit must be given to Gene Kelly for his fantastic "alter-ego" dance sequence, which is without a doubt, the highlight of the film.
Definitely worth seeking out for fans of Gene or Rita...this is one of the great 40s musicals. Top stars, sumptuous color, and a pleasing score. Terrific!
The music score is quite good for the most part...with only one sour note ("Poor John"). The haunting "Long Ago and Far Away" is beautiful, "Put Me to the Test" is a good number for the two leads, and "Make Way for Tomorrow" is a lively, fun number. Of course, credit must be given to Gene Kelly for his fantastic "alter-ego" dance sequence, which is without a doubt, the highlight of the film.
Definitely worth seeking out for fans of Gene or Rita...this is one of the great 40s musicals. Top stars, sumptuous color, and a pleasing score. Terrific!
Rita, Rita, Rita!!
Incalculacable20 April 2006
Rita Hayworth lights up the screen in this fun, fancy and delightful musical starring Gene Kelly. Rita plays nightclub dancer Rusty Parker who has dreams to be a successful Broadway star. Unfortunately, her career is getting no where in Danny McGuire's Night Club. When one of her fellow dancers says she's going to enter a Cover Girl contest, she decides to follow her dreams and enters. She reminds the publisher of her Grandma, who he was deeply in love with many years ago. But when she finds this success, her boyfriend is not happy about it.
I had never seen Rita before this, and I am so glad I did! She has such a scene presence and is a very good actress. There are some good numbers in here, not the best of any musical but they are melodic and good to listen to. One thing I didn't like was Gene Kelly's character. He should have supported his girlfriend! But anyway, that's perhaps the only criticism I have about this movie. Cover Girl is a glorious, fluffy film - perfect escapism. Not everyone's ideal movie, but a wonderful movie nonetheless, due to Rita Hayworth's star power. Great movie, truly impressed.
I had never seen Rita before this, and I am so glad I did! She has such a scene presence and is a very good actress. There are some good numbers in here, not the best of any musical but they are melodic and good to listen to. One thing I didn't like was Gene Kelly's character. He should have supported his girlfriend! But anyway, that's perhaps the only criticism I have about this movie. Cover Girl is a glorious, fluffy film - perfect escapism. Not everyone's ideal movie, but a wonderful movie nonetheless, due to Rita Hayworth's star power. Great movie, truly impressed.
Lovely Rita, Graceful Gene and Phil the Surprise
dgz782 February 2007
Rita Hayworth becomes the first female lead to dance with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly when she starred with Kelly in Cover Girl. Kelly does a great job dancing with his image but Rita steals the show as the cover girl that has to decide whether she wants fame or Kelly. And like every Rita Hayworth movie I have to mention that she really was beautiful.
The surprise in this movie is Phil Silver - as a dancer, not as a comedian. His comedy tires quickly but his dancing, while not at the level of Hayworth or Kelly, is still beyond what I remember him for. The three of them together are fun to watch. And Rita is gorgeous as always.
The problem is you never get the feeling Kelly and Hayworth were really hot for each other (though how anyone could not feel hot for Rita is beyond me). The romance always feels forced so you are left with a lot of great Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin songs to enjoy. If you are looking for Shakespeare, you won't find it here. But did I mention how great Rita looked? Enjoy Cover Girl for the dancing and music - the story is about as deep as a Three Stooges short. But then the Moe, Larry and Curly never had Rita Hayworth. Oh, did I point out how beautiful Rita was?
The surprise in this movie is Phil Silver - as a dancer, not as a comedian. His comedy tires quickly but his dancing, while not at the level of Hayworth or Kelly, is still beyond what I remember him for. The three of them together are fun to watch. And Rita is gorgeous as always.
The problem is you never get the feeling Kelly and Hayworth were really hot for each other (though how anyone could not feel hot for Rita is beyond me). The romance always feels forced so you are left with a lot of great Jerome Kern/Ira Gershwin songs to enjoy. If you are looking for Shakespeare, you won't find it here. But did I mention how great Rita looked? Enjoy Cover Girl for the dancing and music - the story is about as deep as a Three Stooges short. But then the Moe, Larry and Curly never had Rita Hayworth. Oh, did I point out how beautiful Rita was?
Focus on the one (1) hour six (6) minute song POOR JOHN by Rita Hayworth which makes the film worth watching
Ed-Shullivan20 April 2022
The film in its entirety is standard fare with two men falling in love and chasing after the statuesque beauty that is Rita Hayworth. Who will Brooklyn's singer/dancer Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth) choose to fall for? The rich and famous producer Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) who can provide Rusty with the fulfillment of all her dreams to sing and dance on a big Broadway stage if only she says yes to Noel's proposal of marriage. But Rusty is reminded of her grandmother Maribelle's former success as a dancer/singer and the path Maribelle eventually chose after singing her hit song "Poor John".
Rusty still has strong feelings for her first love Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) who she performs on the much smaller Brooklyn stage at Danny's club. There are a number of song and dances throughout the film and of course the big band musicals accompanying the choreographed dance numbers to dance to.
Rita Hayworth's beauty is undeniable especially in her solo song and dance number Poor John which appears at the one (1) hour and six (6) minute mark of the film.
This is not a classic film but neither was it a bomb. It is however a film to watch just for the chemistry that Hayworth and Kelly have on film together. I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 IMDb rating and I would recommend it as a must see for any Hayworth or Kelly fan.
Rusty still has strong feelings for her first love Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) who she performs on the much smaller Brooklyn stage at Danny's club. There are a number of song and dances throughout the film and of course the big band musicals accompanying the choreographed dance numbers to dance to.
Rita Hayworth's beauty is undeniable especially in her solo song and dance number Poor John which appears at the one (1) hour and six (6) minute mark of the film.
This is not a classic film but neither was it a bomb. It is however a film to watch just for the chemistry that Hayworth and Kelly have on film together. I give the film a decent 6 out of 10 IMDb rating and I would recommend it as a must see for any Hayworth or Kelly fan.
Vintage and colorful musical in which Rita Hayworth wins a contest and turns into a famous model girl
ma-cortes27 June 2022
A classic musical about a girl , Rita Hayworth , who has to decide between a nightclub career and a future as as a cover model ; this endangers her love story with dancing mentor Gene Kelly . Rita Hayworth is marvellous , Gene Kelly dances like a dream , and Phil Silvers and Eve Arden are extremely hilarious . As they are all on top form. Too thrilling for words .. so they set it to music , romance , dance and song ! . The Most Brilliant Musical Of Our Time! . The Top-Flight Musical of the Year ! . It's Packed With Fun , Music and Romance!. It's magical , It's musical ! So audacious .. so ravishing...you'll love it as a new experience!
This is a mirthful, magical Musical in glorious Technicolor but with a simple , silly and incredibly clichéd script . This enchanting , lavish musical stars Gene Kelly who discovers a deep love while dancing magnificently through wonderful scenarios , though filming mostly in the Columbia studios with no outdoors . Flushed with the hit of two musicals teaming their biggest stars , Rita Hayworth with Fred Astaire , Columbia Pictures decided to mount a really major musical for her . One of the most memorable Musicals of 1944 and one of Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth's classic musicals , in all , the movie offers appointingly several pleasures , though sluggish , at times . The movie is a heady mixture of Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin music , breathtaking dances and light entertainment . Main highlights are the sweeping musical score and Gene Kelly , Rita Hayworth's knock-out choreography . Gene Kelly brought his friend Stanley Donen from Metro Goldwyn Mayer with him as co-choreographer and the two men worked out a routine that foreshadowed all their innovative work together over the next fifteen years . This was the ¨alter ego¨ dance spotlight which Kelly performs with his mirror image that becomes into his conscience in a store window. Audiences for big screen musicals were waning when the famous production company Columbia Pictures put this stage hit before the cameras and getting success enough . Stars two splendid actors and dancers : Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in yet another of their more whimsical characters , while Phil Silvers steals the movie as the likable partner , adding Eve Arden as a wisecracking assistant . Along with a great support cast , such as : Lee Bowman , Jinx Falkenburg , Leslie Brooks , Otto Kruger , among others.
It displays a brilliant and glamorous cinematography in picturesque Technicolor and Cinemascope from cameramen Allen M. Davey and Rudolph Maté . Enjoyable scenarios , worth artificial-looking production design that only emphasised its stagebound origins . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Charles Vidor who gave to the fabulous protagonists : Rita Hayworth , Gene Kelly and Phil Silvers an irresistible vitality and deep sweep . Under his skill direction , all the dramatic and musical elements blended adequately . Charles Vidor made two Rita Hayworth vehicles , this breezy musical Cover Girl (1944), and Vidor's principal masterpiece, this archetypal film noir Gilda (1946) . Rating : 6.5/10 , above average . The flick will appeal to Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly fans . Essential and indispensable seeing for Musical genre lovers .
This is a mirthful, magical Musical in glorious Technicolor but with a simple , silly and incredibly clichéd script . This enchanting , lavish musical stars Gene Kelly who discovers a deep love while dancing magnificently through wonderful scenarios , though filming mostly in the Columbia studios with no outdoors . Flushed with the hit of two musicals teaming their biggest stars , Rita Hayworth with Fred Astaire , Columbia Pictures decided to mount a really major musical for her . One of the most memorable Musicals of 1944 and one of Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth's classic musicals , in all , the movie offers appointingly several pleasures , though sluggish , at times . The movie is a heady mixture of Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin music , breathtaking dances and light entertainment . Main highlights are the sweeping musical score and Gene Kelly , Rita Hayworth's knock-out choreography . Gene Kelly brought his friend Stanley Donen from Metro Goldwyn Mayer with him as co-choreographer and the two men worked out a routine that foreshadowed all their innovative work together over the next fifteen years . This was the ¨alter ego¨ dance spotlight which Kelly performs with his mirror image that becomes into his conscience in a store window. Audiences for big screen musicals were waning when the famous production company Columbia Pictures put this stage hit before the cameras and getting success enough . Stars two splendid actors and dancers : Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly in yet another of their more whimsical characters , while Phil Silvers steals the movie as the likable partner , adding Eve Arden as a wisecracking assistant . Along with a great support cast , such as : Lee Bowman , Jinx Falkenburg , Leslie Brooks , Otto Kruger , among others.
It displays a brilliant and glamorous cinematography in picturesque Technicolor and Cinemascope from cameramen Allen M. Davey and Rudolph Maté . Enjoyable scenarios , worth artificial-looking production design that only emphasised its stagebound origins . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Charles Vidor who gave to the fabulous protagonists : Rita Hayworth , Gene Kelly and Phil Silvers an irresistible vitality and deep sweep . Under his skill direction , all the dramatic and musical elements blended adequately . Charles Vidor made two Rita Hayworth vehicles , this breezy musical Cover Girl (1944), and Vidor's principal masterpiece, this archetypal film noir Gilda (1946) . Rating : 6.5/10 , above average . The flick will appeal to Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly fans . Essential and indispensable seeing for Musical genre lovers .
1944 may be long ago and far away, but the beauty of this film is here to stay.
mark.waltz28 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
What is essentially a very simple story ends up becoming a musical classic in this Columbia musical from the days of World War II that had soldiers clamoring for Rita Hayworth photos and home front movie audiences standing in line for hours to see. Even if she had never played Gilda, Hayworth would have entered screen immortality for the magnetism she possesses in this movie, in addition to the two films she had earlier starred with opposite Fred Astaire.
While Rita had been seen on screen in color before ("Blood and Sand", "My Gal Sal"), Technicolor really falls in love with her in this outstanding musical. She plays a modeling hopeful who goes to the top of her profession after becoming a successful musical star, and ends up engaged to a stuffy heir (Lee Bowman) to a fortune. In denial that she's really in love with hoofer Gene Kelly, Hayworth prepares for a life of boredom while deep down inside, she's anxious to dance again down the street with him and his low-class friend (an amusing Phil Silvers) and "Make Way for Tomorrow".
With Jerome Kern's former lyric writing partner Oscar Hammerstein II now busy with Richard Rodgers and Ira Gershwin's music writing brother George deceased, the two joined forces to write an original music score that has been called one of the best original song scores written for the screen. Hayworth, as usual, is dubbed, and performs an ancient musical hall song (complete with a dress covered in huge polka dots) bemoaning the fate of a heroine whose potential mother-in-law openly disapproves of her, and dances joyously with Kelly and Silvers to the optimistic "Make Way For Tomorrow", then flings herself down a curvy run-way to the magnificent "Long Ago and Far Away". Kelly gets some neat special effects, dancing with a transparent version of himself, in "Alter Ego Dance".
Another highlight is the fashion show "Cover Girl" number which resembles "Easter Parade's" "The Girl I Love is on a Magazine Cover" and "Beautiful Girls" from "Singin' in the Rain" featuring live girls either on calendars or magazine covers. In fantastic support are Eve Arden as the sardonic magazine executive secretary who becomes Rita's confidante, Leslie Brooks as Rita's chorus girl chum, and Otto Kruger as a father figure in Rita's life. In short, this is a movie about Rita, aka Rusty, aka Maribelle. There's also a delightful cameo by Jack Norton, the tea-totaler actor who plays a drunk delightfully joining in Gene, Phil and Rita's big number together.
This is a musical and visual delight from start to finish, probably Columbia's most popular film of the 1940's along with "The Jolson Story" and one of the factors that moved the studio from the "B's" to the "A's".
While Rita had been seen on screen in color before ("Blood and Sand", "My Gal Sal"), Technicolor really falls in love with her in this outstanding musical. She plays a modeling hopeful who goes to the top of her profession after becoming a successful musical star, and ends up engaged to a stuffy heir (Lee Bowman) to a fortune. In denial that she's really in love with hoofer Gene Kelly, Hayworth prepares for a life of boredom while deep down inside, she's anxious to dance again down the street with him and his low-class friend (an amusing Phil Silvers) and "Make Way for Tomorrow".
With Jerome Kern's former lyric writing partner Oscar Hammerstein II now busy with Richard Rodgers and Ira Gershwin's music writing brother George deceased, the two joined forces to write an original music score that has been called one of the best original song scores written for the screen. Hayworth, as usual, is dubbed, and performs an ancient musical hall song (complete with a dress covered in huge polka dots) bemoaning the fate of a heroine whose potential mother-in-law openly disapproves of her, and dances joyously with Kelly and Silvers to the optimistic "Make Way For Tomorrow", then flings herself down a curvy run-way to the magnificent "Long Ago and Far Away". Kelly gets some neat special effects, dancing with a transparent version of himself, in "Alter Ego Dance".
Another highlight is the fashion show "Cover Girl" number which resembles "Easter Parade's" "The Girl I Love is on a Magazine Cover" and "Beautiful Girls" from "Singin' in the Rain" featuring live girls either on calendars or magazine covers. In fantastic support are Eve Arden as the sardonic magazine executive secretary who becomes Rita's confidante, Leslie Brooks as Rita's chorus girl chum, and Otto Kruger as a father figure in Rita's life. In short, this is a movie about Rita, aka Rusty, aka Maribelle. There's also a delightful cameo by Jack Norton, the tea-totaler actor who plays a drunk delightfully joining in Gene, Phil and Rita's big number together.
This is a musical and visual delight from start to finish, probably Columbia's most popular film of the 1940's along with "The Jolson Story" and one of the factors that moved the studio from the "B's" to the "A's".
cover girl
mossgrymk3 April 2022
Like most Charles Vidor films it manages to keep its head just above the mediocrity line thanks mostly to Gene Kelly's dancing and Rita Hayworth's ability to be better than she has to be, (kind of the polar opposite of Ava G), with solid hoofing, and sexiness and charm aplenty. So even if Ginny Van Upp's dialogue is a bit of a downer and it woulda been nice if Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin had managed, between them, to cough up more than one memorable song this is that rarity, a WW2 morale booster that is actually not depressing when viewed today. C plus.
PS...Does Phil Silvers annoy you as much as he does me? At best he's mildly irksome, like the guy two maybe three rows behind you who won't stop unwrapping candy bars. At worst he ruins the routines he's in, like Kelly's dancing in the troop transport. And throughout he has that smug mug of the not very funny comic who thinks he's hilarious.
PS...Does Phil Silvers annoy you as much as he does me? At best he's mildly irksome, like the guy two maybe three rows behind you who won't stop unwrapping candy bars. At worst he ruins the routines he's in, like Kelly's dancing in the troop transport. And throughout he has that smug mug of the not very funny comic who thinks he's hilarious.
Mediocre Musical.
rmax3048233 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I know it has Gene Kelly in it. I know it has Rita Hayworth in it. I know Phil Silvers provides comic relief and Jerome Kern wrote the songs and Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics, but I've tried several times to get my appreciative apparatus wrapped around this movie and can't do it.
Kern has provided a terrific, soaring tune, "Long Ago and Far Away," which doesn't involve a dance, and the others are without distinction. I mean, the guy composed like nobody else. For "Roberta" he wrote, among other tunes, "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old Fashioned", icons in the Great American Songbook. Except for "Long Ago and Far Away," there's nothing like that here.
Gene Kelly oozes an easy-going charm but his athletic dancing here still looks like it came out of vaudeville, his arms held out at an awkward angle. He would improve quantumly over the next few years. Rita Hayworth is gorgeous but is stuck in a corny part in a corny plot.
Corniness, in the sense of reflecting old-fashioned values, isn't bad per se. I don't think there's anything more juvenile than the story behind "On The Town." But the book means a lot. If the story behind the numbers isn't engaging, it's difficult for the numbers to succeed. Not "impossible" -- look at Fred and Ginger's best -- but difficult.
Unquestionably, one of the reasons for the evidently undying popularity of "Singin' In The Rain" is that it's funny as hell, quite aside from the numbers themselves -- which are also light-hearted and well integrated into the plot. "Singin' In The Rain" makes a viewer feel HAPPY in a way that this film simply doesn't. Who wants to see unhappy singers and dancers? I'll tell you who wants to watch unhappy musicals. Opera fans, that's who!
There's not a somber moment in "Singin' In The Rain", no serious conflict at all. The more somber a musical film gets, the less entertaining it is. "An American in Paris" was much more ambitious but memorable mostly for its expensive sets. Then there is the dismal "It's Always Fair Weather."
I'd like to recommend this because nobody is better at projecting a kind of flamboyant joy than Gene Kelly. That smile belongs in a toothpaste commercial. But, really, "Cover Girl" isn't much more than routine.
Kern has provided a terrific, soaring tune, "Long Ago and Far Away," which doesn't involve a dance, and the others are without distinction. I mean, the guy composed like nobody else. For "Roberta" he wrote, among other tunes, "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old Fashioned", icons in the Great American Songbook. Except for "Long Ago and Far Away," there's nothing like that here.
Gene Kelly oozes an easy-going charm but his athletic dancing here still looks like it came out of vaudeville, his arms held out at an awkward angle. He would improve quantumly over the next few years. Rita Hayworth is gorgeous but is stuck in a corny part in a corny plot.
Corniness, in the sense of reflecting old-fashioned values, isn't bad per se. I don't think there's anything more juvenile than the story behind "On The Town." But the book means a lot. If the story behind the numbers isn't engaging, it's difficult for the numbers to succeed. Not "impossible" -- look at Fred and Ginger's best -- but difficult.
Unquestionably, one of the reasons for the evidently undying popularity of "Singin' In The Rain" is that it's funny as hell, quite aside from the numbers themselves -- which are also light-hearted and well integrated into the plot. "Singin' In The Rain" makes a viewer feel HAPPY in a way that this film simply doesn't. Who wants to see unhappy singers and dancers? I'll tell you who wants to watch unhappy musicals. Opera fans, that's who!
There's not a somber moment in "Singin' In The Rain", no serious conflict at all. The more somber a musical film gets, the less entertaining it is. "An American in Paris" was much more ambitious but memorable mostly for its expensive sets. Then there is the dismal "It's Always Fair Weather."
I'd like to recommend this because nobody is better at projecting a kind of flamboyant joy than Gene Kelly. That smile belongs in a toothpaste commercial. But, really, "Cover Girl" isn't much more than routine.
Rita; An Ethereal Cover Girl
unecinephile31 July 2020
A merry 40's musical. Luminous Rita, loving Gene, captivating portrait of fashion magazine's backstages, light-hearted dancing performances.
-Song list- "The show must go on", "Make way for tomorrow", "Long ago (and far away)" 🎀
-Song list- "The show must go on", "Make way for tomorrow", "Long ago (and far away)" 🎀
"Just climb aboard my magic carpet and away we'll go!"
richardchatten12 May 2022
Since Rita Hayworth's in the title role, Gene Kelly's dancing doesn't receive the prominence it later attained (although the scene were he dances with his reflection provided a taste of wonders to come and a hint of the sinister side to him that occasionally showed itself), while Phil Silvers became more amusing with less follicles and more brain cells as Bilko.
It all looks fabulous in Technicolor, however, and there's always Eve Arden delivering caustic asides; while Jess Barker as the young Otto Kruger in the flashbacks is the most convincing such substitution I've ever seen.
It all looks fabulous in Technicolor, however, and there's always Eve Arden delivering caustic asides; while Jess Barker as the young Otto Kruger in the flashbacks is the most convincing such substitution I've ever seen.
Silly plot, sub par choreography and lackluster songs
dharmabum1966-11 September 2012
I never thought I would ever say I didn't like a Gene Kelly movie. Cover Girl to me was one giant bore. The choreography was mediocre (with the exception where Kelly dances with himself)and the songs weren't memorable. Watch Singin' In The Rain and tell me you didn't hum it after the movie was over. You can't!
As far as the relationship between Rita Hayworth (while beautiful I don't understand the hoopla surrounding her. She's a passable dancer and a lousy actress) and Gene Kelly, there is absolutely no chemistry.
The only gem in this flick was Kelly's scene where he danced alongside himself. Is it any wonder MGM never loaned him out again? His dancing was magical, athletic and just a joy to watch. If you want to see Kelly at his best, watch Singin' In The Rain or his masterpiece An American In Paris.
As far as the relationship between Rita Hayworth (while beautiful I don't understand the hoopla surrounding her. She's a passable dancer and a lousy actress) and Gene Kelly, there is absolutely no chemistry.
The only gem in this flick was Kelly's scene where he danced alongside himself. Is it any wonder MGM never loaned him out again? His dancing was magical, athletic and just a joy to watch. If you want to see Kelly at his best, watch Singin' In The Rain or his masterpiece An American In Paris.
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