![The Clock [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61YZ2cJPXAL._AC_UL116_SR116,116_.jpg)
![For Me and My Gal [Blu-ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61l5rXAvWqL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
![DuBarry Was a Lady [Blu-Ray]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61I1GZ5qYOL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
“Girl Crazy” is one of the best Garland-Rooney musicals and my personal favorite. By avoiding the “Let’s put on a show” formula it’s mostly just Judy and Mickey and the musical numbers are more evenly distributed throughout. It’s based on one of George Gershwin’s best musicals with three of his most classic songs. Premiering on Broadway in 1930, it made overnight stars of the previously unknown Ethel Merman and Ginger Rogers (in fact, the name of Judy’s character was changed from Molly Gray to Ginger in honor of Rogers). There had been an RKO film of “Girl Crazy” in 1932 but the plot had been built around the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey and it had lost money.
This was an early musical by the famous Freed Unit, which eventually led to MGM’s postwar dominance in musical films. Arthur Freed had just begun with “Babes in Arms” in 1939 and had brought a number of Broadway talents with him including June Allyson, Charles Walters and Nancy Walker, all of whom appear in this film. He also brought in associate producer and arranger Roger Edens, who famously clashed with director Busby Berkeley and eventually had him replaced by the dependable Norman Taurog. I don’t know what was with Berkeley this time. He had successfully directed three previous Garland-Rooney musicals, “Babes In Arms”, “Strike Up the Band” and “Babes On Broadway”, but here he rubbed everyone the wrong way. Edens opposed the “I’ve Got Rhythm” finale as being out of balance with the rest of the film (I agree). Louis B.Mayer said he was spending too much money, a dangerous thing to hear at MGM. And finally, his perfectionism and endless takes as well as his constant criticism sent Garland to the hospital with exhaustion. Berkeley only got to direct the finale.
Judy is looking her best here, still fresh and full of good spirits. She gets three of the most important songs. “Bidin’ My Time” is one of Gershwin’s most humorous numbers, parodying the slow life out West at Cody College. It’s given a slightly surrealistic take here with Judy’s guitar seemingly floating on its own as she and a male quartet sing. It becomes a dance number for everyone at the campout. “Embraceable You” is the highlight of the film with a beautiful dance sequence that includes Judy dancing with choreographer Charles Walters and much of the student body. Her rendition of “But Not For Me” is full of disillusion and hurt feelings without overdoing it. Her face says everything. She can also be very down to earth as in her funny meeting with Rooney’s Danny Churchill.
Churchill is depicted as a young playboy who embodies the title of the film and spends his evenings at nightclubs. This was much more like the real Rooney than the wholesome Andy Hardy. He was rather notorious at MGM for chasing all the young actresses on the lot and had married the young Ava Gardner the year before, the first of his eight wives. The opening sequence has him joining the chorus girls onstage at a nightclub as June Allyson sings “Treat Me Rough”. Rooney is hammy as ever and apt to steal any scene he’s in but he was extremely talented and he always gave 100% to anything he was called on to do. Here he doesn’t get much to sing beyond the opening number and the rather slight “Could You Use Me?” but is given a humorous bit impersonating a radio sports announcer. He and Judy had a genuine liking for each other and their chemistry is on full display here.
Everyone else does their part as well. Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra lend great support with “Fascinating Rhythm” in a brassy big band showpiece version with Rooney on piano (the piano part was dubbed, but he does seem to know what keys to play). Dorsey’s orchestra, which included a string section, then settles into more typical dance music using the tunes of some of the minor songs from the Broadway musical. A very young Gil Stratton appears as Churchill’s school roommate Bud Livermore. Like Allyson and Walker he came to MGM directly from the Broadway hit, “Best Foot Forward” to make the film version. He was in many films without ever becoming a big name but later became a famous Los Angeles sportscaster for several decades. Walker only gets a few short bits here but is as memorable as usual as a young woman who will simply not conform to society’s idea of acting ladylike.
Romantic complications ensue, but we know how this will end from the very beginning. The only remaining thing is that finale. I both like it and criticize it. To like it, I have to see it as a stand alone piece, like a music video coming after the film had ended. I know I have to be in the minority here, but it’s just too unlike the rest of the movie. “Girl Crazy” is mostly a quiet, small scale film, much more intimate in its way than many big musicals are. It doesn’t demand a big, razzle-dazzle number to close, and the production is so much larger than what has been done up to now that it seems to be from a different film. It doesn’t look like the rest of the film either, which takes place in sets of small rooms and added outdoor footage to give the film a “real” look. Even “Bidin’ My Time”, though obviously a set, tries to look real. The soundstage for “I’ve Got Rhythm” looks totally unreal, which adds to the disconnect. On its own it’s entertaining with all its gunshots and whips and numerous Berkeley cowgirls and cowboys.
EXTRA NOTE: MGM remade “Girl Crazy” in 1965 as “When the Boys Meet the Girls” with Connie Francis and Harve Presnell in the leads and a musical cast that featured Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, Herman’s Hermits, Liberace and Louis Armstrong. It’s…different.
The Blu-Ray. This has been released as part of the Warner Archives Collection, but it has been given a more deluxe presentation than the usual films in this series. The picture is excellent and without any visible flaws and the sound is excellent. It has much more than the usual extras, probably because it is a better known film than other Warner Archives films that often have little more than the trailer and a cartoon. Here we have an introduction by Mickey Rooney, likely from a TCM presentation. But we have commentary by film historian John Fricke which is a real bonus. Then there’s a comedy short, a cartoon and the trailer plus a stereo remix version of “I Got Rhythm”. All in all, a really good package.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
Watch Instantly with 
| Rent | Buy |
Frequently bought together
$17.49
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 1
Only 15 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Top reviews from other countries
Susana Aguiló
Una joya
Reviewed in Spain on March 13, 2021
Susana Aguiló
Reviewed in Spain on March 13, 2021
Images in this review
SILVIA N.
The price is ok and the quality of video is very good.
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2019
