The Dolly Sisters
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Movie Reviews of The Dolly Sisters
Movie Review: Completely predictable but superbly produced
Summary: 3 Stars
Take the Alice Faye Plot No 1, the roots of which go back to 1938's "Alexanders Ragtime Band". A few years had passed since it was last aired so now it is Betty Grable's turn. Alice Faye declined to appear with Grable so add June Haver, moving wallpaper, instead as a variation just as Grable was to Faye's "Tin Pan Alley". Include John Payne, as lugubrious as ever. Finally, remove any semblance of wit and topicality. Any resemblance to the real Dolly Sisters is purely co-incidental.
While this film was a box office smash in 1945, it was generally a critical bomb because it rehashed so many of the cliches which Fox filmed endlessly. This is the sort of film which gives Fox musicals a bad reputation because it is SO boring. It really is a pity that the script is so predictable because Grable shows real warmth and sincerity in her "dramatic" scenes.
Although the production values are outstanding, the musical numbers are pretty awful too, particularly the production numbers. The dancing is mostly showgirl strutting, the costumes are garish and ugly and everything is laid on with a trowel - absolutely no subtlety. The best song is "I Can't Begin to Tell You" which happens to be the only song which Grable recorded commercially during her whole career but neither her nor John Payne's voices are really strong enough to carry it.
The DVD print is generally excellent preserving the bright colour for which Fox was famous. There is also a detailed commentary from Drew Casper. Casper has a breathless repetitive delivery which is tiresome but he knows his stuff and there is a wealth of background information here.
If you are indifferent to the charms of Betty Grable, this film is a pretty hard slog. The early much livelier Grable musicals ("Moon over Miami", "Springtime in the Rockies" etc) are more entertaining, if only because they have witty scripts and move at breakneck speed.
Movie Review: One of the classic Betty Grable musicals, but where are...
Summary: 3 Stars
..."Wabash Avenue", "Sweet Rosie O'Grady", "Diamond Horseshoe", "Mother Wore Tights", and "Springtime in the Rockies"? All of these are also classic Grable musicals that are today very, very difficult to find unless you're fortunate enough to be watching a TV channel that shows one of them on the late-night show. Anyway, this movie is visually dazzling with numerous production numbers and lots of great costumes (though some may well raise their eyebrows at the Harlem-themed number about halfway through the film).Movie Review: Overblown Cheap Gaudy Melodrama
Summary: 1 Stars
After enjoying the wonderfully restored Down Argentine Way and Moon Over Miami, I was prepared for pretty much the same formula. Alas, this turgid tale of sisterly bonds versus marriage vows drags and insults the intelligence. Nobody watches this stuff for the plot, but somebody thought the plot meant something here, so the songs, dances and costumes get draped over it, whether they fit or not. The vaudeville numbers are unremarkable and the rainbow song gets oh-so-tedious with repetition. By the time this movie was made in 1945, blackface was out, but it gets thrown back at us in the name of history. The only thing worth remembering about this mess are the Ziegfield numbers.