The Girl Next Door
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Movie Reviews of The Girl Next Door
Movie Review: Absolute Treat
Summary: 4 Stars
Not into musicals, but I appreciate certain singalongs if the underlying story is structurally solid. Good examples of that are 'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers' and 'Hello Dolly', strong core stories with musical interludes woven into the plot.
And now I'm adding this wonderful romantic comedy to my library.
Admittedly, it's not a unique screenplay - girl meets boy and they fall in love - eventually, with some funny escapades thrown in for good measure. Pretty pedestrian as far as that goes. But it's the genuine on-screen chemistry that the two stars exude that carries the film beyond the typical humdrum to something quite special.
Dan Dailey and the stunning June Haver are absolute magic on screen. Their romance is so real, you'd swear they were an actual couple - it's that genuine.
This was my first exposure to the beautiful Ms. Haver and I was deeply saddened to learn that this was her final film performance before taking on the role of motherhood and marriage to actor Fred MacMurray. Definitely left at the top of her game, and that's something a lot of actors can't say. This final film performance is an absolute treat for film aficionados and fans of the musical genre.
I'm now going to invest time and funding in trying to catch the dozen or so films in June Haver's brief resumé - she's such a peach to watch.
Movie Review: Great Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
We really enjoyed this movie. There are some great musical numbers and dance routines. I recommend it highly.Movie Review: Fox gives forgotten musical new life (or much ado about nothing!)
Summary: 3 Stars
The 1953 film The Girl Next Door has,surprisingly, been resurected from the Fox vaults,done up in high style and released.However,I have to wonder why all the fuss over this VERY average musical flick?
The story which is see through and at its' core plucked from well trodden territory,involves one Bill Carter,a comic strip writer(Dan Dailey),his son Joe(Billy Gray)and a chorus dancing star by the name of Jeannie Laird(June Haver).Jeannie returns from a road trip to find her manager(Dennis Day) has obtained,per her wishes,a new house.She moves in and throws a backyard party which gets inundated with dive bombing pigeons and BBQ smoke courtesy of her next door neighbour.She makes a bee line next door to scold her neighbours to find a single father whose household had been disturbed by the rowdy party.Carter and his son are up BBQ-ing hamburgers as a result(doesn't everyone when they can't sleep!?).
As the picture rolls on the flames heat up between Bill and Jeannie,but little Joe sees Jeannie as an upset to he and his fathers'life.The closer his Dad seems to get to Jeannie the more strained the two become.Joe is at one point even arrested by the police for trying to retrieve a letter he put in a mail box by mistake;one that he was writing to Bill's editor to in effect get his Dad and them back to the way things were.
Jeannie realizing that there is no point in forcing Joe to like her,reluctantly begins to pack up her things and move away.But at the last minute Joe makes amends with Jeannie and the movie ends happily for all concerned.There is a slight sub plot involving Jeannies'manager(Day)and a friend who also fall in love,just to flesh out the plot a bit,but that is generally the movie in a nutshell.
In the film are a couple of cute animated sequences done by UPA animation,to become famous in a few years for the Mr Magoo series of cartoons.There is a fantasy stage dance by Haver sung to"Getting Somewhere with a Nowhere Guy",with many visual similarities right down to the clothing worn, with the famous "Girl Hunt" ballet in "Band Wagon" released also that year,but nothing beyond that.It lacks the quality,punch and imagination of the latter and Daileys' dancing is quite pedestrian.
There is a nice little choreographed number between Dailey and Billy Gray near the beginning called "I'd Rather Have a Buddy" and Gray later gets involved in another fantasy/song/dance routine with Haver and Dailey in a kind of "battle for affections" scenario in which he acquits himself rather well.Gray was fresh off his role in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and in a few years would go onto greater fame as Robert Young's son "Bud" in "Father Knows Best" on the little screen.
The music here is provided by Josef Myron and the lyrics by the venerable Mack Gordon,with overall music being conducted by the legendary Bernard Hermann.Unfortunately all this talent couldn't put this picture over.The songs are run of the mill ditties and while Haver may be a looker Dailey I found disappointed with his lack of terpsichorian technique and average vocals.Both Dailey and Haver had been in numerous musicals for the studio previously and Dailey had been in three very well received films with Betty Grable.The films' paper thin plot may be partially to blame but the two main stars just don't generate any on screen excitement.
Then there is the father and son relationship.Joe is too precocious(more like a brother than son)and Dailey plays his part with a sophisticated coolness that doesn't ring true.Tenor Dennis Day has a few turns at showing off that fine tenor voice of his,but his acting is alas very wooden.
The real "star" in this release is in the technical department;it is top notch all the way.They have completely restored and remastered this 92 minute flick from top to bottom.Its' colour(Technicolour) has been wonderfully restored so it looks better than it ever has;generally crisp and clear throughout.
The DVD also contains three featurettes about Billy Gray,Dan Dailey and the film itself.There is a restoration comparison,a poster and still gallery,the original theatrical trailer and an interactive press book.To top that all off,Fox has included four B&W lobby card reprints in each DVD.The DVD is in its' own case and covered in turn by a carboard slip cover.
This is all top drawer restoration work Fox has done here but it seems alot of work for such a mediocre property.There are an endless number of worthier candidates gathering dust in their archives that have yet to see the light of day and countless existing ones that need the remastering this one got.Don't get me wrong I think EVERY film deserves to be released like this but I just think in this case,it's much ado about nothing.Ted Sennetts' musical film reference book "Hollywood Musicals", does not even list this film at all,that is how low on the radar this release is.
As a 92 minute average run of the mill musical time waster,The Girl Next Door fits the bill perfectly.But for real kicks in that genre,I would advise you to look elsewhere.
Movie Review: disappointing Fox musical
Summary: 2 Stars
I am a huge fan of the Fox musicals of the 1930s, 1940s and some from the 1950s - especially those starring Alice Faye, Sonja Henie, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda and Marilyn Monroe. The Girl Next Door features two talented and pleasant stars in Dan Dailey and June Haver and the color looks great, but the songs, the dance routines and the cartoon sequences are surprisingly uninspired. Add Dennis Day to the mix, and the film suffers even more. I never understood his appeal. When I think of Dan Dailey, Mother Wore Tights and When My Baby Smiles At Me comes to mind. June Haver shines in The Dolly Sisters, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now and Look For The Silver Lining (at Warners). With great musicals as these waiting for release, I wonder why this minor effort made it to DVD? I guess it's worth watching if you truly love movie musicals, but I can't imagine ever sitting through it again.
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