Sam Goldwyn’s big family musical, with its fine Frank Loesser score and idiotic plot, looks weirder than ever. Co-star Farley Granger called it a Boy Meets Girl/Boy Loses Girl/Boy Gets Boy story. He’s right, but doesn’t go far enough. Goldwyn spent two decades trying to get a script till B’way sophisticated hit-maker Moss Hart gave him what he wanted, going back to Myles Connolly’s original whimsy for a storyline. Andersen, a decidedly odd duck in real life, is made into a dreamy cobbler, making up tales for school kids before skipping town with his orphaned fawn-like assistant to head for Copenhagen. (Mispronounced in dialogue & song with a ‘soft-A’ vowel.) Once there, he’s sprung from jail (don’t ask) to solve a ballet slipper crisis; fall for lovely star dancer Zizi Jeanmarie; and misread her hot-and-cold relationship with company manager/hubby Granger. (Note the shared double-bed! A Post-Code first?) Eventually, Andersen writes a ballet story for her (THE LITTLE MERMAID), but returns to his village (with fawn-like companion) to regale cuddlesome children & forgiving parents. Director Charles Vidor seems utterly lost on the Pop-Up Picture-Book sets (out of a touring operetta company?), and even Kaye (charming in all his songs) seems testy with some of the kids. He also swiped the one song meant for Granger & Jeanmarie - ‘No Two People’ - knowing a breakaway hit when he heard one. Star’s prerogative.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: That’s Jeanmarie’s husband, Roland Petit, choreographer/partner in the Liszt-scored MERMAID ballet. But the standout dancer is in the Schubert-scored Ice Skating Ballet where Jeanmarie’s partner completely pulls focus off her without even trying and with little to do. Called ‘The Hussar’ in the credits, it’s Erik Bruhn and you’ll instantly see what Rudolf Nureyev saw in the guy; the very definition of ballet dancer noblesse.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: To see Kaye & a gaggle of delightful school kids, there’s MERRY ANDREW/’58, his underrated charm-fest chamber musical. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2011/04/merry-andrew-1958.html
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