For more, follow me on Twitter, tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Of the two Russell had a rather greater range as an actress; most of Vera-Ellen's films were cheerful song-and-dance musicals. He thought that his show was finally saved. Now I want to watch it again. Many thanks for bringing this film to my attention, I’ve never heard of this before. Not quite "full-figured" but otherwise quite adorable. Thanks for reading! from around the time this movie was released: Tagged as: 1950s, Anna Duse, Associated British Picture Corporation, ballet, Bruce Humberstone, Cesar Romero, David Niven, Diane Hart, RKO, Technicolor, Vera-Ellen, Thanks for this, I’ve never seen or heard of it before. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But Bruno shows up first, and Janet assumes that he is Paul. For my money Vera-Ellen was the best all-round female dancer from Hollywood's golden era. Bruno could save the show! The chauffeur (Hugh Dempster) for the richest man in Scotland, greeting card manufacturer B.G. Caesar Romero's miscast but he's also obviously happy to be working. For some reason, the very American Vera-Ellen starred in *two* musicals (made several years apart) set in Edinburgh, a city not noted for its tap-dancers: 'Let's Be Happy' and 'Happy Go Lovely'. "Happy Go Lovely" is no classic but it's still a simple and enjoyable experience. The whole Paul/Bruno thing is cleared up just in time for him to watch Janet’s big finale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Go_Lovely, http://lesiconesdu7art.blogspot.com/2013/07/vera-ellen-16-fevrier-1921-30-aout-1981.html, http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/focusfilmreview14243cath_0703, http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/julie-reviews-david-niven-happy-go_lovely/, http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/modernscreen4243unse_0155, http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/modernscreen4243unse_1030. Then I stumbled on this cute film, watched it, and now I'm ready to go out & kiss a streetlamp. I understand that musicals and dancing were very popular back in the day. She tries to get away, but the police have their backs turned, and no one helps her. I love the midcentury mania for huge monograms: Right after Frost fires Janet, the chauffeur drops off her purse at the theatre. He likes being plain ol’ Paul after years of being the Richest Man in Scotland. Cesar Romero completes the starring trio. It's a shame, but really think eliminating the production numbers or cutting back on them would have helped the film. It was produced by the Associated British Picture Corporation in partnership with RKO, who distributed the film in the US. “Happy Go Lovely” is one of those for me. 1951 cesar david niven go happy lovely vera ellen show all hide all. directed a bunch of the Charlie Chan films. They usually had interesting choreography and breathtaking dancing and catchy songs. Well, not yet! User Ratings Happy Go Lovely. Video. Niven had a far better part in the British war film, Appointment with Venus (1952) which was popular in England. Barely five feet tall with a pixie cut, Amy has always been a feisty gal. Depending on your interest, you can fast-forward these scenes. There is a great moment when Lady Martin comes to the table to say hello to her dear friend B.G. Cute cat is awake and wants to go somewhere . The other numbers are better but still unmemorable. Read more. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 2 people found this helpful. Vera-Ellen has the chance to show herself as a talented romantic comedienne and generates real chemistry with Niven….For once, the producer has been willing to respect her talent and give her a chance to display her burgeoning dramatic skills, and Val Guest’s witty script makes the most of the ridiculous mistaken identity plot and generates real laughs.”. Niven often claimed that he was born in Kirriemuir, in the Scottish county of Angusin 1909, but his birth certificate shows this was not the case. Despite Janet’s efforts to save him, Bruno sneaks right back into the theater. Janet Jones (Vera-Ellen) and her bestie and roommate Mae (Diane Hart) aren’t having an easy time, either. I only know Vera-Ellen from White Christmas. See All. Mae convinces Janet not to tell Frost the truth because the opportunity to go from chorus girl to star is too wonderful to pass up. The showpiece British version of a "Guys and Dolls" or "Broadway-type" number is too pretentious and falls flat. 213 likes. She meets Bruno, thinking he's a … Janet’s periwinkle chiffon dress is very pretty, but the ruffled breast pads are unflattering and just emphasize how very, very skinny Ellen is. I watched this one on the Hollywood Comedy Legends disc. I find this movie very enjoyable. That makes good quality versions difficult to find, but the ClassicFlix DVD I watched was the best I’ve seen. Mae and Janet congratulate themselves on fooling the world, when in fact they are the ones being fooled. Both those big presences, Niven's nuanced, Romero's steamrolling, make this a piece of film worth keeping. She does a good job considering the limited material she has to work with. Sounds pretty gosh-awful, doesn’t it?”, via: http://www.classicmoviefavorites.com/julie-reviews-david-niven-happy-go_lovely/, He tempers that conclusion with this lukewarm praise: “But somehow, for all its hackneyed substance and the incontrovertible fact that, except for a few “establishing” glimpses, it has nothing to do with Edinburgh, there is a certain limpid charm about this picture—a certain childish cheerfulness—due, in the main, we would reckon, to Vera-Ellen’s youthfulness and grace.”, Vera-Ellen’s biographer David Soren noted some of the same qualities in his assessment of Happy Go Lovely. I’d have to watch the film again to be sure. cute, but the musical itself should have closed immediately, Vera-Ellen Stands Out in a Mediocre British Musical, Foreign remakes + originals e.g. Topics musical, comedy, David Niven, Cesar Romero. Fortunately, the landlady used to be a chorus girl, too, so she lets them stay when they promise to pay her once the show opens. The first one is intentionally terrible to show why the "star" is quitting. Janet is horrified and embarrassed, but I’m focused on Mae’s teeny tiny baseball cap. B.G. Bruno (David Niven), drops by an Edinburgh theater to return the lost purse of chorus girl Janet Jones (Vera-Ellen). Vera-Ellen is an adequate actor and very good dancer, and Cesar Romero is better here than in anything else I've seen him in, in that he is not actually playing the exact same character as he usually does; still he is not funny. he IS the laird—and it is upon this confusion of identity that the whole flimsy business hangs. (chuckle). Saved by the musical sequences (near the end). "Happy Go Lovely" is no classic but it's still a simple and enjoyable experience. Here they are between takes of this dressing room scene: via: http://lesiconesdu7art.blogspot.com/2013/07/vera-ellen-16-fevrier-1921-30-aout-1981.html. the usual misunderstandings. Also, Mae has a tiny cap for evening wear, too! Naturally, he is bewildered by the situation, as is his staff, who know Bruno as a stuffed shirt and not the type of man who would shower a girlfriend with gifts. A few years ago, I bought several $1 DVD's that contained two movies each. Nice fingerless gloves, Vera-Ellen Jackson. Janet is shocked but delighted that her love didn’t actually forge a check (his millions of pounds probably contribute to her smile, too.). There's one long imitation Gene Kelly odyssey piece about a little girl in a big city that's strangely small and mean and bad. James David Graham Niven was born in Belgrave Mansions, London, to William Edward Graham Niven (1878–1915) and his wife, Henrietta Julia (née Degacher) Niven. ( Log Out / Legs of the sleeping girl on the white bed. Like Fred Astaire, she can make a hat-rack look good as a dance partner. Similar stock images. Both women were born in the same year, 1921, and both emerged as major stars in the early fifties when they were in their thirties. And thank you for the compliment! Thanks for this comment! A chorus girl gets a ride from millionaire Bruno's driver. wordpress.com/cookies/, TheBlondeAtTheFilm.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. The copyright for this film wasn’t renewed, so it’s now in the public domain. Color is a bit "off" at times and the sound is a "brassy" optical track. 3.6 out of 5. What I've just mentioned may be confusing but (mostly) makes sense if you're willing to check your brain while watching this charmingly screwball comedy with wonderful musical numbers as performed by the exquisite Ms. Vera-Ellen. Ahab no not really but if that is in your top ten like it is mine you will like this movie. Focus: A Film Review, August 1951 via http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/focusfilmreview14243cath_0703. Come along side us as we record our first full-length record. Anyway, the next day Bruno gives Frost a check in the staggering amount of 10,000 pounds! Vera-Ellen mostly shines as she usually does though it looks like a bit of a struggle to hold onto the lead position. First, ladies of the night smash her camera, then she gets roped into performing with two men. Janet and Mae are confused until “Paul” whispers to them that he paid her two pounds to pretend he was Bruno. (Exhibit A: Katharine “I don’t need no cutlets” Hepburn in just about all of her films. After all of that, he returned to show business and starred in British and Hollywood films once again. Cute cat is awake and wants to go somewhere . Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Come along side us as we record our first full-length record. It basically choreographs sexual assault. I’ve also come to realize though that when I don’t challenge myself to write more it just doesn’t happen or I put small posts up on my social media accounts. Bruno walks her home, as usual, but this time there are no mistaken identities to confuse their feelings. She’s afraid their deception will be discovered any moment because he turns down caviar in favor of soup and acts far too normal for a millionaire. Happy Go Lovely premiered in June 1951 in London and made its way to the US a month later. and Janet believes him. Rooprect in his review says there are two reasons for watching this movie, "VERA-ELLEN'S LEGS". Ethel was an American ambassador who fell for George’s foreign government dignitary–this was one of his rare romantic roles, if memory serves, and it was well worth swooning over. But then the dressmaker sends her bill to Bruno (David Niven). The kind chauffeur speeds to the theatre (giving us more shots of pretty Edinburgh) but he gets pulled over, and in all the confusion Janet leaves her purse in his car. Bills, traffic, a mean, stubborn stage manager (Cesar Romero). He re-upped with the British Army (he’d first joined as a second lieutenant after graduating from Sandhurst in 1930), became a Commando, led troops into battle, did some work with the Film Unit, and ended the war as a lieutenant colonel. 95 likes. The cash-strapped theater director thinks, she's Bruno's girlfriend and makes her the lead. She would get her own BBC radio show in 1954. Turns out to be very nice. It seems more likely that (like Russell, who reinvented herself as a singer) Vera realised that being a forty-something sex symbol is a difficult trick to bring off. But Janet is mad because the real Paul’s article slyly mentions Janet’s “relationship” with a certain greeting card manufacturer. 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