evanston_dad A colorful confection that more than anything proves what a powerhouse performer Judy Garland was, as she manages to upstage Fred Astaire at every turn, no mean feat.Garland plays a showgirl that Astaire plucks from the chorus line and decides to turn into a star, just to prove to his fame-hungry ex (played by a miscast Ann Miller) that he can. This shoestring of a plot is used to thread together a bunch of hummable Irving Berlin tunes, including the title number.The laughs in the film go almost exclusively to Garland, who's especially hilarious in a scene where she and Astaire dance for the first time in front of an audience and she louses it up. The most memorable musical moments are one in which Garland and Astaire dress up as hobos, and one that opens the film, featuring a solo dance performed by Astaire in a toy shop. Miller gets her moment to shine as well, and she's a dynamo, making you forget for a brief moment how ill-suited she is to play the glamorous girl that got away.Johnny Green and Roger Edens won an Oscar for adapting the film's musical score.Grade: B+

frankwiener Question: Is it worth enduring a silly, nonsensical plot and some very mediocre and lackluster interaction in order to witness Ann Miller doing some sensational footwork, especially one terrific tap dance number, and, after a very long wait, to view a very uplifting, 60 second finale displaying the traditional Easter procession along Fifth Avenue in 1912? Irving Berlin wrote a wonderful song, so why cut it short like that, especially when it and Ann Miller's tap dance are the best offerings here? That makes no sense!Answer: Yes! But I might be a masochist, so take that answer with a huge grain of salt. The iconic theme song will stick in my head for at least another week, and I will probably hum it as I fall asleep for as long, unless my wife fulfills her promise to poison my beer first, but I didn't find the other songs to be the best of Irving Berlin. They did, however, periodically relieve me from most of the inane proceedings, for which I am very grateful. Fred Astaire was a great dancer, but his acting was very repetitive and predictable. Perhaps that was the result of all of the cardboard acting roles that he was handed, at least until "On the Beach", in which he provided at least some dramatic depth. I've seen much better Garland, but she did her best with the mostly flat material "on parade" here. While I enjoyed the grand finale, I would have liked to see it for at least a few minutes longer, and there weren't enough bonnets to inspire many sonnets, so I'll have to tune into the Kentucky Derby in a couple of weeks for true inspiration, and can you guess what song I'll be singing? Don't break ALL of the dishes, dear. Save a few. We'll need them."In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it." Crash! Bang!

jarrodmcdonald-1 It's an annual tradition that TCM plays MGM's EASTER PARADE every year on Easter Sunday. It's one of those traditions you can dread, or else look forward to. I choose to see it as something I look forward to.Watching, or should I say re-watching, EASTER PARADE today brought me a newfound appreciation of the MGM musical. Everything gels together nicely in this production. Judy's vocals are as strong as they would ever be, and Fred's dancing is his usual stupendous best, especially in the Steppin' Out with My Baby number. But I was really impressed with Ann Miller, who gets the thankless other woman role but truly shines in a dance number she performs an hour into the picture. Some of the other supporting players have moments to show off their talents, too. Peter Lawford, whom one does not ordinarily associate with singing, performs admirably in the A Fella with an Umbrella sequence with Judy. And that did remind me Lawford had made a musical with June Allyson a year earlier called GOOD NEWS. Though I figured Lawford was cast more for his looks. In a way, as a potential romantic interest for Judy, he seems to have youth, genetics and charm working in his favor as a rival to Astaire.Of course, the real star here is Irving Berlin's music, which is abetted handsomely by the studio's glossy production values and Charles Walters' assured direction. It's films like these that remind us why the golden age of Hollywood was so special.

basilisksamuk Since some old films have begun to be broadcast on HD channels I feel I have been spoilt. It's true that some look no better but others, particularly old Technicolor films look terrific. I started to watch this on TV and very nearly switched off because it wasn't on an HD channel. I was disappointed by the quality of the print. However, the sheer joy of seeing Fred Astaire move kept me viewing. As another reviewer has noted - just to see the way he walks is a lesson in elegance.I was also struck watching this by how good Judy Garland is as an actress. We all know about her difficulties off screen but when she commits to her scenes she is always impossible to take you eyes off.It's true that he story is slight and the whole things is held together by string and sealing wax but who cares with singing and dancing of this calibre? I still look forward to seeing an even better print though.By the way did anyone else see a foreshadowing of James Stewart and Kim Novak in Vertigo in the early part of the film or is just me?