edwagreen The art direction and color scheming, especially at the end of this nice musical were so beautifully realized.I thought this would be another American in Paris musical but with the plural for America.Notice that while Red Skelton was good here, the plot didn't necessarily allow him to be at his zaniest. Also, Ann Miller didn't do as much dancing as she should have.The plot eventually centers around a guy placing business before friends and what is write, and it worked nicely; especially, with the great dancing sequences of Marge and Gower Champion and the lovely singing of Kathryn Grayson.

davidgarnes I'd forgotten how great Marge and Gower Champion were...just watched a VHS of this film I picked up at a video sale. Their dance to "I Won't Dance" is extremely well-staged in what looks like a very intricate one take, and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" has wonderful choreography as they float against a pale blue background with twinkling stars--it's beautiful. Ann Miller's knockout dance earlier in the film is memorable, too. Grayson and especially Keel have been heard to better advantage, though each is "lovely to look at." Skip the excruciating stand-up number by the Red Skelton in the party scene as well as the hideous fashion show at the end of the movie--OMG, those Fifties dresses were nightmarish. The art direction in this movie ranges from garish (the fashion show) to exquisite (cf. a stunning dawn park scene with Grayson and Keel and the aforementioned Champion number). All in all, a very mixed bag. The dancing by the Champions and Ann Miller is the best part of this film.

joseph952001 Once again, I have to start out that if you have never seen these old musical films on the big screen in the movie theaters, you've missed out experiencing the power and glory of these old films. You can't really experience this energy on a television screen and without the audience participation, that even adds to a let down in seeing these wonderful films. For instance, to watch "Who Was That Lady?" with Janet Leigh, Tony Curtis, and Dean Martin in the movie theater with the audience reaction to the comedy makes it a delight, but to see it on the television by yourself without being in the audience makes the film not a very enjoyable experience! You must have the audience! So, what about "Lovely To Look At"? First of all, these movies were never really meant to be cinematic masterpieces. This movie, just like others, was a boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy chases after the girl anyway, and then - girl gets boy! Typical plot following Irving Berlin's song "A Man Chases A Girl Until She Catches Him". Everyone says see the Fred Astair/Ginger Rogers version originally called "Roberta". Well, even they had a formula: When Ginger meets Fred for the first time, she doesn't like him, but then in everyone of their movies, except for Barkley's of Broadway in which they played husband and wife, Ginger falls in love with Fred after they have their first dance together. This was the key plot in most of their movies, but - it worked, and the people went to droves to see them on the silver screen! But, there's another reason why these movies like "Lovely To Look At" are not considered any good today. First: You had o grow up in that era to enjoy this film and others like it! Second: There was much love in the world which the world is lacking! Third: Look at what's in the movies today. Either remakes of past classics like King Kong or violence, murder, crime, adultery, etc. etc. etc., but - where are the musicals? There aren't any! That's why no one can enjoy at film like "Lovely To Look At". Fourth: Where are our musical comedy performers in films? Where are the Kathryn Graysons, Howard Keels, Ann Millers, Gene Kellys, Fred Astairs, Cyd Charisses'? I saw Chicago and I really don't see anything musical about Richard Gere doing a tap dance in his undershorts! Forget the usual boy meets girl plot of "Lovely To Look At". The plot is only there to keep the glorious Jerome Kern music in the film, and what music? Lovely To Look At, Yesterday, You're Devastating, I Won't Dance, and the rest of the glorious score. You couldn't get a better cast including Red Skelton, Ann Miller, and Marge and Gower Champion, with a cameo by Zza Zsa Gabor who didn't really make that many movies but remained a Star! Irene Dunn? Please! You can't get any better than Kathryn Grayson who could sing rings around Dunn, and I and others consider Grayson to be the best singer that Hollywood ever turned out. We will never see the likes of her singing talent ever again in the movies.Sadly, most of these old musical performers have passed, and Ann Miller was right in an interview when she said: "We will never see the days of those glorious M.G.M. musicals again!" And she also said, "These performers were incredible! We'll never have another Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, or Gene Kelly!" And you know what? She's right! And for a little trivia, look at Marge Champions face, then watch Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. At the age of 19, Marge Champion was known as Margorie Belcher and she was hired by Disney to be the model for Snow White. They rotoscoped key frames of her modeling for Snow White directly on to celluloid frames and if you watch closely, you'll see the resemblance!

rossco-3 While I have to agree with many of the points made in the preceding reviews (and I'm surprised there are so many) no one has pointed out one of the main attractions of LOVELY TO LOOK AT; it is simply one of the most beautiful Technicolor films ever made.Once upon a pre-home-video time this was one of the legendary vanished films of my youth. So (some years ago) I jumped at the chance to see a rare revival of it at the late, much lamented Regency in New York when it was screened as part of a Jerome Kern film retrospective.The Regency must have unearthed an original Technicolor print because the film was even more stunning visually than I remembered. The deep blues in the Champions' "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" number, the infernal reds in their "Yesterdays" sequence in the fashion show, the misty pastels in Keel and Grayson's dawn ride in the Bois de Bologna, the gilded primitif look of Miller's "Hard To Handle" nightclub act…..These are among the most stunning Technicolor sequences ever shot.MGM Technicolor seemed to peak in the late 40s and early 50s (prior, I might add to the industry-wide conversion to inferior but cheaper Eastman color). MGM films such as HOLIDAY IN Mexico (1946) and THE PIRATE (1948) through LOVELY and SCARAMOUCHE (both 1952) brought the art of color cinematography to a peak it was never to equal again.Musically LOVELY is stunning too, with it vintage Jerome Kern score, beautifully arranged (mostly) by Leo Arnaud. The modernistic, sometimes jazz-tinged orchestrations are brilliant, especially in the fashion show instrumentals. (Listen again to the "Yesterdays" arrangement here, if the smoldering reds behind the Champions do not blow you away).And Kathryn Grayson's rendition of the classic "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is one of the highlights of her career.Rhino recently released the full soundtrack in stereo, a CD worth pursuing for those with an interest in vintage musicals and arrangements.Both musically and visually LOVELY TO LOOK AT defines'50s Populuxe. It will take a super DVD release to reveal both the visual and aural riches of this flawed under-rated classic.Grayson and Keel allegedly both loathed this film, but everyone in it is also at their peak of '50s attractiveness. The plot is secondary, and there are emphatic lapses such as Red Skelton's routine about mid-film when director Mervyn Leroy, in a rather shocking sequence for MGM, apparently just let the camera roll because Skelton was on one.The Tuesday matinée series at the Los Angeles Museum of Art has LOVELY TO LOOK AT scheduled for screening in Dec. By fortuitous coincidence one of the most gorgeous Technicolor musicals is followed (the next week) by one of the most beautiful BxW musicals ever made, Lubitch's 193 THE MERRY WIDOW.I only hope LACMA gets a print comparable to the one I saw at the Regency in New York so many moons ago! (Did anyone mention Vincente Minnelli guest-directed the fashion show finale?)