Leonard Bernstein & the MGM musical

In the 1940s and ’50’s, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) made some of the best dancing musicals ever filmed. And now, Criterion is streaming nine of these pictures. I’ve added two movies, making eleven.

Most musicals are fantasies. Without instruments and choreography, real people don’t just burst into song and dance. But there are also realistic musicals. In these, the characters are usually professional singers and dancers.

It’s not surprising that so many of these movies turned out to be masterpieces. In the MGM studio, the performers included Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant, and Cyd Charisse.

Among the directors who made these films were Vinecente Minnelli, Stanley Donen, Busby Berkeley, and again, Gene Kelly. MGM also had such screenwriters and songwriters as Alan Jay Lerner and the brilliant team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Even America’s maestro, Leonard Bernstein, did some work for MGM.

Comden, Green, and Bernstein had an interesting relationship. The three created a satirical act called The Revuers. The three gained more fame (and money) with a Broadway hit called On the Town. Meanwhile, Bernstein was becoming America’s great composer and conductor.

Bradley Cooper’s recent Bernstein biopic is clearly a work of love. Cooper directed the film, from a screenplay partly written by Cooper. Bernstein became famous when New York Philharmonic conductor Bruno Walter got sick, and the young Bernstein was asked to fill in…sounds like a fairytale. Their marriage was problematic, mostly because of his sleeping with other men. The film doesn’t tell much about their children. His cigarette addiction killed him at 60. It’s enjoyable, and I give the film a B+.

Back to the MGM musicals. Criterion is giving us nine musicals, but that’s not enough. I’m adding two others – making it eleven. The series should also have included Singin’ in the Rain and On the Town. So let’s get to the fun:

A+ Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

This film truly belongs in this series, even if Criterion didn’t think so. It is my favorite movie musical.

In 1952, the late twenties seemed like a fond memory of an innocent time, and nostalgia was a large part of Singin’ in the Rain’s original appeal. The nostalgia is long gone, so we can clearly see this movie for what it is: the greatest musical ever filmed, and the best work of pure escapist entertainment to ever come out of Hollywood. Take out the songs, which are easily the best part of the movie, and you still have one of the best comedies of the 1950′s, and the funniest movie Hollywood ever made about itself. Read my essay.

A On the Town (1949)

Why isn’t this movie in Criterion’s selection of musicals? This is the movie version of the Broadway show that was written by Comden, Green, and Bernstein.

Three sailors arrive in New York for a 24-hour leave. That’s precious little time to see the sights, drink in the atmosphere, and fall in love. What makes On the Town so special – beyond the great songs, terrific choreography, and witty script – is the prevailing sense of friendship and camaraderie. These three sailors and the women who fall for them all seem to genuinely like each other. It’s also surprisingly sex-positive for a film of its time.

A The Band Wagon (1953)

If Singin’ in the Rain is the best musical Hollywood ever created, The Band Wagon is a very close second. A satire on the clash between serious art and frivolous entertainment, held together by great songs, masterful choreography, and comedy that never feels forced. Astaire’s character, an aging movie star nervously returning to Broadway, is clearly based on Astaire himself.

B+ It’s Always Fair Weather (1955)

Betty Comden and Adolph Green wrote a screenplay that’s a little more adult than the others. Three ex-sailors come together for a 10-year reunion, and they discover that they’re not as happy as they thought they would be. Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse come together for a possible romance. Kelly tap dances on roller skates.

B+ The Pirate (1948)

Cole Porter’s songs disappoint, but the dances are fun and, for their time, sexy. The story may be the best among all the MGM musicals, contrasting two common romantic fantasies–pirates and actors. Judy Garland is a young woman on an 18th-century Caribbean Isle, who fantasizes about a famous and terrible pirate. Gene Kelly plays an actor who falls for her and tries to win her by pretending he’s that pirate.

B+ An American in Paris (1951)

I’ve seen this one two or three times before, but I never considered it among my favorite MGM musicals. Alan Jay Lerner’s story and screenplay fail to provide an interesting story or a lot of laughs. And yet, it has all those great Gershwin songs come to life through Gene Kelly’s magnificent talent both in front of the camera as the star, and behind it as the choreographer. Oscar Levant provides most of the laughs. The movie closes with a 17-minute ballet that’s magic in and of itself. Directed by the great Vincente Minnelli.

B For Me and My Gal (1942)

Judy Garland is fantastic as a vaudeville hoofer who falls for someone who cares only for himself (Gene Kelly). The story is set during World War I, and while Garland sings for the doughboys, Kelly tries to get away from the front lines. The film was made before MGM decided that musicals should always be in Technicolor.

B- Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

In this one of those realistic musicals, George Murphy has a drinking problem. Fred Astair and Eleanor Powell are his friends, and they’re all trying to get to Broadway. Not much of a story, but there are some terrific dances. Another black & white movie.

B- Summer Stock (1950)

This MGM musical depends entirely on the singing and dancing to be enjoyable…mostly the dancing. The story is so corny and obvious that you know everything that’s going to happen. Despite the strong, comedic talents of Eddie Bracken, Phil Silvers, and Hans Conried, most of the humor falls flat. But when Gene Kelly and Judy Garland sing and dance – together or solo – everything becomes magic. Kelly’s dance with newspapers is like nothing you’ve ever seen. And Garland’s final number, Get Happy, is one of her best performances on film.

I’ve seen all the movies that are streaming at the Channel. But there are two movies that I saw very long ago, and I hated them back then. Those movies are The Harvey Girls (1946) and Brigadoon (1954.)

But most of these films will make you happy.