User reviews

Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart) used the line "missed by that much" a lot and that is the way this film hit me. It had great actors, fantastic dancers, good direction and yet, for me, it was second rate. I know most of the other reviewers will disagree with me but I just couldn't get into it. Some musicals (Singin' In The Rain, Showboat, Kiss Me, Kate and a lot more) grab you from the first frame but this one just didn't do it for me. It was wonderful as always to see the Champions (I always had a crush on Marge) and Debbie Reynolds and Bob Fosse were good as always, but the film just didn't click with me, It is well worth watching at least once (you'll find it often on TCM) but I will never be able to rate it as a favorite.

'Give a Girl a Break' deserves to be better known; it's certainly not one of MGM's greatest musicals, but it has many bright spots and some pleasant tunes by Burton Lane with excellent lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Modern viewers will probably be most interested in Bob Fosse's excellent performance, in a supporting role.

Some aspects of this movie are clearly derived from earlier and better musicals. At one point, Gower Champion's character (a Broadway director) is besieged by struggling chorus dancers who want parts in his new musical. To escape them, he climbs up the wall of his theatre. This is apparently meant to show us how virile and athletic Champion is ... but it reminded me of the scene in 'Singin' in the Rain' when Gene Kelly escapes his fans by climbing up the side of a bus. The fact that 'Give a Girl a Break' is directed by Stanley Donen (co-director of 'Singin' in the Rain') only makes the link more obvious.

Gower Champion plays Ted Sturgis, the big-shot director of a new Broadway musical still in rehearsal. Bob Fosse plays Bobby, his assistant and dance captain, although Sturgis usually keeps Bobby busy fetching coffee. (Prophetically, Champion later became a major director of Broadway musicals... as did Fosse.) Kurt Kasznar plays Leo Belney, the show's musical director: a role that should have been played by Oscar Levant. Sturgis's ex-wife (played by Gower Champion's real wife Marge) is Madelyn Corlane, a former star whose popularity has faded, but who is hopeful of a comeback.

When Sturgis's leading lady throws a tantrum and walks out (not likely!), he needs a new leading lady in a hurry. Whoever he chooses for the role is destined to become a star. Will Madelyn get the job? Meanwhile, Bobby has become enamoured of Suzie Doolittle (the excellent Debbie Reynolds), a talented newcomer. The more classically-minded Leo wants the leading role to go to Joanna Moss (Helen Wood), a ballet dancer he secretly hopes to romance.

There's some genuine suspense as we try to guess which of these three women will get the big break. Unfortunately, the three candidates aren't equal: it's extremely obvious that highbrow ballerina Joanna hasn't got a chance against the more conventional chorines Madelyn and Suzie.

The best number in the movie is 'In Our United State' performed by Fosse and Reynolds. On a couple of other occasions ('Kiss Me Kate', 'My Sister Eileen'), Bob Fosse demonstrated his ability to do a backward aerial somersault, with astonishingly good amplitude. Here, he does it while facing the camera, in medium close shot, and it's extremely impressive. Unfortunately, Donen ruins the number with some gimmicky trick photography, speeding up the action and running it in reverse. After Debbie and Bob pop some brightly-coloured balloons, it's very weird to see the balloons unpopping themselves in reverse motion.

Another number, called 'Applause', is pleasant. I also enjoyed 'Nothing Is Impossible', performed by the three men, which features a strange bit in which Gower Champion does a rapid tap dance with one foot while he keeps his other foot balanced on top of Bob Fosse's upright heel. The tubby actor Kurt Kasznar, who can't dance and can barely sing, shows some courage by performing a musical number with the athletic Champion and Fosse.

There's a clever three-way dream sequence, in which each man envisions his own favoured lady's name appearing in lights above the theatre. But there's some clumsy dialogue involving the word 'palaver'. At the end of the movie, Marge Champion does a really ludicrous bit, in which she runs down the theatre gangway with her lips and her bosom thrust forward and her arms and her head thrown back. Corny!

This is a good place to correct a misconception about Gower Champion: after a long career as a director of Broadway musicals, he supposedly died on the opening night of '42nd Street', his biggest hit. This was, of course, an extremely ironic death. ('42nd Street' is about a Broadway director who risks his own health in rehearsals while trying to make his biggest show a hit.) The truth is a bit less neat: Gower Champion actually died several days before his show opened, but producer David Merrick (recognising the publicity value of Champion's death) claimed on opening night that Champion had died earlier that day.

I'll rate 'Give a Girl a Break' 6 out of 10, and I recommend it to you.

This movie was a great and pleasant surprise. Besides being very entertaining, one can see the future styles of these 2 legendary Broadway giants. Champion's numbers are tight, synchronized, and beautifully realized . And strong . Fosse- what can I say- what a delight !! While Fosse often spoke of his limitations as a dancer, the reality is he was a brilliant one , and in his dance numbers here he already is exhibiting a unique and original style that is athletic, jazzy, sexy and charming . He was an American original . The music in this movie is very good , and serves to show off the talents of its stars. Debbie Reynolds is quite good. This movie is for Broadway and dance fans.

A good, not great, MGM musical, with the emphasis on dance. Story is: what happens when a star walks out on a Broadway show, and three girls compete for the part. The dances are so expert and entertaining, you may be able to forgive the drab quality of some of the rest of the film.

The Champions were not really movie stars, and neither was Bob Fosse. (Debbie Reynolds became a big one later, and you can see why.) Gower plays the director fairly well, but I kept picturing Gene Kelly. The part needs a more dynamic actor.

If you enjoy dancing, there's plenty of it, and it's excellent! Helen Wood is the third girl and while her acting is stiff, her dancing definitely isn't.

The score by Burton Lane and Ira Gershwin contains no hits, but I was charmed by the tune, "In Our United State," performed by Fosse and Reynolds.

Acrobatic musical from 1953 that spreads screen time between three couples instead of the usual romantic pair. Apparently the movie flopped at the box office (IMDB) despite MGM pedigree. For a musical the screenplay is more plot heavy than usual as three dancers compete for the lead in a Broadway musical. Not only does this divide screen time between the three, but generates unusual suspense for this kind of film. After all, which of the trio of talents will be selected. Also unusual is the general absence of romantic dance numbers. Instead it's flying feet, acrobatic tumbles, and super wide leg-splits-- no Astaire-Rogers here. That's surprising since the Champions would be expected to cuddle up in a few routines, but instead they're separated by plot wrinkles. So, all in all, I suspect normal audience expectations were let down.

Nonetheless, Reynolds projects her usual charm and sparkle. But will she win. In my view, screen time should have featured her, with Marge and Gower, who are better dancers than actors, in support. At the same time, the incredibly nimble Fosse makes a compact visual match for Debbie. Anyway, MGM injects its usual color splash along with a load of extras. And fans of acrobatic fast shoe should find much to marvel at. Meanwhile, that opening marathon of the splits still has me crossing my legs. Amazing what they can do.

For such a great cast (Debbie Reynolds, Gower and Marge Champion and Bob Fosse) and being directed by Stanley Donen, 'Give a Girl a Break' could have been a classic. Instead it was a modestly enjoyable film that could have been much better.

Visually, although the budget apparently wasn't huge, 'Give a Girl a Break' still looks pleasing with handsome costumes and sumptuous use of colour. The songs have garnered indifferent reactions, sure there are better songs in musicals but the songs here are pleasant and fun enough, especially for Ira Gershwin's (brother of George) very clever lyric writing. "In Our United State" and "Nothing is Impossible" stand out.

The best things about 'Give a Girl a Break' are the dance routines and the dancing. The choreography is nothing short of dazzling, especially in "In Our United State", "The Challenge Dance" and "Applause Applause". The dancing of it is even better, with electrifying work from the Champions, Fosse and Helen Wood.

Debbie Reynolds' performance is the most consistent in the cast, whereas everybody else were most successful in the dancing but less comfortable everywhere else Reynolds excelled in every aspect of her performance and gives her character spunk and perky charm.

On the other hand, the story is incredibly lightweight and too often so uneventful that the film does drag at times outside of the musical numbers. The dialogue has a tendency to be clumsy and some parts downright silly.

As an overall performance, Reynolds comes off best while the acting is stiff from particularly the likes of Wood and Kurt Kasznar and the singing very much variable (Reynolds and Wood faring best). Donen's direction is not always involving and occasionally a bit gimmicky.

In summary, modestly enjoyable musical that does enough right but it doesn't have much distinction and the wow factor comes in spades rather than as a consistent whole. 6/10 Bethany Cox

As compared to the product that was coming out of the Arthur Freed unit at MGM during this time, Give A Girl A Break is definitely in the rank of second rate MGM musicals. Still it's not too bad with the accent definitely on the dance as opposed to the song.

Give A Girl A Break is the title of a revue that producer Larry Keating is putting on and he's having one devil of a time trying to decide which talented dancer to give the lead to, be it Marge Champion, Debbie Reynolds or Helen Wood. He's got three of his people each pulling for a different prospect with Gower Champion putting on a real campaign to get his ex-wife and former dance partner out of retirement.

As a dance team, Marge and Gower Champion made their screen debut in one of Bing Crosby's musicals, Mr. Music over at Paramount. MGM snapped them up and featured them in Showboat and Lovely to Look At. After Everything I Have Is Your's, Give A Girl A Break was MGM's second attempt to feature them as leads. As good a dance team as they were, Marge and Gower were just not strong enough to carry a film on their own.

This was a dancing film and as such no great song hits came out of the score that was written by Burton Lane and Ira Gershwin. But the Champions, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, and Helen Wood could definitely dance to it.

If the plot sounds somewhat familiar I think MGM dusted off the script to one of their biggest hits, Ziegfeld Girl about three Ziegfeld Follies aspirants and updated it somewhat. It's also a much lighter treatment, none of the three dancers has anything happen as bad as what happened to Lana Turner in that film.

Give A Girl A Break will never be one of the great MGM musicals on anyone's list, but it's a pleasant diversion. And I can't believe that Bob Fosse had such a luxurious head of hair back in the day.

While certainly not one of MGM's "classic" musicals, GIVE A GIRL A BREAK has its moments of fun and suspense. Of the three girls auditioning for a role in a musical, which one will land it. The audition itself is quite strange in that each of the three girls just dances a couple of minutes and all three do a different number. Shouldn't they be doing the same one? Also, this is supposed to be a musical revue, yet no one is asked to sing or do a scene. Aside from that, there are many moments of real entertainment, especially be two soon-to-be Broadway choreographers, Bob Fossee and Gower Champion. Debbie Reynolds is in there doing her usual perky singing and dancing to good effect. The unknown Helen Wood, while not very convincing in her acting scenes, is one hell of a dancer. Reminds one of Cyd Charisse, but with a warmer quality. GIVE A GIRL A BREAK is part of the Warner Archive collection with a fairly good disc pressing. For those who enjoy the "old style" musicals with a weakish plot but great musical numbers, this is one to see.

This is a little gem for those wanting a bit of relaxed entertainment. Unfortunately it came in a period when Kelly/Donen were setting a new standard for big production and very rapid pacing, so it was out of fashion and ignored. Everyone is charming; Marge and Gower Champion are at their peak, Bob Fosse is just hitting his stride (amusing that his screen persona was so charmingly little-boyish, in contrast to the dark angular sexiness of his later stage choreographies), and Debbie Reynolds is pixie-ish as ever. Helen Wood was not a great actress, but she was necessary to provide an additional dance flavor (see below).

To differ from another reviewer, I think that Kurt Kaznar was perfect for the Leo Belney part, at least as it was written. He carries off being totally suggestible, changing opinion instantly, and having an equal conviction in each new attitude.

Though they don't make a big deal about it, the film was mirroring a real conundrum facing Broadway directors at that period: what kind of dance to use? Tap was still around but on its way out; a kind of jazz-ballet blend was becoming mainstream; the avant-garde was a more dramatic and angular "modern" dance. Which would the public go for in the next show?

Interesting what another reviewer said here about this movie originally being written for Kelly, Garland, etc. I suspected it was intended for Kelly or Astaire, with Kazner part written for Oscar Levant, and Fosse part intended for Donald O'Connor. The screen writers were some of MGM's best, who usually wrote big budget films.

I wonder if the entire film, or most obviously, the dance number the Champions do with all the vertical poles were shot in 3D. That dance seems smartly designed for 3D, and the film was made in 1953, the year Hollywood made something like 80 3D films.

OK now my very brief review. This film is mostly a delight, as were several other early 50's, small scale MGM musicals. All that talent, in front of and behind the screen, make the slim and tired story, and modest production values irrelevant.

This movie that originally was going to include Fred Astaire, Gene Kelley, Judy Garland and Ann Miller was left with some great dancers such as Gower/Marge Champion and Bob Fosse.

Some people insist that this is a gem - this fanatic of great musicals (flicks that include great dancing, singing and acting), this is just an innocuous adventure of entertainment performed by talented dancers.

The Gower/Marge Champion numbers seemed to be the recipient of more time and money with more well-thought out production values. The Bob Fosse numbers seem surprisingly off-kilter that only suggests the great work that he will be doing in the future.

One could attribute this to Gower's good fortune of dancing with a great dance partner that he can personally bond with. It was fun seeing a dance partnership providing some of the best highlights of the film. The Bob Fosse/Debbie Reynolds seem to suffer because Debbie couldn't fully realize the moves that Fosse was giving her - especially since she was much younger than him. (Note: Interesting seeing a "perky" choreographed dance numbers, especially considering the sharp/edgy/sexily-tinged/jazzy moves that Fosse give to the world).

In addition, Stanley Donen didn't do Fosse any favors with the "backward" footage that looks "out-of-placed" and/or awkward - good ideas that didn't quite produce the desired effects.

Note: Bob Fosse is not a singer - though he tries hard. His best works can be found in much of his latter work and/or in films where he's dancing with Dan Dailey, Gene Kelley and many others.

It's too bad that Bob Fosse and Gower Champion couldn't get along - hence denied the general public of what would be created with these immensely talented dancer/choreographers. A dance showdown between Fred Astaire/Gene Kelley (seen in "The Great Ziegfield") and the team of Fosse/Champion would have been great to experience!! Wouldn't it be fascinating discovering why there were serious fractions that eventually had Bob Fosse/Stanley Donen vs. Gower Champion/Marge Champion/Debbie Reynolds.

fyi: George Chakiris (of "West Side Story" fame) can also be seen in the movie btw: MGM didn't even release this film in New York, that demonstrated their "faith" in this flick. One can only imagine what would have resulted if this $2M film (a big amount for that time) had the originally intended cast of Gene Kelly, Fed Astaire, Judy Garland and Ann Miller - what can only have dream the magic from the Burton Lane/Ira Gershwin songs?!?!

Another movie I had never heard of before I saw it on TCM. Robert Osborne pointed out afterwards the amusing anecdote about Mrs. Ira Gershwin saying to her husband after seeing the rushes of this film: "If you've got any MGM stock sell it!" He also said that MGM too had no faith in this movie and underdistributed it shamefully. That's probably why I never heard of it before. But this is scandalous! It's a brilliant and iconic and wonderful movie and needs to be talked about whenever the good old days of MGM musicals are discussed. Imagine all those talented dancers, choreographers and directors all there together in one movie: The Champions, Fosse, Robbins, Donen, Burton Lane, Ira Gershwin, etc. (Brilliant lyrics! "Our united state,""house full of cute representatives" etc, etc: brother George would have been proud!) Helen Wood's brilliant dancing made we wonder whatever became of her. A movie which combined venerable genres (the inside Broadway genre: 42nd Street, Lullaby of Broadway; the psychoanalytic dream sequence/vignette genre: Lady in the Dark, Oklahoma, Tales of Manhattan, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, etc; career vs family genres: The Red Shoes) with things yet to come (The Turning Point). But the bottom line is: such dancing! To the Astaire and Kelly movies should be added this Champion/Fosse/Donen movie. So sad there weren't more of them!

Give a Girl a Break (1953)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A Broadway show is about to open but the main star walks out over a disagreement. The producers go into a panic but decide to hold an open audition. Ted Sturgis (Gower Champion) wants his ex-wife (Marge Champion) to get the part. Leo Belney (Kurt Kasznar) wants his discovery Joanna Moss (Helen Ross) to get the role while Bob Dowdy (Bob Fosse) wants his amateur (Debbie Reynolds) to get the part.

GIVE A GIRL A BREAK isn't going to be mistaken for a masterpiece but if you're a fan of the Musical genre then it's certainly worth watching and especially since you've got some famous faces before they were well-known. This here was meant to be a showcase for the Champion team but the film ended up bombing and the two of them were pretty much done with the movies. Of course, when viewing this today the main focus will be on the Reynolds-Fosse connection.

In my opinion those two legends are the main reason to watch this as they actually make for a pretty cute couple and both of them turn in fine performances. This is especially true for Fosse who really delivers a believable performance and I thought he was extremely entertaining int he role of the producer who is often pushed around. Reynolds is as beautiful and charming as ever and there's no question that very few couple pull off that small town girl better. The rest of the cast members were okay in their parts but there's no question that they take a back seat.

The biggest problem with this film is that there's really not that much of a story. We basically have the competition thrown in so that we can get various dream sequences, which usually lead to a variety of dance numbers. In all honesty, I thought the dance numbers were decent but there's certainly nothing great here. I'd also argue that there weren't any great musical numbers either. It seems MGM was wanting to show off what talent they had on hand without giving away any great moments or musical numbers.

Three actresses compete for a role in a Broadway show.

A little known MGM musical (one of MGM's few "B" musicals), Give a Girl a Break is a pleasant way to spend 80 minutes. The Burton Lane/Ira Gershwin score is completely forgettable, with some pretty horrid lyrics from Gershwin.

The cast is good; the Champions get a really good rooftop dance sequence, while Bob Fosse gets a couple good numbers as well. Unfortunately, Fosse's dance partner is Debbie Reynolds, who, try as hard as she might, is not a very good dancer. Honestly, the most impressive of the three female stars is Helen Wood, and her career never went anywhere. Kurt Kasznar is good in a supporting role.

Stanley Donen's direction is good, and the costumes and scenery is nice. The film was a huge flop, losing a million dollars at the box office.

A 1953 musical that lost MGM a packet, and a concoction of many familiar elements, this 83-minute slightly B-unit item has a lot going for it. What it definitely does not have going for it is the screenplay, but Goodrich and Hackett-these people wrote "It's a Wonderful Life," really? It's a hackneyed tale of which of three dancers is going to get the lead in a Broadway revue ("review," on the marquee in the movie), and what their efforts will do to their love lives. Marge Champion is William Ching's steady but still carries a torch for ex Gower Champion, while Debbie Reynolds is being ardently pursued by Bob Fosse (he dances wonderfully, of course, and even did his own choreography, but that acrid Fosse personality does come peeping through), while Helen Wood can't choose between career and wifedom. (Wood had just been on Broadway, in the "Pal Joey" revival; she dances beautifully too, and seemed headed for bigger things, yet ended up in "Deep Throat." Look it up!) The supporting cast is familiar and unexciting-Larry Keating, Lurene Tuttle-and one has to assume that Kurt Kasznar's harried composer was intended for Oscar Levant. The saving graces are pretty much entirely musical and choreographic: The score, by Burton Lane and Ira Gershwin, is a minor delight, with a couple of songs, notably "Dream World," relegated to the background. The Champions do two great extended pas de deux, Kasznar galumphs around Wood, and Fosse and Reynolds, who's clearly the one Metro is building up here, have two nice numbers, one a little overdependent on trick photography. The plotting is plodding and will surprise no one, but the Technicolor is bright and cheerful, and there's probably a good line or two hidden in that meandering screenplay. Give it a break!

If I wanted to see awesome dancing without good writing, songs, and acting then I'd go to a modern dance recital (perish the thought). In other words, when the hoofin stops you can almost hear the inrush of the tides of boredom as Gower Champion and his lovely wife Marge show why they're not Gene and Cyd, much less Ginger and Fred, and you can see why Bob Fosse made the wise decision that his future lay on the other side of the camera. Debbie is charming as always, though, and the whole movie is suffused with a post WW2 optimism and sweetness, courtesy of director Stanley Donen, so let's give it a generous C plus.

Fun fact (as the bots like to say): Gal who played Joanna later turned up in "Deep Throat" which leads me to muse if there has ever been an X rated musical?

A Broadway production loses its star and the producers need to find a replacement quick. A bevy of beauties answers the call. Different producers pick different girls. Gofer Bob Dowdy (Bob Fosse) falls for newbie Suzy Doolittle (Debbie Reynolds). Director Ted Sturgis (Gower Champion) is interested, but another picks Madelyn Corlane (Marge Champion) although she has history with Ted. There is also expert dancer Joanna Moss.

This has Debbie Reynolds and a super young Bob Fosse. Ira Gershwin is working with Burton Lane. Marge Champion and Gower Champion are a married dancing couple. This has plenty of talent. Individually, there are interesting moments. The Champions are serious dancers and they are good actors. I would probably cut out Joanna Moss who is a better dancer than actor. That actress has a different connection to infamy. There is a lot of good dancing in this musical, but the rest is less.

Broadway diva takes offense to one of her show's producers and walks out during rehearsals; the three men put out an ad in Variety for one lucky, talented girl to replace her, and naturally each man has his own personal favorite. Happy, innocuous MGM musical directed by Stanley Donen was another attempt by the studio to make marquee names of Marge and Gower Champion; unfortunately for the dancing duo, Bob Fosse (courting Debbie Reynolds) and Kurt Kasznar walk away with the picture. Ira Gershwin and Burton Lane composed the songs, but only Bob and Debbie's "In Our United State" has a catchy melody. ** from ****

"Give a Girl a Break" isn't a big-name and elaborate production that characterized most MGM musicals. But this smaller scale musical has a nice story that features some of the best dancing talent of Hollywood and Broadway in the mid-20th century. The story is set on Broadway. The director and producer of a new musical about to open need a new leading lady when their snooty star quits. With only three weeks until opening, they come up with the idea of promoting an amateur competition to select the new lead. It's a dream made in heaven for girls from the Big Apple to some distance away. Our story centers around three who will vie for the sole spot. The way the story plays out is nice, with three of the leading men each having his eye on one particular of the three girls.

Marge and Gower Champion have top billing. This is just one of three films in which they have that spot or share the leads. Gower made only 20 films in his career, most with Marge when they were married, and she made only 26 films. But the rest of the time, they spent on the stage. Marge eventually began teaching dance, and Gower was the leading choreographer and a leading musical director for two decades on Broadway. He won eight Tony awards and received 15 nominations in his career - some as director and some as choreographer. Had he lived beyond age 59, he doubtless would have won more awards.

But, beside the Champions, another legendary stage dancer, choreographer and director has near top billing in this film. Bob Fosse plays Bob Dowdy, assistant to the director, Ted Sturgis (Gower Champion). Fosse has won an academy award, a BAFTA award and an Emmy for his film and TV work. And he has nine Tony awards for directing and choreography of Broadway musicals.

The rest of the cast in this film are top drawer, the women all with dancing and singing. Debbie Reynolds does modern dance and traditional dance with singing, and Dolly Sharp does classical and jazz dancing.

This film is a tremendous show of dance. The earliest peeks of the Champions with short dance scenes are in "Mr. Music" of 1950, "Show Boat" of 1951, and "Lovely to Look At" of 1952. That year they also starred in their first film, "Everything I Have Is Yours." It's too bad that the Champions didn't make more films. These MGM films were successful at the box office, and both of the players are competent actors. Gower Champion has a likeable persona. But, as with many people who have natural dancing talent, the stage has more allure than film. One can understand that five to seven performances a week for many months would be more attractive to an active dancer than the schedule of filmmaking that might require a few days of repetitive rehearsals to get single scenes down. As opposed to frequent rehearsals and interruptible scene shoots, the live stage affords dancers the opportunity to perform their talents on a regular schedule before live audiences.

This film makes a nice addition to a movie musical or dance library. It's nice to have some other master performers to view on film once in a while, besides the incomparable Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly with their several fantastic female partners.

The centerpiece of this movie is a spectacular number by the unequaled dancing duo of Marge and Gower Champion. Dancing to the tune of "It Happens Every Time," this number has never been surpassed on screen, even in more successful movie musicals like "Singin' in the Rain," from which Debbie Reynolds was freshly minted and given this star vehicle to propel her career. Directed by the same director, Stanley Donen, Reynolds holds her own against the Champions, while Bob Fosse demonstrates that he has a great deal to offer musicals in the years ahead. This is an interesting look at the make-believe world of Broadway in the 1950s.

One of Debbie Reynolds younger things and she is as always bright and energetic and good to watch - Marge & Gower Champion are excellent as always, and Bob Fosse is fun and silly as Debbie's (very young) beau. Helen Wood was unknown to me but although can't act very well is a terrific dancer (if it wasn't a body double) in the Grahamesque style of the time (i.e. see "choreography" number in "White Christmas"). Much lesser effort than "Singing in the Rain" (but what isn't) but an enjoyable thing to watch sometime if you just enjoy the dance numbers and throw popcorn at the screen during some of the more inane or dated dialogue. Don't go out of your way to get a copy, though.