Customer Reviews

Down to Earth

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Down to Earth" is a bizarre musical sequel to a non-musical film called "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." It stars, then reigning love goddess, Rita Hayworth who is miscast (but amusingly so)as Terpsichore. But the Greek 'muse' is none 'amused' when learning that she and her sisters are to become the kitsch and lampoon of a mortal Broadway musical. Assisted by the heavenly MC, Mr. Jordan (Roland Culver) and a messenger(Edward Everett Horton), Terpsichore - renamed Kitty Pendleton - comes "down to earth" to play herself in the Broadway show and set the record straight. This is one of those mindlessly engaging, good humor bits of business that Hollywood used to excel at during its heyday and it's ably aided by performances from James Gleason, George Macready (of "Gilda" fame) and William Frawley (Fred, from "I Love Lucy"). The songs aren't memorable, but they are splashy and exciting and the script ably covers all of the bases with panache and great fun.

THE TRANSFER: Gorgeous. Columbia's film elements are in top notch condition and the picture quality of this DVD will not disappoint. The image is crisp and vibrant, with bold colors, bright whites and rich, velvet blacks. Contrast levels are excellent. There is some slight shimmering of color in certain scenes, due to the vintage of the print, but nothing that terribly distracts from your visual enjoyment. Digital artifacts are not a problem. Age related artifacts are present but not glaringly so, for a generally smooth visual presentation. The audio is MONO but nicely balanced.

EXTRAS: Please, this is Columbia!

BOTTOM LINE: This isn't one you'll always remember but its certainly an enjoyable little romp through musical La-La land, and, with the lush and lovely Miss Hayworth at hand, its more than easy on the eyes. Add this one to your library.

After the success of "Gilda", Columbia put their superstar Rita Hayworth in this musical remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". It did well at the box office, although in later years it has been panned by many as silly, far-fetched fare. I personally don't have a problem with it - it's not on par with Rita's earlier musicals, but it is very entertaining. The color is lush, and Hayworth is breathtakingly beautiful, and certainly suited to play the goddess of music and dance, Terpsichore (her singing voice is again dubbed by Anita Ellis), and Larry Parks is adorable as the young Broadway producer who wants so desperately to succeed. George Macready, who played Hayworth's evil spouse in "Gilda" again appears here in a similar role (with comedic undertones) - his office even seems to be the same as in the earlier film. It's also fun to see William Frawley in a small but memorable role.

Parks, sadly, had a short-lived career, as it was virtually destroyed by the McCarthy witch hunts. And the romance is touching and even a little tear-inducing. The term "Heavenly Goddess" certainly applies to the lovely Rita. Adele Jergens is also great as the original dancer in the show that Kitty/Terpischore replaces. Not the best Columbia musical, but an off-beat film, and worth watching simply because of the dance sequences, color cinematography and Rita at her most enticing.

Its heaven on earth in this delightful musical comedy sequel to enormously successful " Here Comes Mr. Jordan 1941" . Rita Heyworth (1918-1987) plays incredibly angelic muse , inceensed at the notion that a Broadway musical is going to portray her as a modern living sexpot . She sets off for Earth to set the record straight and the results are a "mousing" . in 1946 , Columbia knew it had all the makings of a blockbuster by reworkng the "Here Comes Mr.Jordan" theme along with teaming up some of the original cast members with Hollywood brightest star, Rita Heyworth . The proscts might have been too promising , as they enabled Hayworth?s agent at the William Morris Agency to renegotiate her already lucrative studio contract .in DOWN TO EARTH , Rita Heyworth?s talent are absolutly show-stopping and with the realese of this film , its easy to see why she earned the reputation as Silver screen?s one and only love goddes . Do you need a better recommendation ! . Super ultra-resolution transfer quality pictures . Recommended

What can I say? I just love this movie! This is a charming musical featuring Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks. This is a beautifully choreographed movie that deserves a better fate than the mediocre ratings the critics gave out. Rita dances and looks more stunning in color. What more can you ask for? See for yourself.

Although this film often seems a little unreal at the beginning it developes into one of a number of marvelous Rita Hayworth dancing extravaganza's! Its not my favourite Rita film but has many many attributes and is quite individual in storyline and approach. I would definately recommend buying this film and for Rita Hayworth fans like me its a must. Beautifully presented and worth the small price! Go on treat yourself!

This is for me the Rita Hayworth movie which had the great
opportunity of being her biggest hit after Gilda but the film
a) had no Astaire or Kelly to match Rita's A quality
but only Larry Parks ( so dull that it's a shame )
b) no songs from Kern, Gershwin or Porter but rather stupid songs
where not one song became a hit (...)
c) had no good dance numbers
Otherwise the story is a pleasant fairytale and Rita Hayworth is
as beautiful as she can be, that's why it is still worthwile to watch it.

Oh, to ponder what better vehicles Columbia Studios could have come up with for their reigning love goddess. Here we have a dazzling Rita thrown into a horribly written and directed musical. The dance numbers are poorly staged and the songs are bottom of the barrel swill. The final number "People Have More Fun Than Anyone" is possibly the worst song I've ever heard- both lyrically and musically. Sounds harsh, but it's true. There's not one dance that really utilizes Hayworth's unique strengths as a dancer(a shame since her character is the Goddess of dance) There's hardly any opportunity for her to strut her natural stuff.

Sure, there are moments, like in the beginning when she comes "Down to Earth" and dances her way into rehearsal wowing producer Parks and company. I just wish she wasn't wearing that ugly green dress. It would've been nice if she wore casual shorts and a form-fitting blouse like the other girls. The two men that accompany Rita in her first dance routine look like hobbits. Who are these guys? How did they get passed casting? Another number has Rita surrounded by gladiator-clad men and doing some brief "Gilda" type moves - sensually playing with her hair and looking ravishing.

The Technicolor on this newest DVD release looks great. You'd never know this film was made 57 years ago. Sometimes, I'll watch with the sound off, put headphones on and listen to some old jazz, and watch Rita dance in slow motion - elevating moments of the flickering Hayworth to high art.

Without question, the most exciting bonus feature on this DVD, is the original trailer for "You Were Never Lovelier"(1942), Hayworth's second film with Fred Astaire.

We actually get to witness several seconds of a deleted dance number cut from the film. Fred sang "You Were Never Lovelier" to Rita, but the dance was deleted after initial previews. Some moronic studio head said there was already a "romantic type dance" in the movie; referring to the elegant "I'm Old Fashioned". As a result, the world was robbed of seeing Fred and Rita float across the celluloid dreamscape. Seriously, what a bad executive decision that was! Boy, were Hayworth (and Astaire) fans cheated.

It begs the question, does this dance sequence exist in its entirety? Was the footage destroyed, or is it lying in some film vault waiting to be uncovered? So little is known or ever mentioned. All I can say is...Wow! Fred and Rita sparkle in beautiful black and white - displaying a series of lovely turns and sensual dips in this all too brief clip. A cinematically classic few seconds, featuring a rapturous and stunning Hayworth looking sexier than ever in that dress.

If that weren't enough of a tease, the same trailer features a couple of seconds from the "Shorty George" tap routine not seen in the film. I always wondered what Fred and Rita were doing when in the middle of the dance, the scene cuts to Xavier Cugat conducting the band. Perhaps, that's what these fleeting seconds were from. For true Hayworth fans, these clips are like finding a buried treasure. What an unexpected and delightful treat.

I wonder---when the composer and lyricist of this score first performed their songs
for the film's producer, director, etc....what was their reaction? At least two of the songs...the one where Rita sings of having two husbands simultaneously and the
final song in the bizzare, "Moderne" park after dark ("People Have More Fun") are undoubtedly the two most LAME, tuneless songs I have ever heard. Columbia's musical arrangers and orchestrators did their professional best to dress up these miserable numbers, as did the designers, choreographer, cast, etc....but they are among the worst ever put on film. By contrast, the big tune ("They Can't Convince Me You're Not a Dream") that Larry Parks sings to Rita in the backstage prop department is lovely, and surpisingly accomplished both melodically and harmonically; I'll definitely listen to it again.

The film itself is an amazingly garish mish-mash, fascinating to watch in one sense, annoying and downright laughable in another ("..and the guy who invented the skinless weenie".......PUH-LEEEZ!!) One of the reasons that I bought the film was to see dancer Marc Platt in a featured role, but even his performance was a put-off, with almost non-stop, cutesy mugging and other silly business (I'll stick with his fine performance in "Seven Brides" any day).

What caught me by total surprise, though (which no other reviewers mention), is the fact that the film's final 20 minutes UNEXPECTEDLY take a very serious and emotional turn; exactly why DOES Mr Jordan allow Rita to descend to Earth and get involved in the "Muse" musical in the first place? The bulk of the film is so goofy that you never even THINK about this issue....until, that is...the film enters its final, dramatic phase. This resolution is effective enough that, when the movie ends, you are tempted to forgive and forget all of the nonsense that has gone before.

A fascinating and frustrating experiment from the annals of post-war Hollywood film musicals.

If you are a Rita fan this is a must see for you. The camera loves her, thats the treat here. The movie and songs aren't that good, the story is really empty and not interesting except for Rita. What a real Goddess she will always be to me!!!!

This is one of my favorite Rita Hayworth movies. This musical represents a lost genera of the silver screen with its innocent, charming and etherial content and style. I especially loved the variations of "Swinging the Muses."