Customer Reviews

For Me and My Gal

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Three years after she rocketed to superstardom in The Wizard of Oz, Little Judy Garland was all grown up and more than ready to assume her first truly adult leading role; for his part, Gene Kelly, having just wowed audiences on Broadway in Pal Joey, was ready to make his feature film debut. Garland and Kelly made a natural match, demonstrating great chemistry together from the very start. For Me and My Gal is just a wonderful film, featuring dancing, singing, romance, heartache, joy, pain, and just about every emotion under the sun, oftentimes swinging in mood at the drop of a hat from euphoria to misery. A nervous Gene Kelly credited Judy for pulling him through the production of this his first film, and in all truth Judy turns in an outstanding performance here. The movie, released in 1942, is in many ways tied to the contemporary war effort at home, and while it may be a definite product of its era, its themes and unforgettable performances make it a film that will live and be watched and certainly enjoyed forever.

For Me and My Gal is also a tribute to the great vaudeville tradition, a tradition Judy Garland knew quite well first-hand from her childhood spent on the stage. Garland plays Jo Hayden, a vaudevillian singer/dancer working to pay for her brother's education. Teamed up with Jimmy Metcalf and his gang, she is successful enough but far removed from the dream of every vaudeville performer of playing The Palace. As the movie opens, she meets up with Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly), an entertainer so vain that Jo dislikes him immediately, even saying at one point, "I bet he takes a bow every time he hears a clap of thunder." Palmer wants nothing more than to get ahead, to get to The Palace, and he sees potential in the young Jo Hayden. When his initial business proposals to her go nowhere fast, he turns on the charm and, before you know it, they are singing and dancing beautifully together to the tune of For Me and My Gal. Jimmy Metcalf loves Jo, but he breaks up his own act in order to make Jo take Harry's offer. The new duo of Palmer and Hayden find success, but not the kind they are yearning for, as we watch them perform a number of great song and dance routines on stage, the most familiar of which is probably When You Wore a Tulip (And I Wore A Big Red Rose). Whenever things start going well, though, something bad happens. Jo is all torn up when Palmer starts spending all his free time with the famous singer Eve Minard, as Palmer has yet to figure out that he loves Jo as much as Jo loves him. When this hurdle is passed, the road ahead for the duo only gets rougher as war intervenes. Having finally secured a spot at The Palace, Palmer takes drastic action to avoid being drafted, but his rash act backfires on him in the worst way possible. The ending of the film concentrates as much on helping the war effort and patriotism as it does restoring, in quite a tender manner, the love and commitment of two people who belong together.

Harry Palmer surely was meant to represent a lot of American men in wartime. Caught up in his own hopes and dreams, he ignores what is going on in Europe, then tries to find a way out of answering his draft summons when it inevitably comes. He learns that there are much more important things in life than performing at The Palace and that a man has a duty to serve his country when called upon, in whatever capacity he is capable of serving. Judy Garland's patriotic song and dance sequences and the real-life armed service radio broadcasts she appeared on throughout the early 1940s made her a pin-up girl of World War II. Definitely, this film carried a message to movie audiences to do what they could to support the troops going to war yet again, but its greatest power is wrung from the soul of Judy Garland in the form of many touching, dramatically powerful scenes of loss and heartache. For Me and My Gal, despite a great measure of comedy and delightful song and dance, follows a dark road at times, making it a movie that truly spans the entire spectrum of human emotion. It's impossible not to love this movie, and the fact that it delivers Gene Kelly's film debut and Judy's first truly adult dramatic role makes it all the more important and special.

FOR ME AND MY GAL could easily be categorized as promotion for supporting World War II. It was released in 1942 when the United States entered the war and support was strong, but still needed some help from outside sources. FOR ME AND MY GAL more than does its part for the war effort. It tells the story of two hopeful Vaudeville stars who want to reach the big time. Harry (played by Gene Kelly) will do anything to get to the top. The only thing that seems to stop him is his love for his dancing partner Jo (played by Judy Garland). Jo looses her brother in battle. Within minutes of hearing the news she learns that Harry injured himself on purpose to avoid World War I. She gets so angry at Harry's selfishness she vows never to see him again. Harry realizes both the error of his ways and his love for Jo and vows to be a hero. In true Hollywood fashion, Harry becomes a hero and he and Jo are reunited. At the end of the movie, people are encouraged to buy war bonds.

The film is predictable, but so are most Hollywood musicals. Kelly and Garland are excellent partners, and both are believable in their roles and add a depth to the film that lesser stars would be unable to do. We love the sweetness of Jo and Kelly is a believable semi-scoundrel, a role that he seems to master in this film and others. The dancing sequences are excellent and Busby Berkeley's direction captures interesting angles that highlight Kelley's talent. As predictable as the story may be, both Kelly and Garland give wonderful performances and make the movie come to life.

Movie buffs will love the fact that this film is now on DVD. Garland fans will enjoy John Fricke's commentary on the film as well as the shots that were not included in the final cut of the film. The Fricke commentary speaks not only of Garland, but Kelly, Berkeley, Fried, and others involved in MGM musicals of the time. This feature alone is worth the price.

In her first adult role, yet still filled with girlish charm, Judy Garland captures the audiences eyes and ears with her moving portrayal of a young vaudevillian trying to keep her goals and love in check. Gene Kelly, in his film debut, show signs of being a novice. Yet, the dancing capabilities he possessed still are just amazing. Filled with drama, candor and realism, "For Me and My Gal" is an absorbing musical melodrama set during the WWI era. Musical highlights include "For Me and My Gal," "Ballin' the Jack," and "After You've Gone."

A touching wartime musical with some great tunes and the ever-incomparable Judy Garland as the lead, what more could you want? Maybe the historical value of Gene Kelly's screen debut? Maybe. Garland, in her first "grown-up" role, looks absolutely fantastic onscreen, glowing and lighting up every shot.

On second viewing, I found myself wishing the dialogue scenes would hurry along and make way for the musical numbers, for 19-year-old Judy Garland electrifies in scenes such as "After You've Gone" and "How Ya Gonna Keep Em Down On The Farm." You can see exactly why she's often named the world's best entertainer; her stage presence, discernable even in a black and white transfer, is brilliant. And while Garland didn't prove her true acting chops until "A Star Is Born", in which she gave an obviously Oscar-worthy performance, she still tugs appropriately at the heart-strings when called upon to do so.

Gene Kelly's acting is clearly amateur at this stage, but who can blame him, it is his first picture after all. We'll forgive him for the brilliant work he did later on (and that magnificent dancing talent, of course, which was sadly under-used in this film).

Sure it's sappy, sentimental, predictable, but who cares?! It's pure escapist fun with Judy, Gene, and wonderful music along for the ride! So sit back and enjoy yourself. I had the most ridiculous grin on my face the whole time.

This is one of the first movies I saw with Judy Garland after seeing The Wizard of Oz when I was a child. I grew up in an unloving, unfeeling household so seeing her raw emotion and genuine talent taught me it's ok to cry, to dream and to love. I don't think it was just the story line -- it was Judy Garland and the perfection of her performance. She performs so flawlessly, one could imagine what it's like to be her (character) because she put's herself into her character's shoes.

I had some reservations about purchasing this movie because I had read about the "hokey" Gene kelly draft dodging and such, but I was plesantly surprised! I expected to see him shooting from foxholes with a big goofy grin! It really was a very good movie. And there were actually extras! I highly reccomend this movie.

"For Me and My Gal" was released when Judy Garland was about to reach the pinnacle of her Hollywood career as an adult film actress/singer. Co-starring Gene Kelly, in his first film, it's a slightly more sophisticated -- and much more engaging -- version of the old Mickey-and-Judy behind the scenes musicals of the late 30s and 40s. The production values are exceptional, and were it not for the exceptional transfer to DVD (which is in beautiful black and white), you almost wish the film were in color. But the b-and-w cinematography is a good reminder of where the term "silver screen" came from, and it gives the film an interesting "vintage" feel that is somewhat different than the "glorious" technicolor musicals, like "Meet Me in St. Louis," that would ensure Judy Garland's status as an enduring musical legend. The commentary by John Fricke is fascinating (where does he find out all this stuff!?). The singing and dancing, and -- come to think of it -- the acting by Garland, Kelly as well as by future United States Senator George Murphy is exceptional. Interestingly, the best scene in film (in my humble opinion), the "For Me and My Gal" dance sequence with Garland and Kelly, seems to have been filmed in a complete, unedited single take. Very rare for an MGM musical number, and very impressive as well. With the DVD release of "For Me and My Gal" and "Meet Me in St. Louis," and with the earlier-released DVD versions of "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Harvey Girls," the only films missing from Garland's MGM "canon" seem to be "Easter Parade" and (perhaps) "The Pirate." I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Warner will release both on DVD sometime soon. (By the way, the DVD includes two very early MGM "shorts": "Every Sunday" and "The Fiesta of Santa Barbara." The former features Judy and Deanna Durbin, and although very dated, it's fascinating to see what a phenomenal talent Judy was even very early in her career. The latter features the Gumm Sisters, including Frances. Although also very, very dated, it's fun to watch.)

I am a fan of both Gene Kelly and Judy Garland and together they made three memorable films together. In fact, many consider Gene to be Judy's best partner and vice-versa. "For Me and My Gal" is their first effort together. It is very easy to figure out that this film was made during World War 2. Its simply dripping with patriotism. Its set during the vaudevill days, just prior to WWI. Garland and George Murphy play a vaudeville team. Kelly is another vaudeville performer. He is brash and cocky and Garland hates him at first, but this is a romantic musical of the '40s so you don't have to be Nostradamus to figure out what the outcome may be.
So yes, the plot isn't the greatest but the two stars each give wonderful performances. This is Gene Kelly's screen debut, he was direct from Broadway's "Pal Joey", and though he's not the smooth performer he would become in later films, he still does a phenomenal job. Some say he overacts in this film, but I think he does justice to the character because the character is supposed to be loud and a bit of a ham. He doesn't get as many dancing numbers as I would've liked but what's there is excellent. You can definitely see that he was destined to become a screen legend. Judy Garland is wonderful and gets a chance to sing a couple of songs in that inimitable voice of hers. She also does a good acting job.
So, in conclusion, I gave this movie 4 stars instead of 5 because this movie is not either star's best work (and its hard to top Kelly's "Singin' In The Rain" or Garland's "Wizard of Oz") but it is still very, very enjoyable. A great way to pass the time and watch two legendary stars in their prime.

When For Me and My Gal was made, Judy was a major star and Gene Kelly was a relative unknown. At the end of the film, they were the perfect duo.

The film takes place during the vaudeville era. Kelly is Harry Palmer, a vaudeville headliner (on the b circuit). He is waiting for his big break and the Palace Theatre in NYC. Judy is Jo Hayden part of a girl chorus supporting Jimmy Metcalfe (George Murphy). They also are looking for a break into the big time.

Harry sees the potential in Jo and entices her to join him in a duo with a number he bought, "For Me and My Gal". They quickly become a hot act on the vaudeville circuit. The only thing that could stop them in America's entrance into the Great War (WWI).

Harry gets the booking he has been waiting for all his life, he and Jo have been booked at the Palace Theatre, NYC. But when he gets back to his dressing room, he receives his draft notice. He knows his duty but it's his big opportunity. Harry injures his hand so he cannot be drafted. Jo immediately realizes what Harry did and ends the partnership, both professional and personal. To make things worse, he then finds out that the injury is not temporary but permanent.

When the Army classifies him 4-F, he joins the YMCA to entertain the troops. Harry entertains the troops. When he goes to a field hospital, he finds out that it is now behind enemy lines and a convoy of ambulances is about to be caught by the Germans. He jumps into his truck and almost gets to them but there is a nest German snipers between him and the ambulances. He valiantly kills them and saves the convoy.

Jo has become a sweetheart of the soldiers she entertained during the war. She is starring in a coming home show for the soldiers at the Palace Theatre. Of course Jimmy and Harry are in attendance. She sees Harry and runs to him. They end singing the title song.

For Me and My Gal is the only original song. The remaining songs are from the period (WW I).

When Judy was a child, she made seven films with Mickey Rooney. But once she grew up into adult roles, she needed a love interest and she found it in Gene Kelly. They made three great films together. You could see their chemistry from their first scene together in this film. Additionally, physically, they are a perfect fit.

DVD EXTRAS:

Commentary by John Fricke

MGM Short - Fiesta de Santa Barbara - a 18 minute quasi documentary that MGM has put a number of stars (Warner Baxter, Gary Cooper, Gilbert Roland, Robert Taylor and Harpo Marx) and new talent (Cecilia Parker, Ida Lupino, and The Gumm Sisters, now Garland Sisters sing La Cucaracha). Featured performers are Andy Devine and Buster Keaton. This is a prime example of a MGM promotional short. Judy is only in it for about 2 minutes.

MGM Short - Everybody Sing - This was Judy's first starring short subject (10 minutes). She costars with Deanna Durbin. Deanna's grandfather has a Sunday concert. Since no one is attending, the city is canceling them. Judy and Deanna convince the city to give it one more try. Despite all their work, no one shows up. So the girls take things into their own hands and perform. Everyone in the park is drawn to the concert. Therefore, the contract is renewed. This was a test for both girls, Judy immediately went into features.

Audio Vault - Three Cheers for the Yanks - Deleted song performed by Judy with stills.

Audio Vault - For Me and My Gal - Deleted original ending performed by Judy and Gene with stills. The stills do not really show the plotline and therefore, we cannot judge why it was changed.

Audio Vault - Lady Ester Screen Guild Theater Radio Show - 3/23/43 radio broadcast of the movie with Judy, Gene and Dick Powell. Often, as a means of publicity, abridged radio versions of major films would be performed.

Audio Vault - Leo is on the Air - Radio promo - Judy introduces Gene to the public and sing For Me and My Gal. Another radio promotion with the abridged story.

This is a great film with great extras

Wonderful and beautifully transferred to DVD. Excellent production numbers and this just might be my new favorite Judy movie. Grab that bucket of popcorn pop in the DVD and let Judy do her thing. She is wonderful. It will be just a fun evening.