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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An overlooked and under-rated MGM musical comedy, October 29, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Listen, Darling [VHS] (VHS Tape)
A very pleasant and enjoyable comedy with music that is short, sweet, and lots of fun to watch, "Listen, Darling" offers more genuine entertainment than many of the other, more overblown "major" musicals of the 30's. Judy Garland and Freddie Bartholomew "kidnap" Judy's widowed mother (Mary Astor) to save her from a loveless marriage, and in the process Judy sings three great musical numbers -- "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart", "The Bumpy Road to Love", and the haunting and tender "Ten Pins in the Sky". Although this was one of Judy's earliest films, two of these songs are among the best she ever sang, and she has never sounded better. A wholesome and lighthearted film the whole family can enjoy.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Watch, October 18, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Listen, Darling [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Upon discovering that her widowed mother (Mary Astor)is on the verge of marrying an unlikable man in order to provide financial security for the family, teen-age Judy Garland locks mother in a camper and hits the road in search of a better match. Largely overlooked today, this extremely light-weight and extremely short film is a charming bit of nostaligia, featuring expert performances by Mary Astor and Walter Pidgeon and starring a young Judy Garland. Easy to watch, quite funny, and sadly under-rated.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Early Judy Garland, October 2, 2005
This review is from: Listen, Darling [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Listen, Darling is a sweet story about a family struggling to do the right thing for each other. Mary Astor plays the widowed mother of both Judy Garland and Scotty Beckett. Freddie Bartholomew plays Garland's best friend. The two scheme to find Astor a man she really loves to marry, instead of letting her follow through with her plan to marry a rich man who can provide for her children.
Mary Astor is a very sympathetic mother; her part is small but well written. Judy Garland is quite young and appropriate for her jr. high aged role. She appears to be modest and vulnerable, a characterization appropriate to the character's age; she is a great beautiful and emotional actress. Freddie Bartholomew is appropriately awkward yet skittishly forceful. Scotty Beckett is the mischievously annoying but adorable younger brother.
"Zing, Went the Strings of my Heart" is an understated song performed with the force that is apparent in all of Garland's singing. "Bumpy Road to Love" is a juvenile song with bad lip-synching. The "Ten Pins in the Sky" song is a sweet, melancholy song which proves Garland's ability as a singer, even in her youth.
Overall, this is a fun film, but nothing too outstanding.
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