Customer Reviews

I Love Melvin [VHS]

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

 

 

Why on earth is "I Love Melvin" so ignored by film buffs? Even people who can lip-synch to every Arthur Freed musical ever made generally don't know this one, and it's a shame. It was the movie that put Debbie Reynolds over the top; her work before this one (even in "Singin' In The Rain") was essentially as a supporting player. In "I Love Melvin" you can actually SEE Debbie becoming a full-fledged star; it happens as soon as the movie starts, in a number called "A Lady Loves". Debbie bursts onto the screen in thousands of dollars' worth of high Helen Rose drag with a bevy of chorus boys, and proceeds to show everyone she didn't need Gene Kelly holding her hand any more. She's also a delight clowning in "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" with Donald O'Connor; Debbie dances as well as anyone ever did onscreen while refusing to take herself seriously for a moment. O'Connor's fine, too, offering up several terrific dances of his own, one of them on roller skates. As Debbie's little sister, Noreen Corcoran is one of the best things in the movie; she is that rarity, a child star who knew the value of putting a little spice with the sugar audiences expect. She's cute, droll, wistful and astringent by turns- almost a pint-sized Marjorie Main- and by the end of the movie, you find yourself wishing she'd had much more of a career. If you like musicals, you could do a lot worse than to buy "I Love Melvin". Let everyone else worship the more famous M-G-M musicals; this neglected film is a little gem!

What can one say about the Glory days of MGM's Dream factory?? This film was made by MGM in 1953. It stars Donald O'connor and a young Debbie Reynolds. I love Debbie in this film. It is both exciting, entertaining and funny. Bothe Donald and Debbie give thier best performaces in this. Reynolds was fresh from her role in "Singin' In The Rain" and was never better. One of the best songs in this movie is "A Lady Loves" Donald gets himself in a heap of trouble as a photographer who promises a young singer Debbie the cover of a magazine, however his boss won't go for it. Leading Debbie on by taking pictures of her. She is convinced she will make the cover and Donald decides to forge a cover to appear as it's the real thing in order to keep Reynolds as his girlfriend. To find out what happens next, buy this Musical.

"I Love Melvin" reunites Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor (from "Singin' In The Rain"). It is a charming musical. Both Debbie and Donald give wonderful performances. The songs in this movie are wonderful. I especially love "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" and "A Lady Loves". The number "I Wanna Wonder" is a wonderful example of the comedy and virsitility of Donald O'Connor.

I found this movie musical, "I Love Melvin," to be a really good and entertainng film. Debbie Reynolds really shined in it, along with her photographer boyfriend, dancer/actor Donald O'Connor, who does a really brilliant tap dance number on roller skates. It's romantic comic and is a really cute film in general. I think it's one most people would enjoy, if they like musicals.

I had grown up as a boy in the 40's and 50's and lived in the Cinema. There were many genre's in those days, what I was allowed to see at that early age,was the Musicals. A wealth of reissues of the 30's linking into the 40's and into the 50's with ie.."I Love Melvin"( 1953 ) Not a major film, but full of talent from the Roar of the MGM Lion to the playout music, including the crew all involved with the music, Simply enjoyable. The Prints on tv here in the UK were dreadfull, and when this became available on dvd, I got it immediately. It's not for the today's young people, but for those that grew up with these films. Fine,go and buy it and enjoy.
Haylyn ( UK )

I am an absolute nuts over musicals and I'm especially nuts over Donald O'Connor. This movie has the best of both worlds. It's a charming musical that features a couple of really great tunes. Donald(like in every movie he is in) shines with songs like "I Wanna Wander" and "Where did you Learn to Dance." He does a fabulous dance on roller skates and does a dance that looks like a sequel to Make em'Laugh(Singin in the Rain).Debbie is also dazzling but Donald really steals the movie. If your a fan of Debbie or Donald or are just looking for a really cute and underated musical than look no further than "I Love Melvin."

This is a great flick, funny, great music and dancing, and starring the legendary Donald O'Connor. I highly recommend it!

Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds team up again after their success in Singing in the Rain to offer a wonderful comedy with great dance numbers by O'Connor and wonderful spoofs on Astaire and Kelly. A little known but highly entertaining 50's musical. Watch it and be prepared to smile and tap your toes.

Right from the opening credits when Debbie Reynolds scrawls the movie title on her mirror with her lipstick, there's this lively, energetic vibe onscreen. I LOVE MELVIN came out in 1953 and it reunites Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds one year after SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and this time O'Connor plays the romantic lead. This time, Cosmo gets the girl. O'Connor may not be as dashing as Gene Kelly, but I think he's more unassuming and more likable. Gene Kelly always had this smugness about him. I LOVE MELVIN is a fun little movie but, in an era of fabulous musical films, it doesn't hold classic status. The roster of not quite A-listers has something to do with it, as does the mediocrity of the songs. Maybe O'Connor aping Kelly's iconic pose on the lamppost from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN has something to do with it. This gesture might have been a homage, but it sort of smacks of wannabe.

It's not new, the plot. It's about another aspiring performer trying to catch that big break. In this one, lowly, klutzy photographer's assistant Melvin Hoover falls in love with young Broadway actress Judy LeRoy. Trying to impress Judy, Melvin promises to put her on the cover of Look magazine. This, of course, backfires.

Pair up Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and the movie can't help but be bright and breezy, and these two are the primary reasons to check out I LOVE MELVIN. This was still before Reynolds got glammy and sort of annoying. At this stage, she was still this bubbly, unaffected, wholesome girl next door, and she is marvelous to watch. Donald O'Connor is a talented performer, and his fans all know that he should've been a bigger star. But he never had those leading man looks and that probably hampered his career. I mean, they paired him up with a talking mule, for cripes' sake, and I'm not sure that the mule wasn't better looking.

The songs aren't bad, just not memorable. It starts with a dream sequence as a glitzy gowned Reynolds sings "A Lady Loves" and does her best "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" routine. But the two musical numbers which stick to my brain most are the clever football ballet number - in which Debbie gets cheerfully tossed around dressed up as the football - and "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" in which O'Connor and Reynolds are simply terrific as they cut a rug. O'Connor once more demonstrates his impressive physicality while on roller skates as well as in "I Wanna Wander." Unfortunately, "I Wanna Wander" didn't work for me. I can't help but feel that it's trying too hard to be another "Make 'Em Laugh." But I liked it that the nine-year-old girl gets to sing her own song.

The script does come up with some funny bits, but what cracks me up the most, for some reason, is the little girl fingering Richard Anderson's character to the police. And while the leads may not be top box office draws, the supporting cast has got their backs. If you watch classic films then you've seen Una Merkel before. Here, she plays Debbie's mom. Allyn Joslyn has several entertainingly grouchy scenes as Debbie's irascible dad, and here's a party drinking game: take a drink each time Joslyn mentions how much his boss hates him. Richard Anderson plays the handsome but blah Harry Flack, Judy's other suitor, and I get a kick out of his lame punchlines ( "I know - I just stepped in a poodle."). But Jim Backus trumps the rest of the supporting cast as O'Connor's very cranky boss. Check out the facial expressions the guy comes up with. Oh, and Robert Taylor (at the time a big, big movie star) steps in for a quick cameo in one of Debbie's dreams.

Sure, MGM has produced bigger, glossier musicals. I totally get how I LOVE MELVIN has gotten overlooked. But I'm saying, if you get a chance to catch this fun little musical, then you're in for a good time. It's worth it alone, really, just to see Debbie Reynolds maintain great humor in the bits when "She's a football on Broadway."

I have watched this movie over and over. It is one of my favorite Debbie Reynolds movie. It is a really cute love story.

And Debbie and Donald are great in it. If you like the old MGM movies you will love this one.

It is worth buying and watching.