Customer Reviews

Springtime in the Rockies [VHS]

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

 

 

Another enjoyable but virtually nonsensical Fox musical! Here we have lovely Grable and the handsome but wooden John Payne being needlessly suspicious and jealous of each-other while Carmen Miranda (as Miss Murphy!) and Caesar Romero complicate matters romantically. The movie takes us to Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta, Canada - 1940's style, and the Technicolor holds up astonishing well - it is clear and vibrant - a real treat for the eyes to behold! Carmen Miranda does her usual scene stealing as the secretary Payne hired while in a drunken stupor in Detroit - Payne also hired the wonderful Edward Everett Horton as his well-educated valet whilst "under the influence". Watch for Charlotte Greenwood doing her hilarious high-kicking dance while she's tipsy, lonely and uninhibited in the resort nightclub - she's embarrassed at the enthusiastic applause she receives! There is something about Greenwood here which reminds me of Celeste Holm in looks, speech and manner - they would have made a terrific mother-and-daughter act! The high-voiced Harry James (to whom Grable would marry and stay with for 20 years) plays his magnificent golden trumpet while the great Big Band vocalist Helen Forrest is showcased - dressed a bizarre, unflattering outfit & walking between the dancers - singing her biggest hit: I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM.

Wonderful musical comedy with Betty Grable in top form as Broadway star who abandons her partner/fiance, John Payne, for the Canadian Rockies when she believes him to be stepping out on her. Once there, she meets up with past dance partner Cesar Romero and uses him to make Payne jealous when he himself shows up at the resort where they are working as a team. The colorful Carmen Miranda is also a stand-out in a hilarious role as the girl Payne uses to try to get Grable jealous as well. The cast is rounded out by the delightfully comical Charlotte Greenwood and Grable's future husband, Harry James, who contributes to the musical goings-on with his fabulous trumpet playing. Lively production numbers and gorgeous Technicolor, not to mention the beautiful Grable herself, make this a fun treat for late-night viewing.

When Broadway star Grable discovers partner John Payne is a love cheat, she abandons him to take up an offer of work in Lake Louise, in the Canadian Rockies, with former dance partner Cesar Romero. After a week's boozing, Payne eventually arrives at Lake Louise to try and win her back from smoothie Romero. Travelling companions he finds on the way include Edward Everett Horton, as his valet, and Carmen Miranda plays Rosita Murphy (!) a very unlikely secretary. Love wins in the end. All-star cast, who work well together. Horton is fine as a woman-shy toothpaste heir (he has money!); Carmen Miranda as colourful as ever and shows a great line in fractured English comedy - her Chatanooga Choo Choo is knockout; and long-legged Charlotte Greenwood has a couple of delightful high-kicks routines. All good fun, set in the beautiful Rockies resort. Betty even has a scene with her husband-to-be bandleader Harry James, who supplies the musical backing, and she does some of her best onscreen dancing with Romero. Trivia note: Betty's first-born was named Vicki (Victoria) after the character she played in this winning musical.

Betty Grable plays Vicky, a beautiful Broadway star who abandons her cheating boyfriend (John Payne) for a job offer in the Canadian Rockies. All manner of complications arise when Vicky meets a dance instructor (Cesar Romero) and decides to teach her cheating boyfriend a lesson or two in the art of two-timing.

Also featuring Carmen Miranda in a great comedic supporting role, SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES is one of Betty Grable's finest movie offerings and certainly one of the most delightful. She gives a great performance here. Also featuring Charlotte Greenwood and Edward Everett Horton.

John Payne, Charlotte Greenwood, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda contribute to this light concoction that has wonderful dance and musical numbers, but very little in the way of plot. However, everything is light and breezy and quite entertaining.

good movie, dance scenes are fun to watch. Hollywood Choreographer "Dean Collins" has a short snippet (10 seconds) of him Swing dancing in one scene. Swing dancers will like to add this video to the collection.

This is a must see musical, with color and an interesting plot. The costumes againa re very pretty and colorful, and atmospher ein the film is glamerous and beautiful. It's a greta escape, and a film that can be watched again and again. John Payne and Betty Grable ar egreat in it. Cesar Romero is wonderfulin it, so charming. Cameron Miranda and him are paired again just like in "A Weekend in Havanna." They make a great couple.

Springtime in the Rockies is a fine example of what Twentieth Century Fox Studios could do when they really wanted to put out a musical. The plot moves along smoothly without ever being boring, although of course since this is a musical the plot is not terribly deep; you watch this for the musical numbers that feature Harry James and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest, Carmen Miranda and Betty Grable with John Payne. The choreography and the cinematography are very well done and the musical score enhances the film as well even if it is a tad corny at times.

When the film starts, we quickly meet song and dance theatrical team Vicky Lane (Betty Grable) and Dan Christy (John Payne); they plan to get married despite the fact that they sometimes quarrel after Vicky finds out that Dan has been womanizing yet again. After Dan fools around behind Vicky's back once too often, she calls it all off and starts dancing--and romancing with her old dance partner and sometime love interest, Victor Price (Cesar Romero). Vicky's longtime friend and theatrical assistant Phoebe (Charlotte Greenwood, who dances up a storm in this film), hopes that Vicky and Dan will reconcile, but Vicky is pretty angry with Dan and as time passes Dan starts on the road to being washed up without Vicky and a new show for them to star in.

Dan decides to follow Vicky and win her back as his fiancée and theatrical partner once more after "The Commissioner" (Jackie Gleason), a theatrical agent, warns Dan that he needs to get Vicky back to have a future in show business. He finds a rather drunk Dan in a bar and presents him with a plane ticket to Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies where Dan can hopefully woo Vicky back. But a few other things happen to complicate things and it's not at all clear how things will be resolved.

Look for some very good supporting performances by Edward Everett Horton as McTavish, a bartender hired by a very drunk Dan to be his valet; and Carmen Miranda does a great job of playing Rosita Murphy who has also been hired by Dan when he was in a drunken stupor. In addition, Rosita's six brothers are played by Bando da Lua. Frank Orth and Harry Hayden play Bickel and Brown, two producers interested in financing a new show with Dan and Vicky starring in it.

Springtime in the Rockies is an entertaining movie with lots of singing and dancing that will impress anyone who enjoys this genre of film. Of course fans of the actors in this movie would do well to get this for their collections.

Lovely movie with Betty Grable, Harry James, John Payne and Carmen Miranda. If you love movies from the 40's or 50's you will love this movie. It has all the necessary things you will like. Betty Grable in her highest form. Her beauty is beyond heights including her singing voice. Harry James - no one can compete with his great trumpet playing, bringing romance to his lovely romantic songs. John Payne taking the role of the romantic. His handsome features makes one remember the days of the handsome romeos. Carmen Miranda; what can you say about this talented South American happy, wonderful, beautiful, comical, Latin singing sensation. She steals all the scenes she is in. I can't forget Edward Everett Horton, who plays John Payne's intelligent, comical valet. Another great supporting actress is Charlotte Greenwood, who brings her wonderful dancing act with her high kicking dancing. She has been seen in several movies doing this dance. One more person I almost forgot, is the great singer, Henen Forrest. She was Harry James fabulous singer for a long time. She sang her signature song, "I Had The Craziest Dream". All in all, this is a great movie. Too bad they don't make movies like this anymore. But you can enjoy it by buying this movie from one of the collectors. We have watched it 3 times already and loved it.

There's a lot to enjoy in this goofy, perfunctory Fox backstager. The casting (fun, quirky) is the star here, trying perhaps to recapture the mood of a 1930's screwball comedy.

No one -- particularly the writers and the director -- will ever be accused of laboring too much on this one. The actors know that there isn't much drama and there isn't much comedy, but they deliver what they can.

A couple of small delights: 1. Some of the makeup and hair on this VHS is outrageously unflattering in the technicolor -- and that's part of the 1940's charm; 2. The camera work is particularly undistinguished. They weren't going to go into overtime making this one! 3. The young Jackie Gleason is aboard as a frustrated theatrical manager.

I'm so happy I stumbled upon this movie.