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Summer Stock (1950)
In Charles Walters' likeable and brisk but uninspiring
MGM "barnyard" musical - noted as Judy Garland's last MGM
film (and last pairing with Gene Kelly on-screen):
- the main character: small-town New England (Connecticut)
farmer Jane Falbury (Judy Garland) - introduced while singing "If
You Feel Like Singing, Sing" while showering and continuing
as she completely dressed herself one happy morning; she was experiencing
financial difficulties due to crop failures, and then her farm
was invaded by a city-slicker troupe of actors - they were using
the site as a practice theater for their Broadway-bound musical
play
- the "Mem'ry Island" scene of a clumsy rehearsal
between two performers, Harrison I. Keath (Hans Conried) and Jane's
spoiled sister - stage-struck actress Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) in
a barn with no costumes or props in the midst of others, while directed
by writer-director Joe D. Ross (Gene Kelly), and pretending to be
on a tropical island as they sang the corny song
- the film's two dance duets (between Garland and Kelly):
a "nice, easy dance" duet in "You Wonderful You",
and "The Portland Fancy" - one of Garland's career finest
that began as a square dance and became a lively challenge dance
between Jane and Joe
- Ross' brilliant dance solo in which he performed on
the bare stage of the dark barn theatre and used various props of
his surroundings (shuffling with a single sheet of newspaper, squeaking
floor boards) and incorporated them as dance partners
- the famous male drag solo performance of "Get
Happy" in the final song-dance number - (with music by Harold
Arlen and lyrics by Ted Koehler), in the musical show-within-a-show: "Forget
your troubles, Come on, Get Happy!" - she wore black nylon tights,
half a tuxedo (the dark dinner jacket), black shoes, and a tilted
black fedora hat
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