Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



Summer Stock (1950)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

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Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
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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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