Daddy Long Legs *** (1955, Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Fred Clark, Thelma Ritter) – Classic Movie Review 6747

Director Jean Negulesco’s 1955 musical stars Fred Astaire as middle-aged millionaire Jervis Pendelton III, who goes to Hollywood’s idea of France, where he is naturally enchanted by waif-like young orphan Julie André (Leslie Caron).

Negulesco’s pleasant if undemanding musical (are there demanding musicals?), unchallenging musical, is based on the novel and play by Jean Webster, first filmed in 1919 with Mary Pickford, then a 1931 hit for Janet Gaynor, and last seen as Curly Top, a 1935 Shirley Temple vehicle.

It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color (John DeCuir and Lyle R Wheeler; Walter M Scott and Paul S. Fox); Best Music, Original Song (Johnny Mercer for ‘Something’s Gotta Give’); and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Alfred Newman).

Johnny Mercer wrote the words and music for the songs at Astaire’s request, but the results are mostly only serviceable. Yet Astaire’s lilting ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ is inspired, however, and ‘Dream’ (sung by The Pied Pipers and danced by Astaire and Caron) is good.

On the performing front, Astaire and Caron are supremely debonair and effortlessly graceful, while Fred Clark and Thelma Ritter provide some good, reliable fun in the comedy parts of stuffy old Griggs and the sassy Miss Pritchard.

The Daydream Sequence, the Dancing Through Life ballet danced by Leslie Caron and Chorus and the Sluefoot duet between Astaire and Caron should be the highlights, but somehow they are not quite memorable.

It is carefully filmed by Leon Shamroy in CinemaScope, so widescreen is a must to view it properly.

Also in the cast are Terry Moore as Linda Pendleton, Charlotte Austin, Larry Keating, Kathryn Givney, Kelly Brown, Sara Shane, Ray Anthony, Ann Codee, Lillian Culver, Guy Des Rochers, George Dunn, Steven Geray, Bill Hines, David Hoffman, Joseph Kearns, Larry Kent, Frank Kreig, Numa Lapeyre, Michael McLean, Liliane Montevecchi, Damian O’Flynn, Leslie Parrish, Paul Power, Harry Seymour, Helen Van Tuyl, Percival Vivian, Carleton Young, Gertrude Astor, Bob Adler, Paul Bradley, Tim Cagney, Kathryn Card, John Carlyle, Janice Carroll and Barrie Chase.

Daddy Long Legs is directed by Jean Negulesco, runs 126 minutes, is released by  20th Century Fox, is written by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron, is shot in CinemaScope and colour by Leon Shamroy, is produced by Samuel G Engel, is scored by Alfred Newman, with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and art direction by John DeCuir and Lyle R Wheeler.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6747

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