Three Little Words *** (1950, Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Vera-Ellen, Arlene Dahl, Keenan Wynn, Gale Robbins, Gloria DeHaven, Debbie Reynolds) – Classic Movie Review 5672

Here’s Fred Astaire without his regular partner Ginger Rogers but instead cast with Vera-Ellen and Debbie Reynolds in director Richard Thorpe’s just above par-for-the-course 1950 MGM musical about those witty songwriters Bert Kalmar (Astaire) and Harry Ruby (Red Skelton). Astaire won the Golden Globe as Best Actor – Comedy or Musical.

The show is given edge by the verve of its playing and the marvellous old songs, including ‘Who’s Sorry Now?’, ‘Thinking of You’, ‘I Wanna Be Loved By You’, and of course the ‘Three Little Words’ of the title. André Previn was Oscar nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. [He has four Oscars, by the way, for Gigi (1958), Porgy and Bess (1959), Irma la Douce (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964)].

The actors enjoy themselves infectiously, and Astaire gets to dance with Vera-Ellen to Hermes Pan’s inspired choreography. Vera-Ellen and Reynolds add a lot of spark as Mrs Jessie Brown Kalmar and Twenties singer Helen Kane, though their singing voices are dubbed. Gloria DeHaven impersonates her own mother, Mrs Carter DeHaven.

Also in the cast are Arlene Dahl, Keenan Wynn, Gale Robbins, Carleton Carpenter, Phil Regan (as Himself), Harry Shannon, George Metkovich, Harry Mendoza (as Himself) and Paul Harvey.

It runs 102 minutes, is written by George Wells, is shot in Technicolor by Harry Jackson, is produced by Jack Cummings, and is scored by André Previn.

RIP Debbie Reynolds (1932–2016).

Astaire, Vera-Ellen and Wynn re-convened as the stars of The Belle of New York (1952).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5672

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