Good News *** (1947, June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken, Mel Tormé) – Classic Movie Review 7872

MGM promoted Charles Walters from choreographer to first-time director for the colourful, fast-paced 1947 romantic musical comedy Good News, a Technicolor remake of their 1930 movie of the Buddy G DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson Broadway hit college musical. High-spirited June Allyson and Peter Lawford lead the bright (rather mature) college people. They are both spirited and charming.

Lawford plays dim football hero Tommy Marlowe, at the fictional Tait University in the Roaring Twenties, who is coached in his lessons by dowdy co-ed student and school librarian Connie Lane (Allyson), who teaches him enough to keep him in the game and interested in her charms.

Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken and Mel Tormé are all strong assets to the cast. Also in the cast are Ray McDonald, Robert Strickland, Donald McBride, Tom Dugan, Clinton Sundberg, Loren Tindall, Connie Gilchrist, Morris Ankrum, Georgia Lee, Jane Green, Richard Tripper and Bill Harbach.

The show’s terrific score is augmented with one great new number, ‘Pass that Peace Pipe’ (Roger Edens, Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane), sung and danced by McCracken, plus another useful one, ‘The French Lesson’ (Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Roger Edens). Among a bunch of good news tunes are: ‘He’s a Ladies Man’, ‘Just Imagine’, ‘The Best Things in Life Are Free’, ‘If You’re Not Kissing Me’, ‘Varsity Drag’, ‘Lucky in Love’, and of course ‘Good News’.

Roger Edens, Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane were Oscar nominated for Best Original Song for ‘Pass that Peace Pipe’.

In That’s Entertainment! (1974) Lawford said he did not want to be in the film because he was not a singer but, under the studio system of the time, you just did what you were told to do.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7872

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