Kismet *** (1955, Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray, Vic Damone) – Classic Movie Review 1837

Director Vicente Minnelli’s 1955 MGM musical version of the hit show, based on the old Edward Knoblock (non-musical play Kismet and Aleksandr Borodin’s music, is kitsch and luridly colourful in odd Eastmancolor.

Howard Keel (as the beggar king Hajj), Ann Blyth (as his daughter Marsinah), Vic Damone (as the Caliph she loves) and Dolores Gray (Lalume, the Wazir’s wife) are all on jolly form and in good voice. Monty Woolley as Omar and Sebastian Cabot as the Wazir, Jay C Flippen, Mike Mazurki, Jack Elam and Ted de Corsia all add value as essential character actor ingredients.

One of Minnelli’s less distinguished efforts, Kismet is still quite entertaining in a very camp and amusingly silly sort of way. Unfortunately, like the production, Jack Cole’s choreography is uninspired.

However, the beautifully sung, lovely, evergreen hit songs still have the power to thrill: ‘Baubles Bangles and Beads’, ‘Stranger in Paradise’, ‘This Is My Beloved’. Other songs: ‘Rhymes Have I’, ‘Sands of Time’, ‘The Olive Tree’, ‘Fate’.

Patricia Dunn, Julie Robinson, Reiko Sato, Wonci Lui, Suzanne Ames, Ross Bagdasarian, John Bleifer and Jamie Farr also appear.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1837

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Ann Blyth circa 1950.

Ann Blyth in 2013.