I Love Melvin (1953)

Melvin Hoover (Donald O'Connor), a photographer's apprentice for Look magazine, wants to impress Judy (Debbie Reynolds), a budding stage actress, and so he claims he is a photographer doing a spread for the magazine. After shooting hundreds of pictures of her, he is reluctant to admit that they won't appear in print. While Judy likes Melvin, she feels she must respond to her boyfriend Harry's (Richard Anderson) marriage proposal in order to please her parents. To stall the situation, Melvin makes a fake cover of Judy on the front of Look but then he doesn't have a chance to tell her it's not real! 

I Love Melvin was a typical musical outputted from the MGM factory. It doesn't stand out as anything extra special but it sure rates high in entertainment nonetheless, thanks to the appeal of its two lead stars. The Technicolor is beautiful and the costumes are nice but it is the songs that are especially lovely. Composer Josef Myrow (The Girl Next Door, The French Line) penned some unique melodies such as "A Lady Loves", "I Wanna Wander", and "We Have Never Met as Yet" and, if these weren't pleasant enough, their arrangements are really nice. Too bad Josef Myrow didn't get more music assignments with MGM then what he did. 

Debbie Reynolds looked cute as a button in the film (as did Noreen Corcoran as Judy's little sister), and she had clearly shed her baby fat as she rose to the ranks of leading lady. This was a great "coming out" film for Ms. Reynolds. She once wrote in her autobiography that she "worked her butt off" at MGM and I think this film in particular was what she was referring to. Debbie had a lot of dance numbers for such a short picture and, in addition to these, she had to be thrown around on stage as a football!

Robert Alton staged the dances for I Love Melvin and they are highly creative and great fun to watch. Donald O'Connor got the really exciting dance routines including one on roller skates. He has a fun Danny Kaye-style solo number, too, where he showcases not only his singing and dancing ability but his comedy style. 

As darling a couple as Melvin and Judy were, I doubt that their romance could have survived through marriage. Poor Melvin couldn't hold a job! 

Also in the cast was Allyn Joslyn, playing a role not unlike his character in Junior Miss (1945), Richard Anderson as the handsome but bland Harry, Jim Backus in a great part as Melvin's smart-aleck co-worker, and Les Tremayne as the manager of Look magazine. Keep your eye out for a brief view of the striking Look building in New York City. It was built in 1948, and since Look's management occupied the top floors, became known as the Look building. It is still standing at 488 Madison Avenue. 

A neat behind-the-scenes fact: Look Magazine actually released the cover design with the photo of Debbie Reynolds as Judy the same month I Love Melvin premiered as a tie-in. 

The Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie Game

Gadzooks! This screenshot could be from any film! Aside from the man looking like John Glenn, there are hardly any clues here to even help in identifying this scene - but if you have a crackerjack memory, perhaps you'll guess it anyway. Give it a try! 

As always, if you are not familiar with the rules to the Impossibly Difficult Name that Movie game or the prize, click here.

Film Albums: Brazen Brass Goes Hollywood (1961)

I wonder how many people heard of Henry Jerome & His Orchestra? Very few, I'd imagine! And even fewer have ever heard of Geffen Records. So you lucky readers are in for a treat (and an education)!

Henry Jerome was a popular bandleader in the 1930s and 1940s who performed on ships, at ballrooms, restaurants, and naturally on the radio. He had a soft, mellow style (influenced by Hal Kemp) with brass-heavy arrangements. In the 1950s, ABC Radio Network aired "Dinner at the Green Room," a weekly radio program which featured Henry's orchestra playing live from the Green Room at the Hotel Edison in New York City. 

In the early 1960s, Hal Jerome had a popular series of "Brazen Brass" albums which featured - brazen brass, of course. This one, released by Geffen Records in 1961, spotlights Hollywood classics in unique arrangements, such as Around the World in 80 Days, Three Coins in a Fountain (as a cha-cha), a highly danceable version of High Noon, a scrumptious "Beyond the Sea"-style version of Love is a Many Splendored Thing, and The Third Man Theme without the zither! 

Jerome is probably best known for his work "behind the label" as an A&R director at Decca Records, Coral Records, MCA, and United Artists. You can read more about him here, but first check out this album here on Youtube. 

Track Listing

Side One:

Around the World in 80 Days

Moonglow (from Picnic)

Three Coins in the Fountain Cha-Cha

High Noon

Gigi

Main Title (The Man with the Golden Arm)


Side Two: 

The Third Man Theme

The Song from Moulin Rouge

Tammy Cha-Cha

Theme from A Summer Place

Love is a Many Splendored Thing

Colonel Bogey March (from The Bridge on the River Kwai)

Top Picks: Moonglow, Tammy Cha-Cha, A Summer Place, Love is a Many Splendored Thing

From the Archives: Come Fly With Me (1963)

"Is this yours, ma'am?" Oops! Someone got tricked into smuggling...and you don't need three guesses to see who's the victim. 

This mini lobby card is from the romantic-drama Come Fly With Me (1963) starring Dolores Hart, Hugh O'Brian, Carl Boehm, and Pamela Tiffin. If the Frank Sinatra song pops into your head whenever you read that title, you'd be surprised to discover that it is actually another crooner who sings that famous tune over the credits - Frankie Avalon. 

From the Archives is our latest series of posts where we share photos from the Silverbanks Pictures collection. Some of these may have been sold in the past, and others may still be available for purchase at our eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Silverbanks-Pictures 

Rewind Review: The Barefoot Executive (1971)

"He's gonna make it!"

Steven Post (Kurt Russell) is a young mailroom clerk with high ambitions and a lot of enthusiasm. He wants to see UBC, the faltering television studio that he works for, become the leading network but his boss Mr. Wilbanks (Joe Flynn) won't listen to any of his suggestions, one of which is making a series called Abraham Lincoln's Doctor's Dog. 

Steve's girlfriend Jen (Heather North) recently found herself caring for a chimp named Raffles who loves watching television. Steve thinks the shows that Raffles likes to watch are awful, but they seem to be what the public enjoys as well. After a few days of studying his primetime TV picks, Steve is convinced that the chimp knows the public's taste and can predict which pilot shows will become the next top-rated series. He is clever enough to know that he cannot go to his boss with this information, so Steve pretends that he himself has the knack for picking winners. This plan works well for a time, but Steve soon begins to feel undeserving of all of the praise that he is receiving for being the boy wonder of the studio. 

Kurt Russell began his film career with Walt Disney Studios as a child star and, when he got older, he played the leading man in a number of great comedies for the studio. The Barefoot Executive was released right in the midst of a series of college-themed comedies (beginning with The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes) that featured the recurring character Dexter Reilly (Kurt Russell). Instead of attending college, Steven Post goes to the Moonrise Night School, something that his rival Roger (John Ritter) finds laughable. 

Like most Disney films, the movie has a lot of humor, most of which is delivered by the straight-faced character actors. In The Barefoot Executive, it is Joe Flynn and Wally Cox who steal all the funny moments. These two comedians made a great team and are especially entertaining when they are walking on the ledge of a high-rise building attempting to steal Raffles the chimp. 

"Maybe I shouldn't say this, but you've been complaining ever since we've been up here. If you don't like the way I wheeze and hiccup, why don't you go find your own ledge to stand on?" - Wally Cox

Incidentally, Raffles was making his film debut in this movie and then took a hiatus from Hollywood before returning for one last film in 1975 - an X-rated sex comedy called Sodom and Gomorrah (he needed a better agent). Raffles has such a sweet and expressive face and looks especially cute in the plumber's outfit that Steve dresses him in. 

John Ritter's role is rather small and, as Roger, he does not have any of the charms of Jack Tripper. All of the charisma belongs to Kurt Russell who was a wonderful clean-cut role model for young teenagers. It's no wonder he had such a long career at Walt Disney Studios. Not just any actor can build a convincing rapport with a chimp co-star. 

Also worth mentioning is Heather North, who is adorable as his girlfriend Jen. This lovely girl is best known for voicing Daphne for the Scooby-Doo franchise. Harry Morgan, Alan Hewitt, Hayden Rorke, and Iris Adrian round out the cast on this fun family classic. 

Book Review - "Character People" by Ken D. Jones

Authors Ken D. Jones, Arthur F. McClure and Alfred E. Twomey assembled a nice selection of short bios of some of the lesser-known character actors from Hollywood and British films for "Character People", published by The Citadel Press in 1976. 

Each encyclopedia-style entry includes a photo of the actor followed by a brief biography and a listing of some of their memorable films. McClure and Twomey had previously published "The Versatiles" which covered more of the popular character actors such as Mary Wickes, Charles Coburn, Marjorie Main, etc., so "Character People" was published as a follow-up. 

It's a quick read and a fun book to flip through. You'll find yourself continually saying, "Oh, I know him!" or "So that's her name!" 

Remember this fellow? His name is James Westerfield. In addition to acting, he was also a director of stage productions. On film he usually played policeman. The authors neglected to mention that he was featured in numerous Disney films, again often as a policeman. 

Did you know that William Conrad starred in over five thousand radio shows? He should have been named Mr. Radio. 

Did you know that Henry Kulky became the judo champion of South America in the 1940s? These are just a few of the tidbits Jones, McClure, and Twomey share. Other actors featured in the book include Pert Kelton, Millard Mitchell, Bill Goodwin, Frank Cady, Hayden Rorke, Hope Summers and Bryant Washborne. 

Used copies of "Character People" are available on eBay and through Abebooks.com, but see if your library has it - it's worth a look see! 

Film Albums: David Lloyd Orchestra - Film Hits (1966)

David Lloyd & His London Orchestra wasn't the most popular name in the instrumental field during the mid-century, but this album – Film Hits (1966) – has some great arrangements of popular film themes and it makes one wonder why he didn't become more popular than he was. Admittedly, he had twelve albums released in the decade including two more film theme albums and two spy-themed albums which we'll review later this year. 

This LP (from Polydor) includes popular themes from the mid-1960s including the ever-present "Lara's Theme" (from Doctor Schiwago as it is listed on the cover) and "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper (what, no "More" from Mondo Cane?) but they are arranged in such a unique way that they sound completely new. Lloyd uses a nice mixture of unusual instruments to lead some of these songs, including muted horns and an accordion for both "What's New, Pussycat?" and "Zorba the Greek". 

You can listen to the full album here on Youtube. 

Track Listing

Side One:

Lara's Theme from Doctor Zhivago

The Cincinnati Kid 

The Phoenix Love Theme (The Flight of the Pheonix)

The Shadow of Your Smile 

What's New, Pussycat? 

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 

Zorba, The Greek

Side Two: 

Chim Chim Cheree (Mary Poppins)

Darling 

Girl Talk 

A Shot in the Dark 

Baby, The Rain Must Fall 

The Mechanical Pianos 

Juliet's Theme (From Juliet of the Spirits) 

Top Picks: The Cincinnati Kid, The Pheonix Love Theme, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Chim Chim Cheree