Gideon58's Reviews

I may be in the minority here, but I loved Dr. T and the Women, mainly because it wasn't what I expected.

Looking at the title and the cast, I expected a smarmy sex comedy about a doctor who is irresistible to all of his patients and is running from exam room to exam room getting his clothes torn off and then I saw that Robert Altman directed it and decided to give it a look.

I found this film to be an intelligent and winning comedy about a doctor who actually loves and respects his female patients as well as the various females in his life. Richard Gere has rarely been more appealing on screen as the doc of the title and he is surrounded by an impressive group of actresses at the top of their game. Helen Hunt plays the golf pro he falls for. Laura Dern is very funny as his alcoholic sister-in-law. Shelley Long has some funny moments as his office manager who harbors a secret crush on her boss. Kate Hudson and Tara Reid play Doctor T's daughters and in a brief but memorable cameo, Farrah Fawcett as Gere's mentally unstable wife who ends up institutionalized.

This film is a little more structured than most of Altman's previous work and doesn't require the usual work necessary to enjoy an Altman film and the straight forward scripting is a big help. I know a lot of people found the ending troubling, but to me it was classic Altman...a little crazy, a little off-center, and leaving questions unanswered...something we Altman fans have come to expect of him.

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I officially fell in love with Johnny Depp and gained a brand new respect for him as an actor after seeing 1990's Edward Scissorhands, the darkest of black comedies, in which Depp plays the creation of a mad scientist (Vincent Price, in his final film role)who, after the death of his creator, is disturbed to learn that his creator did not finish his hands and left his hands as large scissor-like objects who is befriended by a kindly Avon Lady (Dianne Wiest)who takes him home to live with her family.

Director Tim Burton takes the "fish out of water" concept to an all-new level, creating an alternately dark and vibrant cinematic canvas that encompasses some of the most interesting color schemes that I've seen in a film in ages.

A razor sharp screenplay is given yeomen service by Wiest, Winona Ryder as her daughter who Edward develops a crush on, Alan Arkin as Wiest's husband, Anthony Michael Hall as Ryder's boyfriend, and Kathy Baker as an amorous neighbor; however, it is Depp who dominates the proceedings with a devastating, tragic, sweet, brave, and touching performance. There is nary a false note in his performance as Depp plays the stranger in a strange land to perfection. This film was the genesis of the Depp-Burton collaboration that would continue into other films, but it all started here...this magical fantasy journey into the darkest parts of suburbia will thrill, amuse, and entertain.

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Election was a surprise sleeper of 1999 that got by a lot of people during its initial release, myself included. I was more than pleasantly surprised at what a smart and highly original black comedy this was.

Reese Witherspoon gives a razor sharp performance as Tracy Flick, an over achieving high schooler who plans to run for student body president unopposed until a faculty member persuades the captain of the football team to run against her.

To say much more would just give away too many of the delightful twists and turns this story takes. Suffice it to say that the journey is more than worth it in this smart and stylish black comedy that holds surprises at every turn.

Matthew Broderick, in a refreshing change of pace, scores a bullseye as the faculty member, who turns out to have a dark side you don't see coming and Chris Klein makes the most of his role as jock turned politician. Attention must be paid here and if you think you know what's going to happen, you're probably wrong and should just keep watching. A minor classic, stylishly directed by Alexander Payne (SIDEWAYS, ABOUT SCHMIDT), that is worth repeated viewings.

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Admittedly, I have never been a fan of action/adventure films. I don't know why...the genre has never appealed to me that much, so an endorsement from me regarding an action/adventure film is a big thing. And there are few action films that have totally riveted me from start to finish like Face/Off.

This thoroughly original and truly exciting film is one the finest examples of this genre, mounted by proven action genius John Woo, who has become sort of the Sam Peckinpaugh of this generation. The movie centers on a long standing cat-and-mouse game between a veteran FBI agent (John Travolta) and a demented career criminal (Nicolas Cage), who, many years ago, in an attempt to murder Travolta, murdered his son instead. Cage's Castor Troy has planted a bomb somewhere in Los Angeles and is then assumed to be dead.

Travolta's Sean Archer can only learn where the bomb is from Castor's brother and the only way he can get the information from him is to become Castor Troy which involves a highly technical surgical procedure where Troy's face is removed from his comatose body and placed on Travolta's face. However, the story gets ugly when Castor awakens from his coma, has Travolta's face put on himself, and then murders everyone who knows about the plan.

It's such an interesting story that the viewer can't help but become emotionally involved in and what a great acting challenge for these two actors, who, at times, must adapt each other's speech patterns and mannerisms in order to make this ruse work.

Travolta and Cage do some of the best work of their respective careers here, almost to the point that you can forget who is who at what time. Joan Allen, one of the best actresses in the business, offers solid support, as Sean Archer's confused wife, caught in the middle of this deadly game and Gina Gershon makes a strong impression as Troy's girl and mother of his son, but this is Cage and Travolta's show all the way, and with the help of an intelligent screenplay and masterful direction, bring us one of the great action/adventure epics of the last 20 years.

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I must admit to scratching my head at the fact that in this time when Hollywood is all about action and violence and sex and toilet bowl humor that a film like Far From Heaven ever got greenlighted, but I am so glad it did.

This lavishly produced drama reminds me of one of those lush Ross Hunter productions of the 1960's where Lana Turner changed her Edith Head wardrobe every ten minutes and cried her eyes out in the arms of a different man in every scene she did, but this is not a lampoon of those movies...this movie is what those movies should have been.

Julianne Moore gives the performance of her career as Cathy Whitaker, a 1950's housewife who seems to have it all: a successful and handsome husband (Dennis Quaid), two great kids, a beautiful home, social standing in her community, she is even seen being interviewed for a newspaper article at the beginning of the film for her role in community affairs. Cathy is on top of the world but finds herself toppling off when she goes to her husband's office to surprise him when he is supposedly working late and walks in on her husband about to have sex with another man.

The refreshing surprise here is that Frank Whitaker doesn't make excuses like he was drunk or experimenting...he tells Cathy he's had these feelings for a long time and walks out on her. A lonely Cathy then drifts into an innocent friendship with a neighborhood black man (Dennis Haybert), an absolute taboo thing in the 1950's.

This story is so lovingly told and sensitively written that you can't help but get drawn into what's going on and I found myself having to constantly remind myself that this film takes place in the 50's because so many of the attitudes displayed here are so antiquated now but for the 50's they are dead-on.

Moore is luminous as Cathy and Dennis Quaid delivers an equally compelling performance as confused husband Frank. Haysbert brings a nice early Sidney Poitier quality to his role and there is a brief, stylish supporting turn from Patricia Clarkson as Cathy's friend. This film is a masterpiece and a must-see.

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The 1968 musical Finian's Rainbow has definitely grown on me over the years and is now a part of my permanent video collection. This was one of the first directorial assignments for Francis Ford Copolla, who would go on to direct The Godfather.

There are many stories of a troubled production history regarding the film, including many disagreements between star Fred Astaire and the director, as well as a change in choreographers. Fred's long-time choreographer Hermes Pan was originally signed but Copolla wanted more "realistic" choreography (whatever that means) and had him replaced; however, little of this trouble really show on the screen in this delightful musical about an Irishman (Astaire) who steals a crock of gold from a leprechaun (Tommy Steele) and goes to America with his daughter (Petula Clark) to start a new life.

Astaire, Clark, and especially Steele are wonderful and the musical numbers are entertaining and who can beat the Burton Lane-E.Y. Harburg score with songs like "Look to the Rainbow" and "Old Devil Moon". An above average musical and, if possible, try to see it in a theater.

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Finnegan Begin Again was a delightful made for HBO TV movie from 1985 about a lonely advice columnist (Robert Preston in a lovely performance), trapped into caring for his senile wife (Sylvia Sidney) who develops a relationship with a woman (Mary Tyler Moore) who is equally trapped in a dead end affair with a married man (Sam Waterston).

This movie lovingly tells the story of two desperately lonely people, trapped in lives they don't know how to get out of and find solace and friendship in each other. The movie is well-written and directed and the stars, particularly Preston, are just wonderful. I don't know if this one is on DVD but it should be. If you can find it, try to catch this underrated gem.

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Fresno was a television rarity...a multi-part comedic TV miniseries. This near brilliant spoof of nighttime soaps like DALLAS and DYNASTY came right on time in 1986 when those shows were in their heyday.

This laugh out loud miniseries followed the adventures of the Kensington family, the owner of the largest raisin dynasty in Fresno, California. The large and wonderful all-star cast included Carol Burnett, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, Gregory Harrison, Anthony Heald, Bill Paxton, Michael Richards, Theresa Ganzel, Valerie Mahaffey, Melanie Chartoff, Pat Corley (Phil on "Murphy Brown")and despite the presence of all this comic talent, this entire mini series was stolen by Charles Grodin, in a brilliant comic turn as eldest son Cain Kensington. His JR Ewing take-off was perfectly executed comic genius and quite possibly Grodin's finest work on any screen anywhere.

Just an exceptionally funny miniseries that stays fresh and hilarious throughout its extreme length. I used to have FRESNO on tape and lost it during a move. As another poster intimated, I too would gladly pay for a copy of FRESNO on VHS or DVD. If CBS hasn't put it on video it should be. A forgotten classic that is worthy of a second look for those who missed it the first time.

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Barbra Streisand reprised her Oscar-winning role of Fanny Brice in 1975's Funny Lady, a big splashy musical that centers around Fanny at the height of her stardom and her stormy relationship with second husband, Billy Rose (James Caan).

Much has been written about how unnecessary this sequel was and how it wasn't very factual regarding Fanny and Billy's marriage. First of all, Hollywood has always had sequel-itis. Any movie that makes a decent profit at the box office is going to have a sequel sooner or later. Second, as far as accuracy is concerned, does anyone really think Funny Girl stuck to the facts? Funny Girl was about as close to a factual biography of Fanny Brice as a Harlequin romance novel, but people loved it and Barbra won an Oscar.

For what it is, Funny Lady is a very entertaining movie with a charismatic starring performance by Streisand as an older, wiser, and more savvy Fanny who is definitely in charge of her own life now...that is, until Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif, in a gratuitous cameo)briefly re-enters her life.

The film really focuses on Fanny's relationship with Rose, antagonistic at first but it does grow into a relationship based on mutual respect and affection, but not love or passion, which Fanny had with Nick. I love the scene where Billy proposes to Fanny because it's more like a business merger than a marriage proposal. These people are clearly not in love with each other but they are both lonely and need each other so they agree to a marriage they don't really want.

The musical numbers, for the most part, are well-staged if not terribly original. There's a definite "been there done that" feel to some of the numbers. Fanny on stage in an empty theater belting out "How Lucky Can You Get?" reminded me of Fanny on stage in an empty theater belting out "I'm the Greatest Star." And many comparisons have been made to "Let's Hear it from Me" to "Don't Rain on my Parade", except that Fanny takes off in a plane instead of chasing a tugboat. Barbara shines in the "Big Day" production number and her take on two lovely ballads "Isn't this Better?" and "If I Love Again" is memorable. The score effectively combines songs from Fanny's era as well as new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb (CABARET).

Caan is charming as Billy Rose and though this film was only released 7 years after Funny Girl, those years haven't been kind to Sharif. Kudos also to Ben Vereen for his one-show-stopping number, "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie". Not historically accurate or terribly original, but Funny Lady is an entertaining musical with Barbra in top form and her fans will not be disappointed.

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It is the mere presence of the late Anne Bancroft in Garbo Talks that keeps the film from being totally intolerable. This rather silly 1984 comedy is about a dying woman (Bancroft)whose dying wish is to meet Greta Garbo, the actress of whom she has a lifelong obsession and knows everything about. This dying wish sends her son (Ron Silver) on a journey to make this wish come true for his mother.

It's kind of interesting watching Silver do the detective work required to find a recluse like Garbo but it is lovely to see the lengths the guy goes to in order to fulfill his mother's dying wish. Some talented veterans are seen to good advantage in supporting bits including Steven Hill, Howard Da Silva, Hermione Gingold, Adolph Green, Dorothy Loudon, and Richard B. Shull, but it is Bancroft who really makes this film worth watching. I love the scenes of her laying in her bed talking about Garbo's career and sharing intimate details with her son about Garbo's movies and life.

This kind of material would have been maudlin and sappy in the hands of other actresses, but Bancroft makes this material sing and makes this movie worth watching. BTW, that is legendary screenwriter Betty Comden appearing at the end of the movie as Garbo.

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Ghostbusters was a smashing and innovative 1984 comedy that was the perfect blending of clever comedy, eye-popping special effects, and supernatural silliness that was one of the biggest box office smashes of the year and deservedly so.

Three professors doing college research on the supernatural lose their funding and decide to go into business for themselves as paranormal investigators. Bill Murray towers over all with his near perfect comic performance as Dr. Peter Venkman, a sort of wise ass guy who doesn't take this ghostbusting stuff seriously until they start making real money. Dan Aykroyd is a charmer as Ray, "the heart of the Ghostbusters" and Harold Ramis, who would gain greater fame as a director, generates real laughs here as Egon ("I collect spores, moles, and fungus.") Sigourney Weaver makes a refreshingly intelligent damsel in distress and Rick Moranis steals every scene he's in as Weaver's nerdy neighbor who also becomes part of the story as we learn the apartment building where Weaver and Moranis live is on top of some ancient burial ground.

Annie Potts also scores as the guys' secretary and William Atherton is funny as an EPA exec out to ruin the Ghostbusters. But it is mostly Murray's beautifully flippant performance laid against some awesome (for 1984) special effects that made this movie work. It even has a very catchy title tune that became a top ten smash for Ray Parker, Jr. An instant comedy classic and deservedly so.

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1978'S Grease is the nearly perfect screen adaptation of the 1971 Broadway musical with a score by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical centers around the romance between a cheerleader/exchange student named Sandy (Olivia Newton-John)and a hood named Danny (John Travolta).

Travolta and Newton-John are charming leads but the film is practically stolen by Stockard Channing, in her knockout performance as Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies and Danny's ex. Mention should also be made of Jeff Conaway as Kenickie,inah Manoff as Marty, Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Sid Ceasar as Coach Calhoun, and Edd "Cookie" Byrnes as Vince Fontaine

The musical has been "cleaned up" for the big screen (the Broadway show was WAY raunchier) with energetic direction by Randal Kleiser and imaginative staging of the musical numbers by the stage show's choreographer Patricia Birch. Musical highlights include "Summer Nights" Danny and Sandy's duet on how they met. "Greased Lightning", "Beauty School Dropout", a very funny fantasy number led by Frankie Avalon,"Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee", "Born to Hand Jive", and Channing's solo "There are Worse Things I Could do".

As is the case with most Broadway to Movie Transitions, songs were cut and added. Some of the songs cut from the play can be heard as background music if you listen and "Grease", "You're the One that I Want", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and "Sandy" were written especially for the movie.

For many years, this film held the record as biggest moneymaking musical film ever and the validation is up there on the screen. It's a little corny and predictable, but you can't help but get caught up. "Grease is the word have you heard have you heard it's got mood it's got feelin...grease is the time is the place is the motion...grease is the way we are feelin.

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The 1999 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Fosse, came to television brilliantly intact in 2001 with most of the original cast and a couple of sterling star turns.

This bold and brassy tribute to arguably Broadway's greatest director/choreographer, Bob Fosse, this musical, directed and choreographed by Fosse mentor and girlfriend Ann Reinking, lovingly recreates some of the most classic Fosse routines that we Fosse fans have come to adore and revel in over the years.

The TV version features Ben Vereen and Reinking on stage as well as some of Fosse's best known (and least known) work comes vividly to life again. Honestly, there are moments where you miss the original performers of these numbers, but this young and nubile cast is willing and energetic and give these classic routines fresh life.

For me, the highlights were "Big Spender" from SWEET CHARITY (featuring Reinking), "I Wanna Be a Dancin Man" from DANCIN, "Steam Heat" from THE PAJAMA GAME, "Rich Man's Frug", also from CHARITY, "Nowadays" from CHICAGO, and two numbers from the 1973 TV special LIZA WITH A Z: "Bye bye Blackbird" and "I Gotcha". Just about all of Fosse's work is touched on here, with the possible exception of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, but it is a monumental mounting of Fosse's best work and if you're a fan of the dance in general and of Fosse in particular, this is a must.

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I remember seeing Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? when I was a kid and being very impressed by what I was told was a groundbreaking film about race relations. But as the years have passed, the strength of this film is not as solid as I once thought.

This movie brings up a lot of interesting questions but instead of thoughtfully exploring these questions, the movie looks for quick fixes and easy answers that you would normally find in 22 minutes of situation comedy.

For instance, Matt and Christina Drayton (Tracy and Hepburn)are forced to come to immediate conclusions about their daughter marrying a black man because the couple are planning to leave the country. I wonder if their feelings would have been the same without the time constraint. I think screenwriter William Rose also made the story easy by making Sidney Poitier's character a wealthy, widowed doctor with a million degrees doing groundbreaking research. I wondered what this movie would have been like if Katharine Houghton had brought home a drug dealing pimp instead of an important doctor.



But the film is still worth seeing if for no other reason to watch the screen's most divine screen team, in their final film together. Tracy commands the screen whenever he is on it, but Hepburn has her moments too. My favorite Hepburn moment is when her assistant from the gallery, played by Virginia Christine ("Mrs. Olsen" from the Folgers commercials)makes veiled racial remarks about John and Joey and Christina calmly and very politely fires her. It's classic Hepburn and that scene is worth the price of admission alone. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?is definitely showing its age, but the still stylish and intelligent presence of Tracy and Hepburn still makes it worth watching.

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The 1962 screen version of Gypsy was a lavishly mounted version of the musical that made a stage legend out of Ethel Merman playing Mama Rose, the stage mother to end all stage mothers, whose lust for fame is vicariously sought after through her daughters, June and Louise, who both find different routes of escape from their mother's iron fist.

Rosalind Russell is energetic in the role of Mama Rose but what I always remember about this movie is the wonderful performance by Natalie Wood as Louise/Gypsy.


Wood was apparently very nervous about doing this film after having her singing dubbed in WEST SIDE STORYand doing her own singing here, but that didn't bother me at all. She makes Louise warm and vulnerable and her transformation into Gypsy Rose Lee is totally believable. I love when Louise sings "Little Lamb" and I also love when she gets dressed for her first big striptease as Gypsy and she sees herself in the mirror and says, "I'm pretty Mama, I'm a pretty girl." I also love a little later when she tells Rose off, telling her that she must let go of her. "I'm Gypsy Rose Lee...and I love her!" Karl Malden is solid as Herbie, Rose's long suffering love who can no longer dance to Rose's tune.


The now iconic score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim includes showstoppers like "Some People", "Let Me Entertain You", "Small World", "You'll Never Get Away From Me", "If Momma was Married", "All I Need is the Girl", "Everything's Coming up Roses", and "Rose's Turn".

The musical numbers are well-staged, especially Gypsy's rise to fame stripper sequence. I've seen better Roses on stage and film (Angela Lansbury, Bette Midler), but Wood is and always will be my favorite Louise and this film is worth seeing for her performance alone.

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The 1979 film musical of Hair was loosely based on the infamous 1960's Broadway musical that became famous because of its infamous nude scene. The stage musical isn't really much more than a group of skits strung together with some amusing musical numbers; however for the film director Milos Foreman (who won an Oscar for directing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and the writers have taken the basic premise of the play and the score and constructed a real story to make the show more "user friendly" for the big screen.

In the film, naive farm boy Claude Hooper Buchowski (John Savage) is about to go into the army and decides to spend a couple of days in New York where he meets a group of aging hippies (Treat Williams, Dorsey Wright, Annie Golden, Don Dacus)who get him involved in a group of nutty misadventures, including the pursuit of a snooty society girl (Beverly D'Angelo).

The story divides into a series of vignettes that range from the ridiculous to the sublime, but it is all gorgeously photographed with a clever use of NYC locations and imaginatively staged musical numbers (outstandingly choreographed by the legendary Twyla Tharp).

Treat Williams lights up the screen as Berger, the unconventional and free-spirited hippie who does his best to get Claude to loosen up and is matched scene for scene by Savage as Claude, who brings a lovely sweetness to the role of Claude. Annie Golden is a charmer as Jeannie, the pregnant hippie who is pregnant by Wright or Dacus, doesn't know which one is the father and doesn't seem to care.

There is one outstanding musical number after another here..."Aquarius" is a tour through Central Park which includes dancing horses...Treat Williams disrupts a fancy dinner party in "I Got Life"..."Black Boys/White Boys" features the late Nell Carter and Ellen Foley extolling the ethnic virtues of men and "Easy to be Hard" is a powerful rendering of one of the best songs in the show by original cast member Cheryl Barnes, who plays Wright's ex-girlfriend and mother of his child.

This is a beautifully photographed, well-acted, sung, and danced psychedelic acid trip of a movie that must be seen and once seen, will initiate multiple viewings as this dazzler has too much to offer to catch it all in one showing.

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High Society was an entertaining and frothy musical version of the 1940 classic The Philadelphia Story, which ironically won an Oscar for Original Screenplay since it was based on another film. Grace Kelly made her final film appearance here as Tracy Lord, the spoiled Newport heiress torn between her current fiancée (John Lund), her songwriter ex-husband, Dexter (Bing Crosby) and a reporter (Frank Sinatra) sent to her home to cover her wedding.

Crosby, Kelly, and Sinatra light up the screen here, making the most of their roles here. Crosby and Sinatra have a classic duet called "Well, did you evah" and Sinatra croons "You're Sensational" to Kelly in a way that's guaranteed to melt your heart. Other songs written by Cole Porter for the film include "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?", "I Love You Samantha", "Now You Has Jazz" and "True Love", which received an Oscar nomination for Best Song.

There is also a solid supporting turn from Celeste Holm as Liz Imbrie, Sinatra's photographer who also harbors a secret crush on him and Louis Calhern is very amusing as Kelly's Uncle Willie, a classic dirty old man. Some of the bite is missing from the original 1940 film, but this is an entertaining musical nonetheless, worth watching for the luminous performances by the three leads.

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Hotel was the 1967 all star soap opera based on the novel by Arthur Hailey revolving around the goings-on at an old, yet elegant New Orleans hotel called the Saint Gregory.

Basically, this is just a grounded version of Hailey's later Airport, only not quite as interesting, but pleasant to look at with a competent enough cast. Rod Taylor plays Peter McDermott, the hard-nosed, but compassionate manager of the hotel. Melvyn Douglas plays Warren Trent, the owner of the hotel, trying to conceal his concern about a possible buyout from Kevin McCarthy as O'Keefe, who arrives with his mistress (the plastic Catherine Spaak), who falls in love with McDermott in about five minutes. Michael Rennie and a still gorgeous Merle Oberon play a Duke and Duchess staying in the hotel who are concealing an accident they were involved in and are being blackmailed by house detective Richard Conte and Karl Malden is amusing as Keycase, a thief and conman working the hotel. OK, it's not Grand Hotel...it's not even Airport...but there are worse ways to spend two hours. Decades later, it was the basis for a television series.

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House Calls was an amusing 1978 comedy about a widowed doctor (Walter Matthau) who now wants to play the field but can't help but be drawn to a patient of his (Glenda Jackson) who refuses to be just another notch on his bedpost. Matthau likes the woman but does not really want to make the commitment that she insists upon so he agrees to date her exclusively for two weeks and then make a decision as to whether or not he wants to commit; however, other complications make it difficult for Matthau to make a decision when the two weeks are up, even though he is clearly in love with the woman.

Matthau and Jackson have surprisingly effective chemistry as a screen couple and are given strong support from Richard Benjamin, Candice Azzara, Dick O'Neill, and especially Art Carney as the inept and senile Chief of Staff at the hospital where Matthau is employed. Matthau even has a brief scene with his real-life son, Charlie, who appears as Jackson's son. This engaging comedy still holds up pretty well after all these years.

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How to Marry a Millionaire is a sparkling 1953 comedy about three single gals who rent an elegant Manhattan penthouse apartment as a lair in order to snare rich husbands (and they have given themselves a one-year time limit in which to do it).

Lauren Bacall is smart and stylish as Schatze Page, the brains of the trio who organizes the whole scheme and finds herself torn between an older rich guy (William Powell, in his usually classy turn) and another guy (Cameron Mitchell) who she thinks is a "gas pump jockey." Marilyn Monroe shines as Pola Debovoise, a flighty but vain beauty who won't let any man know that she wears glasses and therefore bumps into furniture a lot. Betty Grable plays Loco Demsey, a dim-witted model who has a knack for meeting men at the grocery store. David Wayne is amusing as Monroe's near-sighted boyfriend and Rory Calhoun has definite hunk appeal as the eventual object of Grable's affections.

But the real fun of the film is watching these three female superstars on screen together. Monroe was often quoted as saying she stole her acting techniques from Grable and if you watch the two of them acting together, you can see that it's true. Monroe is absolutely breathtaking in this film, when she's onscreen I can't take my eyes off of her. They don't make 'em like this anymore and with Grable and Monroe both gone, this is a classic to be cherished and enjoyed during several repeated viewings. .

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