One of the most delightful musicals of the 1940s, THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE has fallen into undeserved obscurity. Its 'problem' (such as it is) is that it's an ensemble film that does not feature stars that have huge a huge fan base like Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly, and that it was made by 20th Century-Fox, a studio whose musicals are often unfairly dismissed (let's face it - any studio that ISN'T the great MGM tends to gets its musicals dismissed). But from start to finish, it's irresistible, blessed by attractive performers who each get a chance to shine, Fox's lush Technicolor, a snappy script and overall good-natured cheer that never gets cloying or soggy. The plot (three sisters who fall into a small inheritance set out to trap wealthy husbands) was so popular that it was remade with slight variations over the decades, from THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR THEM (1932), THREE BLIND MICE (1938), MOON OVER MIAMI (1941), the film under discussion, and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE (1953). Made just five years after MOON OVER MIAMI (Set in swank Art Deco Miami with Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood, Don Ameche, Robert Cummings and Jack Haley), THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE re-set the action in Atlantic City and Maryland in 1902. Musicals set in the 'Belle-Epoque' period were very popular in the 1940s, though the majority of them seem rather leaden today - THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE is a refreshing, brisk exception. Its stars were June Haver, fresh from a hit with THE DOLLY SISTERS the previous year, Vivian Blaine (her last film at Fox) and the delightful dancer Vera-Ellen (On loan to Fox from Sam Goldwyn). For the male stars, originally Victor Mature and Caesar Romero were signed, but after several weeks of shooting under director John Braham, they were replaced by George Montgomery and Frank Latimore (While Braham was replaced by H. Bruce Humberstone). Other members of the cast were Charles Smith (inexplicably uncredited!) and in her first film, Celeste Holm, who although she only makes her first appearance late in the proceedings, nearly tucks the film under her shapely arms and runs off with it as the saucy, man-hungry Cousin Miriam. The score by Mack Gordon and Joseph Myrow is bright and tuneful (unusually for a Fox musical, they mostly advance the story and are not presented 'on stage') with "You Make Me Feel So Young" (sung and danced by Vera-Ellen & Charles Smith) "On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City" "A Farmers Life is a Very Merry Life", "Always a Lady" (written for Holm in the manner of her OKLAHOMA! hit, "I Caint Say No") and "Somewhere in the Night", a dreamy ballad for Vivian Blaine being the highlights. Producer Mack Gordon borrowed his former Fox colleage Harry Warren from MGM to contribute "This Is Always" (for Haver and Montgomery), and while unusually, Warren and the song are mentioned on both the film's opening credits and the posters, the song itself was cut from the film. Thankfully, the soundtrack exists, and hopefully the picture does too. Hopefully Fox will eventually restore the film with the number put back in!
