Underrated tribute to 40s screwball comedies and musicals. First rate score, excellent performances, and beautiful period settings. The feature film lighting is also quite remarkable for this time as most TV movies adopted flat TV lighting. Manilow interprets his own material far better than any of the Tonys in the
various stage musical versions that followed in later years. He's sort of a male Barbara Streisand with an underplayed comic edge, versatile acting skills, and a great voice. Too bad musicals were (and still are) dead by 1985. The
showcase number, "Who Needs to Dream" is both the highlight and the biggest
disappointment because it should have been staged better, even on a low
budget. It's reminiscent of Gene Kelly's famous "Singin' In The Rain" but without the rain and painfully static camera shots--cutting back and forth, back and forth between Tony and Lola. Tony (Barry) moves around a bit more toward the end,
but one is left with the impression this was the last scene they shot when they were out of money or time to do it right. The DVD version offers a beautiful transfer but, sadly offers no commentary or extra features.
