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9/10
Jane Powell's first film. W.C. Fields' last film. A tuneful delight!
10 July 2001
Jane Powell's film debut is now forgotten and seems to have disappeared into obscurity--unlike her later MGM technicolored treats. A pity, because this cheerful tale of a teenaged movie star, fed up with her mediocre films and bland girl-next-door image, runs off incognito to join a group of youngsters striving to preserve the fruitions of farming. If that synopsis sounds dated, it certainly is, and who cares?. The plot is a serviceable enough vehicle for an unpretentious, black-and-white, engaging spotlight for a number of first-rate songs (Jane's zesty renditions of the catchy "Rolling Down the Road," "Here it is Monday"; and the underrated Jackie Moran's haunting rendition of the lovely, wistful ballad "Too Much In Love," deserving its Oscar nomination for Best Song). Plus a finale with special appearances by, among others, the Great Man W.C. Fields, absolutely dead-on hilarious in his last film appearance. AMC has the rights to this film and every two years or so, sneaks it quietly into early A.M. slots when they figure no one is watching TV anyway. A pity, because this low-keyed gloriously melodic charmer is first-rate in every department and deserves a long-overdue rescue from obscurity.
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