Movie Review: Let's Dance (1950)

Hello!
Today happens to be the second day in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Blogathon!

This is hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and Love Letters to Old Hollywood!

To celebrate this, I am reviewing Let's Dance (1950). I have to say, one of elements of this movie I have seen before and it is not my favorite. This movie is also very cringy and cheesy, but despite all those things, I found myself laughing out loud more than I would have thought. Overall, I enjoyed it.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.


Let's Dance (1950):

In order to escape a life that is overbearing and gloomy, a widow runs away with her son to New York. There she finds an old time friend who helps her get a job, but the boy's great-grandmother insists that he be brought up with her.

Genre: Musical

Length: approx. 110 minutes.
Costumes: 7, some were a little too short or low, but I really like the others.
Costumes by: Edith Head.

Script: 10, no bad words that I recall.
Crew:
Directed by: Norman Z. McLeod
Produced by: Robert Fellows
Written by: Allan Scott
Based on: Little Boy Blue - by Maurice Zolotow
Starring:
Fred Astaire as Donald Elwood

Betty Hutton as Kitty McNeil

Ruth Warrick as Carola Everett
Lucile Watson as Serena Everett
Gregory Moffett as Richard Everett
Roland Young as Edmund Pohlwhistle
Harold Huber as Marcel
Barton MacLane as Larry Channock
Shepperd Strudwick as Timothy Bryant
Melville Cooper as Charles Wagstaffe
George Zucco as Judge Mackenzie
Peggy Badley as Bubbles Malone
Virginia Toland as Elsie
Cinematography: 9, the dance scenes are really great!

Cinematography by: George Barnes
Music: 8, during the Jack and the Bean stock scene, I was laughing the whole time. It was great.
Music by: Robert Emmett Dolan
Quotes: 9.
Storyline: 7, there is death, smoking, drinking, suggestive things, and that one element I mentioned about.
Good For: whoever needs a laugh.

Overall Score: 7.5.

Thank you so much for hosting this, Crystal!

MovieCritic

P.S. I thought I had published this. Turns out I didn't. Sorry about that!!!!!!

Two Years Ago ~ Movies Meet Their Match

Hello everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is utter craziness. On July 19th, 2016 it happened. I cannot believe two years have passed since I set up that crazy blue movie blog (later my sister made me change to background to something more movie like). I won't tell you the story of how it happened, because you probably already know. If not, read my post from last year.

*sigh*

But, you can't have a post from me without a story. Here is something I do not think I told you.
I set up my blog, and made a quick post (I had to link it, but please don't read it... it's pretty bad...) then I turned my computer off. I quickly turned it back on to see if I had any views. (Like I would have a change after five minutes. Not.) Seeing nothing I turned it off. I got my sisters and showed my unprofessional blog off to them. Turned it off. A few minutes later the lights in the house went off. We had a power outage for three hours. (Just to clarify, it was not my fault.) But I had just set up this blog and had tons of ideas and I couldn't do anything! Luckily my family and I had an awesome picnic.

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

Stats:
38 followers (wow, so far 19 a year! Love it!) Thank you so much for supporting this little blog. I really appreciate it!
16,076 page views all time. (!!!! I cannot believe this!!!!!)
181 posts (182 counting this one!)
Most popular post: Imaginary Review: a later Wizard Of Oz (1941) [why this one?]
Comments: I have lost count.... Blogger has lost count.... everyone has....
Viewed by:
United States - 8672
Russia - 1997
France - 725
Netherlands - 503
Ukraine - 476
Canada - 385
Germany - 304
China - 169
Portugal - 162
Philippines - 111

That's a lot!

Changes:
Since the start, things have definitely changed in my reviewing process. Let's take a look:
(Black is what I originally said, changes last year are in green, and changes this year are in blue.)

MOVIE EXAMPLE: Everything is either 1-10. 10 is the best.

Disclaimer

Some kind of movie.

(I also might have some history on the movie or book.) The movie plot.

Genre:

Length:

Costumes: 6

My favorite:

Script: 4

Crew:

Directed by:

Produced by:

Written by:

Actors: (Starring:) 9
Cinematography:
Cinematography by:

Music:

Music by:

(If I think there could be better actors I will put them here.)

Good Quotes: "And I keyn't stan' 'em." (Sorry, I couldn't find any other way to get the accent right.)

Notes:

Storyline: 2 ( I really like it to be original or if they are doing something based on a book, I will rate it on how close to the book it is.)

Good For:

Overall Score:

And for books pretty much the same but with:

BOOK EXAMPLE: 1-10. 10 is the best.

Disclaimer

Book name.

Plot

Genre:

Characters: 7

(I will probably list my favorite)

Words: 3

(I like authors who use lots of words.)

Quotes:

Storyline: 9

(This is completely based on how I liked it. Tell me your opinion too!)

Good For:

Overall Score:

Pretty much the same.

I'm so happy I could dance around the room!

About Moi ~ currently:

I am (re-)reading:

Anne of Green Gables - by L. M. Montgomery

I am watching:

As it is #CleanMovieMonth, movies from 1934-1954. (Well, I'm trying anyway.)

Top 5 Favorite books:

Anne of Green Gables - by L. M. Montgomery
Holes - by Louis Sachar
Pride & Prejudice - by Jane Austen
The Hobbit - by J. R. R. Tolkien
Pax - by Sara Pennypacker

Top 5 Favorite movies:
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
STAR WARS IV: A New Hope (1977)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Son of Monte Cristo (1941)
Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Well, I think that is about it. Just to let you know, my sister randomly chose Meet Me in St. Louis and An American in Paris for the images.

Ta-ta! That's all folks!

Thank you so much for reading! (For two years!)

MovieCritic

July is #CleanMovieMonth: hosted by PEPS

Hello!

I know that we are already 12 days into July, but I am just popping in shortly to tell you all about:

July is #CleanMovieMonth! 

This event is hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS)!

The idea:
From 1934-1954 the Motion Picture Production Code was in place. We want to bring it back! So, all of July you want to watch only (or the majority) of movies from this era.

To get all the details, please go check out PEPS post.

I am going to try to do this. I have already watched a few that were not in that era, but from now on (sorry... I can't stop the song ques...) in July I will watch only movies from 1934-1954.

What about you? Will you try to watch one or two movies that were made while the Code was in place?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Santa Fe Trail (1940)

Hello everyone!
Do you know what happened on Sunday? The amazing Olivia de Havilland turned 102!!!! Isn't that incredible!? Because of her I am participating in a blogathon hosted by In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood and Phyllis Loves Classic Movies!

In her honor, I will be reviewing a movie (okay, that was obvious.). I watched this specially for this blogathon, and I have some mixed emotions...

Let's get to it!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.

Santa Fe Trail (1940):

"There is no other fort between us and Santa Fe."
Some West Point graduates get into trouble and are sent down to Kansas to help settle things so the construction of the railroad to Santa Fe can continue. One of the soldiers, Bob Holliday, is happy because that is where he is from. His sister, Kit Carson, catches the eyes of two of the soldiers who playfully see who can win her. But the abolitionist John Brown is on the move and no one is sure of what the right thing to do is.
"I've given you fair warning, you can keep your heads or lose them, as you wish."

Genre: Period Drama, Romance, Adventure, Biography.
Length: approx. 110 minutes.
Costumes: 9, nothing bad and we have some great period pieces!

My favorite is the one in the middle.

Script: 8.
'"Wait a minute, they out number us three to one!"
"If it makes you nervous, don't count them."'
Crew:
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Produced by: Hal B. Wallis
Written by: Robert Buckner
Starring:
Errol Flynn as J. E. B. "Jeb" Stuart. "I intend to be a masked man."

Olivia de Havilland as Kit Carson Holliday.

'"I thought two years in Boston would make a lady out of you."

"So did I, it just popped out."'

Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer (first Ronald Reagan movie I've seen!).
Raymond Massey as John Brown.

Van Heflin as Carl Rader.

Alan Hale as Tex Bell.
Guinn Williams as Windy Brody.
Gene Reynolds as Jason Brown.

Henry O'Neill as Cyrus K. Holliday.
William Lundigan as Bob Holliday.
Alan Baxter as Oliver Brown.
Cinematography: 7, nothing spectacular.

Cinematography by: Sol Polito
Music: 7, nothing spectacular.
Music by: Max Steiner
Notes: I am always surprised at the depth of the movies Miss de Havilland was in. You think, "Oh, just Olivia de Havilland movie." You think it will just be a light watch (At least that is what I think).
Mais no.
"God doesn't tell people to kill one another."
There is a deeper meaning, something that leaves you thinking. This movie is no different, it is deals with a really big subject. This movie is set pre-Civil War. All the characters are trying to figure how to work with the tricky subject of slavery. Some make rash actions, some mock others, some sit and think. Because we don't have slavery anymore it is hard to think that it could have been a hard decision, but this movie shows it was.
"What does pride got to do with human lives?"

Quotes: 9. "This was something a lot bigger than myself."

Storyline: 6, There is death, fighting, smoking, drinking, and slavery.
"I'll take that bet."

Overall Score: 7.



Big thank you to Crystal and Laura for hosting this! Please go check out the other entries!

MovieCritic