Easter Parade (1948)

There's an incredible backstory behind Easter Parade. Fred Astaire had announced his retirement from movies, and Gene Kelly was attached to the new Judy Garland musical set at Eastertime. Then, Gene experienced every dancer's nightmare and broke his leg. He called Fred up and asked if he'd take his place. And now we have Easter Parade!Now that you know Gene Kelly was supposed to play the lead, it's understandable that he was supposed to sing the seductive "It Only Happens When I Dance with You" to Ann Miller. How would Fred Astaire handle it? He's not usually marketed as having much sex appeal. Well, move over Gene Kelly; Fred's just fine. In fact, although there are plenty of great numbers in Easter Parade, that one's my favorite because of the different tone Fred takes with himself.There are quite a few famous songs from this movie, most notably the performance Fred and Judy give dressed like bums: "A Couple of Swells". Peter Lawford plays the other man in both love triangles-although who would ever pick him over Fred Astaire?-and he gets to sing the cute "A Fella with an Umbrella" when he meets Judy Garland. "Steppin' Out with My Baby" is another performance on the stage-Fred's character is a performer looking for a new partner-that utilizes groundbreaking camerawork that's still fantastic to watch. Fred dances in slow motion while the chorus girls behind him move in regular time, and the layered look is jaw-droppingly innovative for 1948.I've praised several of Irving Berlin's songs from the movie, but they're not all fantastic. "I was born in Michigan, and I wish and wish again. . ." is a lyric from one of the silly songs Judy has to sing. So, while there will be a few scenes that will make you cringe and leave the room for more popcorn, most of the movie is pretty fun to watch. I own a copy, and we watch it every few years on Easter when we want a break from our usual Ben-Hur. I always like Fred Astaire's movies, so it has to be really stinky for me to not recommend it. I mean, who else but Fred can walk into a toy store and turn the toys into a dance number? Watch his dance "Drum Crazy" in Easter Parade and ask him through the television why he bothered trying to retire.

First, a personal note: While I had watched this previously on an independent TV station in Jacksonville, FL, during the '90s, I had a little child visitor at the time who wanted to play some games while the movie was running so I obliged him and missed some of the movie as a result. I had recently watched this on one DVD bought by my father years ago but that pixilated during Ann Miller's number "Shakin' the Blues Away" so I managed to see the rest from another one I borrowed from the library a few days ago. Okay, so when Fred Astaire retired after completing Irving Berlin's Blue Skies in 1946, he was going to keep busy raising horses and building his dance studios around the country. But only two years later, he seemed to want to come back and got an opportunity quicker than expected when Gene Kelly injured his ankle in an off-screen game and told Fred he'd be doing him a favor in agreeing to replace him. So Fred did and in doing so was not only reunited with the songs of Berlin but also got to team with Judy Garland for what turned to be the only time in their careers. Also, Ann Miller-after years of being in Columbia B-features-also got to appear in an M-G-M movie for her first time in her life! So with those three cast, it's no wonder this was such an enjoyable picture to watch, musical-wise! The plot, well, it's another in the dance man-loses-one-partner-gains-another-one done many times before. What matters is how great many of the numbers are like Asaire's "Drum Crazy" with the way he uses his feet on those things! Or Miller's number I mentioned earlier. And how about Fred and Judy's hilarious comic number "We're a Couple of Swells" with their being dressed as bums pretending to be rich aristocrats! Also, Astaire's "Steppin' Out with my Baby" with his slow-motion sequence was another highlight! Had Garland's "Mr. Monotony" also been kept in (Great outtake was eventually publicly shown in That's Entertainment, Part III) it would have been even better! Oh, and Peter Lawford wasn't bad with "A Fella with an Umbrella", either. So on that note, I highly recommend Easter Parade. P.S. In once again making note of people associated with my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-with other things, here, it's screenwriters Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett who wrote that and this one.

Sporting lush costumes and tons of flowers, and as a throwback to early twentieth century living, this film gushes frilly, Victorian styles and traditions including, of course, the Easter parade down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. In 1912 this was the time and place for women to show off their ornate, frilly hats, displayed here in probably the widest variety, in any movie ever.Though Easter finery bookends the film's plot, very little of the story has to do with Easter. We get something of a romance-career mix, led by Don (Fred Astaire) as a professional dancer, and Hannah (Judy Garland), a two-bit chorus girl that Don tries to fashion into a replacement for stylish Nadine (Ann Miller) who dumps Don for a lucrative solo dancing career. But the plot, such as it is, is not well written, and the main characters are not entirely sympathetic.There is at least some humor, especially when Hannah, as Juanita, tries too hard to be sophisticated when she "dances" on-stage with Don, in a gown that sheds feathers. Playing it straight, long-legged dancer Ann Miller dazzles in a couple of numbers.The thin, choppy plot is one problem, but so too are the plethora of mediocre songs that intrude into the plot. And though the song "Easter Parade" is quite melodic, the film doesn't do much with it at the end, which seemed blatantly curt. In other musicals, the entire film builds up to some grand finale musical number, but not here. And that was a disappointment.Stylish for its era and supremely colorful, "Easter Parade" revs up the nostalgia for a bygone era, but in so doing comes across as quaint and dated to a modern audience. Still, it's worth at least a one-time viewing as an example of a lush MGM movie musical.

Since some old films have begun to be broadcast on HD channels I feel I have been spoilt. It's true that some look no better but others, particularly old Technicolor films look terrific. I started to watch this on TV and very nearly switched off because it wasn't on an HD channel. I was disappointed by the quality of the print. However, the sheer joy of seeing Fred Astaire move kept me viewing. As another reviewer has noted - just to see the way he walks is a lesson in elegance.I was also struck watching this by how good Judy Garland is as an actress. We all know about her difficulties off screen but when she commits to her scenes she is always impossible to take you eyes off.It's true that he story is slight and the whole things is held together by string and sealing wax but who cares with singing and dancing of this calibre? I still look forward to seeing an even better print though.By the way did anyone else see a foreshadowing of James Stewart and Kim Novak in Vertigo in the early part of the film or is just me?