The Girl Next Door (1953)

Entertaining Dan Dailey and June Haver film. It's the story of a boy affected by his widower father's attachment to the woman who has moved next door.The singing, dancing and cartoon like sequence scenes are an absolute joy to watch.Dennis Day is wonderful here in a supporting role along with a very young looking Cara Williams.The story moves along at a rapid pace and is well done with the music adding so much to the story.Look for a stodgy Clifford Sunberg as a butler.

this is pure musical,with virtually no story,but it's actually pretty fun.there are some pretty entertaining songs and dance numbers.some of the songs,though,i felt were a bit overdone.if you're not in to musicals,you might want to skip this one.if you're a musical fan,you might like it.the characters are all very likable,and the movie is all ages appropriate.there's nothing offensive at all.it moves along at a good pace.you might feel satisfied while watching.the only thing is,i don't feel it was that memorable.after it's over you'll probably forget about it pretty quickly.but it is entertaining while watching,so i'll give The Girl Next Door a 6/10

GIRL NEXT DOOR is not your typical Fox musical. It's well done for what it is, but a little strange in that it includes a couple of animated scenes. Also a "dream ballet" ala OKLAHOMA!. The songs are unmemerable and the nightclub number in which June Haver and later Dan Dailey take part is like...unreal. How could all that scenery and visuals take place on a nightclub stage. Oh, I forgot..This is a musical. More like a musical fantasy in many ways. The one standout number has no dancing. Dan Dailey and Billy Gray as father and son sing a ditty while doing the dishes. They juggle and handle the dishware and silverware very cleverly. Don't know how many takes it took to do it, but it's a highlight of the movie and that bit alone is worth watching the film. Watch for the underused and underrated Cara Williams. A delight. Dennis Day, less so! Too bad this was Havers last film, as she had talent, although why her voice was dubbed after doing many earlier musicals is a mystery.

This obscure film was a treat for me, a classic film buff; it's a rare musical from Hollywood's golden age that's I've never seen nor even heard of. The Girl Next Door is not only very well made and entertaining, but in 1951 this was cutting edge both in story and in the way it's musical numbers are staged.Plotwise, it's a mild domestic drama, coupled with a conventional romance. Innovative is that the story portrays a warm, friendship-based father-son relationship which functions very well without a mother or other woman being around. When the father falls for the professional singer-dancer woman next door, the son is resentful.The dance numbers are not only well staged and performed, but refreshingly creative. The standout is a film-noirish number, shot with highly stylized camera angles, stark lighting, highly effective use of contrasting colors, and slinky jazz dance moves. The capper is that the number is supposed to be a nightclub performance with Dan Daily in the audience; mid-number, he imagines himself into the number, first as a shadow and then as the primary male dancer (a la "The Purple Rose of Cairo", decades later). The film's opening is remarkable for it's time; credits are superimposed (very unusual for the time) on the first of a three song extended musical number which immediately set's up the story and gives us a lot of information about June Haver's character.Dan Daily is likable, charming, masculine, believable, as well as being a good enough dancer and singer. June Haver is sexy in a very wholesome way, has a great body, moves well, but is somewhat bland in the personality-acting department. Her singing is dubbed. The only weakness in the film are that Denis Day is barely mediocre as a comic second banana, though his singing is beautiful, if you like old fashioned Irish tenor vocalizing. Cara Williams is radiant and sassy in the typical role of wisecracking friend of the heroine, but she's given little screen time and the zingers she's given to say are bland. Otherwise the dialog is far above the norm for musicals of it's era.The DVD includes 3 documentary featurettes; 2 are very informative and well done, one is about the film and the other about Dan Daily. The third is about Billy Gray (Bud of "Father Knows Best"), it's hampered by not having any footage from non-Fox films he made, nor from the classic TV show.