It's Always Fair Weather

[Suzy-Q]

I'm glad the final podcast talked about It's Always Fair Weather. It's a film I haven't seen before, so it was refreshing to view it. There were some clever bits and a great early takeoff on television. Dan Dailey, to me, stole the show, entertainment-wise! (I'm going to go back and rewatch that number.) Feels very relevant to the present.

One of the great reasons for taking this course is to be introduced to movies that have been ignored for years.

[Wendyb]

How about Gene Kelly's dance on roller skates?  Amazing!  One of my favorite routines of his.

[Suzy-Q]

Here are some treats from that film:

1. Kelly tap dance wearing roller skates

2. A routine with garbage can lids

3. Dan Dailey's fantastic number getting drunk at a corporate cocktail party "Situation Wise"

4. Cyd's "Baby You Knock Me Out" at the gym with the boxers

5. A rare co-starring role for Michael Kidd

[Whipsnade]

I have to admit that I previously disliked this film. I think it was an issue with my mood when I had first seen it. I remembered the story as kind of a downer and I dreaded watching it for this course. The story still doesn't really grab me, but the dance numbers and songs are great. They more than make up for the narrative shortcomings. It is a reminder for me to not judge a movie on a single viewing. My first impression was negative, and I never re-evaluated it until now.

[Marianne]

Just saw It's Always Fair Weather again on DVD and enjoyed it immensely. I recommend the DVD featurette "It's Always Fair Weather: Going out on a High Note," too. Not sure why people think the film is such a downer, but I guess it doesn't have as much humor as some of Kelly's earlier musicals.

What struck me this time is the television show Midnight with Madeline. It reminded me of the television show featured in It Should Happen to You, starring Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon. The studios did their best to ridicule reality television (yes, it existed in the 1950s, it seems), but they couldn't stop audiences from turning to television.

[Emil]

There is a variety of good shows to be seen on television yet the MSM is such trash. If It's Always Fair Weather was  made these days the target would be social media. The movie ages well anyway.

The story is good but it drags at points. This isn't such a big deal as this is typical for many movies of the era. Of course, I like the musicals numbers the best.  Cyd's "Baby, You Knock Me Out" is very good, but Dolores Gray's fiendish "Thanks A Lot But No Thanks" is sensational. These "girl power-esque" numbers are way ahead of their time I think. 

 

[Princess of Tap]

12 minutes ago, Emil said:

There is a variety of good shows to be seen on television yet the MSM is such trash. If It's Always Fair Weather was  made these days the target would be social media. The movie ages well anyway.

The story is good but it drags at points. This isn't such a big deal as this is typical for many movies of the era. Of course, I like the musicals numbers the best.  Cyd's "Baby, You Knock Me Out" is very good, but Dolores Gray's fiendish "Thanks A Lot But No Thanks" is sensational. These "girl power-esque" numbers are way ahead of their time I think. 

 

The movie was a failure when it came out because it attacked the very thing that the public was in love with-- what you would call today classic TV.

 Superficially it was attacking TV but fundamentally it was attacking the crass materialism of the American society.

And you're right that has not changed today-- if anything materialism, along with its euphemism, commercialism, has completely overtaken the country.

Capitalism is King no matter what kind of media you've got.