starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Peter Lawford, and Anne Murray
screenplay by Sidney Sheldon, Frances Goodrich, and Albert Hackettdirected by Charles Waters
"In your Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it, You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter parade.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter parade."
Easter Parade is a stereotypical 1940s musical if there ever was one. It's got your dance sequences that are only there to show that Fred Astaire can dance. It's got your typical scene where they showcase "elegant fashion" simply for no other reason than to showcase "elegant fashion" (Lord knows, it has nothing to do with the plot and all and brings the movie to a dead halt). It's got a final 40 minutes that are simply there to "put on a stage show" and not advance the plot in the slightest.
Sure, these things are laughable nowadays, but for the most part,
Easter Parade works as a film and that certainly has a lot to do with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Right at the very beginning, Astaire is seen walking down the street singing "Happy Easter" to people, and I couldn't help but smile. Sure, it's corny as hell, but Astaire sells it. And Judy Garland is definitely a stunning presence onscreen. I admittedly have not seen many of her films, but she certainly delivered in this one.
The plot is super simple. Astaire is Don who has been working with Nadine (Ann Miller) for years as part of a dancing/singing duo. Nadine, however, wants to go solo and she leaves Don. A sullen and angry Don finds young dancer Hannah (Garland) at a bar/club and hires her on the spot to join him onstage. Will Don be able to mold Hannah into the dancer she needs to be in order to succeed on Broadway? Only time will tell (although, let's be honest, it's Judy Garland...she's the star...there's not much tension here...you know she's gonna "make it on Broadway").
Now, it's not a perfect movie...There are the faults that I mentioned in the first paragraph that definitely bring the film to a near stop an hour in. But the first hour is genuinely entertaining and lovely to look at. Director Waters allows his camera to linger on certain scenes which seemed to me to be unusual for 1940s musicals...there are whole verses and choruses that he allows the actors to sing without making cuts and it made for some interesting shots.
Overall, it was certainly a fitting movie to watch today (thanks, Turner Classic Movies), and it definitely made me interested to see some of Judy Garland's other work.
The RyMickey Rating: B
