Here's a movie I adored when I was a kid, thrilled by "Buckle Down Winsocki", the spirited song sung at a military academy by a bunch of singing, dancing and marching cadets. But seeing the film now, is a real letdown. It's below par in every department.
At second glance, it's really a minor musical with HARRY JAMES and his Orchestra and a little gal named NANCY WALKER (making her film debut) as the chief compensations for a script full of lame, dated one-liners and some trifling songs with bad choreography.
Even the great LUCILLE BALL, as the movie star invited to the prom, has a hard time getting any laughs. She's supposed to be a faded star whose press agent talks her into accepting an invitation from TOMMY DIX, who overlooks his girlfriend VIRGINIA WIEDLER because of his crush on Lucy.
Lucy looks great and the Technicolor makes her a glamorous creature, but the script defeats everyone. It's nice seeing JUNE ALLYSON, GLORIA de HAVEN and NANCY WALKER having fun with a couple of tunes but while the picture at least got their careers off to a good start, it's no great shakes as a musical--especially one from MGM which specialized in the very best of that ilk.
NANCY WALKER struts her stuff as "Blind Date" material--although some of the humor at her expense is a little cruel. But she's a reminder that real talent can even overcome some witless material. And I have to ask the question so many others have: whatever happened to Tommy Dix???
