That's Dancing in Kiss Me Kate!

Kiss Me Kate (1953) boasts a Cole Porter score full of familiar tunes and was made by MGM during the era when the studio was known for its lavish musicals. And yet, it was considered a box office failure when first released and remains largely forgotten today. That's a shame because it features some truly spectacular musical numbers featuring the dancing of Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, Bob Fosse, and Carol Haney. Some of those names may be unfamiliar if you're not a aficionado of great dancers. But their jaw-dropping talents make Kiss Me Kate worth your time despite a creaky, overly-familiar plot.

Howard Keel singing to Kathryn Grayson.

For the record, the story has producer/ star Fred Graham (Howard Keel) mounting a stage musical of The Taming of the Shrew starring his ex-wife Lilli (Kathryn Grayson) as Katherine and himself as Petruchio. Lilli is engaged to a Texan millionaire and Fred is interested in a pretty dancer, but it's clear that the divorced couple still harbor romantic feelings toward each other.

This unoriginal plot gets a boost from the side stories, especially one featuring a couple of thugs (wonderfully played by Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore) who believe Fred owes their gangster boss money. Fred convinces the duo that he can't pay if the musical shuts down and that Lilli is threatening to leave the production. Thus, the thugs have to ensure that Lilli remains with the show!

Soprano Kathryn Grayson signed with MGM in 1940 at the age of 18. She had appeared in a number of hit movies (e.g.,  Anchors Aweigh) before headlining the studio's highly successful remake of Showboat in 1951. Kiss Me Kate pairs her with Showboat co-star Howard Keel. Their duets on Porter classics like "So in Love" and "Wunderbar" are pleasant, but Grayson's finest hour is her no holds barred rendition of "I Hate Men." As she punctuates the lyrics, she repeatedly slams down a metal goblet to emphasize her point--and dramatically sweeps the surface of a table at the finish. 

Ann Miller.

Despite Grayson's triumph, the best parts of Kiss Me Kate are the dance numbers. Ann Miller kicks off the hoofing with an energetic "Too Darn Hot" (though it seems tossed into the plot at the last minute). Later, she and Tommy Rall dance an acrobatic duet to "Why Can't You Behave." However, the film's highlight is "From This Moment On." which features Miller, Rall, Bob Fosse, Carol Haney, Bobby Van, and Jeanne Coyne (ex-wife of both Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen). Fred Astaire's frequent collaborator, Hermes Pan, choreographed all of Kiss Me Kate's dances except for the Fosse-Haney duet near the end of "From This Moment On." It showcases what would become Fosse's trademarks and sizzles with sexuality and flair.

By the way, if you watch Kiss Me Kate and wonder why people and objects keep moving toward the camera, it's because the film was shot in 3D. It's a minor distraction, though. If you enjoy stylish, energetic dancing, then Kiss Me Kate is a must-watch. 

Here is the "From This Moment On" number, which we're currently featuring on the Cafe's YouTube channel:

Jane Powell and Howard Keel (But No Seven Brothers)

Jane Powell and Vic Damone.

Big, splashy Broadway-style musicals had peaked in popularity when MGM released Hit the Deck in 1955. So, kudos to the studio for putting together an incredibly talented cast headlined by Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Ann Miller. Their male co-stars, though not as well as known on the silver screen, were famous in their right. Crooners Tony Martin and Vic Damone produced records that sold millions and Russ Tamblyn had a key role in the previous year's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Debbie Reynolds and Russ Tamblyn.

Martin, Damone, and Tamblyn play three sailors on leave for two days in San Francisco. Martin hopes to reunite with his fiancée, showgirl Ann Miller. She gives him the cold shoulder, though, after a six-year engagement with no marriage proposal in sight. Meanwhile, Tamblyn learns that his sister (Jane Powell) is involved with a womanizing musical star. He and his chums "rescue" her, but then face disciplinary actions for unacceptable conduct. They spend most of the movie trying to avoid capture by the Navy's shore patrol.

Ann Miller.

Loosely based on a 1927 stage musical with the same title, Hit the Deck is a thinly-plotted excuse for some great musical numbers. Ann Miller dances up a storm in "Keepin' Myself for You" and in the reprise of "Hallelujah" in the finale. Jane Powell warbles the funny "Lucky Bird" to a toy penguin. The three male leads harmonize nicely on "Why, Oh Why?" (my favorite song in the score) and later the ladies reprise it. Finally, Tamblyn and Debbie Reynolds perform some nifty acrobatic feats in an elaborate funhouse sequence.

With its colorful costumes, bright sets, and catchy tunes, Hit the Deck is a pleasant diversion for those who enjoy Broadway musicals. It will also make you wonder why Ann Miller didn't become a bigger film star.

Along with Tamblyn, Jane Powell also appeared in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which brings us to their Brides co-star Howard Keel. We recently watched him in Callaway Went Thataway (1951), a non-musical comedy that spoofs the popularity of Hopalong Cassidy in the early 1950s.

Dorothy McGuire and Fred MacMurray.

Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire star as Mike and Debbie, a pair of marketing executives who get caught in a bind when cowboy star Smoky Calloway suddenly becomes popular with the nation's kiddies. A food company wants to launch a cereal (Calla-Cracklys) and invest $10 million in a new series of Smoky television films. That's a big problem because Calloway's "B" Westerns were made ten years earlier and Smoky was "a washed-up, beat-up drunk" when last seen--and no one knows where he is now.

Not long after Mike and Debbie launch a desperate search for Smoky, they receive a letter from Stretch Barnes (Howard Keel), a real-life cowboy who is mighty tired of people mistaking him for Smoky Calloway. Sure enough, Stretch is the splitting image of the cowboy star and it's not long before Mike and Debbie convince him to "become" Smoky. Their plan seems to going pretty well when--you guessed it--the real Smoky Calloway is found.

The writing team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama was responsible for some of the funniest films of the 1940s and 1950s (e.g., The Court Jester, Road to Utopia, White Christmas, etc.). Callaway Went Thataway doesn't rank with their best work, but it's still a reasonably amusing farce with some pointed jabs at corporate America. My favorite is when the "host" of Smoky's films reminds his young audience: "Have your Mom stock up on crispy, crunchy, Crackly Corkies." (Actually, it reminded me of a similar scene in Disney's 101 Dalmatians in which the puppies are watching TV.)

Howard Keel and Howard Keel.

Despite the presence of bigger stars, Howard Keel steals the film with his dual performance as the sincere, naive Stretch and the hard-drinking disreputable Smoky. Esther Williams, Clark Gable, and Elizabeth Taylor have cameos as themselves. Plus, look quickly and you'll see Hugh Beaumont pass Fred MacMurray in a hotel hallway. By 1960, they would be two of the best-known fathers on American television.