User Reviews

Dobie Gillis shows up on campus having already decided to dedicate his college years to having fun and pursuing women. Pansy Hammer, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to "study, study, study" and "work, work work". Naturally it's love at first sight. It doesn't take long for the two to work out their differences, but it will take the rest of the movie for her father to be convinced!

Having never realized that Dobie Gillis had been made into a movie prior to the television series, I naturally had to watch this movie if only for historical purposes. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find myself thoroughly entertained by a very good comedy quite capable of standing on its own merits. It's silly but it works, and is filled in quite nicely with several excellent song and dance routines. All of the cast is outstanding, from stars to supporting roles, but it is Bobby Van who steals the show as the happy-go-lucky Dobie Gillis.

I have never seen the TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", so you should keep this in mind when you read this review. I haven't a whole lot of preconceptions about the movie but I also wasn't particularly interested in the concept to actually watch the show the 106,284 times it was shown years ago on Nickelodeon and other cable channels. Why I actually decided to watch this when it came on Turner Classic Movies is beyond me--though I am glad that I did.

While it is undeniable that this movie is complete fluff, it is nevertheless enjoyable fluff. There's lots of singing and dancing and romancing and comedy--a formula very similar to the Doris Day/Gordon MacRae films BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON and ON MOONLIGHT BAY (though these two Warner Brothers films were set in an earlier time period). It's all very light and very likable--even if it turns out that Dobie is a dirty little cheater (see the film to find out what I am talking about).

Of particular interest, by the way, is the earnest and likable style of Bobby Van. It's too bad that he came to Hollywood near the end of the musical craze and that his life was so tragically shortened. He was talented and all I'd previously seen him in were insipid 1970s game shows.

A very attractive cast and a couple of good musical numbers make for reasonably good entertainment. Far different from the TV series that came a few years later (and not as good in my opinion), this feature was actually inspired by the Max Shulman Dobie Gillis stories from the forties. Shulman, who also wrote the the screenplay for this movie, does manage to work in bits and pieces of his short stories into the script, but not too successfully. The reason for this is that the original stories were stand-alone brilliant comic masterpieces. Here we just see a little scene from this one, and one from that one, and so on. The way to really, really enjoy Dobie Gillis is to track down the out-of-print collection, "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"(easily available at Amazon). I'm a fan of the TV series, and I like this movie, but neither can hold a candle to the hilarious short stories that served as the original inspiration for both the TV and screen versions.

By the way, it was only about two years ago that I read the original stories. They are every bit as wonderful today as when they were originally written.

I caught this film in the pre-dawn hours of an insomniac night recently, and found it reasonably diverting, although certainly no cinematic treasure. It does, however, contain genuine buried treasure for anyone interested in dance history, especially fans of Bob Fosse. The future Triple Crown of entertainment winner (Tony, Emmy, and Oscar in the same year) has a dance solo in this little movie which is positively searing, absolutely mind-bending in its virtuosity...and that's as seen in 2006. In its original release that sequence must have snapped the jaws of any member of the audience who'd ever taken a dance class. The man was simply fantastic, making Bobby Van, a decent hoofer himself, look like a club-footed spaz. I'd watch the storyless antics of Van's Gillis again just to see that number. By the way, I have read the original Dobie Gillis novel by Max Shulman, and it is very funny, as well as substantially earthier than any film or TV version of the story. If you see it in the library, give it a try.

Being based on short stories that are still of much great enjoyment now and having people as talented as Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, Hans Conreid and Bobby Van, 'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' had all the makings of being good-natured fun and being very difficult to dislike.

'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' is not necessarily a great film by all means, with a very thin, often meandering and at times non-existent story that feels like several comic situations/stories cobbled together and not much else. While most of the film is very entertaining and achieves what it set out to do very well indeed, there is always going to be the criticisms that some of the situations are unbelievably silly and that it's dated, so suspension of disbelief is needed.

Fosse doesn't look so comfortable in his role in the acting department and his personality doesn't shine as much as when he is dancing.

However, 'The Affairs of Dobie Gillis' is very nicely designed and quaintly photographed. The music fits very well and is more than listenable on its own as well, the standout song being the heart-melting "All I Do is Dream of You". When it comes to the choreography and dancing, Fosse in particular scintillates in a routine that brims with energy, clever choreographic flourishes and extraordinary dance technique.

Regarding the script, it is here very light and bubbly, never trying to do more or be more complicated than needed. A good deal of it is silly too, but has such a good nature and has its heart in the right place that it is hard to be too hard on it. The film moves quickly and never feels dull, because the energy of the cast and the pleasant atmosphere moves things along so well.

Despite having mixed feelings on Fosse (loved the dancing, didn't look at ease in the acting), the rest of the acting fares well. Van is at his most likeably earnest, while Reynolds is spunky and charming and Barbara Ruick is suitably peppy. In support, an amusing Hans Conreid, firm Charles Lane and tyrannical Hanley Stafford stand out in particular. The direction is more than competent throughout, having the right lightness of touch.

On the whole, not a great film but an enjoyably good-natured and easily watchable one. 7/10 Bethany Cox

What a pleasant surprise for a hardened old cynic like me. Ordinarily I would avoid a title like The Affairs of Dobie Gillis as if it were the plague. But the sheer bounce and charm of Weis's direction along with Van and Reynolds proved completely beguiling. Sure it's dated. The innocence and idealized portrayal of college-age youth belong to a bygone era. Still, Van's easy way with a song and a smile continues to captivate, while even Reynolds' manages an energized side that doesn't annoy (the sight of her pony-tailed wholesomeness crouched demonically over a boiling witch's brew is hilarious). Surely these two were made for each other in some malt-shop heaven. There are so many nice touches, including: Hans Conreid's arrogant professor (his tight-lipped barbs at Dobie are priceless), Kathleen Freeman's gap- toothed Polish band (I'm sorry we didn't hear more), and the utterly delightful song and dance numbers (a whole lot simpler and more spontaneous than MGM's over-produced foot- stompers of the day). Clearly, the studio dribbled out a bare-bones budget to give their younger talent a chance, and the youngsters responded in spades. I'm only sorry that Van didn't get the career his talent deserved-- watching him and Fosse was a treat. All in all, this is a much better movie than it had any right to be, and a fine piece of unexpected pleasure for viewers of any age.

My reviews often seem to be "in defense of" reviews after a group of reviews pan a movie, without really considering the genre. It is like reviewing a opera as bad when the standard being applied it a hip hop concert. Or something like that.

This movie is silly and lightweight. Folks break out singing and dancing all over the place, cuz it is an MGM musical. (I do ding it for being in black and white.)

The leads are Bobby Van and Debby Reynolds. They sing, they dance, they act as silly as can be. It is fun, it is very 50's. All is resolved in the end. It is cute. And you get to see Bob Fosse in his early days blowing everyone off of the screen with his dancing.

Great character actors abound, playing up their characters to the top, in a way that current film makers would never allow. I'm not saying I want to see lots of this kind of fluff, but as fluff it is pretty good. And the fantasy part makes me want to go back to the midwest and do college again. Well perhaps that is overstated.

Watch this to see the fun dance numbers and take a look at the Hollywood take on college in the 50's. It is a bit of an anthropological statement dressed up with some fun music. Sex,,,,Nope ya won't see that; but you do see the obsessional way that 18 year olds fall in love. And a movie that can capture that (as I remember it rather than with the rather bad parts of it) has its good moments.

Everyone is cute, everyone is white, everyone is straight (even though they sing and dance and write poetry an awful lot). If that is not you, ya got to take a bigger step or suspension of belief to become involved in the movie. The heavies are not that heavy, bad behavior is overlooked as youthful indiscretions. Looking at this view of idealized life and how it has changed in 50 years is interesting in itself. This is also one of the last of MGM's musicals. Bobby Van really did not adapt to the changing times, or at least studios did not see his potential for non-singing and dancing roles. That is a shame. Debby Reynolds is still working after the death of the musical, and Bob Fosse went stellar in spite of the death of the musical. They just kept making them for him (still do and he has been dead for about 15 years!). A good later nighter.

This comedy/musical is a rather silly but quite entertaining college romance. The dialogue and situations is extremely dated, having come out in the early '50s, but if you enjoy films from that period you'll probably like this one. Some of the situations made me laugh out loud which is more than I can say for many films of today. The characters from this film were later used in the television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Previous to watching this film my frame of reference for Dobie Gillis was the television series that starred Dwayne Hickman in the early Sixties. So I was curious somewhat to see The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis from where the television series sprung.

Other than Dobie you will not find a single character that came from TV show. And instead of high school the girl crazy Dobie who simply views his time at college as a romp with the opposite sex finds himself attracted to THE girl in the person of Debbie Reynolds.

Life throws many roadblocks at the young couple, her parents, his teachers, but they do overcome of course.

Bobby Van plays Dobie Gillis and he gets a few numbers to show off his singing and more important his dancing. Playing his best friend at the very start of his distinguished career is Bob Fosse and the two are quite the team. Fosse and Van came at the end of the musical cycle, but Fosse went on to Broadway as the most distinguished choreographer of his time. Barbara Ruick is also in the cast and she did way too few films, her best known being Carousel playing Carrie Pipperidge.

The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis is a mildly entertaining film that probably is best known as it turned out, a TV Pilot.

Dobie Gillis (Bobby Van) is a freshman at Grainbelt University. He is befriended by Charlie Trask (Bob Fosse). They pursue Pansy Hammer (Debbie Reynolds) and Lorna Ellingboe (Barbara Ruick).

The big star is Debbie Reynolds who broke out the previous year with Singin' in the Rain. In fact, she sings "All I Do Is Dream of You" again. Newcomer Bobby Van has an unique comedic face. Bob Fosse is another newcomer in his acting debut and he does some dancing. It adds up to a broad lightweight comedy of no consequence with a few songs thrown in. There is a bit of teenage rebellion against the university motto of "learn learn learn" and "work work work". That is as edgy as it gets. Well, Debbie Reynolds gets her top ripped off. There's that.

College freshman Dobie Gillis (Bobby Van, exercising more befuddled expressions and quirky dance movements than even Ray Bolger) falls for a perky, studious innocent (Debbie Reynolds) on his first day of enrollment; he also makes a buddy in Bob Fosse, who apparently trolls for curvier dames. MGM musical with the usual stuffed-shirt parents and teachers who never have any fun (as if they'd outgrown it completely). The kids are crazy-cool, treating life with abandon and dancing jitterbug-style in coffeehouses which probably looked very flashy in 1953. They are required to do some classwork, but this college campus is the fictional type wherein something is always comically exploding in the chemistry lab. If the leads weren't so talented this might make your teeth ache, but--for the first two-thirds of an hour--it isn't bad and the infrequent songs are quite good. Fosse, who seems stuck in an ugly white pullover with a stripe around the waist, talks amusingly (and probably unintentionally) like one of the Bowery Boys, yet his small muscular frame and early-receding hairline are boyishly charming; Reynolds can't get a proper grip on her character due to the writing, but she's a very good sport. ** from ****

In an effort to meet young women, bubbly Bobby Van (as Dobie Gillis) goes to college. There, he immediately begins to date cute Debbie Reynolds (as Pansy Hammer), while blond boyfriend Bob Fosse (as Charlie Trask) goes after well-developed Barbara Ruick (as Lorna Ellingboe). This "Dobie Gillis" bears only a little resemblance to the one played, in the later TV series, by Dwayne Hickman (who unexpectedly became a teen spokesperson for the "Beat Generation"). The opening theme sounds more like "The Donna Reed Show" than "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (which is nice). Several TV sitcom regulars give it some life, but not much. Dancing is the highlight, with Mr. Fosse especially outstanding.

***** The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (8/14/53) Don Weis ~ Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, Barbara Ruick

After I warmed up to the taller, goofier-looking Bobby Van (compared to Dwayne Hickman), this movie really took off for me. Like many others, I didn't know there was a movie six years before the TV series debuted. I'm only a casual fan of DG (it doesn't get shown enough these days) but still wanted to see how this early version compared to the show. I wasn't disappointed. I noticed a similarity between this picture and Disney's Merlin Jones movies. But whereas Merlin was this semi-genius, Dobie is an underachiever out for fun and females.

Die-hard fans of Zelda will be crestfallen to learn that she is mercifully absent here. She is replaced by the much more feminine Debbie Reynolds, who ferments a good screen chemistry with Van; that's appropriate, as their most harrowing adventures take place in the chemistry lab (Pansy is fond of mixing assorted substances until they explode).

But where is Herbert T. Gillis, Dobie's workaholic grocer old man seen in the series? He was my favorite character, mainly because of Frank Faylen's inimitable characterization (he was also hilarious as Dearborne in Disney's THE MONKEY'S UNCLE). Instead of Dobie's family we get Pansy's blustery workaholic father, who wants to separate the lovebirds forever. Has anyone else noticed, by the way, how fathers are perpetually portrayed as silly windbags, while the boring cipher wife/mother is forever made out to be the "wise" one? Even in the 50's.

Strangely, it seems as though Dobie and Pansy only took two courses - English and Chemistry. And what about that chemistry prof, who boasts that his class is the hardest they'll ever encounter? Guess he never heard of Cartography at Radford U. After playing hooky (except when it rained) for several months, they return to class to find an essay due in English and a project due in Chemistry. I won't give away how they solve this crisis. But then the sky falls on our amorous pair. Deeming Dobie the worst possible influence, Mr. Hammer sends Pansy to NYC (blah - like that's the greatest place on earth to be sent) to live with her horrid maiden aunt. You really feel depressed for Dobie, now wandering aimlessly around campus. After all the scrapes they'd been through together - the chemistry lab explosions; the capsized canoe; and the most hysterical of all - Pansy's blouse getting caught in the car engine, then her trying to sneak past Ma and Pa and a couple of neighbors watching TV (yes, they had TV in 1953). Then when a gun goes off on TV, the startled viewers suddenly become aware of Pansy in her undergarments. That scene ended perfectly.

All this brings us to some intriguing questions about college life in the 50's. Was it common for professors to write their own textbooks? We have the deliciously snobbish, condescending Hans Conried (Prof. Pomfritt) announcing that he is rewriting his "English Usage For College Freshmen", suddenly accepting Dobie's belief that the rules should be according to the way people really talk. C'mon, a single professor rewriting the rules of grammar? And did academic buildings really have bells to dismiss the students? Sounds like high school all over again. All classes beginning and ending at the same time. Well, I know one thing in the movie that's definitely based in reality: the way school bookstores buy back used books for pennies on the dollar, then resell them at a 90% markup. This textbook racket is still flourishing!

Absent from AODG is Dobie's endless philosophizing in front of a marble statue. But I don't expect you'll really miss that.

All in all, I recommend THE AFFAIRS OF DOBIE GILLIS to even the most casual fan of the TV series, and to anyone who likes college slapstick/romance from the 50's. I only wish this movie had been long enough to include more professors played by character actors on the caliber of Hans Conried. Or a series of 75-minute films, where Dobie and Pansy take Psychology, physics, French...imagine the constant jams they'd've been in and out of. I know Debbie Reynolds went on to bigger things, like voicing Charlotte in CHARLOTTE'S WEB and giving birth to Princess Leia, but she could've been replaced by some other bodacious 50's babe. And no, I don't mean Zelda.

I loved Bobby Van on Tattletales in the 70s and it was a treat to find out that he was such a charming dancer and actor. He did indeed have a large dollop of Ray Bolger in his delivery and style but I like it just the same. Debbie Reynolds is darling as always, but the role kind of stinks. Bob Fosse was charisma-free until he danced. I don't think the balding was the only reason he didn't become a bigger star. It was nice to see Barbara Ruick. I don't think that college was ever remotely like that, but the movie is cartoony so it fits. Kathleen Freeman's credit list must be very very long, as I feel l have seen her in roughly 100 movies and shows.

t's strange that this was spun off into a television series. (I have ever seen the TV show.) It's a peculiar movie: It's an MGM musical in black and white. It's mildly amusing but no more. The only performer who went on to stardom is Debbie Reynolds.

Almira Sessions was a very odd choice for the New York City aunt of a Grainbelt U. student. She looks like a crony of Ma Kettle.

I can't comment on the many -- well, undertones. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of the whole thing is Bob Fosse's dancing, which must have seemed astonishing in 1953. We have seen it now in his own work and in those that have been influenced by him. But the rest of the movie seems -- if not unappealing, and it's not -- quaint and dated.

This is the largely unknown and deservedly forgotten earlier incarnation of Dobie Gillis. Made in 53, pre-beatnik, therefore no Maynard Krebs character. In fact, the film is an unreal mixture of stale college comedy and sudden bursts of singing and dancing. Bobby Van plays Dobie and Debbie R. plays Pansy. Yeesh! Silly names and silly comedy. It does have plenty of familiar faces popping up here and there (Hans Conreid, Kathleen Freeman, Charles Lane, Percy Helton and even Alvy Moore). The story is non-existent; mostly to do with Van, Fosse and Ruick as slacker students only interested in college as a means to score with the opposite sex, but Van quickly goes after energetic student Reynolds and the others unaccountably follow. Throughout the film the leads switch from klutzy slackers to amazingly agile dancers, all part of the MGM fantasy world. Van is okay at times, but otherwise can't keep the blank grin off his face... or commit comic overkill when asked to react to some backfiring shenanigan. Fosse has little personality at all, until he explodes into expert dance work. Ruick and Reynolds are perky. A time-killer at best.

If you remember "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (1959 TV series) (1959-1963), you're are about to be disappointed as the movie "The Affairs of Dobie Gillis" (1953) as even though it is played by popular actors of the day, the story is weak and the acting is too tongue in cheek.

Dobie (Bobby Van) and a buddy are going to college to party and have fun, as that is what college is for. However, Dobie falls in love with the studious Pansy (Debbie Reynolds) who is there to work, work, work and study, study, study.

Will Dobie learn to work, work, work? On the other hand, will Pansy learn to play, play, and play?

One actor I recognized right off was Hans Conried. He was Kerry West, T. V. owner in The Twonky (1953).

Pansy Hammer (Debbie Reynolds) goes to college intending to do nothing but work and learn. Dobie Gillis (Bobby Van) goes to the same Grainbelt University with plans to indulge his hedonistic impulses. They are unsuitable for dating, but Dobie is willing to lie to keep Miss Hammer interested. The rest of the plot is uninspiring, existing only string together musical performances and attempts at comedy.

Debby and Bobby croon a few tunes and there is some dancing. A young Bob Fosse plays Dobie's new best friend, Charlie Trask, and it is fun to watch him in such an early role. But if you really want to appreciate his dancing talents, check out "Kiss Me Kate", released in the same year.

This film runs 73 minutes and didn't get MGM's color treatment, perhaps because a decision maker read the script and realized it didn't deserve more than black and white.