Reviews

I understand that "The Climax" isn't necessarily a well received" movie among Boris Karloff fans. The plot isn't much, i'll admit that, and some of the musical number "particularly the one in which Jane Farrar was the prima donna) were quite painful. But Susanna Foster's voice saves the day. This movies is no "Phantom of the Opera", but it was fun to watch. The Technicolor was magnificent, and the set design was gorgeous. Turhan Bey was an alright leading man for Foster. But he didn't seem "strong" enough, I suppose. Boris Karloff is fantastic as a menacing figure, hovering over Foster in an aura of mystery and horror. The film isn't scary enough to be considered a horror film, but too ominous to be considered a musical. There isn't a real genre for it. But it's enjoyable to watch and I liked it. I'm a big Susanna Foster fan, so it was joy to hear her sing, and I'm becoming a Boris Karloff fan, after seeing "Frankenstein" and "The Climax".

So, all in all, "The Climax" is good enough, but it could be better.

"Top Man" is a cute movie. Decent and fun. But it's definitely not up to par with some of the other Donald O'Connor-Peggy Ryan musicals, like "Mister Big" or "Patrick the Great". The songs and dances in "Top Man" are alright. I particularly liked the gypsy number done by O'Connor and Ryan at towards the end of the movie. And Susanna Foster gets some nice songs, too. It was also a joy to see Lillian Gish in a talkie, since I've only seen her in silents.

The only thing about this movie that bothers me is the cast. Yes, this sounds silly, since I was just praising the cast for their talent. And they are all very talented. But, take this for example. O'Connor was 17, and Ryan and Foster were 18. However, Foster looks as if she's in her 20's and sings like she's in her 30's. Thus, her being the love interest for O'Connor is a bit strange. Don't get me wrong. Foster has a gorgeous voice. In fact, she's one of my very favorite singers. But here's what I find very odd: The same year that "Top Man" was made (1943), Foster was in the lavish production of "The Phantom of the Opera", playing the lead, Chrstine. So, the same year Foster's in a very sophisticated and high class movie, they put her in a corny little teenage musical?

Anyways, "Top Man" is cute and all. But if you want some better O'Connor and Ryan, check out "Mister Big", "Patrick the Great", or "The Merry Monahans", where O'Connor has better love interests.

This is a very nice one. I've seen better. But I've definitely seen worse! If you love musicals (like me), you will adore this movie (also like me). But if you aren't a big fan of musicals to begin with, don't even think about watching this one! It's the most extravagant, over-the-top, extreme musicals I've ever seen. The costumes are colorful, the sets are colorful, and, most importantly, the personalities were colorful! I had never seen or heard Ethel Merman before seeing this film a few months ago. I personally love her. I don't think her voice is the most gorgeous thing I've ever heard. But it's so powerful, you forget she might not have perfect pitch. She's also a great actress, making me laugh often.

Dan Dailey was very nice. I had a slight grudge against him. But it's a long story. Let's just say, Donald O'Connor (a co-star in this, and my favorite actor) was in the process of divorce from his wife, the beautiful, yet intolerable Gwen Carter, while making this. Gwen, being pretty clueless, began dating Dailey during the making of this film. I had a negative view on Dailey for quite some time. But, boy, he can sing! And dance, for that matter! His acting is certainly top-notch. I enjoyed him greatly.

Johnnie Ray isn't much. Don't get me wrong. He's a remarkable singer. But his acting is so low-key, he almost doesn't seem to care. He can't act, that's for sure. His character isn't even in it that much. But he needed to be there to add to part of the story. But his bad acting can be overlooked because of his singing.

Mitzi Gaynor. What can I say? This girl is great. Her dancing is amazing. And she's a cutie! Her acting is much better than I thought. She manages to sing like Merman in one scene, which is quite a feat! She is so good! I loved her! Marilyn Monroe...hmmm...well...let's just say it's a good thing she's gorgeous! Her singing is alright. Nothing to applaud about. But it's just plain "alright". She can't dance. Then again, nobody can dance next to Gaynor and O'Connor! She's not a bad actress. But it's still hard to imagine her and O'Connor as a couple. I think they were both very good looking. But in completely different ways. Monroe's is so prominent, she almost explodes with sex appeal. O'Connor, is more of a "boy next door" style. But they made them work pretty well. Not the worst one screen couple. But certainly not the best. Monroe was good. But the only reason she standed out form the others at all is from her looks, not talent, in my opinion.

I saved the best for last: Donald O'Connor. This film shows all of his talents in one movie. His singing is shown in "A Man Chases A Girl". His dancing is shown in anything he dances to. He never disappoints me. His acting really good. The drunk scenes had me laughing out loud. Again, begin partnered with Monroe certainly was something we will never completely understand. But it actually worked out alright. Back to O'Connor. I loved his "Midnight Choo Choo Reprise" with Gaynor. One of my favorites from the film. The "A Man Chases A Girl" is so great, I recommend to go watch it on Youtube right now! He is actually quite graceful, which was a surprise to me. I would have never thought that the loose-limbed, running-up-walls O'Connor could have grace! But believe me, he does! I personally adore his singing voice. This film showcased it quite well. (For better singing from him, Check out "Call Me Madam", also with Merman.) In my opinion, it is O'Connor's performance that single-handedly makes this a great film.

So, to summarize, this is a screen-full of greatness! I recommend it very highly. Only, you might want to be careful with little kids about this one. With Monroe involved, there's bound to be something in there. The "Heat Wave" number is probably the most revealing. Also is Monroe's "After You Get What You Want" and Gaynor's Paris version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band". But other than that, a great, great movie! (Mostly because of Donald O'Connor!)

This movie is all around great. The acting is certainly top notch and you couldn't ask for anyone better to play the parts. Compared to the rest of Universal's teenage musicals, this one seems to be the most professional. It has a different director than the rest. Though the old director, Charles Lamont, was very good, this film needed a director like Frank Ryan. I seemed to get more laughs out of his work. The rest of the teenage musicals seem to appeal to only teenagers. This appeals to teenagers, children, adults, elderly, anyone! Frances Dee is in this. She is very pretty and a great actress. I enjoyed her so much, I am wishing to see another one of her films. Donald Cook was good as the father. He is a good singer, a bit more of a bass, if you ask me. Peggy Ryan is a joy in anything. I happen to think that this film shows all of her beauty. I think she's gorgeous. And in this film, you can definitely see it. Donald O'Connor is the star of the show and he lives up to the title. He was amazing. I loved his little song, "Let Me See". Hilarious! There actually isn't much dancing or songs. It's more of an actual movie than the rest of them. I can only think of three dances done, not counting a waltz. The first dance is by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, who I thought did the best in this film than almost any of their other films. I recognized several of them from previous ones and they improved over the time. The other dances are by Donald and Peggy, one with background dancers.

This was Donald and Peggy's last film together before he was drafted into the Army. I think that Universal finally decided to do the kids justice and finally let them fall in love. In their fourteen previous pictures together, they had never fallen in love. They do in this one, though.

I only have one minor complaint about this one. A the end, Donad and Peggy don't kiss. It is a small complaint. But I was hoping for them to kiss at the end. Other than that, it is one of the best films I have ever seen and I recommend it over many other Donald and Peggy movies.

I have seen four Donald and Peggy movies. This one isn't my favorite of them all. It's still very good, though. Donald and Peggy work great together, no matter what the movie. Ann Blyth, who had been in "Chip Off the Old Block" with them previously, shone in this one. She is a very pretty girl, and boy, does she have a voice! This was one of the few higher budgeted Universal musicals. It shows in costumes and sets, certainly. The Manhattan Follies number has a huge stage with many dancers in elegant costumes. My favorite costumes are at the end. Peggy's dress is gorgeous. Then again, I think Peggy is gorgeous. Call me crazy! Jack Oakie is enjoyable all around, and it's almost impossible to not like him. Though Isabel Jewel was only in a very small amount of it, it was exciting to see "the white-trashed Emmie Slattery" in something else other then "Gone with The Wind". Rosemary DeCamp was great. But the show is stolen by, as usual, the amazing Donald O'Connor. He and Peggy's "I Hate to Lose You" was a show stopper and is one of the only clips of the film available on Youtube. That song is enough of a reason to get the movie.

I gave this an 8 out of 10 because, though the costumes and the performances were indescribable, the plot is a bit clichéd here and there. Only a few times, though. It's a very good movie and I recommend it to anyone.

I have mixed feelings about this movie. Over all, I enjoyed it. I've seen 5 movies with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan and this is definitely not my favorite of them all.

I'll start with the negative. Ann Blyth is one of the things that I don't particularly like in this musical. I've seen her in "The Merry Monahans", also with O'Connor and Ryan, and she was quite different. This was her first film. So she might not have been so confident. But her singing is very irritating. In "The Merry Monahans", her singing is great and her acting is amazing, too. But in this one, her singing sounds very bad and her acting is far from good. Maybe it's just because I dislike her character in this one, Glory Marlowe III. The character is an annoyance and she was not very enjoyable in this one. There was also some broken direction here and there. And the plot is an real cliché. But, really other than those, it's a good movie.

O'Connor and Ryan sparkle in this one. They get to do one great dance called "Is it Good or is it Bad?". This song alone is enough to make you buy this one. They also dance to "I Gotta Give My Feet a Break" and they get to do a few comedy bits. These two are dynamite and carry the movie through. If it weren't for these two, the film would have been a disaster. But these two take the picture to the end and make it full of life.

I don't recommend this that much. If you want some great stuff from O'Connor and Ryan, check out "Mister Big" or "Patrick the Great". But this one is good, too. Not their best. But pretty good.

7/10

I watched this film because my idols, Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan were in it. They had very small parts. But I watched it, anyhow. It was when I watched this did I realize that The Andrews Sisters are very good singers. Great singers, at that! I liked the story pretty well, and it was funny enough for me. It was a very nice way to spend an evening alone, watching it on my computer.

Even though Donald and Peggy weren't in it much, they were still very entertaining. Their kiss at the end is hilarious. The Jivin' Jacks and Jills were amazing, too. I love their dancing! They were in quite a few Universal films in those days. Almost all of their films star Donald and Peggy. I think the one to see their most impressive dancing is in 1943, "Mister Big". The dancing form this same group is jaw-dropping! Well, anyways, it's an entertaining, comical, musical movie that is well worth sitting in your little computer chair for 1 hour and seven minutes!

I heard of this movie while watching a documentary about Donald O'Connor. I thought it sounded good and watched some clips online. It was great! I tried to find the film and I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, after a few months of searching, I found that Gloria Jean herself was selling copies. I bought one immediately. I saw it and it is now my favorite movie. The comedy is hilarious. Like the rationing scene between Peggy and Donald. I loved the songs. They were very well written and the choreography was phenomenal. All the performances given were stupendous. Especially Bobby Brooks and the Ben Carter Choir. They were fabulous! I highly recommend this film to everyone. It is appropriate for families to watch, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.