Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

MartinHafer "Calendar Girl" is a silly piece of fluff—there's no denying that. However, it's also a FUN piece of fluff—simple viewing and enjoyable. While it has none of the big-name Hollywood stars, it works quite well. The film is a musical romantic-comedy starring Jane Frazee, William Marshall, Kenny Baker and Victor Maglaglen. The story begins at a boarding house where lots of unemployed actors, artists, composers and other bohemians live. Two VERY oddly matched friends, Johnny (who is poor) and Steve (who is rich as obnoxious) get a room with ambitions of making it big in the music industry and in art respectively. However, these goals soon become secondary when they meet the fire chief's daughter (Frazee) and both try to woo her—even though Steve ALREADY has a girl (Gale Patrick)—though why Patrick's character wanted Steve never really made sense to me.As for the singing, Frazee struck me as no great singer but she was pleasant and the lyrics were very nice. And, for the story, though a big predictable (you KNOW who will win Frazee in the end!), it's all very pleasant—with lots of atmosphere and likable characters (aside from Steve). Not a brilliant film but a very enjoyable time-passer that I almost awarded a 7…almost.

Terrell-4 The mid-Forties were a time of turn-of-the-century nostalgia by Hollywood studios and the ticket buyers. Provided the actors looked wholesome, the sets were elaborate and the songs appealing, a lot of tickets could be sold by showing an America that was simple, friendly and happy...and far away in time from WWII. Just think of Meet Me in St. Louis, Up in Central Park, The Dolly Sisters, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, The Harvey Girls and Cover Girl. Republic Pictures, a B level studio if there ever was one, sent out Calendar Girl in 1947. It's an A effort from a B studio, but the final product, while looking good, suffers the same fate of so many movies from B studios...actors who look great and can't act. It's Greenwich Village in 1900, and moving into a brownstone rooming house are two old friends, aspiring composer Johnny Bennett (William Marshall), big, blonde, poor and innocent, and aspiring artist Steve Adams (James Ellison), big, dark, wealthy and charming. The rooming house is filled with other artists and musicians, ranging from the almost perpetually unbilled Gus Schilling as a painter of horses who spends his time eating bananas and mumbling, to that reliable tenor Kenny Baker. The misunderstandings accumulate like single socks when Johnny and Steve both meet Patricia O'Neil (Jane Frazee), aspiring dancer and daughter of the local fire brigade chief played by Victor McLaglen. It's not long before both men find her special, with Johnny writing songs inspired by her and Steve, that devil, painting her portrait, then submitting it in a calendar competition by adding some leg. Spread liberally throughout the movie is the fireman's jamboree, Delmonico's, the brownstone's patio, a convivial beer garden and Steve and Johnny's rooms. They all get songs to sing there written by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics). These two were old pros with many hits between them, and they provide songs that are romantic, melodic and bounce along in the style of the period. If none of the songs are especially memorable, they get the job done nicely. Two, "At the Fireman's Ball" and "Calendar Girl" are nice, indeed. But by the time the movie is half over, we realize that we're not going to learn anything more about the characters or story than we already have, that the songs will be at a level that won't improve, and that there's a long way to go to the end. And this is because of the casting, which was probably the best Republic Pictures could come up with. Jane Frazee gets top billing. She's a proficient light romantic lead who dances well and looks a lot like Vera Ellen. While she looks about 20, however, she sounds about 35. Marshall and Ellison both look like handsome Hollywood hunks, but neither is believable. Ellison, as usual in his movies, comes across as a self-aware actor. Marshall just seems out of his depth, especially when called upon to do a little dancing and sing the songs he's given. Even Gail Patrick, the quintessential selfish society princess, who plays Steve's rich fiancée from Boston, seems adrift. Well, we'll always have the memory of her as Cornelia Bullock, Carole Lombard's older sister in My Man Godfrey. The problem here, I think, is that we're never sure if we're supposed to detest her or warm up to her.

carson1812 Jane Frazee, huh? Well, who'd have thought the Prelinger site would ever get around to some of the neatest little fillers available? Johnny Downes, Jane, Donald O'Connor ( I live in hope)a few of the names that took the sting from the expression B Movies. Okay so the memory plays tricks, all that used to glisten wasn't, etc, me I just sat back and enjoyed the unexpected treat. If there was ever a fault it was the fact that few, if any, of this kind of 'musical' ever featured material likely to have a life outside of the actual movie. Reams of songs which rarely appeared on a disc so that after watching 'Calendar Girl' you probably left the cinema whistling something from 'Show Boat'. Still a treat to see it, though.

Dick Gardner (RickyofL) This is not a well known musical but includes several excellent songs written by Jimmy McHugh. The principal vocalists include Bill Marshall, Jane Frazee, Janet Martin and specially Kenny Baker. The latter's tenor is shown off to good effect and he is capably joined in duets with Janet Martin, one of the several young players under contract to Republic who disappeared with the decline in the studio system. It is a multi-star cast including Victor McLaglen as a Fire Chief, Irene Rich as a Boarding House owner, Gail Patrick as a wealthy Bostononian and James Ellison. The story involves the trials of young hopefuls in the music/dance world, Martin, Frazee, Marshall, etc. and Ellison, a wealthy young artist from Boston. Martin plays a predatory female after Baker a young song plugger while there is a triangular mixup between Frazee and two potential suitors, Marshall and Ellison and Patrick. Highly recommended as a much better than average small musical from Hollywood just before television started to cut into the profits of the movie studios.