Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

JohnHowardReid Copyright 22 January 1948 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Picture. New York opening at the Capitol: 12 February 1948. U.S. release: March 1948. U.K. release: Not recorded (announced for possible December 1947 opening). Australian release: 8 April 1948. Cut to 10,354 feet or 115 minutes in Australia. 119 minutes. U.K. release title: The BIRDS AND THE BEES.SYNOPSIS: We are asked to believe that a very attractive fashion magazine editor (where have we seen this character before? Answer: Lady in the Dark) is so light of brain that she has brought her three teenage daughters up to believe their estranged father is a fine man who will return to them some day, even though (a) he's been gone at least twelve years and (b) in actual fact he's a heel she was glad to divorce. (Where does this plot hail from? Answer: Mostly from producer Pasternak's own Three Smart Girls). NOTES: The stage play opened at the Cort on 26 September 1946 and was yanked after only 28 performances. Barbara Robbins played Louise Morgan. The daughters were enacted by Sybil Stocking, Rosemary Rice and Joyce Patten. Although panned by all New York's influential critics (except Wanda Hale of the Daily News), the movie did mighty well at the domestic box-office, achieving 28th position for the year. Overseas, however, the movie bombed. Significantly it was one of the few MacDonald movies not re-issued by M-G-M in response to the great Jeanette MacDonald revival of the late 1950s, even though prints were available. (The other films that fell into this category were Broadway Serenade, Cairo and I Married an Angel which were packaged for television instead). COMMENT: A disappointment all around. There so many things wrong with the movie, it's hard to know where to begin. Let's just say that Miss MacDonald (often beautifully gowned) struggles gamely with both the unbelievably sudsy yet sexless character she's forced to enact in this incredibly vapid script plus a diverse collection of players headed by Jose Iturbi and Jane Powell who offer her little or no support. Flat, disinterested direction by Fred Wilcox doesn't help either. To his credit, producer Pasternak wanted Deanna Durbin for the Powell role, but Universal refused to loan her out. Although the screenplay was then re-written for Powell, she makes an poor substitute. What's worse, she's very ineptly recorded here. She doesn't sing so much as screech. At least Jeanette MacDonald's songs are more faithfully rendered, but acting-wise, she is stuck opposite the egotistic Iturbi, who not only stupidly insisted on using his real name for what is a character part (thus creating audience irritation and confusion), but on making believe that he conducted the M-G-M studio orchestra from his piano. In actual fact, of course, Georgie Stoll conducted. Despite his competent piano-playing, Iturbi is such a thorough pain-in-the-neck, he builds up little sympathy. OTHER VIEWS: A thin, crawling story of mother love and second romance which leaves one bleary-eyed and exhausted from bright colors and dull, girlish talk. - New York Herald Tribune.

richard-1787 This is not, by any means, a great movie. In fact, if it had starred some anglo American male in the male lead, it probably would be of no interest whatsoever.But that's not the case. It stars the Spanish pianist José Iturbí, with whom the very Caucasian Jeanette MacDonald falls in love and marries. That never once enters into the dialogue when MacDonald's three daughters object to the marriage, but it probably entered into the minds of more than one of the audience of the time.And yet, it truly is not an issue in the movie.Which makes this very interesting for its day.Other than the "racial" issue, it's an OK, undistinguished flick. We get to see a lot of Iturbí playing the piano, which is fun. He was neither handsome nor a great actor, but he was a fine pianist, and he gets a series of real blockbuster numbers.MacDonald doesn't get to sing much, and gets no romantic duets, which is a real change from her previous films.Jane Powell is fine in her numbers, but undistinguished.See it for the non-issue.

blanche-2 There's no skimping on the music or the production values in "Three Daring Daughters," a 1948 MGM film starring Jeanette MacDonald, Jane Powell, Edward Arnold, Jose Iturbi, Elinor Donohue and Ann E. Todd. MacDonald, in one of her last films, is the divorced editor of a magazine who is raising three girls. Overtired and given to fainting spells, her doctor orders her to rest. She takes a cruise, where she meets and marries the famous musician, Jose Iturbi. She has never told her daughters that their father didn't want to be a part of their lives, so in her absence, the girls hatch a scheme to get his editor (Arnold) to bring him home.The star of this film is the glorious music. Powell and MacDonald sing beautifully, and Jose Iturbi plays piano like a dream. Powell, so young and pretty, does a nice job especially on "Je Veux Vivre" from Romeo & Juliet. MacDonald's mature voice sounds great, her middle register having really opened up with age. The movie is filmed in color, and she looks gorgeous.Sadly MacDonald only made one more film, followed by a few television appearances, as she had a weak heart. She is lovely in this. See the film for the music, for MacDonald, Iturbi, and Powell.

Incalculacable Three Daring Daughters is a harmless, cute little movie. It may be a little naive and fluffy, but if you need a bit of cheering up it does definitely help.It's about a single mum that goes away on a cruise and gets married to a musician. Her daughters don't know about her getting married and are trying to organize a reunion between their mother and their father, who is away on business (and has been absent for some time).Jane Powell definitely shines in this role. This is the movie in which I 'discovered' her, if you like. It's a great film with some great numbers in it.Another reviewer said it gives you a naive look at second marriage, single parenting and everything. But would I want a realistic view? No. Because that would defeat a sole purpose of going to the movies - to get away from reality. And that's why I like this film.