The Girl Most Likely (1957) Reviews

• The last gasp of the musical era...Powell in good voice...

  Doylenf2004-01-02

  JANE POWELL seems to be enjoying herself in this cheerful little mixture of music and romance. However, the film itself never succeeds in looking much more than a low-budget musical with fake RKO sets that belong in a B-movie rather than a color musical. Despite this, there are pleasant performances by Jane Powell, Cliff Robertson, Tommy Noonan, Keith Andes and Kaye Ballard that compensate for a story that's been told before as "Tom, Dick and Harry" with Ginger Rogers back in 1941 (in B&W and without music). Jane is just as pert and pretty as Ginger Rogers in the role of a girl who can't decide which man puts her on cloud nine until she finally wakes up at the last moment on the basis of the right kiss. It's all strictly fluff meant to entertain and in its own way it succeeds beautifully, thanks to Powell's effortless charm. She's also in good voice but is given a number of songs by Blaine and Martin that have no lasting appeal. She delivers them all in a lilting and rich vocal style. Cliff Robertson was obviously a bit ill at ease in his musical sequences but provides a hunky presence as one of her smitten suitors. Tommy Noonan provides most of the comedy relief and Keith Andes has a role he can do virtually nothing with. There's a rather imaginative American Indian song-and-dance routine that is sure to offend some of the politically correct crowd who can't accept the sort of stereotyping that was done in films of the 1950s. A similar number from ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (and one of the highlights of the MGM film) was cut from the latest Broadway version to placate the PC protesters. It's the last theatrical film directed by Mitchell Leisen who was then near the end of his distinguished career directing a variety of films. This has got to be one of his lesser efforts but it has a certain charm as the last gasp of the musical era. RKO was virtually at a shutdown by the time the film was completed and it was released two years after being made on the lower half of a double bill.

• Hidden treasures of fine choreography and catchy tunes

  bestactor2004-01-02

  There were quite a few low budget musicals made during the '50s that were mostly insignificant but very watchable because they made no pretense at being "great." "The Girl Most Likely" is one of the more likable. There's some wonderfully exuberant choreography by Gower Champion and the score contains a few songs that any musical would be proud to own. This was a musical remake (as so many of this type were) of Garson Kanin's "Tom, Dick and Harry."

• End of an era

  lzf02002-07-05

  This is one of the last 50s style musical comedies and the final film to present Jane Powell as a singing star. She is supported by Keith Andes, who can truly sing, and comedy by Tommy Noonan and Kaye Ballard. Cliff Robertson's singing is dubbed by Hal Derwin. The songs are only serviceable, even though they are written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, who gave us "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Best Foot Forward". The best musical number, however, is the title tune, actually written by Nelson Riddle, with a vocal by the Hi-Los. Riddle's arrangements, which never seem to date, keep the music interesting. As for the plot, there isn't much of one. As for the comedy, both Noonan and Ballard were better served elsewhere. The choreography, however, is spectacular; this is Gower Champion's first attempt to stage dances for performers other than himself and wife Marge. From here, Champion went to Broadway and became a legend.

• One of Jane Powell most enjoyable movies and her last movies

  w22nuschler2009-05-17

  This would be the last musical Jane Powell ever made and it's one of her best movies. It was one of the last movies RKO made. They made quite a few films I have liked over the years. She plays the daughter of Frank Cady and Una Merkel(two of the best). Her best friend is played by Kaye Ballard. Jane has three men after her in the movie. First there is Tommy Noonan who loves her from the start. Next Keith Andes takes her fancy. Then finally she sees Cliff Robertson. She thinks she wants to marry a rich man, but she only thinks it's a dream. Jane Powell really looks mature and beautiful in this film. Her voice might be the best here for me because I am not a big fan of her high notes she used to hold in her early movies. I still just love her, she is so likable. Jane jumps into the ocean and meets Cliff. He takes her to shore in his boat. She thinks he owns a yacht. He actually is just a repairman. Cliff really looks in his prime here as well. They have a date that night. Jane looks stunning in a white dress as she comes down the stairs. Cliff instantly falls for her. They have a nice song and dance number on the beach with others. She loses interest in Tommy and then she meets Keith. She makes a date with him. She decides to stay with him until she kisses Cliff one more time. She gets a glow from kissing him and Keith does not give her a glow. She ends up with Cliff. A nice movie and a good way to spend an hour and thirty eight minutes.

• Jane Powels Swan Song

  joseph9520012006-06-22

  This was the end of Jane Powells career in the movies. It's not a very good movie to end a brilliant career with, but it's entertaining, and the history of the cast should be mentioned: First we have Jane Powell who started out in movies as a child performer and made it to big time which is something that most child actors and actress' couldn't do. Very few made it such as Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds both born of April Fools Day, Natalie Wood, just to mention a few. Cliff Robertson was a known actor but never really made it to star-status. Keith Andes was a fine singer and had played the lead role in Kiss Me Kate on Broadway, but never really made it in Hollywood as an actor or the excellent singer that he was. Kaye Ballard was known for her cukoo comedy talents and had appeared as one of the Wicked-Step Sisters in the original Juile Andrews version of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella on T.V., and played in the Mothers-In-Law on T.V. with the other Mother in Law Eve Arden. Una Merkel made herself into a star by playing secondary roles such as Kitty Kelly in The Merry Widow with Land Tuner and the housekeeper in Rich, Young, and Rretty, again, with Jane Powell. Kelly Brown appeared in the movie Oklahoma and Seven Brides for Seven Browthers as one of town-folks line-dancer, but if you were a dancer you knew who he was, and Tommy Noonan made himself into a star by playing secondary roles such as Marily Monores dim-witted husband to be in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but his best role was as the gum-chewing Pianist in A Star is Born with Judy Garland. In fact, Noonan showed that he was a fine actor by stealing the last scene from Judy Garland in A Star Is Born when he tells her how pitiful she's behaving since Norman Maine had committed suicide, but there is one person in the line-dancers that's had a history that no one knows about. Here's in Cincinnati, Ohio, we have had our share of famous actors and actress' such as Doris Day, Tyrone Power, George Chikarus, Vera Ellen, and a very famous criminal with the initials of C.M. that we don't like to talk about. Harvey Evens is from our area. He had been studying dancing with Harris Rosedale, I know this to be a fact because I was there too, but his name was Harvey Honnacker. I guess he changed his last name to Evans because he couldn't get his last name up in lights. Too long. So, I remember one day he came into the studio and said, "I have nothing here" and went to study with Leo and Rita McNeil. Later he went to New York. Then he went to Hollywood where he did chorus work in The Pajama Game, West Side Story under his original name, and The Girl Most Likely. Later he did the T.V. version of Applause playing the gay hair-dresser and friend of Margo Channing played by Lauren Bacall. Since I knew LeRoy Reams who played the role originally, I asked LeRoy if he had recommended Harvey to play his role, and he said no; that he got it on his own. I'm not sure, but I heard through certain channels that Harvey passed away. What a talent he was. I remember seeing him in a dance recital given by the O'Neils when he was there and he sang a jazzed up version of Indian Love Call and did a dance ending up with his jumping up on the side on stage and back down like James Cagney did in Yankee Doodle Dandy. What a talent he was. It's just a shame he, like many others, were never allowed to show the full power of their talent in the entertainment field!