The Harvey Girls (1946)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Very good film, maybe not the very best of Judy's, but there are no bad Judy Garland films. A film will never be that bad with that pretty, beautiful voiced angel on the screen, no matter how bad the rest of the film is."The Harvey girls" had some pretty good parts. The Harvey girls were a group of girls who took the train down to the old west town of Sandrock in the 19th century. Judy was on the train with them, and very hungry with nothing but a half slice of bread while seeing other girls holding big pieces of fried chicken. Then this little girl stops and looks at Judy begging for something to eat. I was sort of curious why she begged Judy for food when she hardly had anything when there was clearly those other girls nearby with the big pieces of fried chicken and such (including a corned beef sandwich that one of the girls had Judy try a couple moments later). Well perhaps she didn't see the other girls' food, she was quite small. Once the train arrived in Sandrock, the girls, and the townfolk started singing the best song of the film, "The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe". Across the street was an old west saloon with drinking, rowdyness, and burlesque girls led by Angela Langsbury, who they and saloon owner Jon Hodiak did not like the Harvey girls moving into their town. Judy was on her way to Sandrock to marry a man there she'd never met yet but had been writing and receiving letters from. Once there, Judy found out that the whole thing was a prank. Judy, upset, confronted the man behind the prank, John, who retaliated, Judy retaliated back. Then things between John and other members of the saloon and Judy and the other Harvey girls (who Judy now joined) escalated. John and his crew stole the Harvey girl's meat. Judy came into the saloon holding two guns demanding it back (she did look sort of comical and silly doing that). John had one of his friends, the town judge, shoot a bullet through the Harvey girl's window as they were going to bed. At one point, there was a literal brawl between the burlesque girls and the Harvey girls (which did looka sort of corny). Judy's singing definitely, as always, was beautiful. The song "Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa fe" was wonderful, very elaborate with nearly the entire town taking part in it. The middle of the song parts with different girls singing their personal lines which were charming such as Virginia O'brien with "I said goodbyo Ohio" and one of the other girls with "I came from Paris, was married in Paris, almost buried in Paris, so I then left Paris, (girls join in) Paris, Illinois". I liked that. I also liked Judy, Virginia, and Cyd Charrise singing "It's a great big world", and the girls' "Round and round" at the dance. All beautiful songs. There was also some of Ray Bulger's ("Oz" scarecrow) rubber legged dancing. Ray became the new blacksmith who was to say the least, sort of a coward of guns shooting off and of horses. Maybe they should've had Bert Lair as the cowardly lion play this part instead of Ray the scarecrow. I liked Virginia joining in to help out Ray shoe the horse. The scene with Cyd and the saloon piano player singing "Just you wait and see" was very nice. I love Cyd Charrise. I also liked a scene with Judy and John outside of the town with them sitting down againced some rocks. Then when they get up, John trips and Judy laughed. Her laughter there reminded me of her laughter in "Girl crazy" when she kept laughing at Mickey Rooney. I love Judy's laugh. I love her singing, her passion, and her beauty. I love Judy Garland. There is no bad Judy movie.

"The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe" is not only a very entertaining song, but also the "trademark" for this 1945 MGM musical about a young girl from Chillicothe, Ohio who goes to the wild west, to the town of Sandrock (most likely in Arizona),having no idea what surprises she'll encounter. She meets an uncouth cowboy (at which Chill Wills performs well) who, allegedly, has written her sweet letters. So she meets this future husband of hers, and she is definitely disillusioned; they do not marry. It is then that she joins the Harvey Girls who, for all practical purposes, are a group of classy waitresses in a restaurant there. The local cold and mean judge (Preston Foster) wants them out of there, and the saloon girls are ugly toward them; Angela Lansbury is the cold saloon girl who comes into competition with Judy Garland, since they both are taken by and with the saloon owner, played by John Hodiak. After a tragedy takes place, thanks to the judge, the saloon girls leave town, and on the train Lansbury does one good deed in her life, and it is for Garland. In addition to Garland, Foster, Hodiak, and Lansbury, Cyd Charisse does a beautiful dance number, the small and nutty Ray Bolger is, of all people, a blacksmith. The Technicolor is beautiful, and so are all the songs. The aesthetic effects are beautiful. It is, to me, one of MGM's best musicals.

Harvey Girls, The (1946) *** (out of 4) Good girl Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) is on her way out West to marry a man she met by mail but has never seen. On the train she is introduced to the Harvey Girls, a group of waitresses traveling out West to open a chain of restaurants. Once in the town Susan doesn't go into the fixed marriage but instead joins the Harvey Girls but they have their own battles. This here is another charming, if predictable, MGM Musical that features nice songs, good performances and a decent story. The biggest key here to me were the performances with Garland once again delivering fine work with some great songs as well as some good acting work. John Hodiak also turns in a fine performance as the love interest and Ray Bolger (THE WIZARD OF OZ) nearly steals the film with his wonderful comic timing and dancing. Angela Lansbury and Preston Foster are also very good in their supporting roles. The musical numbers aren't anything overly big but they are nice on the smaller scale, which sits well with the settings. In the Valley, Wait and See and Swing Your Partner Round and Round are the highlights. Sidney handles everything quite well and delivers a nice, fast paced film that fans of the genre should really eat up.

I really enjoyed this one, perfect hot lazy Saturday afternoon entertainment for me. Judy Garland as always is a treat to watch. This time the songbook isn't too memorable (apart from that great ensemble number near the beginning), and John Hodiak is sort of creepy as her leading man (his teeth and moustache look weird--he has none of the earthy sexuality of "Lifeboat"), but nevertheless I thought it was pretty good. It had enough humour, spots of melodrama and light musical numbers to keep me interested throughout. Plus, the colour is gorgeous, looking fantastic there on my HD TV. A young Cyd Charisse plays one of the "Harvey Girls", and she doesn't really get much of a chance to display her dancing talents, but she's still lovely to watch. Hard to believe Angela Lansbury was so young when she made this movie (early 20's I believe). Why did they turn her into a madam before her time? George Sidney, reliable MGM hand, directs and it's some of the best work I've seen from him yet. Apart from the ballads, the musical numbers are very fluid.