Two Weeks with Love (1950)

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

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

One of the many 'period' musicals produced by several studios in the '40s and '50s. At least several of the songs were composed around the 1910 period, to conform with the late Victorian screenplay. Even the one song performance that caught the public's imagination sufficiently to become a top pop song : "Aba Daba Honeymoon", was composed in 1914, then forgotten. I don't know if Fred Flintstone's "Yaba Daba Doo" is derived from this title, but the resemblance is clear. ..Warning the corn grows high in this film!The Robinsons are an upper class Victorian family, composed of 17 y.o. Patti(Jane), 15y.o. Melba(Debbie) and two much younger boys, one played by Tommy Rettig, who would later become well known via the TV Lassie series. Incidentally, Tommy would go on to have a very diverse life, besides his show biz period, including marijuana grower, and, in his later years, an important software developer!...The Robinsons are getting ready for their annual Catskills summer vacation: a ritual of many upper class Easterners in this pre-air conditioning era. The teenagers feel they are old enough for some puppy romance during this vacation, and thus petition to be dressed in something more adult than their 'baby' clothes. But, mother Robinson(Ann Harding) mostly resists these pleadings, resulting in more conflicts and embarrassing situations once they get to the Catskills. They stay in the romantic-sounding Kissimee Resort, owned by Mr. Finay(Clinton Sandburg), whose gangly son Billy(Carleton Carpenter) serves as bell boy. Billy remembers Patti from the previous year and tries to flirt with her, but she's not much interested, and soon is swooning over older, but suave, Cuban Demi(Ricardo Montalbam) who, in turn, is squiring Valerie(Phyllis Kirk), who quickly tries to impede Patti's chase of Demi. Meanwhile, Melba(Debbie) has struck up a friendship with Billy, who initially ignored her. Of course, we soon figure out that , despite all their age and clothes disadvantages, Patti will end up with Demi, and Melba with Billy, in the final scene.Patti ad Billy keep getting into embarrassing situations, as they try to impress the opposite sex. Patti develops a severe inferiority complex because she hasn't a corset to wear, while the other debs all have one. Papa, who is more understanding of Patti's wish to be see as a woman than is his wife, finally buys her one, but its a surgical corset that locks when she bends over too much(Yes, pretty contrived!) Also, her swimwear is not on par with her age. Thus, when Demi is seen approaching, her sibs bury her in the imported sand, except for her head, hidden by a bucket(reminding me of Oliver Hardy, in "Way Out West"). Patti is envious of Valerie, who is wearing the latest minimal swimwear when she dives into the lake((Melba dubs her 'Lady Govida'). Billy is hamstrung socially, because is father still makes him wear knickers(unbelievable, as Carleton was 24 and quite tall!). Busby Berkeley was choreographer. The film opens with papa Robinson conducting a summer band in a pavilion, with Jane, in a very elegant womanly outfit, singing a classic piece "A Heart that's Free", which Diana Durbin had sung during her brief MGM period. Much later, Debbie and some boys sing "That's How I Need You": very amateurish, as intended. Jane then walks in, and begins a much better "The Oceana Roll", composed around 1910, with the others eventually chiming in: a fun production. Besides the memorable "Aba Daba Honeymoon" duet, which also includes considerable dancing and clowning, Debbie and Carleton do a duet song and dance to "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat", which also is quite entertaining. Later, in Jane's elaborate dream sequence to "My Beautiful Lady" she is dressed very stylishly , in pink, with parasol, as Demi and Billy fight for her hand, in one portion. The finale stage production is rather short and simple: Patti tangos with Demi, she swoons when her surgical corset locks, inhibiting her breathing. This scene is set up by Billy and Melba, who stole Valerie's dancing shoes. Thus, at the last minute, Patti takes her place in the show, wearing Valerie's shoes, after Valerie leaves in disgust. Yes, pretty contrived!Debbie gets most of the easy-going, fun, musical numbers, while Jane mostly gets the serious romantic singing roles. It would be the same story when they were again paired in "Hit the Deck". Both that film and this one were directed by Roy Roland. Like Judy Garland, Jane usually had a couple of crying spells in her films. Debbie's character is not so serious about her romancing. At age 30, Richardo was in his peak handsome period. The next year, he would suffer a serious back injury that caused permanent pain and limp....Carleton was quite personable and it's too bad he wasn't included in more films....Clinton Sundberg, who played the resort manager, had a limited film career, usually playing minor service characters. I remember him as the haughty butler , in "The Girl Next Door"... Louis Calhern, who played the family father, also played Jane's grandfather, but functional father, in "Nancy Goes to Rio", released the same year... I though Phyllis Kirk did an excellent job in the thankless role of 'the other woman'.Reportedly, Jane's favorite film she did. Not really my favorite of her films, but it has it's positives.

"Two Weeks with Love" is a delightful coming of age comedy musical, with a couple of young actresses who could really sing and dance. In the mid- 20th century, and the 50 or so years of earlier society that the movies often showed, coming of age was a well defined rite of passage – for both boys and girls. But young ladies seemed to be more aware of it – or it meant more to them. For the last half century or so, the focus just seems to be on teen years, with passage morphed in there somewhere and not clearly defined. So, society isn't as cognizant of this particular time anymore and we no longer see coming of age films. But, this one is a dandy, and the coming of age is "the issue" around which the plot unfolds. Jane Powell plays Patti Robinson, the female who is coming of age, and Carleton Carpenter plays Billy Finlay, the male who is coming of age. Besides these two characters, this film is loaded with young talented singers and dancers, and with a cast of wonderful performances, young and old. Ricardo Montalban, though a very good actor overall and in this role, just seemed a curious choice to play the male lead, Demi Armendez. He was 41 when the film was made, and even makeup can't quite make him look too much younger.Right behind Patti, who is 17 in this movie, is her sis, Melba, played by Debbie Reynolds. She is 15. She and Patti are in a one-way romantic triangle with Finlay. Melba pines for Billy, who pines for Patti, who pines for someone else, so long as it's not Billy. Both female singers play their younger roles especially well. Believe it or not, Powell and Reynolds have the same birthday – April 1, three years apart. Powell was 21 when the film was made, and plays a 17-year- old. Reynolds was 18, and plays a 15-year-old. They carry it off very nicely and believably. The two starlets became close friends for life, and made two more musical comedies together. They played sisters again in the 1954 movie, "Athena," and were paired as friends in the smash hit, "Hit the Deck" with Tony Martin and others. As of my writing this review, both actresses are still alive. Both had long careers in film and on television. Powell's soprano singing roles faded by the end of the 50s, and Reynolds' singing roles ended with the 60s. Both would sing in some of their TV appearances later, and Reynolds especially had a much more full acting career, mostly in comedy. Powell's biggest hit beside her pairings with Reynolds was "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in 1954. Reynolds had major hits with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1957, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in 1964, and "The Singing Nun" in 1967. She had her own TV variety show in 1969-70. "Two Weeks with Love" is a fun, warm and funny movie that the whole family will enjoy. Reynolds is especially good in her role, and the supporting players all are very good. It's a hilarious two-week vacation for the Robinson family at Kissameee in the Catskills. Here are two samples of very funny situations in the film. The Robinson's are in the resort dining room which is full with guests, when the suave Demi Armendez (Montalban) arrives in the doorway. We never learn who it is, but an older woman on his arm may be his mother or an aunt or who knows what. The woman is wearing a black dress with white trim on the top. Demi is wearing a loud sport coat -- loud especially for that time. It's a three-color broad striped coat in red, orange and tan. The table conversations all stop and everyone looks at the couple. "What are they staring at?" Montalban says to the woman. She replies, "My new dress." Later, Patti thinks she has missed her chance with Demi and she's sitting alone at the drugstore counter. She has ordered a strawberry soda. "I guess there's nothing left for me to do but become a missionary," she says. The old-timer druggist sets her soda down and says, "Well, you wouldn't want to do that on an empty stomach."

Believe me, I love the old MGM musicals, but this particular Powell player doesn't work for me. Certainly, the MGM "class" is visible in every frame, even if the back lot is not a convincing substitute for the Catskill Mountains. The architecture and atmosphere simply do not evoke the implied location.Debbie Reynolds is the only spark in this uninspired flick. Supporting performances are basically caricatures, at best.Technicolor always astounds me, even if the material does not.Just TWO years later, Reynolds would star in "Singing in the Rain," an MGM classic that blows this safe, milk toast tid-bit out of the water.

There's just something about watching an MGM musical from their golden age. Musicals from that time had a special look and feel like nothing before or since, wonderful displays of showmanship and design and talent that cast a gorgeous glow over the screen. Sure, they were corny and silly sometimes, but they entertained.`Two Weeks With Love' is typical of this period. The story follows adolescent Patti Robinson (Jane Powell) on her family vacation to Kissimee in the Catskills, where she meets and falls in love with the dashing Demi Armendez (Ricardo Montalban). Patti pursues Demi and the hotel bellboy Billy (Carleton Carpenter) pursues Patti and Patti's sister Melba (Debbie Reynolds) pursues Billy, and Patti and Melba's Mama and Papa (Ann Harding and Louis Calhern) struggle to accept that their little girl is growing up…`Two Weeks' is one of those movies that's a pure joy to watch, just ninety minutes of lighthearted fun and sweetness. It's a time capsule from a simpler age, when problems were never really as bad as they seemed and true love could conquer all. Sigh