Girl Crazy (1943)

hyped garbage

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Thanks for so many interesting reviews. Alas, wasting the talents of its stars meant I feel compelled to give it such low score despite Judy Garland's delightful number, "But Not for Me".This has badly dated both in terms of its excessive slapstick (Rooney doing a Lou Costello ride on a wild horse), silly slang gags ("snerdy") and a plethora of lame wisecracks from Rooney ("I'm free, white and ready ...") taking up almost half the dialogue.And it's little wonder that Garland agitated for Busby to be replaced as its Director, given how unimaginatively his big finale scene is staged.Remember, this was made at least a year after the Pearl Harbour attack, yet it conveys nothing of the massive changes sweeping through American society during that era.

Of the four backyard musicals they shared, the other three being Babes in Arms (1939), Strike up the Band (1940), and Babes on Broadway (1941), this one was definitely the best. Why you may ask? Well, for several different reasons.One: Mickey was more restrained. His acting always involved extreme mugging to the camera that quite frankly got on my nerves, especially in Babes on Broadway. But he's a little more reserved here. His announcer routine was still annoying and far too long, but it's the only glaring example.Two: Judy Garland. Her voice and acting ability had reached a new level of maturity in this movie. I loved her sharp wit and clever facial expressions. And she was more beautiful than ever. The best I've ever seen her. You could tell her popularity was rising as she had more presence in this movie than in the other three, and more solo performances.Three: The plot was better. The other three films had very similar plots, but this one actually took some more liberties and went in a different direction. Instead of putting on a show to form careers, they were trying to save a college. However, the plot is still pretty standard.Four: The music. An almost entire Gershwin soundtrack, what more could you ask for? All of them were great, but "Embraceable You", my god. I've never heard a more perfect performance. It's most definitely my favorite Garland performance ever.It's not perfect. There are many parts in the movie I feel are either rushed or not developed enough, and some of the comedy routines get tiring, but despite it's predictable plot, it's a pretty clever and enjoyable movie. And for Garland, she's definitely a Girl I go Crazy over whenever I see her perform.

The DVD has an introduction by Mickey Rooney, filmed in 2007, and he chokes up remembering Judy Garland, and he says his greatest thrill is that she considered him her favorite movie partner.This entertaining movie is about the actors, Rooney and Garland, doing their thing, plus the great Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra playing Gershwin songs. Dorsey isn't simply providing music, he becomes a character in the film, of course playing himself.Mickey Rooney was 22 here, playing Danny Churchill, Jr., son of a wealthy New York publisher. In the movie's opening we see Danny Jr. out on the town, and the next morning the publicity of his antics are not well received by dad. So Danny Boy gets sent to Cody College, "out west." Cody College is populated by young cowboys, and is in somewhat of a bind, student enrollment is dropping and may have to be closed down. One of the first people Danny meets is Judy Garland as Ginger Gray, under her US Mail delivery car in the desert, trying to get it running. Eventually they do, and she gives Danny a ride to the college. It turns out her grandfather is the dean of the school.Much of the movie has two thrusts ... Danny falling in love with Ginger, and convincing her he is sincere. And Danny figuring out a way to help keep the college open. In the end they hit upon an idea and it results in a flood of letters of application ... from female students.The music and singing are great, and Mickey Rooney displays his many talents, and even has a piano number with the Dorsey band. The last scene is a very nice 7-minute production number. Very nice movie from 1943, two years before I was born.

I believe the pinnacle of the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland collaboration at MGM was reached in 1943 with Girl Crazy. Musical films don't get any better than this. It was especially good since the first film version of Girl Crazy was a watered down thing done by RKO for the talents of Wheeler&Woolsey. As I wrote in my review of that film, if you're a Wheeler&Woolsey fan its all right, but if you like George Gershwin as I do, the film is a dud.That sure isn't the case here and though the plot was changed somewhat from the Broadway version it still involves a young eastern playboy who gets sent west to a small college to mend his ways in the great outdoors. I'm sure you've guessed that is the role Mickey Rooney plays.Judy is the granddaughter of the college dean Guy Kibbee and being the only young girl around she's got all the boys attention. That doesn't even change when Nancy Walker comes to town. The roles that Garland and Walker played were originated on Broadway by Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman. Girl Crazy debuted in 1930 and ran for 272 performances which is a remarkable record for the Depression years. Of course having what might arguably be the best score that George and Ira Gershwin ever wrote is probably the reason. MGM wisely kept most of it intact and we get to hear Garland sing But Not For Me, Embraceable You, I've Got Rhythm, Biding My Time and a charming duet with Rooney in Could You Use Me.When Nancy Walker stepped into Ethel Merman's role Merman's songs in the original Broadway show were I've Got Rhythm and Sam n' Delilah. The former is given to Garland and the latter is only heard in the background. But with Garland singing all these Gershwin songs I venture to say that she never had as rich a score in any of her films before or since.Girl Crazy also features Tommy Dorsey who might have had at that time the number one swing band in the nation even without that singer from Hoboken who left him that year. Dorsey and his orchestra appear both in the early nightclub scene with Mickey Rooney and in the I've Got Rhythm finale which is choreographed by the inimitable Busby Berkeley. His work at MGM is not quite as spectacular as it was at Warner Brothers in the Thirties, but it's pretty good in this film.Judy, Mickey, George, Ira, Tommy, Busby, Nancy and a supporting cast that also includes Rags Ragland, Henry O'Neill, Gil Stratton, June Allyson, who could ask for anything more?