Lovely to Look At
| Lovely to Look At | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by |
Mervyn LeRoy Vincente Minnelli (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Jack Cummings |
| Screenplay by |
George Wells Harry Ruby |
| Starring |
Kathryn Grayson Red Skelton Howard Keel Ann Miller |
| Music by | Carmen Dragon and Saul Chaplin |
| Cinematography | George J. Folsey |
| Edited by | John McSweeney Jr. |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date | July 1952 |
Running time | 103 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,813,000[1] |
| Box office | $3,774,000[1] |
Lovely to Look At, an adaptation of the Broadway musical Roberta, is a 1952 MGM musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy.[2] Other than keeping the musical score and retaining the idea of a dress shop being inherited by someone, it bears almost no resemblance to the show or 1935 film.[3]
Plot
Tony Naylor, Al Marsh and Jerry Ralby are looking for backers for their new Broadway show. They have just run out of options when Al gets a letter from his aunt's attorneys and finds he is a part-owner of a dress salon in Paris. Thinking to sell his share, he, Jerry, and Tony fly to Paris, only to find the shop is almost bankrupt. There they also find Stephanie and Clarisse, who own the other shares of the business. Tony is able to convince the anxious creditors to back a fashion show, hoping to put the shop back on top. As the plot progresses, Tony is torn between his growing affection for Stephanie and his desire to finance his show. Meanwhile, Jerry falls for Clarisse, and Al has a crush on Stephanie. Eventually, Al goes for Bubbles, who has followed the boys from New York.
Cast
- Kathryn Grayson ... Stephanie
- Red Skelton ... Al Marsh
- Howard Keel ... Tony Naylor
- Marge Champion ... Clarisse
- Gower Champion ... Jerry Ralby
- Ann Miller ... Bubbles Cassidy
- Zsa Zsa Gabor ... Zsa Zsa
- Kurt Kasznar ... Max Fogelsby
- Marcel Dalio ... Pierre
- Diane Cassidy ... Diane
Production
The film was originally announced as a vehicle for Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, who had teamed together several times previously.[4]
Songs
The music was written by Jerome Kern.
- "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", sung by Kathryn Grayson, and later danced to by Marge and Gower Champion; lyrics by Otto A. Harbach and Dorothy Fields.
- "Lovely To Look At", sung by Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel; lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was nominated for an Academy Award when it was first used in the 1935 version of Roberta.[5]
- "The Touch of Your Hand", sung by Kathryn Grayson; lyrics by Otto A. Harbach.
- "I Won't Dance", sung and danced to by Marge and Gower Champion; lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Dorothy Fields.
- "Yesterdays", sung by Kathryn Grayson; lyrics by Harbach.
- "You're Devastating", sung by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson; lyrics by Harbach.
- "I'll Be Hard to Handle", sung and danced to by Ann Miller and Men's Chorus; Lyrics by Bernard Dougall.
- "Lafayette", performed by Howard Keel, Red Skelton and Gower Champion.
Reception
According to MGM records the film earned $2,571,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $1,203,000 elsewhere, resulting in an overall loss of $735,000.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ↑ "Lovely To Look At (1952) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2017-04-08.
- ↑ "Lovely to Look At". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ↑ HEDDA HOPPER. (1949, Mar 10). Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/165909761
- ↑ Awards for Roberta (1935) at Internet Movie Database