Easter Parade (1948)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (story) &
Albert Hackett (story) ...

Release Date:

8 July 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The Happiest Musical Ever Made is Irving Berlin's Easter Parade

Plot:

Don Hewes and Nadine Hale are a dancing team, but she decides to start a career on her own. So he takes the next dancer he meets...

Plot Keywords:

Easter | Dance | Ziegfeld Follies | Vaudeville | Fashion Show

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Judy Garland	...	Hannah Brown
Fred Astaire	...	Don Hewes
Peter Lawford	...	Jonathan Harrow III
Ann Miller	...	Nadine Hale
Jules Munshin	...	Headwaiter François
Clinton Sundberg	...	Mike the Bartender
Richard Beavers	...	Singer ("The Girl on the Magazine Cover")

Also Known As:

Irving Berlin's Easter Parade (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #12947) | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The shedding feathered gown worn by Judy Garland when she dances with Fred Astaire in one number is an inside joke reference to Ginger Rogers' problematic gown dancing with Fred Astaire in Top Hat (1935). An ostrich feather broke loose from Ginger Rogers' elaborate gown and stubbornly floated in mid air around Astaire's face.

Goofs:

Continuity: Waiter in Mike's bar appears at the end of the bar, then when the camera changes shots, the waiter comes up to the opposite end of the bar.

Quotes:

[the bartender hands Don his drink]
Don Hewes: Can you drown a brunette in this?
Mike the Bartender: How tall is she?
Don Hewes: Five foot six.
Mike the Bartender: [filling the glass a little more] Try this.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Heavy Traffic (1973)

Soundtrack:

A Fella with an Umbrella

One Of The Best Musicals Of The Classic Era

I don't know why I haven't checked this out on DVD yet. I imagine it looks spectacular, because even the VHS looked super. I'm talking about the Technicolor. Man, those Technicolor films in the '40s were beautiful, as this certainly is.

For entertainment, you get Fred Astaire dancing, Judy Garland singing, Ann Miller dancing, and Peter Lawford singing. I didn't think Lawford could sing, but he's not bad here. The other talent must have elevated his.

Astaire consistently amazed audiences with his innovative dance routines and smooth style. He does a number here in a toy store that is really something! Miller also gives us a good tap number and Garland's songs are all winners.

This movie is more vehicle for those above-mentioned stars than it is in telling some profound the story. The story is not much, but who cares? It's the dancing, singing, the incredible costumes, overall color, nice people and just plain feel-good musical atmosphere that makes this a popular film, even to this day.