Words and Music (1948)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Guy Bolton (story)
Ben Feiner Jr. (adaptation)

Release Date:

31 December 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Musical

Tagline:

The BIGGEST musical!

Plot:

Fictionalized story of the songwriting partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.

Plot Keywords:

Composer | Rooney And Garland | Fictional Biography | Dance | Beautiful Woman

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 8

12:15 PM

TCM

Cast

June Allyson	...	Alisande La Carteloise (in "A Connecticut Yankee")
Perry Como	...	Eddie Lorrison Anders / Himself
Judy Garland	...	Herself
Lena Horne	...	Herself
Gene Kelly	...	Himself
Mickey Rooney	...	Lorenz Hart
Ann Sothern	...	Joyce Harmon
Tom Drake	...	Richard Rodgers
Cyd Charisse	...	Margo Grant
Betty Garrett	...	Peggy Lorgan McNeil
Janet Leigh	...	Dorothy Feiner Rodgers
Marshall Thompson	...	Herbert Fields
Mel Tormé	...	Himself
Vera-Ellen	...	Herself
Jeanette Nolan	...	Mrs. Hart

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The song "I Wish I Were In Love Again" was the last time Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney appeared on screen together.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the Hollywood party at Hart's home, he and Judy are singing a duet. Her dress is cinched with a belt in that scene, however, when she sings a solo just after that, the dress is beltless and her waist is a bit wider. Her hair is also longer than the previous scene.

Quotes:

Lorenz Hart: Miserable? Me? I'm always happy!
Dorothy Feiner Rodgers: No one's always happy.
Lorenz Hart: Alright, so I'm slightly miserable

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Music and Lyrics (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Lady Is a Tramp

THE BEST OF MGM'S ALL-STAR MUSICALS

During the 1940's, MGM produced a number of All-Star musicals. The most notable being The Ziegfeld Follies, Till the Clouds Roll By, and Words and Music. The Ziegfeld film is most remembered for its comedy routines: Fanny Brice, Red Skelton, Victor Moore, and Judy Garland's satirical "The Great Lady Gives an Interview". The other two films are idealized biographies of Jerome Kern ("Clouds") and Rodgers and Hart ("Words"), of which the latter is far and away the more entertaining. The Kern film followed closely on the death of the revered composer and is too respectful for its own good. "Words and Music", on the other hand, benefits greatly from the presence of Mickey Rooney (as Larry Hart) and the always delightful Betty Garrett. But, most of all, it's the wide variety of songs that Rodgers and Hart produced that make it such a joy to watch. From June Allyson's lively "Thou Swell" (a highlight in her career) to the dramatic "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" ballet with Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen (a forerunner of the sensual ballet's that Kelly performed in "An American in Paris" and "Singing in the Rain". And of course, there's the wonderful (and final) teaming of Rooney and Judy Garland (the amusing "I Wish I Were in Love Again").

From beginning to end, this is the best of MGM. Don't miss it.