Summer Stock (1950)

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Sy Gomberg (story)
George Wells (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 January 1951 (Sweden)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Plot:

A small-town farmer, down on her luck, finds her homestead invaded by a theatrical troupe invited to stay by her ne'er-do-well sister.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Farm | Barn | Actor | Barn Dance

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Judy Garland	...	Jane Falbury
Gene Kelly	...	Joe D. Ross
Eddie Bracken	...	Orville Wingait
Gloria DeHaven	...	Abigail Falbury (as Gloria De Haven)
Marjorie Main	...	Esme
Phil Silvers	...	Herb Blake
Ray Collins	...	Jasper G. Wingait
Nita Bieber	...	Sarah Higgins
Carleton Carpenter	...	Artie
Hans Conried	...	Harrison I. Keath
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean Adcock	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Erville Alderson	...	Zeb (uncredited)
Bette Arlen	...	Show girl (uncredited)
George Bunny	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Frank (uncredited)
Roy Butler	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Bridget Carr	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Michael Chapin	...	A boy (uncredited)
Jeanne Coyne	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Joan Dale	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Jack Daley	...	Producer (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Eugene Freedley	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Jack Gargan	...	Clerk (uncredited)
A. Cameron Grant	...	Producer (uncredited)
Carol Haney	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Betty Hannon	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Dickie Humphreys	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Teddy Infuhr	...	A Boy (uncredited)
Rena Lennart	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Arthur M. Loew Jr.	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Frank Pharr	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Don Powell	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Elynne Ray	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Marilyn Reiss	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Joe Roach	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Albert Ruiz	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Almira Sessions	...	Constance Fliggerton (uncredited)
Kathryn Sheldon	...	Amy Fliggerton (uncredited)
Reginald Simpson	...	Producer (uncredited)
Henry Sylvester	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Jimmy Thompson	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Joanne Tree	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Dorothy Tuttle	...	Stock company member (uncredited)
Bunny Waters	...	Show girl (uncredited)
Carol West	...	Stock company member (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Walters

Writing credits
Sy Gomberg		(story)
George Wells		(writer) and
Sy Gomberg		(writer)

Produced by
Joe Pasternak	....	producer

Original Music by
Conrad Salinger		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Robert H. Planck		(director of photography) (as Robert Planck)

Film Editing by
Albert Akst

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist designer
William Tuttle	....	makeup designer (as William J. Tuttle)
Dorothy Ponedel	....	key makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joel Freeman	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Leslie H. Martinson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Alfred E. Spencer	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording supervisor

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Helen Rose	....	costumes: Gloria DeHaven

Music Department
Saul Chaplin	....	musical director
Johnny Green	....	musical director
Skip Martin	....	orchestrator
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Nick Castle	....	dance stager
James Gooch	....	technicolor color consultant
Henri Jaffa	....	technicolor color consultant
Leslie H. Martinson	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

If You Feel Like Singing (UK)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #14515) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The "Earthbuster" tractor is a 1949 Ford 8N model.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Jane drives her new tractor home, the sun is on her left for most of the drive until she comes to a village then the sun is on her right. The sun returns to her left after she leaves the village, having put water in the tractor's radiator.

Quotes:

Jane Falbury: You really love this, don't you?
Joe D. Ross: What? Show business? There's nothing else in the world.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mem'ry Island

Enjoyable Musical Numbers Make Up For Weaknesses Elsewhere

The good and sometimes excellent musical numbers make this an enjoyable movie despite several overall weaknesses. Gene Kelly and Judy Garland both get many good opportunities to use their talents, and most of the musical sequences show both heart and imagination. The rest of the movie, though, presents the appearance of having been contrived to set up the variety numbers, and it is not as good. The story is good-natured, but rather shallow, and it is not quite interesting enough to distract attention from its less logical aspects.

Of course, with Garland and Kelly around, you can count on some good moments. The best sequences are probably Kelly's famous routine with the newspaper, and Garland's "Get Happy", two numbers that almost everyone enjoys and remembers. Kelly's routine with the newspaper is one of his most creative, and it is an entertaining way to highlight his talent. "Get Happy" has music and words to match the title, and Garland gives it her all.

The song also fits in very nicely with the intended theme of the movie.

There are a few worthwhile moments in the rest of it. Phil Silvers plays a sometimes amusing, sometimes annoying character. The relationships that Garland's character has with her boyfriend and with her sister start out with some potential, but they end up being only mildly interesting. The other parts of the story are innocuous, but not especially interesting.

Overall, the high quality of the singing and dancing sequences make "Summer Stock" worth seeing. For anyone who enjoys the classic musicals, the strong points should compensate for the rather commonplace nature of much of the rest of the movie.