The Girl Most Likely (1958)

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writer (WGA):

Devery Freeman (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Dotie dreams of marrying a millionaire so that she can live 'the life'. Buzz, her boyfriend, however...

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Yacht | Remake | Mistaken Identity

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Jane Powell	...	Dodie
Cliff Robertson	...	Pete
Keith Andes	...	Neil Patterson, Jr.
Kaye Ballard	...	Marge
Tommy Noonan	...	Buzz
Una Merkel	...	Mother
Kelly Brown	...	Sam Kelsey
Judy Nugent	...	Pauline
Frank Cady	...	Pop

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Balboa Island Ferry, Balboa Island, Newport Beach, California, USA

Company:

Stanley Rubin Productions

Trivia:

According to director Mitchell Leisen, since this was the last film made by RKO, a wrecking crew followed him around during shooting and, every time he wrapped a scene, the foreman of the wrecking crew asked him if he was absolutely finished with that set and wouldn't be needing it again. If Leisen said yes, the foreman called his crew in and they demolished the set as soon as Leisen was done with it.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Tom Dick and Harry (1941)

Soundtrack:

All the Colors of the Rainbow

That "Pink Cloud" Feeling.

I saw this one at a theater in Westwood, California during its initial release and hadn't remembered much about it except for the lilting title song performed by the Hi-Lo's (the very best of the male singing quartets of that era) and the lively "Balboa" dance number with a flotilla of dancers splashing through the water's edge on a partially flooded soundstage setting.

Turner Classic Movies showed it earlier today and, oh my!, what a tremendous waste of the various talents involved. Almost everyone in the cast, except for Cliff Robertson, whom I've always found to be close to terminally bland, is criminally underused. The Newport/Balboa Island setting for most of the action isn't capitalized on, except for the title sequence. The production numbers are almost all sub-par, not coming close to the norm in Jane Powell's M-G-M extravaganzas. The treatment of Mexican nationals and American Indians is typical of 1950s all-white heedlessness. And the script is about as silly as they come by any standard, with Jane's final choice of her three suitors (cued by that "Pink Cloud Feeling") being the fadeout disappointment.

Gower Champion's ability to get a troupe of talented dancers into showing some real razzle-dazzle is best showcased in the "Balboa" number and Nelson Riddle's arrangements almost redeem the surprisingly lackluster songs by the usually reliable Ralph Martin and Hugh Blane (who weren't responsible for the listenable title song). All in all, if RKO Radio Pictures weren't already moribund, this one was sure to provide the final nail in its coffin.