This week is a bit of a departure from the Summer Blockbuster reviews. Don’t worry we’re not finished, we still have a couple coming your way, but due to release dates and a general lack of desire to see this weeks offerings, we’re taking a week off. We try not to judge a book by its cover or a movie by its trailer and/or reviews, but the line has to be drawn somewhere.
So, in lieu of that, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share one of my favorite summer movie events, and one of my favorite summer movies.
August is TCM’s Summer Under the Stars event, where each day is dedicated to a different classic film star. It’s a month of fabulous classic Hollywood and a few new discoveries. If you’re new to the channel or to film beyond the modern era, it’s a fabulous time to start watching.
[This blog is not brought to you by TCM (we're just fans) but I'm open to discussing if anyone wants to talk...]
Because although I love a summer full of explosions and flying and talking snails and planes, sometimes it’s nice to return to the classics. So, today I’m taking a breather and sharing one of my all time favorites.
The movie I’m sharing today isn’t one of them, and in fact neither of its stars have a day in the celebration this year, but if you don’t know who they are then it’s time to crawl out from underneath that rock you’ve been living under.
Today in honor of my favorite month of movies, I present “Summer Stock,” one of my favorite movies, starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. Without further ado, let’s get started:
So, obviously this isn’t a review. I’ve already told you it’s one of my favorite movies ever. So how should I go about this?
I could go on, and on, and on about the absolute joy that this film is. It’s not complicated, it’s not pretentious. It’s a simple, slightly ridiculous story that embraces its oddities with a song in its heart. I could tell you all that, or (though the magic of YouTube) I could show you:
How ridiculously happy are you now? And we are just getting started. Yes, “Summer Stock,” once again finds Judy Garland on a farm, but this time she stays there, no flying off to a head injury induced Technicolor dreamland.
It’s not long before Gene Kelly and his accident-prone sidekick (Phil Silvers) show up with Judy’s sister, take over, and put on a show. Why? Why not?
Okay, so I’m skipping over plot details, like names and story arcs, but don’t you feel joy right now?
I’d show you the trailer to help you out with those pesky details, but it won’t help.
Just embrace the warm fuzzies.
Next up is one of the greatest love letters to the theater I’ve ever seen (and unfortunately is not actually in this clip), followed by the, the greatest explanation of musical theater ever (which is in this clip), and then they sing…sigh:
And that brings us to my favorite Gene Kelly dance…ever:
And finally, I leave you with the most well-known song from this movie. Trust me, you know it, you just didn’t know it was in this movie. Hope you enjoyed this journey through one of my faves. Next we’ll return to normal broadcasting, but you have to admit, this was a pretty awesome detour. Enjoy:
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…bi-daily smile…
BONUS! Here’s that brilliant but not plot revealing trailer:
