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| Ralph Meeker and Betty Hutton |
SOMEBODY LOVES ME (1952). Director: Irving Brecher.
Blossom Seeley (Betty Hutton of
Spring Reunion) becomes a top vaudeville entertainer and sees a trio performing in a club one night. Spying the handsome crooner Benny Fields (Ralph Meeker of
Jeopardy) -- one of the trio -- she decides "that's for me!" and hires all of them for her act. This arrangement doesn't work for long, until Benny proposes and becomes her accompanist. But soon he's "Mr. Seeley" and feels like a kept man. But did he marry Blossom for love or other motives?
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| Billie Bird and Cheetah? |
Although pretty much forgotten today, the real-life Seeley and Fields were once as famous as Jack Benny and Burns and Allen. This biopic revived their careers in the fifties. Betty Hutton gives one of her best performances in this, bold and brassy when she needs to be, and more subdued and lovely at other moments. Although generally one would hardly think of Ralph Meeker for the leading role in a musical, he's fine in this flick, and while he's really not a dancer, he sexily shakes his booty in one number. Robert Keith and Billie Bird [
The Cat Burglar] are both first-rate as Blossom's manager and her best friend, who was once an entertainer herself. Adele Jergens also scores in an early sequence when she's a condescending headliner who gets undone by Bird and an adorable chimpanzee (who reads
Variety no less). Jack Benny has a famous cameo as himself as a master of ceremonies.
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| Ralph Meeker |
The film has some lively dance numbers and a good score comprised of classic tunes (like Gershwin's title song) and a few new numbers by Livingstone and Evans. The highlights are "I Cried Over You;" "Jealous;" "When I Was a Kid in Dixie;" and "Dixie Dreams." Meeker's voice was probably dubbed by Fields himself, as it sounds like him. An interesting scene has Benny admitting to Blossom that their marriage was essentially a career move, although according to this film he did fall in love with her later on. Hutton did only one more film after this one and then had a few TV appearances.
Verdict: Nice music, excellent performances, put over this lively musical biopic. ***.
2 comments:
Not aware of the comedy team that this biopic covers, but looks like fun. When I am in the mood for the frenetic (but very talented) Betty Hutton, will give it a look!
- C
I was never a big fan of Hutton's but in recent years I've come across her giving some very good performances in different movies and I like her much better. Yes, definitely frenetic but talented!
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