ONE TOUCH OF VENUS

Sleeping Beauty: Ava Gardner

ONE TOUCH OF VENUS (1948). Director: William A. Seiter.

"Debussy. Debussy does something to women." -- Mr. Savory.

"Personally, I go for Buzzy Balou and his Musical Crew." -- Molly.

Eddie Hatch (Robert Walker of My Son John) is a window dresser for Savory's department store. Mr. Savory (Tom Conway) has just acquired a $200,000 statue of Venus which he wishes to unveil and he instructs Eddie to make sure the curtain rises perfectly at the right moment. Eddie impulsively kisses the statue, and the next thing he knows it has come to life. Venus (Ava Gardner), Goddess of Love visiting from Olympus, is charmed by Eddie, and he is smitten with her, although he already has a girlfriend in clerk Gloria (Olga San Juan). Eddie's buddy, Joe (Dick Haymes of St. Benny the Dip) has a secret crush on Gloria, as secretary Molly (Eve Arden) does on her boss, Mr. Savory. Spotting her asleep in a model home on the first floor of the store, Savory determines to drape this goddess in gowns and make her his own. Will all of these lovers get together with the right person, and will Eddie have to go to jail for stealing a very expensive statue? One Touch of Venus, adapted from the Broadway show that starred Mary Martin, takes a while to get its footing (a third of the movie has gone by before anyone sings a song, for one thing), but it develops into a charming and well-performed musical comedy. Gardner [The Night of the Iguana] makes a luscious Venus, and is good in the role, although her singing is dubbed. The other performers are all on the money -- Sara Allgood has a nice turn as an anxious landlady --  and Eve Arden adds just that extra special sparkle that the proceedings require. The movie drops about half of the songs (Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash) -- some are heard in the background -- but retains "Speak Low;" "That's Him;" and "My Foolish Heart." Olga San Juan was in the original Broadway cast of Lerner and Loewe's Paint Your Wagon.

Verdict: Romantic tomfoolery perhaps, but it certainly has its delights. ***.

STREET SCENE [OPERA]

STREET SCENE (1994). Director: José Montes-Baquer.

The original Broadway production of Street Scene -- based on Elmer Rice's play and with a score by Kurt Weill -- bridged the gap between musical and opera and did a fine job of it. This is a well-directed and filmed video/DVD (originally shown on television) of the outstanding production mounted by Houston Grand Opera. The storyline concerns the unhappy Maurant family -- the mother seeks tenderness in another man's arms; the daughter wants a better life but isn't willing to pay the price she might have to pay to get it; etc. It builds up inexorably to tragedy and a bittersweet but inevitable finale. Ashley Putnam and Teri Hansen are superb as, respectively, Mrs. Maurant and her daughter, Rose; Marc Embree also scores as Frank Maurant, as does Kip Wilborn as intellectual Sam (who loves Rose) -- but then the entire cast is of a high order. The many memorable songs/arias include Lonely Town, Wrapped in a Ribbon, What Good Will the Moon Be?, Somebody's Going to Be So Handsome, which Mrs. Maurant sings to young son Willie; her song about life and her husband's bitter lament about new-fangled notions; and especially the stunning love duet We'll Go Away Together. A very, very memorable and moving experience.

Verdict: Outstanding on every level. ****.