It both seems entirely odd and somehow appropriate that Ernst Lubitschās yuletide romantic comedy, The Shop Around the Corner, would get the MGM musical makeover. While it is inferior to the original source material, In the Good Old Summertime is a solid, pleasing excursion through the story with Judy Garland and a few songs thrown in. Oh look, thereās an older Buster Keaton getting a chance to shine in a fun supporting part, too. With all of these ingredients, Summertime couldnāt help but be decent.
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But it could have been so much more. Garlandās charismatic as ever, especially during āMeet Me Tonight in Dreamlandā where she merely sits still while plucking a harp and singing or during āI Donāt Careā where she combines physical comedy with a jubilant reading of the song. She also makes her slapstick bits work wonderfully, like a scene where her dress gets torn off by Van Johnsonās bicycle. Sheās a dynamo tearing up the screen even when the material isnāt quite up to her considerable talents.
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Itās in her screen partner that things get wobbly. Van Johnson was a pleasant enough leading man for, say, Esther Williams, but his limitations are evident against Garland. Itās hard to believe them as a credible romantic pairing as so much of the film is spent having them argue instead of finding common ground. His wholesome boy-next-door appeal works well against Garland, but heās not quite the screen comic or dramatic actor she was. It leaves the film a bit lopsided at various points as Garland, Keaton, and S.Z. Sakall out pace him throughout.
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Itās all very sweet and charming more than it is romantic, hilarious, or splashy as a musical. Itās Buster Keaton, originally hired as a gag writer, that makes the most of the limited screen time afforded him. He comes up with a meet cute for the central characters that goes awry, the destruction of a violin that happens so smoothly you barely register it as a choreographed gag, and nearly does a pratfall down some stairs. Summertime had ample room for more of his talents, either through setting up the gags or performing them on his own.
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Hell, In the Good Old Summertime has ample room for more song and dance. Thereās relatively little of that here until the final stretch involving a big party and a barbershop quartet. Itās here that Garland joins the quartet for a fun āPut Your Arms Around Me, Honeyā that lets her cut loose and be the vaudevillian performer she was in her bones. Itās clearly borrowing the vibe and aesthetic of Meet Me in St. Louis, and it needed some of that filmās breakout musical numbers to liven things up.
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In the Good Old Summertime is notable mainly for its historical placement. This was Garlandās penultimate film for MGM, and her next, Summer Stock, would prove the starting point of the long unwinding of her career as a movie star. Thereād be highs (1954ās A Star Is Born, 1963ās I Could Go on Singing), but it was mostly a slow descent into addiction, self-destructive behavior, and her premature death at age 47. Itās hard to look at how lovely and dewy she is here and think that in twenty years it would all come to a crashing halt.
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In a happier note, thereās the first screen appearance of Liza Minnelli. She appears at all of three-years-old as Garland and Johnsonās daughter in the final scene. If she looks confused by it all here, that feeling wouldnāt last very long. Minnelli would rapidly go on to her own pop culture dominance and eventual EGOT (yes, I consider the honorary awards as valid). Ā
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Still, this isnāt anywhere near the worst adaptation of this property. Iām looking at you, Youāve Got Mail. Itās safely middle-brow musical entertainment. Perfect for wasting away a lazy weekend afternoon.