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For Me and My Gal is mainly remembered for two different reasons: Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. This was Kelly’s first film role, and it makes a stellar first impression, and a transitional role for Garland. Here she was changing over from the girl-next-door parts to an ingenue and taking on more grown-up parts.
It’s a bit of a goopy wartime musical/morale booster, but a very enjoyable one. A love story between vaudeville performers looking for their big break before the outbreak of World War I, For Me and My Gal is a bit routine in parts but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s plenty of morally gray spaces that the film inhibits, mainly in Kelly’s character who rapidly loses audience sympathy before working overtime to gain it back, to keep your attention even when the generic love triangle wobbles.
For Me and My Gal smartly spends most of its time either watching Kelly and Garland do the dramatics or rip it up in musical numbers. It’s hard to believe this was Kelly’s debut as he seems so self-assured and comfortable in front of the camera. His persona would tweak and finesse over the next few films, but all of the bones of it are there. Garland was apparently his biggest champion, not only in getting him the part but in coaching him on how to act for the camera, and their chemistry together crackles.
Not only do they verbally spar beautifully, but Garland manages to hold her own against Kelly’s dynamic physical movements. Not a natural dancer, Garland still finds a way to meet him in the middle just like Kelly’s tinnier voice finds a middle ground against Garland’s belting. Not only are they dynamic together, but separately they manage to enliven even the dullest of scenes, a few of which do creep in as the running time is a bit inflated.
Kelly’s character is a bit of a heel, and much of his trajectory is about him learning to care about something outside of himself. This is a character that breaks his hand to dodge the draft in a film released just as the US was gearing up to join the effort in World War II. That Kelly managed to not only essay a character this dark but manage to switch gears towards humbling him and engendering audience sympathy, and then go on to a bright career is no small feat. This would set the template for Kelly’s greatest screen creations: the tension between his infectious cheer (handsome smile, athletic dancing) and the dark underbelly (lovelorn sailor, forgotten man aboard, etc.).
Garland meanwhile demonstrates the full range of her talents: she gets to play comedy, melodrama, sing, and dance. Watching her in top shape is to watch a thoroughbred run a race. All you can think is, “wow, she was built for this. This is her element.” Daughter Liza Minnelli has often stated that her mother was the greatest entertainer to ever live, and it’d be easy to write that off as a progeny beaming with pride at their parent, but then you watch a string of Garland’s musicals and notice that she never breaks a sweat and makes all of it – the laughs, the singing, the drama – look effortless.
While the last act’s patriotism and aggressive flag waving can be a bit much, For Me and My Gal ultimately soars when merely viewing its leads bringing up the best in each other. Her vulnerability makes him softer, and his toughness makes her steelier, for instance. They’re clearly having a ball performing opposite each other, and it’s hard to not feel that charm and glee radiate off the screen and into your heart. While it may not be one of their golden classics, it is a resounding success at what it set out to do: let Garland grow up and give Kelly a chance with some tears, laughs, and songs along the way.
