Easter Parade (1948)

Directed by Charles Walters. Starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Peter Lawford, Jeni Le Gon, Jules Munshin.

Stage star Miller goes solo, leaving partner Astaire in the lurch, so he boasts that he can turn any showgirl into a star and plucks performer Garland out of obscurity and rehearses with her to audition for the Ziegfeld Follies. Some of the songs stick, but the story doesn’t; a trifle of a musical with enough winning moments for a fairly pleasant watch, but despite a surplus of eye candy, the profuse routines are a mixed bag. A swap in casting might have helped (Miller for Garland) since Fred and Judy aren’t a great revue match—she can belt a tune, but is too much of a uniform dancer to twinkle the toes with Astaire (they also have minimal romantic chemistry, and he’s a bit too old for both). Tunes by Irving Berlin given a handsome MGM Technicolor treatment; highlights include Astaire’s “Drum Crazy” performance, Miller’s “Shakin’ the Blues Away,” and the jaunty classic “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.”

66/100