Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
mark.waltz
Judy Garland is the female Destry of this movie, a glossy musical western less about settling the range, but bringing hospitality out to the plains. The Harvey Girls are waitresses, brought in to work at the old restaurant chain in major stops for passenger trains after the western plains were settled a bit. Of course, these pretty girls are threats for the saloon girls for the attentions (or pocket books) of the local men, so that's gonna mean trouble.Judy is a demure mail order bride who ends up a waitress when she finds out that her husband to be is Chill Wills, who willingly lets her go. She has an instant rival in the bitchy Angela Lansbury who isn't afraid to ruin a few feathered boas to keep the waitresses from getting in her way. But Lansbury doesn't count on milquetoast Judy in gaining the affections of saloon owner John Hodiak from her. This means war! In the first film where Judy truly got to be a grown-up (at the age of 23!), she shows off more than her vocal talents, but her knack for comedy as well. The catfight scene between Lansbury's saloon girls and the Harvey Girls is especially funny with the sight of Judy standing around in the middle of the ruckus, being practically invisible as everybody but her gets smacked, kicked or thrown across the room. She's also feisty, dealing with stolen steaks so bravely you'd think she was John Wayne protecting the stagecoach as he road across the range.There's a great supporting cast of musical talent, including rubber-legged Ray Bolger, dead-panned Virginia O'Brien and sweet Cyd Charisse. Even raspy voiced Marjorie Main (as the head cook) gets into the singing act, participating in the Oscar Winning number "On the Antison Topeka and the Santa Fe" and being a comical dancer in the "Round and Round" production number. She is hysterical showing the waitresses how to set the table during the title song. Unfortunately, Lansbury (who later showed her singing chops in Broadway musicals) was obviously dubbed, so those who have seen her on stage or heard the cast albums are sure to ask, "Huh?" when her character performs a saloon number.As musicals go, none were more lavish than MGM's, especially those from the Arthur Freed unit. Having proved his metal with Garland the year earlier with "Meet Me in St. Louis", he confirmed it here, although it is George Sidney in the director's chair, not Vincent Minnelli. There would be many more classics from Freed (a few with Garland). and "The Harvey Girls" remains as fresh and entertaining today as it did when it thrilled audiences in 1946.
writers_reign
For reasons that need not detain us here my life is punctuated by movies that for one reason or another - I wasn't born yet, they never played in my neighborhood or I just plain missed them - I never got to see on their initial release. Wizard of Oz was one, Meet Me In St Louis was another as was The Harvey Girls. I remember catching up with a revival of Meet Me In St Louis in my teens. I was blown away and went back three times. I've just caught up with The Harvey Girls and my overall reaction is so what. True, there's a great production number and there's another number 'It's A Great Big World' that is light years better than Atchison, Topeka and finally there is Virginia O'Brien but once you've said that there is little left to praise. As a Judy completist I'm glad to have it on my shelves but that's about it.
Jem Odewahn
I really enjoyed this one, perfect hot lazy Saturday afternoon entertainment for me. Judy Garland as always is a treat to watch. This time the songbook isn't too memorable (apart from that great ensemble number near the beginning), and John Hodiak is sort of creepy as her leading man (his teeth and moustache look weird--he has none of the earthy sexuality of "Lifeboat"), but nevertheless I thought it was pretty good. It had enough humour, spots of melodrama and light musical numbers to keep me interested throughout. Plus, the colour is gorgeous, looking fantastic there on my HD TV. A young Cyd Charisse plays one of the "Harvey Girls", and she doesn't really get much of a chance to display her dancing talents, but she's still lovely to watch. Hard to believe Angela Lansbury was so young when she made this movie (early 20's I believe). Why did they turn her into a madam before her time? George Sidney, reliable MGM hand, directs and it's some of the best work I've seen from him yet. Apart from the ballads, the musical numbers are very fluid.
actor1959
"The Harvey Girls" is MGM at its very best. The near perfection of the "On the Atchison, Topeka and Sata Fe" number is worth a viewing if for nothing else. If you want to see what Hollywood's Golden Age was all about see this film. Judy Garland and the entire cast turn in A+ performances. Virginia O'Brien's deadpan delivery is understated genius. An interesting note, in an era when African-American performances were usually cut out of films in the South, director George Sidney has actor Ben Carter (as John Henry) begin the main number of the film, thus ensuring that he would not be cut out of the film. Sidney proves his worth as a director and gives a preview of his accomplishments to come on "Annie Get Your Gun".
