Main Cast: Leon Ames, Wallace Beery, Jane Powell, Elizabeth Taylor, George Cleveland, Carmen Miranda, Lloyd Corrigan, Robert Stack, Scotty Beckett
Release Year: 1948
Country: US
Run Time: 114 minutes
Plot
In this lightweight musical comedy, Judy Foster (Jane Powell) and Carol Pringle (Elizabeth Taylor) are teenagers and best friends who find their loyalties tested when they both fall for the same good-looking older man, Stephen Andrews (Robert Stack). This situation is particularly troublesome for Judy, who already has a boyfriend, "Oogie" Pringle (Scotty Beckett), Carol's brother. Meanwhile, the girls join forces for a little sleuthing when Judy discovers that her father, Melvin Foster (Wallace Beery), has been spending time with Brazilian bombshell Rosita Conchellas (Carmen Miranda). Judy and Carol suspect hanky-panky, but actually Melvin is taking dancing lessons from Rosita as a surprise for his wife. A Date With Judy certainly offers your only opportunity to see Wallace Berry dance the mambo, and it also features a guest appearance by Xavier Cugat and his band. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
A modest, unassuming little musical, A Date with Judy is the kind of featherweight piece of fluff that Hollywood routinely produced even into the 1950s. Chipper and perky to a fault, Judy is also one of the "teen-aged" viewpoint films (such as the Andy Hardy or Henry Aldrich series) that were also popular at the time. As might be gathered, the plotting is calculated and unbelievable -- but it's busy enough to keep things moving, and the structure of the piece holds up (even if much of the dialogue does not). Director Richard Thorpe keeps things appropriately light and breezy, never letting the plot bog down for too long at a stretch, and Stanley Donen's choreography is appropriately fast paced and occasionally imaginative. Jane Powell overplays the energy and cuteness, but her rendition of "It's a Most Unusual Day" is lovely. Elizabeth Taylor looks stunning and brings more conviction to her part than it deserves, and Wallace Beery is quite amusing and endearing. As usual, Carmen Miranda can be counted on to liven things up, and her "Cuanto Le Gusta" is quite diverting. Very dated in its attitude about girls and too inconsequential to amount to a great deal, Judy is still moderately entertaining on its own terms. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
The film was photographed in stunning Technicolor and largely served to showcase the blossoming beauty of former child star Elizabeth Taylor, age 16 at the time. Taylor was given the full MGM glamor treatment, including specially designed gowns.
Robert Stack appears in a prominent supporting role. Many others in the MGM stock company appear in their customary roles, including Leon Ames as a dignified father figure, the same role he played in the classic Judy Garland film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Wallace Beery in his penultimate role as a contrasting "rough and ready" father figure.
The film features the strong soprano singing voice of young Jane Powell, and is also a showcase for the musical performances of the Latin American singer Carmen Miranda and Xavier Cugat. In this film, she is given to humorous malapropisms such as "His bite is worse than his bark" and "Now I'm cooking with grass".
Rough Ridin' (with John P. McCarthy) •Rarin' to Go •Battling Buddy •Fast and Fearless •Hard Hittin' Hamilton •Rip Roarin' Roberts •Bringin' Home the Bacon •Thundering Romance •Gold and Grit •Full Speed •Fast Fightin' •On the Go •Double Action Daniels •Quicker 'n Lightnin' •Tearin' Loose •The Desert Demon •Saddle Cyclone •Galloping On •A Streak of Luck •The Last Card •The Roaring Rider •Trumpin' Trouble •The Fighting Cheat •Coming an' Going •The Twin Triggers •Deuce High •Easy Going •Rawhide •Speedy Spurs •Double Daring •The Dangerous Dub •Twisted Triggers •The Bonanza Buckaroo •College Days •Josselyn's Wife •The Bandit Buster •The First Night •The Cyclone Cowboy •Between Dangers •The Galloping Gobs •Tearin' Into Trouble •The Ridin' Rowdy •The Meddlin' Stranger •Pals in Peril •Skedaddle Gold •White Pebbles •The Interferin' Gent •The Soda Water Cowboy •Ride 'em High •The Obligin' Buckaroo •Roarin' Broncs •The Desert of the Lost •The Ballyhoo Buster •Desperate Courage •The Cowboy Cavalier •The Valley of Hunted Men •Saddle Mates •Flyin' Buckaroo •The Bachelor Girl •Border Romance
1930s
The Dude Wrangler •Wings of Adventures •The Thoroughbred •Under Montana Skies •The Utah Kid •The Lawless Woman •The Sky Spider •The Lady from Nowhere •Wild Horse •Grief Street •Neck and Neck •Forgotten Women •The Devil Plays •Cross Examination •Murder at Dawn •Probation •Escapade •The Midnight Lady •Forbidden Company •Beauty Parlor •Thrill of Youth •The King Murder •Slightly Married •Women Won't Tell •Secrets of Wu Sin •Forgotten •Love Is Dangerous •I Have Lived •Strange People •Notorious But Nice •A Man of Sentiment •Murder on the Campus •Rainbow Over Broadway •The Quitter •Stolen Sweets •City Park •Green Eyes •Cheating Cheaters •Secret of the Chateau •Strange Wives •Last of the Pagans •The Voice of Bugle Ann •Tarzan Escapes •Dangerous Number •Night Must Fall •Double Wedding •Man-Proof •Love Is a Headache •The First Hundred Years •The Toy Wife •The Crowd Roars •Three Loves Has Nancy •The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn •Tarzan Finds a Son!
