Main Cast: Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Una Merkel, Richard Anderson, Jim Backus, Allyn Joslyn
Release Year: 1953
Country: US
Run Time: 77 minutes
Plot
Singin' in the Rain co-stars Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds were re-teamed in the ebullient little musical I Love Melvin. O'Connor plays Melvin Hoover, the hapless assistant to Look magazine photographer Mergo (Jim Backus). When he falls in love with chorus girl Judy LeRoy (Reynolds), Melvin claims that he's the magazine's head photographer. Carrying the ruse to the limit, Melvin arranges to shoot a portrait of Judy and her entire family, insisting that it appear on the cover of Look. On the verge of being found out, Melvin is saved when his boss decides that Judy is photogenic enough to be a cover girl for real. The plot is so lightweight that it threatens to blow away, but the stars are cute as can be, and the musical highlights even more so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The word "peppy" might very well have been created just for I Love Melvin. Also the word "snappy," and it's possible that "energetic" never really found full expression until Melvin came along. Of course, it's also true that "silly," "inconsequential," and "featherweight" are equally apt adjectives to apply to Melvin (if the movie ever would sit still long enough to let any adjectives stick to it.) I Love Melvin is a strictly B-level MGM musical, but it's got so much good cheer and such engaging performances from its stars and their supporting cast that it's tempting to overlook the fact that the plot is both familiar and ridiculous, the score is mostly mediocre ("A Lady Loves" being an exception), and the direction is perfunctory. It also boasts some nifty Robert Alton choreography, the highlights of which include Debbie Reynolds playing the part of a football; a couple of dream/fantasy numbers; and a spiffy "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" duet. Reynolds and Donald O'Connor are adorable and appealing throughout. Noreen Corcoran does very well as Reynolds' kid sister, and Jim Backus and Una Merkel provide solid support. It's all in pursuit of fluff that threatens to blow away at the slightest hint of wind, but viewers who can ignore the lack of substance should enjoy themselves quite a bit. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Cedric Gibbons - Art Director, Eddie Imazu - Art Director, Jack Martin Smith - Art Director, Robert Alton - Choreography, Helen Rose - Costume Designer, Don Weis - Director, Adrienne Fazan - Editor, Josef Myrow - Composer (Music Score), Skip Martin - Composer (Music Score), George Stoll - Musical Direction/Supervision, Harold Hal Rosson - Cinematographer, George Wells - Producer, Laszlo Vadnay - Screen Story, George Wells - Screenwriter, Ruth Brooks Flippen - Screenwriter
