Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
If you’re a fan of classic movie musicals, you know without a doubt that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was the premiere studio for musical productions in the 1950s. Of course the studio produced musicals before and after the 50s (from Broadway Melody in 1929 to Victor Victoria in 1982), but the 1950s was the ‘Golden Age’ of movie musicals, and while other studios tried to jump on that band wagon, none were able to match the studio’s output and today, most of the musicals were know and love came from MGM.
A big part of that was due to the talent MGM had behind the camera as well as on screen. And the king of the MGM musical in the 1950s (taking the crown from Fred Astaire who sang and danced his way through a series of 1940s musicals) was Gene Kelly (who really began his ascension to the throne with 1944’s Anchors Aweigh and assumed the title with 1951’s An American In Paris). Kelly’s long contract with MGM culminated with his last musical for the studio, Les Girls, which also happened to be the last musical Cole Porter wrote songs for (and only five of the twelve written were used in the movie).
A lot of movie musicals have a story that’s written around a collection of songs (and sometimes had songs shoehorned into an existing script) where the characters suddenly stop talking and break into song. Les Girls seems to be a nice meld of the two concepts, using some of the songs as actual musical numbers performed on stage. The story actually revolves around a court case with the bulk of the action being a flashback, albeit from different viewpoints depending on who is on the stand. Former ‘Les Girls’ showgirl Sybil (now Lady Wren) has written a tell-all book of her life in showbiz with a chapter that includes a salacious accusation about her co-star Angèle (now Mrs. Pierre Ducros). Sybil alleges that Angèle, who was engaged to Pierre at the time, had become despondent over being rejected by their boss Barry Nichols (Kelly) and had attempted suicide. Angèle is suing Sybil for libel, but when she takes the stand she has a completely different story alleging Sybil a drunk who got fired from the show and she was the one who attempted suicide. Interestingly, their third co-star Joy is never called to testify, but a surprise witness does take the stand to try and sort out fact from fiction, giving us a nice twist to their stories and, of course, a happy ending for everyone with one more surprise at the very end.
I really enjoyed Les Girls, especially in how the story shows us first Sybil’s version of things and then Angèle’s, which gives actresses Kay Kendall and Taina Elg an opportunity to play versions of their characters that are 180 degrees different in each version of the story. I especially liked Elg’s Angèle, seen as a bit of a hussy in Sybil’s version of the story and a straight-laced, button-downed type in her own version. Kendall also gets to play smart-alecky but protective mother figure in Sybil’s version of the story and one of the most obnoxious drunks ever committed to film in Angèle’s version. Oh boy is she annoying. Somehow, Joy comes off pretty much the same in both versions of the story, as does Barry.
Les Girls is directed by the great George Cukor, who really wasn’t known as a director musical but he did handle Judy Garland’s remake of A Star is Born three years earlier and My Fair Lady seven years later. Cukor keeps all of the stories moving along and really showcases the female leads (Kelly is almost second banana to the three ladies) and the musical numbers are staged and edited to perfection. One scene with Barry and Angèle floating down a river and Angèle singing to Barry is done in a remarkable three-and-a-half-minute single take that not only required the song but someone underwater maneuvering the boat, bringing it to a stop at one point and then moving along as the song ends — and Kelly had the easy part of just laying there while Elg did all the work. Les Girls gives its main cast their own moments to shine, and also allows Leslie Phillips and Jacques Bergerac a moment or two (not to mention the great Patrick Macnee as a barrister four years before he would become a real household name with The Avengers).
The Warner Archive has gone into the MGM vaults to bring Les Girls to Blu-ray preserving the original Cinemascope and Metrocolor presentation.
The image is sharp and colorful, showing off a fine film grain. The audio track has been mastered for 5.1 surround, although your stereo system is not going to get a major workout until the musical numbers kick in, surrounding you with the orchestration. Otherwise, the audio is clear, dialog front and center with no noticeable hiss, pops or cracks. It’s a very fine presentation all around. The Blu-ray even includes a couple of extras.
- Cole Porter in Hollywood: Ca C’est L’Amour (8:44) – A 2003 vintage short hosted by Taina Elg giving a brief history of the production of Les Girls. Elg reveals that she and Kendall were not the original choices for their roles. It’s entertaining and informative even at its short running time.
- The Flea Circus (7:01) – A Tex Avery cartoon from 1953 that fits in with the theme of Les Girls but stars animated fleas performing in a big stage show and finding love along the way.
The bonus material is not in HD, although the cartoon looks terrific. The disk also includes the trailer for Les Girls (as the on screen text tells us ‘Rhymes with Playgirls’) and is mastered in high definition. If you’re a fan of MGM musicals or Gene Kelly, you really can’t go wrong with Les Girls. It’s not overly crammed with musical numbers (but does include one of Gene Kelly’s signature ‘ballet’ numbers with him and Gaynor that he choreographed himself), but it does have a very entertaining and intriguing story that sets it apart from a lot of musicals of the era. Les Girls should be a definite add for your movie library.
Warner Archive generously provided Hotchka with a Blu-ray versions of the film for reviewing purposes.
Share this post
