TheLittleSongbird As somebody who would see anything with Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Powell in it, and who has gotten a lot of pleasure out of Carmen Miranda, 'A Date With Judy' was quite the treat. It is an utterly charming film with much to like and difficult to hate.It may feel overlong and twee by today's standards for some, both feelings understandable. Personally thought that there was very little to dislike about 'A Date With Judy', and its flaws are just a couple actually and very minor. It does to me go on a little longer than necessary for a story that is relatively slight, so a couple of parts lose momentum just a tad. Robert Stack, while handsome, is also a little too stiff for my liking.However, 'A Date With Judy' is a lovely-looking film, lovingly shot in glorious Technicolor (that clearly loves Taylor and Powell, not quite so kind to Wallace Beery, often seen in black and white and towards the end of his life, though) and elegant and cosy production and costume design. While not unforgettable or timeless as such, the music and songs are still very good. "Love is Where You Find It" is heart-warming and heartfelt, and it is similarly easy to see why "A Most Unusual Day" was such a hit.The script warms and touches the heart, and the storytelling while slight is warm, touching and amusing, losing very little if any of its appeal so long after the film was made and released. Richard Thorpe's direction never undermines the film's tone, which is always clear, and there is the sense that he knew what to do with the film and how to do it and that his heart was in it.Stack aside, the cast are on point. Cute as a button and exuberantly youthful Powell effortlessly charms the viewer and her singing is divine. Taylor in one of her earliest roles is so beautiful here (if not quite as much as in 'Ivanhoe' and 'Cat On a Hot Tin Roof') one can't take her eyes off her, she had a character that could easily annoy but she makes the role endearing. Scotty Beckett is amusing, while Leon Ames is movingly dignified and George Cleveland is a memorable grandfather figure.Carmen Miranda is quite the Brazilian bombshell and a definite scene stealer. A big surprise was a more restrained and sympathetic than usual Wallace Beery, who tended to be in larger-than-life and large-slice-of-ham roles, this side to him was done remarkably by him and his learning of the rumba with Miranda stays with one forever, very sweet and moving.Overall, an utterly charming film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

edwagreen This is a terrific film with a great cast and plot line. This film would begin the end of Elizabeth Taylor's career as a child star. 3 years later she would reach dramatic stardom for "A Place in the Sun." She has the right mode for this 1948 film as a shrewd girl, trying to lure Robert Stack away from Jane Powell.The real hit here is Wallace Beery as Powell's father. His practicing the learning of the rumba with Carmen Miranda was absolutely wonderful.This is a story of the coming of maturity among young adults as well as Beery, and Leon Ames, who portrayed Taylor's father.Stack is rather stiff as the summer soda-jerk smitten with both ladies. Perhaps, that's what the part called for.

dougdoepke This has the stamp of MGM's fabled dream factory all over it—big houses with dutiful servants, spiffy clothes right off the rack, families with perfect diction and manners, and a world where the biggest complication is a date for the prom. Okay, I'm no fan of the dream factory, but then this is a musical, so most any kind of fantasy world is permitted.The trouble is that this musical has too little music, too few chuckles, and too much repetition. Powell and Taylor are good to look at, and for that matter, so is Stack. But whether the 30- year old Stack will end up with the 19-year old Powell or the 16-year old Taylor does get tiresome. It might have worked had director Thorpe gotten some bounce or sparkle into the proceedings. However, things pretty much plod along, that is, until that Brazilian firecracker Carmen Miranda arrives to literally shake things up. I expect the slender material was stretched in order to show off the budding Powell and Taylor. Too bad it also had to show off Hollywood's biggest slice of slobbering ham, Wallace Beery. However, I'm still marveling over how Taylor at 16 can look and act like a gorgeous 35-year old. Amazing.Anyway, this rather flat 113-minutes is a long way from MGM's tradition of lively colorbox musicals. In my book, MGM did manage a couple of sparkling little song & dance features during this same period, also with youthful stars—I Love Melvin (1953) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), both with a bubbly young Debbie Reynolds. Catch up with these little gems if you can. Meantime, this one's for those wanting a peek at an idealized time when teenagers were named "Oogie".

jotix100 "A Date with Judy" was a typical entertainment that MGM produced over and over as a way of showing its contract players. This film was a showcase to present Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor, two of the popular young actresses at the time. While the movie will not add anything to either one of the stars resumes, it's a pleasant way for watching how times have changed. The film was directed by Richard Thorpe, and produced by Joe Pasternak.Judy and Carol are friends from school. Judy is the talented singer who is going to perform at a school party. Carol is the spoiled rich girl who is jealous of Judy. Oogie, Carol's brother, the band leader, is in love with Judy. To complicate things a newly arrived young man, Stephen, has come into town to work for the summer and he is the object of both Judy's and Carol's attention.Wallace Beery is the best thing in the film. He plays Melvin Foster, Judy's father. He refuses to dance at the party with his wife, and thanks to Xavier Cugat's suggestion, he decides to engage Rosita, the voluptuous Carmen Miranda, to give him private lessons. Since the tutoring takes place in his office, and it's surrounded by a cloud of mystery, it appears Melvin and Rosita are having an affair. But the biggest surprise comes at the end of the film when the Fosters are celebrating their 20th anniversary and we watch Melvin, who by now is an experienced dancer, shows off on the dance floor. A delicious moment, indeed.Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor are charming in their roles. Robert Stack and Scotty Beckett are also good. Leon Ames, Xavier Cugat, and the effervescent Carmen Miranda make excellent contributions, but it's Wallace Beery, who steals the show."A Date with Judy" will delight viewers looking for a nostalgic look at an uncomplicated time in America.