Charles Herold (cherold)
Easter Parade is less a story than it is a roughly sketched premise filled out with musical numbers. Astaire loses his dance partner and decides he can turn anyone into a new partner, then conveniently stumbles upon Garland. He's demanding and rather sour, so of course she falls for him. Meanwhile, Peter Lawford floats through the movie to no real purpose, and Anne Miller is unsympathetic but really knows how to tap.The movie shouldn't really work as well as it does. Astaire is much too old for Garland (the part was originally set for Gene Kelly, who was injured) and she's not as comfortable a fit for him as previous partners like Ginger Rogers. She's also no more than serviceable as a dancer. And once again, Lawford is an entirely extraneous character whose only purpose seems to be to make clear that no one cares about the story.And yet, Astaire has his usual debonair charm and his dancing, shown off particularly well in a solo dance near the beginning, and Garland is all vulnerability and amazing singing.Even the weak chemistry works, because the whole idea is Garland is random, not someone Astaire would choose, making their mismatch a feature rather than a bug (until the inevitable romance, which seems forced). It's a weird movie, in that almost everything about it is problematic and yet it completely works. It's a classic that shouldn't be, and you should watch it.
jarrodmcdonald-1
It's an annual tradition that TCM plays MGM's EASTER PARADE every year on Easter Sunday. It's one of those traditions you can dread, or else look forward to. I choose to see it as something I look forward to.Watching, or should I say re-watching, EASTER PARADE today brought me a newfound appreciation of the MGM musical. Everything gels together nicely in this production. Judy's vocals are as strong as they would ever be, and Fred's dancing is his usual stupendous best, especially in the Steppin' Out with My Baby number. But I was really impressed with Ann Miller, who gets the thankless other woman role but truly shines in a dance number she performs an hour into the picture. Some of the other supporting players have moments to show off their talents, too. Peter Lawford, whom one does not ordinarily associate with singing, performs admirably in the A Fella with an Umbrella sequence with Judy. And that did remind me Lawford had made a musical with June Allyson a year earlier called GOOD NEWS. Though I figured Lawford was cast more for his looks. In a way, as a potential romantic interest for Judy, he seems to have youth, genetics and charm working in his favor as a rival to Astaire.Of course, the real star here is Irving Berlin's music, which is abetted handsomely by the studio's glossy production values and Charles Walters' assured direction. It's films like these that remind us why the golden age of Hollywood was so special.
Michael_Elliott
Easter Parade (1948) **** (out of 4)Dancing star Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) has his partner Nadine (Ann Miller) leave his side so he makes a bet that he can pick any woman and turn her into a dancing sensation. Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) is the young lady selected and soon her and Don are working their way up the ladder as they try to reach the top and fall in love. I'll admit right up front that EASTER PARADE has very little to no actual story, which for a lot of films would be a kiss of death but the lack of a story really doesn't hurt this because everything else is just so wonderful that you can put up with the predictable nature of what happens. There are so many great things about this picture but I'd say one reason for the lack of a story is that there's over a dozen songs on display here and it's rather shocking to think that all of them work. Standouts include the opening sequence with Astaire picking out gifts, an amazing dance scene with Miller tapping away and of course nearly every moment that Astaire and Garland are working together. Both Astaire and Garland are at the top of their game in terms of both acting, singing and dancing. It's always amazing to watch these two whenever they're on because it's just hard to imagine being able to be so talented at so many different things. Just watching the two float together from one scene to the next is reason enough to watch this film. Miller also deserves a lot of credit for her amazing dance scenes and it's interesting to learn that she wasn't the original choice for the part and had it not been for another actress having an accident, Miller wouldn't have had the part. The Technicolor is another major plus as the beautiful look just leaps off the screen. I always love seeing these older Technicolor films because the colors are just so rich and something that the real world doesn't offer. EASTER PARADE has just about everything going for it and it remains one of the better musicals from a period that produced countless classics.
moonspinner55
In both comedies and dramas, Judy Garland always had a tendency to rely on her girlish indignation (audiences must have enjoyed watching her rigid-side thaw and soften under the tutelage of a persistent male). In Charles Walters' "Easter Parade", she's a bit more flexible than usual after initially getting her feathers ruffled by hoofer Fred Astaire, who needs a replacement for sassy Ann Miller after Miller moves onto Broadway. Pairing Garland with Astaire was an inspired idea, however the teaming never quite catches fire (the plot mechanisms surrounding them being far too trite). Impertinent Ann Miller easily steals the show, however Astaire's jazzy opening number is one of his best. Peter Lawford, that perennial hole in the screen, rounds out the romantic foursome, though it's almost impossible to care who ends up with who. ** from ****
AD
