mark.waltz
A slight variation on the plot of It Happened one Night, this B musical is a chance to see Ann Miller in a mostly comic role with a few songs. Instead of an heiress however, she is a radio star desperate for a vacation who runs out on her agent and end up traveling with reporter William Wright who happens to think that she is a murderess. Sound like a plot line from I Love Lucy with guest star Elsa Lanchester? I wonder if that plot was borrowed from this, because it's closer to that more than it is the 1934 Oscar winning Best Film. Annie doesn't do much dancing here, and her singing while obviously her isn't as brassy as its was in other movies and particularly later on Broadway.at over just an hour running time, the speeds by like a night on the road, and it was perfectly charming. Annie would have better luck on Silman supporting roles in the big MGM musicals, but during her brief time as a leading lady at Columbia, she proved that she was a Alltalent to be reckoned with. Don't even try to compare Annie and Wright to Colbert and Gable, as they give this enough of a twist to make it stand out on its own.
moonspinner55
Terrible script for perky songbird Ann Miller (looking like a grown-up version of Shirley Temple), doing her best with a ridiculous, derivative plot and lukewarm ballads. A radio singer on vacation in Las Vegas attempts to escape her swarming managers by hitching a ride in a guy's car; turns out he's a reporter for the Los Angeles Bulletin, and he thinks she's an escaped murderess. Even at 64 minutes, this thing's a long haul. Miller's character seems much too busy to have a social life, but then we suddenly discover she's been promised to a man named Walter W. Walter II. She really loves the reporter, named Ward Williams and played by William Wright. Her managers are played by Robert Williams and Ray Walker. These "Apples" are 'W' crazy. Ann's a peach, and she has a funny scene where she's cooked some beans for breakfast, but this vehicle for her is just a quickie product from Columbia--unworthy of Miller or anyone else. * from ****
Paul
Poor Ann Miller . . . what was she thinking when she wanted to headline, instead of co-star, in a flick? Not content with being one of M-G-M's sturdy, yeoman supporting players, she somehow opted for this Columbia remake of It Happened One Night . . .and for that one commenter who opined, " . . . probably the original was better!" he/she needs to take Classic Hollywood Films 101 and brush up on one of the great comedies of all time. And turning that magnificent film into a musical really is someone's idea of a joke. The remake of THIS "musical," You Can't Run Away from It, is hardly any better; that is unless you like the warbling and mugging of June Allyson. Skip this one . . . William Wright is really a poverty-stricken excuse for Clark Gable and who can come close to to matching the comedic talents of Claudette Colbert? The original IHON swept the Oscars in 1935; the crew on this one is just possibly capable of sweeping the floor! . . . and WHO dubbed Ann Miller's voice?
Bob Tinsley
It didn't take me long to realize that what I was seeing was a complete re-do by Columbia Pictures of 'It Happened One Night',except this time with music. It seemed that even the same sets were used in a number of cases. The characters almost look like clones of original cast. You even have the Shapley character who threatens to expose the two lovers if they don't go along his blackmail scheme. Ann Miller is an absolute delight. Whether or not her voiced was dubbed or not, it all comes over very effectively. It's just too bad she couldn't have gone into one of her dance routines. The film only runs 64 minutes but it's worth every second of it.