daneldorado Imbibition Technicolor, the most perfect method of adding color to film, was at its glorious apotheosis when the Warner Bros. musical "She's Working Her Way Through College," came along in 1952. Let the words of one of the men who worked on the process, Don Berry, inform us:"The results were striking. No other color process – notably the cheap processes of Eastman Kodak – could even come remotely close to achieving the vibrant, saturated look of IB (imbibition) Technicolor."With musical films, especially, looking for a prism through which to display their charms, the wedding of Technicolor and "She's Working Her Way Through College" was a match made in cinematic heaven.Elsewhere, you may read that this musical was an inferior version of the Warner Bros. 1942 drama (in black and white), "The Male Animal." The names of James Thurber and Elliott Nugent, writers of the 1942 movie, do appear in the credits of "She's Working…" but the musical uses only a few of the former film's lines. . . and it has a great foundation, hummable tunes, and that wonderful Technicolor going for it.Briefly: "She's Working Her Way Through College" starring Virginia Mayo, Ronald Reagan, and Gene Nelson, is a delight from the first scene on. Reagan plays John Palmer, a college professor who's doing dramatic research; and at one of the theaters he visits, he sees a rousing and colorful production number starring a burlesque queen (played winningly by the beautiful Ms. Mayo). Reagan doesn't remember her at first, but she remembers him as her high school teacher. They meet in her dressing room and she learns that her former teacher is now a professor at a small college, Midwest State. Ms. Mayo decides to quit the theater and enroll in his college.Once at Midwest State, Ms. Mayo receives a lot of wolf whistles from the male students, but responds only with smiles. She meets Don Weston (Gene Nelson), who is quarterback of the football team, but is also a terrific singer and dancer. Together they co-write a musical play for the school to present at one of the better theaters in town, and give their classmates a sneak performance right in their classroom. Professor Palmer has no objections, and is in fact drawn into the performance. The Mayo-Nelson routine is a winner, to the song "I'll be Loving You" by Sammy Cahn and Vernon Duke. In all, the production of "She's Working Her Way Through College" is a delight. And those who criticize it as an inferior "The Male Animal" need to look again. The two films are ages apart… and "The Male Animal," whatever its virtues, lacks the effervescent and vivid hues afforded by the Technicolor palette.By Dan Navarro -- daneldorado93@yahoo.com.

JLRMovieReviews Virginia Mayo, Ronald Reagan, Gene Nelson, and Don Defore star in this remake of the Henry Fonda and Olivia de Havilland comedy, The Male Animal. (Quite frankly, I was disappointed in the original. To me, it just wasn't that funny, and, for that matter, not that interesting either.) This musical remake changes the plot from controversial content in schools to an undesirable student, that of a burlesque gal, "Hot Garters Gertie" showgirl Virginia Mayo. You see, she's working her way through college. But she also gets the attention of oglers who want to see her backstage and take her out, etc. Ronald Reagan is a professor who's very jealous of Don Defore, who's constantly coming on to his wife, Phyllis Thaxter. And, Virginia knew Ronnie before, because he taught her in high school. Gene Nelson is a student who takes to Virginia, but of course. This film may not an essential to films, or even in musicals, but it is good old-fashioned fun watching Ronnie get drunk and take drastic measures to stop Don in his tracks, watching Virginia giving the film the extra zip "The Male Animal" lacked and getting into scrapes and getting the school out of them, and seeing Gene Nelson in a very eye-popping and enjoyable number, with singing, dancing and working out on the poles and the trampoline in a white tank-top, showing off his muscles. I would go so far to say it may just be his best number in films, as you see just how fit and versatile he really was. If you want good fun with a good cast, which also includes Patrice Wymore, Errol Flynn's widow, then sit back and enjoy!

RashomonLaStrada It's glossy in that 1950's way -- it's in color and the colors are vivid and saturated. The dance numbers are slick. There is some clever thoughtful dialogue in the Thurber-Nugent script. Virginia Mayo is very beautiful. One really bright spot 80 minutes in -- Gene Nelson's acrobatic dance routine to "Am I in Love?" But what does it all add up to? This movie is like white bread with margarine.Actors in their 30s pretending to be college kids in clothes that are perfectly color-coordinated. The vivid colors make the made-up faces look ludicrous. And locations that always look like a Hollywood soundstage.Ronald Reagan playing drunk that would embarrass a high school drama teacher. Don Defore? Gene Nelson? Sorry but there is NO charisma or charm or personality in any of the male leads. And the girl we're supposed to like is soooooo good and soooooo decent. And the girl who is nasty is sooooooo nasty.Have you heard of any of these songs? Couldn't they find one memorable and fun song? A big yawn.

Tanstaafl1969 Having read the other reviews and just seen the movie on TCM I can really recommend this movie as excellent entertainment. First and foremost the movie retains the terrific plots from the original "The Male Animal" where a university professor must fight for freedom in his class and fight the football hero for his wife.I totally disagree that this musical is in any way less than the original. The climatic speech by Ronald Reagan makes the point that if he expels the showgirl then "they" can expel others based on their religion, race, or where they were born. This freedom was what Henry Fonda's character was also protecting. Both also had excellent "fights" with the football hero and I actually prefer Reagan's because it was more intellectual and sincere.Virginia Mayo is a favorite actress of mine and even if she always had her songs dubbed in all her movies it did not deter from her dancing and acting. She was excellent in "Best Years of Our Lives", "Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N." and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"...all different types of roles but giving each character life and reality with no singing required.Gene Nelson is excellent as the senior football quarterback who dances and sings for the heart of Virginia Mayo…just like he did in "Oklahoma". He shows some good acting ability, too, in the serious scene of finding Reagan drunk when he brought Virginia Mayo home and Reagan thought they were his wife and the football hero.All together this movie is something to enjoy and feel good about when its over…something many critical acclaimed movies don't do.