For Me and My Gal (1942)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Howard Emmett Rogers (story)
Richard Sherman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 August 1943 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The Greatest Romantic Musical . . . Ever !

Plot:

Set during WW I, Palmer and Hayden team up as vaudeville artists. Harry Palmer deliberately injures his hand to avoid being drafted to the army...

Plot Keywords:

Tap Dancing | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Song And Dance | Eiffel Tower Paris | Regret

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Judy Garland	...	Jo Hayden
George Murphy	...	Jimmy K. Metcalf
Gene Kelly	...	Harry Palmer
Mártha Eggerth	...	Eve Minard (as Marta Eggerth)
Ben Blue	...	Sid Simms
Stephen McNally	...	Mr. Waring (New York Palace manager) (as Horace McNally)

Also Known As:

For Me and My Girl (UK)
The Big Time (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #8464) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

Studio records show that Abe Dinovitch and Maude Erickson filmed a production number with Judy Garland, but it was cut before the final release. Similarly, Six Hits and a Miss was filmed in another number cut before release.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: This movie begins in 1916 with no flashbacks. Yet at one point there is a newspaper headline about the sinking of the Lusitania which occurred in 1915.

Quotes:

Eve Minard: But I'm sorry you love him so much.
Jo Hayden: Why?
Eve Minard: Because he isn't worth it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic (1994) (V)

Soundtrack:

When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose

What a Tearjerker!

If this movie was simply Gene Kelly and Judy Garland exchanging quips (the "Hello Springtime!" bit is especially good) and singing and dancing in a coffee shop, then it would still be entertaining. But that's really not all it is. This movie is more like a drama/romance than a musical, in the way that there are some songs, very good ones, but there is more story than numbers. Yes, the idea is an old one, but there are a few twists that distinguish it from any other wartime romance. (Don't go expecting The Maltese Falcon though.) The little plot weaknesses are forgotten as the actors (particularly Garland) hold it all together. I cried twice, and I almost never cry at movies. I fully recommend For Me and My Gal, unless you're dead-set on a tear-free day.