Give a Girl a Break (1953)

Synopsis: In one of his first solo directorial efforts after pairing with Gene Kelly as director of ON THE TOWN and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Stanley Donen lets Broadway's best dancers and choreographers--Gower... In one of his first solo directorial efforts after pairing with Gene Kelly as director of ON THE TOWN and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, Stanley Donen lets Broadway's best dancers and choreographers--Gower and Marge Champion and Bob Fosse--strut their stuff in this light musical comedy about three producers of a Broadway musical trying to find the girl to play their show's star. After holding auditions, each producer picks a different girl, leading to a song-and-dance showdown between the men and the girls up for the part. Similar in basic format to ON THE TOWN (three guys plus three girls equals fun, dancing, and romance) and pulling in Debbie Reynolds from her starring role in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, this film isn't much of a departure for Donen as he began his long career in musical comedies (later shifting his skills to other genres such as romance and suspense as the film musical fell out of fashion), but it's an interesting stepping-stone on his way to the following year's SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS and later musicals FUNNY FACE and DAMN YANKEES. Gower Champion and his dance partner and wife, Marge, make their musical numbers come alive with verve and style, and Debbie Reynolds, as always, charms with her enthusiasm. [More]

Starring: Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Debbie Reynolds, Kurt Kasznar

Starring: Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Debbie Reynolds, Kurt Kasznar, Larry Keating, Bob Fosse, Richard Anderson, William Ching, Lurene Tuttle, Donna Martell

Director: Stanley Donen

Director: Stanley Donen
Screenwriter: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich
Producer: Jack Cummings
Composer: Burton Lane

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