I Love Melvin │ Warner Archive Collection
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment
by CHAD KENNERK
The Warner Archive Collection spotlights an early Debbie Reynolds vehicle with their sterling Blu-ray release of the 1953 MGM musical I Love Melvin. The energetic, albeit uneven, attempt to recapture the recent triumph of Singin’ in the Rain begins promisingly with a fourth-wall-breaking credits sequence where Reynolds coyly writes out the titles in lipstick on her dressing room mirror.
Director Don Weis leans into that movie-about-movies approach, blurring the line between Hollywood fantasy and reality. The opening musical sequence recalls Judy Garland’s ‘A Great Lady Has an Interview’ press scrum from Ziegfeld Follies, and even Reynolds’s character — Judy — suggests MGM may have hoped to conjure another Rooney/Garland lightning strike by pairing Reynolds with Singin’ in the Rain co-star Donald O’Connor. And yes, that’s actually Robert Taylor in Judy’s dream. Supposedly Howard Keel and his song ‘And There You Are’ were cut after previews and replaced with this brief cameo scene.
There are moments when the MGM strategy nearly works, given that Reynolds and O’Connor are such superb performers and effortlessly dazzling to watch on screen. It’s a shame the songs and script can’t quite match their magic. O’Connor plays hapless Look magazine photographer Melvin, who gets several showcases for his athletic charm, echoing his ‘Make 'Em Laugh’ sequence from Singin’ in the Rain. And there are a number of references to that superior classic throughout, including one moment where O’Connor hangs from a lamppost and another where dancers are masked as Gene Kelly. Reynolds radiates star quality, even while gamely committing to one truly wacky set piece during the show-within-a-show Broadway musical Quarterback Kelly which sees Reynolds become a human football tossed gleefully among players.
Debbie Reynolds enjoyed a prolific 70-year career, breaking out in her first leading role as Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain and earning an Academy Award nomination for The Unsinkable Molly Brown, with later highlights ranging from How the West Was Won to The Singing Nun, Divorce American Style and What's the Matter with Helen?. She was beloved by generations of children for voicing the spider in Charlotte's Web and as Grandma Aggie in Disney's Halloweentown series. Her 1992 holiday collaboration with Donald O'Connor, Christmas with Donald and Debbie, marked her final album release. She was also a passionate film memorabilia collector and Hollywood history preservationist, beginning with items she purchased at the landmark 1970 MGM auction. She remained active into her 80s, passing away in December 2016, just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher.
Her Singin’ in the Rain co-star Donald O’Connor was raised in vaudeville and celebrated for his athletic dancing and boyish charm, most famously in Singin in the Rain’s punishing ‘Make ’Em Laugh’ routine, which landed him in the hospital. By the early 50s, MGM had cultivated a sympathetic sidekick persona for him, which became O'Connor's signature image. Other supporting players add rich Hollywood texture, including prolific character actress Una Merkel. Known for wisecracking roles, Merkel made her feature debut in 1924’s The Fifth Horseman, and D. W. Griffith brought her to Hollywood for his film Abraham Lincoln. Merkel went on to play Reynolds’ mother again in 1959’s The Mating Game.
Child actress Noreen Corcoran, who plays young sister Clarabelle, would later become Kelly Gregg for 157 episodes of TV’s Bachelor Father. Her last film was the 1965 beach party comedy The Girls on the Beach, opposite The Beach Boys. Jim Backus meanwhile is best remembered as Thurston Howell III on TV’s Gilligan’s Island and as the voice of Mr Magoo. When Backus became a frequent talk show guest, he would recount when Marilyn Monroe seductively beckoned him into her dressing room during the filming of Don't Bother to Knock. On his arrival, Monroe exclaimed, “Do Mr Magoo!”
Even the bit parts in I Love Melvin reveal fascinating Hollywood history, as with the studio guide played by Barbara Ruick. Ruick would later reteam with Reynolds and Weis again for The Affairs of Dobie Gillis. She was Carrie Pipperidge in the film version of Carousel and wicked stepsister Esmerelda in the 1965 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Ruick later married the young composer John Williams, who dedicated his First Violin Concerto to her memory and went on to score iconic films such as Star Wars, Jaws, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Despite wonderful on-location filming around Manhattan and some striking visual flairs, I Love Melvin struggles to generate any real narrative oomph. The songs are serviceable but rarely memorable. Over 70 years later, it’s still a showcase for the remarkable talents of Reynolds and O’Connor, with ‘Where Did You Learn to Dance’ alone worth the price of admission. It also serves as a strong reminder that even the lesser-known MGM musicals delivered some exceptional musical sequences, like the aforementioned and O’Connor’s tap number on roller skates. I Love Melvin may not rank among MGM’s greatest, but Warner Archive’s restored Blu-ray release finally allows it to be seen at its best, powered by the undeniable talents of Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor. A worthy exploration and Warner Archive’s presentation presents the strongest case yet for the film’s reevaluation.
Sourced from 4K scans of the original Technicolor camera negatives, the Blu-ray reveals a level of visual sophistication previously obscured by the DVD-on-demand release. Harold Rosson’s cinematography shines in the 1.37:1 framing, faithfully preserved alongside the DTS-HD Master Audio mono track. Supplementing the feature is an alternate ending, which revisits ‘A Lady Loves (to Love)’ in a rural setting. It was featured in That's Entertainment! III and is a nice complement here, as are two MGM cartoons, including the beautifully restored Barney Bear short The Impossible Possum and Tex Avery’s somewhat prophetic T.V. of Tomorrow — both produced by former Film Review contributor Fred Quimby. As a promotional tie-in to the narrative, the Look magazine cover featured in the film actually appeared on newsstands as I Love Melvin arrived in theatres.
I Love Melvin is available on Blu-ray 16 December from Warner Archive Collection.
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WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION offers thousands of film and TV series direct from Warner’s studio vault. With a particular emphasis on high-quality restorations and remasters on Blu-ray disc, Warner Archive Collection brings rare and hard-to-find classic motion pictures and television series to home video. Often appearing for the first time on Blu-ray, titles are chosen each month from the unparalleled library of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which spans more than 100 years of cinema history.
