Rating: 
Summary: That Garland Magic!
Review: To those people who are new to a Judy Garland musical, excluding those who have seen OZ. I highly recommend mandatory Judy Garland Musical watching. No one in this life, past or present can ever compare to this stunning singer and actress as she was and still is the greatest musical star ever. Streisand attempted to take her place in the late 60's but lets be honest. No one ever could. Judy is in a category all her own. The Harvey Girls is just another example of her brilliance as entertainer. Watch "One Take Judy" as George Sidney affectionately calls her as he remembers in the audio commentary of her delivering one of her most memorable performances in one take, yes one take of Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. She generally recorded her songs in one take and could watch a stand in doing the movements before camera and step in and do it exactly in one take. Amazing. This film is one of those examples of that talent. The songs in the movie are all very well crafted with stunning results like the opening song, "In the Valley where the evening sun goes down" and It's a great big world". Virginia O'Brien adds some sass, which we miss later in the film after she has exited due to pregnancy. I always wondered why her character disappears without a word and this audio commentary explains all. Angela Lansbury is interesting to watch being that she was all of 18 years old and plays a worldly older woman to Judy's character and does it excellently. Its interesting hearing her do an American accent so well. She never looked more beautiful than in this film. Glorious Technicolor is very well utilized in this film. The restoration work that went into this film is amazing. It is crystal clear and the colors, oh the colors! For anyone who has never seen this film I recommend it greatly. They just don't make it like this any more.
Rating: 
Summary: American Judy!!
Review: While hardly the best MGM musical of the 40's, "The Harvey Girls is a quintessential example of the genre, mostly because of the production values, the cast, and an underrated musical score. Judy's comic finesse was never more apparent than in the opening sequences and, of course, her try at "gunslinging" to save the Harvey restaurant. Her opening song ("In the Valley...") and the mournful "It's a Great Big World" are prime Garland, while the classic "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Sante Fe" deserves its reputation as a showstopper. Other cast members of note are Virginia O'Brien, Marjorie Main, and an almost shockingly young and vampish Angela Lansbury doing one of her earliest versions of the acid-tongued villianess. One of the great things about this DVD is that it is full of great special features. The deleted musical numbers are fine (one wonders why these were the ones cut from the film) and the commentary by director George Sidney is an unexpected treat.With all of this said, it must be noted that the film has serious shortcomings, not the least of which is a rather silly story (it took 4 writers to come up with this???). It's a clearly sanitized "Hollywood" version of the wild, wild west but remember, this is an MGM musical. So you expect realism? It's a candy-coated escapist fantasy, folks. Don't think about it too much. Just sit back, listen, and let the glories of three-strip Technicolor (the digital transfer is miraculous) wash over you. They don't make 'em like this any more (they wouldn't dare) but there's much to appreciate in "The Harvey Girls", not the least of which is Judy Garland at her singing-acting-dancing zenith. You go girl.
Rating:
Summary: HARVEY GIRLS
Review: World War II was over and MGM celebrated by producing a lavish MGM musical in Technicolor with their #1 musical star, Judy Garland. Unfortunately, many of the MGM musicals during the war period were shot in black and white as a way to save money. The song that opens the film "In The Valley Where the Evening Sun Goes Down", sung by Ms. Garland is beautiful. The male lead is played here by John Hodiak although for a time MGM considered Clark Gable. This idea was abandoned due to Judy's earlier hit "Dear Mr. Gable". Additional cast members include Ray Bolger (scarecrow in WIZARD OF OZ), Angela Lansbury (one of the "dancing" girls), Cyd Charisse (another Harvey Girl) and Marjorie Main (Ma Kettle, and also in Judy's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and SUMMER STOCK). The plot here is somewhat thin but the musical score holds it together. The big production number, ON THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND THE SANTA FE is spectacular. Notice how everyone gets into this song from the bar waitresses to the engineer on the train and eventually, Judy enters (her entrance is similar to Sarah Bernhardt entering the great stage!) and sings the verse and a chorus. The songs here were arranged by Kay Thompson, who was a good friend of Judy's at MGM and Liza's Godmother. Judy looks beautiful and her voice is exquisite here. Shortly after the filming ended on this production, Judy married her director from Meet Me in St. Louis and The Clock, Vincente Minnelli. HARVEY GIRLS is certainly an enjoyable film.
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