Rating: 
Summary: *sigh* Gene Kelly...
Review: The year is 1916 and vaudeville is going strong. Everyone wants to climb to the top and star at the Palace in New York City especially Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly). For Me and My Gal is the story of Harry Palmer and Jo Hayden (Judy Garland) who accidentally meet at a train station in Clifton Junction, Iowa (they are scheduled to perform at the same theatre). Harry, knowing that opportunity knocks but once, persuades Jo to leave her partner/boyfriend (George Murphy) and join up with him. He has grandiose plans and wants her to be a part of them because he sees her potential as part of his act. They tour various cities and things look great until Harry receives his draft notice. He doesn't want to interrupt his career by going to war, so he incapacitates himself for the draft call up. That's when the story and his career take a turn with his relationship with Jo. Most of the musical numbers were staged either in the vaudeville theatres or were part of entertainment acts for the soldiers at the YMCA shows performed for our troops in France. The only two songs that weren't staged were the title song 'For Me and My Gal' performed by Judy Garland and Gene Kelly at the beginning of the movie and their chance second meeting in a coffee shop and 'Till We Meet Again' candidly sung at a nite club for Jo's brother, Danny (Richard Quine), who was going off to war. The film contained an "...impeccable selection of standard songs for individual scenes by Edens and the continuity he put together for Judy's musical montage." ('The World of Entertainment' by Hugh Fordin) MGM had only a few period musicals during the war time years. "The most notable was Busby Berekley's For Me and My Gal (1942), not a good film by any means, but a modest and tuneful expression of war time sentiment, and the first to team Judy Garland and Gene Kelly." (Ted Sennett 'Hollywood Musicals') This was Gene Kelly's first motion picture after having completed successful stints on Broadway, zooming to the top in 'Pal Joey' and choreographing 'Best Foot Forward.' Judy Garland was only 19 when this was filmed, being her first adult role. Practically all of her movies had co-starred Mickey Rooney. If this was a movie primarily designed to promote patriotism in its audience, it certainly must have hit its mark with songs like 'Over There,' being played with marching troops, 'How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm' and 'It's a Long Way to Tiperary' to only mention a few. This was just what the country needed during its war time years. Most of the World War I songs were played over and over again and used during the World War II era. It was a stimulus for the audience and brought about feelings of nostalgia, patriotism and brotherhood. This is a great movie to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon. The songs are very uplifting and still manage to give you a great patriotic feeling, which is certainly necessary in the world today. This movie is a must for Judy Garland and Gene Kelly fans.
Rating:
Summary: Watching the Easter Parade
Review: There is apparently a shortage of the Great Easter Parade film, one of the truly GREATEST musicals (of which not enough have been released). I don't know what is available RIGHT NOW, but a wonderful copy came out several years ago on Lasar Disk, so IT HAS BEEN RELEASED.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic musical from the good old days of MGM
Review: They don't make them like this anymore. Gene Kelly exudes star quality in his forst film role and Judy Garland is up to the challenge of appearing on screen with him. Nominal co-star George Murphy can't compete with the charm of these two although he is a pretty good singer in his own right. The film is set during the Great War but was made during the Second World War so there are elements of propaganda. Gene Kelly doesn't want to join the Army because he is due to get married and appear on a prestigious stage and this makes Judy Garland think he is a coward. Of course he isn't and later proves this to him. The classic songs and Busby Berkeley's direction make this a vital part of the MGM musicals story and a must have for collectors.
Rating:
Summary: Truly Classic Gene and Judy
Review: This is my most treasured movie of all time. Anyone who loves Judy Garland and Gene Kelly will adore this one. Who knew how romantic they can get? It's a shame that Gene And Judy were only coupled in two other movies. They have such GREAT chemistry.
Rating:
Summary: A sweetheart of a movie.
Review: This is one of my all-time favorite-sweet-classic-romance movies with my fav old-time stars! It doesn't have much going for itself concerning plot and characters, but it's sweet and enjoyable, and the music's great! A perfect curl-up, fanciful movie.
Rating:
Summary: Judy Tugs at Your Heart Strings
Review: This is one of the first movies I saw with Judy Garland after seeing The Wizard of Oz when I was a child. I grew up in an unloving, unfeeling household so seeing her raw emotion and genuine talent taught me it's ok to cry, to dream and to love. I don't think it was just the story line -- it was Judy Garland and the perfection of her performance. She performs so flawlessly, one could imagine what it's like to be her (character) because she put's herself into her character's shoes.
Rating:
Summary: Great, Great, Great!
Review: This is one of the very best of Garland's MGM era films, primarily due to the pairing with Kelly and the abundance of musical numbers. She looks so young and pretty here (even if slightly pinched, due no doubt to the "MGM diet" forced upon her.) Highlight of the film has got to be the title number, which the viewer will wish could go on forever. It masterfully avoids the pitfall of corniness, thanks to the artistry and sincerity of Garland and Kelly. Also great, though minor, is the "Beautiful Doll" number near the beginning -- what a sweetie was our Judy Garland!
Rating:
Summary: I love Gene--and Judy
Review: This isn't the best Gene & Judy, but it's the first and a nice effort of its own. The plot meanders a bit, and it's a little dramatic for a musical, but Gene and Judy fans won't mind that a bit. They truly sparkle toghther in the title number. It stands out as the best moment of the movie, but Ballin' the Jack is pretty good too. Kelly does a pretty good job for his first time in front of the cameras, considering he came direct from the stage, which is a very different type of acting. I particularly like the scenes when he finds out they aren't playing "The Palace, New York" after all. It's been noted several times here that Judy looks frail, and she does, but still does a great job.
Rating: 
Summary: Dated But Entertaining
Review: This last of the big black and white MGM musicals was also the first of Garland's adult roles. Clearly intended as a flag-waver in the face of America's presumed entry into World War II, the story is set on the eve of World War I and concerns a talented singer (Garland) who becomes the performing partner of a talented but unpleasantly ambitious dancer (Kelly, in his first screen role.) The story is old fashioned, to say the least, and heavy on sentiment; the musical numbers, however are charming, and foreshadow the Garland-Kelly teaming in The Pirate, one of MGM's crown jewels of the 1940s.
Rating:
Summary: Musically Enjoyable, Dramatically Tired
Review: This last of the big black-and-white musicals and the first of Garland's wartime films offers a barrel of vintage songs and production numbers remarkably performed by Garland, Kelly, and Murphy in the roles of vaudevillians whose careers are detoured first by romantic complications and then by the advent of World War I. Although the performances--particularly Kelly, playing the role of a classic heel in his film debut--are extremely strong, the story was "old hat" even back when the film was made, and while the gifted cast plays expertly the script never quite seems to catch fire. Musical fans will certainly enjoy the score, which includes the title song and such standards as "Oh You Beautiful Doll," "After You're Gone," and a sharply performed "Ballin' the Jack;" others, however, may lose interest long before the final credits roll.
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