Lovely to Look At

Lovely to Look At
MGM, 1952, Color, 106 minutes, ***½
Premiere release May, 1952
General release July, 1952

The 1935 Kern-Harbach musical Roberta gets a splashy updating in this tale of three would-be Broadway producers (Red Skelton, Howard Keel and Gower Champion) who travel to Paris to run a dress salon. Ann Miller, Kathryn Grayson, Marge Champion and Zsa Zsa Gabor supply the feminine charms. Musical highlights include Kathryn Grayson's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," Marge and Gower's "I Won't Dance" and Red Skelton's comedy sketch "Go Tell Aunt Rhodie."

Produced by: Jack Cummings
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Screen Play by: George Wells and Harry Ruby
Additional Dialogue by: Andrew Solt
Based on the Musical Comedy "Roberta" from the novel by Alice Duer Miller
Book and Lyrics by: Otto A. Harbach
Music by: Jerome Kern
Additional and Revised Lyrics by: Dorothy Fields
Musical Direction: Carmen Dragon and Saul Chaplin
Choreography by: Hermes Pan
Orchestrations by: Leo Arnaud
Vocal Arrangements: Robert Tucker
Fashion Show: Tony Duquette
Director of Fashion Show: Vincente Minnelli
Art Directors: Cedric Gibbons and Gabriel Scognamillo
Set Decorations: Edwin B. Willis, Jack D. Moore
Gowns by: Adrian
Hair Styles by: Sydney Guilaroff
Make-Up Created by: William Tuttle
Recording Supervisor: Douglas Shearer
Director of Photography: George J. Folsey
Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie
Color by Technicolor
Technicolor Color Consultants: Henri Jaffa, James Gooch
Film Editor: John McSweeney, Jr.

Cast: Kathryn Grayson [Stephanie], Red Skelton [Al Marsh Wodzscyngkic], Howard Keel [Tony Naylor], Marge Champion [Clarisse], Gower Champion [Jerry Ralby], Ann Miller [Bubbles Cassidy], Zsa Zsa Gabor [Zsa Zsa], Kurt Kasznar [Max Fogelsby], Marcel Dalio [Pierre], Diane Cassidy [Diane]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind Titles); [0:02] Opening Night (sung by Gower Champion, Red Skelton and Howard Keel); [0:05] I'll Be Hard to Handle (sung and danced by Ann Miller); [0:12] Lafayette (sung by Gower Champion, Red Skelton and Howard Keel); [0:19] Yesterdays (sung by Kathryn Grayson); [0:27] I Won't Dance (sung and danced by Marge and Gower Champion); [0:32] Lovely to Look At (special lyrics version sung by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson); [0:39] Lovely to Look At (sung by Howard Keel); [0:48] I Won't Dance (reprised by Kathryn Grayson); [0:52] Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (instrumental version danced by Marge and Gower Champion); [1:03] You're Devastating (sung by Howard Keel); [1:06] Go Tell Aunt Rhodie (skit with song by Red Skelton); [1:18] Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (sung by Kathryn Grayson); [1:26] The Touch of Your Hand (sung by Kathryn Grayson in fashion show finale)