“Pretty as a picture postcard and just about as exciting,” wrote the N.Y. Times critic, Bosley Crowther, about Rich Young and Pretty, Norman Taurog’s bland musical comedy, produced by Joe Pasternak for MGM.
And that’s pretty much a good description of the formulaic musical, written by Dorothy Cooper and adapted as a screenplay by Cooper and Sidney Sheldon.
Grade: C+ (*1/2* out of *****)
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Theatrical release poster
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Daniel Darrieux’s first Hollywood film since The Rage of Paris (1938), Rich Young and Pretty stars the studio’s second bananas, Jane Powell, Danielle Darrieux, Wendell Corey, and Fernando Lamas, and perhas knwn today for featuring The Four Freshmen, and introducing Vic Damone.
Elizabeth (Jane Powell) accompanies her wealthy Texan rancher father (Wendell Corey) on a visit to Paris, where her mother (Danielle Darrieux) lives. In Paris, she meets Andre (Vic Damone), an eager young Frenchman, who the tries to keep her from marrying the Frenchman and avoid the mistake he made when he had married her mother.
Sammy Cahn wrote the lyrics and Nicholas Brodszky the music for several songs, including “Wonder Why” (which was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar)..
Other original songs by Cahn and Brodszky include “We Never Talk Much (We Just Sit Around),” “How D’Ya Like Your Eggs in the Morning?” and
“I Can See You.” which received radio airplay; “I Can See You” was also a jukebox favorite.
The film was not very popular, making $1,935,000 in the US and $1,064,000 elsewhere, resulting in minmor profit of $54,000.
Cast
Jane Powell as Elizabeth Rogers
Danielle Darrieux as Marie Devarone
Wendell Corey as Jim Stauton Rogers
Vic Damone as Andre Milan
Fernando Lamas as Paul Sarnac
Marcel Dalio as Claude Duval
Una Merkel as Glynnie
Richard Anderson as Bob Lennart
Jean Murat as Henri Milan
Hans Conreid as Maître d’Hotel
Four Freshmen Quartet as Four Musicians
Credits:
Directed by Norman Taurog
Screenplay by Dorothy Cooper and Sidney Sheldon, story by Cooper
Produced by Joe Pasternak
Cinematography Robert H. Planck
Edited by Gene Ruggiero
Music by Sammy Cahn (lyrics)
Nicholas Brodszky (music)
Production: MGM
Distributed by Loew’s, Inc.
Release dates: July 24, 1951 (NYC); Aug 3, 1951 (U.S.)
Running time: 95 minutes
Budget $1,528,000
Box office $2,999,000
