SMALL TOWN GIRL (MGM 1953) Warner Archive Collection

Directed by Leslie Kardos, Small Town Girl (1953) – and not to be confused with 1936’s movie of the same name, is a minor musical offering from MGM that, like so many from its vintage, has much more to offer an audience than either its title or reputation since would suggest. The picture, produced by Joe Pasternak nearing the tail end of his ability to make such disposable sweet and light-headed confections, stars Jane Powell as Cindy Kimbell, the daughter of a local magistrate, living out her youth in the pastoral and blissfully innocent enclave of Duck Creek. As with virtually every musical made at MGM, the entire town was reassembled from preexisting sets, including Carver Street, where all of the Andy Hardy pictures had been filmed. Small Town Girl contains two absolutely astounding numbers to forever lionize its reputation: the first, ‘Take Me To Broadway’ – in which a spirited Bobby Van (cast as Powell’s smitten potential love interest, Ludwig Schlemmer) seemingly with springs in his heels, bounces all over the MGM backlot, attracting the attention of virtually all of the town’s residents. The other production number worth noting is ‘I’ve Gotta Hear that Beat’ – tapped to perfection by Ann Miller as Broadway sensation, Lisa Bellmont, twirling about a cavernous sound stage, populated only by disembodied arms and shadows of musicians, playing their various instruments through the floor boards – a number staged with bizarre aplomb by Busby Berkeley in his fading years at the studio, though arguably, not in his creativity.

As for plot: seems Judge Gordon Kimbell (Robert Keith) is none too pleased with visitors who violate the speed limit in his tiny hamlet. Of course, it does not help matters that on this occasion the culprit happens to be Rick Belrow Livingston (Farley Granger), an unrepentant jet-setter with a certain disregard for the simple folk of Duck Creek. Incarcerating Livingston in the county lock-up for 30 days, the Judge is confronted by the boy's frazzled mother (Billie Burke) who, at first tries to persuade the Judge to reconsider – then, realizes her son would be better served by having his own pomposity tested with a stint in jail. However, from the moment Livingston begins to serve his sentence he concocts a wily way to get back at the judge - by having Cindy fall in love with him. Meanwhile, Livingston's fiancée, Lisa Bellmont (Ann Miller) is growing ever-impatient of this stalemate in their pending nuptials.

Add to this mix one of American cinema's true treasures, the irascible S.Z. Sakall, cast as Eric Schlemmer, the easily flustered proprietor of a small department store, but whose son, Ludwig (Bobby Van) daydreams of a bright future, hoofing it on Broadway. Unfortunately for Ludwig, it is Eric's hope he will settle down, marry Cindy and take over the family business. Small Town Girl is a delightful pastiche to the simple folk of mid-town Americana. Remember, it’s 1953 – a time when white-gloved ‘good girls’ still went to church every Sunday and boys of a certain age still lacked ‘experiences’ of a different kind – enough to make the ‘aw shucks!’ and ‘I have to as my pa’ corn-fed dialogue in this one seem, if not entirely sound, than nevertheless proper and heartfelt. Nobody talks that way anymore, and movies like Small Town Girl have thus dated – badly – with the more laissez faire drivel that, today, passes for entertainment. The screenplay by a pair of ‘Dorothy’s’ - Cooper and Kingsley - offers astute assessments of the culture clash between small town hypocrisies and big-city sophistication - e.g. moral corruption. Dialogue is witty and the entire cast seem imbued with a sense of wonderment as they move through the conventional plot with gusto.

The best part about Small Town Girl is undeniably its musical offerings. From leggy Ann Miller's Terpsichorean excellence to Bobby Van's spring-legged leaps through the neighborhood, with winning performances by Jane Powell, and, a cameo featuring Nat King Cole – singing the haunted ballad, 'My Flaming Heart' as part of a New York nightclub act (to be easily excised when the picture was shown in the South) - Small Town Girl is a movie musical that delights effortlessly enough as it passes the time. The Warner Archive DVD, however, leaves something to be desired. Although the image can look relatively smooth with rich colors, occasionally we veer into softer images with a distinct loss of fine detail as the direct result. Contrast levels are generally well-balanced. The picture was one of the last to be photographed by Joseph Ruttenberg in 3-strip Technicolor. Yet, colors toggle between relatively stable to downright muddy and sincerely faded. Flesh tones are problematic, especially Nat King Cole, who looks artificially grey-black and underexposed. Caucasian flesh registers as washed out piggy pink. Film grain and age-related artifacts intrude but never reach a level to thoroughly distract. The audio is 1.0 Dolby Digital mono, acceptable. Bottom line: Small Town Girl is a diverting – if disposable entertainment, in need of a new remastering effort. Pass, and be glad that you did.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

3.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

2.5

EXTRAS

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