Sadly Over-hyped

A Brilliant Conflict

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

There's a stereotype that women teachers or librarians who wear glasses are plain Jane's, and the moment Miss four eyes becomes mademoiselle two eyes, she's a raving beauty. Shirley Jones in "The Music Man", Joan Davis in "She Wrote the Book" and Joan Caulfield in "The Petty Girl" are just a few examples of this, and now comes along Maureen O'Hara whom nobody would accused of being a plain Jane. All she needs to awaken her is the music of Harry James, and she turns into a famous New York fashion model reeling in a bunch of available men, forgetting to tell them that she's really a staid college music professor in New York searching for the perfect classical music orchestras to be entered into an upcoming competition.The main man here is Dick Haymes, a decent singer but only serviceable as a leading man. Fortunately, he had costars like Betty Grable and O'Hara here to make him presentable, and while he was extremely popular in the 1940's, he doesn't stand the test of time like Frank Sinatra does. Haymes gets the bulk of the songs, coming alive in the segment when he sings the decent title song to O'Hara in Central Park, a song which turns into an extremely energetic production number joined by the romantic youth dancing through the park. But the story is just ridiculous, overfilled with clichés overly used in movie musicals of the 1940's and '50s. O'Hara is completely charming and comes out unscathed, and Reginald Gardiner is his normally delightfully droll self as usual. So in answer to the film's question title, Maureen: yes. The film: no.

"Do You Love Me?" is a 1946 musical from Fox and has the trademark vivid colors they used particularly in musicals - there was never a chance of mistaking them for MGM films.Maureen O'Hara, whom we just lost this year, plays Katharine Hilliard, the dean of a music school, and a woman from a long line of classical musicians. She goes to New York by train for a business meeting. There's no room to sit on the train, so a bandleader, Barry Clayton (Harry James) offers her a seat in his car. First she has to sit there and listen to their swing music, and when asked, she admits she doesn't like it. Apparently Clayton had a bet with someone that he could win any woman over with that particular song, and it's evident he lost.Clayton snorts and says, none too kindly, that the specimen in front of him could hardly be called a woman. If a mosquito bit her, it would get pneumonia. When asked if men ever whistled at her, Katharine has to admit that they didn't.Good and depressed, she arrives in New York and asks a friend, Herbert (Reginald Gardner) what's wrong with her. Given that it's Maureen O'Hara with glasses, her hair in a bun, and in a suit, we know what's about to happen. Taking his advice, she has a complete makeover and that night, goes to where the band is playing, the El Sudan. When the cab driver tells her she can't get in without an escort, she approaches a man (Dick Haymes) staring longingly into a restaurant. He agrees to accompany her. When they arrive, she finds out that he is a singer and a friend of Clayton's.Soon both men are in love with her, and she has a fiancé back home.Lots and lots of music, serving as a showcase for Dick Haymes, who succeeded Frank Sinatra as Tommy Dorsey's singer. Haymes had a smooth, rich voice, and though attractive, his six marriages, financial problems, and alcoholism pretty much finished him off. He sings beautifully here: the title song, "I Didn't Believe A Word I Said," "Moonlight Propaganda," "As if I Didn't Have Enough On My Mind," and "The More I See You."Maureen O'Hara was made for color; she's beautiful, with the right combination of seriousness and lightness.This is a good musical, with a fun jitterbug-type dance number toward the end. It's mostly music, and the music is good, with a wonderful number that goes from classical to swing at the end. You can't go wrong.Watch for Mrs. James (Betty Grable) calling out to "Harry" at the end.

Plot-- A very plain faculty woman gets a glamor makeover, thrusting her suddenly onto the pop music scene and a bunch of new suitors.I had to chuckle at the passing remark where Jimmy (Haymes) says he's dieting so he can get skinny—an obvious reference to Sinatra, then the big bobby-sox idol. The film's a Haymes showcase. He gets to croon a number of tunes in a highly pleasing manner. As an actor, he's a boyish figure, likable but without much charisma. Too bad his career ended after getting mixed up with draft-dodging issues. The movie's pleasant enough without being anything special. James gets to do more acting than conducting; plus the band selections are mediocre, at best. O'Hara certainly looks the part of a Cinderella after the glamor make-over, and even gets to shake a leg along with the acrobatic dancers. Still, her specialty was drama, causing me to wonder where TCF's many music queens like Grable were, besides sitting in the back of a taxi. All in all, it's a decent little 40's musical in vivid candy-box colors. But I can't help thinking the movie could have used more bounce and less talky plot.

If your like musicals and love stories. You will find this movie a treat. I'm a typical female and when I saw this movie for the 1st time I cried. The cast was great. The story is about a female dean (Maureen O'Hara) of a music college that falls in love with a man (Dick Haymes)and another man falls for her(Harry James). You will find a whole slue of stars like. Maureen O'Hara as Katherine 'Kitten' Hilliard, Dick Haymes as Jimmy Hale, Harry James as Barry Clayton, Reginald Gardiner as Herbert Benham, Richard Gaines as Ralph Wainwright, Harry James' Music Makers as themselves also you will find Harry James' future bride in this movie Betty Grable they met for the 1st time in this movie.I'm shocked that it didn't get very good reviews. There's only 1 draw back with this movie. Only way you can watch it is if you have cable TV and have Fox Movie Channel. It's not available on DVD and VHS. Hope you can find it.