Truly Dreadful Film

How sad is this?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

There are definitely better musicals than 'Good News' made before, during and since. That doesn't matter, because although it has imperfections it is still a delight in so many ways.Starting with 'Good News' problems, it is agreed that the scene with Connie Gilchrist is overwritten and overacted (in fact, some of the humour is tiresomely flat) and that the football scene is overlong and drags. It is also a shame that Mel Torme, by far the best singer in the cast, has very little to do, a singer of his calibre deserves better than that.On the other hand, 'Good News' is very lavishly produced. It is true that the costumes and hair-styles are more 1940s than 1920s, but they do look lovely, and numbers like "Pass that Peace Pipe" and "Varsity Drag" are filmed beautifully. The music is wonderful, especially "Pass that Peace Pipe", "Varsity Drag", the title number, "Imagine" and the most famous song "The Best Things in Life are Free". "The French Lesson" is very funny as well. The choreography similarly dazzles, especially in "Pass that Peace Pipe" and "Varsity Drag", which are two of the energetic musical numbers of the 40s.Charles Walters directs excellently, hard to believe that this was his directorial debut. The script is mostly very amusing and fills the heart with warmth, the film crackles with energy and while the story is fluffy and predictable admittedly it is also light-hearted, heart-warming and charming with solid pacing, also not being as contrived or corny as some musicals' stories were.June Allyson has a role that fits her to the bone and it shows off her personality and strengths so well. She sings "Imagine" touchingly wistfully. Am not usually a fan of Peter Lawford, but while his singing is only adequate if even that he does give some charm to a rather caddish character and his dancing looks more comfortable than in other musicals he participated in. He and Allyson sparkle together, especially in "The French Lesson", even if they are too old to pass for college students. Joan McCracken is crackling fun that it beggars belief that her career wasn't bigger.In conclusion, has flaws but 'Good News' is a delight on the most part. 8/10 Bethany Cox

GOOD NEWS was a Broadway classic of the 1920s. But most of you haven't seen a really good production of the original musical. Even threadbare amateur attempts have been seen by very few modern viewers. So you can be excused for thinking that this 1947 movie is a faithful rendering of something that your grandparents raved about.No such luck. This musical about college romance is chockful of stars who are about a dozen years too old for college. And very little remains of the original story or script. The famous songs, such as The Best Things in Life are Free, Button Up Your Overcoat, etc. have been shuffled around, and the great dance classic, The Varsity Drag, has been moved from the middle to the finale and changed from a Charleston to something that looks like goosestepping. A soundtrack recording preserves the songs nicely but the movie distorts what was once a memorable night at the musical theater.

Despite winning an Oscar for one of its songs, "Good News" appears to be a strictly second-tier sort of musical with little to distinguish it. The plot is paper-thin, the singing a bit suspect and the film very light and forgettable.The film is set at Tait College in 1927 (though, oddly, the women's hair and many of the dresses are strictly 1940s). The plot hinges on whether the school's star quarterback (Peter Lawford) will pursue a snobbish new student (Patricia Marshall) or recognize how wonderful the assistant librarian (June Allyson) is. The plot doesn't get any deeper than that! Like all musicals, the film is chock full of singing as well as dance numbers. However, I was amazed at the mediocrity (at best) of most of the singing. Apart from Mel Tormé (who had a great voice), the singers are either adequate (such as Allyson) or pretty awful (Lawford--who NEVER should have been allowed to sing in a musical). The songs, while bouncy, are pretty much fluff--which works perfectly with the plot, which is also pure fluff. Overall, the film isn't unpleasant but it also isn't very good or memorable. Strictly a second-tier sort of film from MGM.By the way, I thought it awfully funny that when Allyson was supposedly teaching Lawford French, she would say words in French and invariably, Lawford's pronunciation (of words he'd never supposedly heard before) was as good or better!

Campus fanfare in the l920s with Peter Lawford, the captain of the football team, a campus heart-throb, needing to pass his French exam so that he can play in the football game. Of course, June Allyson is called in to tutor him, the same girl he broke a prom date with so that he could escort the new girl on campus, a snob-seeking status girl, only interested in money.I just love these so called college musicals where academics is never really the focus, but rather good old fashion fun.What makes this film a delight is the singing and dancing. While Lawford's voice could have been better, he does fairly well nonetheless. Allyson, who was 30 at the time the movie was made, looks like a college co-ed all the way.Mel Torme has his moments as a college student as well.