Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
... View MoreHow wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.
... View MoreThis story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
... View MoreI enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
... View MoreAn American man from NYC arrives in a small town where Dutch people live.This is a very strange place to be ,predating Minnelli's "Brigadoon" .A place where time stood still:you do not pay when you are staying at the hotel,the girls all bear boys' name -cause dad wanted boys-and they can 't get married till the eldest does.By no means one of multi-talented Borzage's greatest achievements (most of them were behind him at the time),his movie retains freshness , a "Carpe Diem" spirit ,a good antidote to stress .My favorite scene takes place in the church.Good performances by the whole cast,particularly Van Heflin who learns to like another way of life.
... View MoreI helped restore a boat that Van Heflin,and Kathryn Grayson were on.The movie was made in Saugatuck,Michigan.This boat was named the "Karab" at the time.Was owned by Karl Irwin. In 60 yrs this boat has only had 4 owners ! It is listed as the third oldest boat still on the Great Lakes. The picture shows the movie crew on the boat,and the other sisters that were in the movie when it was docked at the "Badlands" hotel which burned down. This boat was a 1923 Defoe built in Bay City,Michigan. I looked for over a year to find the movie.Didn't know it was a musical. I had to get help from MGM to find out what type of movie it was. I have a poor quality of the movie,and the boat was not seen in the movie. I like good musicals with a good story line,and this was done just right.
... View MoreThis is one of those films that is best enjoyed by just turning off your brain and letting yourself get into the film despite a very silly and impossible plot. Considering the film has considerable charm (and Cuddles Sakal), I could do this quite easily--at least until Kathryn Grayson sang too many songs that it spoiled mood! While I am not a huge fan of musicals, this isn't exactly a musical as all the numbers are strictly Grayson singing in a very operatic style that you either love or hate--guess which category I fell into! The silly plot is about the fictional town of New Delph, Michigan--and I assume it's a thinly disguised version of Holland, Michigan, as this town is famous for their bulbs and Dutch heritage. The town is like a little piece of Holland transported to America, as the homes look very Dutch and they keep alive their heritage through cultural festivals.Van Heflin is a reporter and arrives for the annual Tulip Festival. The first person he meets is the odd but very sweet Cuddle Sakal who runs the local hotel. The hotel is staffed by his seven daughters--all who have boys' names! And, of course, all are very beautiful and charming (with one exception). Van falls for the youngest one (Grayson) but the family tradition is that none of them can marry until the oldest marries (Marsha Hunt). Unfortunately, Hunt is a rather vain and obnoxious lady and Heflin is stuck because he wants to wed Grayson and break the very strong family tradition.The whole contrived plot works because of the charming nature of the film. Sakal, as usual, is a cute and endearing character and the film is well-written (at least when it comes to dialog). About the only deficits are the silliness of the plot and the over-abundance of singing by Grayson. Without the singing, this film would have earned at least a 7!
... View MoreThis story was set in Delft, Michigan and oddly enough resembles the tulip time in Holland, Michigan, unlike what was previously written, there are a lot of dutch families in Holland; There is few Spanish families there. This movie is cute, it doesn't lack any informality of its time, it delights in the old ways of the dutch. The characters are genuine and the set is typical of its era, it has the quality of film noir. A delightful classic that should be appreciated. It is Not desensitized by propaganda films or shoved into a shelf with out consideration for shadow, camera angles, and well played out script.
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