Sunday, December 27, 2020

Movie review - "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956) ***

 A film beloved by boomers because it introduced rock music in big wide screen colourful numbers - serious artists too.

I think this was meant to be based on Do Re Mi a novel by Garson Kanin. Fox bought the novel in 1955 and announced the film would star Tom Ewell and Sheree North who had been in The Lieutenant Wore Skirts. Nunnally Johnson was supposed to direct. Then North dropped out. Jayne Mansfield stepped in off the back of her stage success.

How much was this Do Re Mi? Because there was a Phil Silvers stage musical based on that later.

Anyway it is bright and colourful. Great music. Edmund O'Brien is fun as the gangster turned singer. I could take or leave Tom Ewell, then at his brief stardom peak. Jayne Mansfield is very sweet.


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