Good News

Another nifty 40's minor musical that may not be one of MGM's most famous outings but is right up there with the best of them. Good News was the Forties take on the 1927 hit Broadway show, which had been filmed once before in 1930. Most of the music is by the prolific Twenties team of Ray Henderson with Lew Brown and Buddy DeSylva, responsible for Black Bottom, Birth of the Blues, Bye Bye Blackbird, Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries, Button Up Your Overcoat and many other standards including this show's hit song, the Best things In Life Are Free. Though the setting of the show remained Tait College in the Twenties, the fashion of the Forties was to acknowledge the setting while making sure all the costumes, hairstyles and musical arrangements were contemporary. So in this case the girls all look forties and the music is big band swing (but remember, it's 1927). Varsity Drag, the song most out of sync with the Forties style was thankfully retained to provide some Twenties flavor.I only mention the anachronisms for people who aren't familiar with the way Hollywood did things then and who might be confused about this portrayal of the Roaring twenties. Nothing at all depends upon any historical recreation, and the breezy plot could happen just the same in any decade. Big Man On Campus Tommy Marlowe, a football hero to boot, likes snobby and affected Pat McClellan, but she is a dedicated gold digger looking for a rich boy to marry. He has grade problems in French and must be tutored by prim Librarian Connie Lane, who develops a crush on him. Will he get the grades to win the Big Game for Tait? Will connie get her man? I think we all know the answers to these questions, but the fun is in getting there.The film has a good cast with Peter Lawford as Tommy, June Allyson as Connie and Patricia Marshall as Pat . More than that the leads hang out with a great bunch of friends who include Joan McCracken as Babe, Ray McDonald as Bobby, and a young Mel Torme as Danny. Character actor Clinton Sundberg gives a nice performance as Professor Burton Kennyon, given more screen time than he usually got in films. The songs are nice, if mostly not memorable and there are several standout dance numbers. The highlight is Pass That Peace Pipe a song written directly for this film by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane with Roger Edens. It's a rousing swing number, and man, does that local malt shop jump!It doesn't add up to much but some light entertainment but it fills that bill quite well. Both june Allyson and Peter Lawford actually seem a bit old for their rolls and in fact Allyson was 30; Lawford, 24, always had that sophisticated British gentleman thing going for him that mad him seem older. But as a show, Good News never tries too hard to seem real, so a cast mostly in their mid-twenties is not really a problem.If you like forties musicals, don't miss this one.

I recently discovered this movie and found out that it is one of the best musicals out there. It has easily become one of my favourites because of its youthful exuberance and great music. I have a number of movies with Peter Lawford in my collection, and in most such as Royal Wedding and Easter Parade, Peter is the backup or shares the romantic lead. Good News is different in that he has the main romantic lead and so we get to see him more often. Peter Lawford and June Allyson are a great pair and have such great romantic chemistry.This movie features the song "The Best Things in Life are Free" (you know the song that was used in phone commercials years ago? lol) and it is the love theme for the characters in the movie. June Allyson does a moving presentation of the song. Both Allyson and Lawford are just so cute in this movie. Peter Lawford portrays the football star, Tommy Marlowe, who learns French in order to impress the new student, and most recent love interest, Pat McCellan (Patricia Marshall), only to fall in love with his French tutor, Connie Lane (Allyson) along the way! Includes a couple of so-so appearances by Mel Torme.French is such an integral part of the story that the captions and English subtitles on the DVD actually include both languages. However the French subtitles are not as complete. It is unfortunate for French viewers that are hearing impaired, that the words that are spoken in French are not subtitled (only the English is translated).Anyway, it's a great film to cheer you up on a rainy afternoon!

recieved in good time, used, in very good condition. the movie was very good, the singing and the dancing, it took me back. Bill M

GOOD NEWS (1947), based on the tried and tested 1920s hit Broadway musical--and originally filmed in 1930--really has no business in working as well as it does. The plot is thinner than a wafer, the characters have little substance and the situations are cliche to say the least. But it works wonderfully! In the best tradition of the MGM musical, GOOD NEWS is a rollicking good time.Tait College's star football player Tommy Marlowe (Peter Lawford) looks set to flunk the mid-terms--and miss the chance of leading his teammates to victory--unless his grades are pulled into shape. Assigned to help tutor him in French is no-nonsense sorority leader Connie Lane (June Allyson). Before you can say "opposites attract", these two battling co-eds find love whilst hitting the books; until snooty new girl Pat (Patricia Marshall) decides to sink her catty claws into Tommy!Highlighted by the energetic dance numbers "Pass That Peace-Pipe" (originally intended for "Ziegfeld Follies") and "The Varsity Drag", GOOD NEWS is a great big bouncy ball of musical fun. June Allyson and Peter Lawford tackle the tour-de-force "French Lesson", Mel Torme croons "The Best Things in Life are Free", and June Allyson tugs at the heart with the lovely ballad "Just Imagine".This movie also boasts two of the most talented dancers from the period, Joan McCracken and Ray McDonald, paired together in comedic secondary roles. Sadly both would die young without realising their full potential in movie musicals. Savour their adorable work in GOOD NEWS.The DVD from Warners includes a song deleted from the final cut of the film ("An Easier Way"), plus the "Good News" and "Varsity Drag" numbers from the original 1930 movie--which has sadly yet to appear on DVD. Recommended.

以前から見たいと思っていた映画でした。日本語字幕ではありませんでしたが、この機を逸するとしばらくは入手できないと思い購入しました。幸いなことにストーリーは「ボーイミーツガール」の単純なものなので、何となく理解はできました。ストーリーはともあれ、特筆すべきところは群舞を中心としたダンスシーンでしょう。群舞の華やかさと迫力はウェストサイド物語にひけをとらないし、見終わったあと何とも幸せな気分になれます。欲を言えば、主演のピーターローフォードは一寸厳しかったな…。身体が固いのでしょうか、群舞でも少し浮いていた印象です。映画の舞台は確か1927年。昭和2年、私の父が生まれた年です。この時期のアメリカ、そして青年たちは本当に輝いていた！

I have always enjoyed this movie, But unfortunately it is rarely shown on television. This makes it worth purchasing simply because it is so rarely seen, and that makes it well worth owning.

GOOD NEWS MIT JUNE ALLYSON + PETER LAWFORD EIN TOP MUSICAL AUS DEN LEGENDÄREN MGM STUDIOS , KLASSE DARSTELLER, MUSIK ; AUSSTATTUNG , HIER STIMMT ALLES, BESSER GEHT ES NICHT, EIN VERGNÜGEN DEN FILM ZU SCHAUEN ! KLARE KAUFEMPFEHLUNG VON MIR !

Great MGM musical!! It's really too much fun, the numbers are great, Peter Lawford too charming and June Allyson too lovely!! Great colors and... great nostalgia! The songs are so much fun, and it's one of those feel-good MGM musicals! After one of those MGM musicals, you feel like anything in this world can't be that bad, everything will always turn out all right! Well, loved this one too!

je suis heureux de trouver enfin des dvd de comédies musicales américaines ou autres qu'on ne trouve plus nulle part.... merci