Review of I Love Melvin

Delightful follow-up to "Singing in the Rain" (minus Gene Kelly, which is fine with me), "I Love Melvin" is a snappy(76 minutes), tuneful Technicolored treat with one show-stopping musical number after another. A serviceable plot (Donald O'Connor plays a free-lance photographer who becomes so enamored with aspiring singer/dancer Debbie Reynolds that he promises he'll get her the cover of Look Magazine) provides a nifty frame for a series of first-rate, beautifully choreographed musical numbers that make one wonder why this terrific little MGM gem has been overlooked. The music is sensational (thank you, Joseph Myrow), the evocation of the Manhattan setting is a visual delight (MGM actually went on location for a few scenes--watching Ms. Reynolds walk across Central Park South is a time-capsule come to life.) And O'Connor and Ms. Reynolds have probably tbe best displays of their singing & dancing talents in their entire careers (their frenetic "Where Did You Learn to Dance?" is a knockout; O'Connor's solo "I Want to Wander" is a classic; and Debbie's opening dream number, "The Lady Loves," wherein she is attired in slithering pink as she delivers the sultry lyrics, hint at the dreamy sexiness she was allowed to exude in future films.) MGM produced so many classic musicals in the early 1950s that "I Love Melvin" has been unjustly neglected. Too bad, because it's a sparkling, melodious, toe-tapping treat that ranks among MGM's finest and is long-overdue for the accolades it deserves.