With a little better screenplay this would have been a musical to rival any turned out by MGM. Quickly re-teaming Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds after Singin' In The Rain and wisely jettisoning both Gene Kelly and Comden and Green the studio came up with a plot that fit where it touched then adorned it with some really great numbers by Josef Myrow and Mack Gordon which are light years fresher, wittier and more sophisticated than the stale Freed-Brown numbers in Singin' In The Rain, which veer more towards sentiment than style. The movie gets off to a flying start with the standout A Lady Loves which kills two birds with one stone by establishing Reynolds as a dreamer aspiring wistfully to a career in movies. Donald O'Connor never really attained the stardom which was the rightful due of his talent and charm and he displays both to full advantage here. If ever anything came under the heading 'forgotten gem' this one surely does.
Review of I Love Melvin
