How great to be able to see a movie that included Tommy Dorsey, Buddy De Franco and Buddy Rich on the screen; it's a treat for an jazz lover. And when was the last time they made a movie that included an opera singer (Lauritz Melchior). Will it ever happen again? Maybe with Andrea Bochelli but he's never sung at the Met. This hodge-podge of a story and cast, set in incredibly beautiful California landscapes in hyper-Technicolor, has lots of nostalgic charm. There is a lot you can learn about life in America in 1945 watching this movie: what was salable to audiences, acceptable sex roles, what hairdos were hip, the fashions of the day. Notice how few people are fat? I can't stand Van Johnson, but I can live with is presence just to see the Yosemite scenery and the redwoods.
Review of Thrill of a Romance
