This movie is "On the Town" meets "American in Paris", but it is unique and highly entertaining. It is the only true musical which features Tony Curtis. (Sure, "Some Like It Hot" is sort of a musical, but Marilyn Monroe handles all of the musical numbers.) Curtis sings and dances and doesn't do a bad job at it. He is competing with Gene Nelson, one of the finest film dancers. Curtis keeps up nicely with Nelson and although his singing isn't spectacular, he does sing in tune. Also appearing in this film is the underrated comedian Paul Gilbert. In the 1950s, Gilbert appeared in three musicals: this one, plus "The Second Greatest Sex" and "You Can't Run Away from It". Gilbert has a nice feel for delivering punch lines and handles physical comedy like a champ. It is a shame that examples of his work are so few. The songs were written by the totally unknown team of Moody and Sherrill. They also wrote songs for Gilbert's "The Second Greatest Sex" and "Fresh from Paris". This is all that is known about them. The songs are melodic and catchy. It is not Sondheim, but it is not meant to be. The musical arrangements are by Henry Mancini; it is early in Mancini's career and he still has not found his trademark French horn and strings combination. He is still writing in a big band style. This film is fast, light and fun, and movie musical fans looking for some good, obscure songs will be delighted with it.
Review of So This Is Paris
