SUMMER STOCK is hooky stock for sure, but fun if one checks reality at the door. Judy Garland is not at her best, with her plump body and bloated looking face and bad hair due. Her acting is grating as she doesn't say a complete sentence with out a stammer or interruption. However she is in fine voice and could keep up with Gene Kelly in the dance numbers. Story is inane and doesn't make a bit of sense. The barn suddenly turns into a big theatre with huge stage at the end. What? Where are all the chorus people who were in all the rehearsal numbers? The character of Gloria DeHaven is unbelievable. She actually leaves the show at the last minute and for plot purposes is replaced by her sister, Judy. How convenient. The leading man also leaves the show and Gene Kelly takes over. Now could you possible see the leading man played by Hans Conried do all those numbers that Gene eventually does? NO WAY JOSE. It's plot points like this that make this an irritating film. The the number with the dogs...My Gawd...Where did the dogs come from? Who trained them? Where where they in the rest of the film from beginning to end? The whole number was worthless and insulting and should have been dropped or better yet, never filmed. Aside from my complaints there were some pleasant aspects like some of the numbers and Gene's dance with the newspaper. Judy's big GET HAPPY number is completely of of place and she looked altogether different before and after the number. Should never have been filmed. Again if one wants even a bit of reality...forget SUMMER STOCK.
Review of Summer Stock
