Vera Allen and Tony Martin lack any chemistry on screen in this very contrived story of: 'American young woman with Scottish ancestry, inherits a lot of money and decides to visit the land of her grandfather's birth.' Her flight from the US to France, and then onto Scotland, we are presented with the usual embarrassing national caricatures of Frenchmen and Scots to remind the audience, as if we didn't know, that Vera Allen is 'abroad,' and that our American gal is required to come to terms with the strange and bizarre manners and customs of them their foreigners! The story line is simplistic, with a middle aged Tony Martin, bursting into various songs, which at can best be described as forgettable, at the mere drop of a hat. Vera Allen tries desperately to put a lot of energy into her role, but the feeble storyline and the pedestrian pace of the narrative, left me yawning. The film was already past its sell by date in 1957, a year when this type of musical was already 'old hat.' I admired earlier Hollywood performances of Vera Ellen, a highly talented dancer, but here she has little opportunity to display her talents. By the end of the film, I was totally underwhelmed! All in all, a very disappointing film.
Review of Let's Be Happy
