Give A Girl A Break (1953)

When the leading lady (Donna Martell, LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING) walks out on a Broadway show, a mad scramble ensues to replace her. It eventually comes down to three candidates (Debbie Reynolds, Marge Champion, Helen Wood) but which one? All three have their champions, Reynolds has Bob Fosse, Champion has Gower Champion and Wood has Kurt Kasznar. This breezy bit of Technicolor MGM musical fluff is quite beguiling in its unpretentious way. The songs by Burton Lane (FINIAN'S RAINBOW) and Ira Gershwin (A STAR IS BORN) are a serviceable bunch but at its heart, this is a dance musical. Five of its six leads are excellent dancers and even Kasznar's awkward dancing (if you can call it that) is rather endearing. Gower Champion and the film's choreographer turned director, Stanley Donen, are responsible for the dance numbers. With Richard Anderson, Lurene Tuttle, William Ching and Larry Keating.