Greenwich Village (1944)

A young composer (Don Ameche) from Kansas arrives in 1922 Greenwich Village with the hopes of having his concerto performed. But when he falls in love with a nightclub singer (Vivian Blaine), the club's owner (William Bendix) isn't pleased since he has designs on her himself. Directed by Walter Lang (THE KING AND I), this Technicolor piece of cinematic cotton candy should be more fun than it its. It's creaky storyline could be forgiven if the musical numbers were good but they're a dull lot. Not even Carmen Miranda in her platform heels and fruit salad headgear can liven things up. The movie's chief asset is Leon Shamroy's (PLANET OF THE APES) eye popping three strip Technicolor lensing. Three notable names make their feature film debut here: Judy Holliday, Betty Comden and Adolph Green but their parts have all been cut out of the film leaving them briefly seen in a party scene. With Felix Bressart and B.S. Pully, who manages to get a few laughs.