Lady Be Good is told in flashbacks as Ann Sothern tries to justify her divorce to judge Lionel Barrymore in court. She tells the story of her marriage to fellow songwriter Robert Young, and how her friends Eleanor Powell, John Carroll, and Red Skelton, try to get them back together. The plot isn't the good part of this movie, not by a long shot. The musical numbers are extremely entertaining, and I don't mean the songs Ann Sothern sings while Robert Young mimes playing the piano. Ann debuts the Oscar-winning song "The Last Time I Saw Paris," so if you love that song, you might want to rent this movie just to see it in its original form. Besides that, she sings "Lady Be Good" several times, and others sing and dance to it as well.
The Berry Brothers give the Nicholas Brothers a run for their money during the intense dance numbers they perform. Thankfully, they have quite a bit of screen time, so if you do decide to rent this movie, you'll get to see their talent for much longer than three minutes. Their endless splits and twirls will have you applauding at the end of their numbers. Eleanor Powell, the greatest female dancer of the silver screen, also has some fantastic numbers to show off her "machine gun" legs. She has a show-stopping number where she tap dances backwards while other set pieces are moved all around her and the camera tracks her upstage descent, then she gets tossed hands-over-feet down a line of chorus men, ending with a bright, relieved smile into the camera. If that number doesn't entice you, she has an equally impressive dance in her living room, a practice session she tries out with her pet pooch. The impeccably trained dog ends up joining her, and while he jumps through her hooped arms and circles through her legs, she's tap dancing around him and doing cartwheels, all while smiling into the camera. She doesn't once look at the ground to make sure she's not stepping on her dog. I'm always filled with admiration for Eleanor when I see her, especially because she makes it look so easy!
Check out this musical for the dancing. Ann is a bit annoying, and Bob isn't given anything to do, but the dancing is wonderful. Bob does get to sing a few lines during some of the songs, something he's never given the chance to do in his other movies. It's the dancers, though, who deservedly steal the spotlight.
The Berry Brothers give the Nicholas Brothers a run for their money during the intense dance numbers they perform. Thankfully, they have quite a bit of screen time, so if you do decide to rent this movie, you'll get to see their talent for much longer than three minutes. Their endless splits and twirls will have you applauding at the end of their numbers. Eleanor Powell, the greatest female dancer of the silver screen, also has some fantastic numbers to show off her "machine gun" legs. She has a show-stopping number where she tap dances backwards while other set pieces are moved all around her and the camera tracks her upstage descent, then she gets tossed hands-over-feet down a line of chorus men, ending with a bright, relieved smile into the camera. If that number doesn't entice you, she has an equally impressive dance in her living room, a practice session she tries out with her pet pooch. The impeccably trained dog ends up joining her, and while he jumps through her hooped arms and circles through her legs, she's tap dancing around him and doing cartwheels, all while smiling into the camera. She doesn't once look at the ground to make sure she's not stepping on her dog. I'm always filled with admiration for Eleanor when I see her, especially because she makes it look so easy!
Check out this musical for the dancing. Ann is a bit annoying, and Bob isn't given anything to do, but the dancing is wonderful. Bob does get to sing a few lines during some of the songs, something he's never given the chance to do in his other movies. It's the dancers, though, who deservedly steal the spotlight.