During the opening credits, Connie Francis does a great job of singing the title song. In fact, it's now my all time favorite song she ever recorded!(Well, along with "Kiss Me Goodbye". Take your pick: Connie's, Petula's or Tracy Huang's version. They're all superb)...............I haven't seen the 1932 film version of the Gershwin's stage show "Girl Crazy". I have seen several times the Mickey + Judy version, also titled "Girl Crazy". Perhaps, it is a better film than the present one, renamed so that 'boys' is in the tile, probably to suit Connie. However, this film also has a variety of reasons to view it, including the one I've already mentioned. ............ My review title isn't really meant to praise the film. Rather, it refers to the moment during the thrilling car chase on a windy backcounty road, when the 2 cars are about to collide head on. The screen goes black for a second, then, out of the rear window, we see the other car speeding away in the opposite direction, as it had previously been. It takes a bit of movie magic to do that! Like in an old silent movie comedy...............Harve 'too tall' Presnell and Connie 'too short' Francis play the Mickey and Judy parts, Harve has been sent to an obscure small college in dusty Nevada, by his wealthy father, who was concerned he was becoming a wastrel in his NYC home, with all the female distractions. Connie is the postmaster for this college. As well, she and her father have a farm, where she has her first meeting with Harve, under unfortunate(funny) circumstances. ............Together, they sing the Gershwin standards "But Not for Me" and "I Got Rhythm". When Harve offers to give her a ride, she tells him she wants to see him gone when she returns from dressing in her bedroom. But, the stubborn Harve instead sits at her piano and plays and sings the Gershwin's unforgettable standard "Embraceable You"(Sure, he can't compare to Jo Stafford's or Ella's versions). It works, as Connie gradually changes from combative to agreeable, when she opens the door. A victory for Harve! Harve learns that Connie and her father are about to lose their farm. Since their farm isn't far from Reno, he gets the brainstorm to convert it into a dude ranch where divorces can meet. It seems to work out, and he's a hero in Connie's eyes. .............The British rock group Hermen's Hermits then sings the Gershwin tune "Biding my Time". But, the most entertaining rendition of a Gershwin song was sexy 'funny girl' Sue Ane Langdon's "Treat me Rough". She sure was the right female to sing it! Her character was a hold over from Harve's NYC days, who had followed him, determined to bag a rich guy. She threatened to sue or extort him for false promise of marriage. The problem is that Harve has since fallen hard for Connie, and wants to shake this gold digger. Eventually, she settles for a middle-aged sugar daddy.(Incidentally, I didn't misspell 'Anne'. That's the way she spelled it.)...............Along with Herman's Hermits, the rock groups Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and The Standels are given a bit of exposure............... Incongruously, old timers Liberace and Louis Armstrong are also featured. Liberace's "Aruba, Liberace" performance was a nothing. However, the two performances by Louis and his ensemble were decent. Louis also finished the film with a memorable short rendition of a Gershwin tune. You can't complain there's a lack of variety in music styles! There was also a couple of mass dancing productions..............I enjoyed the stand up comedy act by Davis, where he pretends to be a no good punch-drunk has been boxer, who gets questions wrong, giving wacky answers. Also, he calls Rocky Marciano(the only undefeated heavy weight champ) Rocky Marshmallow, even though admitting Rock beat him up..............Connie was still in her glory period. But, without the dogged persistence of her father and Dick Clark, on American Bandstand, it's clear Connie would never have gotten started on her phenomenal singing career. Her life turned tragic in the 70s and 80s, with her near fatal rape, left for dead, the gangland slaying of her brother, losing her singing voice for 4 years, and her numerous forced stays in psychiatric hospitals over 8 years, only to find that she had been misdiagnosed as bipolar, actually suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, from her several traumas.(I've had a rather similar experience, and consequently don't think much of the psychiatric profession). In her 80s, she's still with us, presumably still working on her several charities.
