Five classic musicals are collected here- including: IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER- SUMMER STOCK- THREE LITTLE WORDS- TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY- and ZIEGFELD FOLLIES.

It's Always Fair Weather

The third collaboration between Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly- It's Always Fair Weather falls short of the classics On the Town and Singin' in the Rain- mostly due to a slow plot and middling songs by Andre Previn- Betty Comden- and Adolph Green. In a story reminiscent of On the Town- Kelly- Dan Dailey- and Michael Kidd play three GIs who return from the war vowing to stay buddies forever. When they reunite 10 years later- however- they find they have little in common- other than having given up on their dreams. Best known as the choreographer of such MGM evergreens as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers- the diminutive Kidd proves adept at kicking up his heels in front of the camera. Cyd Charisse plays a scheming television producer (an unusually down-home character) and Delores Gray is the toothy TV show host. (Gray gets to sing and Charisse dances a little- though not with Kelly.) The best moments- of course- are the dance numbers Kelly choreographed- including the three GIs' trash-can-lid dance- Charisse's solo supported by a crew of boxers- and Kelly's number on roller skates- "I Like Myself-" which combines some of the free spirit of "Singin' in the Rain" with the stunt footwear made famous by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in 1937's Shall We Dance.

Summer Stock

Judy Garland managed to subdue her ongoing medical problems long enough to make Summer Stock in 1950- her last film with MGM and longtime collaborator Gene Kelly. In a throwback to Garland's "let's put on a show" films with Mickey Rooney- Kelly plays a theater director who sets up in Garland's barn to prepare his musical- but Garland has other ideas. Romantic entanglements ensue- of course- and Eddie Bracken- Phil Silvers- and Marjorie Main are on hand to lend comedic support. Following his mostly forgettable score in 1949's The Barkleys of Broadway- Harry Warren contributes another mostly forgettable score- though it's complemented with a few ringers from other songwriters. There are many enjoyable moments- however- including a lot of tap from Kelly. He and Garland share a tap duel at a square dance turned lindy hop- and Garland performs her classic "Get Happy" routine in a black jacket and fedora. Kelly also performs a solo number to "You Wonderful You" with no gimmicks--just a darkened stage- a squeaky floorboard- and a sheet of newspaper.

Three Little Words

Three Little Words (1950) was an example of Hollywood's late-'40s/early-'50s interest in the lives of famous songwriters. Fred Astaire plays vaudeville dancer Bert Kalmar- whose act with Jessie Brown (Vera-Ellen) runs aground due to his interest in magic acts and a backstage accident. While in rehab- he meets composer Harry Ruby (Red Skelton)- and the two discover a knack for writing Tin Pan Alley songs- then Broadway shows- together. There's some mild conflict in their lives as portrayed in film- but mostly the movie is an excuse to pull out a slew of Kalmar & Ruby songs such as "Who's Sorry Now-" "My Sunny Tennessee-" "Nevertheless-" "I Wanna Be Loved by You-" and the title tune. Vera-Ellen is an excellent partner for Astaire- and the relatively restrained Skelton puts in a good performance. Also appearing are Arlene Dahl as a musical actress- Gloria De Haven as her own mother- a young Debbie Reynolds as Boop-a-Doop girl Helen Kane- and the real Harry Ruby as a baseball player playing catch with Skelton- the movie Harry Ruby.

Til The Clouds Roll By

Robert Walker tries gamely to suggest the decency of Jerome Kern but is defeated by a sluggish story line pairing him with a crotchety mentor (Van Heflin). As a collection of freestanding production numbers devoted to Kern's songs- however- the movie has appeal. It begins with almost 20 minutes of Showboat (including Lena Horne's plaintive reading of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man") and the hits just keep on coming. Judy Garland- who appears in a few scenes as stage star Marilyn Miller- contributes "Look for the Silver Lining" and a Gatsby-esque production number on "Who?" Her songs were staged by then-hubby Vincente Minnelli. Other highlights include a young Angela Lansbury- still with baby fat- singing "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me?" Lucille Bremer- a leggy starlet who never quite caught on- plays Kern's protégé. She spins a delightful duet with Van Johnson on "I Won't Dance-" two redheads capering with gusto. It all ends with another splashy theatrical montage- climaxing in Frank Sinatra's take on "Ol' Man River." That might sound like a strange idea- but Ol' Blue Eyes clearly loves the song (he would return to it often in his career) and is in beautiful voice.

Ziegfeld Follies

This 1946 film celebrates the life- career- and showmanship of the late Florenz Ziegfeld- perhaps the most famous and influential Broadway producer in the early decades of the 20th century. The film- ostensibly directed by Vincente Minnelli- takes an unusual form. We open in Heaven- at the home of the late Ziegfeld (played by William Powell- who also played him in The Great Ziegfeld)- who thinks back on his life and wonders what kind of show he would put on with the talent of today (meaning 1946). What follows is an elaborately staged revue- similar to the blend of cheesecake- music- and comedy that made up the Ziegfeld Follies--but with the stars of that moment (plus actual Ziegfeld veteran Fanny Brice). The most welcome presence is Fred Astaire- who appears in three numbers--including the only dance number ever filmed that paired Astaire with Gene Kelly at the height of their powers. The contrast is fascinating. Otherwise- you get a number of musical scenes- the best of which features Lena Horne (singing "Love")- the worst Judy Garland (in "An Interview"). And there's plenty of other stuff: everything from an Esther Williams water ballet to an excerpt of La Traviata to a variety of broadly acted vaudeville skits featuring actors Keenan Wynn- Edward Arnold- Fanny Brice- and Hume Cronyn