vincentlynch-moonoi Van Johnson and June Allyson were good together...if the material was good. Not so good when the material was stupid. And this material is the latter.In the early parts of the film, Johnson seems downright creepy. He's supposed to be a bit of a playboy, but here he seems like more of a letch. Playing with Allyson's hair in a creepy way, blowing in her ear when she's clearly not inclined. Later in the film there's a bit of slapstick, which Johnson actually does quite well at, but it just seems so out of place in the film. Of course, later in the film he's sort of reformed once he begins falling in real love with Allyson.And then there's Allyson. Well, somehow I just didn't find Allyson that funny as a drunk.Perhaps the problem here is the plot and how they characterized Van Johnson's role. A children's' book writer who hates kids and is a playboy. It had potential. Unfulfilled potential, and the ultimate outcome was so obvious from the beginning.If the film is saved by anyone, it is -- perhaps a bit, at least -- by Hume Cronyn as the publisher, and by Butch Jenkins, the child actor who portrays a child sort of "rented" to pretend Johnson has a son. More disappointing is a rather poor role for the very talented Una Merkel (although this was in the period of her career when she wasn't too popular). Arlene Dahl also had a disappointing role here; Dahl was quite a good actress, but never made it beyond supporting roles or starring in B pictures.This film had potential, but turned out rather disappointing. It has its moments...for example a rather funny Indian sequence. But overall, this seems like a very long 98 minutes.

secondtake The Bride Goes Wild (1948)This is a common kind of entertainment film using a catching, breezy plot and high profile actors, but filmed with bright simplicity and without attempting too much more that the basics.And all of these basic goals are met here—cheerfully, and rather enjoyably. That is, if you take it for what it is, this is a warm and well made romantic comedy. It excels most for the sweet and subtle acting by June Allyson, and by the surprise depth of the buck-toothed boy character in the movie, Jackie Jenkins. The leading man has never been a favorite of mine—Van Johnson, but he holds up his end well enough.The plot is a clever set up, reminding me for some reason of the mixed-up plot of "Christmas in Connecticut," which has the same lighthearted feeling. People pretend to be one thing and get into a comical—and romantic trap—by trying to maintain the farce. Everyone is lying, in a way, even the innocent woman who at first is purely innocent. (She ends up pretending, or changing you might say, for different reasons, which the audience appreciates.)This is no screwball comedy. It lacks the insanity, and the wit, and maybe even the inevitability (even though you know how it ends, more or less). It's a good romp with some excellent acting to shore up the feeble plot. There are lots of great moments, and even an oddly spectacular bit of nonsense near the end where a whole room full of character actors get truly nutty at the same time. Quite funny.

Maliejandra Kay A famous children's' story writer named Uncle Bumps (Van Johnson) needs someone to illustrate his latest book. A contest is held, and an artist is chosen, Miss Martha Terryton (June Allyson). Martha is an uptight, prudish woman with little tolerance for wasting time. Uncle Bumps is really Greg Rawlings, a young playboy with no work ethic and a penchant for young women. He attempts to work his magic on Martha, and after hard work and trickery, including telling her that he has a son (Butch Jenkins), it begins to work. That's when his married girlfriend (Arlene Dahl) comes into the picture and messes everything up.This movie has the same sentiment that another Johnson and Allyson film does: Too Young to Kiss. There is the same love-hate relationship between the two with the obvious ending, but plenty of fun along the way. The two had a strong chemistry, which is why they made so many films together.Another wonderful addition to this film is Jenkins, the same kid from The Human Comedy. He's a little older here, and such a lovable little boy, though he isn't traditionally cute, but he's lots of fun to watch.

petershelleyau This 1948 MGM comedy is enlivened by the sight gags utilised by director Norman Taurog, and the performance of June Allyson as Martha Terryton, a Vermont school teacher who is made an illustrator for `wild' New York children's book writer `Uncle Bumps' aka Greg Rawlings (Van Johnson). The screenplay by Albert Beich employs the standard contemptuous ploy of a man deceiving a `prudish' woman in order to romance her. Greg pretends to be the father of 8 year old delinquent orphan Danny (Butch Jenkins) to improve Martha's perception of him, after their initial meeting where she has been repelled by his advances. This set up is made to be exposed as the climax, with the middle section devoted to supplying reasons that will help Martha make the right choice. The romance is given another angle in that she has an `understanding' ie engagement with school manual training teacher Bruce Johnson (Richard Derr) so that he exists as the sane alternative to Greg. What gives the screenplay an unintentional subtext is our hindsight of Johnson's sexual preference, with the word `gay' used in its original innocent context. The subtext is particularly noticeable in the scenes between Greg and his publisher John McGrath (Hume Cronyn), from the actors performances (note how Cronyn squeals at the sight of a small snake) and one scene shot on a balcony. Johnson is bare-chested wearing a swimming costume, and Taurog frames the actors so that the line of the balcony ledge makes Johnson appear to be naked next to Cronyn. The subtext can also be read in Greg's fetishist attraction to Martha's long hair, and when Martha shows Greg her sketches of Bruce, where he asks `No nudes?'. Johnson's different behavior toward the Allyson as the prudish virgin and Arlene Dahl as Tilly, Greg's alleged `married' vampy girlfriend. Like the later Rock Hudson and even Cary Grant, Johnson's less stereotypically masculine persona plays off better with a less stereotypically female.Beich's narrative allows for physical comedy, including much leg kicking by Danny, water splashing, prat falls, Greg being injured by Bruce's use of Greg's typewriter, traps at a woodland camping site, a snoring fat man on a bus, ants at a wedding, Martha offering her forehead for Bruce to kiss because of the disparity in height between Allyson and Derr, and `wild' driving, featuring terrible rear projection. John's car needing to be towed after it has stalled during his search for Greg provides for a nice link when Greg borrows the car of the tow truck business, and John's car is attached with John still inside. There is also a witty sea-themed bar with a mermaid cigarette girl, a waiter dressed in a deep-sea diver's outfit, and a gag with a fake octopus. Beich also gets a laugh from the first meeting between Greg and Danny, where they observe each others freckles. Beich and Taurog also have fun playing with Allyson's persona. At first she makes Martha's pouting prudishness funny, her mouth somewhat reminiscent of Judy Garland in her good girl roles. What makes Greg's `No nudes?' line so funny is Martha's `Certainly not!' reaction. Allyson's sociopathic smiling is paralled with her hilarious faux-crying after Greg has got her drunk, and she also scores laughs from her parody of Dahl's vamp acting, including wearing duplicate clothes. As if to mock Greg, Martha gets her haircut for her make-over, though before that she wears a provocative Helen Rose sheer blouse under a white suit, which gives the impression of being low-cut. Taurog does wonders with an obviously small budget. The black and white photography may have been made to down play the freckles of Johnson and Jenkins, but it merely makes them look bruised. Jenkins is very likeable, but Johnson becomes tiresome, and Dahl acts like she studied baby vamp under Lana Turner.