tavm After first watching this 20 years ago, I saw this again on DVD twice-once as it was and then again with commentary by John Barrios. He points out many of the inaccuracies depicted in the life of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, particularly the latter, on film. But as long as the musical performances permeate during most of it, I don't think that should be too distracting while watching it. And what great performances they are-June Allyson doing "Thou Swell", Lena Horne singing "Where or When" and "The Lady is a Tramp", Judy Garland reuniting with Mickey Rooney with "I Wish I Were in Love Again" before soloing on "Johnny One-Note", and the sensually beautiful dance number "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" with Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen. That last number got me welling up in tears both times I just watched it! After that sequence, however, it gets a bit ridiculous as Rooney, playing Hart, suddenly collapses on the floor before being taken to a hospital and then doing it again, for good, in a later rainy scene-no matter how true to life that last one was. I also thought it was a bit silly for Perry Como to be playing someone fictional and then being introed as himself at the very end! Still, because of all those musical numbers of which Cyd Charisse also did some good turns, Words and Music was pretty entertaining most of the time.

mark.waltz In 1948, you couldn't make a biography of the true story of Lorenz Hart. That couldn't be done because of a little line in the Hays code that stated basically that any reference to homosexuality could not be presented on screen. So the very heterosexual Mickey Rooney was cast as Hart, and is still presented as troubled (insecure because of his height and lack of success with women, he turns to alcohol) while Tom Drake as Richard Rodgers is presented as very happily married and successful. That's basically all that happens, and in one of the lamest excuses for a guest appearance in a musical, Judy Garland (at 26 in 1948) meets Hart in a year when she was approximately 18 or 19, just so Rooney and Garland can share a duet.Certainly that duet ("I Wish I Were in Love Again") is magic, as is Judy's other song ("Johnny One Note"), but unlike "Till the Clouds Roll By" (where she portrayed Marilyn Miller), she isn't out of place dramatically and historically in the film. Yes, just two years before, we were all supposed to believe that Cary Grant was Cole Porter in "Night and Day", another mediocre musical biography saved only for its cast and its songs. So here, it's just a parade of Rodgers and Hart's best songs sung by MGM's top stars. You do get a full chance to see Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen perform the "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" ballet from "On Your Toes", June Allyson singin' up slang with "Thou Swell" in "A Connecticut Yankee", and Lena Horne in a nightclub singing "The Lady is a Tramp". Rooney figures out a clever way to introduce us to "Manhattan" (his lyrics basically scribbled all over a menu), while Perry Como ("Mountain Greenery") and Ann Sothern ("Where's That Rainbow"?) give us some obscure songs from forgotten Rodgers and Hart shows.Rooney does get a brief love interest with Betty Garrett's character (supposedly based upon a man in real life), the ending of which sets him up with despair. He puts too much emphasis on the energy in his performance so when his character falls all the way down to ultimate despair, it doesn't come off as true. Some of Rodgers and Hart's best songs are missing (especially some classics from their two best known shoes, "The Boys From Syracuse" and "Pal Joey") and the casting of the dramatic parts seems entirely uninspired. You'll find a lot to like musically in this film, but as a whole, the film has aged as one of MGM's great disappointments, an entirely missed opportunity.

weezeralfalfa Lary Hart wasn't around when this pseudobiopic was made, but Richard Rogers reportedly disliked everything about it, except Janet Leigh as his girlfriend-wife. That's not a good recommendation, but no doubt Rogers was much harder to please than the average viewer. I certainly find quite a few musical numbers I liked, but the choice of which numbers to include and exclude, and who should sing certain numbers certainly could have been improved.Why was wooden, sleepy-eyed, Perry Como featured more than anybody else? Presumably, MGM got him cheap as a loan from Fox, because his wooden acting in his several Fox musicals was not well received. Everyone else got a maximum of 2 musical numbers, but Como got 3, plus 2 more that were deleted! His "Blue Room" number, with Cyd Charisse as dancer and lover, was OK, but only because of Cyd's presence. His long "Mountain Greenery" number, with extensive chorus help, could have been deleted as ordinary. His near ending encore of the standard "With a Song in my Heart" was OK, but mostly because it was abbreviated.On the other hand, Como's best song "My Heart Stood Still" was deleted!(Hear it as an audio outtake on the 2007 DVD release). It would have made a great finale song for the film!Betty Garrett just wasn't right to sing "There's a Small Hotel". She gave it no life. I'm sure Rooney would have done much better job. MGM also had Sinatra under contract. Of course, he later sang this in "Pal Joey". On the other hand, "Way Out West" was perfect for Garrett, as evidenced in the audio outtake on my DVD. But 90% of her rendition was cut from the final film! Why was she cast as Hart's on and off girl friend , being much taller than Rooney? Jane Powell was available at MGM and was shorter than Rooney, besides being a great singer and passable dancer. I guess the point was to make Hart more self conscious of his short stature, by pairing him with a fairly tall woman.The elaborate June Allison-starring "Thou Swell" was OK, if a bit long. Like Gsrrett, she didn't have the greatest singing voice for straight romantic ballads, being best with comical, satirical and novelty songs, with light dancing back and forth across the stage, where she looked good.The Gene Kelly & Vera-Ellen "Slaughter on 10th Ave." was an interesting arty ballet number, though I didn't like the ending. But why was their number "Falling in Love with Love" deleted? Certainly, this standard should have been included. It could have replaced the rather ordinary number "Where's That Rainbow", featuring an expendable Ann Southern. Also, it would have been nice to see a classic Kelly-Cid dance number, especially since they costarred in several musicals.Perhaps they could have danced to the conspicuously absent "Bewitched", "Falling in Love with Love", or "I Feel at Home with You" Cyd's duet rendition of "On Your Toes" could have been deleted as ordinary. However, the follow up "This Can't Be Love" extravaganza, with many pink ballet dancers, and featuring Cyd plus a blond companion, was visually spectacular.Judy Garland's two numbers, with or without Rooney, were among the best productions. Mel Torme's rendition of "Blue Moon", trying to cheer up Hart, was also excellent.We could have used another Torme ballad: one of the missing standards mentioned above. Lena Horne's two numbers were OK, although she's not my favorite singer. Rooney's "Manhattan" was also good. Rooney did the best job he could trying to portray Hart's pluses and minuses, but the audience mostly had to read between the lines to get the probable real reason for his self-destructive behavior and early death.

morgana-31 I first saw this movie on TV in 1963. I was only 13 years old. What caused me to sit down and watch was the mention of Mel Torme in the opening credits. I had only just become favorably aware of this man's music but had never seen as much as a photo of him.This was my first experience of 'The Musical' genre of film and I was enchanted from beginning to end. Well apart from the Mel Torme bit. I think we got more of Larry Hart looking miserable, and his mother looking out of the window (no doubt wondering when this party was going to end. It's 4am and she probably needed her beauty sleep) than we did of Mel.I was stunned by the brilliant 'Slaughter On 10th Avenue' sequence. There was stuff like this available and yet kids my age were listening to the Beatles? What on earth was wrong with the world? And Lena Horne's out-standing performance of The Lady Is A Tramp just blew me away.Plot? OK it was sanitized but I didn't know that at the time. Homosexuality was never mentioned back then. I just figured that anyone who would write a song like 'My Funny Valentine' would never score with the ladies."Your looks are laughable - unphotographable" Come on. You can't be serious? I finally found this on DVD a few days ago and couldn't believe my luck. I had wanted to see it again ever since reading in Mel Torme's autobiography that he and Richard Rodgers had had a falling out over how to handle the vocals on 'Blue Moon'. Mel had wanted to go with the meaning of the lyrics, example 'you heard me saying a prayer... (pause) for someone I really could care for.Rodgers had insisted that he stick with the rhyme, example you heard me saying a prayer for (pause) someone I really could care for.Sorry, Dick, but I'm with Mel on that one.