Anything Goes

From the Editors

In ANYTHING GOES, Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the star female role. Unfortunately, they each promise the role to the girl they selected without informing the other until they head back home – with their leading ladies!
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Customer Response

Major stars in a disappointingly tepid 50's musical
In a similar format to one of my all-time-favorite musicals White Christmas from 1954, this movie's main plot involves Bing Crosby pairing up with a fellow song-and-dance man (Donald O'Connor, still riding the wake of his incredible performance in Singin' in the Rain in 1952), as well as two female stage performers, leading to dual romantic subplots. Bing plays a highly successful Broadway actor named Bill Benson who needs a male co-star for his new show. His agent connects him with a TV star named Ted Adams (O'Connor) and all that remains is to locate a female lead. While vacationing in England, Bill (Bing) hires a beautiful American showgirl named Patsy Blair (Mitzi Gaynor) for the show, not realizing that Ted (Donald) is simultaneously lining up a gorgeous cabaret star in Paris named Gaby Duval (Zizi Jeanmaire). This unfortunate double-booking doesn't come to light until Ted introduces Bill to Gaby in Paris. Bill pulls rank on Ted and demands that Ted dump Gaby, but Ted can't figure out how to do it since he gave her an ironclad contract, and both women end up on an ocean liner with the boys heading to New York. Comic misunderstandings and entanglements ensue as Bill and Ted attempt to limit themselves to one female star while unexpectedly finding themselves pairing off romantically with the two women.

I really enjoy the formula for 50's romantic-comedy musicals of two pairs of lovers, and I adore Bing, Donald and Mitzi. But this movie is amazingly flat considering its star power and the fact that most of the music is contributed by the wonderful Cole Porter. The romantic pairs don't have much chemistry, and a good deal of the time the dance numbers lack zip. Even the singing fails to inspire, including Bing, who doesn't come up to his usual stellar standards. It's possible that this movie simply suffers by comparison to the fabulous White Christmas and Singing in the Rain. Here is how they stack up in my opinion, ranking them on a scale of 1-10: I'd give WC a 10, SITR an 11, and this movie about a 4--which I why on Amazon's 5-point scale I can't give it more than a 3.

Not the Original
Anyone looking for a movie capturing the original Broadway hit Anything Goes (or any of its on or off-Broadway revivals) will be very disappointed with this DVD. The plot has been totally convoluted and looks nothing like the original and a number of the great hit songs are now by Bing Crosby, not leading actresses. Not nearly as funny as the original. And the set and dance choreography is all 1950s. Basically, everything has been redone to capture the feel of another White Christmas production with Bing Crosby in the lead. A real disappointment.

Love those old movies!
Vendor delivered promptly and securely. This movie is among the classic greats and will not disappoint.

Anything Goes
The music was pleasing, we enjoyed Donald O'Connor and his acting with the ladies in the film. The dark haired lady in the film did not fit the film. Bing Crosby looked bored throughout the movie.

Why did they completely rewrite the original story?
I rented this movie and thought I was seeing a movie version of the original broadway musical. I did not like the movie because the story was weak and silly. Then yesterday I saw the original version at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. I found out that the movie version is a totally different story. The broadway version is exciting and while the story is still not great, it is far superior to the nonsense of the movie. Unless you have to own this movie, I would rent it first.

On the plus side is the superior singing of Donald O'Connor, a truly outstanding voice in great form. Mitzi Gaynor also does well and looks great. Bing Crosby is a little past his prime, although still quite good.

Normally I can watch great musicals over and over but I finished with this one. I have to thank Winthrop for letting me see the original in what was a truly outstanding production.

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