Howard Keel in his career at MGM did three original musicals with them, two of them with Esther Williams as co-star. The first was an unpretentious charming piece called Pagan Love Song with Esther Williams, the second was the incomparable Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and the last is Jupiter's Darling. Sad to say it's the worst of them.
I'm not sure that musicals and spectacle go together. I've not seen anything quite as dumb as Hannibal's men singing as they march off to sack Rome. To be sure classical times have proved a good basis for musical comedy. Rodgers&Hart's The Boys From Syracuse, Cole Porter's Out Of This World, and By Jupiter from Rodgers&Hart again all did well on Broadway. But the material was lighter to start with.
Burton Lane and Harold Adamson contribute a very mediocre score for Jupiter's Darling. Keel certainly sang better material than this on the screen. The film picks up considerably when Esther Williams is in her tank at MGM, she has a nice water ballet sequence and her swimming skills are utilized during an escape scene.
Marge and Gower Champion have a couple of numbers also. I did like the dance they did with the elephants.
Howard Keel had a rough shoot according to his memoirs. A leopard would have done serious damage to him. had he not been wearing the armor which deflected the leopard's claws. He also said that during the final confrontation scene with George Sanders he found the lines so ridiculous as did Sanders the two of them got the giggles and had to shoot it separately. Keel said that when Hannibal says he'll accept Esther Williams as payment for not sacking Rome, Sanders in his Roman toga costume looked like a bordello madame when he said we have many other girls to offer you. He told Sanders this and the two of them couldn't finish the scene together after numerous takes.
I couldn't also help thinking that if Hannibal was satisfied with one woman, how was he going to explain it to the rest of his men who were looking forward to some booty of their own?
I'm not sure that musicals and spectacle go together. I've not seen anything quite as dumb as Hannibal's men singing as they march off to sack Rome. To be sure classical times have proved a good basis for musical comedy. Rodgers&Hart's The Boys From Syracuse, Cole Porter's Out Of This World, and By Jupiter from Rodgers&Hart again all did well on Broadway. But the material was lighter to start with.
Burton Lane and Harold Adamson contribute a very mediocre score for Jupiter's Darling. Keel certainly sang better material than this on the screen. The film picks up considerably when Esther Williams is in her tank at MGM, she has a nice water ballet sequence and her swimming skills are utilized during an escape scene.
Marge and Gower Champion have a couple of numbers also. I did like the dance they did with the elephants.
Howard Keel had a rough shoot according to his memoirs. A leopard would have done serious damage to him. had he not been wearing the armor which deflected the leopard's claws. He also said that during the final confrontation scene with George Sanders he found the lines so ridiculous as did Sanders the two of them got the giggles and had to shoot it separately. Keel said that when Hannibal says he'll accept Esther Williams as payment for not sacking Rome, Sanders in his Roman toga costume looked like a bordello madame when he said we have many other girls to offer you. He told Sanders this and the two of them couldn't finish the scene together after numerous takes.
I couldn't also help thinking that if Hannibal was satisfied with one woman, how was he going to explain it to the rest of his men who were looking forward to some booty of their own?