All songs by Richard Rodgers (music) and Lorenz Hart (lyrics). This of course is the reason for seeing the movie. Nobody should pay the least attention to the rubbishy story which though allegedly based on the lives of Rodgers and Hart, is the most unashamed piece of the blandest Hollywood hokum.
From memory, only three points in the script are true: (1) Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart did collaborate on a number of Broadway shows including "On Your Toes", and the books for some of these shows were written by Herb Fields; (2) Rodgers did marry a girl named Dorothy Feiner; (3) Hart was sometimes (not "often" as the script claims) late for appointments.
Just about everything else in this musical biography is false. Not helping matters are Tom Drake's impossibly lackluster performance as Rodgers versus Mickey Rooney's outrageously hammy impersonation of Hart. Taurog's dreary direction further heightens ennui.
The musical numbers, fortunately, are something else. Colorfully photographed by Harry Stradling, vigorously staged and choreographed by Robert Alton, they nearly all have a life and vitality which brilliantly complements Hart's astringent lyrics and Rodgers' catchy melodies. Excellent orchestrations by Conrad Salinger give the music plenty of color without drowning the melodic line (a common fault in Hollywood musicals of the late 40s and early 50s). The M-G-M Studio Orchestra under the baton of Lennie Hayton is at its best.
Most impressive of all, the sound — particularly when measured against the very modest standards of M-G-M — has a remarkable range and fidelity. Admittedly the sound levels between the songs and the story don't match, but by M-G-M's normal tin-ears syndrome, this is a minor defect.
From memory, only three points in the script are true: (1) Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart did collaborate on a number of Broadway shows including "On Your Toes", and the books for some of these shows were written by Herb Fields; (2) Rodgers did marry a girl named Dorothy Feiner; (3) Hart was sometimes (not "often" as the script claims) late for appointments.
Just about everything else in this musical biography is false. Not helping matters are Tom Drake's impossibly lackluster performance as Rodgers versus Mickey Rooney's outrageously hammy impersonation of Hart. Taurog's dreary direction further heightens ennui.
The musical numbers, fortunately, are something else. Colorfully photographed by Harry Stradling, vigorously staged and choreographed by Robert Alton, they nearly all have a life and vitality which brilliantly complements Hart's astringent lyrics and Rodgers' catchy melodies. Excellent orchestrations by Conrad Salinger give the music plenty of color without drowning the melodic line (a common fault in Hollywood musicals of the late 40s and early 50s). The M-G-M Studio Orchestra under the baton of Lennie Hayton is at its best.
Most impressive of all, the sound — particularly when measured against the very modest standards of M-G-M — has a remarkable range and fidelity. Admittedly the sound levels between the songs and the story don't match, but by M-G-M's normal tin-ears syndrome, this is a minor defect.