Good News

Starring June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald, Mel Tormé

Directed by Charles Walters

Warner Bros, 93 minutes

Even in 1947, this was a bit of an antique, based on the twenties Broadway show of the same name. Girls in the fraternity, boys on the football team (40s uniforms look so scruffy!), who's going to the prom with whom. An irrelevant but friendly professor.

Actually, campus life doesn't seem to have changed much over the years.

The songs are very good. The Best Things in Life Are Free has given a phrase to the English language. The Varsity Drag is a great finale.

People who like this kind of movie will like Good News. You know who you are. You watch Mary Poppins every once in a while, and you don't understand why Xanadu isn't more popular.

About the DVD

The movie was made before the widescreen era, so it's 4:3. The mono sound is good.

Maybe movies should still be made with Technicolor consultants. The colour quality is beyond belief. The moviemakers show this off: the women are all dressed in different colours, rather like the fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty.

There is one deleted song, and another song from the earlier 1931 film version of the musical. Also included is a gee-whiz trailer for the movie.

Internet Movie Database link

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0039431