Easter Parade

Produced at MGM by Arthur Freed. Songs by Irving Berlin. Dancing by Fred Astaire and Ann Miller. Singing by Judy Garland. What else do you need to know? Not much, really. The story is paper thin, and concerns Fred looking for a dance partner after breaking up with the old one. He makes a drunken bet that he can pair with the next dancer he sees, who happens to be Judy in a chorus line in a bar. She is only a mediocre dancer, but he vows to make her at least good enough to be on stage with him. So it’s a Pygmalion story. Peter Lawford, maybe the least talented movie star on the Metro lot, is there, but you don’t have to see too much of him. The second number is one of Fred’s best solos, done in a big toy store. It is huge, colorful, and elaborate, and all the songs and dancing are flawless, including some of the real classic numbers. It was Fred and Judy’s most successful musical together.