Three Little Words (1950)

Just so...so bad

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The third of MGM's songwriter bios (after "Till the Clouds Roll By" and "Words and Music") is no different than the first two with one major exception-outstanding performances by the leads. I can't say if there is any resemblance between Kalmar and Ruby and the two men who play them here-Fred Astaire and Red Skelton, but unlike Robert Walker (who played Jerome Kern), Tom Drake (Richard Rodgers) and Mickey Rooney (a very Andy Hardy like Lorenz Hart), they are certainly much more convincing as members of the music industry during the heyday of Tin Pan Alley. In films like this, it is the songs which count, and there are loads of them. Debbie Reynolds briefly gets to "poo poo pee doo" as the real-life Helen Kane, singing "I Want to Be Loved By You". You won't hear the future Molly Brown's real singing voice; The real Miss Kane energetically re-recorded the song, convincingly lipsinked by Debbie. She practically molests Carleton Carpenter in the on-stage version of that song.The beautiful "Nevertheless" and "Thinking of You" are love themes for Astaire and his leading lady, Vera-Ellen. VE isn't convincing in the acting scenes, but is of course, one of the loveliest and most graceful dancers of the golden age of movie musicals. Like fellow MGM dancer Cyd Charisse, her singing was dubbed, here by Anita Ellis. Not dubbed are Gale Robbins as Skelton's social-climbing girlfriend (singing "All Alone Monday"), Gloria DeHaven (playing her real-life mother, singing "Who's Sorry Now?"), and the exquisitely beautiful Arlene Dahl singing "I Love You So Much". See the Wheeler and Woolsey musical comedy "The Cuckoos" (RKO, 1930) for a very funny rendition of that song performed by Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee. Astaire briefly sings a verse of "Horray For Captain Spaulding" from "Animal Crackers". Little known songs such as "Where Did You Get That Girl?", "So Long, Ooh Long", and "My Sunny Tennessee" are also performed and worthy of being included in the film.It is the title song, however, which holds the film together. With music by Skelton's Ruby, he keeps playing it over and over, annoying Astaire's Kalmar right up to the very end. ("You Are a Dope", he sings to his music after Astaire storms out after telling Skelton, "I'm going to tell you in three little words. You're a dope.") Also amusing is a magic act used to introduce the two men that resembles sequences in the musical bios "Star!" and "Funny Lady" where everything that can go wrong on stage does.As I stated, I can't confirm any resemblance between the real life songwriting team and the stars, but Astaire and Skelton are outstanding. Skelton totally underplays the comedy for one of the only times in his film career, and it really works. That resulted in him winning one of the first Golden Globes. The chemistry between Astaire and Vera-Ellen really only comes to life when they dance. She was one of only a few other women (Rita Hayworth, Lucille Bremer, Cyd Charisse) who would work in more than one film opposite the dancing maestro. When they dance, it's equal to Fred and Ginger at their best, but considering that such talented dancers as Eleanor Powell, Ann Miller and Judy Garland only got him once, it is an odd decision for them to work together twice when he had much more chemistry in the non-musical scenes with those performers.Ms. Dahl, never the star she should have been, is along with Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth and Maureen O'Hara, one of the best looking redhead in films. Technicolor loves her, and she is absolutely charming in the few scenes she has. Just try not to forget the image of her on the staircase revealing her loveliness (and beauty spot) after pulling down the feathered fan. Keenan Wynn, giving his typically gruff but somewhat tender performance as their determined agent, is excellent as always.Kalmar and Ruby, while not as well known by name as the other men MGM did bio's on (Sigmund Romberg in "Deep in My Heart" was the other), wrote many songs which are classics today, and this is a great video song book to present them in. The film is not quite excellent, but the chemistry between Astaire and Skelton is really nice. The ending with the title song is a nice little twist and is quite moving.

This film didn't try to do much more than bring us the songs. And that was good. It was wildly anachronistic -- the early number with Astaire and Vera Ella was danced to jazz that had to be some 15 or 20 years later than the date of the film, which at that point would be early 1920s, the age of the Turkey Trot, when bands were still coming out from their military origins. But the later sequence in the capacious ballroom of the ocean liner to "Thinking of You" was lovely. And the shot of the liner was the Normandie, wasn't it? Queen Mary was a four stacker. Vera Ella was a wonderfully acrobatic dancer. Al Schacht WAS a pitcher -- for 3 years (1919-21) for the Senators. The poster who said he was a catcher may have been thinking of Ray Schalk, a hall of fame catcher for the White Sox (including the 1919 nine, though not implicated in the throwing of the Series). And Barris, Rinker, and Bing sang with Paul Whiteman, not Duke Ellington. The MGM color in the 40s and 50s was magnificent -- and this film shows it off superbly. This one is a very enjoyable musical, one of the best of a period that produced some great ones.

Oh, how my heart was captured when I saw this musical biopic with great names like Fred Astaire (and even a very young Debbie Reynolds). It was beautiful to see the song and music writers grow on each other. Yes, I sensed the touch of Hollywood in this film and that was a pity, because I wanted to know everything about the persons behind songs like 'I wanna be loved by You' and other now famous songs. But it didn't really matter, because at the end it grew on me too. I had to cry a little, because I'm sentimental, and this movie touches the inner feelings of our minds with the music and words. Actually, I want to become a song writer too, all because of this picture. If there are other would be songwriters like me who saw themselves in the images of music and love, this film had found it's potential. Long live every future songwriter!

You have to love a movie with dance and song! I had never heard of this movie but received it as a Christmas gift by a good friend who knew my love for old movies of this genre. I also love movies about real people and historical things. This movie is based on the lives of two song people from the early 1900's. Lot's of good music to listen to and great dance to watch, with a nice plot line. The movie featured an all star cast including Fred Astaire and Red Skeleton. I only knew Red as a comedian so it was fun to see him take on the role of a somewhat serious nature. Vera Ellen was quite glamorous and was fun to watch in the dance numbers. Hairdo's, clothing, sets all very interesting to see, a glimpse from the past.. Very enjoyable way to spend an evening.