Review of Anything Goes (1956) by David A — 02 May 2010
If it ain't broke, break it! This film just doesn't work on so many levels. A lackluster film version of the stage musical had been done in 1936... it is puzzling why they would decide to "remake" it, and in the process remake the same mistakes (and then some) from the first go-round.
One of the critiques of the 1936 version was that Cole Porter's score was hacked down to the main popular songs, and other songs were written by lesser composers that didn't have the same impact.
Well, guess what they did again in 1956? BUT -- to add insult to injury, they also abandoned the original stage script by Guy Bolton & P. G. Wodehouse & Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse and wrote a completely new story.
And a lame one at that: Two guys are co-starring in a show, and inadvertently they both hire leading ladies, ending up with one actress too many. As they contend with whom to fire, they each fall in love with the other's hire.
The solution is so mind-numbingly obvious, the film has no surprises. The only thing I enjoyed (but still found not used to full effect) was the device of the foreign sailors walking in front of Crosby and O'Connor, drowning out the 'brilliant' plans being hatched behind them.
Beyond that, the stars are fine, they can sing and dance, but we've seen them all do this schtick before to greater effect in much better films.
This review of Anything Goes (1956) was written by David A on 02 May 2010.
Anything Goes has generally received mixed reviews.
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