Review of Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) by &Hearts;Pam&Hearts; — 23 Jul 2008

I love Lucy. I love Red Skelton, too! Add Gene Kelley to the mix and I have no choice but to love this film. Lucy is gorgeous and it feels as though we watch her transition from beautiful dancing girl into brilliant comedienne in this film.

At the beginning of the movie she is very much like all the other stunningly beautiful actresses who graced the screen at the time, complete with a dubbed singing voice and an aloof air. But by the ending company number she is camping it up with Red and those fantastic expressions are in full force.

And then there's Red. Adorable, physically hilarious, endearing Red. He makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over. I've read that he was a comedic mentor to Lucy. You'll hear great music, too.

Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra and the Pied Pipers are forties standards and in their prime. Then there's this one really weird musical sequence done by a trio called "The Three Oxford Boys" (which can be found on youtube if you'd like to see them) that had me laughing out loud.

These guys were so entertaining and weird and I loved them. Too bad I couldn't find evidence of them anywhere else. Don't miss Zero Mostel in a small role as a Rami the swami, Jo Stafford singing with the Pied Pipers, and a young Buddy Rich playing drums in Tommy Dorsey's orchestra.

And I always love any role the diminutive Donald Meeks plays. In this film he is perfect as the tax collector.