{"id":5275,"date":"2012-07-23T14:00:11","date_gmt":"2012-07-23T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=5275"},"modified":"2012-07-23T18:55:14","modified_gmt":"2012-07-23T22:55:14","slug":"br-cover-girl-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=5275","title":{"rendered":"BR: Cover Girl (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Return to: <\/strong>Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> \/ <\/em>C<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Film: Very Good\/ BR Transfer: Excellent\/ BR Extras: Standard<\/p>\n

Label: Twilight Time\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released: June, 2012<\/p>\n

Genre: Musical<\/p>\n

Synopsis: When Rusty wins the coveted 50th anniversary cover girl contest for Vanity, she’s forced to choose between career and new love life.<\/p>\n

Special Features: 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ Limited to 3,000 copies \/ Available exclusively from Screen Archives.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

There are a number of ways to read this Technicolor cloud of sound, image, and unbridled romance, but let\u2019s start with its first role as pure escapism for wartime audiences at home and abroad – the latter deep in the fight to rid Europe of fascist influence and terror.<\/p>\n

Cover Girl<\/strong> is pure eye candy, and features a feeble & familiar powder-puff story of singer-dancer Rusty Parker (Rita Hayworth) wanting to hit the big time, and her change of luck after she\u2019s chosen to be the cover girl for Vanity\u2019s 50th anniversary issue. Her initial decision to enter the contest, her winning, and the resulting attention from media and an unsubtle aging suitor \/ Vanity\u2019s publisher John Coudair (Otto Kruger) create tension between Rusty\u2019s boyfriend & club owner Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) and club comedian \/ big mouth best buddy Genius (Phil Silvers, with hair!).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a mounting sense of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu for impresario Coudair: Rusty is in fact the grand-daughter of one Maribelle Hicks, a cheeky, sultry vaudeville singer-dancer with whom he was once betrothed until her love for the house pianist proved too resilient against Coudair\u2019s money and sterling determination. Due to the wonderment of great DNA and Hollywood magic, Rusty\u2019s a carbon copy of her grandma, and her eventual romantic choice will echo the historical precedent of gradma.<\/p>\n

The design of Cover Girl<\/strong> as escapism extends beyond the wafer thin plot: there\u2019s a persistent airiness to the entire production where the film completely junks any sense of realism and makes sure any brief snippet of conflict is followed by a sudden right turn to a fantasy sequence that\u2019s fantastic in design & execution. The production design for sets and musical numbers spans the modernism of the era \u2013 streamlined furniture, and some unique d\u00e9cor, including Coudair\u2019s office intercom that\u2019s nestled in an L-shaped plexiglass stand \u2013 and intricate Victorian d\u00e9cor of the Maribelle flashback sequences, notably the stage number where cutout sets glide up & down from the stage during an elaborate dance number; and the \u201cPoor John\u201d sequence featuring ornate costumes.<\/p>\n

Every frame was clearly supervised to exploit the glowing dynamics of Technicolor, and it\u2019s worth comparing the sanctioned color palette by Allen M. Davey and the great Rudolph Rudolph Mat\u00e9 with Jack Cardiff\u2019s rule-breaking cinematography of The Red Shoes<\/a><\/strong> (1948): both are superb examples of dreamy colour cinematography, yet the latter deeply upset the color schemes mandated by Technicolor. Where Cardiff pushed the saturation and bent the palette to create extraordinary layers of colour and shadow for that film\u2019s cautionary tale of a dancer who dreamt too hard, the cinematographers of Cover Girl<\/strong> went for a commercial look that was the gold standard for Hollywood studios and the Technicolor corporation.<\/p>\n

Every costume \u2013 from the poor-rent Mexican outfits of the McGuire dancers to the upscale Broadway numbers starring Rusty \u2013 showcases the precise colours preferred by Technicolor and its fascistic quality control Tsarina Nathalie Kamlus, and the film\u2019s standout colour sequences include Rusty\u2019s descent from \u2018the cloudy Heavens\u2019 down a snaking turquoise mountain to adoring male shutterbugs; and the blatant product placement sequence where the camera tracks into a giant glamour camera, and we\u2019re treated to a montage of cheesecake models posing over their own superimposed images before a quick flip to their respective magazine cover girl shots on then-contemporary magazines (many of which are still, amazingly, in publication).<\/p>\n

Worked into the fantasy are little wartime references that begin with quick in & out lyrics about boys in blue doing good overseas, and brief shots of sailors as extras in McGuire\u2019s club, lured to the Brooklyn joint after Rusty\u2019s cover girl status makes McGuire\u2019s the in-place to be. Once the screenwriters break up the film\u2019s idyllic couple, McGuire shuts down his joint and donates his time, along with buddy Genius, to entertaining the troops before they\u2019re shipped overseas, and while the finale reunites the inseparable trio, the film ends with a recap of \u201cMake Way for Tomorrow,\u201d with its unveiled wartime references.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the escapism. Cover Girl<\/strong>\u2019s other layers are a bit more grey because the messages are most discretely inferred. When Rusty gets Coudair\u2019s telegram to show up for a meeting after initially being rejected by assistant Stonewall (acerbic Eve Arden), Genius dissuades her from considering the chance to escape the doldrums and proletariat environs of Brooklyn, but after he tears up the telegram, she soon gathers all the parts and heads down the next morning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a strange plot twist because Genius initially denies and literally destroys her big break, and continues to selfishly bemoan his own position within the trio when he sees her gathering up the bits & pieces of Western Union\u2019s message from the tenement floor. Genius is frankly being a selfish shit, and gets none of our sympathy, but the screenwriters manage to present extreme arguments to guarantee the final resolution is a clear-cut choice between fame and love. In reality, the film\u2019s message is a bit more insidious: Rusty gives up a career as an independent woman for the benefit of stabilizing her friend & romantic relationships with Genius & McGuire.<\/p>\n

Her options are also very severe: fame, money, and a career can only happen if she marries Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman). It\u2019s a strangely forced option because it presumes a successful career hinges on marriage, rather than a mutually respectful friendship, which could\u2019ve happened, since Bowman plays Wheaton as a likeable girl-getter, and almost tips his hat to Rusty when she effectively dumps him at the alter because of a lumpy oyster pearl given to her by Genius through Coudair.<\/p>\n

The device of the pearl \u2013 a dreamy icon the trio strangely aspire to acquire each Friday at their local hangout \u2013 is just an object the screenwriters use to quickly wrap up the story. There\u2019s no meaning to the need to find the pearl nor the pearl itself; its use is to briskly get Rusty back into McGuire\u2019s arms by providing an easy out for her suitors: Coudair realizes he\u2019s a loser for trying to woo the granddaughter of his ex-flame from 40 years prior, and a double-loser for letting another guy (Wheaton) live out his dream in full so Coudair can enjoy the life he hoped to have lived from the sidelines.<\/p>\n

The third & final reading of Cover Girl<\/strong> lies in its portrayal of beauty, which is less ideal than the film\u2019s \u2018cover art\u2019 would suggest. Rusty \/ Hayworth is the central stunner, but she\u2019s among many pretty leggy dancers at McGuire\u2019s \u2013 it\u2019s just Hayworth\u2019s personality that stands out, and later manifests itself in increasingly elaborate dance numbers that reveal her skills as a trained entertainer. The role of Rusty gives her far less dramatic meat to play with, so Hayworth\u2019s worth as a dramatic actress was still very rough even though she had started to take on contrasting roles, like the temptress in Blood and Sand<\/a> <\/strong>(1941), and later as the luscious yet affecting Gilda<\/strong> (1946).<\/p>\n

Perhaps the only time Rusty is presented as the feminine ideal is in one of the Maribelle flashback sequences where the long-legged Hayworth strides past a column of dancers whose legs are unusually muscular: in all prior dance numbers, Rusty is surrounded by physically similar colleagues, but in the flashbacks, the femininity of ancestor Maribelle is heightened by surrounding her with clothed women, or masculine \/ athletic dancers so Maribelle\u2019s own leggy exposure is the most pleasing to the scene\u2019s audiences and cinemagoers. It sounds like an extreme observation, but watch the film more closely, because the filmmakers use more than colour to create contrasts between Hayworth and her myriad female costars.<\/p>\n

As a dramatic film, Cover Girl <\/strong>can\u2019t touch Hayworth\u2019s later work, Pal Joey<\/a><\/strong> [M<\/a>] (1957), where more time was invested in developing the tight conflicts of central heel Joey and two lovers from differing financial backgrounds and career junctures: one\u2019s an up & comer, whereas the richer alternative\u2019s a has-been who wants to own & control Joey\u2019s life. The only stark similarity between the two films is the finale, where the dumped party \u2013 aging burlesque queen Vera\u00a0 (this time played by Hayworth) – is a blend of Coudair and Wheaton (who collective free Rusty from all obligations, and permit a reunion with her one true love). Vera similarly enables Joey and mousy newcomer Linda (Kim Novak) to continue their own romance and establish their own careers in the low-rent, proletariat realm to which Vera, like Coudair & Wheaton, doesn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n

Charles Vidor\u2019s direction is very assured, and he manages to extract just enough straight performances from the cast in the film\u2019s few dramatic bits, including genial Otto Kruger, soon to become a more regular character actor of clich\u00e9d villains in need of a crack to the head. The wan dramatic scenes are deliberately augured by superb dance numbers, and each is designed to show off in increasing detail the dancing skills of Hayworth and Kelly, with the former spinning around the screen in elegant dresses, and the latter doing one striking duet with his teasing Id on a deserted street.<\/p>\n

For all its fluffery, Cover Girl <\/strong>is still a treat, boasting a few classic tunes and radiant Technicolor cinematography. Twilight Time\u2019s Blu-ray features a sharp transfer that retains both grain and stable colour, and a punchy mono mix. Julie Kirgo\u2019s liner notes cover the film\u2019s background and position as a unique musical where songs related to the story & characters rather than a contrived, best-selling songbook; and as the pivotal film that launched Hayworth as Columbia\u2019s red-headed star, and Kelly as one of cinema\u2019s most inventive and cinematic dance choreographers. (The technicalities and flawless of Kelly\u2019s double-exposure duet with his Id is still a marvel 60 years later.)<\/p>\n

Charles Vidor directed Hayworth in a quartet of films, including The Lady in Question<\/strong> (1940) with Glenn Ford, Cover Girl <\/strong>(1944), Gilda<\/a><\/strong> [M] (1946), and The Loves of Carmen<\/strong> (1948) with Ford again.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2012 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return to<\/strong>:\u00a0Home <\/a>\/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews<\/a> <\/em>\/\u00a0C<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Return to: Home \/\u00a0Blu-ray, DVD, Film Reviews \/ C . Film: Very Good\/ BR Transfer: Excellent\/ BR Extras: Standard Label: Twilight Time\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released: June, 2012 Genre: Musical Synopsis: When Rusty wins the coveted 50th anniversary cover girl contest for Vanity, she’s forced to choose between career and new love life. Special Features: 8-page […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[1446,1180,1445,748],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-1n5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5275"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5293,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275\/revisions\/5293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}