Moon Over Miami [VHS]
by Walter Lang
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Product details
Actor: Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Don Ameche, Jack Haley, Robert CummingsDirector: Walter Lang
Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
Producer: Harry Joe Brown
Writer: Brown Holmes
Writer: George Seaton
Writer: Lynn Starling
Writer: Stephen Powys
Writer: Vincent Lawrence
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 91 minutes
Release Date: 1998-01-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Studio: 20th Century Fox
VHS Movie Reviews of Moon Over Miami [VHS]
Movie Review: Not Greenwood's shining hour
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a sucker for the Fox musicals but this one leaves something to be desired. However the pluses outweigh the minuses by miles. Among them, two extras playing body double in a hard-rocking powerboat race around the Everglades of Florida. From a distance they really do look like the stars! The costumes and the musical numbers, peachy. But the storyline seems unnecessarily convoluted. Okay, we've seen the story of three gold-diggers any number of times before, and it's always a narrative of redemption: the worst gold-digger of all always gets altered by true love and goes for the pauper. It must be a law in Hollywood that this should occur. But the basic storyline is a seamy one, no doubt about it. Few Hollywood movies really rub your noses in the dirt of capitalism to this extent, for we are encouraged to empathize with the plight of powerless women who lie their way into a bourgeois playground and attempt to deceive wealthy men into marriage by pretending to be wealthy themselves.
In MOON OVER MIAMI, however, we get a Continental twist, where Betty Grable as the heroine seems totally unconcerned for whatever it is that Carole Landis may be feeling for either beau. And like Shakespeare, the romantic dilemmas of the main couples are reflected in a surreal and gamy storyline involving the servant class. Well, Charlotte Greenwood is supposed to be the aunt of Landis and Grable, yet she is forced by the script to pose as their maid, and thus she attracts the attention of puritanical, creepy Jack Haley, whose mission in life seems to be to protect his wealthy male guests from gold-diggers. Why? It just doesn't make sense, and Haley seems all too convincing as a self-righteous Uriah Heep. What does Greenwood see in him? They have one catchy number together--and the rest of the time she's trying to physically restrain him from ruining the lives of her nieces. What's this all about?
Landis and Grable are charming, as are Cummings and Ameche as their boyfriends, but the storyline is endlessly padded and should have ended a good twenty minutes before it did.
Movie Review: Written review
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this DVD "Moon Over Miami," for my granddaughters 10th birthday which is in July.
So, at this point it is a surprise, but I know she will LOVE it. Betty Grable who stars in the movie is her all time favorite. This is very unusual for a young girl. However, she fell in love with her quite awhile ago, and her interest has held for her.
I'm so happy you had this available for her. Thank you.
Movie Review: fine Hollywood musical with words and music
Summary: 5 Stars
Moon Over Miami is a delightful musical romp that succeeds very well even though the plot is rather thin. The convincing acting held my attention very well and the musical numbers are excellent. The Technicolor is grand and the plot moves along at a good pace.
The action starts when Kay Latimer (Betty Grable), her sister Barbara (Carol Landis), and their aunt Susan (Charlotte Greenwood) are stuck working at some dumpy greasy spoon in Texas. Their inheritance is far short of what they expected; so they pack up and go to Miami to find rich husbands. It's not long before they meet eligible bachelors including Phil 'Mac' McNeil (Don Ameche) and Jeff Bolton (Robert Cummings). They also meet Jack O'Hara (Jack Haley), a waiter at their swanky hotel who find out that the women are really gold diggers and who is constantly threatening to tell the men that the women are out for rich husbands and practically nothing more.
Of course, this being a musical from the golden age of Hollywood, the plot is basically an excuse for song and dance numbers. "You Started Something" is definitely one of the better musical numbers; and look for some incredible dance routines with Betty Grable and two men at the hotel party given by Jeff Bolton. There is another spectacular dance routine at the Bolton's island home near the end of the movie as well.
Despite numerous plot twists and turns, some of which are predictable, the action builds up and there's a little bit of suspense along the way anyhow. In addition, questions remain: Will Jack the waiter ever tell anyone that these women are really gold diggers? Will Kay, her sister Barbara and her aunt Susan ever find true love--or will they merely wind up marrying for money--if they marry at all? No plot spoilers here, folks--watch the movie and find out!
The DVD has no real extras although there is some trailer footage from other Betty Grable movies. The choreography is wonderful in the dance scenes and the cinematography always reflects good judgment.
Overall, Moon Over Miami is an excellent movie musical from the golden age of Hollywood. I highly recommend this film for fans of classic musicals and the actors in this very well done picture.
Movie Review: Mooning over "Moon Over...."
Summary: 4 Stars
Technically this is "just another" Fox musical, with a slight and silly storyline (girls in Miami on prowl for rich bachelors) but plenty of good-humored, innocuous cheer. Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Haley (aka The Tin Man) have fun together in supporting roles; Greenwood does her famous splits with those long, long legs. Betty Grable was built for Technicolor and vice versa. The songs oddly do not include "Moon Over Miami" except for an instrumental in the opening credits. A sugary confection with a wee bit of location shooting; they (a second unit) actually went to Miami!Movie Review: Jack Cole's Dance Number Remains Lost
Summary: 3 Stars
I hate to rain on my fellow reviewers parade, but an important component of the film is missing. A few years ago I purchased the VHS version of "Moon Over Miami". To my big disappointment, here's what I saw: The "Seminole" sequence begins with kettledrums, the cast leans forward in expectation - and then comes a brutal cut right into the chorus routine, just before the entrance of the Condos Brothers. The spectacular dance performed by Jack Cole, Anna Austin and Florence Lessing was completely erased.
Unfortunately the same butchered version happens to be on the DVD! A bitter irony: Cole's name appears in the credits and photos of the number are included in the still gallery. I assume the film was re-edited for television broadcast. Maybe Cole's choreography was considered too risky at the time it first aired.
Nevertheless, it's a shame that 20th Century Fox didn't manage to restore the film to its original form. Jack Cole can be considered one of the most influential American choreographers. So from a dance historic standpoint this is an enormous loss since "Moon Over Miami" marked not only his first Hollywood assignment but also featured one of his rare screen appearances.
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