Three Little Words (DVD)

Movie / Show Details

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Three Little Words (1950) was an example of Hollywood’s late-’40s/early-’50s interest in the lives of famous songwriters. Fred Astaire plays vaudeville dancer Bert Kalmar, whose act with Jessie Brown (Vera-Ellen) runs aground due to his interest in magic acts and a backstage accident. While in rehab, he meets composer Harry Ruby (Red Skelton), and the two discover a knack for writing Tin Pan Alley songs, then Broadway shows, together. There’s some mild conflict in their lives as portrayed in film, but mostly the movie is an excuse to pull out a slew of Kalmar & Ruby songs such as “Who’s Sorry Now,” “My Sunny Tennessee,” “Nevertheless,” “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” and the title tune. Vera-Ellen is an excellent partner for Astaire, and the relatively restrained Skelton puts in a good performance. Also appearing are Arlene Dahl as a musical actress, Gloria De Haven as her own mother, a young Debbie Reynolds as Boop-a-Doop girl Helen Kane, and the real Harry Ruby as a baseball player playing catch with Skelton, the movie Harry Ruby. Three Little Words isn’t one of the great MGM musicals of its era, but it’s an entertaining picture, especially for fans of Astaire. –David Horiuchi

Product Description

Three Little Words (DVD)
Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen and Red Skelton star in this musical biography based on the lives and career of one of the United States’ greatest songwriting teams–Three Little Words. From the moment they meet, lyricist and vaudeville star Bert Kalmar (Astaire–Silk Stockings, Easter Parade, Top Hat) and piano player and song huckster Harry Ruby (Skelton–“The Red Skelton Show”) are destined for great things. The two have nothing in common except, together, the ability to craft chart-topping songs and the lifelong friendship that grows between them. Now, through work, women, setbacks and success these two reach the heights of their profession and overcome a rift that threatens to divide them forever. ]]>