Judy, Judy, Judy

A Date with Judy (1948) is another musical, starring teenaged songbird Jane Powell, but more importantly, teenage glamour girl Elizabeth Taylor.

It's set in the semi-real town of Santa Barbara. Taylor is the spoiled daughter of the town's wealthiest businessman, Leon Ames. Powell is the daughter of also wealthy, but down-to-earth Wallace Beery. After a tour of the town hosted by Mr. Voice-Over, we go to the rehearsals for the big dance. Jane is singing her song ("Most Unusual Day") while her boyfriend Oogie is leading the orchestra. Oogie is played by Scotty Beckett, who Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans will recognize as "Winky" from the Rocky Jones serials. Taylor, playing Oogie's sister, is a domineering snob who pushes Powell around. Oogie gets sore, but Powell defends her friend, causing him to break their date for the dance that night.

Despondent, Powell goes to the soda shop, where she meets Robert Stack, the college man who is working as a soda jerk for the summer. She gets him to agree to take her to the dance, making all her friends jealous and getting Taylor interested. In fact, when Powell gets up to sing a number, Taylor takes Stack for a spin around the floor.

Then Xavier Cugat shows up, with Carmen Miranda! This perks things up a bit. Powell's mother wants to rhumba, but Wallace Beery won't have it (because he doesn't know how). This sets up the B plot - Beery secretly hires Carmen to teach him to rhumba, and Powell thinks he's having an affair with her.

Let's see, am I missing anything? Right, the C plot - Leon Ames never has any time for his kids Elizabeth Taylor and Winky (I mean Oogie), and they are sad but very wealthy.

A Date with Judy was long running radio show, and I might have even seen the TV show. If I didn't, I saw something like it, where an excitable teenaged girl got some crazy idea in her head and took it too far, until finally just dropping it because she's so kooky. In this movie, she is ready to fight Taylor for Stack, but when it turns out Stack kind of prefers Taylor, even though she's a spoiled brat, Powell just gives them her blessing and goes back to Oogie. It's "kooky" all right, but kind of my favorite part. Even though Taylor's character is an evil bitch to Powell, all is forgiven, because they are friends.

I’m sorry to say that the music is not as good as it could be. I love Powell’s strong, pure soprano, but the songs aren’t much. “Strictly on the Corny Side” isn’t just corny, it’s embarrassing. Carmen’s songs are better, except “Cooking with Gas”, where she mangles a mouthful of jitterbug slang.  Oh well, we get her dancing with Cugie, and that’s something.