exellent Easter-time musical

Too good to watch just at Easter, this delightful musical stars Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Actually, Gene Kelly was originally cast but had to pull out when he injured his leg. Astaire was pulled out of retirement for the role.

Astaire plays a vaudeville dancer whose partner (Ann Miller) leaves the act. A visit to a local bar finds a fetching chorus girl (Judy Garland), whom he offers the chance of becoming his new partner. They begin rehearsals, but he tries to change her to reflect his old partner. She tells him that she should just be herself, and soon they are the talk of the town.

However, the old dance partner is on the rise too, and starring in the Ziegfeld Follies, as the headliner, with them as part of the "chorus".

Featuring Miller's bravura rendition of "Shakin' The Blues Away", and the songs "Under An Umbrella", "Easter Parade" and "Steppin' Out With My Baby".

Garland! Astaire! MIller! Lawford! Berlin! -- and more!

It goes without saying that Easter Parade is one of the greatest MGM musicals ever made. Fred Astaire and Judy Garland make a wonderful dancing, singing and acting team! As you may know from all the reviewers before me, Astaire plays the part of Don Hewes, a very famous dancer, who is very upset after his love interest and dance partner Nadine (played by Ann Miller) leaves him to pursue an even more lucrative career on the stage. In anger and disgust he impulsively vows that he could turn any woman into a better dancer than his partner had been-and he makes a great pick! Hannah Brown, played by Judy Garland, is (of course) not too good at dancing at first, but with much coaching and hard work Hewes (Astaire) builds her into a dancing star as his new partner! (As the Amazon review points out, while watching this film I was reminded more than once of the musical My Fair Lady. There is that theme of the older, more experienced and educated man coaching, teaching and molding a younger woman.)

This film offers a love triangle with Peter Lawford also being attracted to Garland but he doesn't get far as she is very much in love with Hewes (Astaire). The musical numbers are outstanding thanks to the incomparable Irving Berlin, Garland, and Astaire. Ann Miller (playing Nadine, Astaire's former partner) also does a fantastic job with her dance number while singing "Shakin' The Blues Away." Indeed, it's hard to decide which numbers are the best; they're all so well done and beautifully filmed! "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and the title song are particularly strong numbers; so is "We're A Couple Of Swells," a vaudeville-type number that Garland liked very much.

The choreography is excellent. The dancing is superlative and they must have really put a lot of effort into a dance routine with Garland and Astaire early on in the film where she dances almost every step wrong!

I recommend this movie for lovers of classic musicals, Garland fans, Astaire fans, Miller fans as well as aficionados of great quality films. Get this movie for your collection today and you'll never regret it! A BUY! GRIN

Avoid this picture.

This has to be the worst musical I have ever seen. I like them generally and I love Judy Garland, but this is just atrocious. It has a stupid paper thin plot without a single twist, boring characters who would never do anything you wouldn't expect, and songs which have absolutely nothing to do with the action of the scene into which they've been crammed. If you want a good Garland musical see A Star is Born or Meet me in St. Louis (I'm sure if you're here you've already viewed Oz), but stay far away from this.