In the Good Old Summertime
Encyclopedia
In the Good Old Summertime is a 1949 musical film
directed by Robert Z. Leonard
. It starred Judy Garland
, Van Johnson
and S.Z. Sakall
.
The film is a musical adaptation of the 1940 film
, The Shop Around the Corner
, directed by Ernst Lubitsch
, and starring James Stewart
and Margaret Sullavan
, and written by Miklós László (who is given recognition in the credits for another adaptation, You've Got Mail
) based on his play. For In the Good Old Summertime, the locale has been changed from Hungary
to Chicago
, but the turn-of-century time frame and the plot remain the same.
and Bette Midler
.
Buster Keaton devised a way for a violin to get broken that would be both comic and plausible. Keaton came up with an appropriate fall, and the filmmakers then realized he was the only one who would be able to execute it properly, so they cast him in the film. Keaton also devised the sequence in which Van Johnson inadvertently wrecks Judy Garland's hat, and coached Johnson intensively in how to perform the scene. This was the first MGM film Keaton appeared in since being fired from the studio in 1933.
It was filmed between October 1948 and January 1949.
Garland's three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli
makes her film debut in the musical, walking alongside her mother and Van Johnson during the closing scene. The song Last Night When We Were Young
was written in the 1930s by Harold Arlen
and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg for the Metropolitan Opera
star Lawrence Tibbett
. Judy Garland loved the song so much and wanted to include it in the movie. The song was recorded and filmed but when the picture was released, it was cut from the final print. The audio recording of "Last Night When We Were Young" was featured on several of Garland's M-G-M albums and she also later recorded it for Capitol Records
in the 1950s. The footage of the number was finally seen 55 years after In The Good Old Summertime was released in the PBS documentary American Masters: Judy Garland: By Myself in 2004.
). MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard was an American film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
. It starred Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Van Johnson
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
and S.Z. Sakall
S.Z. Sakall
Szőke Szakáll , known as S.Z. Sakall, was a Hungarian film character actor. He was in many films including In the Good Old Summertime, Lullaby of Broadway, Christmas in Connecticut and Casablanca in which he played Carl, the head waiter.Chubby-jowled Sakall played numerous supporting roles in...
.
The film is a musical adaptation of the 1940 film
1940 in film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
, The Shop Around the Corner
The Shop Around the Corner
-External links:* Movie: A Journal of Film Criticism, Issue 1, 2010...
, directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
, and starring James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and Margaret Sullavan
Margaret Sullavan
Margaret Brooke Sullavan was an American stage and film actress. Sullavan started her career on the stage in 1929. In 1933 she caught the attention of movie director John M. Stahl and had her debut on the screen that same year in Only Yesterday...
, and written by Miklós László (who is given recognition in the credits for another adaptation, You've Got Mail
You've Got Mail
You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was written by Nora and Delia Ephron based on the play Parfumerie by Miklós László. The film is about two letter-writing lovers who are completely unaware that their sweetheart is in...
) based on his play. For In the Good Old Summertime, the locale has been changed from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, but the turn-of-century time frame and the plot remain the same.
Plot
Garland, as Veronica Fisher, enters Oberkugen's music shop, looking for work. Little does she know that a pen pal, Van Johnson as Andrew Larkin, with whom she has been corresponding, is a salesman in the shop. Oberkugen refuses to employ her until she persuades a wealthy matron, through her singing and musical expertise, to buy an Amboy harp at almost $25 over Oberkugen's list price. Larkin resents her, and their relationship is quarrelsome, yet he continues to write doting letters to his pen pal at post office box 237. In spite of their bickering, they are profoundly attracted to each other at work, but keep their interest covert under a barrage of arguments.Production
Garland introduced the Christmas song "Merry Christmas" in this film; it was later covered by Johnny MathisJohnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
and Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
.
Buster Keaton devised a way for a violin to get broken that would be both comic and plausible. Keaton came up with an appropriate fall, and the filmmakers then realized he was the only one who would be able to execute it properly, so they cast him in the film. Keaton also devised the sequence in which Van Johnson inadvertently wrecks Judy Garland's hat, and coached Johnson intensively in how to perform the scene. This was the first MGM film Keaton appeared in since being fired from the studio in 1933.
It was filmed between October 1948 and January 1949.
Garland's three-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
makes her film debut in the musical, walking alongside her mother and Van Johnson during the closing scene. The song Last Night When We Were Young
Last Night When We Were Young
"Last Night When We Were Young" is a 1935 popular song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Arlen regarded it as the favourite of the songs that he had written.Lawrence Tibbett recorded the song on October 9, 1935...
was written in the 1930s by Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg for the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
star Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
. Judy Garland loved the song so much and wanted to include it in the movie. The song was recorded and filmed but when the picture was released, it was cut from the final print. The audio recording of "Last Night When We Were Young" was featured on several of Garland's M-G-M albums and she also later recorded it for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in the 1950s. The footage of the number was finally seen 55 years after In The Good Old Summertime was released in the PBS documentary American Masters: Judy Garland: By Myself in 2004.
Reception
The film was made during the height of strain on the relationship between Garland and the MGM production company. As a testament to Garland's strong popularity, the film was a huge critical and commercial success. In the Good Old Summertime was the second to last film that Judy Garland made at MGM (with the final being Summer StockSummer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
). MGM terminated Garland's contract in September 1950.
Cast
- Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
as Veronica Fisher - Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
as Andrew Delby Larkin - S.Z. SakallS.Z. SakallSzőke Szakáll , known as S.Z. Sakall, was a Hungarian film character actor. He was in many films including In the Good Old Summertime, Lullaby of Broadway, Christmas in Connecticut and Casablanca in which he played Carl, the head waiter.Chubby-jowled Sakall played numerous supporting roles in...
as Otto Oberkugen - Spring ByingtonSpring ByingtonSpring Byington was an American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and television as the star of December Bride. She was a key MGM contract player appearing in films from the 1930s through the 1960s.-Early life:Byington was born Spring Dell Byington in Colorado Springs,...
as Nellie Burke - Clinton SundbergClinton SundbergClinton Sundberg was a stage and film character actor.Sundberg was born in Appleton, Minnesota on December 7, with sources differing on his year of birth...
as Rudy Hansen - Buster KeatonBuster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
as Hickey - Marcia Van Dyke as Louise Parkson
- Lillian Bronson as Aunt Addie
- Liza MinnelliLiza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
as Veronica and Andrew's daughter (at the ending credits)