The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady, Pleasant, light headed nonsense still has its pleasures. Chief among them is Gordon MacRae singing beautifully and so handsome. He really should have been at MGM with the Freed unit to take advantage of his gifts, Warners never had the quality productions his talent deserved.
Even though made on loan-out to Warners this was made at the height of 20th Century Fox’s big push to make June Haver the new Betty Grable. June had a pleasing way about her, sang and danced adequately but didn’t have the punch of Grable nor the vulnerability or flesh impact of the girl who would replace her within a couple of years, Marilyn Monroe. She’s serviceable in the lead but not memorable.
Debbie Reynolds in her first featured part is pert and bursting with her special brand of energy. Her role is small but even with that she registers on screen in a way Haver never does. A good illustration of star quality and the lack of it in one film. Gene Nelson stands out in the dance department although he is made to look ridiculous in some awful costumes but his footwork compensates.
The rest of the cast all perform well and the film is loaded with color but it’s all a bunch of malarkey.
