A Date with Judy (1948)

A modest, unassuming little musical, A Date with Judy is the kind of featherweight piece of fluff that Hollywood routinely produced even into the 1950s. Chipper and perky to a fault, Judy is also one of the "teen-aged" viewpoint films (such as the Andy Hardy or Henry Aldrich series) that were also popular at the time. As might be gathered, the plotting is calculated and unbelievable -- but it's busy enough to keep things moving, and the structure of the piece holds up (even if much of the dialogue does not). Director Richard Thorpe keeps things appropriately light and breezy, never letting the plot bog down for too long at a stretch, and Stanley Donen's choreography is appropriately fast paced and occasionally imaginative. Jane Powell overplays the energy and cuteness, but her rendition of "It's a Most Unusual Day" is lovely. Elizabeth Taylor looks stunning and brings more conviction to her part than it deserves, and Wallace Beery is quite amusing and endearing. As usual, Carmen Miranda can be counted on to liven things up, and her "Cuanto Le Gusta" is quite diverting. Very dated in its attitude about girls and too inconsequential to amount to a great deal, Judy is still moderately entertaining on its own terms. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide