Maurice Kelly Movies

In the conclusion of a two-part story arc, Mr. Drysdale is still trying to convince the city of Beverly Hills -- and its neighboring communities -- to stage a Possum Day parade so that the Clampetts will not return to the Ozarks. Meanwhile, Granny has convinced herself that her principal competition for the coveted title of Possum Queen is none other than Mrs. Drysdale. Sharon Tate appears in her customary role of bank secretary Janet Trego. "The Possum Day Parade" was originally broadcast on October 20, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This was the first film directed by dancer and choreographer Gower Champion, already experienced at directing television and theatrical productions by the early '60s. The routine romantic comedy, somewhat bogged down by the children it features, is centered on overwrought actress Janice Courtney (Debbie Reynolds). She has had it with paparazzi and publicity campaigns and escapes to the Connecticut countryside for a little R & R. At that point, a half-dozen youngsters intrude into her life after they are abandoned by their ne'er-do-well guardians, and though she is anything but enthusiastic, Janice takes them under her frayed wings. The local pastor, Rev. Jim Larkin (Cliff Robertson) has something to do with that, and ultimately, more than a little something to do with Janice's personal life. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Girl Most Likely owns the distinction of being the last RKO Radio picture ever produced at the studio's Hollywood facilities; shortly afterward, RKO moved out and Desilu moved in. A musical remake of the 1941 Ginger Rogers comedy Tom, Dick and Harry, the film stars Jane Powell as Dodie, an eligible bachelorette who must choose between three suitors. Wealthy Neil (Keith Andes) offers her a life of luxury and ease; salesman Buzz (Tommy Noonan) offers stability; and roughneck mechanic Pete (Cliff Robertson) can offer nothing but love. In a series of elaborate dream sequences, Dodie imagines what life would be like with her three beaus. Though Paul Jarrico wrote the original script upon which The Girl Most Likely was based, he was refused screen credit thanks to the insidious Hollywood blacklist. When the RKO Radio distribution chain collapsed in 1958, The Girl Most Likely was distributed by Universal-International. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM's Till the Clouds Roll By is the musicalized, and highly fictionalized, life story of beloved composer Jerome Kern, who gave his blessing to the production shortly before his death in 1946. As played by a gray-templed Robert Walker, Kern is a likeable but none too exciting sort who expresses his emotions through his music. Constructed in the form of an extended flashback, the story proper begins at the turn of the century, as Kern tries to peddle his ditties to disinterested Broadway producers. His efforts to interest impresario Charles Frohman (Harry Hayden) go nowhere because Frohman is convinced that the only good music comes from Europe. Obligingly, Kern moves to London, where he meets and falls in love with his future wife Eva (Dorothy Patrick). On the verge of securing work with Frohman, Kern's hopes are dashed when the producer goes down with the Lusitania in 1915. Fortunately, Kern has developed such powerful U.S. contacts as Victor Herbert (Paul Maxey) and Oscar Hammerstein (Paul Langton), enabling him to find success as the composer of several "intimate" musicals for New York's Princess Theater. The film ends where it begins, with Kern's triumph as composer of the Broadway blockbuster Show Boat. Van Heflin weaves in and out of the proceedings as the obligatory best friend/severest critic, a musical arranger named Jim Hessler (purportedly based on longtime Kern associate Paul Sadler). No one in 1946 really cared about the dramatic passages of Till the Clouds Roll By; the film's biggest drawing card was its lineup of all-star MGM talent, performing Kern's most famous numbers. Judy Garland (as Marilyn Miller) sings "Look for the Silver Lining"; Dinah Shore performs "The Last Time I Saw Paris" before a back-projected "Gay Paree"; Kathryn Grayson does a Rita Hayworth imitation with "Long Ago and Far Away"; Virginia O'Brien deadpans "A Fine Romance"; Tony Martin warbles "All the Things You Are"; June Allyson and Ray McDonald team up for the title number; and Frank Sinatra, incongruously dressed in white tuxedo, runs through "Ol' Man River." In addition, other musical contributions are made by Van Johnson, Angela Lansbury, Cyd Charisse, Gower Champion, and Lucille Bremer (cast as Van Heflin's daughter). The film's high point comes at the very beginning with a Reader's Digest edition of Show Boat, featuring Lena Horne, as Julie (the role she was born to play, but never did again on screen), delivering a powerhouse rendition of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Since lapsing into public domain in 1974, Till the Clouds Roll By has, along with Royal Wedding, become the most readily accessible of all MGM musicals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide