Down to Earth (1947)

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Harry Segall (play)
Edwin Blum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 August 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

She Sings And Dances like an Angel!

Plot:

Upset about a new Broadway musical's mockery of Greek mythology, the goddess Terpsichore comes down to earth and lands a part in the show...

Plot Keywords:

Muse | Nightclub | Sequel | Gangster | 1940s

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Terpsichore / Kitty Pendleton
Larry Parks	...	Danny Miller
Marc Platt	...	Eddie
Roland Culver	...	Mr. Jordan
James Gleason	...	Max Corkle
Edward Everett Horton	...	Messenger 7013
Adele Jergens	...	Georgia Evans
George Macready	...	Joe Manion
William Frawley	...	Police Lieutenant
Jean Willes	...	Betty (as Jean Donahue)
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Dolly
William Haade	...	Spike
James Burke	...	Detective Kelly
Dorothy Hart	...	The New Terpsichore (as Dorothy Brady)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11676)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Although it is not unusual in the history of film for an actor's singing voice to be dubbed by someone else this film is a rare instance where both leads, Rita Hayward and Larry Parks, could not sing. Anita Ellis sang for Rita and Hal Derwin dubbed Parks.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The same news item about twins getting a two-week tryout keeps appearing in different newspaper columns over the course of several months.

Quotes:

Terpsichore: [singing] There's a law against men beating their wives, which inhibits about a million guys' lives.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Xanadu (1980)

Soundtrack:

The Muses Come To Earth

Mr. Jordan, I want to cry.

Miffed about the way a new Broadway musical is portraying Greek mythology, goddess Terpsichore gets herself to Earth and promptly lands a part in the show. As she charms the show's producer, Danny Miller, and he incorporates her ideas into the show, the show becomes a flop, and there may just be a hint of love in the air to further complicate matters.

Down To Earth is like a cake that has been on display in the window all day. It looks nice on the outside but when you get to the inside there really isn't much taste to it. Worthy of a watch primarily because of Rita Hayworth {Terpsichore} in Technicolor {it's easy to accept such beauty as a goddess} Alexander Hall's musical version of his own Here Comes Mr. Jordan is a rather flat and uneventful affair. Not to decry the sweet nature of the story, and it "is" a charming fable, there's too many things wrong to make it fully function as an uplifting musical.

The songs from Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts are weak and uninspiring, and they are further hindered by the overtly evident voice dubbing of the cast. Not normally an issue to me, but when the lyrics are so tepid the focus is drawn to the irritants. Then there is the lack of spark between Hayworth and her leading man, Larry Parks as the show's producer Danny Miller. Parks was riding the crest of a wave after his Oscar nominated turn in Al Jolson the previous year, but here he struggles and looks nothing like leading man potential. The choreography is fine, including a well constructed sequence in a play park, and the set design is easy on the eye. But there is no getting away from it, without Rita Hayworth in the lead, this film would have sank without trace from the musical aficionado's memory bank. A generous 5/10 from me as it looks fabulous on a High Definition TV, where you can see that producer Dan Hartman at least had the vision to put on a glossy show.