Spiel zu dritt (1949)

Spiel zu dritt: Directed by Busby Berkeley. With Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly, Betty Garrett. Two turn-of-the-century baseball players, who work in vaudeville during the off-season, run into trouble with their team’s new female owner and a gambler who doesn’t want them to win the pennant.

“u0026#39;Take Me Out to the Ball Gameu0026#39; is worth noting for the extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera, and while all have done better this showcases their talents wonderfully.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt does have short-comings, but luckily they are far outweighed by u0026#39;Take Me Out to the Ball Gameu0026#39;su0026#39; numerous pleasures. The film does end very abruptly and the build up does feel rather rushed, and while there are no problems to be had with the chemistry between Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra or Sinatra and Esther Williams, the latter one really does sparkle, the one between Kelly and Williams is pretty indifferent (Williams apparently was treated contemptuously by Kelly and Stanley Donen, and there are times where it shows).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOn the other hand, u0026#39;Take Me Out to the Ball Gameu0026#39; is ravishingly filmed in Technicolor with lavishly colourful sets and costumes that are not only superbly tailored but the colour co-ordination is eye-popping and clearly a lot of thought was put into it. There are definitely more memorable songs than the ones here, where the title song is the closest to being a hit, but they are certainly very pleasant and tuneful with wonderfully tongue-in-cheek lyrics. u0026quot;Ou0026#39;Brien to Ryan to Goldbergu0026quot;, u0026quot;The Right Girl for Meu0026quot; and u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s Fate Babyu0026quot; are also good. The choreography dazzles also, especially Kelly pulling all the stops out in his Irish solo number, the barn-storming u0026quot;Strictly USAu0026quot; and the wonderful chemistry between Kelly, Sinatra and the under-appreciated Jules Munshin.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith the script, there are some funny and witty lines, and while the story is very slight and drags in places it does enchant, charm and there is a constant sense of cheerfulness and fun. The direction is very accomplished throughout, shining especially in u0026quot;Strictly USAu0026quot;. The performances are great, particularly from a scene-stealing and very funny Betty Garrett. Williams is also delightfully no-nonsense, and even with her troubles off-screen the role really does play to his strengths.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKellyu0026#39;s character is very broadly drawn and almost like a clown, but Kellyu0026#39;s humour, charm and muscular athleticism stops him from becoming annoying. Sinatra sings an absolute dream and although his type of character isnu0026#39;t in his comfort zone he still appeals. Munshin shouldnu0026#39;t be overlooked in any way, he delights in u0026quot;Ou0026#39;Brien to Ryan to Goldbergu0026quot;, while Edward Arnold is deliciously theatrical while never taking one out of the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, hugely enjoyable though with short-comings. 7/10 Bethany Cox”