This is one of the most gorgeous technicolor films ever. Director Rouben Mamoulian is second only to Vincente Minnelli when it comes to having an eye for color design. This film is a musical remake of
Eugene O'Neil's play "Ah, Wilderness!" The cast is first rate--Walter Huston, Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan (a delight as always), Agnes Moorehead, and the lovely Gloria DeHaven, who is a
fine singer. The songs by Harry Warren and Ralph Blane aren't what
you could call tunes you'll sing after viewing the film; they help
advance the story in a way similiar to Meet Me in St. Louis. This
movie was filmed in 1946 but not released until 1948 when Rooney's MGM contract came to its end. A simple turn of the century family story--high school graduation, Fourth of July
celebration (a beautiful sequence), first love (and first taste
of alcohol) and paternal wisdom. The section with Rooney and
Marilyn Miller as a bar floozy whose look grows more lascivious
as he has his first drink is a triumph of color cinematography
design. If you love technicolor this is a must-see film.