An entertaining fantasy comedic romance starring Robert Walker and Ava Gardner interspersed with a few songs from the source Broadway musical of the same name.. In fact, pleasant as the Kurt Weill songs are, they rather get in the way of the main story itself and indeed it's almost half an hour into the film before the first song is introduced, making you wonder almost where it came from and whether it's wandered in from another film. A couple more tunes and reprises appear before the end but to no great effect making me think the numbers were included for contractual reasons or the director got caught between two stools in what he was trying to convey. The halfway house he ultimately arrives at us rather unsatisfactory in my view.
What's indisputable is the radiant beauty of Gardner who of course plays Venus, as for the most part she traipses about in diaphanous Roman style gowns, unsurprisingly bewitching Newton and his boss, Mr Savory who become rivals for her affections. Thankfully for Newton's $43.75 per week lowly department store window-dresser, Venus stays true to the first guy she meets and falls in love with rather than the urbane, expensively dressed millionaire store owner Savory.
The story satisfactorily sets up and resolves three slightly tangled pairings with several amusing moments along the way. Gardner as stated commands the attention and contributes a winningly amusing performance while Walker, who I've only ever seen before as the psychopathic Bruno in Hitchcock's classic "Strangers On A Train", shows a natural flair for light comedy as the befuddled Eddie.
The two other couples in support are crooner Dick Haymes as Eddie's conflicted best pal, Olga San Juan as Eddie's conflicted long-suffering girl, Tom Conway as the smooth boss used to getting what he wants and best of all Eve Arden as his pining but acid-tongued secretary who gets her reward in the end.
It's all good clean fun and ends happily for all concerned, viewers included.
What's indisputable is the radiant beauty of Gardner who of course plays Venus, as for the most part she traipses about in diaphanous Roman style gowns, unsurprisingly bewitching Newton and his boss, Mr Savory who become rivals for her affections. Thankfully for Newton's $43.75 per week lowly department store window-dresser, Venus stays true to the first guy she meets and falls in love with rather than the urbane, expensively dressed millionaire store owner Savory.
The story satisfactorily sets up and resolves three slightly tangled pairings with several amusing moments along the way. Gardner as stated commands the attention and contributes a winningly amusing performance while Walker, who I've only ever seen before as the psychopathic Bruno in Hitchcock's classic "Strangers On A Train", shows a natural flair for light comedy as the befuddled Eddie.
The two other couples in support are crooner Dick Haymes as Eddie's conflicted best pal, Olga San Juan as Eddie's conflicted long-suffering girl, Tom Conway as the smooth boss used to getting what he wants and best of all Eve Arden as his pining but acid-tongued secretary who gets her reward in the end.
It's all good clean fun and ends happily for all concerned, viewers included.