Apart from some terrific tapping teens this horrible Monogram musical is hard work. There are two other excellent comments on this page and you are encouraged to read them too.... my feelings are not much different... and it is quite a leap to see nice Gale Storm stealing and deceiving to get a course into tap dance school. To be honest the kids who dance around her and en-masse in class are more entertaining. Gale clearly looks like young teen Shirley Temple and manages to pout and sing as good as Shirley. But it is a weak film and rather annoying. The early scenes in the (usual) café set (gingham tablecloths and gushing overweight Italian owner... an awful cliché....) are irritating. It isn't until we are encouraged to take a leap of credibility of Gale the kid sashaying into Gale the slinky singer (for crims!) that the film becomes more interesting if not borderline exasperating. like I said, the lively hep kids also in class are more fun and really good young dancers. Sorry Gale. One scene when she steals the luggage of a rich kid has a background soundtrack of someone singing scales repeated so many times you will almost fling the DVD out the window.
Review of Nearly Eighteen
