One of Fred Astaire's lesser musicals from the Forties is Yolanda And The Thief. A charming film in spots, but somehow the whole package just doesn't ignite.
Part of the problem is Lucille Bremer. After a few films in the Forties she never caught the fancy of the movie going public. She sang beautifully with Trudy Erwin's voice in this film and was a graceful partner for Fred. But when not dancing and singing she was too cloying as the naive young girl from the convent and heir to the Aquaviva fortune.
Fred Astaire and Frank Morgan are a pair of likable grifters traveling by train through the South American country of Patria. They read about Bremer returning home from the convent where she was raised since her parents died. They decide she's an easy mark.
But what a scam they work, they hear Lucille in the garden praying for her guardian angel and Fred assumes the guise. But something works on his conscience and even more so on his libido. He's falling for the sweet young thing.
Yolanda And The Thief came from the Arthur Freed unit at MGM and Freed supplied the lyrics to a most forgettable score with Harry Warren's music. I will say the sets and color cinematography have an Oz like quality to them. I expected to see Judy Garland's companions pop up any minute. Another good thing about the film is the portrayal of Leon Ames as another stranger in this strange land who seems to be constantly popping up.
But Yolanda And The Thief ain't anything close to the Wizard Of Oz.
Part of the problem is Lucille Bremer. After a few films in the Forties she never caught the fancy of the movie going public. She sang beautifully with Trudy Erwin's voice in this film and was a graceful partner for Fred. But when not dancing and singing she was too cloying as the naive young girl from the convent and heir to the Aquaviva fortune.
Fred Astaire and Frank Morgan are a pair of likable grifters traveling by train through the South American country of Patria. They read about Bremer returning home from the convent where she was raised since her parents died. They decide she's an easy mark.
But what a scam they work, they hear Lucille in the garden praying for her guardian angel and Fred assumes the guise. But something works on his conscience and even more so on his libido. He's falling for the sweet young thing.
Yolanda And The Thief came from the Arthur Freed unit at MGM and Freed supplied the lyrics to a most forgettable score with Harry Warren's music. I will say the sets and color cinematography have an Oz like quality to them. I expected to see Judy Garland's companions pop up any minute. Another good thing about the film is the portrayal of Leon Ames as another stranger in this strange land who seems to be constantly popping up.
But Yolanda And The Thief ain't anything close to the Wizard Of Oz.