It's 1902 and there are three little girls in blue, determined to feel oh so young (and rich!) on the boardwalk of Atlantic City where they hope that life will be peaches and cream. But can they be completely happy unless there's real love? They are June Haver, fresh from being a Dolly Sister; Vivian Blaine, sans her nasal Miss Adelaide voice, and the sweet Vera-Ellen, posing as a wealthy socialite, her social secretary and maid. Their budget is minimal, but with any luck they will each find true love with eligible (rich) bachelors. Their colorful new life is accentuated by the colorful photography, accentuating the period costumes and lavish sets.
The men include Frank Latimore as a wealthy orphan, George Montgomery as his playboy rival and the oddly unbilled Charles Smith as their informant valet who even gets a song written about him that makes his credit status rather odd. Stealing the scenery in her film debut, fresh from Broadway success, is Celeste Holm as Latimore's flirtatious sister, every inch as man crazy as her Ado Annie was in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma!".
A delightful pleasant score may not move the plot along (the fourth screen version of the same story, also recently musicalized in a 1940's musical comedy with a completely different score. It's better known from 1941's "Moon Over Miami" where Betty Grable played the same part as her "Dolly Sisters" co-star. The roles of the three sisters are practically interchangable, and they all do fine jobs, with Vera-Ellen standing out with get dancing and Haver charming, if generic. Blaine adds a slight slyness to her always neglected sensible sister, getting a sweet ballad, "Somewhere in the Night". When Holm comes on for her comical solo, the film is instantly set to be stolen. This is innocuous fun made more memorable with little moments of magic that rises it above it's standard plotline.
The men include Frank Latimore as a wealthy orphan, George Montgomery as his playboy rival and the oddly unbilled Charles Smith as their informant valet who even gets a song written about him that makes his credit status rather odd. Stealing the scenery in her film debut, fresh from Broadway success, is Celeste Holm as Latimore's flirtatious sister, every inch as man crazy as her Ado Annie was in the original Broadway production of "Oklahoma!".
A delightful pleasant score may not move the plot along (the fourth screen version of the same story, also recently musicalized in a 1940's musical comedy with a completely different score. It's better known from 1941's "Moon Over Miami" where Betty Grable played the same part as her "Dolly Sisters" co-star. The roles of the three sisters are practically interchangable, and they all do fine jobs, with Vera-Ellen standing out with get dancing and Haver charming, if generic. Blaine adds a slight slyness to her always neglected sensible sister, getting a sweet ballad, "Somewhere in the Night". When Holm comes on for her comical solo, the film is instantly set to be stolen. This is innocuous fun made more memorable with little moments of magic that rises it above it's standard plotline.