You know you're in for a unique film experience when the opening musical number is followed by a dozen or so garters flying into the air to spell out the film's title. The very svelte Rosemary Clooney is truly a looker as the leading heroine, a feisty dance hall diva who only has eyes for the town's oblivious sheriff (the hammy Jack Carson) while playing silent matchmaker for some of the town's other residents. The basic plot surrounds a stranger in town (Guy Mitchell) who is trying to find the killer of his brother whom he believes is the stereotypical Latin Lothario (Gene Barry). It's believed from the beginning that Mitchell is the good guy because he wears all light colored clothes while Barry wears basically all black. Mitchell and Barry also fight over Carson's innocent ward (Patricia Crowley) until the prissy Joanne Gilbert arrives with her judge uncle (Reginald Owen) who is intent on bringing law and order to Limbo County.
A mixed bag of stylized sets, songs great and weak and stereotypical characters spouting trite dialog, "Red Garters" is still a fun viewing experience. Clooney gives her best film performance as the golden hearted saloon performer, singing the film's two best songs given to her as solos. "Man and Woman", a duet between her and Mitchell, is basically a retread of "Annie Get Your Gun's" "Anything You Can Do" and the obnoxious "I Can Do Without You" from "Calamity Jane", while the energetic "Lady Killer" is the film's big dance number. Of the cast, only Cass Daley's Native American is a bit hard to take, her obviously bronzed make-up and stereotypical behavior sometimes obnoxiously over the top. Film viewers will be surprised to see a singing and dancing Buddy Ebsen as the bartender, probably tapping his toes for the last time on the big screen. Crowley and Gilbert's characters are almost indistinguishable, Gilbert perhaps more noticeable because her prim character is presented more comically, almost a parody, spouting out judgmental lines like "Must be the mating season!" while viewing the goings on in the small community.
Far from a failure, "Red Garters" is best with its reds and blues rather than the pastels of yellows which sometime overshadow the action. It looks like a view of what Broadway audiences might have been seeing in 1954 and at times comes off closer to an elaborate television special. Coming from the direction of George Marshall who directed many of the Bob Hope comedies (including "The Paleface"), this is certainly much more than a curio that may not have started a trend but definitely contains many effective moments.
A mixed bag of stylized sets, songs great and weak and stereotypical characters spouting trite dialog, "Red Garters" is still a fun viewing experience. Clooney gives her best film performance as the golden hearted saloon performer, singing the film's two best songs given to her as solos. "Man and Woman", a duet between her and Mitchell, is basically a retread of "Annie Get Your Gun's" "Anything You Can Do" and the obnoxious "I Can Do Without You" from "Calamity Jane", while the energetic "Lady Killer" is the film's big dance number. Of the cast, only Cass Daley's Native American is a bit hard to take, her obviously bronzed make-up and stereotypical behavior sometimes obnoxiously over the top. Film viewers will be surprised to see a singing and dancing Buddy Ebsen as the bartender, probably tapping his toes for the last time on the big screen. Crowley and Gilbert's characters are almost indistinguishable, Gilbert perhaps more noticeable because her prim character is presented more comically, almost a parody, spouting out judgmental lines like "Must be the mating season!" while viewing the goings on in the small community.
Far from a failure, "Red Garters" is best with its reds and blues rather than the pastels of yellows which sometime overshadow the action. It looks like a view of what Broadway audiences might have been seeing in 1954 and at times comes off closer to an elaborate television special. Coming from the direction of George Marshall who directed many of the Bob Hope comedies (including "The Paleface"), this is certainly much more than a curio that may not have started a trend but definitely contains many effective moments.