MEET ME IN LAS VEGAS

US, 1956, 112 minutes, Colour.
Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Agnes Moorehead, Lili Darvas, Paul Henreid, Lena Horne, Jerry Colona, Frankie Laine.
Directed by Roy Rowland.

Meet Me In Las Vegas came at the end of MGM's long run of distinctive musicals. By the middle of the '50s, with the coming of television and its specials, there seemed to be little place for the ordinary, though highly skilled, musicals from studios like MGM.

The material is familiar - a French dancer, temperamental, comes to perform at Las Vegas. We see her rehearse, become entangled with a ranch owner who is a gambler. There are some scenes of temperament - as well as some musical numbers. The dancer is Cyd Charisse - who has an opportunity to show the skills in dancing in various styles that she illustrated in so many films. The rancher is Dan Dailey, a very agreeable hoofer. MGM added a strong supporting cast - including Agnes Moorehead as Dailey's mother and Paul Henreid as Cyd Charisse's manager. There are also some guests who perform including Jerry Colonna, Lena Horne, Frankie Laine. If you look quickly you will see Debbie Reynolds, Vic Damone, Frank Sinatra (with his hand at a poker machine) and Cyd Charisse's husband, Tony Martin. Jim Backus does a turn - and one of the chorus men is a very young George Chakiris.

The film focuses on the atmosphere of Las Vegas, gambling and show business. It also makes a point about homespun American philosophy (as given by Agnes Moorehead) and the yen for gambling. True love has difficulties because of two clashing careers.

Needless to say, everything ends well. The film has the usual. MGM production values, style and choreography. Typical, though not outstanding, of its kind.