"Two Weeks with Love" is a delightful coming of age comedy musical, with a couple of young actresses who could really sing and dance. In the mid- 20th century, and the 50 or so years of earlier society that the movies often showed, coming of age was a well defined rite of passage - for both boys and girls. But young ladies seemed to be more aware of it - or it meant more to them. For the last half century or so, the focus just seems to be on teen years, with passage morphed in there somewhere and not clearly defined. So, society isn't as cognizant of this particular time anymore and we no longer see coming of age films.
But, this one is a dandy, and the coming of age is "the issue" around which the plot unfolds. Jane Powell plays Patti Robinson, the female who is coming of age, and Carleton Carpenter plays Billy Finlay, the male who is coming of age. Besides these two characters, this film is loaded with young talented singers and dancers, and with a cast of wonderful performances, young and old. Ricardo Montalban, though a very good actor overall and in this role, just seemed a curious choice to play the male lead, Demi Armendez. He was 41 when the film was made, and even makeup can't quite make him look too much younger.
Right behind Patti, who is 17 in this movie, is her sis, Melba, played by Debbie Reynolds. She is 15. She and Patti are in a one-way romantic triangle with Finlay. Melba pines for Billy, who pines for Patti, who pines for someone else, so long as it's not Billy.
Both female singers play their younger roles especially well. Believe it or not, Powell and Reynolds have the same birthday - April 1, three years apart. Powell was 21 when the film was made, and plays a 17-year- old. Reynolds was 18, and plays a 15-year-old. They carry it off very nicely and believably. The two starlets became close friends for life, and made two more musical comedies together. They played sisters again in the 1954 movie, "Athena," and were paired as friends in the smash hit, "Hit the Deck" with Tony Martin and others.
When I first wrote this review, both actresses were still living. Both had good careers in film and on television. Powell's soprano singing roles faded by the end of the 50s, and Reynolds' singing roles ended with the 60s. Both would sing in some of their TV appearances later, and Reynolds especially had a much more full acting career, mostly in comedy. All of Powell's musical comedies were superb films. Her biggest hit, beside her pairings with Reynolds, was "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in 1954. Reynolds had major hits with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1957, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in 1964, and "The Singing Nun" in 1967. She had her own TV variety show in 1969-70.
"Two Weeks with Love" is a fun, warm and funny movie that the whole family will enjoy. Reynolds is especially good in her role, and the supporting players all are very good. Two fine performers who were leading actors in their prime play the Robinson parents. Horatio and Katherine. Louis Calhern adds some fun comedy, and Ann Harding learns to loosen the apron strings for her grown up daughter.
It's a hilarious two-week vacation for the Robinson family at Kissimeee in the Catskills. And, it provides a look at a place and time in history - the Catskill Mountains, 100 miles NW of the Big Apple. From the 19th to mid-20th centuries, the area was known as the Borscht Belt. Anti-Semitism was strong in the Northeast, and the Catskills welcomed Jewish families.
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Horatio Robinson, "Who put this feather snake in my suitcase? My new jacket's covered with whiskers."
Patti Robinson, "Oh, Melba, dear. Why don't you go and see what we're going to have for dinner." Melba Robinson, "I already know - sauerkraut and pig's knuckles."
Horatio, helping wife Katherine lace her corset, "All right, Katie. One, two, three, inhale. There! Every summer it gets a little more difficult. Oh, not that you're gaining weight, my dear. It's that I'm losing muscle."
Patti, "I guess there's nothing left for me to do but become a missionary." Druggist, as he serves her a strawberry soda, "Well, you wouldn't wanna do that on an empty stomach. Try this."
Horatio, "Children, I wanna ask you something." McCormick and Ricky Robinson, together, "We didn't do it, Papa, honest." Horatio, "Didn't do what?" McCormick, "Whatever it was."
Katherine Robinson, "Things seem so tragic at your age. But in a few years you'll look back and laugh at the whole thing." Patti, "Laugh? How can a mother say such a thing to her daughter?"
Melba, "With your sniffling and Mama's lecturing, how am I gonna get through the night?"
Horatio, "I don't think you know anything about bringing up my children." Katherine, "Oh, you don't?" Horatio, "No!" Katherine, "I suppose that little redhead could've done better." Horatio, "What little redhead?" Katherine, "So! There was more than one!"
Billy Finlay, "Yeah, I guess one room is kinda small when two people aren't speaking."
Billy, "When I served dinner last night, your mother asked me to ask your father to ask your brother to pass the gravy."
Patti, "It's all because Mama won't let me grow up. She won't let the way I look outside catch up with the way I feel inside."
Katherine, "Why, there's Patti. And that's my best dress." Horatio, to McCormick, "Tell Mama it was." McCormick, to Ricky, "It was." Ricky to Mama, "It was."
McCormick, "What's she got, lockjaw?"
Mr. Finlay, "Imagine, one kiss causing such complete paralysis." Horatio, "Mind your own business." Pointing to Billy, "You buy that man some pants."
But, this one is a dandy, and the coming of age is "the issue" around which the plot unfolds. Jane Powell plays Patti Robinson, the female who is coming of age, and Carleton Carpenter plays Billy Finlay, the male who is coming of age. Besides these two characters, this film is loaded with young talented singers and dancers, and with a cast of wonderful performances, young and old. Ricardo Montalban, though a very good actor overall and in this role, just seemed a curious choice to play the male lead, Demi Armendez. He was 41 when the film was made, and even makeup can't quite make him look too much younger.
Right behind Patti, who is 17 in this movie, is her sis, Melba, played by Debbie Reynolds. She is 15. She and Patti are in a one-way romantic triangle with Finlay. Melba pines for Billy, who pines for Patti, who pines for someone else, so long as it's not Billy.
Both female singers play their younger roles especially well. Believe it or not, Powell and Reynolds have the same birthday - April 1, three years apart. Powell was 21 when the film was made, and plays a 17-year- old. Reynolds was 18, and plays a 15-year-old. They carry it off very nicely and believably. The two starlets became close friends for life, and made two more musical comedies together. They played sisters again in the 1954 movie, "Athena," and were paired as friends in the smash hit, "Hit the Deck" with Tony Martin and others.
When I first wrote this review, both actresses were still living. Both had good careers in film and on television. Powell's soprano singing roles faded by the end of the 50s, and Reynolds' singing roles ended with the 60s. Both would sing in some of their TV appearances later, and Reynolds especially had a much more full acting career, mostly in comedy. All of Powell's musical comedies were superb films. Her biggest hit, beside her pairings with Reynolds, was "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" in 1954. Reynolds had major hits with "Singin' in the Rain" in 1957, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" in 1964, and "The Singing Nun" in 1967. She had her own TV variety show in 1969-70.
"Two Weeks with Love" is a fun, warm and funny movie that the whole family will enjoy. Reynolds is especially good in her role, and the supporting players all are very good. Two fine performers who were leading actors in their prime play the Robinson parents. Horatio and Katherine. Louis Calhern adds some fun comedy, and Ann Harding learns to loosen the apron strings for her grown up daughter.
It's a hilarious two-week vacation for the Robinson family at Kissimeee in the Catskills. And, it provides a look at a place and time in history - the Catskill Mountains, 100 miles NW of the Big Apple. From the 19th to mid-20th centuries, the area was known as the Borscht Belt. Anti-Semitism was strong in the Northeast, and the Catskills welcomed Jewish families.
Here are some favorite lines from this film.
Horatio Robinson, "Who put this feather snake in my suitcase? My new jacket's covered with whiskers."
Patti Robinson, "Oh, Melba, dear. Why don't you go and see what we're going to have for dinner." Melba Robinson, "I already know - sauerkraut and pig's knuckles."
Horatio, helping wife Katherine lace her corset, "All right, Katie. One, two, three, inhale. There! Every summer it gets a little more difficult. Oh, not that you're gaining weight, my dear. It's that I'm losing muscle."
Patti, "I guess there's nothing left for me to do but become a missionary." Druggist, as he serves her a strawberry soda, "Well, you wouldn't wanna do that on an empty stomach. Try this."
Horatio, "Children, I wanna ask you something." McCormick and Ricky Robinson, together, "We didn't do it, Papa, honest." Horatio, "Didn't do what?" McCormick, "Whatever it was."
Katherine Robinson, "Things seem so tragic at your age. But in a few years you'll look back and laugh at the whole thing." Patti, "Laugh? How can a mother say such a thing to her daughter?"
Melba, "With your sniffling and Mama's lecturing, how am I gonna get through the night?"
Horatio, "I don't think you know anything about bringing up my children." Katherine, "Oh, you don't?" Horatio, "No!" Katherine, "I suppose that little redhead could've done better." Horatio, "What little redhead?" Katherine, "So! There was more than one!"
Billy Finlay, "Yeah, I guess one room is kinda small when two people aren't speaking."
Billy, "When I served dinner last night, your mother asked me to ask your father to ask your brother to pass the gravy."
Patti, "It's all because Mama won't let me grow up. She won't let the way I look outside catch up with the way I feel inside."
Katherine, "Why, there's Patti. And that's my best dress." Horatio, to McCormick, "Tell Mama it was." McCormick, to Ricky, "It was." Ricky to Mama, "It was."
McCormick, "What's she got, lockjaw?"
Mr. Finlay, "Imagine, one kiss causing such complete paralysis." Horatio, "Mind your own business." Pointing to Billy, "You buy that man some pants."