Vintage Babe Mitzi Gaynor in "Anything Goes," 1956

Mitzi Gaynor

Last night I watched "Anything Goes" for free on Google, a musical comedy made in 1956.  It starred Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, Zizi Jeanmaire and Phil Harris.  The film was in gorgeous technicolor and appeared unfaded by the passage of 58 years.  Maybe they restored it, I don't know.

Most impressive was Mitzi Gaynor.  She was one very gorgeous young woman, and she is still alive in 2014, now age 83.  I was impressed with her uniquely beautiful face, her voice, and most of all, her sizzling hot legs.  Pardon me while I howl.

Zizi Jeanmaire was a ballet dancer and French actress.  She was okay, but I was not blown away.  She is still alive at age 90.

Unfortunately, the great Bing Crosby and the talented Donald O'Connor are no longer with us.

1956 is one of my favorite years.  Yes, I remember it, though I was only 11 years old.  The musicals of that time generally had a lot of sophomoric slapstick humor that wasn't funny, and "Anything Goes" was no exception.  There was usually a dream sequence, where one of the dancing artists pranced and danced around the stage, insulting our intelligence more than entertaining us.  Zizi Jeanmaire gets the task in this film, and the number was awful. The ending dance number featured all the stars and a troop of dancers, all dressed in unisex black, tight fitting suits, each one with a black derby with white wings on the crown, like the god Mercury.  The men looked silly and the women about as sexy as a drain pipe.  What on earth were they thinking?

Mitzi "Legs" Gaynor

In spite of the silliness, the four stars did a credible job of acting. The best song and dance number was the opening one, with Mitzi Gaynor dancing and singing the song "Anything Goes."  The rest are forgettable.

One of the best aspects of the film, for me, was the fashions of 1956.  Men in suits and ties, fedora hats.  Donald O'Connor looked quite spiffy in a powder blue sweater over his shirt and tie.  The ladies' fashions were generally beautiful, especially the decolletage of the lovely Mitzi Gaynor.