Search - Du Barry Was a Lady on DVD

HAVING A BALL WITH LUCY...

scotsladdie | 08/30/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Red plays a hat check boy who's nuts over Lucy, a sassy showgirl who pays him no attention whatsoever. All of this changes when Skelton hits a $75,000 jackpot...Lucy agrees to get engaged to Red although she has a crush on Gene Kelly. Red mistakenly drinks a "mickey finn" which was intended for Kelly - in order to prevent him from attending the engagement party - and the rest of the film is a clever dream sequence with Lucy as Mme.DuBarry, Skelton as a King and Kelly the master of derring-do...Zero Mostel is amusing as the comedy psychic and there's a cute cameo by Lana Turner. While this movie version of the famous Broadway show which starred Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr was completely white-washed in order to pacify the blue-nosed Hays office, this film should at least be a fun-fest for those who love Lucy. Critics were especially harsh on this movie when it was released back in 1943 because the original show was bawdy, risque and totally charming: however, Lucy fans will be astonished at how gorgeous she looks here."

Fun musical

inframan | the lower depths | 01/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great cast! Red, Lucy, Gene & a young & (relatively) slender & hirsute Zero Mostel! Plus the great inimitable Virginia O'Brien, queen of deadpan plus Tommy Dorsey & his orchestra, Dick Haymes, the Pied Pipers. How could it go wrong? Well, it could have retained more of the original Cole Porter score, bujt that's Hollywood & the plot is standard Hollywood formula as well. You could replay it with Bob Hope or Danny Kaye & it would come out virtually the same. But I'm glad it was Red, because as this movie demonstrates, he was a naturally funny - make that VERY FUNNY - man, possibly the funniest comic of all."

A Beautiful Movie

Michael Puckett | Little Rock, AR United States | 12/19/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Now don't get me wrong, `Dubarry Was A Lady' Is not the best Movie Musical I 've ever seen, but it is one of the prettiest. I can't figure out how they where able to achieve such a creamy coloration in the film but the rich pastels used on the sets and costumes are just stunning.There are some wonderful big band numbers with Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, featuring Dick Haymes. And there is a campy `Salmome' number by the wonderful Virginia O'Brien that is worth watching the entire movie for. Red Skelton has a good time with his duel role, and Gene Kelly looks great and does one nice dance routine, but he mostly sits around mooning over Lucille Ball. Speaking of Lucille Ball, this was her big debut at MGM, and MGM's first full Techincolor musical. The glamour department certainly did it's job on Lucy's tranformation from RKO frump, to MGM siren, she looks incredible! Her firey red hair and trim figure were perfectly set off by the beautiful contemporary costumes, and she looks great in the powdered wigs, and period costumes as well!Give it a look, you will be entertained!"

A great musical comedy

Kaji | 06/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was funny, fun costumes, great songs. You could tell why Red Skelton wasn't famous for his singing, but he still did a great job. And watching "I Love Lucy" for years, hearing Lucielle Ball sing in this (at the beginning), it's hard for me believe that that's her voice. I'm not sure. I think it is, but like I said, it's hard to believe. At the end, you KNOW it's her. Gene Kelly has a somewhat small role in this movie, but he's still the wonderful song and dance guy we know so well. My favorite songs are Red Skelton's song: "Esquire Girl", and I believe Virginia O'Brien plays Ginny (?) the Cigar and Cigarette Girl's song "Salomi" that's a fun one to listen to too. It's not my favorite movie, but it's a great one."