One For All and All For One, Gene Kelly Style

Posted by medusamorlock on April 2, 2009

Poster for MGM's 1948 "The Three Musketeers"

I was all set to write up Part 2 of my German movie star postcard research when I noticed that one of my favorite MGM movies is playing tonight at midnight! It’s the 1948 all-star version of Alexandre Dumas’ classic adventure novel The Three Musketeers, a boisterous, color-saturated, ornate, probably over-produced but immensely entertaining MGM extravaganza, starring the studio’s reigning musical star Gene Kelly as the wanna-be musketeer D’Artagnan. I’m sure everybody has their own favorite cinematic interpretation of Dumas’ story — whether you like Oliver Reed, Keifer Sutherland or even the Ritz Brothers, you can find something suitable — but the zippy and good-natured MGM version does it for me. Literary accuracy aside, I don’t think you can beat Kelly’s hilarious interpretation for pure fun.

I was so crazy about the movie when I first saw it as a teen that I was thrilled to find a beautiful UK-published novel illustrated with stills from the film back then, and it’s still one of my prized possessions. It’s a lovely volume, naturally not the whole Dumas book but still copiously filled with scenes from the movie and also some large colored photos which might be even more garish than the onscreen Technicolor. When I say all-star, it’s no exaggeration. Gene Kelly as D’Artagnan, Lana Turner as Lady de Winter, June Allyson as Constance, Van Heflin as Athos, Angela Lansbury as the Queen, Vincent Price as Richelieu, Keenan Wynn as D’Artagnan’s servant, Frank Morgan as the King, Gig Young as Porthos, and so on. MGM gathered up every star they could and spared no expense in outfitting them in extremely elaborate costumes (designed by Walter Plunkett), offering them fencing lessons if they were going to have to swordfight and historic eating lessons if they were going to have to tear apart roast chicken with their digits.

Gene Kelly as D'Artagnan

Director George Sidney could barely contain Gene Kelly’s onscreen exuberance. Kelly’s physical prowess and athletic abilities pushed his performance into Douglas Fairbanks territory, though Kelly himself didn’t think he quite captured the silent star’s perfect take on the role. I’d say Kelly is his own delight, with his disarming grin and frankly comedic double takes that might strike some as overdone, but are wonderful in context. His ease with difficult stunts and completely impressive and elaborately choreographed swordplay is admirable, and the sense of fun — much like what Jackie Chan injects into his martial arts action sequences — doesn’t detract from the pure excitement of the fencing.

Fencing Action Sequence with Gene Kelly

The Three Musketeers would be, I imagine, a terrific introduction to the genre for younger audiences, though they might nod off during scenes featuring Lana Turner’s icy beauty or small talk at the court. Once Kelly takes to the screen, though, you can’t take your eyes off the movie. Add to that the quite familiar Tschaikovsky melodies used throughout the movie, and it all feels quite right and you’re set for enjoyment.

What better way to convey some of the charm of the movie than by showing some of the illustrations from that book of mine? I hadn’t looked at it in a while, and was really amazed to see how many scenes from the movie had been used. Nearly one hundred, and this wasn’t the only movie book the publisher put out. Wouldn’t it be great to have some of the others, like their The Adventures of Robin Hood? But anyway, here are a few of the delights contained within The Three Musketeers:

Front of "The Three Musketeers" book

Title Page for "The Three Musketeers"

John Sutton, June Allyson and Gene Kelly

Frenchmen in the Castle!

Vincent Price as Richelieu -- Suave, non?

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9 Responses One For All and All For One, Gene Kelly Style

Posted By john august smith : April 3, 2009 10:24 am

They dont make movies like this anymore! mores the pity. If you had to find an example of how MGM made movies this would be an excellent example.

Posted By moirafinnie : April 3, 2009 11:52 am

Once again, I love the illustrations you’ve included in your appreciation of this MGM version of The Three Musketeers.

I caught it only a few years ago for the first time and found myself grinning whenever Gene Kelly threatened to take off from the confines of the script with his really delightful athletic and balletic shenanigans in what he called “a Western with plumes.” Btw, do you know if, as sometimes reported, that this version of the Dumas story was originally planned as a musical, but the box office failure of “The Pirate” affected those plans?

One other aspect of this movie that is splendidly done but rarely seems to be mentioned: Lana Turner is really good as Lady de Winter. This part and her troubled ingenue role in Johnny Eager(1942) are probably the two times I completely enjoyed seeing Turner strut her stuff!

Posted By Jenni : April 3, 2009 12:27 pm

A timely post as I have one chapter to go and I can say I have read The Three Musketeers. I am encourgaging my husband to read it, it is a great story. MGM’s version is pretty accurate, but a few changes from Dumas’s novel I did notice. The main change is that in the book,Constance(D’Artagnon’s lady love,) is stuck in a loveless marriage to D’Artagnon’s landlord. I think MGM made her a sister to the landlord. Lana Turner is good as Milady, or the evil Lady de Winter, and here is my other quibble. Milady, in the book is blonde but described as tall. Could the studio have recast the part with Angela Lansbury as the villainess-I have every confidence she could have acted that part with excellence-and cast Lana as the queen. Also, Frank Morgan was too old to be King Louis. He and his queen were much closer in age. Granted, the part is a small one, but Robert Young, Van Johnson, put a wig and beard on them and they could have been a more accurate King of France! I do like this version,but I am going to soon scout for the version done in the 1970s starring Michael York, Faye Dunaway, Charlton Heston, and Oliver Reed.

Posted By medusamorlock : April 3, 2009 3:27 pm

Moira, we’ll have to do more research about that musical rumor — I’ve heard it, too. I guess we’ll have to content ourselves with the songs in the Don Ameche/Ritz Brothers 1939 version, which is actually pretty good!

My favorite unproduced Kelly vehicle would be the Huckleberry Finn that Vincente Minnelli was supposed to have done in the late 1950s, with Kelly and Danny Kaye as the Duke and the Doge. I think I read about that in Minnelli’s book.

Yes, Lana is quite effective in the movie. Nothing like the prospect of getting your head chopped off to bring out the best in an actress! :-)

Posted By Suzi Doll : April 3, 2009 6:10 pm

Medusa:

You have the best visuals for your posts of all the Morlocks. I was ogling the stamps in RHSmith’s post, but I think you have him beat!

Posted By Al Lowe : April 4, 2009 11:18 am

Angela Lansbury would no doubt agree with Jenni and her comments.

According to one reference book she fought for the part of Milady but Louie B. Mayer made her play Queen Anne instead.

Someone, please, correct me if I’m wrong, but Lana was one of the few surviving MGM stars who never appeared on Murder She Wrote. Janet Leigh, June Allyson, Van Johnson and others did.

As for June Allyson, she was once asked if she would like to see any of her movies destroyed. “Yes,” she answered quickly. “The Three Musketeers.” (I would have picked Battle Circus but maybe that’s just me.)

Van Heflin had just spent three years as a combat cameraman with the Ninth Air Force during World War II and this assignment must have seemed like unbelievable Hollywood hokum.

As for Gene Kelly he distrusted horses and found the film hard to make for that reason. I heard his last wife say that when she was interviewed by high school kids three or four years ago. Remember, I live in good old Pittsburgh, Kelly’s hometown.

I don’t know about her acting chops but in this film and Postman Always Rings Twice Lana looked more beautiful than probably any woman alive in America at that time. (Although, to be fair, I wasn’t around at that time.)

When people talk about the MGM all star movies they mention Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight or Bad and the Beautiful. They forget all about this one.

Thanks for the post.

Posted By Jenni : April 4, 2009 4:40 pm

Al,
Thanks for your info! I never guessed that Angela Lansbury wanted to play Milady. L.B. probably nixed it due to Lana being a bigger star/box office draw, at the time, than Angela was.

Posted By medusamorlock : April 4, 2009 8:36 pm

Al, you are correct. Lana never was on “Murder She Wrote”. “Love Boat” but no “MSW”.

Posted By s.w.a.c. : April 7, 2009 9:03 pm

I once got to have lunch with Daniel Mayer Selznick (grandson of Louis B., son of David O.) and he told me of one of his early visits to the MGM lot as a kid and getting to hang out in Lana Turner’s trailer after she took a shine to him (he was the boss’s grandkid, after all). Lucky devil.

Still haven’t actually seen this version of the oft-filmed story, but that Vincent Price image is fantastic! I really need to see this sometime…

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