Diagonaldi Very well executed

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

scarletminded The quote probably sums up this musical the best. I was looking at Turner Classic Movies and this was on and I didn't know that Xanadu was a remake of this idea though one of the actors states, "I had butterflies in my stomach before, but now they are on roller skates" in a strange prophetic vision to what was to come for this movie.The story is about the same. Muse comes to Earth via a helper, which is odd to me because if she was a Muse and didn't like a play I would assume that she would tell Papa Zeus and he would let the thunderbolts rain down on the production and that would be that. I do like that Terpsichore says Dionysus is her dad (which actually makes sense if you think of Dionysus' pleasure loving characteristics if not true by the book). It was a little hard for me to get past that fact that Terpischore was seen as the Muse of theater and dance, because a couple of the other Muses were theater inspirations too (Thalia, Melpomene,Calliope) but this is nitpicking because I like the myths. The musical portrays that Americans like jazz and hot dogs, while mythology (or old European culture) makes them snore, so the musical director makes a musical where the Muses act like trollops. This leads to some interestingly progressive numbers, like one where the Goddess says she is going to marry two men, then four. I thought this woman-as- bigamist as kind of a cool idea, but one I wouldn't expect in a 40's musical with its standard treating of women. It is hard for me to understand why a Muse needs to not only rely to men, but also a pilot that I guess would be sort of a St. Peter to get her down to Earth (used the title of the movie here, ha) when Gods in mythology could come down whenever they wanted to. They needed no guides. Thought it is interesting to think of a heavenly place where the Gods of the Ancients co-mingle with Christian theology. It is probably another progressive idea that should be explored more since I think Christianity got its idea of heaven from the Greek Gods living on Mt. Olympus. Anyway, as far as musicals go, this one is fine by me. It would probably help if you like Rita Hayworth and/or Greek mythology. The songs are adequate enough, some are better than others to me, like the opening and the great Greco-Roman Reconstructionist middle where the Muse takes us back to a more ritualistic "high brow" time. Then other numbers are not as great like the ending "people are the best" song with people dancing on a playground or even the "Kiss of the Muse" song. Overall, I can see why this was made into Xanadu, because it is sort of a diamond in the rough and in its remake, we got a version with a lot better songs, some of those were big hits. Of course, that was grade A cheese too. I grew up in the 70's and 80's, so I was all into it when I was a kid and there was a movie about a muse coming to Earth. So now, I am also into this lost gem of a movie.

Zipz01 I just saw this film for the first time on TCM this week and was pleasantly surprised. I was attracted to it first because it was a musical and second for the mythical theme. The plot involves Terpsichore (Hayworth) and the muses coming to earth which made me think of the upcoming Broadway Musical version of the cult favorite "Xanadu". I had no idea going in that it is actually a sequel to one of my favorite films "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" which was remade as "Heaven Can Wait" in 1978 starring Warren Beatty and again in 2001 with Chris Rock. This latest version borrowed from this film and was titled "Down to Earth"! Look for James Gleason as Max Corkle and Edward Everett Horton as the fussy Messenger 7013, roles they created in the original film. By the way, there is another link to this film, the 1943 film "Heaven Can Wait" starring Gene Tierney and Don Ameche, but this film had nothing to do with "Here Comes Mr. Jordan."

Noirdame79 After the success of "Gilda", Columbia put their superstar Rita Hayworth in this musical remake of "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". It did well at the box office, although in later years it has been panned by many as silly, far-fetched fare. I personally don't have a problem with it - it's not on par with Rita's earlier musicals, but it is very entertaining. The color is lush, and Hayworth is breathtakingly beautiful, and certainly suited to play the goddess of music and dance, Terpsichore (her singing voice was again dubbed by Anita Ellis), and Larry Parks is adorable as the young Broadway producer who wants so desperately to succeed. George Macready, who played Hayworth's evil spouse in "Gilda" again appears here in a similar role (with comedic undertones) - his office even seems to be the same as in the earlier film. It's also fun to see William Frawley in a small but memorable role. Parks, sadly, had a short-lived career, as it was virtually destroyed by the McCarthy witch hunts. And the romance is touching and even a little tear-inducing. The term "Heavenly Goddess" certainly applies to the lovely Rita. Adele Jergens is also great as the original dancer in the show that Kitty/Terpischore replaces. Not the best Columbia musical, but an off-beat film, and worth watching simply because of the dance sequences, color cinematography and Rita at her most enticing.

t1z2f From the dance fan's perspective this film has one particularly unusual number. The long "Greek Ballet" - end result of Terpsichore's meddling, done in the out-of-town tryout, is a marvelous send-up of Martha Graham and the modern dance movement of the period in general. Very unexpected in a popular star vehicle, particularly because it's fairly long and doesn't really feature Hayworth or Platt very prominently. One wonders how Cole got away with doing it and keeping it in the film. Well worth watching.The contrast with the original "Kiss of the Muse" dance, and the (abbreviated) final show version of the Greek ballet makes an enlightening statement about "highbrow art" vs. entertainment. It's a shame that Adele Jergens didn't get more opportunites to dance in films. She does a marvelous job as the first Terpsichore in the over-the-top "Kiss of the Muse" number. Marc Platt's dance skills were also underutilized - he's in all the numbers, but the choreography don't really make any demands on his skills.