Opened: March 20, 1953

Directed by: Don Weis

Starring: Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Una Merkel, Richard Anderson, Allyn Joslyn, Les Tremayne, Noreen Corcoran, Jim Backus, Barbara Ruick & Robert Taylor

Reuniting Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor a year after their triumphant Singin’ in the Rain, I Love Melvin features great musical numbers but doesn’t have the story to back it up.

Judy LeRoy (Reynolds) is playing a human football on Broadway but dreams of becoming a Hollywood actress. She meets photographer Melvin Hoover (O’Connor), who says he can help her get her break by putting her on the cover of Look magazine.

Reynolds and O’Connor already had a good rapport, so their chemistry in the film is fantastic. Reynolds perfectly plays the ingenue, and both have memorable dance numbers.

However, you’d realize there’s almost no storyline if you were to remove the musical numbers. And one number with O’Connor hasn’t aged well due to insulting cultural generalizations. Unfortunately, it’s a product of its time.

Final say: I mostly love Melvin. ★★★☆☆