Too much of everything

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Admirable film.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Description and DVD cover at top do not match movie reviewed below

There are a number of musicals out there that deserve more attention. Among them are, "Best Foot Forward", "Two Weeks With Love" and now I can add this version of "One Sunday Afternoon".For the record, I've seen, and love "The Strawberry Blonde". By now you should all know this is basically a remake, by the same director, but in color and music that moves the plot along a bit.We could dwell on the differences, and what could have been included in "one Sunday afternoon" (and yes I love, "And the Band Played On". But now I love the tune, "One Sunday Afternoon" which plays the same role in this film.I was very surprised perhaps most of all to learn that Don DeFore has a fine singing voice. I do wish that Janis Paige was featured a little bit more. She is really a wonderful addition.Don't try to compare James Cagney to Dennis Morgan. Don't try to compare Rita Hayworth to Janis Paige (though I would take Janis Paige). Don't even try to compare Alan Hale Sr. to Alan Hale Jr. (he even mentions a boat trip!)But I do think this is a fine, enjoyable musical of a classic story.But there is one thing better about this film than "the strawberry blonde" and that is Ben Blue as Nick. Now , don't get me wrong, I think George Tobias as Nick in , ''the strawberry blonde" was fine. But Ben Blue really added a nice, buster Keaton like, comedic relief.I purchased the DVD from Warner Archives and had some trouble viewing it on one of my DVD players, and contrary to what the packaging says, I tried it on a DVD recorder and it played fine. Is this , "Oklahoma", "The Music Man", or "Showboat"? No. But it is a movie you probably haven't seen and you may very well enjoy.But that's just the kind of hairpin I am!

How can you outsing, outact and outdance Jimmy Cagney? Maybe you can't. At least Dennis Morgan didn't here in this film with the same characters and basic plot as 1941's Strawberry Blonde. Both films are colorful and feature a lighthearted glimpse at a turn-of-the-century romance, but 'Blonde' trumps 'Sunday' in almost every regard. Can anyone portray a brawling, impish, but lovable Irishman better than Cagney? No, and I am surprised that Director Raoul Walsh and Sunday's producers thought that a mere seven years after the release of Strawberry Blonde, people would forget how great Jimmy really was. There's another problem with this film, too. In both romances, Virginia is the femme-fatale that all men crave, while Amy is a mousy suffragette type that even Biff sees as second-best. In the first film, Virginia is Rita Hayworth and Amy is Olivia DeHavilland, while in the re-make, Virginia is Janis Page and Amy is Dorothy Malone. One can see the wise casting in the original, while in the remake, the ladies are of equal charm and beauty (but neither approaching even DeHavilland's Amy). A bright spot is Don Defore,(later 'Mr. B' of TV's Hazel) who makes the Barnstead role more likable. On its own, One Sunday Afternoon might have seemed an enjoyable B-grade musical, but by comparison, it is severely paled. I wonder why Walsh directed both only seven years apart??

I guess one man's meat is another man's poison--but believe me, this film in no way compares to the original STRAWBERRY BLONDE ('41) that starred James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland and Rita Hayworth.Not even the addition of gorgeous technicolor can make up for this lackluster telling of the dentist (Dennis Morgan) who marries a nice girl (Dorothy Malone) but can't forget his ill-fated romance with the town flirt (Janis Paige) and her crooked husband (Don deFore). These are all perfectly amiable screen personalities but they just don't deliver the socko performances of Cagney, de Havilland and Hayworth.Trust me, rent the video of STRAWBERRY BLONDE and see the difference!! This should have been a real charmer but it just falls flat--and Dennis Morgan is no replacement for James Cagney as Biff Grimes.The picture is as artificial as a turn-of-the-century postcard and the music is as banal as the script. Terribly disappointing.