Girl Crazy

Norman Taurog's 1943 American film follows a pleasure-loving rich young man sent by his father to an all-male college out west. Danny arrives at a place said to have no women, but meets the dean's granddaughter before he even gets there. The real subject is the music. Numbers taken from the Gershwin brothers' stage musical form the body of the film, and the songs are known independently of the story. The closing sequence is a large-scale piece of choreography. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland appear in one of the films they made together; their rapport is typical of studio cinema of the period. The narrative is simple and predictable, and the film does not hide it. Who it's for: those who like classic Hollywood musicals. Who it's not for: viewers looking for narrative depth; the story exists to link the songs.