Known as 'The Works' when it first came out, this ludicrously fictionalised biography of Rodgers and Hart cost MGM one of its biggest-ever salary bills. Mickey Rooney, who could hardly have portrayed Hart as the homosexual he was, at least had a good stab at the mercurial nature of the man, and sometimes seems to be asking his audience to be reading between the lines. But you can forget about the story (pure Hollywood schmaltz, expertly produced and melodramatic to the last reel) and wallow instead in the glorious music of the composers. Almost every song, every dance routine is a highspot in the film. But watch out especially for Lena Horne, scorching the screen with Where or When; Cyd Charisse's dazzling dancing dexterity in On Your Toes; Judy Garland - surely the only singer who could be heard above the brass on Johnny One Note; and the razor-slick version of Slaughter on 10th Avenue from Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen.


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