Good News

Now despite the fact that just about everyone here is at least five years older than their college comedy characters, this is still quite a fun outing for June Allyson and Peter Lawford. She is "Connie", a school librarian with a penchant for French who is keen on Lawford's "Tommy". He's the school heart-throb; the son of a millionaire pickled cucumber farmer and hooked up with the obviously gold-digging "Pat" (Patricia Marshall). She's resigned to never getting her man but when his grades start to compromise his abilities to play ball, she is drafted into help him tell his fils from his femme, and of course true love takes it's course - turbulent as that undoubtedly is. There is one scene towards the end with Allyson, Marshall and the scene-stealing housekeeper "Cora" (Connie Gilchrist) that more than compensates for the cheesiness of the whole thing and for the lack of decent songs from the usually reliable Comden and Green - including their "Pass That Peace Pipe" number that sort of snuffed itself out. That said, though, there's still an opportunity for soon to be arch-crooner Mel Tormé to deliver my only memorable song in the ensemble effort "The Best Things in Life are Free". It's very light and fluffy, and with some other fun contributions from Donald MacBride as their wise-cracking football coach; Loren Tindall as the nice but dim muscle-man "Beef" and the enthusiastic Ray McDonald's "Bobby" there's quite a lot to like for a ninety minutes that might just have well been on stage as a screen. Does June Allyson ever stop grinning?