Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Sexyloutak Absolutely the worst movie.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

mark.waltz The music of the 1920's takes center stage in a non-musical comedy of growing up in small town America where a studious young girl deals with the romantic struggles of youth. Jeanne Crain is the epitome of comical awkwardness, sharing her story through flashback with her young daughter (Anne E. Todd) who comes across a pair of large bloomers while they are in the attic. The bloomers represent a funny reminder of Crain's past, and while they may look like just a hideous undergarment to her daughter, to Crain, they are the link to how she found romance with her husband and chose him over other admirers.Don't expect Esther Blodgett of "Meet Me in St. Louis" here in Crain's characterization. She's a bit of a geek, the star debater of the school's debate team, and rather shy with the boys who are interested in her. Among them are Alan Young (long before "Mr. Ed") and Conrad Janis (long before "Mork and Mindy"), and when she meets handsome teacher Glenn Langdan, Crain is instantly gaga over him. There's some question to her parental background: she lives with her former suffragette grandmother (a delightful Esther Dale) while her father (Hobart Cavanaugh) lives separately, working for the local mortician. Crain's bashful girl shines briefly on the ice skating rink, even outshining the school's most popular girl (a perky Barbara Lawrence) who has just done some fabulous Sonia Henie moves while on the rink. But as happens later at the school prom, fate takes over, and Crain faces possible humiliation when the unthinkable (at least for a proper young lady in the 1920's) happens.Snippets of some very popular 20's songs are heard, most notably the title song written for the character's wedding, played on a 78 RPM while Crain and her daughter are in the attic, and the beautiful "April Showers". Lawrence gets to warble the amusing "Coffee, a Sandwich, and You". The music doesn't overwhelm the film's plot, so it is inconsequential to the goings on. Hattie McDaniel, in one of her later roles, has a few nice moments as the housekeeper, but she doesn't really get much to do. As America headed out of World War II and into a very cynical future, films like this became rarer and rarer, so historically, they are very memorable as a part of the tougher times. The color photography is beautiful and every other technical detail is impressive as well.

kidboots Jeanne Crain and Gene Tierney, two of the most beautiful stars of the 1940s, were both at the same studio, 20th Century Fox, but now while Tierney has achieved almost cult status, Crain is just a glamorous footnote. Even in the film they made together, "Leave Her to Heaven", while Tierney received an Oscar nomination, Crain was merely beautiful decoration. "Margie" was exactly what fans wanted to see Jeanne in and she was pushed to the top of stardom - her fan mail was second only to Betty Grable's and she received over 2,000 letters a week. The critics praised her freshness and wistfulness, she earned a cover on Life magazine and the movie, a charmingly sentimental journey down memory lane grossed 4.1 million.Tidying up the attic with her daughter (Ann E. Todd) Margie remembers Central High when she was an eager teenager. It was a time of Rudy Vallee, raccoon coats - and bloomers with broken elastic!! Falling bloomers and Margie were constant companions, she was always having to excuse herself and armed with a safety pin find a very quiet corner - until she finds the easiest solution is to just faint!!! It is during one of these "accidents" that she happens to meet the new French teacher Mr. Fontaine (Glen Langan - the "Amazing Colossal Man") in the library. Another of Margie's trials and tribulations (along with her nervous stutter) is her outspoken grandmother (Esther Dale) who keeps chains by the fireside that she used when, many years before, she chained herself to the White House in order to make sure women got the vote. With her bluntness and her oft expressed wish that Margie will someday be President is it any wonder that Margie doesn't get many visitors!!!That leaves Margie lots of time to be champion debator and top of her French class. One of the year's highlights is the Senior debate. It is a deadly affair, as one of the students says "It's like "Old Man River" - it just keeps rolling along" but Margie's inspirational speech on "Why Soldiers Should Keep Out of Nicaragua" is the hit of the evening, especially with her father who eventually makes Nicaragua his life's work!!! The prom provides the dramatic part of the movie. When her faithful beau Roy (Alan Young of "Mr. Ed" fame) finds he can't take her, her grandmother organises that her father will escort her as a surprise. Then Mr. Fontaine arrives with her test results but Margie mistakenly thinks he is her date. Being a 1940s 20th Century Fox Technicolor movie you know what to expect. Margie is pleased as punch to go with her father and after being the Belle of the Ball and yet another fainting fit, is taken home by - her future husband!!!!Barbara Lawrence, better known for "The Street With No Name" played Margie's "friend" Maybelle. There are plenty of old time songs played throughout the movie - "A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich and You", "Avalon", "My Time is Your Time", "I'll See You in My Dreams", "Collegiate", "April Showers" etc often sung by Jeanne Crain although her voice was dubbed by Louanna Hogan.

ruthi-1 I agree absolutely with - Xeresa6 of San Diego,Ca - her synopsis of this movie is gob smack right on! I just wanted to add that I at age 10 years, saw this movie in 1946 with my mom who was a teen in the flapper era and it was a sweet experience to enjoy this film with my mom. She regaled me with her stories of bloomers with broken elastic and safety pins.Young girls today would not really pick up on the chains on the fireplace story without someone older 'walking' them through it. A lot is taken for granted today on the struggles of women not so very long ago to be able to have the right to vote.......we can learn a lot of history from these old movies - but it is wise to also check further into the history to be sure it is portrayed accurately in the film.It is interesting to find out the film was made in Reno NV. It looked so much like the towns in Ohio where I grew up, that's probably one of the reasons why Mom and I connected with the film. What a crass movie industry we have today. It is so hard to find non-violent and non-vulgar stories in the movies today. One can occasionally find a good movie but they are few and far between. I find myself looking to pre-1950 movies more and more. That is sad.

jfwuollet I have looked for the movie in the stores without any success. "Margie" was wholesome and refreshing. Hopefully today the movie industry will produce movies that the family can sit back and enjoy like we did in the mid 40's and 50's.