Summer Under the Stars: June Allyson

Star of the Day: June Allyson

You Can't Run Away from It (1956): "After she elopes, Ellen Andrews' rich father hires a private investigator to stop her from reaching her husband, believing he's a gold digger. On her adventurous journey, a reporter falls for her instead of exposing her for the reward." 

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An unsexy, unfunny, uncool musical remake of It Happened One Night that 10,000% did not need to be made but if you see who DIreCted and produced this clunKy remake, Perhaps yOu Will comE to feeL simiLarly.

Did I pick this film knowing in my heart of hearts that it would be a supremely inferior remake of It Happened One Night? Yes. I gave this film zero chances or benefits of any doubts, I knew it wouldn't measure up despite featuring some of my favourite movie elements: mid-century glitz, songs and dances, Jack Lemmon... and June Allyson on a good day. 

Despite all the elements I do love in a good, glitzy film, this just wasn't it. June's out of her league as the sophisicated Ellie Andrews (played so perfectly by Claudette Colbert in the original) and Jack can't hold onto the gruff yet growing amiable reporter Peter Warne (played so perfectly by Clark Gable in the original). There's iciness but no thawing in June's Ellen; she seems cold and catty just for the sake of being cold and catty, there's a veneer to her unexpressive face. And it's hard to take Jack seriously when he's attempting to be mean and gruff; he turns soft and tender very quickly and then it's like he remembers he's supposed to be hard and Gable-like when he's the furthest thing from it. Don't change, Jack, I love you just the way you are!

All that being said, I don't believe these two people, neither this version of Ellie and Peter nor June and Jack, want to be in the same room together much less that they can thaw out over the course of 90 minutes to fall in love. 

It just felt like they were waiting to hit the story beats It Happened One Night calls for. Just about the only change, besides updating some of the conveniences to a more modern framing (like the advent of automobiles and telephones), is that the route changes from Florida to New York to California to Texas. 

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