Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

One of my all-time favorite musicals, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers stars Howard Keel and Jane Powell. The 1954 film has seven brothers searching for brides in the Oregon Territory, 1850. Worth watching for the smashing musical numbers, such as "Sobbin' Women," "Going Courtin'" and "When You're in Love." The barn raising dance sequence and the "Lonesome Polecat" choreography are simply stunning.

As I write this, my children are sitting on the couch watching this movie for the second time. All four are enraptured with the music and dancing--I'm sure much of the plot escapes them.

I remember watching this as a young girl and loving every minute. There's something almost magical about the obviously non-farm set and men who love to dance.

When I compare this film to movies aimed at children today, such as Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel, there's really no comparison. Even at its worst, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers stands tall above the animated and non-animated fare for children.

For two girls who want to marry princes when they grow up, this represents a fairy tale come true for seven maidens who find their princes in backwoodsmen who know their way around a song and the dance floor, even if that dance floor is an unfinished barn.

My three-year-old son's favorite part was "when the horses were running," so I guess my next classic movie ought by all rights be a western with lots of running horses.

What is the Movie Classics Project?

For anyone who loves movies, introducing films to your children can be a particularly rewarding experience. Now that my two oldest children are in elementary school, I realized that now was the ideal time to start their movie classics education.

When I was child in the mid-1970s, I wasn't allowed to watch network TV. Back then, cable channels had little original programming, and most fare was old black-and-white 1930s and 1940s movies, as well as plenty of splashy and colorful musicals. I feasted on watching Cary Grant, John Ford Westerns, screwball comedies, Fred and Ginger, Hollywood musicals and other gems.

This blog will comment on the films from the Golden Age of movies and how my children react to seeing such classic movies.