IT'S always a relief to reach this month of March, for in it we say goodbye to winter. We know that buds will soon be budding and spring will soon be springing. Judging from the pictures on these two pages, spring is the operative word in Rainbow Valley, the setting for Warner- Pathe's spectacular musical Finian's Rainbow, with most of the inhabitants leaping high into the air for sheer joy of living. Not only are the young folk having a fling--Tommy Steele. Petula Clark, Barbara Hancock and Don Francks among them--but also ageless Fred Astaire who's still doing marvellous things with his feet as he nears the seventy mark.
The exhilarating outdoor sports are part of the fun festivities celebrating the betrothal of Sharon (Petula Clark, she's in the tug-of-war) to Woody (Don Francks. winning the sack race) who come lovingly together in the blindfold game. Sharon is the daughter of Finian, an Irish immigrant (Fred Astaire) who has hidden in America's Rainbow Valley a crock of gold stolen from a leprechaun called Og (Tommy Steele). Og spends most of the film trying to get his gold back, while the local grasping senator (Keenan Wynn) tries to get the land in which the gold is hidden.
Finian's Rainbow is full of catchy songs and lively dance routines, and the sports that dominate these pages accompany the number This Time Of The Year. This is but one of five musical numbers in the film composed of numerous action shots that must have taken days to film--a change for veteran Astaire who in his heyday used to shoot a complete dance routine in only two or three camera set-ups.
Finian's Rainbow (which we also featured in our December issue) is one of the happy-go-luckiest films in a long time. It's a glorious sight to see such youthful high spirits on the screen.
Philip Bradford
The exhilarating outdoor sports are part of the fun festivities celebrating the betrothal of Sharon (Petula Clark, she's in the tug-of-war) to Woody (Don Francks. winning the sack race) who come lovingly together in the blindfold game. Sharon is the daughter of Finian, an Irish immigrant (Fred Astaire) who has hidden in America's Rainbow Valley a crock of gold stolen from a leprechaun called Og (Tommy Steele). Og spends most of the film trying to get his gold back, while the local grasping senator (Keenan Wynn) tries to get the land in which the gold is hidden.
Finian's Rainbow is full of catchy songs and lively dance routines, and the sports that dominate these pages accompany the number This Time Of The Year. This is but one of five musical numbers in the film composed of numerous action shots that must have taken days to film--a change for veteran Astaire who in his heyday used to shoot a complete dance routine in only two or three camera set-ups.
Finian's Rainbow (which we also featured in our December issue) is one of the happy-go-luckiest films in a long time. It's a glorious sight to see such youthful high spirits on the screen.
Philip Bradford