Reviews

Being the theater freak that I am, I love to watch movies, especially the musicals! "Carousel" is definitely one of my favorites, with Shirley Jones and Gordon McRae pairing up again in another love story. The story line is terrific, although I have to admit that the ending totally bugged me! I really thought that Billy Biggelow should have let Julie see him when he came back down to Earth. Although you could tell that Julie felt his presence then, I still think it would have been a stronger, happier ending if they had seen each other. Many of you probably disagree, but I really thought they should have seen each other one last time.

The music in "Carousel" is great! From the cheerful number, "June is Bustin' Out All Over," to the movie's finale, "You'll Never Walk Alone," all of the songs featured in this movie are well performed. Shirley Jones' rendition of "What's the Use of Wonderin'" was just as well done as her performance of "Many A New Day," in "Oklahoma!" (1955) Her character, Julie Jordan, was portrayed very well by the young Shirley Jones.

Gordon McRae also portrayed his character well, the carousel-barker Billy Biggelow, whose life came to an end after falling upon his knife while attempting to rob someone with his sidekick, Jigger. He was sweet and sensitive in the appropriate parts, and rough and boisterous in others. Although he didn't admit it until his death, you could tell throughout the entire film that he really did love Julie Jordan. Their duet "If I Loved You," was similar to "People Will Say We're in Love," from "Oklahoma!", but it also had its own personality.

As for supporting actors, the actors who portrayed Cousin Nettie, Carrie Pipperidge, and Enoch Snow, did an excellent job becoming the character and bringing their roles to life. Without the help of these smaller roles, the movie wouldn't have been as well done.

This film is great for laughs, smiles, and tears, and a definite winner if you love musicals. You definitely want to see this movie soon...trust me, you'll love it too!

I loved the books growing up, and I loved the movies when I was younger. But while flipping channels, I stopped upon the show playing as a rerun on the Disney channel, and I realized how truly corny and fake the show is! I mean, the girls are supposed to be 13, and a lot of them look a heck of a lot closer to 17 or 18. Their friendships don't seem real, like the girls really know each other, and they just do a lot of giggling and acting ditzy to detract from that. The plots were usually pretty good, but the acting was pretty bad. No wonder none of these actresses made it big...the Baby-sitters Club really didn't give them a chance to show off talent!

This is the best movie! I loved it...I could watch it over and over again! The music, the acting, the choreography...it's all fantastic! I first saw this movie about four years ago, and within the first 5 minutes, I was hooked, wondering if Laurey would choose Jud or Curly, if Ado Annie would choose Ali Hakim or Will, or if Curly would choose Laurey or Gertie! I think Gordon McRae did an an awesome job portraying Curly, and I strongly believe that probably no one in this world could play the part of Curly with all of the energy and enthusiasm Gordon McRae had. Shirley Jones, for being only 19 in this film, did a beautiful job playing Laurey. She sang like a bird, performed the part wonderfully, and really became the character. Strong performances by Rod Steiger, Gloria Grahame, Eddie Albert, Charlotte Greenwood, and Gene Nelson also added life and enthusiasm to the film. This superb cast made Oklahoma! one of the best movies of all time, in my opinion. With the wonderful choreography, great cast, and terrific direction of Rodgers and Hammerstein, this movie is a definite 10!