September 6th: YOLANDA AND THE THIEF (Vincente Minnelli, 1945)

A con artist pretends to be a young woman's guardian angel in order to steal her fortune.

Arthur Freed worked vaudeville in the early 1900s, on stage and as a songwriter, and was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to work on songs for musicals. An associate producer's role on The Wizard of Oz led to him being put in charge of a new musical unit at the studio (a post he would hold for over 30 years). Freed acquired an impressive roster of talent in front of and behind the camera, giving many of them an unprecedented level of creative control.

One of Freed's closest collaborators was Vincente Minnelli, a former theater designer and director who had already helmed the hit Meet Me In St. Louis for the studio. Minnelli had long been interested in creating a fantasy story for film, and Freed purchased the rights to a short story by writer Ludwig Bemelmans, creator of the Madeline series of children's books. The author himself was brought on board to help adapt his own story.

To star in the film, Freed cast legendary dancer Fred Astaire, recently acquired by MGM from another studio. He had already worked with Freed and Minnelli on the anthology musical Zigfield Follies, which was still in the middle of a long production process. Starring opposite Astaire is Lucille Bremer, a former Rockette dancer fresh off appearing in Minnelli's Meet Me In St. Louis. The cast also includes Leon Ames (also from Meet Me In St. Louis), Mildred Natwick (a regular favorite of director John Ford), and Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz).

Minnelli threw himself into the design of the film, working with the esteemed Cedric Gibbons (who had already received 18 of his eventual 38 Oscar nominations). They drew from various fine art sources, particularly the surrealist work of Salvador Dali for the epic "Dream Ballet", a 15-minute centerpiece that was first in a series of ambitious showstopping numbers in Freed musicals. The colorful costumes were designed by Irene Sharaff (West Side Story, An American In Paris).

Astaire was skeptical of what he viewed as the production's pretentious pursuit of film art, but asked choreographer Eugene Loring to create innovative numbers for him to dance. The music and lyrics were provided by Freed and Harry Warren, the latter a pioneering composer of songs for film and collaborator of Busby Berkeley (42nd Street).

The film received a mixed critical reception and was viewed as overly indulgent. It failed to make back its budget at the box office, but Freed and Minnelli would quickly rebound and continue to bolster MGM's musical reputation. Yolanda and the Thief is now a cult classic and viewed as an example of the full talents of the technicians in Freed's department.

Running time is approx. 1 hr, 45 min.