Judy
was already a six-year veteran of the screen when she starred with Gene
Kelly in 1942's For Me and My Gal. It was 30-year-old Kelly's first
film, and "old-pro" Judy was an immense help to him as he was learning
the ins and outs of movie-making, a fact he never forgot. Judy was
also glad of the opportunity, at the age of 20, to have a role as an adult,
playing opposite a man, not a teenager.
For Me and My Gal is a sentimental
treatment of vaudeville performers at the outbreak of WWI, but its banal
qualities are somewhat overcome by the musical numbers -- eighteen in all
-- including such standards as "Oh, You Beautiful Doll", "Till We Meet
Again", and "After You've Gone." And, of course, the stars' rendition
of the title song is infinitely watchable.