Starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Walter Brennan, Dorothy Gish, Constance Bennett, Cornel Wilde

(6-Good Film)

Well-crafted. Attractive. Light.

Set in the summer of 1876 in Philadelphia, the life of the Rogers’ clan is chronicled in this lightweight musical. With a particular focus on sisters, Julia (Jeanne Crain) and Edith (Linda Darnell), who vie for the same man, newcomer Frenchman, Philippe Lascalles (Cornel Wilde), Centennial Summer boasts a terrific cast. Aside from the leads, Walter Brennan, Constance Bennett, and Dorothy Gish star, and the talented Otto Preminger directs. Centennial Summer will suffer comparisons from anyone who’s seen the fantastic Meet Me in St. Louis. It’s a handsome, likable film without being as endearing as Vincente Minnelli’s classic which inspired it.

-Walter Tyrone Howard-

(692)