An independent feature made at the very, very end of the movie musical's golden age, and the desperation shows. Vera-Ellen, looking unhealthily slim and not dancing much, is a Vermont lass who inherits enough money to fly to Edinburgh, where she keeps running into Tony Martin and is wooed by impoverished lord Robert Flemyng. Martin, looking beefy and well past his leading-man prime, sings everywhere--at airport customs, in a Scottish dining car, at Vera's Vermont bungalow--and the songs, by Nicholas Brodzky and Paul Francis Webster, are neatly integrated enough but not what you'd call exciting. Nor is Henry Levin's direction, and even the Edinburgh location shooting looks rather skimpy. Wan storytelling, no-name supporting cast, so-so songs… No wonder it didn't do well.

After inheriting some money, small Vermont town dancer Vera-Ellen (as Jeannie MacLean) decides to visit Scotland. On the plane, she meets singing Idaho businessman Tony Martin (as Stanley Smith). Romance begins, but things get complicated when she meets dashing Robert Flemyng (as James "Jimmy" MacNairn), a broke English Lord looking for a rich American wife. Meanwhile, Mr. Martin has caught the eye of sexy red-haired Zena Marshall (as Helene). The film's tagline "Tony Rocks 'Em!! Vera Rolls 'Em!!" points to how the two early 1950s stars were being falsely promoted to a new audience, who were not going to find any "Rock 'n' Roll" here. "Let's Be Happy" features nice color and setting.**** Let's Be Happy (5/8/57) Henry Levin ~ Vera-Ellen, Tony Martin, Robert Flemyng, Zena Marshall

Let's Be Happy is a musical film shot in Scotland by a British film company and released in America under the Allied Artist banner. It also has two American stars, Tony Martin and Vera-Ellen and both made their final big screen appearance in this production. Musicals were certainly becoming rarer and rarer on the screen by 1957. If people have followed my reviews on Tony Martin's films, one my criticisms is why he was never teamed with his wife Cyd Charisse in any movie. Cyd was under contract to MGM and Tony did occasional films there as well. Both would move on to the nightclub phase of their careers as their primary venue and they were one of the biggest acts on that circuit for many years. I think Let's Be Happy was created with both of them in mind, but apparently Cyd was otherwise occupied with work at MGM. She did do Silk Stockings that same year over at that much bigger studio. So Vera-Ellen was brought in instead.The story is a slight one and the songs by Nicholas Brodszky and Paul Francis Webster are pretty forgettable, but they're done well as sang by Tony and danced to by Vera-Ellen. She's a Vermont farm girl who gets an inheritance from her grandfather of $5000.00 approximately, kept in a secret compartment because apparently grandfather did not trust banks. And as a good Scots girl, she decides to visit the old country.She meets Tony on the plane and the two seem to hit it off. But along the way an impoverished title played by Robert Flemyng gets the idea that Vera-Ellen is really loaded and in the tradition of European nobility down on its luck, they woo the rich American.Let's Be Happy does boast some really nice cinematography of Edinburgh, a city which definitely believes in keeping its ancient look up for the tourists. It's a pleasant enough 90+ minutes of entertainment, but I do so wish Tony Martin had done this with Cyd Charisse.

A minor musical, to be sure, but some of the dialogue reminds us that things have not changed much. How about the bell boy who, when asked by the hick from Vermont, if she should tip him, says with Scottish reserve: "yes, it has been done.". When Tony Martin, appliance magnate, proposes to Vera Ellen, he ups the ante with "You don't know what you're getting -- a washer that irons!".A musical with bagpipes! A lord who acknowledges that he needs tourist dollars (before he admits that he needs to marry for money), an American that can out-duel a French customs-clerk!How can one not be affected by this innocent charm!?