One of Warner Bros' better 1950s melodramas, "Marjorie Morningstar" stars Natalie Wood as a Marjorie Morgenstern, a young Jew growing up in New York City. Marjorie wishes to be a dancer and artist, but her strict parents desire for her to embark upon a more "safe" and "practical" future. Marry a doctor, they say, get a proper career.Marjorie, of course, does the opposite. On the cusp of womanhood, and bubbling with pent up sexual energy, she travels to a summer camp. Here she meets Noel Airman (Gene Kelly), a dancer and social director whom she falls instantly in love with. Noel adores Marjorie too, but is hesitant to take things further. They're too different - she too young and he a failed artist - and so he insists that their relationship be scuttled. Marjorie attempts to convince him otherwise, but to no avail. She then abides by her parents wishes and hooks up with a "safe", "stable" and "successful" young man.The film doesn't pass judgement on either Noel or Marjorie. Indeed, it pities them both. Noel tries to mould himself into the image of a "successful man" - he gets a job in advertising, capitalism's playpen for wannabe artists – but it's no use. He drops out and heads to Europe and then Mexico. Marjorie, meanwhile, becomes trapped in the very social roles she hoped to avoid."Marjorie Morningstar" was directed by Irving Rapper. The film's too long, features too many Jewish stereotypes and modern audiences will no doubt find it somewhat obvious. Nevertheless, it's a good example of the kinds of ambitious melodramas (Vincente Minnelli, Nicholas Ray etc) which were being produced in the era.Incidentally, this was one of the legendary Gene Kelly's last serious roles. He does well, portraying deep insecurities behind much sexiness and raw physicality. This was also one of Natalie Wood's earliest adult roles. She's as beautiful as ever - and Rapper knows it, first revealing her in a state of semi-undress - and enlivens what is otherwise a typical "Jewish princess" role. Wood would herself star in a number of films which were unconsciously about a then brewing sexual revolution. "Marjorie Morningstar's" plot, for example, echoes the plot of Wood's "Splendour in the Grass", which sees Wood playing a young girl in small town Kansas who struggles to reconcile promiscuity and conservative, social mores. "Love With The Proper Stranger", meanwhile, saw Wood playing a woman who struggles with sex out of wedlock, "This Property is Condemned" finds her playing a young woman who is essentially used as a prostitute by her mother, and Wood's "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice" sees her playing a upper class woman who embraces sexual orgies and the free love, hippie ethos.8/10 – Worth one viewing.

This film teams an ageing Gene Kelly with the young Natalie Wood, in a tale that begins and ends at summer camp, where nice Jewish girl Marjorie Morningstern falls for the vain Noel Airman, a song and dance man stick in a rut.It is a good film, with a supporting cast which includes Ed Wynn, Carolyn Jones, and Martin Balsam. The musical theme throughout, A Very Precious Love, grounds it as a first love fairytale, but I think sympathies will still be split between the rather shallow but naive Marjorie and the immature Noel.A true period piece which brings both laughter and tears, this film showcases Natalie Wood's talents just as Inside Daisy Clover did. Gene Kelly, although good, is too old and a bit miscast - a younger actor might have brought the right nuances of the character, although I doubt they would have done it with such charm.

Marjorie Morningstar has integrity - she turns down a part in a Broadway play because the writer has a crush on her and doesn't require her to audition.Although she desperately wants to be in the theatre she is not willing to adopt the "easy come - easy go" attitude to sexual relationships that seems to be the norm in that milieu.She wants to be a success on her own terms. Whilst working at a Summer Camp she falls under the spell of a Svengali - like theatre director,a big fish in a small pond.Through rose - coloured glasses she sees him as some kind of genius,but he is in fact a man of limited talents,a fact that becomes clear when he enters the big time. Eventually she sees through him and is given a chance to a new life and career with the writer who is still carrying a torch for her. That's Showbiz,I guess. The mid 1950s was about the last time when you could make a movie about a JAP with theatrical aspirations going against her parents' wishes. Al Jolson has a lot to answer for. Miss Natalie Wood is just about up to the task as Marjorie Morganstern,nice but dim,pretty but muddle - headed.Her naivety may well be the main attraction for Noel Ehrman(professional name "Airman")played by Mr Gene Kelly.He is a moderately able song and dance man who writes his own material and has a musical "Princess Jones" in his head if he can just get round to it.Girls gather round him "Like moths around a flame" as Miss Dietrich once memorably sang. One of his assistants,Wally,develops a crush on Marjorie that develops into stalker - like proportions. Marjorie's best friend - the worldly wise Marsha - is played with her customary scene - stealing relish by the great Carolyn Jones who clearly has more personality in her little toe than Marjorie does in her whole body and definitely relegates Miss Wood to second place whenever they are on screen together. Eventually Marsha marries a rich "angel" who provides backing for Airman's musical which flops resoundly sending him over the top. Mr Kelly,to put it kindly,never seems happy in his role until the final scene at the Summer Camp when Marjorie,back on a visit to lay a few ghosts,sees him singing to an adoring audience of acolytes.Happy that he has found something he is good at once more,she gets on a bus to go home and is confronted by her stalker,the writer Wally,who smiles at her.Good Grief. Mr Ed Wynn is rather moving when not trying to be funny as her great uncle who has Mr Kelly sussed out as the great seducer he undoubtedly aspires to be and gives him the Gipsy's Warning,posing as a waiter bringing room service to Kelly's bachelor pad. Half a century or so ago,"Marjorie Morningstar" was a big movie.Now it seems to have shrunk somewhat.The garish colour and the corny plot have contributed to its fall from grace,but,most of all,apart from dear old Ed Wynn,it lacks a single sympathetic character.

I find Marjorie Morningstar curiously affecting but I'm not exactly sure why. I must have seen the movie twenty times from its original release in 1958 to 2004. When I first saw it it seemed a coming-of-age movie of a very beautiful New York Jewish girl. It also seemed prissy and prudish. The best thing about the movie was Ed Wynn as Uncle Samson. I felt at the time he gave an Academy Award perfor mance. I still do! When I saw the movie in the 1960s I thought it was the dumbest, squarest most ridiculous movie I'd ever seen. Natalie Wood camping around in clothes her Grand Mother would have been embarrassed to wear. Gene Kelly, [who I used to idolize} looking fat and pale with an obvious rug on. And talk about lack of chemistry! Kelly and Wood acted like they hated each other. Marty Milner was just absurd. Would anyone want to marry this nerd? Within the last five years I've probably seen it ten times and even made a a trip to Schroon Lake, N.Y. where it was filmed and stood on the beach where Kelly and Wood went swimming. I now see the movie in two ways. First, it's about values and once again Ed Wynn seems sensational because he believes in what he is saying. I doubt if any of the other Hollywood cynics believed a word of it.Second, and this has a lot to do with the haunting song, "A Very Special Love" which Kelly keeps singing.It speaks to me of my youth and my Summer loves with a wistfulness that calls me back to a gentler time. I'm sure I'll see this movie again.