Dear Mark, every foot of film with Louis Armstrong in it should be revered, but the film is really irritating to me. The Philadelphia Story is about rich people, but it makes fun of them, or makes them human. Philip Barry was a fine craftsman. High Society does nothing with this; his deft comedy is turned to dust. Also perhaps having Louis around, even treated decently (as this film sort of does to some marginal credit), makes one tire very quickly of all these rich talented white folks.
The songs are fine. The songs in "Oklahoma" are fine, the show is terrific, the movie stinks. The songs in "Carousel" are wonderful, the show is terrific, and the movie is a disaster (Don't get me started on Gordon McRae and Shirley Jones -- the whitebread twins). South Pacific! On The Town! Guys and Dolls!!!! (grim travesties all!) . Sorry, where was I?
Yours, Peter T.