Great music and terrific dancing certainly make "Anything Goes" (1956) worth watching. The story, screenplay by Sidney Sheldon based on the play by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, is trite, but who cares when Bing Crosby is singing and Donald O €™Connor is dancing. It doesn't hurt that Mitzi Gaynor and Jeanmaire add their considerable talents to the mix.

Bill Benson (Crosby) is a Broadway matinee idol, and Ted Adams (O'Connor) is an up-and-coming TV star. The men have been contracted to co-star in a Broadway musical, and they set out to find a leading lady for this new venture. That's when the complications - and fun - begin. In England, Bill signs Patsy Blair (Gaynor). In France, Ted signs Gaby Duval (Jeanmaire).

Bing Crosby © Photoplay Magazine

Unfortunately for all concerned, the show's script calls for only one female lead. The men decide that since Patsy was contracted first, Gaby must be told she doesn't have the part after all.

On the ship back to the United States, Bill and Gaby fall in love, and Ted and Patsy do likewise. Neither man has the guts to tell Jeanmaire that she was signed in error, but when she does finally learn she's out of a job, she is, of course, very angry with Bill. Then Mitzi realizes she can't return to the United States, due to difficulties with her less than upstanding father, Phil Harris. Now neither couple is on speaking terms. What to do?

Of course, it's not telling secrets to reveal that everything works out in the end. They even resolve the one female role, two leading ladies problem.

Along the way, the dancing and singing to Cole Porter classics ("You're The Top," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "De-Lovely," and new songs by Sammy Kahn and James Van Heusen make for a pleasurable voyage. O'Connor is in top form, offering up by far the best performance among the foursome. But that's not to say the other actors aren't good, too. Jeanmaire shines in a ballet choreographed by Roland Petit. Bing Crosby is weak in his dancing, but for those who enjoy his crooning style, he's his usual pleasant self. In musical numbers staged by Nick Castle, Mitzi Gaynor exhibits why she was a huge star of movies musicals.

"Anything Goes" offers a relaxing way to spend almost two hours with the whole family.

Anything Goes © Paramount Home Entertainment

Director: Robert Lewis

Writers: (play) Guy Bolton & P.G. Wodehouse €“ (screenplay) Sidney Sheldon

Cast Members: Bing Crosby, Donald O'Connor, Jeanmaire, Mitzi Gaynor, Phil Harris

Rating: Unrated - Suitable for the whole family

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Run Time: 106

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Color, Widescreen format