Three Little Words

Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby. It stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar and Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but notable role as singer Helen Kane and Gloria DeHaven as her own mother, Mrs. Carter DeHaven. The film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was written by Academy-Award-winning screenwriter George Wells, directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Jack Cummings. Harry Ruby served as a consultant on the project, and he appears in a cameo role as a baseball catcher. The third in a series of MGM biopics about Broadway composers, it was preceded by Till the Clouds Roll By (Jerome Kern, 1946) and Words and Music (Rodgers and Hart, 1948) and followed by Deep in My Heart (Sigmund Romberg, 1954). Plot Cast Fred Astaire as Bert Kalmar Red Skelton as Harry Ruby Vera-Ellen as Jessie Brown Anita Ellis as Jessie Brown (singing voice) (uncredited) Arlene Dahl as Eileen Percy Keenan Wynn as Charlie Kope Gale Robbins as Terry Lordel Gloria DeHaven as Mrs. Carter De Haven Phil Regan as himself Harry Shannon as Clanahan Debbie Reynolds as Helen Kane Helen Kane as herself (singing voice) (uncredited) Paul Harvey as Al Masters Carleton Carpenter as Dan Healy George Metkovich as Al Schacht Harry Mendoza as himself This warm and engaging film was one of Astaire's favorites, possibly because of the nostalgic vaudeville connection. As Hollywood film biographies of the period go, it takes fewer liberties with the facts than usual, and Astaire and Skelton's onscreen portrayal of the partnership is considered psychologically accurate, complemented by a mutual chemistry, some quality acting by both, and some fine comedy touches by Skelton. Unusually for Hollywood songwriting biographies of this period, two of the songs, "Thinking of You" and "Nevertheless", became major hits on the film's release, reaching first and second place respectively, in the U.S. charts.