i will never understand why when a studio like universal buy a musical it then butcher it when bring it to screen . my first think when see ava gardner and robert walker be star i would be see something from mgm which do musical best at that time . boy be i wrong and disappointed . one touch of venus which star mary martin and kenny baker and and john bole on broadway ran for 567 performance in the 1943 1945 season and gardner and walker and and tom conway play the role that martin and baker and and bole do on stage . the kurt weill ogden nash musical with book by nash and s. j. perelman be a comeback vehicle for mary martin who reestablish herself a the queen of broadway after a disappointing venture in hollywood . look at the name that go into this show . give who be responsible for the book i expect to see some sparkle wit in this production . instead i get a rather pedestrian screenplay and it be like all the wit be drain out of it . do her best to make up for it be eve arden play her usual girl friday role with tom conway and but it even too much for eve . the story concern department store window dresser robert walker who kiss a very valuable statue of venus who spring to life in the person of ava gardner . of course when the statue go miss and conway yell for the law and be suspicious of walker and the last person to be with the statue . the rest of the film be walker deal with gardner and what will happen to both of them . for reason i do not understand and ava be of course dub by eileen wilson and walker sings only a couple of line . the singing be carry by dick haymes and olga san juan playing walker friend and coworkers . of course on broadway the song be do by singer mary martin and kenny baker . you would kind of think that haymes would be play walker role at least . it be awkward to say the least . only three song survive from the score and don not look now and but my heart be show and that him and and the incomparable speak low . haymes silken baritone be show to best advantage in speak low which be sing a a duet by martin and baker on broadway . for some reason the lyric of one of the great men of verse of the last century and ogden nash and be do over by ann ronnell . i suspect the infamous code be at work here . in lee server biography of ava gardner he make mention of a brief fling ava have with robert walker when she have have a spat with her current man and howard duff . when duff and gardner reunite and walker take it badly and do not speak at all to gardner off camera . i be sure the fact that both of them be not in their best work do not help matter either . hopefully some repertoire company will do one touch of venus and you will get to see it the way and weill and nash and and perelman write it .