If you ever thought you’d like 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain better if it lost lead actor Gene Kelly and focused on his two co-stars, I come with great news! 1953’s I Love Melvin puts the spotlight firmly on Rain supporting actors Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor.

One day aspiring magazine photographer Melvin Hoover (O’Connor) bumps into aspiring stage actor Judy LeRoy (Reynolds). Smitten, Melvin offers to shoot a photo spread of Judy that he promises will appear in Look magazine.

However, Melvin lacks the clout to make this happen. He needs to find ways to ingratiate himself to Judy as well as others if he wants to marry her.

In no way would I call Love a copy of Rain, as the two come with plenty of differences. However, I do suspect Love attempted to conjure some of the same mojo.

That goes beyond the casting of O’Connor and Reynolds. Both films focus on a comedic view of show business and they also keep things light and lively.

No one should expect Love to live up to the standards set by Rain, of course, but that comes without shame. Rain might offer the greatest movie musical ever made so no one could expect Love to compare.

Nonetheless, it becomes a fun little romp, a factor abetted by its likable stars. On the slightly negative side, it becomes tough to see the gawky O’Connor as a romantic leading man because his looks just don’t match our view of that sort of role.

Nonetheless, O’Connor proves charming enough for us to ignore his less than handsome appearance. Reynolds provides both beauty and charisma, and the pair demonstrate appealing chemistry.

O’Connor and Reynolds handle both the comedy and the musical elements with easy aplomb. I do find it a little tougher to swallow them as a couple, but they interact with enough casual spark to make me buy it.

The story seems basic at best, but it doesn’t need to give us more than light romance, comedy and music. Though the roles also fail to become especially developed, they seem suitable for this project.

At a mere 78 minutes, Love never threatens to overstay its welcome, and that brisk running time helps keep us delighted. It might not match up to Singin’ in the Rain but I Love Melvin nonetheless becomes a likable spiritual spinoff.

I Love Melvin appears in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became an excellent Technicolor presentation.

In terms of sharpness, the movie usually demonstrated nice delineation. A few shots seemed just a smidgen soft, but those issues occurred infrequently, so the majority of the flick looked concise and accurate.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering materialized, and no edge enhancement became apparent. Grain remained appropriate, and no specks, marks or other defects showed up at any time in this fresh presentation.

Colors were strong. The broad palette tended to be vivid and full.

Blacks seemed deep and dense without too much heaviness. Shadow detail worked similarly well, as dimly-lit shots were appropriately clear and thick. I found little about which to complain here and thought the Blu-ray brought the movie to life in a positive manner.

The DTS-HD MA monaural audio of I Love Melvin appeared fine for its era, and speech was appropriate. The lines showed age-related thinness as well as some iffy looping but they were always perfectly intelligible and without edginess.

Effects became a minor aspect of the track, and they resembled the dialogue. Those elements lacked much depth but they were without notable problems.

Music was acceptable for its age, as the songs and score tended to be a bit tinny. There wasn’t much range to the music, but again, that stemmed from the limitations of the very old source. This became a perfectly adequate mix for its vintage.

In addition to the film's trailer, we find twoclassic cartoons from 1953. The set features The Impossible Possum (6:33) and TV of Tomorrow (7:08).

Possum focuses on Barney Bear as he tries to trap and eat a rodent. Though he appeared in 26 shorts over 25 years, Barney never really caught on, and Impossible demonstrates why, as the character seems too dim-witted and unsympathetic to become a star.

A Tex Avery-directed affair, Tomorrow makes fun of the then-burgeoning obsession with television in the US. Though not as wild as what we expect from Avery, the short offers a clever glimpse of society circa 1953.

Finally, an outtake for a song called “The Lady Loves” spans one minute, 55 seconds and shows Judy as she performs on a movie set. Fans will enjoy it but it seems superfluous in the greater scheme of the film.

A way for Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds to capitalize on the prior year’s classic Singin’ in the Rain, I Love Melvin holds up well in its own right. With a light tone, some good laughs and a charming pair of leads, the film becomes a delight. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals, positive picture and a smattering of bonus materials. Expect a frisky and lively musical here.