‘Athena’ is now available on Blu-ray

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

Athena is a 1954 musical romantic comedy from MGM, the studio that brought out some of the biggest musicals from the mid 1900s. Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Vic Damone, Edmund Purdom, and Louis Calhern star in this colorful and musical story of the seven Mulvain sisters. Physical fitness, healthy eating, exercise, numerology, and modern thinking combine to create this entertaining story.

Grandpa Ulysses Mulvain (Calhern) and Grandma Salome Mulvain (Evelyn Varden) run a health store and a fitness retreat. It’s not really a retreat in the normal sense of the word. It is a place that is off the grid, as we would say today. It is at the top of a hill without any phones or communication with the outside world. This enclave is the place where many of the competitors for the Mr. Universe competition train, eat, and thrive. These are true muscle men. The seven sisters (Athena, Minerva, Medea, Ceres, Niobe, Aphrodite, and Calliope) have been brought up here and live a carefree vegetarian and spiritual life.

Athena (Powell) is a numerologist and when she meets Adam Shaw (Purdom), an attorney and rising politician, she immediately falls for him. Plus, their numbers add up so she is convinced he is the man for her. There are no coincidences in life and she knows they were destined to meet. But he is engaged to a stuffy socialite. He is also a tightly wound man who rarely smiles.

Then Athena meets Johnny Nyle, a famous crooner in the mold of a young Sinatra. She immediately calculates his numbers and knows he is perfect for her sister Minerva (Reynolds).

Johnny immediately takes to Minerva and is intrigued by the Mulvain way of life. But Adam is resistant and thinks they are all a bunch of wackos.

Bringing these men into the Mulvain way of life is a challenge, but everyone on the hill knows it is their destiny. And who can argue with the stars?

While the girls and the muscle men work together to bring Johnny and Adam into the fold, plenty of cute and musical scenes bring the story together. Besides the music there is plenty of muscle flexing and acrobatics.

Bonus features include outtake musical and dance numbers with Damone, Purdum, Reynolds, and Powell.

Athena is not rated however it is suitable for all ages. It can be purchased from the Warner Archive website or other online outlets.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.