I always loved Nina Foch in An American In Paris, as the "older woman" who's keeping Gene Kelly and it kind of pisses me off that he has to dump her for Leslie Caron. There's this one scene where Gene realizes that Leslie is with HER older man and he goes back to Nina and does this whole sexy-husky voice thing and give her a LOOK, and it's fucking sizzle-icious.
Even when I was a kid, I had weird reactions to the MGM musicals, much as I loved them. probably to every movie I saw, but MGM has the most treacle and my brain was always trying to undermine it. (I feel sorry for Lina Lamont in Singing In The Rain and think that what Don and Cosmo do to her at the end totally sucks.)
I do love classic musicals, but I'm really more of a Noir gal. That fits in better with my view of universe, although since I basically grew up watching old movies on TV (with commercials!) it also formed that view.
My favorite movie from the moment I saw it was Breakfast at Tifanny's which is also very schizophrenic in terms of the beautiful, glossy facade and the pretty people and the music, vs what's REALLY happening with Holly and especially with Paul and 2-E. Yet antoher situation, where I tend to sympathize with the "older woman keeping young artist."
Maybe because said character can almost always be read as a gay man?
Although in the case of Breakfast..., I do go for the completely unrealistic romantic ending because George Peppard/Audrey Hepburn/Cat in the rain? Can't resist that.