A Salute to TCM - Give a Girl a Break

MGM, 1953

Starring Marge & Gower Champion, Debbie Reynolds, and Bob Fosse

Directed by Stanley Donen

Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Our second small-scale MGM musical didn't start out that way. Apparently, this was originally intended to be a big-budget showcase of some of the newer talent on the MGM lot, with names like Donen, Lane, Gershwin, and Reynolds attached. Somewhere along the line, it got pared down into a less elaborate story about three women who desperately hope to be chosen for the starring role in a big Broadway revue. Does this still wow 'em in the aisles nowadays, or should it be left behind? Let's begin at the Regal Theater in New York as hopeful go-fer Bob Dowdy (Fosse) brings the cast sandwiches and find out...

The Story: As it turns out, there may not be a show. Its demanding star, Janet Hallston (Donna Martell), has walked out. Director and choreographer Ted Sturgis (Gower Champion) puts out an ad for an open audition that draws thousands of hopeful dancers. Ted, Bob, and the revue's composer Leo Belney (Kurt Kaznar) finally whittle it down to three finalists. 

Ballerina Joanna Moss (Helen Wood) is excited for the opportunity, but her husband Burton Bradshaw (Richard Anderson) announces at the same time that he just got a professor job in Minnesota. Bob is enamored with bubbly tap dancer Suzy Doolittle (Reynolds), who has studied for years for a chance like this one. Ted's not happy when his ex-partner Madelyn Corlane (Marge Champion) returns to audition as well. She left him years ago for wealthy Anson Pritchett (William Ching). With each woman enormously talented and each man pushing a different lady, it's going to be hard to figure out which lady would work out best for the show...and in the men's lives.

The Song and Dance: "Dance" is the operative word here. There's some fabulous dance routines in this movie, many of them choreographed by Fosse. He and Reynolds have by far the most fun as the ebulent go-fer who falls hard for her and the vivacious girl who wants a life of her own and a chance to really shine. The gorgeous Technicolor, lovely songs, and nifty costumes bring far more life to this story than its bland Broadway setting does. I also like how most of the action unfolds in less than 24 hours. It really gives you a chance to know all three couples and why the guys fall for their ladies like they do.

Favorite Number: Our first number is the creative chorus routine to the title song. We see little vignettes of several of the ladies who hope to audition. Most of them are terrible dancers or strange singers...except the three who end up getting called back. Bob and Suzy sing how they're "In Our United State" during a charming dance routine in New York as he takes her home from dance practice. We see more of Fosse and Champion's embryonic talents as they remind Leo that "Nothing's Impossible," even reworking a Broadway revue in three weeks. Ted insists on seeing what Madelyn can do right before she's supposed to attend a masquerade party with Anson, resulting in the dynamic "Challenge Dance" on the apartment building roof.

The three men daydream about the kind of dances they want to do with their ladies in three elaborate sequences. Bob and Suzy do an amazing "Backwards Dance" through confetti that falls upwards and balloons that pop, then return to life. Bob tosses in a backwards flip here and in "In Our United State" that must be seen to be believed. "Puppet Master Dance" starts out as a classical ballet routine for Joanna and Leo with her in a pink tutu and him in sequins and tights...until she ends up in fringed trousers for a slinkier jazz version. The Champions get "It Happens Every Time" in a simpler world surrounded by bars to glide around. It ends in the theater, with Ted and the chosen lady singing their heart out to "Applause Applause" surrounded by a striking pink and black set.

Trivia: Wood eventually left MGM for stage work, including as a dancer at Radio City Music Hall. She later appeared in the infamous X-rated film Deep Throat under the name Dolly Sharp. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the derivative plot feels like MGM just re-wrote and heavily updated it's 1941 hit Ziegfeld Girl and threw in a happier ending for one of the characters. This isn't anything you haven't seen before, going back to the dawn of sound. Second, while most of these people are wonderful dancers, Kaznar and Reynolds are the only ones who are really up to some of the histrionics later in the film when the women learn who makes it and who doesn't. The Champions are charming but not much more than that. You can understand why the failure of this movie ended any ideas MGM had of making them huge stars ala Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. 

The Big Finale: Dance aficionados and fans of Donen or any of the stars involved will want to check this one out for the delightful routines alone.

Home Media: The remastered Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print, but it can be found pretty easily on streaming and through used venues. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

A Salute to TCM - It Happened In Brooklyn

MGM, 1947

Starring Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Jimmy Durante, and Kathryn Grayson

Directed by Richard Whorf

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Our first two reviews this week are in honor of cable channel Turner Classic Movies, who celebrate their 30th anniversary this month. TCM began as a way for Turner Broadcasting to show off its enormous catalog of vintage movies from MGM, Warner Bros, and RKO without commercial interruption. They became known for their unique interstile segments, their use of indie rock and jazz music in their station promotions, and for showing older films uncut and in widescreen before this was common on home media. 

They're also known for returning many lesser-known and neglected films to the public eye, including this small-scale musical from MGM. How does this sweet story of three talented friends in New York who search for fame while helping a teen in need look today? Let's begin in England, as Danny Miller (Sinatra) waits to go home to Brooklyn, and find out...

The Story: Danny does finally make it there, only to run headlong into the post-war housing shortage. Nick Lombardi, the kindly janitor for his old high school, gives him a room in the basement with him. He first meets music teacher Anne Fielding (Grayson) there. She doesn't share his positive outlook or his feelings about New York. She tried to become an opera singer, with no success, and ended up at the school instead. Also turning up at the school is Jamie Shellgrove (Lawford), a shy young Englishman whom Danny met before he left London. His grandfather thought Danny could show Jamie how to really live.

Jamie and Danny are too shy to try for a music career themselves. Danny initially ends up as a shipping clerk in a music shop, until Nick helps him to audition. He then adds words to Jamie's music, turning his funeral march into a lovely ballad. All three argue in favor of a teen in Anne's class (Billy Roy) for a music scholarship, but he's just a half-year too young. They end up getting him to give a concert in the music shop in order to show everyone in Brooklyn what he can do. Meanwhile, Danny is in love with Anne, but she's more interested in Jamie. He loves her, too, but doesn't want to hurt Danny's feelings.

The Song and Dance: I first saw this movie on TCM in college around 2001 and really enjoyed it. It's delightfully sweet and unpretentious for an MGM musical of the 40's and 50's. The black and white cinematography and Whorf's intimate direction gives it the feel of some of the better 50's sitcoms. It also has a surprisingly good score for one of MGM's smaller titles, including the standards "I Believe" and "Time After Time." 

While Sinatra and Lawford are adorable as the shy guys who try to work on breaking out of their shells, it's Durante who dances off with the movie. He's hilarious, whether explaining the post-war housing situation to Sinatra or joining Sinatra to help cheer up one of the kids at the school (Bobby Long). Sinatra even does a credible imitation of him in "Song's Gotta Come From the Heart." Look for Gloria Grahame in the beginning as a mouthy nurse who questions Danny being from Brooklyn. 

Favorite Number: We open with Danny briefly playing "Whose Baby are You?" in England on the piano. Jamie ends up having to encore the number at the music shop in Brooklyn for a group of swing-crazed teenagers. Sinatra sings "The Brooklyn Bridge" on the actual Brooklyn Bridge when he arrives home. He, Grayson, and her students turn a Bach song into "Invention Number 1" during a class. Danny and Nick encourage Johnny with "I Believe," as they remind him that there are many things we can't see, but still have faith in. Likewise, Nick encourages Danny to audition at the music shop by reminding him that "The Song's Got to Come From the Heart." Danny sings "It's the Same Old Dream" as a typical ballad...but teen singers the Starlighters aren't impressed and do their own swing version.

The big hit here was "Time After Time," which is first heard performed by Danny after he adds words to Jamie's music. Anne gets to do her own lovely rendition later when Danny announces that the music shop intends to publish it. Anne and Danny sing the opera duet "La Ci Darem La Mano" from Don Giovanni while out to dinner; Jamie accompanies them on piano. Near the end of the movie, Anne imagines herself performing the difficult "Bell Song" from Lakme in a fully-staged version of the opera. 

Trivia: That's a 17-year-old Andre Previn playing all of the piano solos in the film, including the one in the finale that cements that scholarship. 

Despite singing and dancing so well in "I Believe," Bobby Long apparently dropped out of show business shortly after the film's release and would join the Navy from 1951 to 1955.

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, this is not for those who prefer their musicals on the big, bold, and brassy side. It's small and quiet for a musical from this era. It's not even filmed in color. Grayson's first opera duet with Sinatra is cute, but her big fantasy "Bell Song" sequence late in the film comes totally out of left field and is never mentioned again. It was probably added to give Grayson more to do and show off her soprano. The producer was right that she can come off as a cold fish compared to the guys, even after she's supposedly thawed later in the movie. The story can come off as cutesy and trite, especially in the second half, when they're trying to help the teen get his scholarship. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the four leads or are looking for a smaller-scale MGM musical, this is an underrated charmer that's worth buying the Brooklyn Bridge for. 

Home Media: On streaming and DVD, the latter currently from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Wish

Disney, 2023

Voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Angelique Cabral, and Alan Tudyk

Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veeraunthorn

Music by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe; Lyrics by Julia Michaels

This was one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Disney announced it in 2022, intending it to be a celebration of their 100th anniversary. It debuted in November and became one of Disney's biggest flops in a year riddled with them. Critics complained that the story had too much homage and not enough magic. Were they right, or is there more to this unique fantasy? To find out, we begin, as so many classic Disney fairy tales do, with a narrator telling us the story of how Magnifico (Pine) became king of the island of Rosas and protector of their wishes...

The Story: Asha (DeBose) is hoping to become Magnifico's assistant, so he'll grant her grandfather's (Victor Garber) wish on his 100th birthday. To her horror, she learns his real interest is in only granting the wishes he deems "worthy"...or not likely to challenge his rule of Rosas. He never intends to release anyone else's wishes, being too happy with his people worshipping him. 

Frustrated when her family won't listen to her about Magnifico, she makes a wish on a shooting star. That star promptly comes to Earth in the form of a cute little star sprite, whose glittering magic makes everything in the woods and her pet goat Valentino (Tudyk) able to talk. She gets the little creature to help her retrieve her grandfather's wish. When Magnifico arrests her family for stealing, she sends her mother and grandfather away, then enlists her friends at the castle and Magnifico's wife Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral) to rescue the wishes and return them to the people.

The Animation: Though computer animated, Disney gives this a flat and almost sketchy look, rather like if their movies of the 60's and 70's had been made with a computer. It works with the throwback story, with its dark colors and adorable characters, especially the animals. The characters flow very well; some of the backdrops, in the woods and the castle, are especially well-done and detailed.

The Song and Dance: DeBose and Pine dominate this story of a girl who wants everyone to be able to have their dreams, and the ruler who worries that everyone having their dreams will mean he'll lose their love. I also liked Jennifer Kumiyama as Asha's best friend, a smart baker with a crush on Magnifico whose ability to plan proves useful later. In fact, I love how diverse both Asha's friends and Rosas in general are, with people of all kinds coming there to have their wishes granted.

If nothing else, I give Disney credit for going with an original story, for not shoehorning an unnecessary romance in, and for having a straightforward villain this time. Magnifico is probably their best bad guy since Ms. Bellwether in Zootopia. Pine has a blast playing him as he unravels from a sane, if slightly narcissistic, ruler to a magic-obsessed lunatic who wants total control over everything and everyone, wishes included.

Favorite Number: Our first song after the storybook opening is "Welcome to Rosas," as Asha introduces her seemingly perfect island home. "At All Costs" is her big duet with Magnifico. He insists that he's keeping everyone's wishes for their own good, but Asha thinks people should be able to live their own wishes. "This Wish" is Asha's hoping for help from that wishing star. Everyone in the forest, including Valentino, claim "I'm a Star" after the star comes to Earth and gives them the power of speech. 

Magnifico whines about how ungrateful his people are for wanting to make their wishes come true without his concent. "This Is the Thanks I Get?" he complains. Asha, Amaya, and Asha's friends are ready to do battle "Knowing What I Know Now" about Magnifico and his true intentions. Lyricist Julia Michaels performs the lovely ballad "A Dream Worth Making" over the credits. 

What I Don't Like: I can kind of see where the critics' carping came from. Disney focused so much on making a movie that would respect its history, they forgot to focus on things like character development. Neither Asha nor her friends really have all that much personality, besides being cute teenagers. Apparently, early concept art had the Star come to Rosas in the form of a human and Queen Amaya being evil like her husband. Both ideas would have enhanced the story and made things a lot more interesting. Amaya barely has anything to do besides change sides for barely-discussed reasons. The Star is darling, but not much more than that, and Valentino's ability to speak gets annoying fast.

The Big Finale: This isn't nearly as horrible as people claimed when it came out in November, but it isn't great, either...and for the movie capping Disney's 100th anniversary, I suspect what people wanted was to be blown away, not something that played it safe. It's still worth seeing for some decent performances and lovely music, especially if you're already a fan of Disney's animated films. 

Home Media: As one of the newest movies I've reviewed, this is easily found in all formats. It finally debuted on Disney Plus earlier this month. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Cult Flops - Sweet Kitty Bellairs

Warner Bros, 1930

Starring Claudia Dell, Walter Pidgeon, Ernest Torrence, and June Collyer

Directed by Alfred E. Green

Music by Walter O'Keefe; Lyrics by Robert Emmett Dolan

Operetta - historical musicals with more opera-like songs and romantic plots - were wildly popular during the lavish 20's as theatergoers reveled in lavish melodramas far removed from their lives. They were just starting to fall out of favor onstage during the early sound era as their creaky fairy tales were replaced by more modern stories and jazzier music. This extended to films as well. By the time this movie came out in August 1930, the public had seen way too many poorly made movies - operettas especially - and had begun to stay away. Were they right to avoid this one, or should this confection of a movie get a second chance to join the ball? Let's begin in a coach on the way to Bath, England in 1793 and find out...

The Story: Kitty Bellairs (Dell) is notorious in London for her forty affairs, and this situation doesn't seem much different when she goes to Bath. Even during the coach trip, shy nobleman Lord Varney (Walter Pidgeon) and a dashing highwayman who stops the coach and steals their valuables fall for her. Varney tries to defend Kitty when the highwayman offers to exchange their things for a kiss, but she gives it to the man anyway when he easily beats him. Kitty is totally in love with this bandit, especially after he slips a ring on her finger.

Varney still wishes to win Kitty's love. He claims he'll write her a poem, but his friend Colonel Villiers (Lionel Belmore) thinks there's more to winning the lady than pretty words. Kitty, for her part, is having a hard time choosing suitors. She met the dashing Captain O'Hara (Perry Ashkam) at a party and finds him just as attractive as Varney and the highwayman. She does better helping her best friend Lady Julia Standish (Collyer) make her neglectful husband Lord Jasper (Torrence) jealous. Kitty does too well. Standish thinks the lock of red hair and note left behind and suspects Varney of being his wife's lover. Kitty finally decides to step in and resolve matters, before she loses the one man who really does love her.

The Song and Dance: It's too bad more people don't know about this one. It's absolutely charming, with lovely period-appropriate songs and gorgeous costumes. Dell is the stand-out as the coquettish Kitty, who may flirt outrageously, but deep down is willing to help when she realizes all the trouble her teasing caused. And who knew Walter Pidgeon could make such an adorable bashful suitor? We even get some excellent outdoor shooting for the early sound era. Green keeps things moving at a fair pace, and it doesn't suffer from the stiffness and staginess that affected so many movies in the early 30's. 

Favorite Number: We open in that coach, with Kitty, her friend, Lord Varney, and Colonel Villiers "On the Road to Bath" as they reveal why they're there and how Varney has already fallen for Kitty. "The Highwayman's Song" brings in the mysterious bandit whose machismo captures Kitty's heart. "Song of the Town of Bath" is the number for the gossipy citizens as the carriage rolls in. The short "Drunk Song" is, as you can guess, the number for the men of the cast after spending time at the local tavern. "Peggy's Leg" is a similar number for the male leads. Varney claims "My Love, I'll Be Waiting For You" to Kitty early on; they duet on it near the end, when she begins to change her mind about him. "Pump Room Song" is Kitty's number with the chorus. "You, I Love But You" is Kitty's big ballad. She sings it three times in the film, the third with Pidgeon. 

Trivia: This was originally filmed in color, but survives in black and white.

What I Don't Like: What audience did Warners intend this for again? This would be a hard sell for a lot of people nowadays, let alone in the hardscrabble early 30's. Pidgeon's name is the only familiar one. The remaining cast is made up of stage actors and barely-remembered Warners character actors. They're not going for realism here. It's supposed to be set in England, but not a single British accent is to be heard. To say the plot is complicated would be like saying the Atlantic is wet. There's so much going on for such a short movie, you may need a notebook to keep track of it all. And obviously, if you don't go in for historical fiction, operetta, opera-style music, or swashbuckling action, this is absolutely not going to be for you. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of operetta or historical swashbucklers like me, you'll want to join Kitty on the road to Bath and give this dashing treat a second chance at romance. 

Home Media: DVD only as one of the earliest Warner Archive titles.

DVD

Honey (1930)

Paramount, 1930

Starring Nancy Carroll, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Stanley Smith, and Lillian Roth

Directed by Wesley Ruggles

Music by W. Franke Harling; Lyrics by Sam Coslow

Not all musicals from the early sound era were backstage spectacles or soppy melodramas. By 1930, Hollywood had begun to venture into creating musicals made just for the screen, either with original stories or based on non-musical plays, like our first review this week. Come Out of the Kitchen was originally a play in 1916. Having first filmed it in 1919, Paramount dusted it off again for sound and musical treatment and to showcase then-major stars Roth, Gallagher, and Carroll. How well did they do with this farce about impoverished siblings who rent out their home to a wealthy family and find love in the bargain? Let's begin at a southern plantation, where Olivia Dangerfield (Carroll) is preparing to move out of her room so the new renters can move in, and find out...

The Story: Olivia and her brother Charles (Gallagher) are moving downstairs because the cook and butler they hired ended up getting married instead. Desperate, they take over as the cook and butler, while Mayme (ZaSu Pitts) and her obnoxious daughter Doris (Mitzi Green) work upstairs. Mrs. Falkner (Jobyna Howland) arrives with her vivacious daughter Cora (Roth) and Cora's handsome fiancee Burton Crane (Smith) in tow.  Burton quickly falls for Olivia, who tries to hide her situation, while Cora pursues Charles and Mayme falls for Crane's friend J. William Burnstein (Harry Green), who is there to keep an eye on Mrs. Falkner's jewelry. Needless to say, Mrs. Falkner protests all of this, and Olivia is reluctant to tell Burton how far she's fallen.

The Song and Dance: The songs are pretty much the only things carrying this one. notably its sole standard "Sing You Sinners." Carroll is charming and lovely and Roth is adorable and plays well off the goofier Gallagher, but it's Howland who stomps away with the picture as the monstrous snob of a mother. Some of the costumes (that can be seen in the terrible copy currently at YouTube) aren't bad, either, especially during that amazing "Sing You Sinners" revival sequence. 

Favorite Number: We don't get a song until nearly a half-hour into a movie that's a little over an hour...and when we do, it's the slightly sappy ballad "In My Little Hope Chest." Olivia performs it to explain why she keeps up her hopes of finding the right person to Burton. Charles and Cora have more fun encouraging each other "Let's Be Domestic." Mayme and William are even funnier admitting this outside while doing the laundry. Charles claims "I Don't Need Atmosphere" to court Cora right before they head to the revival meeting.

That revival meeting provides the film's big chorus number and sole truly memorable sequence. Louise Beavers starts things off with a powerhouse rendition of "Sing You Sinners" with the black chorus. Mitzi Green takes over briefly, coming off as a lot more enjoyable than she ever was in the rest of the film. Roth gets even more into it with her own solo near the end. She has such a great time, writhing and shaking with abandon, that the song became something of a signature for her. The number is totally extraneous and is never mentioned again, but it's such an awesome moment, you don't mind at all.

Trivia: Lyricist Sam Coslow claimed in his autobiography that a young and unknown Bing Crosby was considered for the Burton Crane role.

"Sing You Sinners" actually was inspired by a real-life revival meeting Coslow attended with friends.

There would be at least two foreign language versions made in 1930 and 1931, the French Cherie and the German Every Woman Has Something. 

What I Don't Like: No wonder Carroll protested getting stuck in this. This is about the most typical piece of musical fluff you can think of. It's also badly dated in its condescending treatment of its black and female characters and silly story. Other than her part in "Let's Be Domestic," Pitts spends most of the movie whining and crying and is really annoying. Bratty Green is even harder to take. I'm surprised no one grabbed that kid and gave her a good, hard shake. 

They really should have used Crosby, who might have been able to make Burton at least slightly interesting. Smith is stiff as a board and about as much fun to watch. Ruggles is normally a good director, as we see in "Sing You Sinners," but most of the movie shows its stage origins too plainly in all the people standing around talking.

The Big Finale: Only for the most ardent fans of early sound film. All others would be advised to skip right to "Sing You Sinners" and pass on the rest of this.

Home Media: At press time, this can only be found - in a washed-out copy that's badly in need of restoration - at YouTube.

YouTube

Family Fun Saturday - Alice In Wonderland (1985)

CBS, 1985

Starring Natalie Gregory, Red Buttons, Jayne Meadows, and Ann Jillian

Directed by Harry Harris

Music and Lyrics by Steve Allen

I'm celebrating my birthday tomorrow with an old favorite of mine. This two-part miniseries used to show up a lot on cable in the 80's and 90's when I was little, and I always enjoyed seeing all of the familiar faces dressed as characters from one of my favorite stories. This would seem to be a bit of an oddity for producer Irwin Allen, who usually specialized in campy disaster dramas and science fiction. All-star programming, however, was up his alley. How does this star-studded version of the beloved children's fantasy novel look today? Let's begin with Alice (Natalie Gregory) and her mother (Sheila Allen) at home as Alice begs to be able to join her parents for tea and find out...

The Story: Alice wishes she were grown-up enough to sit at the tea table with her parents, but they insist she join her older sister (Sharee Gregory) outside instead. While talking to her sister, Alice sees a human-sized White Rabbit (Buttons) hurrying off into the woods. Alice follows him, only to fall down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland, a surreal world where the usual human logic and sense don't usually apply. Among the odd characters she meets are the mouthy Duchess (Martha Raye), the tea party-loving Mad Hatter (Anthony Newley) and March Hare (Roddy McDowell), the grinning Cheshire Cat (Telly Savalas), and the Queen of Hearts (Jayne Meadows), who loves nothing more than to order everyone's heads taken off.

Even after Alice escapes the Queen of Hearts' unfair trial for the Knave (James Joseph Galante), she ends up behind the mirror in Looking Glass Land. Here, everyone's minds work backwards, and things are the opposite of normal. The Red Queen (Ann Jillian) and White Queen (Carol Channing) give unwanted advice, but she has more fun with Tweedledee (Eydie Gorme) and Tweedledum (Steve Lawrence) and the kindly White Knight (Lloyd Bridges). The White Knight is ready to defend her when the Jabberwocky attacks, but thanks to the Owl (Jack Warden) reminding her to face her fears, Alice realizes that growing up means doing things we're afraid to do...like confronting monsters, or our own parents. 

The Song and Dance: The sprawling Alice lends itself well to the all-star treatment. I very much appreciate how close these get to the actual books, especially the first half in Wonderland. This is one of the more accurate TV adaptions of this story I've seen. In fact, maybe Alice should get the miniseries treatment more often. It gives more room for everyone to do their schtick, and for us to get to know Alice and why she's making her journey. Speaking of Alice, Natalie Gregory may be one of my favorite Alices on-screen. She nails the role, from her realistic reactions to all the goofballs around her to her genuine fear when she faces the Jabberwocky later. 

There's also Allen's lovely music. I forgot how good the music is in this. It really carries the story along, even when the series is at its most strange. Channing's "Jam Today" is a showstopper, and Jillian gets two gorgeous lullabies late in the second half.

Favorite Number: Sherman Hemsley makes the most of his short role as the Mouse revealing why "I Hate Dogs and Cats" after Alice climbs out of the Pool of Tears. The Caterpillar (Sammy Davis Jr.) and Alice sing "You are Old Father William" dressed as the characters. "There's Something to Be Said for Hatred" claims the Duchess and her cook (Imogene Coca). The Cheshire Cat agrees, and depresses Alice (and the audience) by telling her "There's No Way Home."  

The Mad Hatter perks things up considerably by reminding Alice to "Laugh" about her fears. Alice (dubbed by Lana Beeson) wonders "Why Do People?" behave the way they do after the disastrous tea party. The Queen of Hearts insists "Off With Their Heads!" while the Mock Turtle (Ringo Starr) reminds Alice about the importance of "Nonsense." Their Royal Highnesses are more annoyed than anything when the Hatter and Hare argue "I Didn't, You Did!" when they're called on at the trial.

Our first numbers in Looking Glass Land aren't until nearly 20 minutes in, but it's two from Gorme and Lawrence. They remind Alice to say "How Do You Do and Shake Hands" and tell her the story of "The Walrus and the Carpenter." The White Queen insists that it can only be "Jam Tomorrow," never today. The White King (Harvey Korman), his messenger (John Stamos), and Alice learn why "The Lion and the Unicorn" are fighting for the crown. "We are Dancing," the White Knight sings as he and Alice waltz sweetly together. 

The Red Queen and White Queen get a very funny patter number after Alice becomes queen, asking her "Can You Do Addition?" Jillian is absolutely gorgeous in two lovely lullabies, "Emotions" as she explains to Alice why she feels the way she does, and "Hush-a-Bye Lady" as she puts the White Queen - and herself - to sleep. The White Rabbit welcomes all of Alice's Wonderland friends "To the Looking Glass World" after she becomes queen. In the end, before Alice goes off to tea, her friends from both worlds sing about how they hope "Alice" won't forget them.

What I Don't Like: The music is still lovely, but the costumes and sets haven't dated well at all. They look like cheap rejects from one of Irwin's fantasy movies. Gregory's blonde wig is almost too big for her head. When the Jabberwock shows up, he looks more like the Godzilla-like puppet he is than anything scary, undercutting the second half. 

The attempt at the "face your fears" morals and the finale that replaces Alice finally getting tired of all the nonsense and throwing the table on everyone comes off as too dark for a light-hearted children's fantasy. Davis' "You are Old Father William" number is totally random - even for Wonderland - and seems shoehorned in to give him something to do other than sit there. And honestly, most of these people are unrecognizable in the costumes and many of them, especially those who don't sing, have even less to do than Davis. 

The Big Finale: Maybe it's because I grew up watching this, but for all the TV budget and obvious camp, this is still one of my favorite versions of this story. Attractive songs and Gregory's strong performance help overcome the budget limitations and odd costumes. Highly recommended for families with a spare three hours on hand, or who are able to split the episodes into several days' viewing.

Home Media: The DVD is pretty easily found anywhere, often for under $10. 

DVD

Rhythm on the River

Paramount, 1940

Starring Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, and Oscar Levant

Directed by Victor Schertzinger

Music by James V. Monaco and Victor Schertzinger; Lyrics by Johnny Burke

We move from a western ranch to an upstate New York inn for our next Crosby vehicle. By this point, Crosby was one of the top box office draws in the world. His movies were among Paramount's biggest money-makers, and his concert tours sold out everywhere. He even had his own variety show on the radio, Kraft Music Hall. Martin, then just beginning her career as one of the most popular stars on the Broadway stage, was a frequent performer on Kraft Music Hall. How well do they work together in this story of a composer and lyricist who discover they have a lot more in common than they previously believed? Let's begin at a swank party honoring songwriter Oliver Courtney (Rathbone) and find out...

The Story: Despite everyone praising his work on a big Broadway show, Courtney is really a fraud. He hasn't written a song in years. He hires songwriters to do the work for him, including laid-back composer Bob Sommers (Bing Crosby). After his lyricist dies, he convinces Cherry Lane (Martin) to take over. Annoyed with the band that moved to the room next to hers, she goes to find somewhere quiet to work. She's not happy at first that she keeps running into Bob everywhere, including the old inn she ends up taking a room at. 

Turns out the inn belongs to his uncle and he's there for the same reason, to work on new songs. The duo discover they have a lot in common, including being songwriters. They go back to LA, only to learn that they both work for Courtney, and he's not about to let his walking moneybags go. They try to sell their own music, but everyone thinks their songs are Courtney's. 

Bob brings together the band that had made such a racket next-door to Cherry as a way to promote their music. They audition for a big nightclub, but the manager Mr. Westlake (William Frawley) is only interested in Cherry. Bob insists that she sing for him...but all she really wants is Bob and for them to be recognized for the talented songwriters they are.

The Song and Dance: Martin and Bing are definitely the thing here. They play off each other surprisingly well as the songwriters who don't know they're helping the same man. This is also a rare and enjoyable comedy performance from Rathbone, who usually plays villains in dramas and swashbucklers. Here he's also a villain, but one who ultimately learns his lesson. Levant gets his usual digs as Courtney's best friend and voice of reason Billy Starbuck, and crusty William Goodwin has fun as Bob's woman-and-work-hating uncle.

Favorite Number: We open with "What Would Shakespeare Have Said," a comedy number that Bob originally sings when he brings it to Courtney for his show. It's then performed by the show's leading lady Millie Starling (Lillian Cornell), during the party. Cherry initially sings the jaunty "That's for Me" for Courtney at his apartment, accompanied by Starbuck. She's shocked when Bob performs it for her at the inn, believing he stole it. 

The band joins Bob for "Tiger Rag" to show what they can do. "Ain't It a Shame About Mame" is her comedy number with the band later, when they're trying to write their own material. Bing sings "When the Moon Comes Over Madison Square" for producers, but they think they're imitating Courtney. "I Don't Want to Cry Anymore" is Cherry's heartbroken ballad when she's singing with the band, but would rather be writing. 

The hit here was the ballad "Only Forever." Bob initially sings it for Cherry at the inn as they discuss their music. It's reprised as a duet in the finale, when Courtney reveals who really wrote his songs.

Trivia: "Only Forever" was originally intended for If I Had My Way, but was cut from that film.  

What I Don't Like: First of all, while Martin and Crosby work well enough together, she could be given more to do than sing a few numbers and pine over him later at the club. I don't think Paramount ever really figured out what to do with her. Though the plot is slightly more interesting than Rhythm on the Range, it's still pretty goofy. It lacks Range's more colorful supporting cast and genuine location shooting. Other than "Only Forever," the songs aren't all that interesting, either. It's also not for those who like their musicals big and bold; Bing jamming with the band on "Tiger Rag" is big as it gets. 

The Big Finale: If you love Crosby or Martin, or are looking for a smaller-scale romance from the 40's, jump on the catfish boat and enjoy this jaunt down river. 

Home Media: Same deal as Rhythm on the Range. DVD only from the Universal Vault, as a double feature with Range, and as part of a larger Crosby collection. 

DVD - Universal Vault

DVD - Rhythm on the Range/Rhythm on the River

DVD - Bing Crosby: The Silver Screen Collection

Rhythm on the Range

Paramount, 1936

Starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, Bob Burns, and Martha Raye

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music and Lyrics by various

We return to the laid-back world of crooner Bing Crosby with our first two reviews this week. It's not well-remembered nowadays, but Crosby had a strong influence on country music. Though this would be his only musical western, he frequently incorporated western music and country songs into his act, introducing it to audiences outside its usual rural demographics. He became one of the earliest singing cowboys in this entry, just as more authentic cowboy Gene Autry was becoming popular. How does this story of a runaway heiress who falls for a rodeo rider while fleeing out west look now? Let's start not on the range, but at a modern penthouse prepared for a wedding, and find out...

The Story: Doris Halliday (Farmer) is tired of settling for dull but wealthy men. Her Aunt Penelope (Lucile Gleason) wonders why she's marrying someone she doesn't love. Hoping to find a tougher breed of man, Doris stows away on a boxcar with cowboy Jeff Larrabee (Crosby) and his just-bought steer Cuddles. 

Neither Cuddles nor Jeff take to Doris at first, especially after Cuddles chases her in a red scarf and they end up stranded. Doris makes up for it by snaring a car and trailer to take them west. When they arrive, they learn that Jeff's partner Buck (Burns) is now engaged to the very aggressive Emma Mazda (Raye), whom he met on the train. He thinks Jeff should do the same with Doris, but Aunt Penelope worries that Jeff is a gold-digger. Doris knows what real gold-digging is like, and she's ready to tell Jeff she loves him for real.

The Song and Dance: This is really more of a musical than a western, but as such, it has a lot of good moments. Bing's not the most believable cowboy in the world. He does much better crooning "I'm an Old Cowhand" than dealing with the cows. Bob Burns looks and sounds more like a country sidekick. He's especially funny early-on in New York, putting one over on the city slickers. Raye makes a very funny debut as the noisy city gal who falls for Burns while looking for her brother out west. She has some of the best moments in the second half, including jumping around Burns near a freshly-dug well and her exuberant performance of "Mr. Paganini." We also get some rare outdoor shooting for the time at the Alabama Hills in the Sierra Nevada and in New York.

Favorite Number: Our first number is Jeff singing the ballad "Empty Saddles" during the Madison Square Garden rodeo, one of two standards to come from this film. We get many reactions from the touched cowboys around the arena as they remember their own friends they lost. He sings "Roundup Lullaby" to Doris in the boxcar and laments "I Can't Escape From You" after that car she stole busts a tire. He admonishes Cuddles to "Settle Down You Cattle."

The majority of the songs are performed after they've all arrived at the ranch during an engagement party for Buck and Emma. "Mr. Paganini" is Emma's energetic satire of opera, noisily comparing it to swing music. She also briefly gets "Love In Bloom." Jeff joins Russian cowboy Mischa (Leonard Kinsky) for the Russian drinking song "Drink It Down." Look for Louis Prima and Roy Rogers with the Sons of the Pioneers in this number, "One More Ride," and the other big hit from this movie, "I'm an Old Cowhand." 

Trivia: Film debut of Martha Raye; first major role for Bob Burns. We even get to see his famous "bazooka" home-made musical instrument when he's fleecing the cowboys at Madison Square Garden.

Though the arena sequences were filmed at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it's not the current Garden that hosts concerts, the Knicks, and the Rangers. This one was the third version, which was demolished in 1968 after the current arena was built. 

What I Don't Like: Even Rogers' 40's and 50's vehicles have more west in them than this. This is less a western than a cross between a Bing Crosby movie and the runaway heiress screwball comedies that were popular in the 30's. Troubled Farmer is at least a little bit more interesting than most of the women Bing crooned to in his movies, but other than stealing the car, she doesn't have that much to do. As is common for Bing's vehicles in the 30s, the film stops cold so Raye, Burns, Crosby, and the Sons of the Pioneers can do unrelated numbers. 

The Big Finale: Fun for fans of Bing, country music, or those wondering where all those singing cowboy films of the 30's, 40's, and 50's got their start. 

Home Media: Not officially online, but it can be easily found on DVD, on its own and as part of two Bing Crosby sets.

DVD - Universal Vault

DVD - Rhythm on the Range/Rhythm On the River

DVD - Bing Crosby: The Silver Screen Collection - The 30's

Animation Celebration Saturday - Trolls Band Together

Dreamworks/Universal, 2023

Voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson, and Eric Andre

Directed by Walt Dorhn

Music and Lyrics by various

After Trolls World Tour was a surprise hit online during the worst of the  2020 pandemic, Universal quickly gave a third movie the green light. Ideas had already been kicking around even before then, when Timberlake said he'd be willing to do another film. This time, they dive into Timberlake's past with a spoof of the boy band phenomenon of the late 80's and late 90's. How well does it do? Let's begin in the past with Branch's (Timberlake) memories of how his brothers' singing group Brozone broke up and see...

The Story: Branch's oldest brother John Dory (Andre) suddenly turns up at the wedding of Bergens Bridget (Zoey Deschanel) and Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) with a letter from their brother Floyd (Troye Sivan). Floyd was captured by Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells), who have sealed him in a diamond jar and are draining his essence in order to sing and become famous. The only way to free him is to perform the Perfect Family Harmony move that can shatter diamonds. 

Branch, Princess Poppy (Kendrick), and Tiny Diamond (Thompson) travel with John Dory to find their remaining brothers, Clay (Kid Cudi) and Spruce (Daveed Diggs) so they can do the move and rescue Floyd. On the way, they run across a colony of trolls living in a closed mini-golf course that's led by Poppy's long-lost sister Viva (Camila Cabello). They still fear Bergens, and though Viva's thrilled about discovering her sister, she won't leave her home. 

As it turns out, neither will Branch's brothers. They're still too caught up in their own egos and John Dory's need for perfection to stay together. Branch, Poppy, and Tiny go after the treacherous Velvet and Veneer alone...and learn that real "perfect family harmony" comes from acknowledging siblings for what they are, warts and all.

The Animation: Bright and tactile, some of the best Dreamworks has done. Everything is so soft, you feel like you can reach out and touch the fluffy hair and every bit of glitter on Tiny. We even have two wild psychedelic 2-D animated sequences reminiscent of Yellow Submarine. Veneer and Velvet's more plastic looks seem to be based on Betty Spaghetty, a toy line from the late 90's consisting of rubberly dolls with stringy arms and hair. Their manufactured, bouncy moves make for a nice contrast to the Trolls and cements them as phonies.

The Song and Dance: I think this might be my favorite Trolls movie yet, and I've never been a fan of boy bands. Timberlake puts in his best performance as troubled Branch and Kendrick is still an adorable Poppy.  Of the newcomers, Schumer does the best as the scheming Velvet, who is so determined to be in the spotlight that she'll steal someone else's talent to become famous. I also like Cabello's vivacious Viva, who is like her sister in many ways...except opening her heart to Bergens. 

Favorite Number: Our first actual number is "Perfect" at the BroZone concert. Baby Branch and his brothers try so hard to achieve Perfect Family Harmony, but they can't make it in the end. The first of many medleys is "Let's Get Married," as everyone prepares for Bridget and Gristle's wedding. "Watch Me Work" is Velvet and Veneer's first number as we see their stolen act. "Vacay Island" is a groovy medley performed by the laid-back residents of that resort. 

"BroZone's Back" brings Poppy in with Diggs, Timberlake, and Andre as they try to reach that Perfect Family Harmony. Floyd laments "Lonely People" when he's shut up in  his diamond prison. The classic instrumental disco number "The Hustle" underscores that nutty 2-D animated number, with wild colors and strange designs everywhere. "It Takes Two" is Poppy and Viva's number as they bond at the mini golf course. Crimp (Zosia Mamet), Velvet and Veneer's hairdresser, throws in her own lament about working for them "9 to 5." Velvet and Veneer have their concert at "Mount Rageous," but it ends with BroZone reforming to "We are Family." We end with Branch joining his other boy band Kismet - aka the members of Timberlake's real-life boy band NSYNC* - for the original "Better Place." 

What I Don't Like: After the darker World Tour, this one gets back into slightly cutesy territory, what with the goofy boy band characters and some of the stranger numbers. If you can't handle tons of fluff and tons of singing, this series isn't for you. It's also not for those who can't handle it being based after two toy lines. While some of the covers are still a lot of fun ("The Hustle" in particular is something to see), I didn't like the original numbers as much as the ones from the previous films. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for fans of the series or the boy bands of the 80's and 90's this is parodying.

Home Media: As a brand new release, this can be easily found on every format.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime

At the Circus

MGM, 1939

Starring The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, and Harpo), Kenny Baker, Florence Rice, and Margaret Dumont

Directed by Edward Buzzell

Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg

A Day at the Races was a hit in 1937, but things had changed at MGM in the two years between the making of that film and this one. Producer Irving Thalberg passed away a few months before the release of Races. He was one of the people who was instrumental in bringing the Marxes from Paramount and had been their biggest supporter at MGM. Louis B. Mayer, who took over as head of the studio, was far less receptive to the Marxes' wacky brand of comedy. How do the Marxes manage to get involved with a circus that's on the verge of going under, a gorilla carrying a club, and an amorous trapeze artist? To find out, let's begin backstage at the Wilson Circus and see what's going on behind the scenes...

The Story: Jeff Wilson (Baker) owes $10,000 on his circus to John Carter (James Burke), who intends to use it as a front for his gangster activities. Jeff's hidden the money in the cage of Gibraltar, their star gorilla (Charles Gemora). Carter's men Goliath the strongman (Nat Pendleton) and little man Professor Atom (Jerry Maren) knock him out and steal the money. If Jeff can't make the circus a success, he won't be able to marry his horse trainer fiancee Julie Randall (Rice).  

Fortunately, Jeff has help in the form of circus employee Tony Pirelli (Chico) and Goliath's assistant Punchy (Harpo). Tony called lawyer J. Cheever Loophole (Groucho) to figure out who wants the money and why. Loophole tries to get the money off of Burke's trapeze artist girlfriend Peerless Pauline (Eve Arden), but she outsmarts him. Tony and Punchy don't do any better searching Goliath's room. Loophole finally goes to Jeff's wealthy Aunt Suzanna Dukesbury (Dumont) to convince her that the circus would be perfect for her big Newport party. Carter, however, is ready to do anything, even burn the circus down, to keep that money from being found.

The Song and Dance: The Marxes do manage to get a few genuinely good gags and sequences here. Chico and Harpo have a great time searching Goliath's room as they destroy his pillows and let the feathers fly. Arden has her own fun being one of the very few people who ever managed to put one over on Groucho. Dumont doesn't come in until more than half-way through the movie, but she does get shot out of a cannon in the finale. Even some of the music comes across. Groucho gets one of his best numbers from any of the movies with the hilarious "Lydia the Tattooed Lady"; Chico's version of "Beer Barrel Polka" is pretty nifty, too.

Favorite Number: We open and close with the big circus number "Step Up and Take a Bow." Julie sings it to her horses in the first few minutes; Jeff performs it during the show in the end. Julie and Jeff sing the nursery rhyme-inspired ballad "Two Blind Loves" twice. It's originally heard as a duet over a cup of coffee while they wait for the circus train to leave. Jeff sings it alone later, when they're worried the circus may close. Harpo does the bizarre chorus number "Swingali" with big Dudley Dickerson and a group of black children on the circus grounds. He plays several different instruments for them, ending with his harp performance of "Blue Moon." Chico amuses the circus people with "Beer Barrel Polka" on the piano during the train trip.

The number for the books is Groucho's "Lydia the Tattooed Lady." Groucho follows "Beer Barrel Polka" with this wild rendition of Harburg's hilarious comic ditty about the infamous tattoo artist who has just about everything in history you can imagine drawn on her shapely chest. Groucho really throws himself into the song, shaking and swinging with abandon, and Chico has fun accompanying him. It's by far the film's best moment.

Trivia: Buster Keaton was supposed to supply gags for this film, but his lengthy and stylized sequences didn't mix well with the Marxes' looser form of comedy. When the Marxes complained, Keaton basically said he was doing what he'd been paid to do.

What I Don't Like: Actually, no matter what the Marxes thought, Keaton's longer comedy sequences aren't the problem here. While the songs generally fit in better than the ones in A Day at the Races did, other than "Lydia" and the harp and piano performances, they still seem a bit off. "Three Blind Loves" is especially bad, with a sing-song melody and drippy lyrics that are far from Harburg or Arlen's best work. There's way too much emphasis on the cliche "save the circus" story, too.  Baker and Rice are horribly bland, and we see far too much of them. Frankly, I would have rather seen more of the fairly funny Arlen or brought Dumont in earlier to play off Groucho. 

The Big Finale: Marx Brothers fans will want this one for "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" and some great gags near the beginning and end. Everyone else is better off starting with Night at the Opera or Day at the Races for a taste of the Marxes at MGM. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives.

DVD

DVD - The Marx Brothers Collection

Amazon Prime

Animal Crackers

Paramount, 1930

Starring The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo), Margaret Dumont, Lillian Roth, and Louis Sorin

Directed by Victor Heerman

Music by Bert Kalmar; Lyrics by Harry Ruby

Let's laugh our way into the spring with two semi-musicals featuring one of Hollywood's favorite comedy teams. After The Coconuts was a hit, Paramount brought the Marxes back to their Astoria Studios in New York to film their third Broadway show. Nowadays, this is probably best-known for the two opening songs that continued to be associated with Groucho for the rest of his life, It was little-seen from the 50's through the 1970's; its restoration and re-release in 1974 brought it back into the public eye and revealed how sharp and funny this is. Is it just as hilarious now, or should it be knocked out? Let's begin at the Long Island home of wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Dumont) and her daughter Arabella (Roth) as they prepare for a party and find out...

The Story: The guest of honor is Captain Jeffery Spaulding (Groucho), who claims he just came from exploring Africa. With him come Signor Ravelli (Chico) and The Professor (Harpo), who were hired to provide music for the party. Spaulding almost leaves right away before he starts in on flirting with Mrs. Rittenhouse. Arabella is more interested in showing off her artist boyfriend John's (Hal Thompson) work to art collector Roscoe W. Chandler (Sorin). He painted an exact copy of a priceless artwork Chandler recently acquired and intends to show off at the party. She encourages John to replace the real artwork with his to show how good it is. 

Party guest Grace Carpenter (Kathryn Reece) also copied the painting as a student and decides to replace the real one with hers to humiliate Mrs. Rittenhouse. Arabella gets Ravelli and the Professor to take the real one and put up John's...but then the paintings get switched. When the police are called in, Grace decides things have gone too far...but the Professor seems to have vanished with all the paintings...

The Song and Dance: This may be my favorite of the Paramount Marx Brothers movies. I fell in love with it after it turned up at a local video store in the 90's and my family rented it several times. No wonder it was a big hit in the 30's and again in the 70's. Groucho's "Hello, I Must Be Going" says more about his snarky character than any dialogue ever could. He gets some of his most famous lines here, including his delightfully absurd African safari story and his mock-deadpan "strange interlude" asides with Mrs. Whitehead (Margaret Irving) and Mrs. Rittenhouse. Adorable Roth and Thompson fit far better with the Marxes and their brand of comedy than the stiffer lovers in The Coconuts, too. Chico and Harpo get to have fun with a wacky bridge game and with their attempt to switch the paintings.

Favorite Number: We open with the butler Hives (Robert Greig) instructing six footmen (The Music Masters) as how to handle Spaulding. After all, "He's One of Those Men." Spaulding's secretary Horatio Jamison (Zeppo) announces "I Represent the Captain" to Mrs. Rittenhouse and her anxious guests. Spaulding finally arrives on a litter borne by four men, prompting "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" from the delighted guests. Spaulding is not delighted. He'd rather be anywhere else, as he admits in "Hello, I Must Be Going." Later on after the paintings are switched, 

Arabella and John wonder "Why am I So Romantic?" and why they're so crazy about each other. Chico performs his own charming instrumental "I'm Daffy Over You" on piano later during the party, while Harpo gets the lovely antique standard "Silver Threads Among the Gold" on the harp. The Marxes turn up triumphantly with Harpo and the paintings after a prolonged chase while singing "My Old Kentucky Home." 

Trivia: The Marxes filmed The Coconuts while appearing in Animal Crackers on Broadway. It ran for six months from October 1929 through April 1930, not bad for the time. It finally got a brief run in the West End in 1999. The show does turn up occasionally on regional stages, usually with other Kalmar-Ruby songs of the 20's and 30's padding the score.  

"Hooray for Captain Spaulding" was so associated with Groucho, it later became the theme song of his game show You Bet Your Life. 

Though many songs were deleted from the movie version, it also added "Why am I So Romantic?" 

The Marxes, Dumont, Craig, Irving, and Sorin repeat their Broadway roles. 

Strange Interlude was a wildly popular and influential nine-act experimental play written by Eugene O'Neil that ran in New York at the same time as Animal Crackers. Characters make asides to explain their thoughts in the middle of soliloquies as Groucho does. 

Several minutes of especially spicy dialogue was deleted for a reissue in 1936. The original version was thought lost until 2016, when a full copy was found in England and released on Blu-Ray.

What I Don't Like: This is very clearly an early sound film. Most of the movie is extremely stagey, with everyone standing around and talking or singing. When you hear thunder, it's clearly a sound effects man rattling tin offstage. Though it largely avoids the dull chorus numbers from The Coconuts, it also doesn't have much music besides Groucho's two iconic songs. Some of the jokes, like the "strange interludes" mentioned above, may not land with those who don't know the Marxes or the time period.

The Big Finale: If you want to find out how the Marxes started out, this is a far better introduction to them than The Coconuts. Highly recommended for fans of early sound comedy or those who just want to find out more about the Marxes and their brand of madness.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming. The Blu-Ray is the 2016 restored version.

DVD

DVD - The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection

Blu-Ray

YouTube

Spring Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg & The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

Let's celebrate Easter and the start of baseball season with these two lesser-known specials from 1983. While there have been holiday programming made for Easter just as long as there have been for Christmas, most of them tend to get the short end of the stick compared to their cold-weather counterparts. Are these springtime shorts deserving of a place at your Easter weekend celebration, or should they be left off the team? Let's begin with a story told by an egg (Ray Bolger) and find out...

Peter and the Magic Egg

Murikami-Wolf-Swenson, 1983

Voices of Ray Bolger, Al Eisemann, Joan Gerber, and Robert Ridgely 

Directed by Fred Wolf

Music by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volan; Lyrics by Romeo Muller

The Story: Mother Nature (Gerber) gives the Dopplers, poor Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, a child they name Peter Paas (Eisemann). Peter grows far faster than ordinary children, and within a year, he's able to work on the farm. He arranges a contract with the Easter Bunny to provide eggs with the help of the farm animals he's taught to dress and speak like humans.

The farm is owned by Tobias Tinwhiskers (Ridgley), a wealthy farmer who is so obsessed with his machines, he had himself made over as one. He's furious when Peter brings him the money for the mortgage from that contract and challenges him to a ploughing contest. Turns out he's rigged it so Peter falls in a well. Peter's found in a deep sleep that leaves his parents and animal friends in a deep depression. Mother Nature gives the animals an egg that will supposedly awaken Peter, but Tinwhiskers isn't about to let them hatch it!

The Animation: This is the same sketchy style as their previous Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz special, with slightly brighter colors as per the Easter theme. The animals look cute enough and closely resemble the characters on the Paas boxes until recently, and they move pretty well. 

The Song and Dance: For something intended as a half-hour commercial for Paas Egg Dye, this is actually pretty interesting. It has the feel of a folk tale, with its quaint Pennsylvania Dutch setting and man vs. machine theme. The animals are fairly funny, especially when they're called on to hatch that egg, and Tobias Tinwhiskers is a nasty and even scary-looking villain. 

Favorite Number: The special opens and closes with narrator Uncle Amos Egg (Bolger) claiming the story is "A Wonderment." Peter and the animals sings "An Animal Can Be Folks" twice, first when he gives the animals their trademark clothes, then during the show they hold to raise money for the farm. He also sings to implore "Mother Nature" to give him answers. The animals all wonder what "Our Egg" will be like when it hatches. 

What I Don't Like: Peter himself is a bit of a nonentity. Other than his sudden growth spurt, there isn't much to him, and he's missing for most of the special's second half. Honestly, they build up the egg and what's in it so much, when it does hatch, it's a bit of an anti-climax. I see the point they were making, but it doesn't make it less weird.

The Big Finale: Charming spring-time fairy tale is worth checking out if you're looking for something different to watch while dying eggs or waiting for the Easter egg hunt with the kids.

Home Media: Currently out of print on DVD, both solo and packaged with Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz. Your best bet might be checking YouTube. 

DVD

DVD - Peter and the Magic Egg/Dorothy In the Land of Oz

YouTube

The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

NBC, 1983

Voices of Ron McLarty, Pat Lysinger, Knowl Johnson, and Gabriela Glatzer

Directed by Al Kouzel

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Berenstain

The Story: Papa Bear (McLarty) is thrilled when he sees Brother Bear (Johnson) randomly hit a rock with a stick. He thinks he has a future big league star on his hands. He pushes Brother into the Bear Country Little League team, ignoring Sister (Glatzer), who is genuinely talented. It's Brother and his friends who finally show him the error of his ways when he follows them through the bog and is reminded that baseball is only a game, after all. It's not until he's coaching the team that he needs a second base-bear and finally starts seeing his daughter and her abilities in a new light.

The Animation: Once again, it's nothing flashy, but it gets the job done. It does look like the books of the time, which is likely all this special needs. It looks especially good during Brother's game with his buddies in the bog and Sister's "I Want It All" number.

The Song and Dance: This may be the most stripped-down of the five Berenstain Bears specials, and the only one to not revolve around a holiday. It's just the family here. In fact, it's mostly Papa and the cubs. Brother's bog buddies from Easter Surprise are seen, but have no lines. Papa does have some hilarious moments early on, when he sees Brother hit that rock and thinks he has a star on his hands, and mid-way through when he attempts to teach Brother a game he's well aware of how to play.

Favorite Number: We open and close with a chorus number describing why baseball is so popular with many people, "Baseball Is the National Pastime." "You're Safe, You're Out" is what Papa tries to teach Brother. Sister picks it up more readily than her older sibling. She admits that she wants a career and a family, teddy bears and baseball. "I Want It All," says Sister. Brother and his friends sing about how they don't care that their infield is a bumpy bog or their MVP is a many-limbed tree, they say "Come to Our Pick-Up Baseball Game" anyway. 

What I Don't Like: The side story with Sister not being able to play because of her gender hasn't dated well at all nowadays. Even Mama eventually calls Papa on it. It makes Papa look less well-meaning and even more like a jerk than his pressuring Brother does. 

The Big Finale: The last of the five Berenstain Bears specials isn't my favorite, but it's still worth seeing once if you have any Berenstain Bears fans or very young Little Leaguers or Little League hopefuls around. 

Home Media: Once again, the DVD is currently out of print, but it can be found on YouTube.

DVD - The Berenstain Bears: Springtime Surprises

YouTube

Joyful Noise

Warner Bros, 2012

Starring Queen Latifa, Dolly Pardon, Keke Palmer, and Jeremy Jordan

Directed by Todd Graff

Music and Lyrics by various

The Singing Nun is hardly the only woman who found fame performing for the church. Our next movie gives us two ladies who turn a church choir competition into their own search for glory. For many smaller communities or depressed areas of larger cities, choirs like the ones depicted here and in the Sister Act films represent one of the residents' few links to self-expression and uplift in the midst of decay. How does one small Georgia town find uplift in its choir, even as the town falters in the economic downturn of the time? Let's begin with the choir from a church in Pacashau, Georgia, as they perform in the regional finals of the Joyful Noise choir contest, and find out...

The Story: When the long-time choir director Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) dies, his widow G.G (Pardon) figures she'll step into his shoes. Instead, the church's pastor (Courtney B. Vance) hands the reigns to singer Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifa), who insists on continuing to use traditional songs and arrangements. G.G thinks her grandson Randy's (Jordan) arrangement of modern pop songs could be far more interesting. Randy also falls for Vi's rebellious teen daughter Olivia (Palmer), and teaches piano to her son Walter (Dexter Darden), whose Asperger's Syndrome keeps him from making friends.

Not only do Vi and G.G remain antagonistic over Randy's interest in Olivia and the use of non-religious music in a choir program, but the choir itself may lose funding. The church doesn't see the point of sending them to competitions when they always lose at the finals and refuses to allow using pop songs. G.G thinks they have a chance, if she can convince Vi that updating the songs is a good idea, and the traditional way of doing things isn't the only way. Olivia just wishes her mother would understand how she feels about Randy, but Vi never got over her father Marcus (Jesse L. Martin) joining the Army after he lost his job and walking out. 

The Song and Dance: And it's really all about the song and dance here. The overly melodramatic story is augmented by some fabulous choir performances. Palmer, Pardon, and Queen Latifa all raise the roof with their uplifting pop and gospel numbers. The ladies pretty much dominate everything, whether Vi is trying to explain to Olivia why she's worried about her, or G.G's remembering the good times with Bernard. We also get some decent location shooting in and around rural Georgia that adds a lot more authenticity than the dull casting. 

Favorite Number: We open with the choir in the regional finals, performing one of Pardon's own songs, "Not Enough." Bernard's directing them here, but even G.G can see he's not doing well. Our first number after his death is a sensational group version of the Michael Jackson hit "Man In the Mirror," with Olivia taking the solo. She and Randy do "Maybe I'm Amazed" to prove pop can work in a gospel setting. 

Real-life gospel performer Kirk Franklin sings his "In Love" with a dynamic Detroit choir. Too dynamic, as Vi and the others realize they'd have to practice night and day seven days a week to be that good. Vi sings "Fix Me, Jesus" alone in the church, then imagines the choir singing along with her. Pardon's second new number is "From Here to the Moon and Back," which she performs in a sweet waltz with Kristofferson as G.G reminisces about her late husband.

"Mighty High" takes us into the actual finals in Los Angeles. "That's the Way God Planned It" is a lively routine performed by young Ivan Kelley Jr. and a group of pre-teen boys. Vi and G.G counter with a medley of rock and pop songs that brings everyone onstage, including "I Want to Take You Higher," "Yeah!," "Forever," and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." "He's Everything" is another Pardon song, as one of the choir members happily marries a man she met at the competition. 

What I Don't Like: While not nearly as sweet as The Singing Nun, it has a major tone problem. It can't decide if it wants to be a musical Steel Magnolias or a less-goofy Sister Act 2. I actually found Walter and Randy's discussion of the challenges many people with mental health issues continue to face more interesting than the cliched relationship between Randy and Olivia. Conflict in this film is solved too easily, from how G.G is able to get sponsorship to Vi's sudden about-face on the matter of the music they use in the finale. There's also it being way too long. The heavy melodrama really drags down the middle of the film in particular and could have been trimmed with no one the wiser.

The Big Finale: Recommended mainly for the great music if you're a fan of gospel or either leading lady.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats.

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The Singing Nun

MGM, 1966

Starring Debbie Reynolds, Ricardo Montalban, Greer Garson, and Agnes Moorehead

Directed by Henry Koster

Music by Jeanne Deckers (Sister Sourie) and Noel Regney; Lyrics by Jeanne Deckers and Randy Sparks

This year's religious musicals for Holy Week focus on performers from the church, competitive choirs or nuns who sang for their orders. Belgian nun Soeur Sourire, or The Singing Nun as she was known in the US, captured the heart of millions when she sang her hit "Dominique" on The Ed Sullivan Show. It shot to #1 on the US Pop Charts, making "Sister Smile" an instant sensation. She was so well-known, MGM almost immediately bought the rights to her life. How well does this movie capture her story and her charming music? Let's begin in Belgium, as Dominican nun Sister Ann (Reynolds) leaves a small order outside Antwerp on her scooter, and find out...

The Story: Sister Ann was sent to a larger convent in a depressed part of Brussels to prepare for travel to Africa to work among the natives, but her real love is singing and playing guitar. Father Clementi (Montalban) is so impressed with her music, he persuades record executive Robert Gerade (Chad Everett) to make an album of her songs. Among those songs are "Dominique," a number Sister Ann wrote about a little boy (Ricky Cordell) whom her order takes care of. His father (Michael Pate) is a drunk, and the only other person who watches over the child is his tough teen sister Nicole (Katherine Ross). 

"Dominique" is a surprise smash after Sister Ann performs it for The Ed Sullivan Show, on the direct request of an impressed Sullivan (himself). Sister Ann and the convent are overwhelmed with offers and fan mail. Robert, who had dated Sister Ann when they both attended the Paris Conservatory of Music five years before, wants to renew old acquaintances as well. She's confused and frustrated, until tragedy makes her realize what she really wants to do with her life.

The Song and Dance: Some decent performances and the lovely music are the only things that make this even tolerable nowadays. Reynolds is a charming and peppery Singing Nun, especially when she's telling off a local girl (Colette Jackson) who doesn't intend to keep her child. Garson and Juanita Moore also do well as the understanding Mother Superior and the kindly African nun who becomes Sister Ann's best friend and greatest supporter. Montalban doesn't do too badly as the genial head of the order, and Ross manages to add a little spice in her few dramatic scenes.

Favorite Number: "Brother John," the sing-along number Sister Ann performs with the nuns after her arrival, was actually written by Sparks and based after one of her songs, as was the sweet "Lovely." He also translated "Sister Adele" and "Beyond the Stars." Most of the songs are performed as medleys when Sister Ann is recording or playing for the citizens of Brussels. We get a medley of "Brother John," "It's a Miracle," "Raindrops," "I'd Like to Be," and "A Pied Piper" there. Other songs heard include "Avec Toi (With You I Shall Walk)" and "Put On Your Pretty Skirt." 

Trivia: Sadly, Sister Sourire was never able to recapture the success of "Dominique." She clashed with the Catholic Church over her stance on birth control and her fame and left the order around the same time the film came out. The money she made from "Dominique" went to her producer, the record company, or the church. Her attempts to rekindle her music career were met with resounding failure, and hit with more than $60,000 in back taxes, she and her partner ultimately took their lives in Belgium in 1985. 

The movie had an even more troubled production. Producer John Beck and Debbie Reynolds clashed so loudly and often over the script and the direction it was going, a shaken Henry Koster retired. 

This was Oscar-nominated for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaption or Treatment. 

What I Don't Like: This is the overly sweet pile of treacle everyone assumes The Sound of Music is. The Catholic Church didn't want anything even remotely critical getting out, which is why it pretty much has nothing to do with Deckers' tragic life. No wonder Reynolds was frustrated with the script. Bland Everett has little to do and even less chemistry with Reynolds. You can certainly understand why Sister Ann would choose work in Africa over this dull guy. Even the excellent performances can't keep it from collapsing into a pile of cliched melodrama in the second half. The songs aren't even presented accurately. "Dominique" was about St. Dominique, the founder of the Dominican Order, not a child.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Reynolds or religious films and can handle the sugar level, this is worth seeing for the songs alone.

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives.

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Family Fun Saturday - Matilda the Musical

Netflix/Sony-Tristar, 2022

Starring Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, and Stephen Graham

Directed by Matthew Warchus

Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin

Roald Dahl's Matilda debuted in 1988 as one of his last books released during his lifetime. The tale of an abused girl who finds the way to get back at her neglectful parents and bullying head schoolmistress became one of the most successful children's books of the late 80's and is still regarded as one of the greatest of all time. The first stage musical version of Matilda debuted outside of London in 1990. It toured England, but wasn't well-received and never made the West End. 

An unrelated adaptation was such a huge hit in London, it's still running there at press time; a Broadway company proved almost as popular in 2015. Development for the movie began in 2013, but it didn't make it out until 2022. It was a hit in England and went over well on Netflix elsewhere, but how well does it do with its precocious "revolting children?" Let's begin in a hospital, where parents are eagerly awaiting the birth of their bundles of joy...all except one couple, the Wormwoods, who would rather have anything else...

The Story: Despite her parents' negligence, Matilda (Weir) grows up into a sweet and highly intelligent girl. She loves nothing more than to read books for hours and hours in her tiny attic room. Her favorite place is the mobile library, where she tells the librarian Mrs. Phelps (Sindu Vee) stories she's created. 

Local teacher Miss Honey (Lynch) and a local inspector insists Matilda attend school. She ends up attending Crutchem Hall, where Miss Honey works. Unfortunately, it's run by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Thompson), a hulking brute of a woman who lords over the school with an iron fist. Matilda isn't going to be cowed by the likes of her, no matter what. Trunchbull can abuse every other child in the school and push Miss Honey out of her true inheritance, but Matilda has power of her own. She's show her parents and this petty tyrant that being "revolting children" doesn't mean you don't have lives and feelings of your own.

The Song and Dance: Of the adults, Thompson is far and away the most interesting. Her Trumbull is a barking tyrant, madly whirling around any charge who might step even the slightest bit out of line and relishing her over-the-top villainy. Weir more than matches her as the title character, who is only "naughty" to get back at her parents for treating her badly. Graham and Andrea Risenborough also rise to the occasion as the self-centered and obnoxious Wormwoods, who care only for themselves and what they can get. They're backed by a delightfully colorful production with location shooting at and around a real English manor to pass for Crutchem Hall.

Favorite Number: We open at a candy-colored hospital as doctors declare the newborn children to be a "Miracle." Every couple coos over their new child...every couple but the Wormwoods, who weren't prepared and don't want their miracle. Matilda says she's only "Naughty" so she can re-write her story and take back some of the power her parents insist on having over her. Oldest student Hortensia (Meesha Garbitt) sings the "School Song" to tell her how life at Crutchem Hall works. Miss Trunchbull claims she is "The Hammer" when she throws a child by the pigtails out the window, and she will not be disobeyed. The brief "Chokey Chant" by the children explains about the Iron Maiden-like device where Trunchbull locks children who misbehave.

"Bruce" is the boy who is forced to eat an entire cake after he steals a slice from Miss Trunchbull. To her annoyance, everyone in the school, including Miss Honey, cheer him on. The children imagine what they'll be "When I Grow Up" when they go home from school, while Miss Honey remembers what she wanted to be as a child. As Matilda tells the story of the Escapologist and his wife, they both declare that "I'm Here," and they have feelings and a life, too. Miss Trunchbull forces the children to run in the rain to take "The Smell of Rebellion" out of them. All Matilda wants is "Quiet" as she imagines herself to be living on a hot air balloon somewhere high above Crutchem Hall.

Miss Honey recalls "My House" as she reveals just where the story of the Escapologist and his lost wife Matilda's told throughout the film came from. The kids finally get their rebellion after Matilda scares off Trumbull and they revel in being "Revolting Children," dancing around the school and pulling down her statue. It ends with Miss Honey and Matilda happily "Still Holding My Hand" as they turn the school into a happy place where children and adults can learn and grow together.

Trivia: Matilda: The Musical debuted on the West End stages in 2011. It was an instant sensation and continues to run there at press time. The Broadway show debuted in 2013 and would run until 2017. A film version directed by Danny DiVito wasn't a huge hit in 1996, but is now generally well-regarded as a family favorite from that era. 

What I Don't Like: There's been a few changes from the book and earlier adaptations. The end of the book and the show were originally a little darker. The Russian mob actually caught up with the Wormwoods, though they were ultimately impressed enough with Matilda's intelligence to let her go and encourage her staying with Miss Honey. Several characters from the book and previous versions were dropped, including Matilda's older brother Michael and the male deputy headmaster. 

Apparently, Matilda's story about the Escapologist and his wife was mostly sung in the stage show; here, it's mostly spoken except for "I'm Here." Other dropped numbers include two solos for Mr. Wormwood, "Telly" and "I'm So Clever," a number for Mrs. Wormwood, "Loud," and Miss Honey judging her life as "Pathetic." 

The Big Finale: An absolute delight, especially if you have little girls in your house who have read the book or are voracious readers themselves. Highly recommended.

Home Media: This is currently a Netflix exclusive in the US. 

Netflix

Cult Flops - The Color Purple (2023)

Warner Bros, 2023

Starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Colman Domingo

Directed by Blitz Bazawule

Music and Lyrics by various

Few female characters on stage or in literature go through a more traumatic transformation than the three women in our next review. Alice Walker's decades-spanning epic about an abused black woman who eventually takes control of her life won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983. Steven Spielberg directed the Oscar-winning non-musical film version in 1985, with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in star-making roles as Ceile and Sofia. The Broadway musical debuted in 2005; it and a 2015 revival did so well, it began talk of returning the story to film. How well does the musical retelling of Miss Celie and her heartbreaking life come off? Let's begin with the young Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) and her sister Nettie (Halle Berry) singing a hand-clapping game in a tree and find out...

The Story: By the time she's playing with Nettie in the tree, Celie has already had one child by her brutal father Alfonso Harris (Deon Cole) and is pregnant with another. Alfonso gives both children away, then forces her to wed local farmer Albert "Mister" Johnson (Domingo). Nettie tries to follow after her father attacks her too, but Mister drives her off. The two sisters swear they'll write as often as they can.

In 1917, Alfonso's grown son Harpo (Corey Hawkins) marries no-nonsense Sofia (Brooks). He builds them a house in the swamp, but ends up turning it into a juke joint. Everyone is excited when singer Shug Avery (Henson) returns to town. She thrills Celie (Barrino), who falls hard for her. Sofia's not as happy with Harpo having taken a mistress, diminutive Mary "Squeak" Agnes (H.E.R), and ends up starting a fight with her on the night of Shrug's debut. Shug finds a letter from Nettie, who now lives with a missionary in Africa and is taking care of Celie's children. They find others Mister hid in the house.

Sofia runs into trouble during the start of the Great Depression when she gets into a fight over not wanting to work for the Mayor's wife (Elizabeth Marvel). She ends up in jail and is forced to work for her anyway. Meanwhile, Ceile has had enough of Mister abusing her and cheating on her. She finally calls him on it during Easter 1943 and leaves him with Shug and her husband Grady (Jon Batiste) to Memphis. After she inherits her late father's shop, she turns it into a store for women's pants and hires Sofia, Shug, and Mary Agnes to work there. Mister,  now a worthless drunk with a failing farm, finally decides it's time to make amends with his wife by bringing her and her long-lost sister and children back together.

The Song and Dance: Henson, Barrino, and Harris dance off with the film as the central trio who fight, feud, take abuse, and ultimately triumph. Harris got an Oscar nomination as the spitfire who loses her vivacity after ending up in jail, but finds her spirit again when Celie stands up to Mister. Berry's nearly as good in the early goings as the stronger sister who doesn't put up with the abuse Celie does. Pitch-perfect period costumes and gorgeous cinematography with some great touches that aptly show how the ladies and their lives change with the times. I also love how well they manage to make the two different musical approaches - the characters singing in normal time and in their heads - work together. Fatima Robinson's choreography brings life to a vibrant all-black community in the many ensembles. 

Favorite Number: We open with the girls' hand-clapping routine in the tree, "Huckleberry Pie." Everyone in town talks about the lord's "Mysterious Ways" as Celie looks forward to the birth of her second child. Celie dances with women doing wash in her mind as she admits that "She Be Mine," and her sister is all she has. Nettie and Celie admit that they have to "Keep It Movin'." Harpo's proud to be "Workin'" on his new home, even if his father just thinks it's noise. 

Sofia says "Hell No!" when Harpo tries abusing her...and says it again when the Mayor's wife wants her to be a maid. The entire town is excited about the arrival of singer "Shug Avery," especially Mister. Celie isn't as thrilled about her being in her home at first. She explains her feelings on religion in "Dear God - Shug." Shug's big number at the juke joint is "Push De Button." Celie imagines them singing "What About Love?" in an art deco fantasy on top of Shug's gramophone, complete with dance and kiss. 

"Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" was written for the 1985 film; here, it's Shug's number for Celie on her birthday in Memphis. "Miss Celie's Pants" has all the ladies' feet tapping as they make the title garments and happily run their shop together. "I'm Here" says Celie triumphantly after she's able to turn down Mister when he tries to get back in her life. Shug finally returns to her father Reverend Avery (David Alan Grier) as they admit "Maybe God Is Tryin' To Tell You Something." We end with the title song as Celie is reunited with her entire family at a picnic and everyone rejoices that they're all together and happy at last.

Trivia: The Broadway show wasn't popular with critics in 2005, who found it lumbering and watered-down. It managed to be a huge hit anyway, running for over three years. A well-received off-West End limited run in 2013 led to it returning to Broadway in 2015. The revival was almost as big of a hit, this time with audiences and critics. It ran for two years and picked up a Best Revival Tony and Tonys for its Celie, Cynthia Erivo.

Danielle Brooks also played Sofia in the revival and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She got a Best Supporting Oscar nomination as well, the only Oscar nod the film received. Fantasia Barrio played Celie in the original 2005 production, having taken over from original Celie LaChanze. 

Feature film debut of H.E.R. 

What I Don't Like: All of the joyful, upbeat chorus numbers can't mask that this is one of the darkest recent musicals. Once again, if you're looking for something fluffy and light, this is not going to be your show. Like the book and original film, it's also very women-oriented. Men generally do not come off well here. Most of them are jerks, abusive, violent, ignorant, or some combination of the above. I have the feeling from some of the reviews online that a lot of people, particularly those who aren't fans of musicals to begin with, found those light jazz numbers to be out of place with the extremely downbeat drama. 

The Big Finale: First of all, I'm going to admit this is my first encounter with this material. I have neither seen the 1985 movie, nor read the book. That said, I did enjoy it. The up-and-down tone is overcome by a terrific production and fabulous performances. See this on its own terms for the ladies and the great numbers.

Home Media: As a brand-new title, this is easily found in all formats.

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