Musical Documentaries - That's Dancing!

MGM, 1985

Hosted by Gene Kelly, Ray Bolger, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, and many others

Directed by Jack Haley Jr.

Music and Lyrics by various

When I was six, this used to appear with some frequency on cable. It gave me my first glimpse of Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and ballet, and I was entranced. It's one of several older films and more recent musicals I saw as a child that helped make me the musical film fan I am today. How does this summation of the history of dance on the big screen look nowadays, with most of these films easily found on home media and no longer limited to cable showings and rare big-screen revivals? Let's start with a man who certainly knows something about dance on-screen, Gene Kelly, as he explains to us about primitive dance around the world, and find out...

The Story: Some of the most popular musical stars and dancers to ever appear on the big screen relate to us the history of dance via segments from movies made by MGM...and for once, other studios as well.

Kelly discusses the origins of filmed dance, dance on the silent screen, and how Busby Berkley's surreal choreography revolutionized chorus numbers on film.

Sammy Davis Jr. talks about solo and couple dance on film, via Fred Astaire, who insisted on the camera remaining on his full figure while he danced and his frequent partner Ginger Rogers. He also goes into Shirley Temple, whose mixed-race tap routines with Bill Robinson broke barriers in the 30's, Robinson's graceful style as a solo act in shorts, and solo stars Eleanor Powell and Ray Bolger and the amazing duo the Nicholas Brothers. 

Russian ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov gives us the history of ballet on film, from Anna Palova on the silent screen to major international ballet greats of the 60's and 70's Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, as well as screen ballerinas Vera Zorina and Moira Shearer. 

Liza Minelli discusses screen adaptations of classic Broadway dance routines, from James Cagney demonstrating what George M Cohan's style looked like in Yankee Doodle Dandy to the explosive "Cool" from the original 1961 West Side Story. 

Ray Bolger gives us the (then) future of dance on the screen, including the "What a Feeling!" finale of Flashdance and Michael Jackson's influential and much-parodied "Beat It" music video. 

The Song and Dance: If That's Dancing does one thing right, it's expanding its net to include a truly wide variety of dance...including acknowledging that dancers came from studios other than MGM. We get the Yankee Doodle Dandy and Busby Berkley footage from Warners, the Shirley Temple/Bill Robinson, Nicholas Brothers, and Rogers and Hammerstein dances from 20th Century Fox, Universal's release of Sweet Charity, Flashdance from Paramount, The Red Shoes from England, and the MTV Michael Jackson footage. We also get our first glimpse of cut songs in an incredible extension of Bolger's "If I Only Had a Brain" solo from The Wizard of Oz. They even wrote two original songs. It's also nice to see sequences from musicals made after the 50's as the hosts point out that dance on the screen continues to evolve. There's also the extremely rare footage of early silent dancers, some of it going far back as 1897. 

Favorite Number: As mentioned, we begin with footage, some of it rare, of primitive dances from around the globe, from African tribal ritual to native dances in Mexico and China. Of the Busby Berkley routines shown here, none continue to amaze more than the Oscar-winning "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935, with its thousands of tap dancers who all manage to move in perfect unison. 

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have a lot more fun with two of their best routines, the romantic "Night and Day" from The Gay Divorcee and comic "Pick Yourself Up" from Swing Time. A decidedly different duo, Shirley Temple and Bill Robison, show off their "Organ Grinder's Swing" from The Littlest Rebel. Robison goes it alone and shows off his light-as-air footwork in two numbers from the short King for a Day. A very young Sammy Davis Jr. gets in on his own short, Rufus Jones for President, and gives us a delightful and adorable tap routine. Fred goes it solo as well with "I Won't Dance" from Roberta and later, "A Shine On Your Shoes," making brilliant use of an arcade on Broadway in The Band Wagon. Eleanor Powell manages to combine tap and graceful hula and make it work in the peculiar "Hola E Pae" from Honolulu. 

Vera Zorina demonstrates grace of a different sort with Charles Laskey in "La Princesse Zenobia Ballet" from On Your Toes. Delicate Moira Shearer is haunted by her scarlet footwear, which stands out like a beacon in the sherbet tones of The Red Shoes. Ray Bolger does death-defying leaps after crows (with the help of MGM's special effects department) in a delightful extension of his "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz. 

Astaire this time joins an unusually tough Jane Powell for the colorful tropical chorus routine "I Left My Hat In Hati" from Royal Wedding. Anne Miller joins Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and the late Tommy Rall for their big tap number "Tom Dick and Harry" from Kiss Me Kate. We get a glimpse at a more spontaneous chorus routine with the teens dancing in the streets and stopping traffic to the tune of the Oscar-winning title song from Fame. The dancers of the original West Side Story show why they're still "Cool" with their stylized, finger-snapping dance moves. "Cool" inspired much of Michael Jackson's "Beat It"; song and video were smash hits in 1983, and we get to see why here, with their equally dramatic moves. We also get Kim Carnes' pop song "Invitation to Dance" over the end credits. 

Trivia: The use of the rare Ray Bolger/Wizard of Oz footage was so well-received, it inspired MGM to dig in its vaults for more deleted numbers to use in That's Entertainment III a decade later. 

Final film appearance of Ray Bolger. 

Bolger and Minnelli's sequences were to have been much longer and feature more numbers from other studios, but many were dropped in the interest of time and expense, as was the sequence with Fred and Ginger. Which brings me to...

What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious that MGM chopped this up since before release. There's even less rhyme and reason to this than there is to the Kelly and Astaire-hosted That's Entertainment Part 2. Liza Minnelli's segment from Cabaret was dropped, leaving her as the only host without a dance routine in the film and making many audiences wonder what she's doing there. Many of the MGM numbers seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel after three films and makes you really wish the other studios had cooperated more. 

There's problems with the other hosts, too. Their narration is just as stiff as the first That's Entertainment film, and mostly of interest to real dance aficionados. Casual audiences will likely be bored and wish they'd get out of the way and let the footage speak for itself. Baryshnikov in particular lacks the charm and intensity he usually shows when dancing. (And he's not helped by his thick Russian accent.) The five hosts often seem spread too thin as well, with Davis Jr. and Kelly covering more than half the film. 

Let's talk about that final "modern" segment. Breakdancing was a huge fad in 1985, but it's barely remembered today by anyone but fans of 80's dance. I understand they wanted to convey the evolution of dance, from primitive times to modern times, but the emphasis on 80's fads like breakdancing and music videos dates this in a way the That's Entertainment films, with their use of mostly older footage, manages to avoid. 

The Big Finale: Mainly of interest to fans of dance on the screen, dance history, or the That's Entertainment documentary series. 

Home Media: Finally got its first solo release on Warner Archive DVD in October 2020; can be found easily for streaming as well. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Stage Door Canteen

United Artists, 1943
Starring Cheryl Walker, Lon McAllister, William Terry, and Marjorie Riordan
Directed by Frank Borzage
Music by various

Every city and large town had a canteen or club during the war years where military personnel could get a meal, listen to top bands, and dance the night away with woman volunteers. They were places the service people could forget their troubles for a while. Some of the canteens in larger cities were staffed by genuine stars and celebrities doing their bit for the war effort, including the Stage Door Canteen in New York City where the best and brightest of Broadway did their all for the troops. How does the story of a soldier who falls in love with one of the volunteers look now? Let's head to the Stage Door Canteen with waitress and acting hopeful Eileen (Cheryl Walker) and find out...

The Story: Eileen and her roommates Jean (Marjorie Riordan) and Ella Sue (Margaret Early) are volunteers at the Canteen. They talk to and dance with the soldiers, but they're not supposed to become intimate with them. Eileen, though, can't help falling in love with sweet Dakota (William Terry). She's really there to catch the eye of a Broadway producer and get a part...but when she finally does, she wonders if it's really worth while without her soldier.

The Song and Dance: This may have the most eclectic selection of cameos from any of the wartime semi-revues. Fans of theater history may find this of particular interest, as it features the only film appearance of stage star Katherine Cornell and rare bits by other theater luminaries like Helen Hayes, Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontanne, and Ina Claire. As slight as the story is, it's still an improvement over the ridiculous plot of Star Spangled Rhythm. It feels real and authentic to the era, helped by the leads being played by non-stars. I also appreciate how the Chinese servicemen were treated. They were among America's allies during World War II, so they're spoken to with respect and a refreshing lack of stereotypes.

Favorite Number: Ray Bolger gets a cute dance routine cribbed from the show he was starring in on Broadway at the time, By Jupiter, "The Girl I Loved to Leave Behind." Singer Lina Romay and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra spoof the Latin mania in the early 40's with "She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn." Lanny Ross performs the Oscar-nominated "We Mustn't Say Good-Bye" with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, while Kenny Baker does a lovely "Goodnight Sweetheart" with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. Ethel Waters sings a frisky "Quicksands" with Count Basie and His Orchestra. Peggy Lee made her mark with the classic blues ballad "Why Don't You Do Right?" with Benny Goodman.

Trivia: The real Stage Door Canteen was too busy entertaining servicemen for filming, so the movie was made at Fox Pathe Studios in New York and RKO Pictures in Hollywood.

Most of the money from the film went to the Canteen and the American Theater Wing who operated it.

What I Don't Like: As with Star Spangled Rhythm, this is very much a film of its time. The word "Jap" is thrown around pretty frequently, especially by British star Gracie Fields in her big "Machine Gun Song" number. Neither the music nor most of the cameos are as memorable as the ones in Star Spangled Rhythm or other wartime musicals. If you're not a fan of theater history or don't know anything about older movies or theater stars, you'll probably be more baffled than anything. There's also the fact that the movie looks pretty cheap compared to the big-budget studio revues; the focus is on the stars and story, not the bounty.

The Big Finale: Fascinating if you're a fan of theater or film history or the history of World War II.

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere, including streaming for free with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Make sure to look for the 132 minute print; some prints run 93 minutes and cut out a lot of numbers.

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Amazon Prime

The Harvey Girls

MGM, 1946
Starring Judy Garland, Angela Landsbury, John Hodiak, and Marjorie Main
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

Hoping to come up with the film equivalent of the stage hit Oklahoma!, producer Arthur Freed refashioned this robust western as a vehicle for then-major star Garland. Does the tale of waitresses who tame a small southwestern town serve the goods today, or should it be sent packing on that famous train? Let's start on the train as the titular Harvey House waitresses are on their way to town and find out...

The Story: Susan Bradley (Garland) thinks she's coming to Sand Rock, Arizona to marry the man of her dreams. Turns out the fellow is actually a grizzled old cowboy (Chill Willis) who no more wants to marry her than she wants to marry him. They break things off amiably before Susan learned that the gentleman who owns the local saloon, Ned Trent (Hodiak), wrote the letters for the cowpoke as a joke. Susan tells him off, then join the Harvey Girls, the clean-cut waitresses at the Harvey House. The Harvey House competes with the saloon for the customers coming off the train. Ned's business partner Judge Sam Purvis (Preston Foster) will do anything to scare the girls off, including shooting bullets in their windows and planting rattlesnakes in their room. Ned,  however, is falling for Susan, to the frustration of his girl Em (Landsbury), and is starting to wonder if civilization isn't such a bad thing after all.

The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is it's one of the very few female-centric westerns, musical or otherwise. The guys may own the buildings, but it's the ladies who are the leads and whom the story really revolves around. Garland definitely earns her top billing as the strong-willed young woman who will not be bullied by anybody. She's especially funny when she goes to retrieve steaks from the saloon that were stolen by two local mugs and during a huge all-out girl fight after Em catches Susan trying to bring dancer Deborah (Cyd Charisse) back to the Harvey House. Main and Willis have some fun moments as the tough cook at the Harvey House and the good-natured cowpoke.

Favorite Number: The big one here is the epic ensemble routine "On the Atcheson, Topeka, and the Santa Fe." This giant number has Garland, Ray Bolger, and almost everyone in the cast explaining who they are and dancing with the backdrop of the steaming train. It's so catchy and fun, it won the Oscar for best song in 1946.

Other nice songs here include "Oh You Kid," a routine for Em and the dance hall girls at the saloon, "It's a Great, Big World" as Susan and her two new friends Deborah and Alma (Virginia O'Brian) sing about what brought them to the west and what they want from their new jobs. Alma also gets a nice solo after she ends up helping horse-shy blacksmith Chris Maule (Ray Bolger) with his work, the comic "Wild Wild West." The Harvey Girls join the local men for the waltzing "Swing Your Partner" before they finally shoo out the bad girl saloon dancers.

Trivia: Harvey House was, indeed, the first restaurant chain, created by Fred Harvey in the 1840's as a better option for train diners. Harvey Houses continued as a family owned operation until 1968, when they were bought out by a Hawaiian real estate company. They were known for their excellent food, elegant dining rooms, and their beautiful and clean-cut waitresses, known as "Harvey Girls."

This was originally intended to be a drama with Lana Turner, but Freed heard about it and thought it would make a wonderful western musical. Ann Sheridan was originally given Landsbury's role, but dropped out due to personal problems.

Two songs - "My Intuition," a duet for Garland and Hodiak, and another chorus routine at the Harvey Girls' party "March of the Doagies," were filmed but cut before release. Both exist; "March of the Doagies" was used in That's Entertainment III. Another Garland number, "Hayride," was recorded but not filmed.

What I Don't Like: Hodiak is supposed to be the handsome bad man, but he's even more bland opposite the dynamic Garland than "boy next door" Tom Drake in Meet Me In St. Louis. The two have no chemistry whatsoever; Deborah's romance with the pianist at the saloon (Kenny Baker) is more believable. Landsbury is no naughty saloon chanteuse, either (and was dubbed to boot). Other than two solos dance numbers and his bit in "Wild Wild West," Bolger is barely in the film.

The Big Finale: While not the enduring masterpiece that Oklahoma! is, this is still a fun romp for fans of Garland, Landsbury, or the big MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's.

Home Media: Currently available on DVD from the Warner Archives, at least one Garland collection, and on several streaming companies.

DVD
DVD - Silver Screen Icons: Judy Garland
Amazon Prime

April In Paris

Warner Bros, 1952
Starring Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin, and Eve Miller
Directed by David Butler
Music by Vernon Duke; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Sammy Cahn

Although it was originally released at Christmas, this fluffy Day vehicle is the perfect lightweight romantic comedy for a warm spring day. Given the title, it was practically mandatory for me to get it in this month. Is it as romantic and dreamy as Paris in the spring? Let's first take a trip to Washington DC's state department and check in with the government to find out...

The Story: Assistant Secretary Winthrop Putham (Bolger) is in a tizzy. He's putting on a huge art exposition in Paris, but the invitation he meant to send to Ethel Barrymore instead was mailed to chorus girl "Dynamite" Ethel Jackson (Day). He initially tells her about the mistake, but his boss, Secretary Robert Sherman (Paul Harvey), actually decides he likes the idea. Ethel would be happier about the whole thing if her big ocean voyage to France didn't most involved being grilled in French by stuffy government officials. She sneaks down to the galley to party with the crew, including waiter Phillipe Fouquet (Dauphin). Winthrop is order to tell her that she's done...but ends up getting drunk and marrying her, to the horror of his bossy fiancee, Secretary Sherman's daughter Marcia (Miller). Now the two have to figure out how to get out of this mess...and then if they actually want to.

The Song and Dance: There's some charm to be found in this fizzy tale. Bolger does get a few funny moments, especially spoofing the US governments' fondness for titles and underlings. Harvey's even funnier as the stuffed-shirt senator. Day has her moments as well, especially sniping with Bolger early-on and when she gets into a cat fight with Miller during the art exposition.

Favorite Number: The best song from this one by far is "We're Going to Ring the Bell Tonight," Day and Bolger's big dance routine with Dauphin and the crew in the gallery. There's more verve and energy in that number than there is in the entire rest of the movie. Bolger also has a nice solo dance in his boss' office, when he's dreaming of making it to the top of the White House.

What I Don't Like: Bolger and Day are mismatched. They have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. You'd never believe she'd fall for him so quickly, especially after the whole thing with the letter was his fault. Bolger never did work well as a romantic leading man. Dauphin is way over the top as the mischievous French waiter who causes a lot of the trouble, to the point where he's more annoying than anything. Other than Dauphin, the movie doesn't have a drop of French flavor. It looks and sounds like something that was filmed on an American sound stage in the 50's. The romantic comedy contrivances veer between cliched and ridiculous. By the end, you start to wish the two would either get a room or just part, given how long they draw it out.

The Big Finale: In the end, a few good numbers can't be redeemed by miscasting and a dull plot. Worth seeing once for fans of Day, Bolger, romantic comedies, or 50's musicals. Everyone else is probably better off looking up their favorite recording of the title song.

Home Media: The solo DVD is currently available via the Warner Archives; it can also be found as part of a Doris Day DVD set.

DVD
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection
Amazon Prime

Look for the Silver Lining

Warner Bros, 1949
Starring June Haver, Ray Bolger, Gordon MacRae, and Charlie Ruggles
Directed by David Butler
Music by Jerome Kern and others; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and others

Dainty blonde dancer Marilyn Miller was one of the brightest stars on Broadway in the 1920's. We've already met her twice on this blog, in the 1929 film version of Sally and the 1946 Jerome Kern biography Til the Clouds Roll By; Judy Garland played her in the latter. Does her own film biography live up to her colorful and often tragic life? Let's head backstage on Broadway and find out...

The Story:  Marilyn Miller (Haver) recalls her life when a fan brings her a poster of her family's vaudeville act just prior to her final appearance in Sally. She started out with her family's act The Four Columbians when she was barely in her teens. After her father Caro (Ruggles) comes down with the mumps and her family's quarantined, she tries to go on for them, but is rejected because of her youth. Dancer Jack Donahue (Bolger) lets her come onstage with him to show just how good she is. She's not only taken into the act for good, but becomes its sole member when her sisters Ruth and Claire (Lee and Lyn Wilder) leave to get married.

Her role in a Broadway revue introduces her to Frank Carter (MacRae), a handsome and slightly egotistical singer. The two eventually fall in love, but have to put off marriage when he joins World War I. They wed the moment he gets back, but it doesn't last long. He dies in a car crash shortly after encouraging her to take her most famous role as Sally, the little dishwasher who becomes a star. Marilyn is heartbroken and wants to retire, but she's talked out of it by impresario Harry Dolan (Dick Simmons), who eventually marries her.

The Song and Dance: What makes the movie is the sweet relationship between Bolger and Haver. She has a huge crush on him at first, but he eventually becomes more like a mentor. It's rare to see a non-romantic friendship between a man and a woman depicted in a musical. Ruggles and Rosemary DeCamp are hilarious as her protective vaudevillian parents (especially when they're all quarantined for the mumps), and MacRae does fairly well in his brief appearance as Miller's first husband.

Favorite Number: Haver and Bolger have three numbers together that amply display the warm friendship between Jack and Marilyn. In the first early in the film, he brings her onstage to show her stuff after the manager won't let her perform because of her age. She does him the favor in the second after she's an older teenager and dances with him. The third much later on has them doing a fun duet to the title song from Miller's circus-themed vehicle Sunny.

I really love how realistic the numbers are in this movie. "Look for the Silver Lining," with long-time Warners favorite S.K Sakall in the star comic role, looks like it could have come straight from the original 1920 stage Sally, as do the two routines from Sunny and Frank and Marilyn's ballad in the Passing Show.

Trivia: Marilyn's name was created by combining her given name, Mary, with her mother's middle name, Lynn. Originally, it had an extra n on the end, but that was removed in the early 20's at the behest of Florenz Ziegfeld. It would also inspire the stage name of an even more famous - and tragic - blonde actress, Marilyn Monroe.

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, that authenticity also extends to a brief version of Uncle Tom's Cabin that the family appears in early in the film. It's played for comedy when Marilyn gets stuck in a flying harness, but the rest of the family is in blackface and doing bad southern accents. Even though the scene is only about five minutes and is actually pretty funny, it's still likely to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many viewers today.

While the plot's a tad bit more interesting than the similar travails of Lillian Russell, it's still very toned-down from the real Miller's life. She actually started in her family's vaudeville act at the tender age of four and spent a lot of her early life dodging child labor laws. She did marry Frank Carter shortly after he got out of the army, and sadly, he did die in a car crash...seven months before Sally opened in December 1920.

There's absolutely no mention of her marriage to either actor Jack Pickford in the mid-20's or chorus dancer and stage manager Chester O'Brian in the 30's, possibly because the former was abusive and their union ended in divorce, and the latter was still alive and active at the time. She was married to a dancer named Jack Donahue in the late 20's, but he was quite different from Bolger's character. She was also said to have a blue vocabulary that would make a drunk sailor blush and any number of affairs, including with Ziegfeld and studio head Jack Warner.

The movie is maddeningly vague about how she died. It had nothing to do with dizzy spells; she passed away in 1936 from complications from surgery on a sinus infection she'd had all her life. She died two years after appearing in her last show, which was the revue As Thousands Cheer. And interestingly, there's no mention made of her brief film career, despite Warners having released all three of her movies.

The Big Finale: While there's some nice numbers and decent performances from Haver, Ruggles, DeCamp, and Bolger, it's not enough to overcome the cliched and melodramatic story. For fans of the cast or 40's musicals only.

Home Media: Currently, this is only available on DVD from the Warner Archives. (I actually dubbed my copy off TCM.)

DVD

The Wizard of Oz

MGM, 1939
Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Margaret Hamilton
Directed by Victor Fleming and others
Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg

And now, we travel over the rainbow to take on one of the most famous films - in any genre - of all time. While not a huge hit when it first came out, it's become a classic in re-releases and on TV. The tale of Dorothy and her companions and their journey to the Emerald City has become a touchstone to families and children of all ages. Let's head to Kansas to see if the movie is truly worthy of that legacy...

The Story: Dorothy Gale (Garland) is not having an easy time in dull Sepia-toned Kansas. Her aunt, uncle, and their farm hands don't listen to her when she tries to explain that the local grouchy old lady Mrs. Gulch (Hamilton) has threatened to take her beloved dog Toto away. To Dorothy's horror, they don't have a choice about letting him go when Gulch shows up with court orders. Toto escapes, and Dorothy runs away to save him. She's found by a traveling fortune teller (Frank Morgan) who encourages her to go home. She gets back just in time to run inside just as the farmhouse is hit by a tornado.

The twister lands her and Toto in the Technicolor land of Oz, where she's greeted by tiny little people called Munchkins. They're celebrating because her house landed on the Witch of the East, who had been persecuting them. Glinda, the pretty Witch of the North (Billie Burke), sends Dorothy along the Yellow Brick Road to ask the Wizard who rules Oz to help her find her way home. Along the way, she meets three familiar friends who join her on her journey, a goofy cowardly lion (Lahr) who wants courage, a wobbly scarecrow who wants brains (Bolger), and a very sentimental tin woodsman (Jack Haley) who wants a heart. They're dogged every step of the way by the nasty Witch of the West (Hamilton again).

The witch captures Dorothy when the Wizard sends them to her domain to get her broomstick. Dorothy doesn't really want to kill anyone, but she doesn't have a choice. She's not happy with what the Wizard turns out to be, either. He does offer her a ride home, but Dorothy misses the trip. It's Glinda who helps her see that she had the way home all along...and that no matter how far over the rainbow we go, home is never far from our hearts.

The Song and Dance: Making this movie was a long and arduous process, but it was absolutely worth it. The Sepia and Technicolor cinematography both glow with an incandescence that makes that rainbow pale. Everyone puts in fine performances; Garland won a special award for best child performer at the Oscars. Hamilton's green-faced witch has frightened generations of children with her fireballs and cackling voice. Bolger, Haley, and especially Lahr are delightful as Dorothy's beloved companions. The movie has one of the most famous scripts in film history, and probably some of the most quoted lines. ("People come and go so quickly here!" "There's no place like home!")

Favorite Number: Thank goodness Harburg insisted they keep "Over the Rainbow!" The executives thought it was too slow, but it really defines the whole movie, well before Dorothy hits Oz. Garland sang it frequently throughout her career, and it's still associated with her to this day. I've always enjoyed the three versions of "If I Only Had...," sung by each of Dorothy's friends when she meets them.

Trivia: There was originally supposed to be another number, "The Jitterbug," which had Dorothy and her friends being attacked by a bug sent by the Witch on the Yellow Brick Road. It was deemed extraneous and was deleted, along with reprises of "Over the Rainbow" and "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead." The footage for all three numbers is now lost, but the audio recordings survive and are frequently included as extras on DVDs and CD soundtracks.

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, deleting the "Ding Dong" and "Rainbow" reprises does mean that there's no musical numbers in the last third of the film. The two songs might have added a little more meat to the second half. Some people today consider the basic message of never leaving home to be a bit on the dated side. And yeah, there are times, especially with the moving trees and the obvious painted backgrounds, where the older effects are pretty obvious.

The Big Finale: Not my all-time favorite musical, but I like it enough to understand why it's so beloved. I probably don't need to recommend this one to anybody. If you haven't seen it yet, do so, especially if you have young children.

Home Media:  Goes without saying that this one is pretty easy to find. While it's no longer an annual TV event, it turns up fairly frequently on Turner Classic Movies, and it's available on most formats.

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Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Babes In Toyland

Disney, 1961
Starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, Ray Bolger, and Ed Wynn
Directed by Jack Donahue
Music by Victor Herbert and George Bruns; Lyrics by Mel Levin

Here's another children-oriented musical fantasy from 1961. This time, we get an adaptation of the popular Broadway operetta from the early 20th century. It's probably composer Victor Herbert's most famous show today, spinning off the holiday standard "Toyland" and the instrumental favorite "March of the Toy Soldiers." Let's head to Toyland for a wedding...and to see if the old tale still holds up today...

The Story: Mother Goose (Mary McCarty) and her sarcastic talking goose Sylvester introduce us to the world of Mother Goose Land. We're just in time to see some of the most famous nursery rhyme characters celebrating the engagement of Mary Quite Contrary (Funicello) and Tom the Piper's Son (Sands). One resident is less-than-thrilled with the announcement. Barnaby (Bolger) is a nasty old man who is determined to have Mary for himself. He hires the mercenaries Gonzorgo (Henry Calvin) and Rodrigo (Gene Sheldon) to kidnap Tom and steal Mary's sheep, leaving her defenseless and without income. Gonzorgo and Rodrigo make the mistake of selling Tom to the gypsies. When they show up in Mother Goose Land, Tom comes with them.

Meanwhile, Mary's siblings, including Little Bo Peep (Ann Jillian), have gone looking for the sheep in The Forest of No Return. A concerned Mary and Tom go after them. They all end up in Toyland, where the Toymaker (Wynn) and his nerdy assistant Grumio (Tommy Kirk) are trying to meet the Christmas deadline. After one of Grumio's inventions blows up and destroys their inventory, Tom, Mary, and the kids volunteer to help them make more. But Barnaby and his goons aren't far behind...and Grumio has another new invention that's going to make it a lot easier for them to capture Mary and take over Toyland!

The Song and Dance: This is another one where the colorful and adorable sets and costumes and the supporting cast really shine. McCarty's wonderfully sarcastic Mother Goose and the very funny Sylvester liven up the first half and really make you wish they were in more of the movie. Bolger's having a ball as the old fashioned cape-and-mustache villain. Calvin and Sheldon's innocent tomfoolery fits in better here than the Three Stooges' slapstick did in Snow White, and Wynn's hilarious as the absent-minded and eccentric Toymaker.

Favorite Number: Bolger has a great solo on "Castle In Spain," dancing with spouting water as Barnaby tries to convince Marry to become his wife. "The Forest of No Return," despite the obvious puppet trees, is still appropriately spooky today. Tommy Sands does surprisingly well with his solo on "Floretta" in drag. I've always liked the creative stop-motion work on the toys in "March of the Toy Soldiers" (the details on all those old-fashioned playthings are awesome) and the nifty multiple-Mary effects on "I Can't Do the Sum." Bolger's joined by Calvin and Sheldon for the very funny "And We Won't Be Happy 'Til We Get It," the manifesto of every fantasy villain.

What I Don't Like: Once again, the lovers here are as stiff as boards (though at least Sands and Funicello are both decent singers who don't need the dubbing). Most of the songs were re-written; the most famous, "Toyland," is reduced to a throw-away for the kids as they enter the Toymaker's Factory. Tom and Mary's second duet "Just a Toy" can come off as more creepy than romantic to some folks nowadays, with it's slightly sexist description of woman-as-doll. (I've wanted the doll Mary's working on in that scene for years, though.)

The Big Finale: This is my favorite version of this show, over even the Laurel & Hardy March of the Toy Soldiers from the 1930's. (Which I'll cover eventually on this blog as well.) A great choice for families during the holidays.

Home Media: Easily available in most formats; the Blu-Ray is in widescreen.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Rosalie

MGM, 1937
Directed by W.S Van Dyke
Starring Nelson Eddy, Eleanor Powell, Frank Morgan, and Ray Bolger
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

The Story: Dick Thorpe (Eddy) is the Army's biggest football star. He's not as popular with Vassar College student Rosalie (Powell), who finds him to be conceited. She changes her mind when he starts courting her and singing at her window, with the help of his bench warmer buddy Bill Delroy (Bolger). They've barely started dating when Rosalie is called back to her home country of Romanza for its big festival. Turns out that Rosalie is actually the princess of Romanza, and is engaged to marry Prince Paul (Tom Rutherford). No one is happy with the arrangement but the dour Queen (Edna May Oliver). Paul is more interested in the Queen's lady-in-waiting Brenda (Illona Massey), and the King prefers working on his ventriloquist act to ruling a country. Dick takes off when he learns of Rosalie's engagement, but Bill knows he's unhappy. It'll take a revolution - and Rosalie and the King learning to speak for themselves - to finally reunite these lovers back at West Point.

The Song and Dance: Let's get things out of the way first - this movie is BIG. MGM was trying to outdo Warners' Busby Berkley musicals and it's own earlier spectacles, and they succeeded at that. Almost every musical number seems to be accompanied by hundreds of extras and sets that could probably dwarf four of the football field Eddy and Bolger played on early in the film. Only the biggest, most popular movie factory in Hollywood could have put together something like this at the height of the Great Depression.

Eddy's notorious for being rather stiff, but he actually comes off well enough as the dashing quarterback. Bolger's less believable as a football player, but he does get a good solo later in the film and a couple of nice scenes with Eddy and Powell. Morgan and Oliver are really fun as the flustered ruler who would rather be performing, and the haughty queen who just wants him to pay attention to his country.

Trivia: Cole Porter reportedly wrote the title song as a joke when MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer asked him to write a song with a girl's title. Porter came up with the drippiest song he could imagine...then saw Mayer have the last laugh when it became a hit.

Rosalie was originally a Broadway musical in 1928, with music by George Gershwin and Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. While most of the original plot (and Frank Morgan) were retained, the songs were dropped.

According to Richard Barrios in his book A Song In the Dark, this was actually MGM's second try at filming Rosalie. The first was in 1929, with Marion Davies as the title character. William Randolph Hearst finally decided it wasn't working out and pulled the plug, and the studio shelved the script for nearly a decade.

Favorite Number: The second version of the title song is amazing, with literally thousands of extras watching Powell's incredible tap dance on giant drums. It must be seen to be believed. No wonder Eddy looked so amazed. Speaking of Eddy, his "In the Still of the Night" was so darn hot, I'm surprised Powell wasn't a puddle on the soundstage when he finished. His "It's All Over but the Shouting" is also nice, as is another big dance routine for Powell and the chorus late in the film when she's posing as a cadet at West Point.

What I Don't Like: Down-to-Earth Powell is too American to be anyone's idea of a Balkan princess. The story is a rather awkward mix of standard 20's operetta and standard 20's musical comedy, with a fairy-tale kingdom and Eddy's operetta ballads stuffed alongside a college musical with military overtones and Powell's huge tap routines. The movie can be too big at times, to the point of completely overwhelming its fairy-tale story. Critics then and now carped about the lightweight plot collapsing under the sheer size of it all.

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for the "Rosalie" drums number and "In the Still of the Night." Look for it at the Warner Archives and on TCM if you're a fan of the cast or Porter's music and can get around the overblown production.

Closing Credits: DVD