Election Day Special - Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

United Artists, 1933

Starring Al Jolson, Frank Morgan, Harry Langdon, and Madge Evans

Directed by Lewis Milestone

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Here's a truly unique musical experience to tide you over until the election results come in. After their Love Me Tonight was a critical (though not commercial) success, Rodgers and Hart opted to combine that film's rhyming dialogue and whimsical tone with something that more accurately reflected the political climate of the early 30's. It was also Al Jolson's attempt at a film comeback after his success in the late 20's and early 30's fizzled out. How does this mix of reality, poverty, and comedy look now? Let's begin with homeless men Bumper (Jolson) and Acorn (Edgar Connor) as they encounter Mayor John Hastings (Morgan) of New York on a hunting trip and find out...

The Story: Bumper is perfectly happy as the head of the New York homeless folks. They're not interested in working again, content with living a meager but friendly existence in Central Park and occasionally teasing Egghead (Langdon), a communist who works as a street sweeper. He's friendly with Mayor Hastings, as he once saved his life, and he hopes to be like him someday.

Mayor Hastings wishes he were as happy as Bumper and his carefree followers. He thinks his latest mistress June Marcher (Evans) is cheating on him and slips a $1,000 bill in her purse. When she leaves her purse behind, he thinks she's seeing someone else. Bumper does manage to return the purse, but June thinks Hastings is no longer interested and jumps off a bridge. He rescues her, then falls for her when he realizes she's lost her memory. He's willing to give up his shiftless ways to be with her...not thinking of what will happen when she regains her memories...

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most original musicals ever made in Hollywood. There aren't too many movies, let alone musicals, dealing with financial hardship, communism, and Marxist theory. Though Jolson is subdued compared to his earlier movies, he's also a lot easier to take as the head of the New York homeless than he was in his early talkies vehicles like Say It With Songs. (And note this is one of only two movies he made where he wears no blackface whatsoever.) 

While not their absolute best, the Rodgers and Hart score is still pretty good, and contains at least one standard in Jolson's ballad "You are Too Beautiful." Morgan matches him well as the troubled mayor, whose mind is on his lady rather than his job. The rhyming dialogue, with music often seamlessly flowing into words and back again, makes this into almost an opera at times. 

The Numbers: We open with Bumper proclaiming "I've Gotta Get Back to New York" as he and Acorn hit the road. He and the others sing their ode to "My Pal Bumper" after they arrive at Central Park. After a choir sings "My Country Tis of Thee" at the dedication of a new building, Mayor Hastings shows how they're "Laying the Corner Stone.

Acorn, Bumper, and Egghead know they owe "Dear Jane," whom they've never seen, for finding that thousand dollar bill, because "Bumper Found a Grand." After they argue over who gets a share of the cash, Bumper reminds them that it's not so important. After all, "What Do You Want With Money?" because "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum." He gets his answer when a "Kangaroo Court" puts him on trial for getting a job. Bumper admits that he did it for love, and "I'd Do It Again." He finally tells his Angel as they dance in their new apartment that "You are Too Beautiful." 

Trivia: Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin (the carriage driver in Central Park) were popular comedians in the silent era. 

Known as Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp in England, where "bum" has entirely different connotations. 

What I Don't Like: This is the definition of "not for everybody." If you're not a fan of musicals, like your musicals more traditional, don't like the rhyming dialogue, or don't agree with the leftist politics in question (or are unable to overlook them), you will not be into this. It's not for those who aren't fans of Jolson or prefer him in bombastic mode, either. Madge Evans isn't nearly as interesting as the guys. She has very little personality whether she's Bumper's angel or the mayor's mistress, making the love triangle not nearly as romantic as the movie wants to think it is. 

Milestone's lack of experience with musicals shows in his constant cutting away from songs before they finish. Even the lovely "You are Too Beautiful" barely gets a chance to end before he's off somewhere else. No wonder his only other musical would be the more traditional Anything Goes from 1936. The whimsical rhyming dialogue doesn't always work all that well with the social commentary, either. 

The Big Finale: This may be one of the most polarizing musicals in existence. Either you'll get a kick out of what Milestone, Jolson, and writer S.N Behrman were trying to do, or you'll find the rhyming dialogue, political waffling, and Jolson's ego insufferable. Give it a chance this Election Day and see which side of the debate you fall on.

Home Media: It's on DVD, and YouTube and the Internet Archive have it streaming at press time.

DVD

YouTube

Internet Archive

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hunchback of Notre Dame II

Disney, 2002

Voices of Tom Hulce, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Michael McKean, and Haley Joel Osment

Directed by Bradley Raymond

Music and Lyrics by various

Here's another movie from that period between 1994 and 2008 where Disney made direct-to-home-media sequels for every single animated film it ever did. Critics took shots at them even then, but they were wildly popular with kids who couldn't get enough of their favorite Disney characters. Nowadays, while a few of them are mildly well-regarded, they mostly look like the chintzy cash-grabs they are. Where does Hunchback II fall in the pack? Let's begin back in Paris six years later as the citizens prepare for "Le Jour d'Amour," the Day of Love, and find out...

The Story: Quasimodo (Hulce) is glad to take care of his friends Esmerelda (Demi Moore) and Phobeus' (Kevin Kline) energetic son Zephyr (Osment), but he's still often alone with his bells. He's especially proud of the largest and most elaborate bell, La Fidelitie, which is gold and studded with gems inside. He'll ring it to begin the Festival of Love.

Zephyr is especially excited when a circus comes to town. Quasimodo is more interested in Madellaine (Hewitt), the beautiful assistant for magician Sarousch (McKean). Madellaine is frightened by Quasimodo at first, but then he shows her around Paris and she sees him taking care of Zephyr and realizes how sweet he is. Meanwhile, Phobeous has been searching for the thieves who have stolen valuables from people all over the city. Zephyr and Quasimodo don't want to believe it when he learns that Madellaine and the circus are involved in the thefts, until Quasimodo realizes that the bell is gone. When Zephyr goes after the thieves, Madellaine has the chance to prove her worth and show that real love requires looking far deeper into a person than what's on the surface.

The Animation: Talk about cheap. It looks like one of Disney's animated TV shows of the time. Most of the characters are off-model. The colors are lovely, but the backgrounds lack the sumptuous details that went into the original. They move stiffly, too, and lack the expression of the original film. 

The Song and Dance: I'm surprised they managed to get such a great cast for this. Not only is most of the original cast back, but they added then-hot child and teen stars Osment and Hewitt and comedian McKean. McKean's making the most of his limited material as the greedy magician who is more interested in making people's valuables disappear than making them happy. Madellaine and Quasimodo's relationship is surprisingly sweet, even when you can see where it's going from a mile away. And while the music isn't great, I do kind of like Quasi's "Ordinary Miracle." 

The Numbers: We open with "Le Jour D'Amour" as Clopin and the cast explains about the festival and its importance. Quasimodo tells Madellaine his feelings about how "An Ordinary Miracle" can change someone's life. "I'd Stick With You" is Quasimoto's buddy song with Zephyr, letting Madellaine see how cute their friendship is. "Fa La La Fallen In Love" turns into a huge chorus number in the rain as the gargoyles gush over Quasimodo's new girlfriend and half of Paris dances around the two in the rain. The movie ends with Hewitt's self-penned ballad "I'm Gonna Love You" over the credits. 

What I Don't Like: This screams "watered-down rehash" at the top of its lungs. Madellaine is neither well-drawn, nor all that interesting despite her troubled past. She looks as bland as she is. The gargoyles don't fit in any better here than they did in the original. Their material is still a little too vaudeville for medieval France. The dialogue is often clumsy, the animation is barely Saturday-morning level, and other than the lovely "Ordinary Miracle," the songs are totally unmemorable, especially Hewitt's too-sugary end title ballad.

The Big Finale: Unless you're a really huge fan of Hunchback of Notre Dame, you can easily pass on this one.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats. It's on Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray - The Hunchback of Notre Dame/The Hunchback of Notre Dame II Special Edition

Disney Plus

Happy Halloween! - The Midnight Hour

ABC, 1985

Starring Lee Montgomery, Jonna Lee, Shari Belafonte, and Peter DeLuise

Directed by Jack Bender

Music and Lyrics by various

We remain in the mid-80's on this warm Halloween night with another 80's spoof of 50's and 60's cliches. We move the festivities to television, once again with bored teens out for kicks...but this time, their seemingly harmless antics don't merely dredge up a few well-meaning aliens and a crazed killer. These kids somehow manage to bring no less than the living dead out for some Halloween thrills...but we also have proof that the undead isn't always so scary when one of the living kids falls for a beauty from the 50's who is far from what she seems. How does this bloody romance look nowadays? Let's begin with one little boy preparing his bike and his costume for trick-or-treat and find out...

The Story: Hoping to find really cool Halloween costumes for a big party, high school kids Phil (Montgomery), Melissa (Belafonte), Mary (Deedee Pfiffer), Vinnie (LeVar Burton), and Mitch (DeLuise) steal their ancestor's clothes from the local history museum, along with an old chest containing a ring and a parchment scroll sealed in wax. They don't think it's a big deal to recite the words of the scroll at the local cemetary...until suddenly, the undead come to life and start lumbering around their New England town. Led by Melissa's witch ancestor Lucinda (Jonnelle Allen), they turn almost everyone into town into vampires and zombies. 

Phil is the only person in town who avoids this fate. He spends the night with Sandy (Lee), a pretty, sweet girl in a 50's cheerleader outfit whom he finds wandering around, wondering why everything looks so different. Sandy is the one who realizes that they must find the bones of Mitch's ancestor and seal the scroll, before the vampires make Phil into one of them as well. 

The Song and Dance: When the movie puts the spotlight on Sandy and Phil and their feelings for one another, it's actually kind of sweet. Montgomery and Lee have chemistry, and Lee being a 50's cheerleader instead of a lumbering zombie like some of the other creatures in this movie is unique for a horror film. I also appreciate the diverse cast, with Belafonte and Allen coming off best as the teen girl whose insistence on reading the scroll inadvertently brings in her spooky ancestress. Some of the costumes aren't bad either, including the ones they stole from the museum, Sandy's cheerleader outfit, and the very 80's outfits at the masquerade party. Killer soundtrack too, especially if you're a classic rock fan.

The Numbers: Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's spooky hit "Little Red Riding Hood" is our first number, as a zombie wanders around town in time to the music. His "costume" is so good, no one gives him two glances, even Phil when he almost runs him over. "Clap for the Wolfman" by the Guess Who plays as Vinnie tries to get Melissa to dance with him and Phil attempts to ask Mary to join him, neither with much success. Mitch finally gets their substitute teacher to dance with him to a remake of "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips. Bobby Vee's "Devil or Angel" accompanies Phil and Sandy as they dance in front of the mall that stands when the malt shop Sandy once hung out at used to be. Melissa turns the only original song "Get Dead" into a huge dance number with the zombified kids at the party.

Trivia: Listen for DJ Wolfman Jack in vocal cameos throughout the film, including one last request from Sandy in the finale. 

What I Don't Like: Uh...did I mention this is a made-for-TV movie from 1985? At times, it's even more confused about its genre than Voyage of the Rock Aliens was. It can't decide if it wants to be a satire of teen horror flicks, an actual teen zombie horror flick with blood and gore and everyone attacking each other, or a touching supernatural romance. I wish they'd focused even more on Sandy and Phil's relationship. You don't really learn much about Sandy, other than she realizes her time is running out. They could have at least mentioned how she died so young...and didn't come back as a zombie or a vampire like the rest of the town. 

There's also Phil's so-called friends being smarmy, obnoxious brats whose instance on stealing from a museum started all the trouble in the first place. Not to mention, they think of the most ridiculous excuse to get them and the costumes into a cemetery. They couldn't have tried them on anywhere else, especially on Halloween? The sets and special effects are pretty chintzy, too. 

The Big Finale: Critics came down pretty hard on this in 1985, and while it's far from the best horror comedy ever, it's certainly more palatable than Voyage of the Rock Aliens. Worth checking out at least once during your Halloween party, especially if you have actual teens around. 

Home Media: Out of print on DVD for years. Your best best at the moment would be YouTube. 

YouTube

Cult Flops - Voyage of the Rock Aliens

Fox Lorber, 1984

Starring Pia Zadora, Craig Sheffer, Tom Nolan, and Alison LaPlaca

Directed by James Fargo

Music and Lyrics by various

For Halloween week, we leap into cult horror and sci-fi with two truly unique rock musicals.  This began life as a spoof of B horror, science fiction, and Beach Party-style teen musicals from the 1960's. Though the producers mostly sought singers rather than actors, they did get two actors for the lead roles and an actual New Wave rock band to play the music-obsessed aliens of the title. How well does this mess of weird drive-in cliches come off today? Let's begin in space with the arrival of the aliens' guitar-shaped spaceship and find out...

The Story: Beings from another planet (RHEMA) search the reaches of outer space for the source of rock music. After considering other planets, they finally land on Earth with their robot companion 1329 (Peter Cullen). Speelburgh is a pretty typical southern industrial town in Georgia...too typical for bored teenager Dee Dee (Zadora). Dee Dee would give anything to sing with her boyfriend Frankie (Sheffer) and his band (Jimmy and the Mustangs), but he thinks the band is fine without a singer. 

Lead alien Absiid (Nolan) falls for Dee Dee and asks her to be the lead singer at the high school's Cotillion Dance. Frankie is jealous, but Dee Dee is smitten, until she realizes why love is so foreign to Absid. Meanwhile, there's also two escapees from the local mental hospital (Michael Berryman and Wallace Merck) roaming around with a chainsaw, the Sheriff (Ruth Gordon) determined to figure out just what's going on here, and a huge tentacled monster emerging from the polluted lake...

The Song and Dance: "Weird" does not begin to do this movie justice. This is off-the-charts Looney-Tunes bizarre. If you're a fan of the synthesizer-laden "New Wave" dance music from this era, you might actually get a kick out of it. Zadora was more known at the time for being famous and her marriages than for actually appearing in anything, so it was kind of interesting to see her here. Nolan came off best as the alien trying to figure out just what this "love" thing is; Gordon has her moments as the tough Sheriff who wants to know what these invaders are up to.

This may be the most 1984 musical in existence. It reeks of "MTV in the mid-80's," with the ladies running around in baggy shirts, tight jeans, and poofy polka-dot sundresses and the guys either in tight shirts and leather, 50's-inspired pompadours and jeans and jackets. If the aliens hadn't thrown stuff around at the malt shop, they wouldn't have looked all that out of place in their tight metallic and studded jumpsuits. There's a few funny gags, and I love how some cliches are subverted, especially when Dee Dee's best friend Diane (La Placa) ends up befriending the chainsaw-wielding nut instead of getting killed by him.

The Numbers: We begin with "Openhearted" over the credits as we get our first glimpses of the aliens' guitar-shaped ship. "When the Rain Begins to Fall" was originally filmed as a music video...and it looks it. Zadora and Jermaine Jackson enact a Romeo and Juliet story on a warring planet that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. "21st Century" describes how the aliens feel about their home and their roaming as they check the monitors on their ship. 

"New Orleans" gives us a glimpse of how the kids in Speelburgh defy the rules not to swim in the heavily polluted Lake Eerie. Dee Dee flirts and wiggles for Frankie as she sings about "Real Love," even as the tentacled monster invades the party. All of the kids really go wild for the Pack singing "Try To See It My Way" and "Justine" at the malt shop. Dee Dee sings in the bathroom about how "You Bring Out the Lover In Me," with the ladies in the stalls managing to dance along. "Combine Man" really gets New Wave as the aliens put Absid back together after he literally loses his head over Dee Dee and get him around the Sheriff. 

Absid dreams of a cosmically romantic relationship with Dee Dee in "Little Bit of Heaven." He claims "She Doesn't Mean a Thing to Me," even as he insists on his friends helping him find ways to impress her. "Come On" and "Troublemaker" provide the background for the introduction of the murders as they attack the deputy sheriff and others. "Let's Dance Tonight" is the big number at the Cotillion. Dee Dee finally gets her wish to sing with a band, much to the frustration of her jealous boyfriend. "Get Out and Dance" is the aliens' response. Frankie reveals his jealousy and how it's the "Nature of the Beast" in overwrought and badly written "I am" number. The aliens do their best to remove the remaining obstacles to Frankie and Dee Dee's romance in an encore of "When the Rain Begins to Fall." 

What I Don't Like: Hooooo boy. This is 80's cheese of the ripest and most ridiculous sort. For one thing, none of these people are remotely teenagers. (Pia Zadora was 30 during shooting.) The movie looks as cheap as it is, with a rubber tentacle spitting bubbles and cardboard sets. The music isn't terribly memorable, either, especially if you're not into New Wave. Frankie is such a sexist jerk, you can understand why sweet-if-dim Dee Dee rushes to the arms of an alien. The genre-mash-up gives it a real tone problem. It veers from near-horror to comedy to musical, sometimes within the space of seconds. The musical numbers tend to either get cut off or, as with the opening at the polluted lake and the Cotillion, go on for way too long. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of 80's music or cinema or like your movies on the cheesy or "so bad they're fascinating" side, this is worth checking out for the sheer camp value alone.

Home Media: It was only on DVD in Germany, but the Blu-Ray is widely available, and it's easy to find on streaming. (Tubi currently has it for free with commercials.) 

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Musicals On TV - The Canterville Ghost (1966)

ABC, 1966

Starring Sir Michael Redgrave, Tippy Walker, Peter Noone, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Directed by John Robins

Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

The Oscar Wilde short story The Canterville Ghost has been adapted for television almost since the medium began, but this was the first musical version. ABC Stage 67 was their attempt to revive the anthology format that had been so successful in the 50's. It didn't take, but the show did produce four hour-long musicals. We've already seen one, the supremely strange Stephen Sondheim horror show Evening Primrose. Is this one just as good...and weird? Let's begin with Lord Canterville showing Mr. Otis (Fairbanks Jr.), the American ambassador, and his wife (Natalie Schafer) and children a beautiful old English manor and find out...

The Story: When Mr. Otis buys Canterville Manor, he also picks up a genuine ghost. Sir Simon Canterville (Redgrave) has haunted the halls for four hundred years, and is very upset when Mr. and Mrs. Otis and their sons Matthew (Mark Colleano) and Mark (David Charkham) refuse to believe in him. Their daughter Virginia (Walker) and her sweetheart Duke David of Cheshire (Noone) do believe, and she's genuinely concerned about the ghost. Sir Simon first tries to scare them away...but then Virginia discovers his hiding place and why he's haunted the house for so long...

The Song and Dance: Surprisingly sweet comedy actually does a really good job updating the original short story. It's actually pretty accurate, other than adding Noone as Virginia's laid-back nobleman boyfriend to sing ballads. Redgrave gives Sir Simon a great deal of gravity and even a note of humor that makes you understand why Virginia finds him so fascinating. The Harnick-Bock score is really cute, too, including the three parodies of TV jingles (which, amazingly enough, also come from the original book). Love the filming in a real British manor house, too. Thank goodness the color exists for this one, as it's exquisite, with the bright colors of the Otis' mid-60's wardrobes contrasting with the gray castle and Sir Simon's wispy pastels and grays. 

The Numbers: The opening number "Canterville Hall" sets up the premise as the servants explain the legend of the Hall and the ghosts to the Otises. Mrs. Otis doesn't take the stain that keeps reappearing seriously. A little "Undertow" cleaner will remove that. "I Worry" is Virginia's song as she admits that she's concerned about pretty much everything that goes on around her, while David reminds her that she won't get a kiss from him "If You Never Try." 

"Rattletrap" is another singing ad, this time from Mr. Otis as he oils a squeaking door. Sir Simon is more interested in getting "Vengeance" against this tacky and non-believing family. All David can tell Virginia when she asks for him to talk romance to her is "You're Super." "Overhead" is another jingle parody, this time from Virginia. The lovely "Peace" is the writing on the tomb of Sir Simon's wife, which they sing together.

What I Don't Like: This is pretty typical of TV programs at the time. Noone was clearly added for the teen market, as his role is basically to sing ballads with the daughter and not do much else. Wispy Walker is a bit spacey as the teen who actually does believe in Sir Simon. As a TV production, some of the special effects, particularly the ghost moving around, can occasionally look chintzy. 

The Big Finale: Charming horror comedy features terrific music and a lovely performance by Redgrave and definitely deserves to be better-known.

Home Media: To my knowledge, the only way to see this one is on YouTube and the Internet Archive. The YouTube version comes complete with the original commercials for Singer sewing machines and Burlington Industries.

YouTube

Internet Archive

Cult Flops - Murder at the Vanities

Paramount, 1934

Starring Kitty Carlisle, Carl Brisson, Jack Oakie, and Victor McLaglen

Directed by Mitchell Leisen 

Music by Arthur Johnson; Lyrics by Sam Coslow

Musical mysteries are rare, but they do exist. Case in point, this true oddity from 1934. Earl Carroll was known in the 20's and 30's as the producer of the raciest revues on Broadway, the Earl Carroll Vanities. His showgirls tended to be less clothed than those of other revues, his comedy rougher-hewn and often taken from burlesque or minstrel shows. Showgirls formed "living curtains" in the scantiest costumes this side of flat-out nudity. 

Carroll more rarely did book shows, including the original Murder at the Vanities in 1933. By that point, backstage musicals had begun to make a comeback after the wild success of 42nd Street. Every studio in town wanted to imitate Busby Berkeley's massive kaleidoscopic numbers, and Paramount was no exception. How do the musical numbers manage to fit into the story of murder and mayhem backstage at the Earl Carroll Vanities? Let's start with the show right before opening and find out...

The Story: Producer Jack Ellery (Jack Oakie) is staging the Vanities for his boss Earl Carroll, who can't come to opening night. His absence is the least of Ellery's problems. Someone is trying to kill leading lady Ann Ware (Carlisle) right before she's to marry leading man Eric Lander (Brisson). Ellery brings in police lieutenant Bill Murdock (McLauglen) to find out who has it in for Ann, while Eric hires private detective Sadie Evans (Gail Patrick) to find out who has stolen some of his private things. 

They walk into a hotbed of intrigue. Second lead Rita Ross (Gertrude Michael) is angry and jealous that Ann and Eric are engaged and would do anything to get him back. Wardrobe mistress Helene Smith (Jessie Ralph) and nervous lady's maid Norma (Dorothy Stickney) were abused by Rita and don't want her to break up Ann and Eric. Giggly chorus girl Nancy (Toby Wing) knows something, but Ellery won't listen. After someone turns up dead during a number, Murdock becomes determined to find out who is killing members of the Vanities...and who doesn't want the show to go on. 

The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't unique. If this is what Earl Carroll's revues were really like (minus the blood and mayhem), no wonder they ran from 1923 to 1932. Some of these numbers are simply the strangest and most flamboyant pieces of lunacy I've ever seen in a musical. If you think Berkeley's stuff at Warners got weird, check this out. The ladies in particular are real pieces of work. Michael does well as bitter Rita, and Stickney gets the best performance as poor, besotted Norma. The costumes (what there is of them) are incredible, with everyone clad in acres of beads and feathers...when they're clad at all. I'd love to know how they got away with the scantiest costumes this side of a Vegas show. I also love that we have a female private eye, which remains pretty rare in film even today. 

The Numbers: We open with Ann and Eric rehearsing one of the two standards from this film, that charming hymn to the end of Prohibition "Cocktails for Two." It gets one of the simpler numbers later, with Eric merely singing it in front of a group of ladies sipping the aforementioned alcoholic drinks, then dancing with them. Ann starts the show with "Where Do They Come From, and Where Do They Go?" as a revolving stage shows off an ever-changing line of barely-dressed women representing the different walks of life and occupations they may have had before becoming showgirls. She finishes with boys in top hats and canes and girls representing the east (more top hats) and west (cowgirls twirling lariats).  

This goes straight into "Pretty One," with a male chorus singing as chorus girls recline on giant perfume bottles and powder cases. "Live and Love Tonight" has Ann appearing among chorus girls waving ostrich-plumed fans to resemble waves as she seduces shipwrecked Eric. The next number can only, in all good faith, be termed a lulu. "Sweet Marijuana," our other standard, gets into Mexican turf as Rita shakes her hips with men in sombreros and sings about the fantasy the drug will bring her. This opens to cacti featuring chorus girls just this side of nude...and if the the violence of the lyrics wasn't enough, the blood dropping on one of the chorus girls from the fresh corpse on the catwalk over her certainly does.

"Ebony Rhapsody" begins as Lizst's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody," with Ann and dancers in fanciful feathered bonnets and Empire-waist gowns as ghosts dancing to the classical music. This becomes the far more cheeky "Ebony Rhapsody," as Rita leads black dancers in aprons and negligees in an uncoordinated but energetic stomp to Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. "Cocktails" is heard again in the big finale, with Ann, Eric, and hordes of chorus dancers waving more ostrich fans. 

Trivia: This movie just squeaked out a few weeks before the Production Code was enforced and less than a year before marijuana was made illegal nation-wide. It goes without saying that it would be more than 30 years before it turned up again, especially that infamous "Sweet Marijuana" number. "Marijuana" was discovered by the 60's and 70's drug culture and had several recordings at the time, including from Bette Midler. Even now, the movie is often shown without the "Marijuana" number when it runs on local stations. 

Screen debut of Kitty Carlisle. 

Look for Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, and Alan Ladd among the chorus members. 

What I Don't Like: The only people who come off as remotely likable are Carlisle and Brisson, and they're dull blocks of wood when they're not singing. Brisson in particular is such a snore, it's hard to understand why Rita and Norma are willing to kill for him. The numbers are shot as they would be on a real stage, which works with the relatively realistic story for a musical but may be disappointing for those expecting Busby Berkeley fantasies. The mystery plot is pretty cliched and straightforward; many viewers may figure it out long before Bill Murdock does. 

The Big Finale: Worth a look for the wild numbers alone if you're a fan of Pre-Code cinema or just want to see how strange a backstage musical could get in the early 30's. 

Home Media: Originally released as part of a Universal pre-code set in 2009, it can now also be found on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber. 

DVD - Pre-Code Hollywood Collection

Blu-Ray

Joker: Foile a Deux

Warner Bros, 2024

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, and Harry Lawtey

Directed by Todd Phillips

Music and Lyrics by various

We leap into rougher territory this week with a mystery and a psychological thriller that explore the darker side of the traditional musical. Joker, with Phoenix as a failed stand-up comedian-turned killer, was not the first movie you'd associate with musical numbers. In fact, DC originally intended it to be a stand-alone movie, though there was talk of it launching a "DC Black" series. Director Phillips was the one who thought there was more to the story and brought in Gaga as Joker Arthur Fleck's love interest and added the dance routines in their heads. Was he right that there's more to Fleck's story, or should he have let sleeping clowns lie? Let's begin in Looney Tunes-style animation as Fleck (Phoenix) tries desperately to avoid his nefarious shadow and find out...

The Story: Fleck first encounters Harleen "Lee" Quinznel (Gaga) in the choir room at Arkham Asylum. They're attracted to each other at the start, despite Harleen lying to him about her home life and where she comes from. Arthur has more problems than her obsession with him, though. His lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Keener) wants to argue that he's mentally unstable and created the Joker personality to cope with his abusive childhood. Lee insists that he IS the Joker, and so does devious district attorney Harvey Dent (Lawtey). 

The media hype and clown-masked fandom surrounding Arthur's trial is so intense, it's one of the first to be broadcast live. Under Lee's influence, Arthur briefly reverts to his Joker persona, leading a revolt at Arkham and firing Maryanne. The guards at Arkham, however, are not amused. Their damaging attack makes Arthur wonder if Lee really wants to build a mountain with him...or only wants to be entertained by the Joker.

The Song and Dance: And that and the genuinely cool opening cartoon sequence are the highlights here, along with Lady Gaga and Phoenix's intense performances as the troubled pair in question. The lounge acts and R&B songs parody both the cheesy scarlet and gold variety aesthetic of the movie's 70's-early 80's setting and the cheerier numbers from 50's and 60's musicals like The Band Wagon (which is seen twice, including when Lee sets Arkham on fire) and Sweet Charity. The terrific period-appropriate costumes add a much-needed shot of color to the depressing gray sets and dark score.

The Numbers: We open with a medley of "Slap That Bass," "Get Happy," and "What the World Needs Now" in the cartoon sequence as the Joker tries to dodge and fights with his shadow, who ultimately takes over his act. Our first number proper is "For Once In My Life," as Arthur revels in Lee's attention to him. They perform "Get Happy" with the choir after he's declared sane enough to join. Lee is thrilled as they dance for the first time, literal sparks coming from the fire as she crows "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Lee also gets Lady Gaga's own "Foile et Deux," written directly for the film and performed during the sequence when Arthur imagines them dancing in the moonlight Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style, with him in his Joker costume. 

Arthur goes into the Rogers and Hart standard "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during a talk show interview to explain his feelings for Lee. Lee sings "That's Entertainment" twice, the first time after the show. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is heard three times, notably as Arthur leads his revolt in the cafeteria, dancing on tables. Arthur sings the standard "When You're Smiling" on his way to the trial, revealing how happy he is with Lee. They do the R&B standard "To Love Somebody" on a stage surrounded by musicians, with her in ruffled early 70's garb and him in his Joker outfit...until she shoots him in the gut. 

She sings "Close to You" when she comes to see him at Arkham; he joins in, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes like before. He laments being "The Joker" in a shadowy night club act parody. They're "Gonna Build a Mountain" in a huge variety act that includes her on the piano while he tap-dances in his big clown shoes for the crowd. Lee and his follower at Arkham claim "I've Got the World On a String" after Arthur fires his lawyer and returns to his Joker persona. "If You Go Away" is Joker's song after he's attacked and he's decided who he really is. "That's Life" is heard twice, earlier in a montage at Arkham performed by Frank Sinatra, and near the end by Lee. Arthur finishes with "True Love Will Find You In the End."

What I Don't Like: For a flashy musical inspired by cheesy variety shows, this is one depressing as heck movie. Lee and Arthur's colorful fantasies and the terrific music aren't enough to offset the dull sets and relentlessly grim outlook. The ending isn't much fun, either. Though I do appreciate that Lee and Arthur's relationship isn't as abusive as it tends to be elsewhere, I also fully agree with Lee and think Arthur should not have renounced his Joker persona. It doesn't suit the character or, from what I gathered, the first film. 

In fact, I haven't seen the first movie, but apparently a lot was changed between films, including some plot threads there that aren't picked up here. There's also the fact that, despite being second-billed, Lady Gaga simply doesn't have quite as much to do as Phoenix, and the movie runs way beyond too long and should have left some of those numbers on the cutting room floor. 

The Big Finale: There's a reason this is flopping big-time right now. Good numbers aren't enough to offset the grim plot, obnoxious characters, and a movie that is as confused about its identity as Arthur is. For major fans of Lady Gaga or DC Comics only. Everyone else can look for the soundtrack or Lady Gaga's album "inspired" by this film, Harlequin. 

Home Media: It's currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

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