The High School Musical films were a bona-fide kid phenomenon in the late 2000's. I remember seeing children as young as 6 talk about how much they loved the movie and the music and gush about Gabriella and Troy and all the other Wildcats. There were toys, dolls, notebooks, clothes, and countless CD "remix" editions. The soundtrack of the first movie hit #1 on the Billboard charts. The second movie was the top-rated TV program of the summer of 2007, on broadcast or cable TV. Kids loved these movies...and some adults found them endearing, too. How do they stand up over a decade later? Let's head to a ski lodge on New Year's Eve, where two teens are about to do a karaoke routine together that will change their lives..
High School Musical
Disney, 2006
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: High school basketball star Troy Bolton (Efron) and brilliant A student Gabriella Montez (Hudgens) meet while singing karaoke at a party on New Year's Eve. Troy gets quite a surprise when Gabriella shows up at his New Mexico high school a week later. Seems her mother moved there over Christmas break. They both end up in detention the first day when they try to contact each other on their cell phones during class, along with Troy's basketball-crazy buddy Chad Danforth (Bleu), spoiled drama queen Sharpay (Tisdale), and her brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel). The ridiculously over-the-top drama teacher (Alyson Reed) is hoping to get people to sign up for the school's winter musical and has the kids work on sets. It works on Gabriella and Troy. They go to the audition, but are too shy to sing...until they do a ballad with sweet pianist and songwriter Kelsey (Oleysa Rulin) that Sharpay and Ryan built into a sugary pop number. This puts them over with the teacher and gets them a call-back.
Sharpay is incensed. How could anyone at the school be better than dancing and singing than her? Their friends are even more shocked. The jocks think drama is stupid and academics are something you do that keeps you from playing sports; the A students think jocks are idiots and drama is mind-numbing. Drama nuts Sharpay and Ryan think they're above sports and academics. All of the cliques try to keep Troy and Gabriella from trying out and seeing each other, until they start to understand that everyone has different talents and unique abilities. Just because you're good at one thing, doesn't mean you can't excel at something else.
The Song and Dance: What I love about all three of these movies is the sheer energy level. Unlike the Grease films, these kids are genuine teenagers, or young adults at the most. They bring a level of authenticity and vivaciousness that lets you overlook the cliches and really enjoy the numbers. No wonder Hudgens and Efron went on to major careers. I also appreciate the message that kids can have many different interests and talents and shouldn't be afraid to pursue them - sports stars can be singers or bakers, braniacs can be leading ladies.
Favorite Number: The kids are at their best in chorus routines like "Get 'Cha Head In the Game" with Troy and the basketball team, "Stick to the Status Quo" in the cafeteria as everyone shares their secret dream, and the finale "We're All In This Together." Hudgens gets a decent solo mid-way through after she thinks Troy isn't interested anymore, "When There Was Me and You."
What I Don't Like: First of all, the story is cliched to the max. It's basically a modern Grease with less grit, a slightly more likely ending, and a cast that doesn't look old enough to vote. Sharpay was popular enough to get her own spin-off in 2011, but her character is obnoxious and annoying, and does she have to scream so much? The love duets are syrupy-sweet and all sound alike, and they really don't give you an idea as to why everyone fell over themselves to get Troy and Gabriella into the show. (And obviously, this isn't for people who prefer their musicals darker ala Cabaret.)
The Big Picture: I can see why kids responded so strongly to this. The sugary and cliched story and dialogue are elevated by the spirited chorus numbers and energetic and talented cast. If you love Grease or other musical school tales, have kids who are musical fans, or remember when this was the biggest thing on cable, it's still highly recommended.
Home Media: Thanks to its tremendous popularity, it can be found in almost every possible format and version you can imagine, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
High School Musical 2
Disney, 2007
Starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, and Corbin Bleu
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music and Lyrics by various
The Story: Troy (Efron), Gabriella (Hudgens), and their friends are looking forward to a summer of fun, freedom, and hanging out together. He not only manages to land a job at Lava Springs Country Club, but encourages them to hire all his friends, including Gabriella. Sharpay (Tisdale), whose parents own the club, wants Troy and his amazing voice backing her in the club's big end-of-the-season talent show. She goes out of her way to have the manager Fulton (Mark L. Taylor) treat the kids badly and promote Troy. Her twin brother Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) is getting sick of being pushed aside, and goes to the other Wildcats to set up their own musical number in the show. Troy sees Gabrellia with Ryan and gets jealous, leading to him singing with Sharpay...or standing there mildly annoyed while Sharpay performs around him.
The kids now all see Troy as a traitor. The basketball team members won't speak to him, and Gabriella quits and and breaks off their relationship. As club employees, the kids have all been banned from the show, thanks to Sharpay's jealousy. He realizes how much he let his desire for a college scholarship and the preferential treatment from Sharpay and her parents go to his head. It takes intervention from Ryan to make his sister realize how selfish and silly she's being and bring Troy and Gabriella together.
The Song and Dance: Pretty much "more of the same, but outside." The country club setting allows for some nice cinematography and glowing colors, especially on the golf course, and it does feel a bit less claustrophobic than the original. Glad to see Grabeel come into his own here; he had some great footwork in the baseball number "I Don't Dance." Some of the adults registered a bit more strongly here, too, especially Robert Curtis Brown and Jessica Tuck as Sharpay and Ryan's parents.
Favorite Number: Along with "I Don't Dance," the kids have fun with the end-of-the-school-year opening "What Time Is It?" and "Work This Out" when they realize just how bad their jobs at the country club are. Troy and Gabriella's touching "You are the Music In Me" becomes a candy-colored routine for Sharpay and Troy that, of course, puts the emphasis on the former. Sharpay also gets the very funny "Fabulous," where she extols the virtues of her posh life and how she has to have the perfect everything, including the perfect guy.
What I Don't Like: If anything, this movie is even more cliched than the last one, and the main ballads are still too sugary. The emphasis on Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan means we see less of the other Wildcats, including Rulin and Bleu. And no matter how wonderful she thinks she is, Sharpay is just as annoying and screechy here as she was in the previous film. The additional number for her and Ryan as they're trying to persuade him to join their show is intentionally goofy and does nothing but scare Troy off and add to the film's length.
The Big Picture: Same deal. If you loved the first movie, you'll probably have just as much fun with the Wildcats' summer adventures.
Home Media: The version that's currently available online and on DVD includes the aforementioned extra number and once again is easy to find in a wide variety of formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Cabaret
ABC Pictures/Allied Artists, 1972
Starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Gray, Michael York, and Helmut Griem
Directed by Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Released at a low point for musicals in general, Cabaret became one of the most successful musical films in history, winning eight Oscars and making stars out of Minnelli and Gray. Does this decadent look at a changing Berlin in the early 30's earn it's "Money, Money?" Let's head to the infamous Kit Kat Klub in the heart of Berlin to find out...
The Story: Sally Bowles (Minnelli) is a singer in Berlin in 1931 who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, a sleazy nightspot. She meets a man from her boarding house, author and English teacher Brian Roberts (York), at the club one night. Despite his seeming disinterest, they eventually become friends, and then lovers. Sally and Brian eventually befriend Max (Griem), a rich German nobleman. He takes them to his country house and proceeds to have affairs with both. He eventually grows bored with them and heads to Argentina, leaving them money, to Sally's general lack of amusement. She's even less happy when she discovers that she's pregnant. Brian wants to take her back to England, but she has no interest in being a dull housewife and gets an abortion.
Two friends of theirs, Fritz, a German Jew who claims he's Christian (Fritz Wepper) and Natalia, a snooty German Jewish heiress (Marisa Berenson), don't do much better. He has to reveal his true religion to her parents...which turns out to not be the smartest thing he could do. The Nazis are rising to power, and they don't like anyone who is different from them, especially Jews. Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies (Gray) joins Sally and the dancers at the Kit Kat Klub in musical numbers that comment on the action, showing how the Nazis went in the space of two years from barely being tolerated in the Klub to having prime seats and influencing the numbers.
The Song and Dance: Gray's creepy performance and Minnelli's electric one won them both deserved Oscars. York and Griem are also excellent as the men in Sally's life who are more willing to get out of Germany before things get ugly. Fosse's dynamic direction turns the numbers into a riot of color and motion, showing off his famous knock-kneed, tight-limbed dancing style. The brilliant colors on the stage make a wonderful contrast to the darker tones in the non-musical segments and nearly shimmer in the spooky anthem "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Love the art direction and costumes that ably capture all the glamour and hell-for-broke sexuality of Berlin in the early 30's, before the rise of the Nazis forced things to be toned down.
It's interesting how the movie portrays sexuality, especially homosexuality. At a time when the subject was just starting to come up more often in the US, it's pretty open about what Brian and Max were. Considering that the Nazis were even less fond of homosexuals than they were of Jews, it's probably just as well that both men left.
Favorite Number: Almost every song in this film has become iconic today, from Gray and Minnelli's classic bump-and-grind to "Money, Money" to Minnelli belting "Maybe This Time." The opening number "Willkomen" and title-song finale perfectly encapsulate the movie's themes as Gray introduces his "beautiful" girls in barely-there stripper costumes and black mascara, and then Sally pretty much demands that everyone join her in enjoying life, no matter what. "Mein Herr," with Sally dancing around the high-backed chair, is probably the one everybody thinks of when this movie comes to mind, along with the chilling Nazi ballad "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Trivia: Bob Fosse became the first director in history to win a Tony (for the show Pippin), Emmy (for the special Liza With a Z) and Oscar in one year.
This won eight Oscars in 1972, the most any movie has ever won without winning Best Picture.
The original stage version of Cabaret debuted in 1966. On stage, more time was spent away from the Kit Kat Klub, Brian was named Cliff and his sexuality was far less open, and the second couple were Sally and Cliff's German landlady and the kindly Jewish shopkeeper she was going to marry - until the Nazis come in. Gray had been the Master of Ceremonies in the original cast and would be the MC again in a 1987 Broadway revival. The show would turn up on Broadway again, with heavy revisions, in 1998 and 2014.
What I Don't Like: Definitely not for children, those who prefer their musicals on the lighter side, or aren't into Fosse's style. The book sequences between songs explore sexual, religious, and political themes in a way that's pretty darn grim. After all, this is a musical about the rise to power of one of the nastiest political groups in history. While the numbers do lighten things a bit, especially early-on, most of this is as dark as you can go. There's quite a bit of sex and adult themes, and we see the results of Brian getting a beating from Nazis (though not the actual beating).
Yet another musical I wish had kept more songs from its stage version. I understand that Fosse wanted to focus on the contrast between the escapism at the Kit Kat Klub and the difficulties of everyday life, but some of the cut songs are really good, including "Don't Tell Mama," "It Couldn't Please Me More," and "The Money Song."
The Big Finale: Adults who are fans of Fosse, Minnelli, or want to check out a more thoughtful and darker musical than usual will have a lot to chew on in this decadent, slightly sleazy tale.
Home Media: A restored Blu Ray edition was just released from the Warner Archives this past November.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Starring Liza Minnelli, Joel Gray, Michael York, and Helmut Griem
Directed by Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Released at a low point for musicals in general, Cabaret became one of the most successful musical films in history, winning eight Oscars and making stars out of Minnelli and Gray. Does this decadent look at a changing Berlin in the early 30's earn it's "Money, Money?" Let's head to the infamous Kit Kat Klub in the heart of Berlin to find out...
The Story: Sally Bowles (Minnelli) is a singer in Berlin in 1931 who performs at the Kit Kat Klub, a sleazy nightspot. She meets a man from her boarding house, author and English teacher Brian Roberts (York), at the club one night. Despite his seeming disinterest, they eventually become friends, and then lovers. Sally and Brian eventually befriend Max (Griem), a rich German nobleman. He takes them to his country house and proceeds to have affairs with both. He eventually grows bored with them and heads to Argentina, leaving them money, to Sally's general lack of amusement. She's even less happy when she discovers that she's pregnant. Brian wants to take her back to England, but she has no interest in being a dull housewife and gets an abortion.
Two friends of theirs, Fritz, a German Jew who claims he's Christian (Fritz Wepper) and Natalia, a snooty German Jewish heiress (Marisa Berenson), don't do much better. He has to reveal his true religion to her parents...which turns out to not be the smartest thing he could do. The Nazis are rising to power, and they don't like anyone who is different from them, especially Jews. Meanwhile, the Master of Ceremonies (Gray) joins Sally and the dancers at the Kit Kat Klub in musical numbers that comment on the action, showing how the Nazis went in the space of two years from barely being tolerated in the Klub to having prime seats and influencing the numbers.
The Song and Dance: Gray's creepy performance and Minnelli's electric one won them both deserved Oscars. York and Griem are also excellent as the men in Sally's life who are more willing to get out of Germany before things get ugly. Fosse's dynamic direction turns the numbers into a riot of color and motion, showing off his famous knock-kneed, tight-limbed dancing style. The brilliant colors on the stage make a wonderful contrast to the darker tones in the non-musical segments and nearly shimmer in the spooky anthem "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Love the art direction and costumes that ably capture all the glamour and hell-for-broke sexuality of Berlin in the early 30's, before the rise of the Nazis forced things to be toned down.
It's interesting how the movie portrays sexuality, especially homosexuality. At a time when the subject was just starting to come up more often in the US, it's pretty open about what Brian and Max were. Considering that the Nazis were even less fond of homosexuals than they were of Jews, it's probably just as well that both men left.
Favorite Number: Almost every song in this film has become iconic today, from Gray and Minnelli's classic bump-and-grind to "Money, Money" to Minnelli belting "Maybe This Time." The opening number "Willkomen" and title-song finale perfectly encapsulate the movie's themes as Gray introduces his "beautiful" girls in barely-there stripper costumes and black mascara, and then Sally pretty much demands that everyone join her in enjoying life, no matter what. "Mein Herr," with Sally dancing around the high-backed chair, is probably the one everybody thinks of when this movie comes to mind, along with the chilling Nazi ballad "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Trivia: Bob Fosse became the first director in history to win a Tony (for the show Pippin), Emmy (for the special Liza With a Z) and Oscar in one year.
This won eight Oscars in 1972, the most any movie has ever won without winning Best Picture.
The original stage version of Cabaret debuted in 1966. On stage, more time was spent away from the Kit Kat Klub, Brian was named Cliff and his sexuality was far less open, and the second couple were Sally and Cliff's German landlady and the kindly Jewish shopkeeper she was going to marry - until the Nazis come in. Gray had been the Master of Ceremonies in the original cast and would be the MC again in a 1987 Broadway revival. The show would turn up on Broadway again, with heavy revisions, in 1998 and 2014.
What I Don't Like: Definitely not for children, those who prefer their musicals on the lighter side, or aren't into Fosse's style. The book sequences between songs explore sexual, religious, and political themes in a way that's pretty darn grim. After all, this is a musical about the rise to power of one of the nastiest political groups in history. While the numbers do lighten things a bit, especially early-on, most of this is as dark as you can go. There's quite a bit of sex and adult themes, and we see the results of Brian getting a beating from Nazis (though not the actual beating).
Yet another musical I wish had kept more songs from its stage version. I understand that Fosse wanted to focus on the contrast between the escapism at the Kit Kat Klub and the difficulties of everyday life, but some of the cut songs are really good, including "Don't Tell Mama," "It Couldn't Please Me More," and "The Money Song."
The Big Finale: Adults who are fans of Fosse, Minnelli, or want to check out a more thoughtful and darker musical than usual will have a lot to chew on in this decadent, slightly sleazy tale.
Home Media: A restored Blu Ray edition was just released from the Warner Archives this past November.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Frozen
Disney, 2013
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad
Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
Music by Robert Lopez; Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez
I know you're probably sick of hearing about this movie, but between the recent cold snap in my part of the US and the sequel coming out in late November, I thought it was a good time to finally check out Disney's biggest hit animated film to date. It was a box-office bonanza in 2013 and remains hugely popular to this day, especially with young girls. Does it deserve the adoration, or should people "let it go?" Let's take a sled ride to the country of Arendelle to find out...
The Story: Anna (Bell) and Elsa (Mendel), the princesses of Arendelle, are best friends in their youth. Elsa has snow powers she would use to play with her sister...until an accident makes her parents fear for the girls' lives. They close the castle and shuts Elsa up in her room until she can learn to control her powers. Elsa never does; she learns to fear her magic, hiding it under thick gloves and insecurity. Anna, for her part, can't figure out why her sister has shut her out, especially after their parents die at sea.
Anna's ecstatic when they open the gates for Elsa's coronation. Finally, she'll get to be around people! Her utter desperation to be noticed leads her to Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), the youngest of 13 boys. He so charms her that she accepts right away when he proposes. Elsa thinks she's crazy for wanting to marry someone she's just met and won't give her blessings. Angry, Anna grabs at her gloves...and Elsa unthinkingly unleashes her powers, freezing the whole land. She runs off, sequestering herself in the North Mountains.
Upset and confused, Anna goes after her sister. She's helped on her way by Kristoff (Goff), an ice cutter, and his reindeer Sven (Frank Welker), Olaf (Gad), the snowman she and Elsa made as children, and the trolls who adopted Kristoff as a boy. Elsa accidentally freezes Anna's heart in an attempt to get her to leave. The trolls say that only an act of true love will save Anna...but as the sisters discover when Hans manipulates them into believing the other is dead, there's more than one type of true love in the world.
The Animation: Disney worked hard to properly render snow in CGI. They did amazing work. You feel cold just watching this movie. Everything is so tactile, you feel like you could reach out and touch Olaf, or slide down the hill with Olaf and Anna towards the end of the film. Elsa's "Let It Go" number really does throw everything that Disney has into it, and then some. The movie just glistens with the sharpest blues and whites this side of a ski resort. It looks amazing, especially at Elsa's ice palace and in the finale.
The Song and Dance: This was another Disney movie that had a long road to the big screen...and it was definitely worth the wait. Anna and Elsa are two of Disney's more unusual female characters; Anna is a cute chatterbox with a tough side, while Elsa is aloof and insecure but can be tender with those she loves. Olaf is not only (mostly) funny, but he and the (non-vocal) Sven are among the few animated sidekicks who have some bearing on the plot. There's even more than a hint of feminism in how Elsa repressed her powers in order to please well-meaning but smothering parents...only to for there to be major repercussions when they come blasting out.
The other unusual aspect here is the villain. Hans may seem charming and like he has Anna's best interests at heart...but he's actually out for his own gain. He reminds me a bit of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. They were charming, handsome, witty...and could easily manipulate an entire town into thinking that someone who's different from them is a monster and he's a hero. In some ways, he's even more of a monster than Gaston, or Elsa, for that matter. Unlike Gaston, he knew Elsa was sensible and aloof enough not to fall for his smooth act, which is why he went after Anna. She was craving love so badly, she didn't pay attention to the signals that something was wrong until it was too late.
Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this movie is Elsa's anthem "Let It Go"...and yeah, it's probably my favorite number, too. The animation as Elsa goes from frightened and slightly dowdy "good girl" to sparkling ice queen is the best in the film, and the song is equally powerful. I also like "Love Is an Open Door" for Anna and Hans after their second meeting at the coronation and Anna's heartbreaking "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as she and Elsa grow up - and apart from each other.
Trivia: Disney started development on a Snow Queen movie or short around the same time in the late 30's that they began work on other Hans Christian Anderson stories like The Little Mermaid and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The initial development was shelved due to World War II. They pulled it out again in the late 90's, only to put it back on the shelf when it lost its director. Pixar tried in the mid-2000's, and then in the late 2000's after they were purchased by Disney. It wasn't until after Tangled was a hit in 2010 that Disney returned to The Snow Queen and tried to figure out a way to make the title character more likable and interesting.
A stage version of Frozen debuted at the St. James Theater on Broadway in March of 2018 and is still running there at press time.
Frozen is the highest-grossing film of 2013, and is at press time the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
What I Don't Like: And on that note...like The Little Mermaid, I kind of wish more of the original Hans Christian Anderson story had made it into the film. In fact, other than a Snow Queen, a girl who has to rescue someone from her, a reindeer, and the snow background, this uses almost nothing from the actual fairy tale. (Maybe they could figure out how to bring some elements from the original story into the sequel...)
For all the wonderful music in this...I actually wish it was even more of a musical. There's only two chorus routines, one for the trolls, one in the opening for the ice cutters, and only one song for the sisters, and nothing in the last 20 minutes.
The Big Finale: Frozen may not be my all-time favorite Disney animated feature, but I like it enough to to understand why it was such a smash hit. If you have young girls, you've probably seen it a hundred times. If you haven't, don't let the relentless marketing put you off. This really is a charming and delightful film, with wonderful songs, gorgeous animation, and some fairly unique characters.
Home Media: I had such a hard time finding it when it came out, I eventually ordered my DVD online. It's a lot easier to come by now in most places - and unlike a lot of Disney animated features, it can be found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad
Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck
Music by Robert Lopez; Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez
I know you're probably sick of hearing about this movie, but between the recent cold snap in my part of the US and the sequel coming out in late November, I thought it was a good time to finally check out Disney's biggest hit animated film to date. It was a box-office bonanza in 2013 and remains hugely popular to this day, especially with young girls. Does it deserve the adoration, or should people "let it go?" Let's take a sled ride to the country of Arendelle to find out...
The Story: Anna (Bell) and Elsa (Mendel), the princesses of Arendelle, are best friends in their youth. Elsa has snow powers she would use to play with her sister...until an accident makes her parents fear for the girls' lives. They close the castle and shuts Elsa up in her room until she can learn to control her powers. Elsa never does; she learns to fear her magic, hiding it under thick gloves and insecurity. Anna, for her part, can't figure out why her sister has shut her out, especially after their parents die at sea.
Anna's ecstatic when they open the gates for Elsa's coronation. Finally, she'll get to be around people! Her utter desperation to be noticed leads her to Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), the youngest of 13 boys. He so charms her that she accepts right away when he proposes. Elsa thinks she's crazy for wanting to marry someone she's just met and won't give her blessings. Angry, Anna grabs at her gloves...and Elsa unthinkingly unleashes her powers, freezing the whole land. She runs off, sequestering herself in the North Mountains.
Upset and confused, Anna goes after her sister. She's helped on her way by Kristoff (Goff), an ice cutter, and his reindeer Sven (Frank Welker), Olaf (Gad), the snowman she and Elsa made as children, and the trolls who adopted Kristoff as a boy. Elsa accidentally freezes Anna's heart in an attempt to get her to leave. The trolls say that only an act of true love will save Anna...but as the sisters discover when Hans manipulates them into believing the other is dead, there's more than one type of true love in the world.
The Animation: Disney worked hard to properly render snow in CGI. They did amazing work. You feel cold just watching this movie. Everything is so tactile, you feel like you could reach out and touch Olaf, or slide down the hill with Olaf and Anna towards the end of the film. Elsa's "Let It Go" number really does throw everything that Disney has into it, and then some. The movie just glistens with the sharpest blues and whites this side of a ski resort. It looks amazing, especially at Elsa's ice palace and in the finale.
The Song and Dance: This was another Disney movie that had a long road to the big screen...and it was definitely worth the wait. Anna and Elsa are two of Disney's more unusual female characters; Anna is a cute chatterbox with a tough side, while Elsa is aloof and insecure but can be tender with those she loves. Olaf is not only (mostly) funny, but he and the (non-vocal) Sven are among the few animated sidekicks who have some bearing on the plot. There's even more than a hint of feminism in how Elsa repressed her powers in order to please well-meaning but smothering parents...only to for there to be major repercussions when they come blasting out.
The other unusual aspect here is the villain. Hans may seem charming and like he has Anna's best interests at heart...but he's actually out for his own gain. He reminds me a bit of Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. They were charming, handsome, witty...and could easily manipulate an entire town into thinking that someone who's different from them is a monster and he's a hero. In some ways, he's even more of a monster than Gaston, or Elsa, for that matter. Unlike Gaston, he knew Elsa was sensible and aloof enough not to fall for his smooth act, which is why he went after Anna. She was craving love so badly, she didn't pay attention to the signals that something was wrong until it was too late.
Favorite Number: By far the most famous song from this movie is Elsa's anthem "Let It Go"...and yeah, it's probably my favorite number, too. The animation as Elsa goes from frightened and slightly dowdy "good girl" to sparkling ice queen is the best in the film, and the song is equally powerful. I also like "Love Is an Open Door" for Anna and Hans after their second meeting at the coronation and Anna's heartbreaking "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" as she and Elsa grow up - and apart from each other.
Trivia: Disney started development on a Snow Queen movie or short around the same time in the late 30's that they began work on other Hans Christian Anderson stories like The Little Mermaid and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The initial development was shelved due to World War II. They pulled it out again in the late 90's, only to put it back on the shelf when it lost its director. Pixar tried in the mid-2000's, and then in the late 2000's after they were purchased by Disney. It wasn't until after Tangled was a hit in 2010 that Disney returned to The Snow Queen and tried to figure out a way to make the title character more likable and interesting.
A stage version of Frozen debuted at the St. James Theater on Broadway in March of 2018 and is still running there at press time.
Frozen is the highest-grossing film of 2013, and is at press time the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
What I Don't Like: And on that note...like The Little Mermaid, I kind of wish more of the original Hans Christian Anderson story had made it into the film. In fact, other than a Snow Queen, a girl who has to rescue someone from her, a reindeer, and the snow background, this uses almost nothing from the actual fairy tale. (Maybe they could figure out how to bring some elements from the original story into the sequel...)
For all the wonderful music in this...I actually wish it was even more of a musical. There's only two chorus routines, one for the trolls, one in the opening for the ice cutters, and only one song for the sisters, and nothing in the last 20 minutes.
The Big Finale: Frozen may not be my all-time favorite Disney animated feature, but I like it enough to to understand why it was such a smash hit. If you have young girls, you've probably seen it a hundred times. If you haven't, don't let the relentless marketing put you off. This really is a charming and delightful film, with wonderful songs, gorgeous animation, and some fairly unique characters.
Home Media: I had such a hard time finding it when it came out, I eventually ordered my DVD online. It's a lot easier to come by now in most places - and unlike a lot of Disney animated features, it can be found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, January 24, 2019
42nd Street
Warner Bros, 1933
Starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers
Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Musical Numbers Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin
We're going way back tonight to what is not only considered to be the archetypal backstage musical, but the movie that helped revive the genre on the big screen. Musicals - especially backstage musicals - were huge when sound came in, but the studios tossed out too many frivolous pieces of nonsense. Warners got around this by giving 42nd Street a slightly darker story that was more in line with the tastes of Depression audiences and employing an all-star cast. Let's head to a theater in New York to see if it really "goes out there a nobody and comes back a star!"
The Story: In the depths of the Great Depression, almost everyone on Broadway is thrilled when popular producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) announce that they're putting on a new musical, Pretty Baby, with popular star Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). Brock is stringing along a backer, kiddie car magnate Abner Diller (Guy Kibbe) while seeing her former vaudeville partner Pat Denning (George Brent) on the side. They hire notoriously tough Julian Marsh (Baxter) as the director. Marsh has to make this a hit in order to recoup his losses from the Stock Market Crash and have enough to retire on.
Among the ladies who make it through the audition are ditzy Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel), brassy Ann "Anytime Annie" Lowell (Rogers), and sweet newcomer Peggy Saywer (Keeler). Singer Billy Lawler (Powell) has taken a shine to Peggy...but so has Pat. Marsh continues to berate and push and shove the entire cast through rehearsals and right up through the day before the out-of-town opening in Philadelphia. Brock finally learns about Pat's interest in Peggy during the cast party, where she throws a fit that ends with her breaking her ankle.
The show is about to close when Annie suggests that Peggy, while not the best singer, can certainly dance rings around Brock. Now inexperienced Peggy has to carry an entire show on her poofy-sleeved shoulders. She's not so sure she can do it, but Marsh reminds her that she has to do her best in one of the most famous lines in any musical, "You're going out there a youngster, but you're coming back a star!"
The Song and Dance: Keeler and Powell may have been the ones who became stars, but honestly, my favorite thing about this along with the famous Busby Berkley dance routines are the supporting cast and the snappy script. Merkel and Rogers get some of the movie's funniest lines as New York's sassiest chorus girls, with dour Ned Sparks getting a few good lines in as the more pessimistic of the two producers. Baxter, on the other hand, puts in one of his best dramatic performances as the director desperate to make one last stand on Broadway.
Favorite Number: Although "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" for Bebe Daniels and the chorus boys early on is pretty fun, most of the movie's most famous numbers turn up in the finale. Merkel and Rogers' wisecracks liven the slightly cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," while "Young and Healthy" shows off Powell's light tenor and some of Berkley's most famous camera and dance formations (not to mention the "under the legs" shot that has turned up in many other Berkley homages).
They save the best for last here. Keeler may not be a great singer, but her dancing in the title number is pretty darn good, enough to understand why this movie really did make her a star. We also get an attempt at drama far above the norm for a 30's musical, including glimpses of abuse and a murder, along with more Berkley camera-driven formations.
Trivia: This was one of the earliest movie musicals transferred to the stage. The Broadway version debuted in 1980, with Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock. It was a huge hit, both in its original cast and in a 2001 revival. In fact, an equally popular revival just wound down a few weeks ago on London's West End.
The movie got two Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Sound.
Warren and Dubin themselves can briefly be seen as the show's songwriters.
What I Don't Like: Keeler's only passable as the nice girl among the wolves when she's not dancing, while Powell comes off as way too coy. I almost kind of wish the film had gone the route of the Broadway version and had her end up with Marsh instead of Billy. (In the original book, Billy actually ended up with Marsh, which definitely wasn't going to happen in the movies in 1933.) Some of the Depression references may fly over the heads of those who don't understand the era.
The Big Finale: A funny, fast-paced, and fairly gritty script, Berkeley's oft-imitated kaleidoscope musical numbers, and some nice performances from the supporting cast make this a landmark musical and a must-see for anyone who loves the genre or wants to check out what made Berkeley and his movies famous.
Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but the Warner Archives Blu-Ray is available, and it can be found on several collections of Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. (And I highly recommend both the original and 2001 revival Broadway casts on CD as well - they're both fun.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
DVD - Busby Berkeley Collection: The 10 Pack
Starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers
Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Musical Numbers Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin
We're going way back tonight to what is not only considered to be the archetypal backstage musical, but the movie that helped revive the genre on the big screen. Musicals - especially backstage musicals - were huge when sound came in, but the studios tossed out too many frivolous pieces of nonsense. Warners got around this by giving 42nd Street a slightly darker story that was more in line with the tastes of Depression audiences and employing an all-star cast. Let's head to a theater in New York to see if it really "goes out there a nobody and comes back a star!"
The Story: In the depths of the Great Depression, almost everyone on Broadway is thrilled when popular producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) announce that they're putting on a new musical, Pretty Baby, with popular star Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). Brock is stringing along a backer, kiddie car magnate Abner Diller (Guy Kibbe) while seeing her former vaudeville partner Pat Denning (George Brent) on the side. They hire notoriously tough Julian Marsh (Baxter) as the director. Marsh has to make this a hit in order to recoup his losses from the Stock Market Crash and have enough to retire on.
Among the ladies who make it through the audition are ditzy Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel), brassy Ann "Anytime Annie" Lowell (Rogers), and sweet newcomer Peggy Saywer (Keeler). Singer Billy Lawler (Powell) has taken a shine to Peggy...but so has Pat. Marsh continues to berate and push and shove the entire cast through rehearsals and right up through the day before the out-of-town opening in Philadelphia. Brock finally learns about Pat's interest in Peggy during the cast party, where she throws a fit that ends with her breaking her ankle.
The show is about to close when Annie suggests that Peggy, while not the best singer, can certainly dance rings around Brock. Now inexperienced Peggy has to carry an entire show on her poofy-sleeved shoulders. She's not so sure she can do it, but Marsh reminds her that she has to do her best in one of the most famous lines in any musical, "You're going out there a youngster, but you're coming back a star!"
The Song and Dance: Keeler and Powell may have been the ones who became stars, but honestly, my favorite thing about this along with the famous Busby Berkley dance routines are the supporting cast and the snappy script. Merkel and Rogers get some of the movie's funniest lines as New York's sassiest chorus girls, with dour Ned Sparks getting a few good lines in as the more pessimistic of the two producers. Baxter, on the other hand, puts in one of his best dramatic performances as the director desperate to make one last stand on Broadway.
Favorite Number: Although "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" for Bebe Daniels and the chorus boys early on is pretty fun, most of the movie's most famous numbers turn up in the finale. Merkel and Rogers' wisecracks liven the slightly cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," while "Young and Healthy" shows off Powell's light tenor and some of Berkley's most famous camera and dance formations (not to mention the "under the legs" shot that has turned up in many other Berkley homages).
They save the best for last here. Keeler may not be a great singer, but her dancing in the title number is pretty darn good, enough to understand why this movie really did make her a star. We also get an attempt at drama far above the norm for a 30's musical, including glimpses of abuse and a murder, along with more Berkley camera-driven formations.
Trivia: This was one of the earliest movie musicals transferred to the stage. The Broadway version debuted in 1980, with Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock. It was a huge hit, both in its original cast and in a 2001 revival. In fact, an equally popular revival just wound down a few weeks ago on London's West End.
The movie got two Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Sound.
Warren and Dubin themselves can briefly be seen as the show's songwriters.
What I Don't Like: Keeler's only passable as the nice girl among the wolves when she's not dancing, while Powell comes off as way too coy. I almost kind of wish the film had gone the route of the Broadway version and had her end up with Marsh instead of Billy. (In the original book, Billy actually ended up with Marsh, which definitely wasn't going to happen in the movies in 1933.) Some of the Depression references may fly over the heads of those who don't understand the era.
The Big Finale: A funny, fast-paced, and fairly gritty script, Berkeley's oft-imitated kaleidoscope musical numbers, and some nice performances from the supporting cast make this a landmark musical and a must-see for anyone who loves the genre or wants to check out what made Berkeley and his movies famous.
Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but the Warner Archives Blu-Ray is available, and it can be found on several collections of Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. (And I highly recommend both the original and 2001 revival Broadway casts on CD as well - they're both fun.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
DVD - Busby Berkeley Collection: The 10 Pack
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Dreamgirls
Dreamworks/Paramount, 2006
Starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy
Directed by Bill Condon
Music by Henry Krieger and others; Lyrics by Tom Eyan and others
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, I'm reviewing one of the biggest hit musical films of the last decade or so. The tale of a female African-American R&B group who rise to the top of the charts during the Civil Rights Movement era was a hit in 2006 and won an Oscar for newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Is this a dream of a movie, or should it be left behind? Let's head to a theater in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 and find out...
The Story: Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowels), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are best friends from Detroit who sing together as the group the Dreamettes. Though they lose an amateur contest at their local theater, they catch the eye of car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx). He hires the girls as backup singers for dynamic R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Murphy) and starts his own record label, Rainbow Records. Effie falls hard for Curtis, while Lorrell starts an affair with Jimmy, despite him being married.
After their first single flops when it's covered by a white surf group, Curtis uses some unscrupulous tactics - including paying off DJs - to make sure their next number is heard. His attempt to tone down Jimmy's act and play it at the very white Miami Beach goes over less well. The Dreamettes, rechristened The Dreams, are now split into their own group, with Deena leading over Effie's objections. The fame is enough at first, until Effie realizes how much attention Curtis is lavishing on conventionally slim and pretty Deena. It comes to an explosive confrontation on New Year's Eve when Effie learns that she's being replaced by Curtis' thinner secretary Michelle (Sharon Leal) just as she's about to tell Curtis that she's pregnant.
Though the Dreams go on to massive worldwide success, Curtis is the only one who's happy. He's micro-managing every aspect of Deena's career, including trying to push her into a huge Cleopatra biopic she knows she's unsuited for. Lorrell still can't get Jimmy to leave his wife, and he's now addicted to heavy drugs, too. Effie's brother CC (Keith Robinson) is tired of hearing his heartfelt ballads turned into disco dance tunes and turns to his big sister, who is finally getting back on her feet after years of being a broke single mother. It'll take tragedy and another payola scam to finally make the Dreams realize how much Curtis has manipulated them...and push them into fighting for their real dream.
The Song and Dance: Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for Oscars for their amazing work here; Hudson deservedly won. I actually saw this movie at the theater with a friend on opening night, and I can assure that people went crazy after Hudson nearly blew the roof off the theater with her powerful "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." Murphy's portrayal of a cocky fading R&B star is nearly as good. Knowles, Rose, and Foxx are also excellent as the remaining Dreams and the master manipulator who uses them to get an "in" with rich white audiences. I also love the colorful, period-accurate costumes and hair and makeup that give you a wonderful idea of what both black and white audiences expected of performers in the 60's and 70's.
Favorite Number: Along with the afore-mentioned "Not Going," my favorite song is the hard-hitting chorus number "Steppin' to the Bad Side," performed with verve by Murphy and the ladies. I'm also a big fan of Hudson's ballad "Love You I Do," which was written directly for the film, as was Beyonce's heartfelt "Listen." Foxx also gets a gorgeous ballad, "When I First Saw You," which he performs over a stylish montage of glamour shots of Deena at the height of her celebrity.
(And no offense to Effie and Hudson, but I kind of like the energetic Dreams disco version of "One Night Only" better than Effie's darker Dionne Warwick-style take.)
Trivia: The singer who performs "I Miss You, Old Friend" at Jimmy's wake was Loretta Divine, who played Lorrell in the original 1984 stage cast of Dreamgirls.
What I Don't Like: This is another musical where I wish they could have kept more of the original stage songs, including a solo for Lorrell, "Ain't No Party." The movie's message about the hard work and sacrifice needed in show business, as well as social acclimation and what happens when we give up our cultural identity for fame, can occasionally be a little heavy-handed, especially in the second half of the film.
The Big Finale: I loved this movie when I saw it with my friend in December 2006, and I love it now. It's one of my favorite movies of the last decade or so. If you love the cast or have any interest in the history of rock, Motown, or R&B, you'll want to make this movie your dream, too.
Home Media: Not only is the original DVD and Blu-Ray still widely available, but a "Director's Cut" with 10 minutes more of footage was released two years ago.
DVD
Blu-Ray - Director's Cut
Amazon Prime
Starring Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy
Directed by Bill Condon
Music by Henry Krieger and others; Lyrics by Tom Eyan and others
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday, I'm reviewing one of the biggest hit musical films of the last decade or so. The tale of a female African-American R&B group who rise to the top of the charts during the Civil Rights Movement era was a hit in 2006 and won an Oscar for newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Is this a dream of a movie, or should it be left behind? Let's head to a theater in Detroit, Michigan in 1962 and find out...
The Story: Effie White (Hudson), Deena Jones (Knowels), and Lorrell Robinson (Anika Noni Rose) are best friends from Detroit who sing together as the group the Dreamettes. Though they lose an amateur contest at their local theater, they catch the eye of car salesman Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx). He hires the girls as backup singers for dynamic R&B star Jimmy "Thunder" Early (Murphy) and starts his own record label, Rainbow Records. Effie falls hard for Curtis, while Lorrell starts an affair with Jimmy, despite him being married.
After their first single flops when it's covered by a white surf group, Curtis uses some unscrupulous tactics - including paying off DJs - to make sure their next number is heard. His attempt to tone down Jimmy's act and play it at the very white Miami Beach goes over less well. The Dreamettes, rechristened The Dreams, are now split into their own group, with Deena leading over Effie's objections. The fame is enough at first, until Effie realizes how much attention Curtis is lavishing on conventionally slim and pretty Deena. It comes to an explosive confrontation on New Year's Eve when Effie learns that she's being replaced by Curtis' thinner secretary Michelle (Sharon Leal) just as she's about to tell Curtis that she's pregnant.
Though the Dreams go on to massive worldwide success, Curtis is the only one who's happy. He's micro-managing every aspect of Deena's career, including trying to push her into a huge Cleopatra biopic she knows she's unsuited for. Lorrell still can't get Jimmy to leave his wife, and he's now addicted to heavy drugs, too. Effie's brother CC (Keith Robinson) is tired of hearing his heartfelt ballads turned into disco dance tunes and turns to his big sister, who is finally getting back on her feet after years of being a broke single mother. It'll take tragedy and another payola scam to finally make the Dreams realize how much Curtis has manipulated them...and push them into fighting for their real dream.
The Song and Dance: Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were nominated for Oscars for their amazing work here; Hudson deservedly won. I actually saw this movie at the theater with a friend on opening night, and I can assure that people went crazy after Hudson nearly blew the roof off the theater with her powerful "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going." Murphy's portrayal of a cocky fading R&B star is nearly as good. Knowles, Rose, and Foxx are also excellent as the remaining Dreams and the master manipulator who uses them to get an "in" with rich white audiences. I also love the colorful, period-accurate costumes and hair and makeup that give you a wonderful idea of what both black and white audiences expected of performers in the 60's and 70's.
Favorite Number: Along with the afore-mentioned "Not Going," my favorite song is the hard-hitting chorus number "Steppin' to the Bad Side," performed with verve by Murphy and the ladies. I'm also a big fan of Hudson's ballad "Love You I Do," which was written directly for the film, as was Beyonce's heartfelt "Listen." Foxx also gets a gorgeous ballad, "When I First Saw You," which he performs over a stylish montage of glamour shots of Deena at the height of her celebrity.
(And no offense to Effie and Hudson, but I kind of like the energetic Dreams disco version of "One Night Only" better than Effie's darker Dionne Warwick-style take.)
Trivia: The singer who performs "I Miss You, Old Friend" at Jimmy's wake was Loretta Divine, who played Lorrell in the original 1984 stage cast of Dreamgirls.
What I Don't Like: This is another musical where I wish they could have kept more of the original stage songs, including a solo for Lorrell, "Ain't No Party." The movie's message about the hard work and sacrifice needed in show business, as well as social acclimation and what happens when we give up our cultural identity for fame, can occasionally be a little heavy-handed, especially in the second half of the film.
The Big Finale: I loved this movie when I saw it with my friend in December 2006, and I love it now. It's one of my favorite movies of the last decade or so. If you love the cast or have any interest in the history of rock, Motown, or R&B, you'll want to make this movie your dream, too.
Home Media: Not only is the original DVD and Blu-Ray still widely available, but a "Director's Cut" with 10 minutes more of footage was released two years ago.
DVD
Blu-Ray - Director's Cut
Amazon Prime
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Musical Documentaries - Broadway: The American Musical
PBS, 2004
Hosted by Julie Andrews
Directed by Michael Kandor
Music by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, and others
Tonight, we're going to launch a new occasional series. Documentaries and musicals have exploded in popularity in the last decade. People have increasingly turned to non-fiction programming on YouTube and elsewhere for news and information, while the song and dance on shows like America's Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars have reintroduced many viewers to live musical performance. That revival was just beginning when this miniseries covering the history of the stage musical was a major event on PBS in 2004. Is it as entertaining as many of the shows it discusses? Let's join Julie Andrews onstage at the Shubert and New Amsterdam Theaters in New York to find out...
The Story: Julie Andrews hosts six hour-long documentaries covering the history of the American stage musical, featuring interviews with either historians, people who lived through the era (or who knew people who did), and current stage and musical stars. The episodes are peppered with archival footage, stills of shows, song recordings, Tony Awards performances, and in the first three episodes, current stage stars acting as the "voices" of the stars of the early part of the 20th century.
Give My Regards To Broadway: 1893-1927 - We learn about Times Square's humble beginnings as the tenderloin Longacre Square, archetypal Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and his famous Follies reviews, nervy writer/director/dancer George M. Cohan bringing a truly American sound to the New York stage, Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, African-American comedian Bert Williams and the early experiences of minorities on Broadway, the Actors Equity strike of 1919, how World War I effected Broadway, and the creation of the first truly integrated musical, Show Boat.
Syncopated City: 1919-1933 - Spread from coast to coast by radio, talking movies, and syndicated news columns, New York's fascinating rhythms captured the heart of America like never before or since with flappers like Marilyn Miller who could look sweet and dance hot, blacks pushing for more of a presence in Shuffle Along, the success of jazzy young songwriters like Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwin brothers, writers and journalists like Walter Winchell creating a new, slangy American vernacular, Cinderella tales of pretty young girls who meet the millionaire of their dreams, and flashy singers like blackface-wearing Al Jolson and comedian Eddie Cantor. It all came crashing down in the early 30's, thanks to the one-two-three punch of vaudeville winding down, talkies causing talent to head west to LA, and the onset of the Depression.
I Got Plenty O' Nuthin: 1929-1942 - The Depression effected millions around the globe, and it hit Broadway especially hard. The difficult times created shows and talents that could never have come out more flush eras, including brassy singer Ethel Merman, bluesy Ethel Waters, and dancers Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Hit shows included George Gershwin's ambitious folk opera Porgy & Bess, the the political satire Of Thee I Sing (which became the first musical to win a Pulitzer), and revues with a social conscious with songs like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Supper Time," the glamorous comedies of wealthy songwriter Cole Porter, and "Cradle Will Rock," an opera developed by the Federal Theater that was so politically charged, director Orson Welles and producer John Houseman had to have the cast perform it in the seats and boxes of the theater, because the government wouldn't let them onstage. Irving Berlin returns with the all-soldier revue "This Is the Army" as the US enters World War II.
Oh What a Beautiful Mornin': 1942-1960 - Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were looking for new writing partners just as the US became involved in World War II. They turned the dramatic play Green Grow the Lilacs into the dramatic musical Oklahoma!, and turned Broadway on its ear. Oklahoma! was not only the biggest stage hit of the war years, but proved once and for all that the book of a musical could function as more than waits between songs. Their work inspired not only a new generation of songwriters like Frank Loesser, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jules Styne, and Leonard Bernstein, but brought out some of Irving Berlin's best work in Annie Get Your Gun and encouraged Cole Porter to revive his career with Kiss Me Kate.
Tradition: 1957-1979 - Rodgers and Hammestein were hardly the only songwriters whose work enlivened the Golden Age of the American Musical. Starting with the darkly romantic smash West Side Story, Stephan Sondheim wrote shows like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Pacific Overtures, and Sweeney Todd that pushed the boundaries of what the musical could do. Songwriters Kander and Ebb and director Harold Prince turned the decadent Caberet and cynical Chicago into brazen commentaries on American life in the mid-20th century. Even as Jerry Herman wrote music for effervescent and brash comedies like Mame and Hello Dolly!, the US was being rocked by cultural upheavals, including New Yorkers leaving a crumbling city for the suburbs, rock music replacing the Broadway sound in the hearts of many young people, and the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement causing a vast generation gap. Shows with up-to-date rock scores like Hair and Grease sought to recapture the imagination of the younger generation, while Jerome Robbins' Fiddler on the Roof and Bob Fosse's shows like Pippin introduced the musical to darker, more integrated dance routines.
Putting It Together: 1980-2004 - After years of decline, New York roared back to life as British producer Cameron Macintosh brought a series of massive London and Paris stage hits to the US. Miss Saigon, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera delighted audiences with their spectacle, larger-than-life plots, and gorgeous music. Stephan Sondheim brought out his final shows in the 80's and early 90's, including Sunday In the Park With George, the fairy-tale fantasy Into the Woods, and the daring off-Broadway revue Assassins.
The AIDS crisis of the 1980's cut a large swath through the Broadway community, killing many promising talents, even as the first show about a gay couple, La Cage Aux Folles, debuted. The success of the Disney company with their animated musicals in the 90's inspired them to bring these shows to the stage, beginning with Beauty and the Beast. Their restoration of the New Amsterdam Theater encouraged Times Square to finally clean up its act. Even as Broadway sees a revival with hits like the historical drama Ragtime and the comedy The Producers, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 suddenly makes all Americans understand just how important Broadway and its productions are to the country's mindset.
The Song and Dance: What I love about this is the sheer amount of archival footage and interviews. Many of these people, especially in the first three episodes, are no longer with us, making the interviews doubly important. Those first three episodes in particular cover parts of history that don't often turn up elsewhere, like the treatment of early minority performers like Bert Williams, the 1919 Actors' Equity strike, and discussions of performers like Brice and Miller who aren't as well-known today. Some of that footage was hard to find until the rise of YouTube and other internet video streaming sites.
What I Don't Like: As comprehensive as this is, I wish it had gone even further into its subject. I would have liked to have heard more about the American operettas of the 10's and 20's and how they helped shape the modern integrated musical, for instance, or about German songwriter Kurt Weill, whose groundbreaking work included the 40's hits Lady In the Dark and One Touch of Venus. I also wish they'd found better footage - some of it was grainy or washed out, or just not in good shape, even for later shows.
Wish PBS would consider updating this. I'd love to see another segment covering more recent musicals, discusing the rise of hits like Hamilton, Into the Heights, Memphis, Dear Evan Hansen, Kinky Boots, Matilda, Fun House, Next to Normal, Come From Away, and even Disney's Frozen and stage version of Newsies.
The Big Finale: Even with the above caveats, what they do include is absolutely fascinating. If you love musicals, especially stage musical, and want to learn more about their history, this is a great place to start.
Home Media: Wildly out-of-print and unavailable for streaming at present - the Blu-Ray is slightly cheaper than the insanely expensive DVD set. Your best bet may be to look for this one used, like I did.
Blu-Ray
Hosted by Julie Andrews
Directed by Michael Kandor
Music by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, and others
Tonight, we're going to launch a new occasional series. Documentaries and musicals have exploded in popularity in the last decade. People have increasingly turned to non-fiction programming on YouTube and elsewhere for news and information, while the song and dance on shows like America's Got Talent and Dancing With the Stars have reintroduced many viewers to live musical performance. That revival was just beginning when this miniseries covering the history of the stage musical was a major event on PBS in 2004. Is it as entertaining as many of the shows it discusses? Let's join Julie Andrews onstage at the Shubert and New Amsterdam Theaters in New York to find out...
The Story: Julie Andrews hosts six hour-long documentaries covering the history of the American stage musical, featuring interviews with either historians, people who lived through the era (or who knew people who did), and current stage and musical stars. The episodes are peppered with archival footage, stills of shows, song recordings, Tony Awards performances, and in the first three episodes, current stage stars acting as the "voices" of the stars of the early part of the 20th century.
Give My Regards To Broadway: 1893-1927 - We learn about Times Square's humble beginnings as the tenderloin Longacre Square, archetypal Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld and his famous Follies reviews, nervy writer/director/dancer George M. Cohan bringing a truly American sound to the New York stage, Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice, African-American comedian Bert Williams and the early experiences of minorities on Broadway, the Actors Equity strike of 1919, how World War I effected Broadway, and the creation of the first truly integrated musical, Show Boat.
Syncopated City: 1919-1933 - Spread from coast to coast by radio, talking movies, and syndicated news columns, New York's fascinating rhythms captured the heart of America like never before or since with flappers like Marilyn Miller who could look sweet and dance hot, blacks pushing for more of a presence in Shuffle Along, the success of jazzy young songwriters like Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwin brothers, writers and journalists like Walter Winchell creating a new, slangy American vernacular, Cinderella tales of pretty young girls who meet the millionaire of their dreams, and flashy singers like blackface-wearing Al Jolson and comedian Eddie Cantor. It all came crashing down in the early 30's, thanks to the one-two-three punch of vaudeville winding down, talkies causing talent to head west to LA, and the onset of the Depression.
I Got Plenty O' Nuthin: 1929-1942 - The Depression effected millions around the globe, and it hit Broadway especially hard. The difficult times created shows and talents that could never have come out more flush eras, including brassy singer Ethel Merman, bluesy Ethel Waters, and dancers Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Hit shows included George Gershwin's ambitious folk opera Porgy & Bess, the the political satire Of Thee I Sing (which became the first musical to win a Pulitzer), and revues with a social conscious with songs like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "Supper Time," the glamorous comedies of wealthy songwriter Cole Porter, and "Cradle Will Rock," an opera developed by the Federal Theater that was so politically charged, director Orson Welles and producer John Houseman had to have the cast perform it in the seats and boxes of the theater, because the government wouldn't let them onstage. Irving Berlin returns with the all-soldier revue "This Is the Army" as the US enters World War II.
Oh What a Beautiful Mornin': 1942-1960 - Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were looking for new writing partners just as the US became involved in World War II. They turned the dramatic play Green Grow the Lilacs into the dramatic musical Oklahoma!, and turned Broadway on its ear. Oklahoma! was not only the biggest stage hit of the war years, but proved once and for all that the book of a musical could function as more than waits between songs. Their work inspired not only a new generation of songwriters like Frank Loesser, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jules Styne, and Leonard Bernstein, but brought out some of Irving Berlin's best work in Annie Get Your Gun and encouraged Cole Porter to revive his career with Kiss Me Kate.
Tradition: 1957-1979 - Rodgers and Hammestein were hardly the only songwriters whose work enlivened the Golden Age of the American Musical. Starting with the darkly romantic smash West Side Story, Stephan Sondheim wrote shows like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Pacific Overtures, and Sweeney Todd that pushed the boundaries of what the musical could do. Songwriters Kander and Ebb and director Harold Prince turned the decadent Caberet and cynical Chicago into brazen commentaries on American life in the mid-20th century. Even as Jerry Herman wrote music for effervescent and brash comedies like Mame and Hello Dolly!, the US was being rocked by cultural upheavals, including New Yorkers leaving a crumbling city for the suburbs, rock music replacing the Broadway sound in the hearts of many young people, and the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement causing a vast generation gap. Shows with up-to-date rock scores like Hair and Grease sought to recapture the imagination of the younger generation, while Jerome Robbins' Fiddler on the Roof and Bob Fosse's shows like Pippin introduced the musical to darker, more integrated dance routines.
Putting It Together: 1980-2004 - After years of decline, New York roared back to life as British producer Cameron Macintosh brought a series of massive London and Paris stage hits to the US. Miss Saigon, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera delighted audiences with their spectacle, larger-than-life plots, and gorgeous music. Stephan Sondheim brought out his final shows in the 80's and early 90's, including Sunday In the Park With George, the fairy-tale fantasy Into the Woods, and the daring off-Broadway revue Assassins.
The AIDS crisis of the 1980's cut a large swath through the Broadway community, killing many promising talents, even as the first show about a gay couple, La Cage Aux Folles, debuted. The success of the Disney company with their animated musicals in the 90's inspired them to bring these shows to the stage, beginning with Beauty and the Beast. Their restoration of the New Amsterdam Theater encouraged Times Square to finally clean up its act. Even as Broadway sees a revival with hits like the historical drama Ragtime and the comedy The Producers, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 suddenly makes all Americans understand just how important Broadway and its productions are to the country's mindset.
The Song and Dance: What I love about this is the sheer amount of archival footage and interviews. Many of these people, especially in the first three episodes, are no longer with us, making the interviews doubly important. Those first three episodes in particular cover parts of history that don't often turn up elsewhere, like the treatment of early minority performers like Bert Williams, the 1919 Actors' Equity strike, and discussions of performers like Brice and Miller who aren't as well-known today. Some of that footage was hard to find until the rise of YouTube and other internet video streaming sites.
What I Don't Like: As comprehensive as this is, I wish it had gone even further into its subject. I would have liked to have heard more about the American operettas of the 10's and 20's and how they helped shape the modern integrated musical, for instance, or about German songwriter Kurt Weill, whose groundbreaking work included the 40's hits Lady In the Dark and One Touch of Venus. I also wish they'd found better footage - some of it was grainy or washed out, or just not in good shape, even for later shows.
Wish PBS would consider updating this. I'd love to see another segment covering more recent musicals, discusing the rise of hits like Hamilton, Into the Heights, Memphis, Dear Evan Hansen, Kinky Boots, Matilda, Fun House, Next to Normal, Come From Away, and even Disney's Frozen and stage version of Newsies.
The Big Finale: Even with the above caveats, what they do include is absolutely fascinating. If you love musicals, especially stage musical, and want to learn more about their history, this is a great place to start.
Home Media: Wildly out-of-print and unavailable for streaming at present - the Blu-Ray is slightly cheaper than the insanely expensive DVD set. Your best bet may be to look for this one used, like I did.
Blu-Ray
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Universal, 1967
Starring Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing
Directed by George Roy Hill
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
I'm reviewing this movie tonight in honor of Carol Channing, one of the most beloved stars of the Broadway stage and a true original, who passed away on Tuesday. It's one of the very few movies she made. Is this wacky Roaring 20's-set vehicle for Andrews and Moore a thoroughly modern delight, or will it be as old-fashioned as some of it's more melodramatic plot points? We'll head to New York in 1922 and see if we can find out...
The Story: Millie Dilmont (Andrews) is a thoroughly modern flapper who is determined to become a secretary to a handsome and wealthy boss and marry him. She meets pretty and sweet Miss Dorothy (Moore) at her boarding house, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lille). Unlike Millie, Dorothy remains lacy and old-fashioned, not to mention a bit ditzy. Millie takes her to a dance, where they meet charming Jimmy (Fox), who claims he's a paper-clip salesman. Millie likes him, but she still wants to go through with her gold-digging plans, especially after she lands a job with the stunningly masculine Trevor Grayden (John Gavin).
Millie's surprised and thrilled when Jimmy takes her and Dorothy to Long Island to a party held by glamorous and wacky Muzzy Van Hosmere (Channing). Muzzy's taking classes from every good-looking teacher in Long Island and throws huge shindigs to show off her new talents. Millie's falling for Jimmy, until she sees him with Dorothy in her bedroom. She does reconcile with Dorothy, but remains hostile to Jimmy and continues to chase an oblivious Trevor.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Meers is using the boarding house as a front for a white slavery ring, kidnapping girls with no families and selling them to her Chinese agents (Jack Soo and Pat Moriata), and she has her sights set on Dorothy. It'll take all of Millie's ingenuity to rally the guys to help her rescue her friend...and prove that there's more to being "thoroughly modern" than chasing your boss and dressing the part.
The Song and Dance: Andrews, Fox, and Moore are all having a grand time with the satire; Andrews in particular is good as the secretary who learns that being "man's equal" means more than just landing a rich husband. Channing is something to behold. She's so over-the-top, she's on the other side and still going. She and Lille add a great deal to the camp value, along with some of the stranger antics from Soo and Moriata. (I give Lille credit for doing as well as she did. She was in the first stages of Alzheimer's during filming and, according to Andrews, had to be frequently prompted on-set and seemed confused.)
Extra points for the spot-on sets and costumes. I love how someone did their homework on women's clothes in this era. Working-class Millie realistically wears the same three or four dresses with different cute accessories throughout the movie, while rich Miss Dorothy wears a different outfit in almost every scene.
Favorite Number: Channing really gets to show her range in "Jazz Baby," which she performs with the orchestra at her mansion, taking over each of their instruments and dancing on a xylophone. She also has a death-defying routine with an acrobatic troupe to the Gershwin standard "Do It Again." The opening title song is performed by Andrews to a montage of her discarding her old-fashioned hair and clothes, along with the first of the hilarious silent-movie cards seen occasionally during the movie that show what Millie's really thinking. "The Tapioca," the big chorus number at the Friendship Dance that Jimmy invents on the spot, is the best of the larger dance routines.
Trivia: A stage version debuted on Broadway in 2002. It was almost as big of a hit as the original film and made a star out of its Millie, Sutton Foster.
Producer Ross Hunter originally wanted to buy The Boy Friend, which Andrews had starred in on Broadway, as a vehicle for her. The rights proved to be too expensive, prompting him to create another Roaring 20's tale.
Elmer Berstein won his only Oscar for this movie's score. Carol Channing was nominated for Best Supporting Actress; the sets, costumes, sound, and title song also got nods.
What I Don't Like: Let's start with the white slavery subplot. This was pretty standard melodrama in the 20's, but the slightly condescending depictions of Asians and Chinatown would have been awkward in the race-conscious 60's and may be considered downright offensive by many today.
The movie is way, way too long. There's a lot of unnecessary padding in the middle of the film, including a random and completely extraneous Jewish wedding number that likely only existed to show off Andrews' voice and Jimmy climbing around outside Millie's office building in an attempt to see her. They might have put that time to better use by giving other characters numbers besides Millie and Muzzy. Other than "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life" heard over the soundtrack, neither Miss Dorothy nor Trevor get to sing, and Jimmy is only heard in "The Tapioca." Despite being one of England's most famous performers, Lille doesn't get a number, either.
The Big Finale: Dated subplot aside, Millie remains a sheer delight today, one of Andrews' best vehicles and my personal favorite original musical of the 1960's. If you're a fan of any of the leading ladies or love 20th century history like I do, this is a must-see. (I highly recommend the equally fun Broadway cast album as well.)
Home Media: Despite the film's popularity, this is currently DVD only, though the DVD is fairly easy to find for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Starring Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing
Directed by George Roy Hill
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
I'm reviewing this movie tonight in honor of Carol Channing, one of the most beloved stars of the Broadway stage and a true original, who passed away on Tuesday. It's one of the very few movies she made. Is this wacky Roaring 20's-set vehicle for Andrews and Moore a thoroughly modern delight, or will it be as old-fashioned as some of it's more melodramatic plot points? We'll head to New York in 1922 and see if we can find out...
The Story: Millie Dilmont (Andrews) is a thoroughly modern flapper who is determined to become a secretary to a handsome and wealthy boss and marry him. She meets pretty and sweet Miss Dorothy (Moore) at her boarding house, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Meers (Beatrice Lille). Unlike Millie, Dorothy remains lacy and old-fashioned, not to mention a bit ditzy. Millie takes her to a dance, where they meet charming Jimmy (Fox), who claims he's a paper-clip salesman. Millie likes him, but she still wants to go through with her gold-digging plans, especially after she lands a job with the stunningly masculine Trevor Grayden (John Gavin).
Millie's surprised and thrilled when Jimmy takes her and Dorothy to Long Island to a party held by glamorous and wacky Muzzy Van Hosmere (Channing). Muzzy's taking classes from every good-looking teacher in Long Island and throws huge shindigs to show off her new talents. Millie's falling for Jimmy, until she sees him with Dorothy in her bedroom. She does reconcile with Dorothy, but remains hostile to Jimmy and continues to chase an oblivious Trevor.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Meers is using the boarding house as a front for a white slavery ring, kidnapping girls with no families and selling them to her Chinese agents (Jack Soo and Pat Moriata), and she has her sights set on Dorothy. It'll take all of Millie's ingenuity to rally the guys to help her rescue her friend...and prove that there's more to being "thoroughly modern" than chasing your boss and dressing the part.
The Song and Dance: Andrews, Fox, and Moore are all having a grand time with the satire; Andrews in particular is good as the secretary who learns that being "man's equal" means more than just landing a rich husband. Channing is something to behold. She's so over-the-top, she's on the other side and still going. She and Lille add a great deal to the camp value, along with some of the stranger antics from Soo and Moriata. (I give Lille credit for doing as well as she did. She was in the first stages of Alzheimer's during filming and, according to Andrews, had to be frequently prompted on-set and seemed confused.)
Extra points for the spot-on sets and costumes. I love how someone did their homework on women's clothes in this era. Working-class Millie realistically wears the same three or four dresses with different cute accessories throughout the movie, while rich Miss Dorothy wears a different outfit in almost every scene.
Favorite Number: Channing really gets to show her range in "Jazz Baby," which she performs with the orchestra at her mansion, taking over each of their instruments and dancing on a xylophone. She also has a death-defying routine with an acrobatic troupe to the Gershwin standard "Do It Again." The opening title song is performed by Andrews to a montage of her discarding her old-fashioned hair and clothes, along with the first of the hilarious silent-movie cards seen occasionally during the movie that show what Millie's really thinking. "The Tapioca," the big chorus number at the Friendship Dance that Jimmy invents on the spot, is the best of the larger dance routines.
Trivia: A stage version debuted on Broadway in 2002. It was almost as big of a hit as the original film and made a star out of its Millie, Sutton Foster.
Producer Ross Hunter originally wanted to buy The Boy Friend, which Andrews had starred in on Broadway, as a vehicle for her. The rights proved to be too expensive, prompting him to create another Roaring 20's tale.
Elmer Berstein won his only Oscar for this movie's score. Carol Channing was nominated for Best Supporting Actress; the sets, costumes, sound, and title song also got nods.
What I Don't Like: Let's start with the white slavery subplot. This was pretty standard melodrama in the 20's, but the slightly condescending depictions of Asians and Chinatown would have been awkward in the race-conscious 60's and may be considered downright offensive by many today.
The movie is way, way too long. There's a lot of unnecessary padding in the middle of the film, including a random and completely extraneous Jewish wedding number that likely only existed to show off Andrews' voice and Jimmy climbing around outside Millie's office building in an attempt to see her. They might have put that time to better use by giving other characters numbers besides Millie and Muzzy. Other than "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life" heard over the soundtrack, neither Miss Dorothy nor Trevor get to sing, and Jimmy is only heard in "The Tapioca." Despite being one of England's most famous performers, Lille doesn't get a number, either.
The Big Finale: Dated subplot aside, Millie remains a sheer delight today, one of Andrews' best vehicles and my personal favorite original musical of the 1960's. If you're a fan of any of the leading ladies or love 20th century history like I do, this is a must-see. (I highly recommend the equally fun Broadway cast album as well.)
Home Media: Despite the film's popularity, this is currently DVD only, though the DVD is fairly easy to find for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
The Toast of New Orleans
MGM, 1950
Starring Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, David Niven, and J. Carrol Naish
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music by Nicholas Brodsky and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
Mario Lanza, a popular tenor in Philadelphia, was scouted out by MGM as their next big musical star in the late 40's. They starred him in a pair of operettas with soprano Kathryn Grayson that were both big hits, of which this is the second and last. Is this tale of a backwoods fisherman who becomes a gentleman as soaring as its music, or should it be tossed back into the bayou? Let's take a slow boat over to old New Orleans to see for ourselves...
The Story: Opera manager Jaques Riboudeaux (Niven) and his most popular star Suzette Micheline (Grayson) find themselves stranded in the Louisiana bayous in the 1880's. While there, they witness a festival in the local Cajun community. Among the performers are the exuberant dancer Tina (Rita Moreno) and fisherman Pepe (Lanza), who has a magnificent voice. Despite Pepe falling for Suzanne as soon as he sings with her, she doesn't share his feelings. Jaques, on the other hand, sees Pepe's natural talent and invites him to sing for his New Orleans opera company. Pepe turns him down, until a storm destroys the fishing boat operated by him and his Uncle Nicky (Naish). They go to Jaques to accept his offer in an attempt to earn enough money to buy another fishing boat.
Jaques immediately insists that Pepe be groomed for opera performances. This proves to work too well. Pepe still sings magnificently, but he's lost much of his original rough-hewn charm, to the dismay of both Tina and Suzette. Meanwhile, Nicky doesn't care who's singing what and just wants to go home to the bayou. Pepe has to figure out which world he belongs to...and which woman's heart he really wants.
The Song and Dance: Lanza never did become the best actor in the universe, but he at least acquits himself a bit better than in his previous movie with Grayson, That Midnight Kiss. It helps that this is a slightly better film. The gorgeous historical costumes and sets and down-home Cajun flavor gives this one an edge that the modern urban-set Kiss lacks. This was one of Rita Moreno's first movies, and she gets a nice solo dance routine early on "The Tina-Lina." Niven brings his usual urbanity to the suave Jaques.
Favorite Number: The big hit here was "Be My Love," which is sung constantly throughout the film. My favorite version is the first duet between Lanza and Grayson in the beginning, where we see the shock on her face and the surprise on Niven's when they hear Lanza's robust tenor joining in. We also get several sequences from actual operas, including a sequence from Madama Butterfly in the finale.
What I Don't Like: Not only is this pretty much a historical version of the previous That Midnight Kiss (which also featured Lanza as a working-class tenor who is suddenly discovered and falls for Grayson), but both stories are cliched to the max. Even the enormous sets and beautiful costumes can't disguise the twice-told story. Niven's out of place - musicals were never really his forte - and quite frankly seems a little bored.
The Big Picture: While it's better than Midnight Kiss or some of Lanza's other vehicles, I still only recommend it for major fans of him, Grayson, or opera.
Home Media: Originally only available as part of a two-pack with Midnight Kiss, it finally got a solo release from the Warner Archives last year.
DVD
DVD - 2-Pack That Midnight Kiss/The Toast of New Orleans
Starring Kathryn Grayson, Mario Lanza, David Niven, and J. Carrol Naish
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music by Nicholas Brodsky and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
Mario Lanza, a popular tenor in Philadelphia, was scouted out by MGM as their next big musical star in the late 40's. They starred him in a pair of operettas with soprano Kathryn Grayson that were both big hits, of which this is the second and last. Is this tale of a backwoods fisherman who becomes a gentleman as soaring as its music, or should it be tossed back into the bayou? Let's take a slow boat over to old New Orleans to see for ourselves...
The Story: Opera manager Jaques Riboudeaux (Niven) and his most popular star Suzette Micheline (Grayson) find themselves stranded in the Louisiana bayous in the 1880's. While there, they witness a festival in the local Cajun community. Among the performers are the exuberant dancer Tina (Rita Moreno) and fisherman Pepe (Lanza), who has a magnificent voice. Despite Pepe falling for Suzanne as soon as he sings with her, she doesn't share his feelings. Jaques, on the other hand, sees Pepe's natural talent and invites him to sing for his New Orleans opera company. Pepe turns him down, until a storm destroys the fishing boat operated by him and his Uncle Nicky (Naish). They go to Jaques to accept his offer in an attempt to earn enough money to buy another fishing boat.
Jaques immediately insists that Pepe be groomed for opera performances. This proves to work too well. Pepe still sings magnificently, but he's lost much of his original rough-hewn charm, to the dismay of both Tina and Suzette. Meanwhile, Nicky doesn't care who's singing what and just wants to go home to the bayou. Pepe has to figure out which world he belongs to...and which woman's heart he really wants.
The Song and Dance: Lanza never did become the best actor in the universe, but he at least acquits himself a bit better than in his previous movie with Grayson, That Midnight Kiss. It helps that this is a slightly better film. The gorgeous historical costumes and sets and down-home Cajun flavor gives this one an edge that the modern urban-set Kiss lacks. This was one of Rita Moreno's first movies, and she gets a nice solo dance routine early on "The Tina-Lina." Niven brings his usual urbanity to the suave Jaques.
Favorite Number: The big hit here was "Be My Love," which is sung constantly throughout the film. My favorite version is the first duet between Lanza and Grayson in the beginning, where we see the shock on her face and the surprise on Niven's when they hear Lanza's robust tenor joining in. We also get several sequences from actual operas, including a sequence from Madama Butterfly in the finale.
What I Don't Like: Not only is this pretty much a historical version of the previous That Midnight Kiss (which also featured Lanza as a working-class tenor who is suddenly discovered and falls for Grayson), but both stories are cliched to the max. Even the enormous sets and beautiful costumes can't disguise the twice-told story. Niven's out of place - musicals were never really his forte - and quite frankly seems a little bored.
The Big Picture: While it's better than Midnight Kiss or some of Lanza's other vehicles, I still only recommend it for major fans of him, Grayson, or opera.
Home Media: Originally only available as part of a two-pack with Midnight Kiss, it finally got a solo release from the Warner Archives last year.
DVD
DVD - 2-Pack That Midnight Kiss/The Toast of New Orleans
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Robin Hood
Disney, 1973
Voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, and Terry-Thomas
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller and others
If you thought a gangster Robin Hood was strange, how about an all-animal version? Disney's animated retelling has a fox as the famous outlaw, with other animals common in English and American folk-lore as Prince John, Little John and the residents of Nottingham. Is it worthy of the Golden Arrow? Let's take a carriage ride through Nottingham Forest, where two laid-back rogues are about to robe one unknowing royal, and find out...
The Story: Robin Hood (Bedford) and his buddy Little John (Harris) are the most notorious and beloved outlaws in cash-strapped Nottingham. Obnoxious and childish Prince John (Ustinov) is tired of their antics, especially after they rob his coach and leave him in the mud. Lovely Maid Marian (Monica Evans) just hopes he remembers her. John uses her feelings for him to trap him during a contest for a golden arrow. Robin and John not only manage to escape, but take Marian, her lady-in-waiting Kluck (Carole Shelley), and half of Nottingham with them.
Angry with their song that makes fun of him and with losing to Robin again, Prince John triples the taxes way beyond most of what the village can pay. Almost everyone, including narrator Allan a Dale (Roger Miller), lands in prison, and Friar Tuck (Andy Devine) is going to be hung for treason. Robin and Little John have to get past the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram) and rescue Tuck and the townspeople, right under the prince's furry nose.
The Animation: This is where the movie falters. While the designs are colorful and fun, the troubled production is evident in sketchy animation that's quite obviously reused from other films. If you're a Disney fan, you'll recognize Marian's dance moves during "The Phony King of England" as being the same as Snow White's from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, for instance, and some of the others from The Aristocats. It's nothing flashy, but it's pretty par for Disney for the 1970's and early 80's.
The Song and Dance: What this movie has going for it is a hilarious script and some very funny performances. It had originally been developed with a western setting; they switched to a more traditional English locale too late to take an all British cast. As odd as the mix of western and British actors sounds, it actually works out pretty well. Devine makes a great feisty Tuck, and Buttram gets some of the best lines in the movie as the law-wolf everyone loves to hate. On the British side, Bedford's having a grand time as Robin, Shelley's even better as the toughest hen in Nottingham, and Ustinov and Thomas are hysterical as the sniveling villains.
I also like how simple this version is. Even the Errol Flynn film pads out the story with Robin's origins. Here, we start right in the thick of things with Robin and John robbing from the rich to give to the poor, with no added fluff. It's really kind of refreshing, especially compared to more recent, darker live-action retellings.
Favorite Number: Though Marion's ballad "Love" got the Oscar nomination, the movie does better by its chorus numbers. "The Phony King of England" is so funny, you can understand why John was offended by it. Robin and Little John get a great introduction in the opening song "Oo-de-Lally," where we get a close look at both their friendship and how they manage to out-run the prince's guards.
Triva: According to the current DVD release, the movie was supposed to have a darker ending, with Marian pleading for Robin's life in the castle after Prince John's men have fished him out of the moat.
As simple as it seems, Robin Hood went through one of the most troubled productions of any Disney animated film. It started out as another English medieval animal legend, that of Reynard the Fox, right after Snow White came out in the 1930's. Original director Ken Anderson wanted to put it in the Deep South, but too many comparisons to Song of the South nixed that idea. He also wanted to make things a bit darker and more epic with the Merry Men and with the Sheriff as a cranky goat instead of a more stereotypical wolf. Reitherman insisted on turning it into a buddy picture and the more comic tone.
This was the first Disney animated movie released on home video as part of the original "Classics" line.
What I Don't Like: I wish they'd found room for more elements from the human-based Robin Hood legends, including the Merry Men and Guy of Gisborne. Marian (and Lady Kluck) disappears all together after "The Phony King of England," despite the big build-up with their romance. They should have found some way to incorporate those two into the finale, even if the original ending was a bit too dark for this movie. There's the problems with the reused animation, too.
The Big Finale: One of the funniest scripts and casts in any Disney animated film goes a long way to make up for the so-so animation and production problems. I consider this to be one of the most underrated movies in the entire Disney canon. It's a great choice for families, younger kids who are just learning about the Robin Hood legends, or folks who grew up watching this on video or on The Disney Channel as a kid like I did.
Home Media: Thankfully, Disney took this one off the Vault list a long time ago. I own the current 40th Anniversary DVD. It's also on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Brian Bedford, Phil Harris, Peter Ustinov, and Terry-Thomas
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by Roger Miller and others
If you thought a gangster Robin Hood was strange, how about an all-animal version? Disney's animated retelling has a fox as the famous outlaw, with other animals common in English and American folk-lore as Prince John, Little John and the residents of Nottingham. Is it worthy of the Golden Arrow? Let's take a carriage ride through Nottingham Forest, where two laid-back rogues are about to robe one unknowing royal, and find out...
The Story: Robin Hood (Bedford) and his buddy Little John (Harris) are the most notorious and beloved outlaws in cash-strapped Nottingham. Obnoxious and childish Prince John (Ustinov) is tired of their antics, especially after they rob his coach and leave him in the mud. Lovely Maid Marian (Monica Evans) just hopes he remembers her. John uses her feelings for him to trap him during a contest for a golden arrow. Robin and John not only manage to escape, but take Marian, her lady-in-waiting Kluck (Carole Shelley), and half of Nottingham with them.
Angry with their song that makes fun of him and with losing to Robin again, Prince John triples the taxes way beyond most of what the village can pay. Almost everyone, including narrator Allan a Dale (Roger Miller), lands in prison, and Friar Tuck (Andy Devine) is going to be hung for treason. Robin and Little John have to get past the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram) and rescue Tuck and the townspeople, right under the prince's furry nose.
The Animation: This is where the movie falters. While the designs are colorful and fun, the troubled production is evident in sketchy animation that's quite obviously reused from other films. If you're a Disney fan, you'll recognize Marian's dance moves during "The Phony King of England" as being the same as Snow White's from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, for instance, and some of the others from The Aristocats. It's nothing flashy, but it's pretty par for Disney for the 1970's and early 80's.
The Song and Dance: What this movie has going for it is a hilarious script and some very funny performances. It had originally been developed with a western setting; they switched to a more traditional English locale too late to take an all British cast. As odd as the mix of western and British actors sounds, it actually works out pretty well. Devine makes a great feisty Tuck, and Buttram gets some of the best lines in the movie as the law-wolf everyone loves to hate. On the British side, Bedford's having a grand time as Robin, Shelley's even better as the toughest hen in Nottingham, and Ustinov and Thomas are hysterical as the sniveling villains.
I also like how simple this version is. Even the Errol Flynn film pads out the story with Robin's origins. Here, we start right in the thick of things with Robin and John robbing from the rich to give to the poor, with no added fluff. It's really kind of refreshing, especially compared to more recent, darker live-action retellings.
Favorite Number: Though Marion's ballad "Love" got the Oscar nomination, the movie does better by its chorus numbers. "The Phony King of England" is so funny, you can understand why John was offended by it. Robin and Little John get a great introduction in the opening song "Oo-de-Lally," where we get a close look at both their friendship and how they manage to out-run the prince's guards.
Triva: According to the current DVD release, the movie was supposed to have a darker ending, with Marian pleading for Robin's life in the castle after Prince John's men have fished him out of the moat.
As simple as it seems, Robin Hood went through one of the most troubled productions of any Disney animated film. It started out as another English medieval animal legend, that of Reynard the Fox, right after Snow White came out in the 1930's. Original director Ken Anderson wanted to put it in the Deep South, but too many comparisons to Song of the South nixed that idea. He also wanted to make things a bit darker and more epic with the Merry Men and with the Sheriff as a cranky goat instead of a more stereotypical wolf. Reitherman insisted on turning it into a buddy picture and the more comic tone.
This was the first Disney animated movie released on home video as part of the original "Classics" line.
What I Don't Like: I wish they'd found room for more elements from the human-based Robin Hood legends, including the Merry Men and Guy of Gisborne. Marian (and Lady Kluck) disappears all together after "The Phony King of England," despite the big build-up with their romance. They should have found some way to incorporate those two into the finale, even if the original ending was a bit too dark for this movie. There's the problems with the reused animation, too.
The Big Finale: One of the funniest scripts and casts in any Disney animated film goes a long way to make up for the so-so animation and production problems. I consider this to be one of the most underrated movies in the entire Disney canon. It's a great choice for families, younger kids who are just learning about the Robin Hood legends, or folks who grew up watching this on video or on The Disney Channel as a kid like I did.
Home Media: Thankfully, Disney took this one off the Vault list a long time ago. I own the current 40th Anniversary DVD. It's also on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Robin and the 7 Hoods
Warner Bros, 1964
Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Peter Faulk
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Today and Saturday, I'm going to be looking at two versions of one of the most beloved legends in English history, that of the outlaw Robin Hood. It's been told in every way possible and in every possible setting since the 12th century. This musical gangster tale, the last of the four "Rat Pack" films, may be one of the more unusual. How well does this tale of a mob boss who robs a corrupt fellow gangster to give to the poor fare now? Let's head to the birthday party of "Big" Jim Stevens in Chicago to find out...
The Story: "Big" Jim Stevens (Edward G. Robinson) was the most respected and feared mob boss in Chicago in the early 30's...until his second-in-command Guy Gisborne (Faulk) had him shot down at his birthday party. Gisborne demands that all the mobs in town come together under him and pay him protection money. Robbo (Sinatra) and his boys don't like this one bit. Rob was close with Big Jim, and he has no desire to share the town with Gisborne or anybody.
Trouble is, Rob has only a few boys, including the pool shark "Little" John (Martin) whom he hires after he sees him play and gun-crazy Will Scarlet (Sammy Davis Jr.). Gisborne has nearly 90, plus is bribing the corrupt Sheriff Glick (Robert Foulk) to look the other way. They end up destroying each other's nightclubs. When the Sheriff insists on not doing further harm, Gisborne has him eliminated. Meanwhile, Jim's elegant daughter Marion (Barbara Rush) tries to get Rob to help her avenge her father's death. Rob turns her down, even when she offers him 50,000 dollars.
His men turn her cash over to an orphanage. The grateful secretary Allan A. Dale (Crosby) announces to the newspapers that Robbo is a "Robin Hood" who gives to the poor. He convinces Rob to set up a string of charitable operations as a front for his nightclubs, with Dale in charge of the charities. Suddenly, Rob and his boys are not only doing gangbusters business, but they have the public on their side, too. Gisborne's determined to show Rob for what he is...and Marion still wants in on the take, too. When Gisborne accuses Rob of murdering the sheriff and Marion goes after John, it'll take all of Rob's ingenuity - and a little help from the public - to not end up part of a cornerstone of building on the Miracle Mile.
The Song and Dance: Evidently, this was a troubled production from the get-go, with several actors replaced, Sinatra's friend John F. Kennedy being assassinated during filming, and his son being kidnapped shortly after. Whatever headaches they went through were worth it. This is a colorful and unique tale with a great score and some fun performances. Faulk makes a surprisingly good greedy mob boss, and lumbering Victor Buono is hilarious as the slow-witted Deputy Sheriff Potts. I'm also glad that Sammy Davis Jr. is treated a little better here than in most of the "Rat Pack" movies, even getting a nice solo in "Bang Bang!" and a funny scene where he has to find a telephone in the remains of a room wrecked by Gisbourne's boys.
Favorite Number: "My Kind of Town" was the hit and got an Oscar nomination, but my favorite number from this one is "Style." Rob and John teach the old-fashioned Allan A. Dale how to update his fashion sense and his vocabulary by letting him pick and choose from their closets. Three of the most famous singers of the 20th century in a simple "straw hat and cane" routine - it doesn't get any better than that.
Crosby also gets in on two catchy chorus numbers. He admonishes the boys at the orphanage "Don't Be a Do-Badder" after Rob is framed, and joins Rob and the other guys at the soup kitchen for the rousing faux revivalist song "Mr. Booze."
Trivia: Peter Lawford was originally supposed to be Allan A. Dale, but he got into a feud with Sinatra shortly before filming and was replaced with Crosby.
What I Don't Like: I kind of wish Marion had a number, even just a slow solo to try to lure the guys in. Maybe she should have sung instead of Faulk. His solo "All for One" in the opening was painful. I'm a bit surprised Sinatra doesn't have more songs in his own vehicle, either. Both Crosby and Martin sing more than he does.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Rat Pack, Crosby, or gangster movies, this is a stylish and funny musical that definitely deserves a look.
Home Media: Pretty easy to find solo and as part of a set with the other Rat Pack movies on disc and streaming.
DVD
DVD - The Rat Pack Collection
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Peter Faulk
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Today and Saturday, I'm going to be looking at two versions of one of the most beloved legends in English history, that of the outlaw Robin Hood. It's been told in every way possible and in every possible setting since the 12th century. This musical gangster tale, the last of the four "Rat Pack" films, may be one of the more unusual. How well does this tale of a mob boss who robs a corrupt fellow gangster to give to the poor fare now? Let's head to the birthday party of "Big" Jim Stevens in Chicago to find out...
The Story: "Big" Jim Stevens (Edward G. Robinson) was the most respected and feared mob boss in Chicago in the early 30's...until his second-in-command Guy Gisborne (Faulk) had him shot down at his birthday party. Gisborne demands that all the mobs in town come together under him and pay him protection money. Robbo (Sinatra) and his boys don't like this one bit. Rob was close with Big Jim, and he has no desire to share the town with Gisborne or anybody.
Trouble is, Rob has only a few boys, including the pool shark "Little" John (Martin) whom he hires after he sees him play and gun-crazy Will Scarlet (Sammy Davis Jr.). Gisborne has nearly 90, plus is bribing the corrupt Sheriff Glick (Robert Foulk) to look the other way. They end up destroying each other's nightclubs. When the Sheriff insists on not doing further harm, Gisborne has him eliminated. Meanwhile, Jim's elegant daughter Marion (Barbara Rush) tries to get Rob to help her avenge her father's death. Rob turns her down, even when she offers him 50,000 dollars.
His men turn her cash over to an orphanage. The grateful secretary Allan A. Dale (Crosby) announces to the newspapers that Robbo is a "Robin Hood" who gives to the poor. He convinces Rob to set up a string of charitable operations as a front for his nightclubs, with Dale in charge of the charities. Suddenly, Rob and his boys are not only doing gangbusters business, but they have the public on their side, too. Gisborne's determined to show Rob for what he is...and Marion still wants in on the take, too. When Gisborne accuses Rob of murdering the sheriff and Marion goes after John, it'll take all of Rob's ingenuity - and a little help from the public - to not end up part of a cornerstone of building on the Miracle Mile.
The Song and Dance: Evidently, this was a troubled production from the get-go, with several actors replaced, Sinatra's friend John F. Kennedy being assassinated during filming, and his son being kidnapped shortly after. Whatever headaches they went through were worth it. This is a colorful and unique tale with a great score and some fun performances. Faulk makes a surprisingly good greedy mob boss, and lumbering Victor Buono is hilarious as the slow-witted Deputy Sheriff Potts. I'm also glad that Sammy Davis Jr. is treated a little better here than in most of the "Rat Pack" movies, even getting a nice solo in "Bang Bang!" and a funny scene where he has to find a telephone in the remains of a room wrecked by Gisbourne's boys.
Favorite Number: "My Kind of Town" was the hit and got an Oscar nomination, but my favorite number from this one is "Style." Rob and John teach the old-fashioned Allan A. Dale how to update his fashion sense and his vocabulary by letting him pick and choose from their closets. Three of the most famous singers of the 20th century in a simple "straw hat and cane" routine - it doesn't get any better than that.
Crosby also gets in on two catchy chorus numbers. He admonishes the boys at the orphanage "Don't Be a Do-Badder" after Rob is framed, and joins Rob and the other guys at the soup kitchen for the rousing faux revivalist song "Mr. Booze."
Trivia: Peter Lawford was originally supposed to be Allan A. Dale, but he got into a feud with Sinatra shortly before filming and was replaced with Crosby.
What I Don't Like: I kind of wish Marion had a number, even just a slow solo to try to lure the guys in. Maybe she should have sung instead of Faulk. His solo "All for One" in the opening was painful. I'm a bit surprised Sinatra doesn't have more songs in his own vehicle, either. Both Crosby and Martin sing more than he does.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Rat Pack, Crosby, or gangster movies, this is a stylish and funny musical that definitely deserves a look.
Home Media: Pretty easy to find solo and as part of a set with the other Rat Pack movies on disc and streaming.
DVD
DVD - The Rat Pack Collection
Blu-Ray
Google Play
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Neptune's Daughter
MGM, 1949
Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett, and Red Skelton
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
The controversy over the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" during the recent holiday season and the advent of colder weather in my part of the US has inspired me pull out this one. The song and the movie were major hits in 1949. "Cold Outside" actually won the Oscar for Best Song that year. Does this movie flow along swimmingly, or does it unravel like an old bathing suit? Let's float along to Southern California to see for ourselves...
The Story: Joe Backett (Keenan Wynn), a partner in a swimsuit-designing firm, convinces champion swimmer Eve Barrett (Williams) to give up her amateur status and join the company. She becomes one of their top models and even designs her own line of popular bathing suits. Her sister Betty (Garrett) is more interested in the arrival of a South American polo team and their handsome star, Jose O'Rourke (Montalban). Betty meets what she thinks is O'Rourke, but is really Jack Sprat (Skelton), the team's clumsy masseur, who is pretending to be O'Rourke - and South American - in order to be more magnetic to women.
Sprat's attempts to woo Betty work too well. Eve thinks the real Jose is after her sister, and tells him as much when she sees him at the swimsuit factory. He's more interested in wooing her. Joe, who has a crush on her, would prefer she didn't woo anybody and focused on work. Eve agrees to date Jose only to keep him from dating her sister, but she ends up falling for him.
Meanwhile, gangster Lukie Luzette (Ted de Costa) has bet big money on the polo game and orders his men to kidnap Jose and keep the South American team from winning. They initially kidnap the wrong Jose, grabbing Jack instead. After they do find the real Jose, Betty has to get Jack on a horse and lead the team to victory and pair her sister up with the right man at her swimming ballet show.
The Song and Dance: A great cast works out nicely in this tropical-themed romp. Montalban is one of Esther Williams' few leading men who seems just as relaxed in the water as she does and looks fetching in a polo uniform. Garrett and Skelton have a great time together as the man-crazy sister and the masseur who just wants a girl, any girl, to like him. This is also one of the rare times we get to see a live-action Mel Blanc as Skelton's buddy Pancho. The Technicolor cinematography is gorgeous - check out the swimsuit fashion show halfway through or the big water ballet in the finale.
The sudden gangster plot seems a bit out of left-field, but it does add some needed excitement to the second half. It gives the movie a lift beyond the usual romantic comedy plots of most of Williams' other films and allows Skelton to have fun on horseback.
Favorite Number: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was the hit of the film and is probably it's most famous number, and it doesn't disappoint. We actually get the innuendo from both genders - first Jose performs it for a reluctant Eve, then Betty uses it to try to get Jack to hang around.
This movie's two best numbers don't need any words to astonish. Xaviar Cugat and His Orchestra provide the music for "Jungle Rhumba," an amazing tropical dance routine for the chorus, while Williams and Montalban perform the unnamed water ballet in the finale that involves colored lights under the surface and fabric rolling across the water.
Trivia: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was a last-minute addition. The song originally intended for that number was "Slow Boat to China," but the censors didn't like some of the lyrics. Ironically, it went on to become a pop hit on it's own.
What I Don't Like: I feel sorry for poor Joe. He really loved Eve, and not only did her relationship with Jose seem kind of sudden, he did act kind of smarmy with her, especially in the first half. I almost wish she'd let Betty have Jack, sent Jose back to South America, and kept Joe and the business. In fact, most people will likely be less offended by "Cold Outside" (at least it lets both genders in on the innuendo) and more by Blanc's stereotypical Mexican. (And I can't be the only one who sees Speedy Gonzolez every time Blanc opens his mouth.)
While the plot isn't quite as thin as some of Williams' other vehicles, it does lose steam mid-way through. The whole mistaken identity thing becomes wearisome and a bit boring by the end of the movie, and the gangsters suddenly turn up in the last act for no reason other than to give Skelton a reason to goof around on the polo court.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast, Loesser, or Williams' other vehicles, or want to know where "Baby It's Cold Outside" came from, this is worth seeing for the two dance routines and "Cold Outside" alone.
Home Media: At press time, this one is only available as part of two Esther Williams/TCM DVD collections and on several streaming platforms.
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One
DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Films: Legends - Esther Williams Vol. 2
Google Play
Starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Betty Garrett, and Red Skelton
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
The controversy over the song "Baby It's Cold Outside" during the recent holiday season and the advent of colder weather in my part of the US has inspired me pull out this one. The song and the movie were major hits in 1949. "Cold Outside" actually won the Oscar for Best Song that year. Does this movie flow along swimmingly, or does it unravel like an old bathing suit? Let's float along to Southern California to see for ourselves...
The Story: Joe Backett (Keenan Wynn), a partner in a swimsuit-designing firm, convinces champion swimmer Eve Barrett (Williams) to give up her amateur status and join the company. She becomes one of their top models and even designs her own line of popular bathing suits. Her sister Betty (Garrett) is more interested in the arrival of a South American polo team and their handsome star, Jose O'Rourke (Montalban). Betty meets what she thinks is O'Rourke, but is really Jack Sprat (Skelton), the team's clumsy masseur, who is pretending to be O'Rourke - and South American - in order to be more magnetic to women.
Sprat's attempts to woo Betty work too well. Eve thinks the real Jose is after her sister, and tells him as much when she sees him at the swimsuit factory. He's more interested in wooing her. Joe, who has a crush on her, would prefer she didn't woo anybody and focused on work. Eve agrees to date Jose only to keep him from dating her sister, but she ends up falling for him.
Meanwhile, gangster Lukie Luzette (Ted de Costa) has bet big money on the polo game and orders his men to kidnap Jose and keep the South American team from winning. They initially kidnap the wrong Jose, grabbing Jack instead. After they do find the real Jose, Betty has to get Jack on a horse and lead the team to victory and pair her sister up with the right man at her swimming ballet show.
The Song and Dance: A great cast works out nicely in this tropical-themed romp. Montalban is one of Esther Williams' few leading men who seems just as relaxed in the water as she does and looks fetching in a polo uniform. Garrett and Skelton have a great time together as the man-crazy sister and the masseur who just wants a girl, any girl, to like him. This is also one of the rare times we get to see a live-action Mel Blanc as Skelton's buddy Pancho. The Technicolor cinematography is gorgeous - check out the swimsuit fashion show halfway through or the big water ballet in the finale.
The sudden gangster plot seems a bit out of left-field, but it does add some needed excitement to the second half. It gives the movie a lift beyond the usual romantic comedy plots of most of Williams' other films and allows Skelton to have fun on horseback.
Favorite Number: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was the hit of the film and is probably it's most famous number, and it doesn't disappoint. We actually get the innuendo from both genders - first Jose performs it for a reluctant Eve, then Betty uses it to try to get Jack to hang around.
This movie's two best numbers don't need any words to astonish. Xaviar Cugat and His Orchestra provide the music for "Jungle Rhumba," an amazing tropical dance routine for the chorus, while Williams and Montalban perform the unnamed water ballet in the finale that involves colored lights under the surface and fabric rolling across the water.
Trivia: "Baby It's Cold Outside" was a last-minute addition. The song originally intended for that number was "Slow Boat to China," but the censors didn't like some of the lyrics. Ironically, it went on to become a pop hit on it's own.
What I Don't Like: I feel sorry for poor Joe. He really loved Eve, and not only did her relationship with Jose seem kind of sudden, he did act kind of smarmy with her, especially in the first half. I almost wish she'd let Betty have Jack, sent Jose back to South America, and kept Joe and the business. In fact, most people will likely be less offended by "Cold Outside" (at least it lets both genders in on the innuendo) and more by Blanc's stereotypical Mexican. (And I can't be the only one who sees Speedy Gonzolez every time Blanc opens his mouth.)
While the plot isn't quite as thin as some of Williams' other vehicles, it does lose steam mid-way through. The whole mistaken identity thing becomes wearisome and a bit boring by the end of the movie, and the gangsters suddenly turn up in the last act for no reason other than to give Skelton a reason to goof around on the polo court.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the cast, Loesser, or Williams' other vehicles, or want to know where "Baby It's Cold Outside" came from, this is worth seeing for the two dance routines and "Cold Outside" alone.
Home Media: At press time, this one is only available as part of two Esther Williams/TCM DVD collections and on several streaming platforms.
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One
DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Films: Legends - Esther Williams Vol. 2
Google Play
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Peter Pan
Disney, 1953
Voices of Hans Conried, Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, and Bill Thompson
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson
Music by Sammy Fain and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
Peter Pan was Disney's big follow-up to Alice In Wonderland. It went over much better at the time with critics and audiences. How does this tale of pirates, Indians, and Boys Who Never Grow Up look to modern audiences? We'll need a little pixie dust to fly over London to the Darlings' house, where Wendy Darlings' life is about to change...
The Story: Wendy (Beaumont), John (Paul Collings), and Michael (Tommy Luske) Darling firmly believe in the stories of Peter Pan (Driscoll), who lives in Neverland with his Lost Boys, with all their hearts. The younger boys consider Wendy to be the authority on Peter and his adventures...which is why they're all devastated when their father Mr. Darling (Conried) gets angry and insists that Wendy's going to be moved out of the nursery.
Peter's not happy about it either when he arrives to hear more stories. After Wendy sews on his shadow, he agrees to take her and her brothers to Neverland. Tinkerbell, his pixie friend, is jealous that Peter's paying attention to someone else and repeatedly tries to get Wendy hurt. The mermaids Wendy admires aren't terribly pleasant to her, either. Meanwhile, Wendy's brothers and the Lost Boys are having their own troubles. The Indians have captured them, insisting that they kidnapped the chief's daughter Tiger Lilly. Peter does rescue Tiger Lilly from Captain Hook (Conried) and his pirates, giving Wendy a little bout with jealousy of her own during the ensuing party.
Tink's still jealous too, so much that she lets Captain Hook talk her into telling him where Peter's hideout is. That turns out to be a mistake. Hook kidnaps the other kids and tries to kill Peter. Tink flies off to warn him. After they escape, they head to Hook's ship to save the others and throw Hook to the Tick-Tock Crock for good.
The Animation: While not as crazy-psychedelic as Alice, there is some nice work here. I've always liked the flying sequences in particular, as the children soar through the skies, and the finale with the ship silhouetted against the London sky.
The Song and Dance: While there have been other retellings of this story on the big and small screen, from Mary Martin to Robin Williams, this may be the definitive version. Conried's Captain Hook is such a highlight, so mincing and delightfully nasty, that you almost wish he'd finally get the best of egotistical Peter for once. Thompson makes a hilarious Smee as well. My favorite character has long been John. Not only does Collings lend him the appropriate big-brother air, but I love a kid who brings an umbrella and top hat with him to Neverland.
Favorite Number: "You Can Fly!", where Peter shows the kids how to get to Neverland, is probably the most famous number from this one, and is my personal favorite. It's an exhilarating romp through London, as Peter shows off on swans and Michael tries to help poor Nana join them. John, Michael, and the Lost Boys have fun heading through the jungle to fight Indians in the march "Following the Leader." Conried, Thompson, and the pirates get two funny songs that introduce Hook and his life of pillaging and annoying Peter, "A Pirate's Life" and "The Elegant Captain Hook." I kind of wish the lovely "The Second Star to the Right" wasn't thrown away during the opening credits, but it does introduce the idea of Neverland quite well.
What I Don't Like: The racist portrayal of the Indians is built into almost every version of Peter Pan, and I'm afraid this one is no exception. The song "What Made the Red Man Red?" will likely make many folks cringe, as will the Boys constantly referring to the Indians as "savages" and their seeing nothing wrong with hunting them down. Granted, this comes from the original play, and Peter Pan revivals as late as the 80's portray the Indians in this manner, but it's still doesn't make it right or something that'll be easy for many folks to see today.
I've never really been a big fan of Peter Pan in general. Peter himself is an obnoxious jerk. He flirts with every girl in the movie and sees nothing wrong with playing them off each other. His ego could probably dwarf neighboring planets. This may have been seen as innocent in 1900, when this is set and was written, but it comes off as annoying today.
The Big Picture: Mixed feelings here. The great music and performances do help to distract from a story that occasionally hasn't dated well and the racist portrayal of the Indians. If you love Peter Pan stories more than I do, you may find a lot more of interest here than I did.
Home Media: Alas, this is another title currently on moratorium...but unlike other movies in the Disney Vault, it can be found for streaming on several platforms.
Amazon Prime (buy only)
Voices of Hans Conried, Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, and Bill Thompson
Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson
Music by Sammy Fain and others; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and others
Peter Pan was Disney's big follow-up to Alice In Wonderland. It went over much better at the time with critics and audiences. How does this tale of pirates, Indians, and Boys Who Never Grow Up look to modern audiences? We'll need a little pixie dust to fly over London to the Darlings' house, where Wendy Darlings' life is about to change...
The Story: Wendy (Beaumont), John (Paul Collings), and Michael (Tommy Luske) Darling firmly believe in the stories of Peter Pan (Driscoll), who lives in Neverland with his Lost Boys, with all their hearts. The younger boys consider Wendy to be the authority on Peter and his adventures...which is why they're all devastated when their father Mr. Darling (Conried) gets angry and insists that Wendy's going to be moved out of the nursery.
Peter's not happy about it either when he arrives to hear more stories. After Wendy sews on his shadow, he agrees to take her and her brothers to Neverland. Tinkerbell, his pixie friend, is jealous that Peter's paying attention to someone else and repeatedly tries to get Wendy hurt. The mermaids Wendy admires aren't terribly pleasant to her, either. Meanwhile, Wendy's brothers and the Lost Boys are having their own troubles. The Indians have captured them, insisting that they kidnapped the chief's daughter Tiger Lilly. Peter does rescue Tiger Lilly from Captain Hook (Conried) and his pirates, giving Wendy a little bout with jealousy of her own during the ensuing party.
Tink's still jealous too, so much that she lets Captain Hook talk her into telling him where Peter's hideout is. That turns out to be a mistake. Hook kidnaps the other kids and tries to kill Peter. Tink flies off to warn him. After they escape, they head to Hook's ship to save the others and throw Hook to the Tick-Tock Crock for good.
The Animation: While not as crazy-psychedelic as Alice, there is some nice work here. I've always liked the flying sequences in particular, as the children soar through the skies, and the finale with the ship silhouetted against the London sky.
The Song and Dance: While there have been other retellings of this story on the big and small screen, from Mary Martin to Robin Williams, this may be the definitive version. Conried's Captain Hook is such a highlight, so mincing and delightfully nasty, that you almost wish he'd finally get the best of egotistical Peter for once. Thompson makes a hilarious Smee as well. My favorite character has long been John. Not only does Collings lend him the appropriate big-brother air, but I love a kid who brings an umbrella and top hat with him to Neverland.
Favorite Number: "You Can Fly!", where Peter shows the kids how to get to Neverland, is probably the most famous number from this one, and is my personal favorite. It's an exhilarating romp through London, as Peter shows off on swans and Michael tries to help poor Nana join them. John, Michael, and the Lost Boys have fun heading through the jungle to fight Indians in the march "Following the Leader." Conried, Thompson, and the pirates get two funny songs that introduce Hook and his life of pillaging and annoying Peter, "A Pirate's Life" and "The Elegant Captain Hook." I kind of wish the lovely "The Second Star to the Right" wasn't thrown away during the opening credits, but it does introduce the idea of Neverland quite well.
What I Don't Like: The racist portrayal of the Indians is built into almost every version of Peter Pan, and I'm afraid this one is no exception. The song "What Made the Red Man Red?" will likely make many folks cringe, as will the Boys constantly referring to the Indians as "savages" and their seeing nothing wrong with hunting them down. Granted, this comes from the original play, and Peter Pan revivals as late as the 80's portray the Indians in this manner, but it's still doesn't make it right or something that'll be easy for many folks to see today.
I've never really been a big fan of Peter Pan in general. Peter himself is an obnoxious jerk. He flirts with every girl in the movie and sees nothing wrong with playing them off each other. His ego could probably dwarf neighboring planets. This may have been seen as innocent in 1900, when this is set and was written, but it comes off as annoying today.
The Big Picture: Mixed feelings here. The great music and performances do help to distract from a story that occasionally hasn't dated well and the racist portrayal of the Indians. If you love Peter Pan stories more than I do, you may find a lot more of interest here than I did.
Home Media: Alas, this is another title currently on moratorium...but unlike other movies in the Disney Vault, it can be found for streaming on several platforms.
Amazon Prime (buy only)
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Victor/Victoria
MGM, 1982
Starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Gardner, and Leslie Ann Warren
Directed by Blake Edwards
Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Julie Andrews fell off the radar somewhat in the 70's, after her major successes in the 1960's. She made a comeback in her husband Blake Edwards' 1981 comedy S.O.B, which while not a huge success at the time, did garner praise for her performance as a star looking to change her image. She continued that streak in Edwards' next film, which did somewhat better at the box office. How does the story of a woman who dresses as a man who impersonates a woman look now? Let's head to the nightclubs of Paris in the 1930's to find out...
The Story: Victoria Grant (Andrews) is in Paris in 1934, trying to get a job as a soprano. She fails her audition and can't even afford food, much less her squalid apartment. Gay singer Toddy (Preston) sees her at the audition and, after starting a brawl when he sees his lover Richard (Malcom Jamieson) as part of a straight couple, joins her in trying to get a free meal out of a restaurant. He takes her to his house in the rain, but she ends up staying when it has shrunk her clothes. She manages to get rid of Richard...and when Toddy sees her in his clothes, he gets the idea of cutting her hair and passing her off as a female impersonator. He even gets her an audition with agent Andre Cassell (John Rhys-Davies).
Andre launches her in a big nightclub debut. Among the club owners who are invited to see her performance are King Marchand (Gardner), his bimbo girlfriend Norma (Warren), and his bodyguard Squash Bernstein (Alex Karras). King's sure that "Victor" is a man, but "he" insists otherwise. "Victor's" act is a huge hit and is the toast of Paris, but Victoria's beginning to have feelings for King, too. He seems to be understanding when she reveals the deception, but living in two worlds is beginning to wear her out, not to mention there's how homosexuals are treated in the macho gangster circles that King runs in. When a private investigator finally blows Victoria's cover, she has to figure out how to reveal herself as a woman and end the persona of "Victor" for good.
The Song and Dance: No wonders Andrews got an Oscar nod for Best Actress, and Preston and Warren landed supporting nominations. Everyone's having a great time with this sassy, wacky farce that explores gender by showing a woman getting away with a double impersonation, and how it wears her down in the end. The flashy costumes and set direction were also Oscar-nominated.
It's interesting to see how homosexuality is depicted here, at a time when it still wasn't widely accepted in the US. Toddy makes jokes about it, but Squash admits that he played football because he looked more like a football player than a homosexual, and there's quite a few people, especially in Chicago, who call Victoria and King derogatory names and likely do worse.
Favorite Number: I'm a bit surprised that at least one of the excellent Mancini/Bricusse songs didn't get an Oscar nod along with the score as a whole. Andrews' touching ballad "Crazy World," performed at a piano in the nightclub, has become a minor standard, and the big ensemble numbers "Le Jazz Hot!" and "Shady Lady From Seville" are fun romps. The movie's best number, however, is probably "You and Me." No chorus or spangled costumes, just two performers at the top of their game dancing and joking together.
Trivia: Edwards had originally intended the role of Toddy for Peter Sellars, but he passed away before filming began.
The costume worn during "The Shady Dame from Seville" number was made to fit Preston, but fitted with snaps and hooks so it could fit Andrews as well.
This was based after the 1933 German movie Viktor und Viktoria. It was remade in England for British musical star Jessie Matthews in 1935 as First a Girl, and then under it's original title in Germany in 1957.
What I Don't Like: I actually wish this was more of a flat-out musical, with numbers outside of the nightclub as well as onstage. I'm not the only one. It was later turned into a Broadway musical in 1995. The final third, when Victoria and King move in together, is slightly less interesting than the rest of the movie as they try to figure out how to make their unusual relationship work.
The Big Finale: Witty, hilarious, and thought-provoking. If you're a fan of Andrews, Preston, Edwards' other work, or sexy farces with unique premises, you'll have a lot of fun with this one.
Home Media: While it was released on regular DVD in the early 2000's, the current version is now part of the Warner Archives (including the Blu-Ray). It can be found on most streaming platforms as well.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Julie Andrews, Robert Preston, James Gardner, and Leslie Ann Warren
Directed by Blake Edwards
Music by Henry Mancini; Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Julie Andrews fell off the radar somewhat in the 70's, after her major successes in the 1960's. She made a comeback in her husband Blake Edwards' 1981 comedy S.O.B, which while not a huge success at the time, did garner praise for her performance as a star looking to change her image. She continued that streak in Edwards' next film, which did somewhat better at the box office. How does the story of a woman who dresses as a man who impersonates a woman look now? Let's head to the nightclubs of Paris in the 1930's to find out...
The Story: Victoria Grant (Andrews) is in Paris in 1934, trying to get a job as a soprano. She fails her audition and can't even afford food, much less her squalid apartment. Gay singer Toddy (Preston) sees her at the audition and, after starting a brawl when he sees his lover Richard (Malcom Jamieson) as part of a straight couple, joins her in trying to get a free meal out of a restaurant. He takes her to his house in the rain, but she ends up staying when it has shrunk her clothes. She manages to get rid of Richard...and when Toddy sees her in his clothes, he gets the idea of cutting her hair and passing her off as a female impersonator. He even gets her an audition with agent Andre Cassell (John Rhys-Davies).
Andre launches her in a big nightclub debut. Among the club owners who are invited to see her performance are King Marchand (Gardner), his bimbo girlfriend Norma (Warren), and his bodyguard Squash Bernstein (Alex Karras). King's sure that "Victor" is a man, but "he" insists otherwise. "Victor's" act is a huge hit and is the toast of Paris, but Victoria's beginning to have feelings for King, too. He seems to be understanding when she reveals the deception, but living in two worlds is beginning to wear her out, not to mention there's how homosexuals are treated in the macho gangster circles that King runs in. When a private investigator finally blows Victoria's cover, she has to figure out how to reveal herself as a woman and end the persona of "Victor" for good.
The Song and Dance: No wonders Andrews got an Oscar nod for Best Actress, and Preston and Warren landed supporting nominations. Everyone's having a great time with this sassy, wacky farce that explores gender by showing a woman getting away with a double impersonation, and how it wears her down in the end. The flashy costumes and set direction were also Oscar-nominated.
It's interesting to see how homosexuality is depicted here, at a time when it still wasn't widely accepted in the US. Toddy makes jokes about it, but Squash admits that he played football because he looked more like a football player than a homosexual, and there's quite a few people, especially in Chicago, who call Victoria and King derogatory names and likely do worse.
Favorite Number: I'm a bit surprised that at least one of the excellent Mancini/Bricusse songs didn't get an Oscar nod along with the score as a whole. Andrews' touching ballad "Crazy World," performed at a piano in the nightclub, has become a minor standard, and the big ensemble numbers "Le Jazz Hot!" and "Shady Lady From Seville" are fun romps. The movie's best number, however, is probably "You and Me." No chorus or spangled costumes, just two performers at the top of their game dancing and joking together.
Trivia: Edwards had originally intended the role of Toddy for Peter Sellars, but he passed away before filming began.
The costume worn during "The Shady Dame from Seville" number was made to fit Preston, but fitted with snaps and hooks so it could fit Andrews as well.
This was based after the 1933 German movie Viktor und Viktoria. It was remade in England for British musical star Jessie Matthews in 1935 as First a Girl, and then under it's original title in Germany in 1957.
What I Don't Like: I actually wish this was more of a flat-out musical, with numbers outside of the nightclub as well as onstage. I'm not the only one. It was later turned into a Broadway musical in 1995. The final third, when Victoria and King move in together, is slightly less interesting than the rest of the movie as they try to figure out how to make their unusual relationship work.
The Big Finale: Witty, hilarious, and thought-provoking. If you're a fan of Andrews, Preston, Edwards' other work, or sexy farces with unique premises, you'll have a lot of fun with this one.
Home Media: While it was released on regular DVD in the early 2000's, the current version is now part of the Warner Archives (including the Blu-Ray). It can be found on most streaming platforms as well.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Happy New Year! - Holiday Inn
Paramount, 1942
Starring Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, and Virginia Dale
Directed by Mark Sandrich
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
I thought this was appropriate for my first review of 2019, as it covers most major holidays, including New Year's. This is the movie that introduced the evergreen "White Christmas," one of the most beloved holiday songs of all time. Does the movie live up to that legacy? Let's head to a nightclub in New York on Christmas Eve to find out...
The Story: Ted Hanover (Astaire), Jim Hardy (Crosby), and Lilah Dixon (Dale) are a popular act on the nightclub circuit in the early 1940's. Jim's tired of the grind of show business and wants to retire with Lilah to a farm in Connecticut. Lilah ends up insisting that she wants to stay with Ted and continue dancing. Broken-hearted, Jim moves to the farm of his dreams...only to discover that running a farm takes a lot more work than he thought. He ultimately turns the farm into an inn that's only open on public holidays. Linda Mason (Reynolds) is a flower-shop girl who wants to be a singer and comes to the farm to audition after encountering Jim in New York.
Ted ends up at Holiday Inn on New Year's Eve, drunk as a skunk after Lilah ran off with a Texas millionaire. He's so gone, he doesn't remember dancing a great duet with Linda. He and his manager Danny (Walter Abel) spend Lincoln's Birthday looking for her. When Ted does manage to find her, Jim finds himself competing with Ted for a girl's affections all over again.
The Song and Dance: For all the fluff, there's some real bite to this story. This is one of the few major movies I've seen deal with the grind of show business and what performers, even in the 21st century, often have to sacrifice to be able to do what they do. The romantic comedy devices here don't feel as forced as they would later in White Christmas. Crosby and Astaire work well together, and while we don't really see much of Dale, I rather like Reynolds as down-home Linda. Louise Beavers is also excellent as Jim's tough-minded housekeeper Mamie, and her kids are adorable.
I like that this is pretty scaled-down for a major musical. There's some medium-sized numbers at Holiday Inn, but most of the focus is where it should be, on the four leads.
Favorite Number: Astaire has two jaw-dropping dance routines that may be among his most underrated. His drunk duet with Reynolds is hilarious (rumor has it he really got drunk to prepare for that scene). The "Say With Firecrackers" solo may have taken 38 takes to get right, but it's a marvel, with Fred casually twirling around those dropping noisemakers, cigarette in his mouth. Crosby tries get to Astaire's goat in the Washington's Birthday number, "I Cannot Tell a Lie." It's supposed to be romantic Colonial, but Crosby keeps playing hot jazz instead of minuets, and the other two have to try to keep up with him.
"White Christmas" is introduced in a charming, quiet scene early in the film that has Linda and Jim talking about the inn, their families, and what they hope for the future. It's lovely and sweet. Other standards introduced here include "Happy Holidays" and "You're Easy to Dance With."
Trivia: The calendar page that introduces the November sequence has a turkey running back and forth between the last two weeks, before finally shrugging in confusion. This is a reference to President Franklin D. Roosevelt changing the Thanksgiving holiday to a week earlier from 1939 to 1941. After that, Congress officially made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November, no matter where it falls on the calendar.
Apparently, everyone involved thought the Valentine's Day song "Be Careful, It's My Heart" would be the big hit. While that one did do well and is relatively well-known, it's "White Christmas" that was the smash hit, became one of the biggest holiday standards ever, and took home the Oscar for best song for Berlin.
The name of the Holiday Inn hotel chain was inspired by this movie.
What I Don't Like: Let's talk about "Abraham." This is the big number for Lincoln's Birthday that has Jim getting Linda into blackface to avoid being found by Ted and Danny. Not only is the song the worst in the film, but while the lyrics mean well (especially the section performed by Beavers and the kids), they do come off as condescending and a bit racist today. The blackface doesn't help at all. The whole thing can be anywhere from awkward to downright offensive for many audiences today. (There's a reason this song was done as a random instrumental jazz duet for Vera-Ellen and one of the male dancers in White Christmas.)
The Big Finale: While White Christmas is fun, I really prefer this one. It has a note of intimacy that the shinier movie from a decade later lacks. Crosby's better here, too, and he pairs well with Astaire. Honestly, if you're a big fan of Crosby or "White Christmas," I recommend grabbing both movies and seeing which one you like better.
Home Media: As the movie that introduced one of the most beloved holiday standards of all time, this one is quite easy to find on most platforms, often for under ten dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Marjorie Reynolds, and Virginia Dale
Directed by Mark Sandrich
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
I thought this was appropriate for my first review of 2019, as it covers most major holidays, including New Year's. This is the movie that introduced the evergreen "White Christmas," one of the most beloved holiday songs of all time. Does the movie live up to that legacy? Let's head to a nightclub in New York on Christmas Eve to find out...
The Story: Ted Hanover (Astaire), Jim Hardy (Crosby), and Lilah Dixon (Dale) are a popular act on the nightclub circuit in the early 1940's. Jim's tired of the grind of show business and wants to retire with Lilah to a farm in Connecticut. Lilah ends up insisting that she wants to stay with Ted and continue dancing. Broken-hearted, Jim moves to the farm of his dreams...only to discover that running a farm takes a lot more work than he thought. He ultimately turns the farm into an inn that's only open on public holidays. Linda Mason (Reynolds) is a flower-shop girl who wants to be a singer and comes to the farm to audition after encountering Jim in New York.
Ted ends up at Holiday Inn on New Year's Eve, drunk as a skunk after Lilah ran off with a Texas millionaire. He's so gone, he doesn't remember dancing a great duet with Linda. He and his manager Danny (Walter Abel) spend Lincoln's Birthday looking for her. When Ted does manage to find her, Jim finds himself competing with Ted for a girl's affections all over again.
The Song and Dance: For all the fluff, there's some real bite to this story. This is one of the few major movies I've seen deal with the grind of show business and what performers, even in the 21st century, often have to sacrifice to be able to do what they do. The romantic comedy devices here don't feel as forced as they would later in White Christmas. Crosby and Astaire work well together, and while we don't really see much of Dale, I rather like Reynolds as down-home Linda. Louise Beavers is also excellent as Jim's tough-minded housekeeper Mamie, and her kids are adorable.
I like that this is pretty scaled-down for a major musical. There's some medium-sized numbers at Holiday Inn, but most of the focus is where it should be, on the four leads.
Favorite Number: Astaire has two jaw-dropping dance routines that may be among his most underrated. His drunk duet with Reynolds is hilarious (rumor has it he really got drunk to prepare for that scene). The "Say With Firecrackers" solo may have taken 38 takes to get right, but it's a marvel, with Fred casually twirling around those dropping noisemakers, cigarette in his mouth. Crosby tries get to Astaire's goat in the Washington's Birthday number, "I Cannot Tell a Lie." It's supposed to be romantic Colonial, but Crosby keeps playing hot jazz instead of minuets, and the other two have to try to keep up with him.
"White Christmas" is introduced in a charming, quiet scene early in the film that has Linda and Jim talking about the inn, their families, and what they hope for the future. It's lovely and sweet. Other standards introduced here include "Happy Holidays" and "You're Easy to Dance With."
Trivia: The calendar page that introduces the November sequence has a turkey running back and forth between the last two weeks, before finally shrugging in confusion. This is a reference to President Franklin D. Roosevelt changing the Thanksgiving holiday to a week earlier from 1939 to 1941. After that, Congress officially made Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November, no matter where it falls on the calendar.
Apparently, everyone involved thought the Valentine's Day song "Be Careful, It's My Heart" would be the big hit. While that one did do well and is relatively well-known, it's "White Christmas" that was the smash hit, became one of the biggest holiday standards ever, and took home the Oscar for best song for Berlin.
The name of the Holiday Inn hotel chain was inspired by this movie.
What I Don't Like: Let's talk about "Abraham." This is the big number for Lincoln's Birthday that has Jim getting Linda into blackface to avoid being found by Ted and Danny. Not only is the song the worst in the film, but while the lyrics mean well (especially the section performed by Beavers and the kids), they do come off as condescending and a bit racist today. The blackface doesn't help at all. The whole thing can be anywhere from awkward to downright offensive for many audiences today. (There's a reason this song was done as a random instrumental jazz duet for Vera-Ellen and one of the male dancers in White Christmas.)
The Big Finale: While White Christmas is fun, I really prefer this one. It has a note of intimacy that the shinier movie from a decade later lacks. Crosby's better here, too, and he pairs well with Astaire. Honestly, if you're a big fan of Crosby or "White Christmas," I recommend grabbing both movies and seeing which one you like better.
Home Media: As the movie that introduced one of the most beloved holiday standards of all time, this one is quite easy to find on most platforms, often for under ten dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
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