MGM, 1945
Starring Fred Astaire, Lucile Bremer, Frank Morgan, and Mildred Natwick
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Arthur Freed
This was a major pet project of producer Arthur Freed, who was grooming Lucile Bremer to be MGM's next dancing star. It seemed to have everything going for it - an excellent cast that included Fred Astaire as Bremer's partner, memorable dances, a gorgeous production, and Vincent Minnelli's assured direction. Audiences and critics at the time didn't know what to make of it, and it wound up one of Freed's bigger flops. What happened? Let's take a train ride to the fictional Latin American country of Patria and find out...
The Story: Yolanda Aquitania (Bremer) is now the richest young woman in Patria, having just inherited her parents' oil business. Yolanda is a naive beauty who was raised in a convent and has no idea of how to handle such matters. Her prayers for guidance are overheard by a con man and thief named Johnny Riggs (Astaire). Hoping to get at her millions, he pretends to be her guardian angel. She allows him into her house, introducing him to her aunt (Natwick) and taking him into her confidence. He's happy to get her money for him and his partner Victor Budlow Trout (Morgan)...until he realizes he's fallen for her. Meanwhile, Yolanda is wondering why she has some very earthly feelings for this heavenly creature, and a gentleman named Mr. Candle (Leon Ames) seems to be hanging around, offering guidance of his own.
The Song and Dance: This may be the most unusual musical Fred Astaire ever did, even more than Finian's Rainbow. He's quite believable as a slinky con artist and gentleman thief (as he would be in the TV show It Takes a Thief over 20 years later), full of charm and airy enough that you can understand why Yolanda falls for his ruse. Natwick and Morgan are also good as Yolanda's strong-willed aunt and Astaire's dithery partner. Ames gets a rare non-fatherly role as the real guardian who has every intention of making sure everything works out all right in the end.
The movie is worth seeing for the production design alone. This is one of MGM's most gorgeous Technicolor movies of the 40's and 50's. The eye-catching design and lush tropical backgrounds pop off the screen, thanks to Vincent Minnelli's assured direction. Even when the fantasy comes off as too pretentious or arty, there's at least always something to look at onscreen.
Favorite Number: Two big dance routines are among Astaire's best duets with someone other than Ginger Rogers. The elaborate dream ballet has Astaire fleeing an airy, gauze-covered Bremer, who insists on marriage when he's not sure he's ready. "Coffee Time" is a jazzy, fun duet with Bremer in a yellow and white dress that nearly explodes against a wavy black and white dance floor, with the chorus in brilliant primary colors swirling around them. "Yolanda" is a lovely ballad for Astaire when he's convincing her that he's an angel, played on a (dubbed) harp and capped by a nice solo.
What I Don't Like: I agree with Astaire that the movie's trying too hard to be psychological and arty. It mostly comes off as pretentious. The fantasy element feels forced and awkward. Bremer is stiff and too old for her role as a former convent girl when she's not dancing.
The Big Finale: Worth seeing for the stunning costumes, sets, and color and delightful dances alone. If you love ballet on film or are a fan of Astaire, Minnelli, or the Technicolor MGM musicals of the 1940's and 50's, you'll want to float in on a cloud and check this one out.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD via the Warner Archives.
DVD
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Family Fun Saturday - The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T
Columbia, 1953
Starring Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig, Mary Healy, and Peter Lind Hayes
Directed by Roy Rowland
Music by Frederick Hollander; Lyrics by Dr. Seuss
This is the only live-action film written by beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. He really threw himself into writing and developing this one, and was so disappointed when it was a huge flop, he refused to discuss it. It's picked up a somewhat better reputation in more recent years as audiences embrace it's odd musical numbers and wacky set and costume design. Is it a fine piano piece in the rough, or should it be blown to bits? Let's head to the home of young Bart Collins and join him in the middle of his own piano lessons to find out...
The Story: Bart (Rettig) does not like his piano lessons, or his demanding teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Conried). He wishes someone would listen to him, but his mother (Healy) thinks piano is important for his well-being, and Mr. Zablowski, the kindly plumber who works for her (Hayes), doesn't want to get involved. He drops off into a dream that has him as the first student at Dr. T's Terkwiller Institute. The insane Dr. T has built a piano so big, he needs 500 boys to play it. Bart breaks out, only to discover that his mother is marrying Dr. T under hypnosis. Zablonski is there as well, installing sinks. He doesn't believe Bart at first, until he discovers that Dr. T intends to have him killed. The duo dodge the mad doctor's truly weird guards and figure out a way to rescue Bart's mother and the kids from a lifetime of being chained to a piano.
The Song and Dance: Even if you didn't know who wrote it, it's not hard to tell that Dr. Seuss had a hand in this one. The lyrics are filled with twisty rhymes straight out of his books; the colorful and wacky sets look like live-action versions of the animated specials from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Conried chews every bit of scenery he can as the domineering teacher who wants the instrument he adores to the the only one around. His guards and prisoners are even more wild, including the two guards connected by one beard and all the musicians he's captured literally growing moss in the dungeon.
Favorite Number: The Dungeon Ballet, as musicians who play other instruments besides the piano show Bart what they can do, is a riot of crazy moves and crazier costumes. Hayes sings the touching "Dream Stuff" with Bart when the boy first comes to him to ask for aid against Dr. T, and later joins the doctor and Bart's mother for a "Hypnotic Duel." Conried really has fun with getting ready for the big introduction of his piano in "Do Re Mi Duds."
Trivia: The movie was originally intended to be much longer, over two hours. A preview version tested poorly, and more than half the musical numbers were cut. While the cut footage has long vanished, the audio still exists, and a full version of the score can be found on CD.
What I Don't Like: As creative as this movie is, there are times when it's just too strange. The sequences as Bart is running around in the dungeons are creepy and unsettling. The premise with the kid's desire for a father and his dislike of the piano is about as 50's as you can get for a kid's movie. Hayes and Healy are stiff and not terribly interesting as Bart's mother and the man he wants to be his father figure, although Healy is hypnotized for half the movie.
The Big Finale: If you're looking for a truly original musical for kids and they can handle some of the darker moments or are Dr. Seuss fans, they may find a lot to love in this unusual tale. It has enough fun to make even a Grinch smile.
Home Media: Another movie with a cult following that makes it fairly easy to find on DVD. Along with the solo DVD and Blu-Ray, it's a part of that Musicals 20 Movie DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig, Mary Healy, and Peter Lind Hayes
Directed by Roy Rowland
Music by Frederick Hollander; Lyrics by Dr. Seuss
This is the only live-action film written by beloved children's author Dr. Seuss. He really threw himself into writing and developing this one, and was so disappointed when it was a huge flop, he refused to discuss it. It's picked up a somewhat better reputation in more recent years as audiences embrace it's odd musical numbers and wacky set and costume design. Is it a fine piano piece in the rough, or should it be blown to bits? Let's head to the home of young Bart Collins and join him in the middle of his own piano lessons to find out...
The Story: Bart (Rettig) does not like his piano lessons, or his demanding teacher Dr. Terwilliker (Conried). He wishes someone would listen to him, but his mother (Healy) thinks piano is important for his well-being, and Mr. Zablowski, the kindly plumber who works for her (Hayes), doesn't want to get involved. He drops off into a dream that has him as the first student at Dr. T's Terkwiller Institute. The insane Dr. T has built a piano so big, he needs 500 boys to play it. Bart breaks out, only to discover that his mother is marrying Dr. T under hypnosis. Zablonski is there as well, installing sinks. He doesn't believe Bart at first, until he discovers that Dr. T intends to have him killed. The duo dodge the mad doctor's truly weird guards and figure out a way to rescue Bart's mother and the kids from a lifetime of being chained to a piano.
The Song and Dance: Even if you didn't know who wrote it, it's not hard to tell that Dr. Seuss had a hand in this one. The lyrics are filled with twisty rhymes straight out of his books; the colorful and wacky sets look like live-action versions of the animated specials from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Conried chews every bit of scenery he can as the domineering teacher who wants the instrument he adores to the the only one around. His guards and prisoners are even more wild, including the two guards connected by one beard and all the musicians he's captured literally growing moss in the dungeon.
Favorite Number: The Dungeon Ballet, as musicians who play other instruments besides the piano show Bart what they can do, is a riot of crazy moves and crazier costumes. Hayes sings the touching "Dream Stuff" with Bart when the boy first comes to him to ask for aid against Dr. T, and later joins the doctor and Bart's mother for a "Hypnotic Duel." Conried really has fun with getting ready for the big introduction of his piano in "Do Re Mi Duds."
Trivia: The movie was originally intended to be much longer, over two hours. A preview version tested poorly, and more than half the musical numbers were cut. While the cut footage has long vanished, the audio still exists, and a full version of the score can be found on CD.
What I Don't Like: As creative as this movie is, there are times when it's just too strange. The sequences as Bart is running around in the dungeons are creepy and unsettling. The premise with the kid's desire for a father and his dislike of the piano is about as 50's as you can get for a kid's movie. Hayes and Healy are stiff and not terribly interesting as Bart's mother and the man he wants to be his father figure, although Healy is hypnotized for half the movie.
The Big Finale: If you're looking for a truly original musical for kids and they can handle some of the darker moments or are Dr. Seuss fans, they may find a lot to love in this unusual tale. It has enough fun to make even a Grinch smile.
Home Media: Another movie with a cult following that makes it fairly easy to find on DVD. Along with the solo DVD and Blu-Ray, it's a part of that Musicals 20 Movie DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Oklahoma! (1955)
20th Century Fox/RKO, 1955
Starring Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Charlotte Greenwood, and Gloria Grahame
Directed by Fred Zimmerman
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
I'm doing this one in honor of the 75th anniversary revival of the original stage show that just opened on Broadway a couple of weeks ago. This is a far more traditional take on this story than the stripped-down version that's currently playing in New York, and was a huge hit in 1955. Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the production and made sure it was represented faithfully. How does it compare now? Let's head to the wide open plains of Skidmore, Indiana Territory in 1912 to find out...
The Story: Cowboy Curly (MacRae) wants to ask pretty farm girl Laurey (Jones) out to the big box social that night, but her hired hand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) gets there first. He ends up going with Laurey's Aunt Eller (Greenwood). Laurey likes Curly, but Jud has an edge of danger to him. Angry, Curly goes to the smoke house where Jud lives to more-or-less threaten him. Aunt Eller warns them off, but Laurey's still nervous. Turns out she has reason to be. Jud's interest in her is turning into obsession. His competing with Curly for Laurey bubbles over at the party...and ultimately ends in tragedy.
Laurey's best friend Ado Annie (Grahame) is having her own romantic problems. She's been pursuing the Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), but her true love Will Parker (Gene Nelson) is back in town. Her father Mr. Carnes (James Whitmore) promised that he could marry Annie if he had 50 dollars. He had it, but he spent it on gifts for Annie. Ali's not really interested in Annie...and he may have a way to make everyone happy.
The Song and Dance: There's a reason this show was such a hit when it first debuted in 1943. While its relatively dark story and use of music to propel the action isn't as revolutionary today, the script and the simple story mostly still work. Of the cast, my favorites are Greenwood as a perfectly salty Aunt Eller, Jones as troubled Laurey, and Grahame as the indecisive Annie. Too bad Grahame didn't do more comedy, as her Annie is hilarious as she switches between beaus. Nelson makes an amiable Will Parker, and Stieger is darkly menacing as the loutish Jud. The gorgeous costumes and lovely color cinematography (in CinemaScope or ToddAO) give us a marvelous view of a changing state.
One of the things I really enjoy about the movie are getting to see details of farm life and local ritual that didn't make it onto the stage, like Laurey bathing in a local river or the "shiveree" with the men tossing corn husk dolls at Curly and Laurey on a hay stack. It brings at least a little more authenticity to the proceedings.
Favorite Number: Agnes de Mille recreated her famous dances from the original cast here, including Laurey's dream ballet mid-way through that gives us her dream of what will happen if she marries Curly...and her nightmare with Jud. Nelson gets to show off his ragtime steps with "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City," and he and Grahame do an adorable "All or Nuthin'." MacRae's opening "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" sounds gorgeous, and he, Jones, and Greenwood have fun with "The Surrey With the Fringe on the Top." Grahame's not really a singer, but her expressions are so funny in "I Cain't Say No," it works anyway.
Along with "Laurey Makes Up Her Mind," probably the most famous numbers here are the ensemble routines. Laurey and the girls claim that "Many a New Day" will pass before they mourn a lost love as they perform a charming dance in lovely frilly petticoats. The big title song is appropriately rousing as well.
Trivia: The movie was actually made by the Magna Corporation and originally filmed in the 70 millimeter ToddAO process. My review is based on the CinemaScope 35 mm version, but the ToddAO one is also available and has a few different scenes.
It was supposed to film in the real Oklahoma, but oil drilling there forced them a few states over to Arizona.
The movie version cut Ali Hakim's comic number "It's a Scandal, It's an Outrage," and Jud's mournful "Lonely Room."
Marc Platt, who appeared the year before as Daniel, one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, can be seen in a few numbers and during the party. He's the one who buys Curly's saddle and claims Annie's sweet potato pie gave him a "three day bellyache."
What I Don't Like: As lovely as Arizona is, the location shooting makes the sound stage-bound sets look cramped and fake. Eddie Albert is funny as Ali Hakim, but his character is basically a stereotype and may annoy some people today. Speaking of plot points that don't work now, in 1955, Curly probably just looked like he was needling Jud a bit over his interest in Laurey during that "Poor Jud Is Dead" song. Nowadays, he comes off as a jerk who is practically encouraging a man to commit suicide. No wonder Jud attacks them later. The costumes are gorgeous and fairly authentic. The extremely 50's hair and makeup, especially the cute, short dos on some of the younger girls, are not.
And while "Scandal" isn't one of the better songs in the score and is no great loss, I do wish they'd kept "Lonely Room," even if they had to dub Steiger. It explains Jud's motivations and back story far better than any dialogue could.
The Big Finale: This has long been one of my favorite movies, and my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. If you haven't seen it yet, this is the perfect time to head to the brand-new Sooner State and meet its colorful residents. Highly recommended.
Home Media: My 2-disc DVD set that includes the CinemaScope and ToddAO versions is out of print, but was re-released in 2017. It's on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms as well.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Charlotte Greenwood, and Gloria Grahame
Directed by Fred Zimmerman
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
I'm doing this one in honor of the 75th anniversary revival of the original stage show that just opened on Broadway a couple of weeks ago. This is a far more traditional take on this story than the stripped-down version that's currently playing in New York, and was a huge hit in 1955. Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the production and made sure it was represented faithfully. How does it compare now? Let's head to the wide open plains of Skidmore, Indiana Territory in 1912 to find out...
The Story: Cowboy Curly (MacRae) wants to ask pretty farm girl Laurey (Jones) out to the big box social that night, but her hired hand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) gets there first. He ends up going with Laurey's Aunt Eller (Greenwood). Laurey likes Curly, but Jud has an edge of danger to him. Angry, Curly goes to the smoke house where Jud lives to more-or-less threaten him. Aunt Eller warns them off, but Laurey's still nervous. Turns out she has reason to be. Jud's interest in her is turning into obsession. His competing with Curly for Laurey bubbles over at the party...and ultimately ends in tragedy.
Laurey's best friend Ado Annie (Grahame) is having her own romantic problems. She's been pursuing the Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), but her true love Will Parker (Gene Nelson) is back in town. Her father Mr. Carnes (James Whitmore) promised that he could marry Annie if he had 50 dollars. He had it, but he spent it on gifts for Annie. Ali's not really interested in Annie...and he may have a way to make everyone happy.
The Song and Dance: There's a reason this show was such a hit when it first debuted in 1943. While its relatively dark story and use of music to propel the action isn't as revolutionary today, the script and the simple story mostly still work. Of the cast, my favorites are Greenwood as a perfectly salty Aunt Eller, Jones as troubled Laurey, and Grahame as the indecisive Annie. Too bad Grahame didn't do more comedy, as her Annie is hilarious as she switches between beaus. Nelson makes an amiable Will Parker, and Stieger is darkly menacing as the loutish Jud. The gorgeous costumes and lovely color cinematography (in CinemaScope or ToddAO) give us a marvelous view of a changing state.
One of the things I really enjoy about the movie are getting to see details of farm life and local ritual that didn't make it onto the stage, like Laurey bathing in a local river or the "shiveree" with the men tossing corn husk dolls at Curly and Laurey on a hay stack. It brings at least a little more authenticity to the proceedings.
Favorite Number: Agnes de Mille recreated her famous dances from the original cast here, including Laurey's dream ballet mid-way through that gives us her dream of what will happen if she marries Curly...and her nightmare with Jud. Nelson gets to show off his ragtime steps with "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City," and he and Grahame do an adorable "All or Nuthin'." MacRae's opening "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" sounds gorgeous, and he, Jones, and Greenwood have fun with "The Surrey With the Fringe on the Top." Grahame's not really a singer, but her expressions are so funny in "I Cain't Say No," it works anyway.
Along with "Laurey Makes Up Her Mind," probably the most famous numbers here are the ensemble routines. Laurey and the girls claim that "Many a New Day" will pass before they mourn a lost love as they perform a charming dance in lovely frilly petticoats. The big title song is appropriately rousing as well.
Trivia: The movie was actually made by the Magna Corporation and originally filmed in the 70 millimeter ToddAO process. My review is based on the CinemaScope 35 mm version, but the ToddAO one is also available and has a few different scenes.
It was supposed to film in the real Oklahoma, but oil drilling there forced them a few states over to Arizona.
The movie version cut Ali Hakim's comic number "It's a Scandal, It's an Outrage," and Jud's mournful "Lonely Room."
Marc Platt, who appeared the year before as Daniel, one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, can be seen in a few numbers and during the party. He's the one who buys Curly's saddle and claims Annie's sweet potato pie gave him a "three day bellyache."
What I Don't Like: As lovely as Arizona is, the location shooting makes the sound stage-bound sets look cramped and fake. Eddie Albert is funny as Ali Hakim, but his character is basically a stereotype and may annoy some people today. Speaking of plot points that don't work now, in 1955, Curly probably just looked like he was needling Jud a bit over his interest in Laurey during that "Poor Jud Is Dead" song. Nowadays, he comes off as a jerk who is practically encouraging a man to commit suicide. No wonder Jud attacks them later. The costumes are gorgeous and fairly authentic. The extremely 50's hair and makeup, especially the cute, short dos on some of the younger girls, are not.
And while "Scandal" isn't one of the better songs in the score and is no great loss, I do wish they'd kept "Lonely Room," even if they had to dub Steiger. It explains Jud's motivations and back story far better than any dialogue could.
The Big Finale: This has long been one of my favorite movies, and my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. If you haven't seen it yet, this is the perfect time to head to the brand-new Sooner State and meet its colorful residents. Highly recommended.
Home Media: My 2-disc DVD set that includes the CinemaScope and ToddAO versions is out of print, but was re-released in 2017. It's on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms as well.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Hello, Frisco, Hello
20th Century Fox, 1943
Starring Alice Faye, John Payne, June Havoc, and Jack Oakie
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
Music by Harry Warren and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others
This was one of Alice Faye's last movies for Fox before she retired to take care of her children, and one of her biggest. It was a huge hit during the later World War II years and introduced the Oscar-winning standard "You'll Never Know." Does the rest of the movie live up to that song's success? Let's head to a saloon on San Francisco's notorious Barbary Coast around 1915 and find out...
The Story: Song and dance quartet Trudy Evans (Faye), Johnny Cornell (Payne), Dan Daley (Oakie), and Beluah Clancy (Havoc) are fired from their job at a Barbary Coast saloon for putting on a new telephone-themed number not approved of by their boss Sharkey (Ward Bond). Angry, Johnny first has them playing in the streets, then opens his own dance hall, The Grizzly Bear. They're a huge success, attracting high society as well as lower-class Coast regulars. Among the Nob Hill residents who attend the Grizzly's opening night is Bernice Croft (Lynn Bari), the daughter of a rich art patron. Johnny loves her art and her lavish mansion, but not how she treats his job. All he thinks about are his show business aspirations, even getting Trudy to sing onstage while she's supposed to be on a date with him.
Trudy is in love with him, but his real interest is in social standing. He marries a now-broke Bernice to get in with her rich society friends and start an opera house. Heartbroken, Trudy accepts a job in London, where she becomes a big success. Johnny, meanwhile, is in trouble. The opera was a flop, Bernice left him after she admitted to loving money and her lavish lifestyle more than him, and now he wants to sell the Grizzly Bear. Dan and Beluah call Trudy back to help him, but they have to figure out how she can do it without offending Johnny's pride.
The Song and Dance: Faye really anchors this colorful tale as the woman who loves Johnny and will stand by him no matter what. Bari is appropriately icy as the spoiled Nob Hill heiress who only cares about money and culture. The color cinematography was nominated for an Oscar. Love the gorgeous, period-accurate costumes with tons of frills and sequins that really bring this show business story to life.
Favorite Number: "You'll Never Know" is sung twice in the movie, both times during the big telephone act that gets the group into so much trouble during the opening. The telephone number really is cute, with Faye and Payne having fun flirting by this newfangled invention. The "It's Tulip Time In Holland" dance number at the Grizzly Bear features some amazing death-defying roller skating, especially from from the couple at the end who swing each other around in time to the music. Faye gets two really fun numbers with the chorus, the Irish-themed "Bedelia/Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" that also featured Oakie, and the lovely and romantic "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" in England. Faye looks like a live-action Disney Cinderella in that number, seven years before that movie came out.
Trivia: This is a historical remake of the modern-set 1936 musical King of Burlesque, which also featured Alice Faye and Jack Oakie.
What I Don't Like: Although John Payne is a good singer, he was never really comfortable in musicals. Johnny is a bit of a jerk, to the point where you wonder why Trudy stands by him. (Dan and Beluah threaten to walk out several times.) Neither he nor the movie can figure out what it is that he's after. He switches from just wanting his own place to being obsessed with ascending Nob Hill way too quickly! His interest in Beatrice - or her money - is pretty sudden as well. And while some of the numbers are fun, a lot of them are just padding, particularly towards the end, and do nothing but draw out the story.
The Big Finale: One of Alice Faye's most famous movies is necessary for her fans and a pleasant watch for lovers of 40's musicals.
Home Media: On DVD as part of Fox's "Marquee Musicals" series. It can also be found in a DVD set of Faye's films and on several streaming platforms.
DVD
DVD - The Alice Faye Collection Vol. 2
Google Play
Starring Alice Faye, John Payne, June Havoc, and Jack Oakie
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
Music by Harry Warren and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others
This was one of Alice Faye's last movies for Fox before she retired to take care of her children, and one of her biggest. It was a huge hit during the later World War II years and introduced the Oscar-winning standard "You'll Never Know." Does the rest of the movie live up to that song's success? Let's head to a saloon on San Francisco's notorious Barbary Coast around 1915 and find out...
The Story: Song and dance quartet Trudy Evans (Faye), Johnny Cornell (Payne), Dan Daley (Oakie), and Beluah Clancy (Havoc) are fired from their job at a Barbary Coast saloon for putting on a new telephone-themed number not approved of by their boss Sharkey (Ward Bond). Angry, Johnny first has them playing in the streets, then opens his own dance hall, The Grizzly Bear. They're a huge success, attracting high society as well as lower-class Coast regulars. Among the Nob Hill residents who attend the Grizzly's opening night is Bernice Croft (Lynn Bari), the daughter of a rich art patron. Johnny loves her art and her lavish mansion, but not how she treats his job. All he thinks about are his show business aspirations, even getting Trudy to sing onstage while she's supposed to be on a date with him.
Trudy is in love with him, but his real interest is in social standing. He marries a now-broke Bernice to get in with her rich society friends and start an opera house. Heartbroken, Trudy accepts a job in London, where she becomes a big success. Johnny, meanwhile, is in trouble. The opera was a flop, Bernice left him after she admitted to loving money and her lavish lifestyle more than him, and now he wants to sell the Grizzly Bear. Dan and Beluah call Trudy back to help him, but they have to figure out how she can do it without offending Johnny's pride.
The Song and Dance: Faye really anchors this colorful tale as the woman who loves Johnny and will stand by him no matter what. Bari is appropriately icy as the spoiled Nob Hill heiress who only cares about money and culture. The color cinematography was nominated for an Oscar. Love the gorgeous, period-accurate costumes with tons of frills and sequins that really bring this show business story to life.
Favorite Number: "You'll Never Know" is sung twice in the movie, both times during the big telephone act that gets the group into so much trouble during the opening. The telephone number really is cute, with Faye and Payne having fun flirting by this newfangled invention. The "It's Tulip Time In Holland" dance number at the Grizzly Bear features some amazing death-defying roller skating, especially from from the couple at the end who swing each other around in time to the music. Faye gets two really fun numbers with the chorus, the Irish-themed "Bedelia/Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" that also featured Oakie, and the lovely and romantic "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" in England. Faye looks like a live-action Disney Cinderella in that number, seven years before that movie came out.
Trivia: This is a historical remake of the modern-set 1936 musical King of Burlesque, which also featured Alice Faye and Jack Oakie.
What I Don't Like: Although John Payne is a good singer, he was never really comfortable in musicals. Johnny is a bit of a jerk, to the point where you wonder why Trudy stands by him. (Dan and Beluah threaten to walk out several times.) Neither he nor the movie can figure out what it is that he's after. He switches from just wanting his own place to being obsessed with ascending Nob Hill way too quickly! His interest in Beatrice - or her money - is pretty sudden as well. And while some of the numbers are fun, a lot of them are just padding, particularly towards the end, and do nothing but draw out the story.
The Big Finale: One of Alice Faye's most famous movies is necessary for her fans and a pleasant watch for lovers of 40's musicals.
Home Media: On DVD as part of Fox's "Marquee Musicals" series. It can also be found in a DVD set of Faye's films and on several streaming platforms.
DVD
DVD - The Alice Faye Collection Vol. 2
Google Play
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Happy Easter! - Easter Parade
MGM, 1948
Starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, and Peter Lawford
Directed by Charles Walters
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
This movie is a bit of an Easter tradition for me. I've watched it every year on Easter night or the night before Easter since I originally taped it off TCM in the late 90's. (I've since replaced that video with a DVD.) It took MGM long enough to get it off the ground in the 40's. Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse were originally supposed to appear, but they got hurt and were replaced with Astaire and Miller, and there were Garland's ongoing problems as well. Plus, Astaire had originally gone into retirement and had to be coaxed back. Was all the trouble worth it? Let's head to New York's Fifth Avenue, the day before Easter 1912, and find out...
The Story: Vaudeville dancer Don Hewes (Astaire) is looking forward to spending Easter with his partner Nadine Hale (Miller), but she tells him that she just took a part in the Ziegfeld Frolic and wants to go solo. Don's crushed, and his best friend Johnny Harrow (Lawford) thinks she's being selfish. She's more interested in him, but he knows Don still loves her. Angry, Don plucks singer Hannah Brown (Garland) out of the chorus of a bar show and tells her he's going to make her his partner. He tries to recreate his vaudeville ballroom dancing act with her, but as a furious Nadine points out, she's ill-suited to it. Meanwhile, Johnny has become smitten with Hannah, and she has feelings for Don.
Don finally comes to the conclusion that ballroom dancing doesn't work with vivacious Hannah. When he retools the act to emphasize comedy and her singing, it becomes a big success. Initially offered a role in the Ziegfeld Frolics, Don turns it down when he realizes that Hannah would be competing against Nadine, realizing that he's in love with her. Luck is with them - they're given an even bigger spot in a Dillingham show. Despite the show being a hit, Nadine decides she wants one dance with Don "for old time's sake," upsetting Hannah. It's Johnny who finally brings everyone together, just in time for New York's big Easter showcase on Fifth Avenue.
The Song and Dance: This charming confection wound up being the biggest hit musical of 1948, and the second-biggest movie at the box office that year. No wonder, with this cast. Astaire and Garland work beautifully together as the dancer who thinks he's trying to get his girl back and the girl he chooses to replace her. Miller, making her MGM debut after several years of doing B musicals at Columbia, is quite funny as Nadine, and Lawford's adorably dorky as Don's law-college buddy who is pursing Hannah while being pursued by Nadine. Jules Munshin has a running gag where everyone keeps walking out of the restaurant he works at, and another where he gets to describe his best salad to the diners.
Appropriately for a movie about Easter, there's some gorgeous period costumes here. Special kudos for the amazing hats, from the "Happy Easter" montage in the beginning with women showing off the latest haberdashery fashions for Astaire to Garland's lovely pink wide-brimmed number (and Astaire's top hat with the ribbons) in the finale.
Favorite Number: Of the songs written for the film, my favorite is Lawford and Garland's adorable duet in the rain, "A Fella With an Umbrella." Lawford may not be much of a singer, but he's so cute under that umbrella, you wonder how Garland can resist him. Astaire gets two of his best solos, "Drum Crazy" in the opening as he shows a little boy the delights of drums and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with the chorus in the Dillingham show. The latter showcases some unusual special effects, including Astaire slowing down while the rest of the dancers continue at normal speed, that still look pretty good today. Miller has an incredible "Shakin' the Blues Away" solo in the Ziegfeld Frolic, and has a nice boys-and-canes routine at the end of the chorus number "The Girl On the Magazine Cover." (By the way, see how many magazine covers represented in that song you can find on newsstands or online today.)
Probably the most famous number from this one is "A Couple of Swells," with Garland and Astaire dressed as hobos pretending to be millionaires. Considering it apparently took Garland long enough to talk Astaire into the whole thing (he didn't like not being seen dressed up), it wound up being one of the funniest routines from any classic MGM musical.
Trivia: I give Miller a lot of credit for doing as well on "Shakin' the Blues Away" as she did. She wore a back brace during filming after being thrown downstairs by her abusive then-husband.
What I Don't Like: The plot is a mess of romantic comedy cliches and can be confusing about who's chasing whom at times, especially towards the end. Don and Johnny are right about Nadine being selfish. She should have at least told Don she wanted to leave well before she took that role, or given him some notice. As cute as "Drum Crazy" is, it's really extraneous, and was likely only there to give Astaire a solo without the chorus. And as much as I love the costumes, the movie doesn't really feel very historical, or Easter-ish, for that matter. It probably could have been set anytime in the early-mid 20th century and at any time of the year without missing a beat.
The Big Finale: Fluffy story aside, the delightful music and enjoyable performances are more than enough reason to make this one a part of your Easter traditions, too.
Home Media: Alas, my two-disc DVD set appears to be out of print, but the Blu-Ray is avalible, and it can be found on several streaming platforms.
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, and Peter Lawford
Directed by Charles Walters
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
This movie is a bit of an Easter tradition for me. I've watched it every year on Easter night or the night before Easter since I originally taped it off TCM in the late 90's. (I've since replaced that video with a DVD.) It took MGM long enough to get it off the ground in the 40's. Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse were originally supposed to appear, but they got hurt and were replaced with Astaire and Miller, and there were Garland's ongoing problems as well. Plus, Astaire had originally gone into retirement and had to be coaxed back. Was all the trouble worth it? Let's head to New York's Fifth Avenue, the day before Easter 1912, and find out...
The Story: Vaudeville dancer Don Hewes (Astaire) is looking forward to spending Easter with his partner Nadine Hale (Miller), but she tells him that she just took a part in the Ziegfeld Frolic and wants to go solo. Don's crushed, and his best friend Johnny Harrow (Lawford) thinks she's being selfish. She's more interested in him, but he knows Don still loves her. Angry, Don plucks singer Hannah Brown (Garland) out of the chorus of a bar show and tells her he's going to make her his partner. He tries to recreate his vaudeville ballroom dancing act with her, but as a furious Nadine points out, she's ill-suited to it. Meanwhile, Johnny has become smitten with Hannah, and she has feelings for Don.
Don finally comes to the conclusion that ballroom dancing doesn't work with vivacious Hannah. When he retools the act to emphasize comedy and her singing, it becomes a big success. Initially offered a role in the Ziegfeld Frolics, Don turns it down when he realizes that Hannah would be competing against Nadine, realizing that he's in love with her. Luck is with them - they're given an even bigger spot in a Dillingham show. Despite the show being a hit, Nadine decides she wants one dance with Don "for old time's sake," upsetting Hannah. It's Johnny who finally brings everyone together, just in time for New York's big Easter showcase on Fifth Avenue.
The Song and Dance: This charming confection wound up being the biggest hit musical of 1948, and the second-biggest movie at the box office that year. No wonder, with this cast. Astaire and Garland work beautifully together as the dancer who thinks he's trying to get his girl back and the girl he chooses to replace her. Miller, making her MGM debut after several years of doing B musicals at Columbia, is quite funny as Nadine, and Lawford's adorably dorky as Don's law-college buddy who is pursing Hannah while being pursued by Nadine. Jules Munshin has a running gag where everyone keeps walking out of the restaurant he works at, and another where he gets to describe his best salad to the diners.
Appropriately for a movie about Easter, there's some gorgeous period costumes here. Special kudos for the amazing hats, from the "Happy Easter" montage in the beginning with women showing off the latest haberdashery fashions for Astaire to Garland's lovely pink wide-brimmed number (and Astaire's top hat with the ribbons) in the finale.
Favorite Number: Of the songs written for the film, my favorite is Lawford and Garland's adorable duet in the rain, "A Fella With an Umbrella." Lawford may not be much of a singer, but he's so cute under that umbrella, you wonder how Garland can resist him. Astaire gets two of his best solos, "Drum Crazy" in the opening as he shows a little boy the delights of drums and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with the chorus in the Dillingham show. The latter showcases some unusual special effects, including Astaire slowing down while the rest of the dancers continue at normal speed, that still look pretty good today. Miller has an incredible "Shakin' the Blues Away" solo in the Ziegfeld Frolic, and has a nice boys-and-canes routine at the end of the chorus number "The Girl On the Magazine Cover." (By the way, see how many magazine covers represented in that song you can find on newsstands or online today.)
Probably the most famous number from this one is "A Couple of Swells," with Garland and Astaire dressed as hobos pretending to be millionaires. Considering it apparently took Garland long enough to talk Astaire into the whole thing (he didn't like not being seen dressed up), it wound up being one of the funniest routines from any classic MGM musical.
Trivia: I give Miller a lot of credit for doing as well on "Shakin' the Blues Away" as she did. She wore a back brace during filming after being thrown downstairs by her abusive then-husband.
What I Don't Like: The plot is a mess of romantic comedy cliches and can be confusing about who's chasing whom at times, especially towards the end. Don and Johnny are right about Nadine being selfish. She should have at least told Don she wanted to leave well before she took that role, or given him some notice. As cute as "Drum Crazy" is, it's really extraneous, and was likely only there to give Astaire a solo without the chorus. And as much as I love the costumes, the movie doesn't really feel very historical, or Easter-ish, for that matter. It probably could have been set anytime in the early-mid 20th century and at any time of the year without missing a beat.
The Big Finale: Fluffy story aside, the delightful music and enjoyable performances are more than enough reason to make this one a part of your Easter traditions, too.
Home Media: Alas, my two-disc DVD set appears to be out of print, but the Blu-Ray is avalible, and it can be found on several streaming platforms.
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, April 18, 2019
A Star Is Born (2018)
Warner Bros, 2018
Starring Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, and Rafi Gavron
Directed by Bradley Cooper
Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Lukas Nelson, and others
No one was expecting much of the fourth version of this oft-told story when it came out last October. Cooper had never sung on-screen or directed; this was Lady Gaga's first starring role in a movie. It wound up being one of the bigger hits of 2018, was on many critics' ten best lists at the end of the year, and got eight Oscar nominations. How does it stack up against the hype...and the famous earlier movies from 1954 and 1976? Let's head to California for a country music concert and find out...
The Story: Jackson Maine (Cooper) is one of the biggest stars in country music. He's also also struggling with alcohol and drug addictions and hearing loss. Hoping to cheer him up, his manager and older half-brother Bobby (Elliot) takes him to a gay bar where he's entranced by Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress who beautifully performs the French song "La Vie En Rose" for the crowd. He's further smitten after she tries to punch out a fan who was bothering him. They get to talking, and he invites her to his concert. He even gets her onstage. She's so successful, she ends up going on tour with him. Things aren't going as well with Bobby. Jack fires him after he learns that he sold the ranch they grew up on...only to learn that he'd been too drunk to hear about the sale.
Rez, a smarmy record producer (Gavron), is so impressed with Ally, he offers her a contract and steers her more towards generic pop music. Jack claims he's not upset, but he passes out drunk in public and ends up recovering at the home of his friend George (Dave Chappelle), missing one of her shows. Not only does he make up with Ally, but proposes to her and eventually rehires Bobby. As she grows more and more popular, he begins to fall more and more off the wagon, ending in his passing out drunk at the Grammys while she's giving her speech for Best New Artist. He goes to a rehabilitation group, and Ally cancels her upcoming to take care of him. Rez claims Jack is holding her back...but it isn't until after he's gone that she realized how important he was to her and her music.
The Song and Dance: Wow. Cooper and Lady Gaga's chemistry was off the charts, especially in the musical numbers. Every time they're on the screen, you can practically feel the sparks between them. Cooper, Elliot, and Lady Gaga got Oscar nods as tough-but-vulnerable Jack, his gruff older brother, and the strong-willed Ally; Chappelle added much-needed levity in his brief role as one of Jack's closest friends. Lady Gaga feels so real and down-to-earth as Ally, you'd never know this is the same woman who once paraded around in a meat dress.
Favorite Number: "Shallow" won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Oscars...and yeah, I can see why, especially when Cooper and Lady Gaga sing it in that first concert. Their performance is electric. Lady Gaga's "La Vie en Rose" at the gay bar is so raw and emotional, you can understand why Jack fell so hard for her. His best solo is the touching "Maybe This Time." She gets two gorgeous ballads towards the end, "Before I Cry" and "I'll Never Love Again." And...I know it's supposed to be a representation of how Ally sold out, but the pop-py "Why Did You Do That," sung on the Saturday Night Live sequence, is actually a lot of fun.
What I Don't Like: As good as Cooper is, there may be just a little too much of him. Previous versions of the movie focused more on the Ally character and how she becomes a star. It's really her story, not his. Cooper should have shared a bit more. And there's no denying you've seen the story before. The cliches are handled better here than they were in Bohemian Rhapsody, but they're still pretty obvious.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of rock, pop, romantic tearjerkers, or either of the stars, you'll want to hit the road and watch Ally become a star, too.
Home Media: As one of the most recent movies I've reviewed and a huge hit, this is quite easy to find in any format of your choosing.
DVD
Blu-Ray
4K
Amazon Prime
Starring Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, and Rafi Gavron
Directed by Bradley Cooper
Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Lukas Nelson, and others
No one was expecting much of the fourth version of this oft-told story when it came out last October. Cooper had never sung on-screen or directed; this was Lady Gaga's first starring role in a movie. It wound up being one of the bigger hits of 2018, was on many critics' ten best lists at the end of the year, and got eight Oscar nominations. How does it stack up against the hype...and the famous earlier movies from 1954 and 1976? Let's head to California for a country music concert and find out...
The Story: Jackson Maine (Cooper) is one of the biggest stars in country music. He's also also struggling with alcohol and drug addictions and hearing loss. Hoping to cheer him up, his manager and older half-brother Bobby (Elliot) takes him to a gay bar where he's entranced by Ally (Lady Gaga), a waitress who beautifully performs the French song "La Vie En Rose" for the crowd. He's further smitten after she tries to punch out a fan who was bothering him. They get to talking, and he invites her to his concert. He even gets her onstage. She's so successful, she ends up going on tour with him. Things aren't going as well with Bobby. Jack fires him after he learns that he sold the ranch they grew up on...only to learn that he'd been too drunk to hear about the sale.
Rez, a smarmy record producer (Gavron), is so impressed with Ally, he offers her a contract and steers her more towards generic pop music. Jack claims he's not upset, but he passes out drunk in public and ends up recovering at the home of his friend George (Dave Chappelle), missing one of her shows. Not only does he make up with Ally, but proposes to her and eventually rehires Bobby. As she grows more and more popular, he begins to fall more and more off the wagon, ending in his passing out drunk at the Grammys while she's giving her speech for Best New Artist. He goes to a rehabilitation group, and Ally cancels her upcoming to take care of him. Rez claims Jack is holding her back...but it isn't until after he's gone that she realized how important he was to her and her music.
The Song and Dance: Wow. Cooper and Lady Gaga's chemistry was off the charts, especially in the musical numbers. Every time they're on the screen, you can practically feel the sparks between them. Cooper, Elliot, and Lady Gaga got Oscar nods as tough-but-vulnerable Jack, his gruff older brother, and the strong-willed Ally; Chappelle added much-needed levity in his brief role as one of Jack's closest friends. Lady Gaga feels so real and down-to-earth as Ally, you'd never know this is the same woman who once paraded around in a meat dress.
Favorite Number: "Shallow" won Best Original Song at the Golden Globes and the Oscars...and yeah, I can see why, especially when Cooper and Lady Gaga sing it in that first concert. Their performance is electric. Lady Gaga's "La Vie en Rose" at the gay bar is so raw and emotional, you can understand why Jack fell so hard for her. His best solo is the touching "Maybe This Time." She gets two gorgeous ballads towards the end, "Before I Cry" and "I'll Never Love Again." And...I know it's supposed to be a representation of how Ally sold out, but the pop-py "Why Did You Do That," sung on the Saturday Night Live sequence, is actually a lot of fun.
What I Don't Like: As good as Cooper is, there may be just a little too much of him. Previous versions of the movie focused more on the Ally character and how she becomes a star. It's really her story, not his. Cooper should have shared a bit more. And there's no denying you've seen the story before. The cliches are handled better here than they were in Bohemian Rhapsody, but they're still pretty obvious.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of rock, pop, romantic tearjerkers, or either of the stars, you'll want to hit the road and watch Ally become a star, too.
Home Media: As one of the most recent movies I've reviewed and a huge hit, this is quite easy to find in any format of your choosing.
DVD
Blu-Ray
4K
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
You'll Never Get Rich
Columbia, 1941
Starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and Osa Massen
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Rita Hayworth was one of the most popular actresses on the planet in the 40's and 50's. While she was capable of doing everything from comedy to action, she was best known for the series of musicals made around her considerable dancing talents in the 40's and early 50's. This would be the first of two musicals she made with Fred Astaire, who was looking to make a comeback after his post-Ginger Rogers career had foundered. How does their first pairing look today? Let's head backstage and find out...
The Story: Theater owner Martin Cortland (Benchley) is in a real pickle. He's given a diamond bracelet to one of the chorus girls in his current show, Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), but his wife Julia (Frieda Inescourt), is starting to catch wise to his woman-chasing. He tries to get his manager Robert Curtis (Astaire) to claim he gave the diamond bracelet, but Sheila doesn't believe him. Robert sees his being drafted as a way out of the whole mess, but he's not much of a soldier. His constant dancing doesn't make him popular with his commander Captain Tom Barton (John Hubbard), and neither does enlisting his buddies Kewpie Blain (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Swiv (Cliff Nazarro) to help him steal a captain's uniform and show off for Sheila.
Things go better when Martin turns up to create a show for the enlisted men...but then Sheila claims she's going to marry Captain Barton and go to Panama with him, and Martin hires another dancer, Sonia (Massen), for her part. Robert tries to get the diamond bracelet back, only to learn it's now engraved with Sonia's name. Sheila leaves...but then so does Sonia. Now Robert and Martin have to get Sheila back, before they have no leading lady and no show.
The Song and Dance: Hayworth and Astaire are pretty much the only reasons to see this one. Hayworth in particular is sassy and hilarious in her first major musical, and she looks great dancing with Astaire. Astaire does better in the beginning when he's on more accustomed territory. Robert Benchley is less believable as a womanizer, but he does have his moments, especially when he's dealing with his wife.
Favorite Number: Two of Astaire's best solos can be found during the guardhouse sequences. Black singing group the Four Tones nicely back him for the Oscar-nominated "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and we later get another black group for the instrumental "A-staireable Rag." He and Hayworth have a short but snappy rehearsal routine in the opening, along with the dreamy "So Near and Yet So Far" duet in more traditional gown and tux later. The finale "The Wedding Cake Walk" has Astaire, Hayworth, and the chorus dancing on a wedding cake shaped like a tank.
What I Don't Like: The entire farcical plot makes absolutely no sense. Astaire never did work well in military-themed musicals; he's just not believable as a soldier, and not only because of his age. He's too flighty to take orders. As mentioned, Benchley isn't exactly what you'd call a womanizer, either. Massen only appears sporadically during the second half and doesn't have a chance to make much of an impression, or even get to dance. Williams and Nazzaro are a bit annoying as Astaire's comic relief buddies.
Other than "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (which was nominated for an Oscar), this isn't one of Cole Porter's more memorable scores. The two chorus songs are especially dull; "So Near" is redeemed by Astaire and Hayworth's lovely dance routine.
The Big Finale: If you're a big fan of Astaire or Hayworth, this is worth looking around for.
Home Media: The solo DVD is currently manufactured-on-demand at Amazon, and the Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is out of print. Your best bet may either to stream it, or do what I did and pick it up in a collection with 19 other vintage Columbia films from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movie Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and Osa Massen
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Rita Hayworth was one of the most popular actresses on the planet in the 40's and 50's. While she was capable of doing everything from comedy to action, she was best known for the series of musicals made around her considerable dancing talents in the 40's and early 50's. This would be the first of two musicals she made with Fred Astaire, who was looking to make a comeback after his post-Ginger Rogers career had foundered. How does their first pairing look today? Let's head backstage and find out...
The Story: Theater owner Martin Cortland (Benchley) is in a real pickle. He's given a diamond bracelet to one of the chorus girls in his current show, Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), but his wife Julia (Frieda Inescourt), is starting to catch wise to his woman-chasing. He tries to get his manager Robert Curtis (Astaire) to claim he gave the diamond bracelet, but Sheila doesn't believe him. Robert sees his being drafted as a way out of the whole mess, but he's not much of a soldier. His constant dancing doesn't make him popular with his commander Captain Tom Barton (John Hubbard), and neither does enlisting his buddies Kewpie Blain (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Swiv (Cliff Nazarro) to help him steal a captain's uniform and show off for Sheila.
Things go better when Martin turns up to create a show for the enlisted men...but then Sheila claims she's going to marry Captain Barton and go to Panama with him, and Martin hires another dancer, Sonia (Massen), for her part. Robert tries to get the diamond bracelet back, only to learn it's now engraved with Sonia's name. Sheila leaves...but then so does Sonia. Now Robert and Martin have to get Sheila back, before they have no leading lady and no show.
The Song and Dance: Hayworth and Astaire are pretty much the only reasons to see this one. Hayworth in particular is sassy and hilarious in her first major musical, and she looks great dancing with Astaire. Astaire does better in the beginning when he's on more accustomed territory. Robert Benchley is less believable as a womanizer, but he does have his moments, especially when he's dealing with his wife.
Favorite Number: Two of Astaire's best solos can be found during the guardhouse sequences. Black singing group the Four Tones nicely back him for the Oscar-nominated "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and we later get another black group for the instrumental "A-staireable Rag." He and Hayworth have a short but snappy rehearsal routine in the opening, along with the dreamy "So Near and Yet So Far" duet in more traditional gown and tux later. The finale "The Wedding Cake Walk" has Astaire, Hayworth, and the chorus dancing on a wedding cake shaped like a tank.
What I Don't Like: The entire farcical plot makes absolutely no sense. Astaire never did work well in military-themed musicals; he's just not believable as a soldier, and not only because of his age. He's too flighty to take orders. As mentioned, Benchley isn't exactly what you'd call a womanizer, either. Massen only appears sporadically during the second half and doesn't have a chance to make much of an impression, or even get to dance. Williams and Nazzaro are a bit annoying as Astaire's comic relief buddies.
Other than "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (which was nominated for an Oscar), this isn't one of Cole Porter's more memorable scores. The two chorus songs are especially dull; "So Near" is redeemed by Astaire and Hayworth's lovely dance routine.
The Big Finale: If you're a big fan of Astaire or Hayworth, this is worth looking around for.
Home Media: The solo DVD is currently manufactured-on-demand at Amazon, and the Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is out of print. Your best bet may either to stream it, or do what I did and pick it up in a collection with 19 other vintage Columbia films from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movie Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Animation Celebration Double Feature - Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
Having covered the Rankin-Bass holiday specials Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town back in December, I thought it was only fair to do two of their Easter specials in April. Do these springtime tales measure up to their more famous Christmas counterparts? Let's head to April Valley, home of the Easter Bunny himself, and find out...
Here Comes Peter Cottontail
Rankin-Bass, 1971
Voices of Casey Kasem, Vincent Price, Danny Kaye, and Joan Gardner
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: Magical peddler Seymour S. Sassafras (Kaye) narrates the story of Peter Cottontail. Peter (Kasem) is a bright young rabbit who is initially chosen to be the new Chief Easter Bunny by Colonel Wellington B. Bunny (Kaye), at least until angry old Irontail (Price) objects. He wants to take over April Valley and end all the Easter preparations, thanks to his dislike of children, and sets up a contest between himself and Peter. Whomever finds the most eggs will become the Easter Bunny. Peter agrees, but not only does he stay up late at a party, Irontail sabotages his alarm clock and lets him oversleep. When Irontail wins by default, Peter flees in disgrace. Sassafras gives him an unusual time machine driven by Antoine the caterpillar (Kaye). They're supposed to return to Easter, but thanks to Irontail's meddling, they keep ending up in every other holiday, trying to figure out how they can give away their eggs.
The Animation: Both of these are done in the "animagic" stop motion style that made Rankin-Bass famous, but it looks fairly different in the two productions. Here, the colors are darker and a bit more saturated, the eyes on the bunnies wider, the characters a bit rounder. It's not unattractive - a scene in the rain where Irontail is announcing his changes has some well-done effects, as do the sequences at Halloween and the 4th of July.
The Song and Dance: One of the best voice casts of any Rankin-Bass special really brings character to this unique story. As well as he does as Sassafras and Colonel Bunny, I especially like Kaye as the hilarious and occasionally snarky Antoine. Price is having a blast as the vengeful metal-tailed critter, one of the few villains in any Rankin-Bass special to not be redeemed, and Kasem makes for a funny and sweet Peter.
Favorite Number: Kaye gets two touching ballads encouraging Peter to not give up on his quest, "If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday" when they're starting out in the Yester-morrow Vehicle and "In the Puzzle of Life" after Peter can't figure out how to give away his last eggs in the end. "Be Mine Today" is the cute Valentine's Day skating duet for Kasem and Iris Rainer as the girl bunny Donna. Antoine has a really fun number explaining to Peter why he should give out eggs on the 4th of July, "If You Can't Get It All Together, Improvise."
Trivia: This is based on the book The Easter Bunny Who Overslept, by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich. The song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins.
What I Don't Like: First of all, it would have been nice if Rankin-Bass' first Easter special actually focused on Easter, rather than the rest of the holidays of the year. Very little of the story is actually set at Easter. Antoine vanishes after the Christmas segment and doesn't reappear until the last few minutes of the show. This does set up for a nice gag in the finale, but his replacement Bonnie Bonnet (Gardner) isn't nearly as much fun. And the plot really doesn't make much sense. I have no idea how anyone would know he gave away the eggs on another holiday, or how this would count towards him becoming the Easter Bunny.
The Big Finale: Not as memorable as the Christmas specials, but far from terrible. Worth checking out for fans of the cast or those looking for non-religious Easter programming for kids.
Home Media: Can be found pretty easily on DVD, often for under five dollars. The just-released Blu-Ray is currently exclusive to Wal Mart.
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town
Rankin-Bass, 1977
Voices of Fred Astaire, Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, and Meg Sargent
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: S.D Kluger (Astaire) of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is back as narrator. This time, he's delivering mail by train, and all the letters are asking about the Easter Bunny. Seems the Easter Bunny was once simply known as Sunny (Hinnant), an abandoned baby rabbit discovered by the orphaned children of Kidsville. Sunny grows up to be a leader in the town, enough to encourage the kids to sell the eggs from the jazzy Hendrews Sisters (Jill Choder and Karen Dahle) over Big Rock Mountain in gloomy town.
There's only two problems. First, Gadzooks the grouchy bear (Allan Swift) wants their eggs and won't let them pass. Even when they do manage to get around him, stiff Lady Lily Longtooth (Sargent) runs Town as the regent of her young nephew King Bruce (James Spies). Lily hates anything colorful and fun, including rabbits, children, and eggs, and keeps passing more and more laws forbidding them. Sunny has to find a ways to deal with both, and to prove to Lady Longtooth that his Easter traditions - and the fun of the spring holidays - will survive her strict ways.
The Animation: I don't know if it's the print on my DVD or how they were originally, but the colors here are a bit brighter and more pastel than on Peter Cottontail, almost on a par with Rudolph. The characters seem a bit rounder, and everything is softer and more delicate.
The Song and Dance: I'm going to admit, I kind of prefer this one over Peter Cottontail. While the cast isn't as good, the story is just as interesting and is a lot more relevant to Easter. In fact, it's the only Rankin-Bass Easter special to be fully set in the spring, with no mention of any other holidays. I believe Lady Longtooth is also their only female villain, and Sargent is quite effective as the rigid ruler who sees her hold on Town slipping away as Sunny becomes more beloved. My other favorite characters are the Hendrews Sisters, the chickens who make the special eggs. Their numbers may not have anything to do with the story, but they're still pretty funny, especially if you know anything about the real-life Andrews Sisters.
My favorite part is the sequence where Sunny and King Bruce invent the "traditional" method of eating an Easter egg. Yeah, that's how we always did it in my family, too. (And I admire Bruce for being able to peel the shell off like that. I'm afraid I'm not an expert.)
Favorite Number: The Hendrews Sisters are introduced by "The Chicken or the Egg?," a perky query spoofing one of the eternal questions. They also get "Trainyard Blues" with Chugs, the train who ends up carrying Sunny and the others to Town. Astaire's best number is in the finale, where he, Sunny, and the kids encourage Chugs to "Think 'Can Do.'"
What I Don't Like: For all the talking up of how good of a leader he is and how much he's loved, Sunny just isn't that memorable of a character. He lacks Peter's laid-back cheekiness or Kris Kringle's warm good nature. Gadzooks is too cuddly to be much of a threat, even before he's reformed. As much as I love the Hendrews Sisters, neither they nor their "Chicken or the Egg" number really have much of an impact in the plot.
And...yes, it's pretty obvious that this is an Easter-themed rehash of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, right down to Fred Astaire narrating as the same character and the same opening spiel with the newsreel footage.
The Big Finale: This used to show up on cable, especially The Disney Channel, a lot when I was a kid. I suspect that may be why I like it so much now. If you're looking for a fun Easter special for kids or something for them to pass the time while waiting for people to hide the eggs, you can do a lot worse than these.
Home Media: Unlike Peter Cottontail, it can be found on a few streaming platforms as well as DVD.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
April In Paris
Warner Bros, 1952
Starring Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin, and Eve Miller
Directed by David Butler
Music by Vernon Duke; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Sammy Cahn
Although it was originally released at Christmas, this fluffy Day vehicle is the perfect lightweight romantic comedy for a warm spring day. Given the title, it was practically mandatory for me to get it in this month. Is it as romantic and dreamy as Paris in the spring? Let's first take a trip to Washington DC's state department and check in with the government to find out...
The Story: Assistant Secretary Winthrop Putham (Bolger) is in a tizzy. He's putting on a huge art exposition in Paris, but the invitation he meant to send to Ethel Barrymore instead was mailed to chorus girl "Dynamite" Ethel Jackson (Day). He initially tells her about the mistake, but his boss, Secretary Robert Sherman (Paul Harvey), actually decides he likes the idea. Ethel would be happier about the whole thing if her big ocean voyage to France didn't most involved being grilled in French by stuffy government officials. She sneaks down to the galley to party with the crew, including waiter Phillipe Fouquet (Dauphin). Winthrop is order to tell her that she's done...but ends up getting drunk and marrying her, to the horror of his bossy fiancee, Secretary Sherman's daughter Marcia (Miller). Now the two have to figure out how to get out of this mess...and then if they actually want to.
The Song and Dance: There's some charm to be found in this fizzy tale. Bolger does get a few funny moments, especially spoofing the US governments' fondness for titles and underlings. Harvey's even funnier as the stuffed-shirt senator. Day has her moments as well, especially sniping with Bolger early-on and when she gets into a cat fight with Miller during the art exposition.
Favorite Number: The best song from this one by far is "We're Going to Ring the Bell Tonight," Day and Bolger's big dance routine with Dauphin and the crew in the gallery. There's more verve and energy in that number than there is in the entire rest of the movie. Bolger also has a nice solo dance in his boss' office, when he's dreaming of making it to the top of the White House.
What I Don't Like: Bolger and Day are mismatched. They have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. You'd never believe she'd fall for him so quickly, especially after the whole thing with the letter was his fault. Bolger never did work well as a romantic leading man. Dauphin is way over the top as the mischievous French waiter who causes a lot of the trouble, to the point where he's more annoying than anything. Other than Dauphin, the movie doesn't have a drop of French flavor. It looks and sounds like something that was filmed on an American sound stage in the 50's. The romantic comedy contrivances veer between cliched and ridiculous. By the end, you start to wish the two would either get a room or just part, given how long they draw it out.
The Big Finale: In the end, a few good numbers can't be redeemed by miscasting and a dull plot. Worth seeing once for fans of Day, Bolger, romantic comedies, or 50's musicals. Everyone else is probably better off looking up their favorite recording of the title song.
Home Media: The solo DVD is currently available via the Warner Archives; it can also be found as part of a Doris Day DVD set.
DVD
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection
Amazon Prime
Starring Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin, and Eve Miller
Directed by David Butler
Music by Vernon Duke; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Sammy Cahn
Although it was originally released at Christmas, this fluffy Day vehicle is the perfect lightweight romantic comedy for a warm spring day. Given the title, it was practically mandatory for me to get it in this month. Is it as romantic and dreamy as Paris in the spring? Let's first take a trip to Washington DC's state department and check in with the government to find out...
The Story: Assistant Secretary Winthrop Putham (Bolger) is in a tizzy. He's putting on a huge art exposition in Paris, but the invitation he meant to send to Ethel Barrymore instead was mailed to chorus girl "Dynamite" Ethel Jackson (Day). He initially tells her about the mistake, but his boss, Secretary Robert Sherman (Paul Harvey), actually decides he likes the idea. Ethel would be happier about the whole thing if her big ocean voyage to France didn't most involved being grilled in French by stuffy government officials. She sneaks down to the galley to party with the crew, including waiter Phillipe Fouquet (Dauphin). Winthrop is order to tell her that she's done...but ends up getting drunk and marrying her, to the horror of his bossy fiancee, Secretary Sherman's daughter Marcia (Miller). Now the two have to figure out how to get out of this mess...and then if they actually want to.
The Song and Dance: There's some charm to be found in this fizzy tale. Bolger does get a few funny moments, especially spoofing the US governments' fondness for titles and underlings. Harvey's even funnier as the stuffed-shirt senator. Day has her moments as well, especially sniping with Bolger early-on and when she gets into a cat fight with Miller during the art exposition.
Favorite Number: The best song from this one by far is "We're Going to Ring the Bell Tonight," Day and Bolger's big dance routine with Dauphin and the crew in the gallery. There's more verve and energy in that number than there is in the entire rest of the movie. Bolger also has a nice solo dance in his boss' office, when he's dreaming of making it to the top of the White House.
What I Don't Like: Bolger and Day are mismatched. They have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever. You'd never believe she'd fall for him so quickly, especially after the whole thing with the letter was his fault. Bolger never did work well as a romantic leading man. Dauphin is way over the top as the mischievous French waiter who causes a lot of the trouble, to the point where he's more annoying than anything. Other than Dauphin, the movie doesn't have a drop of French flavor. It looks and sounds like something that was filmed on an American sound stage in the 50's. The romantic comedy contrivances veer between cliched and ridiculous. By the end, you start to wish the two would either get a room or just part, given how long they draw it out.
The Big Finale: In the end, a few good numbers can't be redeemed by miscasting and a dull plot. Worth seeing once for fans of Day, Bolger, romantic comedies, or 50's musicals. Everyone else is probably better off looking up their favorite recording of the title song.
Home Media: The solo DVD is currently available via the Warner Archives; it can also be found as part of a Doris Day DVD set.
DVD
DVD - TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Cult Flops - Brigadoon
MGM, 1954
Starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Van Johnson, and Barry Jones
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
MGM had high hopes for this adaptation of the hit 1948 Broadway show, so much that they cut the budget for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and gave it to this film. As you can tell from the title of this entry, things didn't go nearly as well as they expected. People at the time decided they preferred westerns to fantasy and flocked to Seven Brides instead. What happened here? Let's head to the title village in Scotland as the mist is rising over the Highlands and find out...
The Story: New Yorkers Tommy Albright (Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Johnson) stumble into Brigadoon, a quaint village in the Scottish Highlands, after getting lost in the mist. The citizens are preparing for the wedding of Jean Campbell (Virginia Bosler) to strapping young Charlie Dalyrumple (Jimmy Thompson). Jean's older sister Fiona (Charisse) is in no hurry to go courting, but she and Tommy find themselves falling for each other. Jeff is far less interested in the too eager Meg (Dee Turnell).
Mr. Lundie (Jones), the head of the school, explains to Tommy and Jeff what's going on. The town's priest wished to protect it from witches and other bad spirits, so he prayed for a miracle. Brigadoon only appears once every 100 years. Outsiders can visit, but no resident can leave, or they'll break the spell and the townspeople will die. Harry Beaton (Hugh Loring), who is heartbroken that Jean is marrying another, rushes out during their wedding ceremony in an attempt to leave and destroy the town. It's Jeff who inadvertently stops him, and Jeff who convinces Tommy that he can't stay for some girl he only just met. True love, however, always finds away...even across time.
The Song and Dance: There's several things to admire about this unusual Scottish romance. The cast, especially Jones as the teacher who relates most of exposition about the town and Loring as they angry and vengeful Harry, are the best of the cast, along with some biting wisecracks from an enjoyably sarcastic Johnson. The beautifully done costumes and huge soundstage sets ably recreate the fantasy setting and admittedly deserved their Oscar nods.
Favorite Number: Probably the best and most famous of the lovely dance routines here is "The Heather on the Hill" pas de deux. Kelly and Charisse convey their passion far more ably here than they do when they speak. Kelly has a decent solo to "Almost Like Being In Love," and has fun joining Thompson for "Go Home to Bonnie Jean." I love the nifty wedding ceremony, which really brings the colorful Highlanders and their culture to life.
Trivia: The original plans were to film this in Scotland...but bad weather and budget problems forced them onto a highly detailed soundstage set.
Five songs from the original show and one dance were dropped. "Come to Me, Bend to Me" was deemed extraneous, Kelly couldn't handle "There but For You Go I" or "From This Day On," and the censors had a fit over the ribald lyrics in Meg's songs "My Mother's Wedding Day" and "The Love of My Life." The first three and "The Sword Dance" were at least filmed. "Come to Me," "The Sword Dance," and "From This Day On" still exist in full and are included on the solo DVD and Blu-Ray; only the audio exists for "There But For You."
The Broadway show has been revived many times since 1948, most recently in a concert at the New York City Center in 2017. There's also a TV movie from 1966 with Robert Goulet as Tommy, Peter Falk as Jeff, and Sally Ann Howes as Fiona.
According to Wikipedia, people still ask about the vanishing village in the Highlands to this day when they're roaming around Scotland.
What I Don't Like: MGM should have sprung for the on-location filming, or at least filmed it outside. This show is as much about its setting as the characters, and while the sets are nice, they also make everything seem cramped and confined. They should have gone for Technicolor, too. The Ansco color lacks its vivid hues and is too muted for such a tale, especially given Vincent Minnelli's affinity for brilliant hues.
But even filming outside wouldn't have overcome deficiencies in the cast and story. Kelly and Charisse have more chemistry in their dances than they do in the book scenes. With her two numbers cut, the role of Meg, which is supposed to bring comic relief to a fairly heavy tale, is little more than a bit part. Charisse was never much of an actress outside of her dancing, and that's especially obvious during the second half where she and Kelly are parting.
The biggest problem is...despite its ongoing popularity, this was never my favorite Lerner & Loewe musical. In some ways, you have to agree with Jeff and Harry that the whole "miracle" seems less like a miracle at times and more like a curse. People can come, but they can't leave, and what's supposed to happen to Brigadoon in the future, as civilization continues to push its way into the Highlands? It feels more creepy than romantic to me. Not to mention, the priest did this without consulting the townspeople or asking them how they felt about the whole thing. Couldn't there have been a better way to protect them from bad spirits?
The Big Finale: Some great duets and ensemble numbers don't make up for the inherent problems with the book, casting, and sets. Apparently, a lot of people who did see it in the theater in the 50's or on TV later have fond memories of it, but it's not a huge favorite of mine. For fans of Kelly, Charisse, Johnson, or the MGM musicals of the 1950's only.
Home Media: The DVD and Blu-Ray are currently available from the Warner Archives, and it's on several streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Van Johnson, and Barry Jones
Directed by Vincent Minnelli
Music by Fredrick Loewe; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
MGM had high hopes for this adaptation of the hit 1948 Broadway show, so much that they cut the budget for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and gave it to this film. As you can tell from the title of this entry, things didn't go nearly as well as they expected. People at the time decided they preferred westerns to fantasy and flocked to Seven Brides instead. What happened here? Let's head to the title village in Scotland as the mist is rising over the Highlands and find out...
The Story: New Yorkers Tommy Albright (Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Johnson) stumble into Brigadoon, a quaint village in the Scottish Highlands, after getting lost in the mist. The citizens are preparing for the wedding of Jean Campbell (Virginia Bosler) to strapping young Charlie Dalyrumple (Jimmy Thompson). Jean's older sister Fiona (Charisse) is in no hurry to go courting, but she and Tommy find themselves falling for each other. Jeff is far less interested in the too eager Meg (Dee Turnell).
Mr. Lundie (Jones), the head of the school, explains to Tommy and Jeff what's going on. The town's priest wished to protect it from witches and other bad spirits, so he prayed for a miracle. Brigadoon only appears once every 100 years. Outsiders can visit, but no resident can leave, or they'll break the spell and the townspeople will die. Harry Beaton (Hugh Loring), who is heartbroken that Jean is marrying another, rushes out during their wedding ceremony in an attempt to leave and destroy the town. It's Jeff who inadvertently stops him, and Jeff who convinces Tommy that he can't stay for some girl he only just met. True love, however, always finds away...even across time.
The Song and Dance: There's several things to admire about this unusual Scottish romance. The cast, especially Jones as the teacher who relates most of exposition about the town and Loring as they angry and vengeful Harry, are the best of the cast, along with some biting wisecracks from an enjoyably sarcastic Johnson. The beautifully done costumes and huge soundstage sets ably recreate the fantasy setting and admittedly deserved their Oscar nods.
Favorite Number: Probably the best and most famous of the lovely dance routines here is "The Heather on the Hill" pas de deux. Kelly and Charisse convey their passion far more ably here than they do when they speak. Kelly has a decent solo to "Almost Like Being In Love," and has fun joining Thompson for "Go Home to Bonnie Jean." I love the nifty wedding ceremony, which really brings the colorful Highlanders and their culture to life.
Trivia: The original plans were to film this in Scotland...but bad weather and budget problems forced them onto a highly detailed soundstage set.
Five songs from the original show and one dance were dropped. "Come to Me, Bend to Me" was deemed extraneous, Kelly couldn't handle "There but For You Go I" or "From This Day On," and the censors had a fit over the ribald lyrics in Meg's songs "My Mother's Wedding Day" and "The Love of My Life." The first three and "The Sword Dance" were at least filmed. "Come to Me," "The Sword Dance," and "From This Day On" still exist in full and are included on the solo DVD and Blu-Ray; only the audio exists for "There But For You."
The Broadway show has been revived many times since 1948, most recently in a concert at the New York City Center in 2017. There's also a TV movie from 1966 with Robert Goulet as Tommy, Peter Falk as Jeff, and Sally Ann Howes as Fiona.
According to Wikipedia, people still ask about the vanishing village in the Highlands to this day when they're roaming around Scotland.
What I Don't Like: MGM should have sprung for the on-location filming, or at least filmed it outside. This show is as much about its setting as the characters, and while the sets are nice, they also make everything seem cramped and confined. They should have gone for Technicolor, too. The Ansco color lacks its vivid hues and is too muted for such a tale, especially given Vincent Minnelli's affinity for brilliant hues.
But even filming outside wouldn't have overcome deficiencies in the cast and story. Kelly and Charisse have more chemistry in their dances than they do in the book scenes. With her two numbers cut, the role of Meg, which is supposed to bring comic relief to a fairly heavy tale, is little more than a bit part. Charisse was never much of an actress outside of her dancing, and that's especially obvious during the second half where she and Kelly are parting.
The biggest problem is...despite its ongoing popularity, this was never my favorite Lerner & Loewe musical. In some ways, you have to agree with Jeff and Harry that the whole "miracle" seems less like a miracle at times and more like a curse. People can come, but they can't leave, and what's supposed to happen to Brigadoon in the future, as civilization continues to push its way into the Highlands? It feels more creepy than romantic to me. Not to mention, the priest did this without consulting the townspeople or asking them how they felt about the whole thing. Couldn't there have been a better way to protect them from bad spirits?
The Big Finale: Some great duets and ensemble numbers don't make up for the inherent problems with the book, casting, and sets. Apparently, a lot of people who did see it in the theater in the 50's or on TV later have fond memories of it, but it's not a huge favorite of mine. For fans of Kelly, Charisse, Johnson, or the MGM musicals of the 1950's only.
Home Media: The DVD and Blu-Ray are currently available from the Warner Archives, and it's on several streaming platforms.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Thumbelina
Warner Bros, 1994
Voices of Jodi Benson, Gary Imhoff, Gino Conforti, and Joe Lynch
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman
Don Bluth was riding high in the late 80's after the success of An American Tail and The Land Before Time, but his All Dogs Go to Heaven couldn't compete with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and failed at the box office. The Chanticleer story Rock-a-Doodle did even worse four years later. For the rest of the decade, he threw his energies into making animated fantasy musicals on a par with what Disney was doing at the time. We've already seen one, Anastasia. Does this adaptation of another Hans Christian Anderson story reach the same heights, or does it remain earthbound? Let's head to Paris and find out...
The Story: We open in Paris, as Jacquimo the Swallow (Conforti) tells us the story. Thumbelina (Benson) appears from the center of a flower raised by a lonely old woman (Barbara Cook). The tiny girl loves her mother, but is tired of being made fun of by the barn animals and wishes she could meet other people her size. She gets her wish when the fairy prince Cornelius (Imhoff) overhears her singing and falls head-over-heels for her at first sight. She feels the same way, but the next night, she's kidnapped by the toad Grundel (Lynch) who is a member of a Spanish performing troupe with his mother (Charo) and brothers. Thumbelina has no desire to join their troupe or marry Grundel, Jacquimo finally helps her get away and encourages her to return home.
Meanwhile, Cornelius is also determined to find her, with the help of a few bug friends of Jacquimo's. He tells his parents at the Vale of the Fairies to try to hold off the winter as long as they can. Thumbelina spends most of the rest of the fall and winter bouncing from animal to animal. A beetle (Gilbert Gottfried) brings her to his ball, only for the rest of his kind to denounce her as ugly and turn her away. She ends up with Miss Fieldmouse (Carol Channing), who tells her that Cornelius fell into the ice and was frozen. She'd rather Thumbelina wed the rather cynical Mr. Mole (John Hurt). Thumbelina almost does...before spring finally comes back, and she remember who she really loves.
The Animation: Don Bluth tried very hard to go full-on fairy tale with this one...and for all the movie's other problems, the animation isn't bad. While I wish the colors had been a little less muted, especially early in the film, the character movements and expressions are pretty well-done, and the backgrounds are lush and detailed. The first "Let Me Be Your Wings" duet where Cornelius and Thumbelina first meet has some especially nice effects.
The Song and Dance: This has one of the most interesting and unique casts in the Bluth filmography. Channing and Cook were mainly stage performers and rarely turned up on film, making this a unusual record of their talents. Hurt isn't too bad as the Mole, and Gottfried is actually a bit subdued for him as the obnoxious beetle who fancies himself a sophisticate. And at the very least, the movie does stick a bit closer to the original Hans Christian Anderson story than The Little Mermaid and Frozen did.
Favorite Number: "Let Me Be Your Wings" is the best of a bland lot, particularly in that soaring duet in the beginning. "Soon," first performed by Thumbelina, then later by her mother after she thinks she's lost her daughter, isn't too horrible.
What I Don't Like: No wonder this was a huge flop in 1994. The other songs are either bland or obnoxious, and almost all of the characters are either dull, cutesy, or annoying. The dialogue is ridiculously cliched and over-the-top, even for an animated fairy tale. Thumbelina and Cornelius falling in love at first sight comes off as more silly than romantic, especially after Frozen and other recent movies have deconstructed that trope. And why on earth do we start off in Paris, instead of right at the old woman's house, or at least somewhere closer to the actual setting of the story?
This is one time I almost wish they hadn't stuck to the original story. Poor Thumbelina gets bounced from toad to beetle to mole with barely a struggle. You have to agree with her when she asks after the toad sequence if anyone wants to ask her how she felt about all this. You also can't help but wonder what she sees in Cornelius, other than he shares her size. We don't really see much of him, and what little we do see of him and the other fairies, including his parents, doesn't really give much of an impression.
The Big Finale: I know there's quite a few young women who grew up watching this on video in the 90's and early 2000's and consider it to be a guilty pleasure. More power to them. I'm afraid it's not one of mine. For very young princesses who'll be able to overlook the boring characters and plot or major fans of the cast or Bluth's other work only.
Home Media: Easily found on most formats, often for under 5 dollars. It's occasionally packaged with Anastasia.
DVD
DVD - 2 Movies set with Anastasia
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Jodi Benson, Gary Imhoff, Gino Conforti, and Joe Lynch
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman
Don Bluth was riding high in the late 80's after the success of An American Tail and The Land Before Time, but his All Dogs Go to Heaven couldn't compete with The Little Mermaid in 1989 and failed at the box office. The Chanticleer story Rock-a-Doodle did even worse four years later. For the rest of the decade, he threw his energies into making animated fantasy musicals on a par with what Disney was doing at the time. We've already seen one, Anastasia. Does this adaptation of another Hans Christian Anderson story reach the same heights, or does it remain earthbound? Let's head to Paris and find out...
The Story: We open in Paris, as Jacquimo the Swallow (Conforti) tells us the story. Thumbelina (Benson) appears from the center of a flower raised by a lonely old woman (Barbara Cook). The tiny girl loves her mother, but is tired of being made fun of by the barn animals and wishes she could meet other people her size. She gets her wish when the fairy prince Cornelius (Imhoff) overhears her singing and falls head-over-heels for her at first sight. She feels the same way, but the next night, she's kidnapped by the toad Grundel (Lynch) who is a member of a Spanish performing troupe with his mother (Charo) and brothers. Thumbelina has no desire to join their troupe or marry Grundel, Jacquimo finally helps her get away and encourages her to return home.
Meanwhile, Cornelius is also determined to find her, with the help of a few bug friends of Jacquimo's. He tells his parents at the Vale of the Fairies to try to hold off the winter as long as they can. Thumbelina spends most of the rest of the fall and winter bouncing from animal to animal. A beetle (Gilbert Gottfried) brings her to his ball, only for the rest of his kind to denounce her as ugly and turn her away. She ends up with Miss Fieldmouse (Carol Channing), who tells her that Cornelius fell into the ice and was frozen. She'd rather Thumbelina wed the rather cynical Mr. Mole (John Hurt). Thumbelina almost does...before spring finally comes back, and she remember who she really loves.
The Animation: Don Bluth tried very hard to go full-on fairy tale with this one...and for all the movie's other problems, the animation isn't bad. While I wish the colors had been a little less muted, especially early in the film, the character movements and expressions are pretty well-done, and the backgrounds are lush and detailed. The first "Let Me Be Your Wings" duet where Cornelius and Thumbelina first meet has some especially nice effects.
The Song and Dance: This has one of the most interesting and unique casts in the Bluth filmography. Channing and Cook were mainly stage performers and rarely turned up on film, making this a unusual record of their talents. Hurt isn't too bad as the Mole, and Gottfried is actually a bit subdued for him as the obnoxious beetle who fancies himself a sophisticate. And at the very least, the movie does stick a bit closer to the original Hans Christian Anderson story than The Little Mermaid and Frozen did.
Favorite Number: "Let Me Be Your Wings" is the best of a bland lot, particularly in that soaring duet in the beginning. "Soon," first performed by Thumbelina, then later by her mother after she thinks she's lost her daughter, isn't too horrible.
What I Don't Like: No wonder this was a huge flop in 1994. The other songs are either bland or obnoxious, and almost all of the characters are either dull, cutesy, or annoying. The dialogue is ridiculously cliched and over-the-top, even for an animated fairy tale. Thumbelina and Cornelius falling in love at first sight comes off as more silly than romantic, especially after Frozen and other recent movies have deconstructed that trope. And why on earth do we start off in Paris, instead of right at the old woman's house, or at least somewhere closer to the actual setting of the story?
This is one time I almost wish they hadn't stuck to the original story. Poor Thumbelina gets bounced from toad to beetle to mole with barely a struggle. You have to agree with her when she asks after the toad sequence if anyone wants to ask her how she felt about all this. You also can't help but wonder what she sees in Cornelius, other than he shares her size. We don't really see much of him, and what little we do see of him and the other fairies, including his parents, doesn't really give much of an impression.
The Big Finale: I know there's quite a few young women who grew up watching this on video in the 90's and early 2000's and consider it to be a guilty pleasure. More power to them. I'm afraid it's not one of mine. For very young princesses who'll be able to overlook the boring characters and plot or major fans of the cast or Bluth's other work only.
Home Media: Easily found on most formats, often for under 5 dollars. It's occasionally packaged with Anastasia.
DVD
DVD - 2 Movies set with Anastasia
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Bohemian Rhapsody
20th Century Fox, 2018
Starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, and Ben Hardy
Directed by Bryan Singer
Music and Lyrics by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Queen
Our second rock musical of the week is last year's biography of Freddie Mercury, the dynamic lead singer of the 70's-80's hard rock band Queen. I've been a fan of theirs since I first heard the title song in the early 90's. Does the movie live up to their legendary and ferocious on-stage presence? Let's head to a pub in London in 1970, where rock history is about to be made, and find out...
The Story: Indian refugee Farrokah "Freddie" Bulsara (Malek) spends his nights in a pub in London, listening to the band Smile. He befriends Brian May (Lee) and groupie Mary Austin (Boynton), then offers to join the group when their original singer quits. Impressed by his vocal prowess, they agree to let him in. He pushes the group to bigger and better things, selling their touring van to record their debut album. When their sound engineer Roy Thomas Baker (Tim Plester) gives a representative from EMI Records their demos, he offers to sign them for a contract with agent John Reid (Aidan Gillien). They do have a hit with "Killer Queen" (which gives the band its name), but ultimately leave EMI when they refuse to release the 6-minute epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single. Freddie manages to get it on the radio anyway, where it becomes one of their biggest hits.
While Queen continues as one of the biggest rock bands of the disco-saturated late 70's, all is not well with Mercury. Having privately come out as homosexual, he amiably breaks up with Mary and begins a relationship with his personal manager Paul Prenter (Allen Leech). His is the rock star lifestyle of parties, drugs, and debauchery, and while his performances remain electric, his relationship with the rest of the band is starting to deteriorate. Matters come to a head when he fires John Reid without asking the others and the band does the video for their single "I Want to Break Free" in drag, getting them banned from MTV. He finally does go solo in the early 80's...but realizes how important music, Mary, and his bandmates are when they're offered a gig with Live Aid, a concert to support HIV/AIDS awareness, that Paul refuses to tell him about.
The Song and Dance: Malek studied long and hard to get Mercury's mannerisms down right. It paid off. He's a perfectly swaggering, sexy Mercury, deserving every bit of his Oscar win this past February. Boyton also does well as his understanding girlfriend and long-time best friend Mary. The movie ably recreates some of their finest performances; the Live-Aid concert is so convincing, it makes me wish I wasn't 6 years old at the time and had actually been able to see it for real.
Favorite Number: "Killer Queen" in particular is fabulous; they must have knocked the British kids' socks off on the BBC's music show Tops of the Pops. It's really neat to see how "Bohemian Rhapsody" came about, and "I Want to Break Free" is campy fun. Heck, the movie is worth seeing just to catch the amazing 4-song Live Aid concert at the end; Malek is on fire, and the performances are incredible.
What I Don't Like: Most critics have complained loudly about the historical inaccuracies. Mercury had known members of the band before he met them at the pub, and he'd mentioned joining before then. The EMI executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers) who turned down "Bohemian Rhapsody" is based after Ray Featherstone, and he did like the band. Mercury didn't meet Mary at a pub the same night he met the band, and many details of his relationships with her, Paul, and his later boyfriend Jim Hutton (Aaron McCuster) are glossed over. He didn't find out that he had AIDS until probably around 1986, well after Live Aid. The band never broke up as depicted, and May and Taylor released solo albums long before Mercury did.
Actually, the movie's biggest problem is it's a mess of cliches that aren't that far removed from Lillian Russell and Look for the Silver Lining. Pretty much every biographical trope you can think of is here, from how the band meets to Mercury's drug-fueled out with the group to their triumphant return. Not to mention, Malek is so good in his role, everyone else - including his band mates - pretty much pale besides him.
The Big Finale: For all the critics' carping, enough Queen fans came out to make this one of the biggest hits of 2018...and yeah, I mostly enjoyed it too. If you love Queen and their music or want to see Malek's Oscar-winning turn as one of British rock's great characters, you'll want to grab a guitar and give this one a look.
Home Media: As one of the biggest hits of 2018 about a hugely popular rock group, it goes without saying that this one is easily found in all formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
4K
Amazon Prime
Starring Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, and Ben Hardy
Directed by Bryan Singer
Music and Lyrics by Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and Queen
Our second rock musical of the week is last year's biography of Freddie Mercury, the dynamic lead singer of the 70's-80's hard rock band Queen. I've been a fan of theirs since I first heard the title song in the early 90's. Does the movie live up to their legendary and ferocious on-stage presence? Let's head to a pub in London in 1970, where rock history is about to be made, and find out...
The Story: Indian refugee Farrokah "Freddie" Bulsara (Malek) spends his nights in a pub in London, listening to the band Smile. He befriends Brian May (Lee) and groupie Mary Austin (Boynton), then offers to join the group when their original singer quits. Impressed by his vocal prowess, they agree to let him in. He pushes the group to bigger and better things, selling their touring van to record their debut album. When their sound engineer Roy Thomas Baker (Tim Plester) gives a representative from EMI Records their demos, he offers to sign them for a contract with agent John Reid (Aidan Gillien). They do have a hit with "Killer Queen" (which gives the band its name), but ultimately leave EMI when they refuse to release the 6-minute epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single. Freddie manages to get it on the radio anyway, where it becomes one of their biggest hits.
While Queen continues as one of the biggest rock bands of the disco-saturated late 70's, all is not well with Mercury. Having privately come out as homosexual, he amiably breaks up with Mary and begins a relationship with his personal manager Paul Prenter (Allen Leech). His is the rock star lifestyle of parties, drugs, and debauchery, and while his performances remain electric, his relationship with the rest of the band is starting to deteriorate. Matters come to a head when he fires John Reid without asking the others and the band does the video for their single "I Want to Break Free" in drag, getting them banned from MTV. He finally does go solo in the early 80's...but realizes how important music, Mary, and his bandmates are when they're offered a gig with Live Aid, a concert to support HIV/AIDS awareness, that Paul refuses to tell him about.
The Song and Dance: Malek studied long and hard to get Mercury's mannerisms down right. It paid off. He's a perfectly swaggering, sexy Mercury, deserving every bit of his Oscar win this past February. Boyton also does well as his understanding girlfriend and long-time best friend Mary. The movie ably recreates some of their finest performances; the Live-Aid concert is so convincing, it makes me wish I wasn't 6 years old at the time and had actually been able to see it for real.
Favorite Number: "Killer Queen" in particular is fabulous; they must have knocked the British kids' socks off on the BBC's music show Tops of the Pops. It's really neat to see how "Bohemian Rhapsody" came about, and "I Want to Break Free" is campy fun. Heck, the movie is worth seeing just to catch the amazing 4-song Live Aid concert at the end; Malek is on fire, and the performances are incredible.
What I Don't Like: Most critics have complained loudly about the historical inaccuracies. Mercury had known members of the band before he met them at the pub, and he'd mentioned joining before then. The EMI executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers) who turned down "Bohemian Rhapsody" is based after Ray Featherstone, and he did like the band. Mercury didn't meet Mary at a pub the same night he met the band, and many details of his relationships with her, Paul, and his later boyfriend Jim Hutton (Aaron McCuster) are glossed over. He didn't find out that he had AIDS until probably around 1986, well after Live Aid. The band never broke up as depicted, and May and Taylor released solo albums long before Mercury did.
Actually, the movie's biggest problem is it's a mess of cliches that aren't that far removed from Lillian Russell and Look for the Silver Lining. Pretty much every biographical trope you can think of is here, from how the band meets to Mercury's drug-fueled out with the group to their triumphant return. Not to mention, Malek is so good in his role, everyone else - including his band mates - pretty much pale besides him.
The Big Finale: For all the critics' carping, enough Queen fans came out to make this one of the biggest hits of 2018...and yeah, I mostly enjoyed it too. If you love Queen and their music or want to see Malek's Oscar-winning turn as one of British rock's great characters, you'll want to grab a guitar and give this one a look.
Home Media: As one of the biggest hits of 2018 about a hugely popular rock group, it goes without saying that this one is easily found in all formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
4K
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Cult Flops - Streets of Fire
Universal, 1984
Starring Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Amy Madigan, and Rick Moranis
Directed by Walter Hill
Music and Lyrics by Jim Steinman, Ry Cooder, and others
I found the soundtrack to this movie at a yard sale about eight years ago and fell in love with the epic-hard rock-meets-rockabilly sound right away. I can't believe I never heard of this movie as a child in the 1980's. Apparently, it was a massive flop then, despite one of its songs, "I Can Dream About You," becoming a top 10 hit. It did better overseas, especially in Japan, and eventually became something of a cult favorite in the US as well. How does this influential "rock & roll fable" sound over 30 years later? Let's take a 50's Cadillac to a city in "another place, another time" and find out...
The Story: Singer Ellen Aim (Lane) of rock group Ellen Aim and the Attackers, is kidnapped by nasty biker Raven Shaddock (William Dafoe) and his biker group the Bombers. Her best friend Reva Cody (Deborah Van Valkenburgh) convinces her brother Tom (Pare), a war veteran and Ellen's ex-boyfriend, to go after her. He's joined by McCoy (Madigan), a tough female mechanic who knows her way around a gun and a fight. Tom does eventually agree to go after Ellen, but only if he's paid by her current boyfriend Billy Fish (Moranis). Even after they do manage to rescue Ellen, Shaddock and the Bombers are still on their tail...and Tom may still have feelings for Ellen.
The Song and Dance: This may be one of the most 80's movies in existence. It's a strange blend of 50's rockabilly, 80's Blade Runner neon in the rain, and hard rock...and darned if it doesn't work. This movie is the definition of "cool." It oozes it from every dark-shadowy street and exploding car. It reminds me so much of video games from the mid-80's like Kung Fu and Double Dragon that had a muscular protagonist in a stylized world rescuing his girlfriend from mooks. Moranis and Madigan steal the movie as Ellen's loud-mouthed manager and the tomboy mechanic who can out-drink and out-swear the men hands down. Defoe makes for creepy biker villain as well.
Favorite Number: Ironically, "I Can Dream About You" may actually be one of the lesser numbers from the film. While it does work with Tom's heartbreak at the end, it's also jarringly pop-ish compared to the darker songs in the rest of the score. My favorites are the epic rockers in the opening and closing concert sequences, "Nowhere Fast" and "Tonight Was Made for the Young." There's also a nice ballad towards the end, "Sorcerer."
Trivia: The role of McCoy was originally written for a man, but Amy Madigan's audition was so impressive, they gave her the part anyway.
"Tonight Is What It Means to Be Young" would be re-written for Steinman's German musical Tanz Der Vampires (Dance of the Vampires in the US) as the title song.
Steinman wrote "Means to Be Young" in two days, after the rights to use Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Fire" fell through.
The movie was a far bigger hit overseas, especially in Japan. It's inspired several equally-hard-nosed anime, notably Bubblegum Crisis.
What I Don't Like: This is definitely a movie where it's style over substance. It's all hard-edged wisecracks, explosions, neon, and longing glances in the rain. I suspect a lot of people, especially critics, didn't know what to make of it at the time. Some misogynistic overtones and Pare and Lane's fairly dull performances don't help. If you don't love hard rock, the mid-80s neon aesthetic, or prefer your musicals to be more traditional or romantic, this isn't for you.
The Big Finale: Action musicals are a rare breed; if you're a fan of Steinman's style of epic rock, the action movies of the time, or the cast, it's absolutely worth a look.
Home Media: Its cult following has assured that it's available in all formats, including many streaming companies.
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