Rankin-Bass, 1976
Voices of Billie Mae Richards, Red Skelton, Harold Peary, and Morey Amsterdam
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Johnny Marks; Lyrics by Maury Laws
Our final review of 2019 returns us to the Rankin-Bass well one more time for the second special revolving around Rudolph's adventures. How does Rudolph's busy New Year's look nowadays? Let's return to the North Pole just as Santa receives an all-important letter to find out...
The Story: A week before New Year's Eve, Santa (Paul Frees) gets a message from Father Time (Skelton) requesting that Rudolph come to his castle, just beyond the Sands of Time. He wants him to find the Baby New Year, Happy, who ran away after the castle staff laughed at his big ears. If he can't find Happy, the diamond won't drop to signify the end of the year, and time will stand still. The massive monster bird Eon the Terrible (Frees) also wants Happy to keep from dying at the end of the year. With the help of Big Ben the clock-toting whale (Peary), Rudolph travels to the Archipelago of Last Years, a series of islands where each of the old years lives, to find the baby and make sure that he's back in time for the diamond to drop and the year to begin.
The Animation: Somewhat similar to Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July, only here, Rudolph is depicted as a younger reindeer with smaller antlers and looks closer to the original design. There's some awfully cute designs here, too, especially Happy and the Three Little Pigs and Baby Bear at the fairy tale island. Some of the backgrounds are nice as well, especially in the fairy tale land and 4th of July segment. We also get a glimpse of Rankin-Bass' 2D animation style in the brief "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" number.
The Song and Dance: This used to run fairly frequently on cable during the Christmas season when I was a child, and I have some very fond memories of it. My favorite character by far here is Big Ben, voiced by a warm and witty Harold Peary. He has some of the best lines, including when Rudolph is first riding in his mouth after they meet. I'm also very fond of bubbly OM, aka One Million, the oldest Father Time, voiced by Morey Amsterdam. (And Baby Bear is sooo cuddly and cute! I want a stuffed Baby Bear!)
Favorite Number: "Turn Back the Years" takes Rudolph and Big Ben to the Archipelago as Rudy reminisces about the past and keeps a red glowing vigilance through the fog. OM gets a big number amid the (anachronistic) dinosaurs and colorful plant life on his island, "It's Raining Sunshine." "What a Wonderful World We Live In" introduces the fairy tale island home of Father Time 1023 with a series of famous nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters...and everyone, from the Three Little Pigs to Miss Muffet and her tuffet to Cinderella and her prince, haven't seen Happy.
My favorite song from this one is the touching "The Moving Finger Writes." Father Time explains the passing of time...and the importance of memories and remembering...in this simple and moving song. Not only is the song the best in the special, but the number just has the Baby New Year going from month to month, growing older and wiser with each change of season. It's a sweet and lovely sentiment, especially for New Year.
What I Don't Like: While not as strange as Christmas In July, this is definitely one of the weirder Rankin-Bass specials. The sequences with the fairy tale and colonial islands are pretty much filler and exist to give Skelton more to do and for Rankin-Bass to squeak in another holiday, respectively.
The Big Finale: I'll admit, this is a guilty pleasure of mine. Even if you didn't grow up with it, it's worth running as background at your New Year's Eve party due to the cast and some good songs.
Home Media: It was originally released on DVD as a triple-feature with The Year Without a Santa Claus and Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, which is what I have. Alas, that DVD is now out of print. Your best bet would be streaming.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Family Fun Saturday - Newsies
Disney, 1992
Starring Christian Bale, David Moscow, Bill Pullman, and Robert Duvall
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Jack Feldman
This is a childhood favorite of mine. It debuted just as I began to develop an interest in musicals and their history, as well as the history of film and the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It eventually picked up a rather large fandom of teen girls who admired the music, dances, and cast of handsome young men. Were they right, or should we stop the presses on this unusual story? Let's head to a home for New York newsboys, just as they're getting ready to go on their daily rounds, and find out...
The Story: Jack Kelly (Bale) is the group's unofficial leader and one of the older boys. He and the other boys hawk "papes" for the World, owned by media magnate Joseph Pulitzer (Duvall). One day in July 1899, Jack takes two new "newsies" under his wing. David (Moscow) and Les (Luke Edwards) come from a loving family and are trying to make money after their father his hurt in an accident.
In an attempt to raise revenue and cut costs, Pulitzer and his board of directors increase the amount that the Newsies spend to buy their papers. Inspired by a trolley strike and David mentioning that his father was fired because he had no union to back him, Jack encourages a work stoppage. The story attracts the attention of Bryan Denton (Pullman), a journalist on the lookout for a unique story, and Snyder (Kevin Tigne), the head of the "Refuge," an abusive boys home that Jack escaped from. Now the boys have to stay in the papers...and show Pulitzer and all of the newspaper barons in New York that even the smallest voice can make the biggest difference.
The Song and Dance: And "dance" is the operative word. The movie is probably best known for its energetic and creative ensemble numbers by Kenny Ortega, many of which foreshadow another Disney film he did featuring talented young performers in massive ensembles, High School Musical. Bale shows much of the charisma he would later display in the Christopher Nolan Batman films and many indie dramas as the head of the strike who thinks he doesn't need anything but his dreams, and Moscow wasn't bad as the straight-laced David, who learns to loosen up as he slowly befriends Jack and the "newsies." The other boys were also a lot of fun to watch, especially Aaron Mohr as Mush and dapper Gabriel Damon as head Brookyn Newsie Spot Conlon.
Extra kudos for the awesome sets that ably recreate the grimy New York of the late 19th century. I suspect most of the backgrounds were probably done with early CGI, but they still look good, even today.
Favorite Number: The opening version of "Carrying the Banner" sets the tone, with the boys showing off their daily routine as they dance their way through waking up, washing, getting their breakfast, and picking up papers. "The World Will Know" is Jack encouraging the others, especially David, to start striking. David performs "Seize the Day" as the other Newsies prepare to destroy the newspapers and get the "scabbers" (strikebreakers) to stop selling. Bale's heartfelt "Santa Fe" has him explaining how badly he wants to move out west; it includes some terrific cowboy moves, and even a ride on a horse.
My favorite song and number from this one has always been "King of New York." Not only is the song the film's best, but the boys really go to town with it, tap dancing on table tops and even taking a ride on a ceiling fan in the end. They're obviously having a great time, and it's just such a blast to watch.
Trivia: This was originally intended to be a drama, but the positive response to the animated musicals Disney put out in the early 90's prompted executives to make it a full live-action musical.
The film was a huge flop at the box office in 1992, but it went on to pick up a substantial fan base of musical nuts and teen girls who ogled the attractive cast when it was released on video and cable. It became so popular, Disney adapted it as a stage musical in 2011. With a revised story and more songs, it debuted on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater and ran for two years, becoming the surprise smash of 2012. After the tour ended, the production was filmed and saw a limited release in theaters and a wider one online.
What I Don't Like: Most of the adult characters besides Denton and Ann Margaret's chanteuse feel like afterthoughts. Duvall is an appropriately gruff Pulitzer, but he really doesn't have much to do after raising the Newsies' prices. The villains don't even have a song. The movie is a lot less fun in the second half, when Jack's story and the melodrama take over. David and Les' pretty sister Sarah is nothing more than a bland love interest for Jack until the third act, when she helps the boys and Denton send the word about the strike to all the working kids in New York.
And if you know anything about the real newsboys' strike, you'll realize that the end is a bit prettied up for a sweet, happy finale. The boys did get their paper decrease, but very little else changed...or would change in their working conditions or in the lives of child laborers for at least another 20 years.
The Big Finale: The critics then and now don't seem to know what to make of this one...and I have never understood why. With it's "underdogs against the corporation" theme and dynamic dance routines, I suspect it was just ahead of its time. This is still highly recommended, especially if you have teen girls of your own who may love the music and cast.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but the Blu-Ray can be found for under 10 dollars, and it's on many streaming services. (I watched it on Disney Plus.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Christian Bale, David Moscow, Bill Pullman, and Robert Duvall
Directed by Kenny Ortega
Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Jack Feldman
This is a childhood favorite of mine. It debuted just as I began to develop an interest in musicals and their history, as well as the history of film and the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It eventually picked up a rather large fandom of teen girls who admired the music, dances, and cast of handsome young men. Were they right, or should we stop the presses on this unusual story? Let's head to a home for New York newsboys, just as they're getting ready to go on their daily rounds, and find out...
The Story: Jack Kelly (Bale) is the group's unofficial leader and one of the older boys. He and the other boys hawk "papes" for the World, owned by media magnate Joseph Pulitzer (Duvall). One day in July 1899, Jack takes two new "newsies" under his wing. David (Moscow) and Les (Luke Edwards) come from a loving family and are trying to make money after their father his hurt in an accident.
In an attempt to raise revenue and cut costs, Pulitzer and his board of directors increase the amount that the Newsies spend to buy their papers. Inspired by a trolley strike and David mentioning that his father was fired because he had no union to back him, Jack encourages a work stoppage. The story attracts the attention of Bryan Denton (Pullman), a journalist on the lookout for a unique story, and Snyder (Kevin Tigne), the head of the "Refuge," an abusive boys home that Jack escaped from. Now the boys have to stay in the papers...and show Pulitzer and all of the newspaper barons in New York that even the smallest voice can make the biggest difference.
The Song and Dance: And "dance" is the operative word. The movie is probably best known for its energetic and creative ensemble numbers by Kenny Ortega, many of which foreshadow another Disney film he did featuring talented young performers in massive ensembles, High School Musical. Bale shows much of the charisma he would later display in the Christopher Nolan Batman films and many indie dramas as the head of the strike who thinks he doesn't need anything but his dreams, and Moscow wasn't bad as the straight-laced David, who learns to loosen up as he slowly befriends Jack and the "newsies." The other boys were also a lot of fun to watch, especially Aaron Mohr as Mush and dapper Gabriel Damon as head Brookyn Newsie Spot Conlon.
Extra kudos for the awesome sets that ably recreate the grimy New York of the late 19th century. I suspect most of the backgrounds were probably done with early CGI, but they still look good, even today.
Favorite Number: The opening version of "Carrying the Banner" sets the tone, with the boys showing off their daily routine as they dance their way through waking up, washing, getting their breakfast, and picking up papers. "The World Will Know" is Jack encouraging the others, especially David, to start striking. David performs "Seize the Day" as the other Newsies prepare to destroy the newspapers and get the "scabbers" (strikebreakers) to stop selling. Bale's heartfelt "Santa Fe" has him explaining how badly he wants to move out west; it includes some terrific cowboy moves, and even a ride on a horse.
My favorite song and number from this one has always been "King of New York." Not only is the song the film's best, but the boys really go to town with it, tap dancing on table tops and even taking a ride on a ceiling fan in the end. They're obviously having a great time, and it's just such a blast to watch.
Trivia: This was originally intended to be a drama, but the positive response to the animated musicals Disney put out in the early 90's prompted executives to make it a full live-action musical.
The film was a huge flop at the box office in 1992, but it went on to pick up a substantial fan base of musical nuts and teen girls who ogled the attractive cast when it was released on video and cable. It became so popular, Disney adapted it as a stage musical in 2011. With a revised story and more songs, it debuted on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater and ran for two years, becoming the surprise smash of 2012. After the tour ended, the production was filmed and saw a limited release in theaters and a wider one online.
What I Don't Like: Most of the adult characters besides Denton and Ann Margaret's chanteuse feel like afterthoughts. Duvall is an appropriately gruff Pulitzer, but he really doesn't have much to do after raising the Newsies' prices. The villains don't even have a song. The movie is a lot less fun in the second half, when Jack's story and the melodrama take over. David and Les' pretty sister Sarah is nothing more than a bland love interest for Jack until the third act, when she helps the boys and Denton send the word about the strike to all the working kids in New York.
And if you know anything about the real newsboys' strike, you'll realize that the end is a bit prettied up for a sweet, happy finale. The boys did get their paper decrease, but very little else changed...or would change in their working conditions or in the lives of child laborers for at least another 20 years.
The Big Finale: The critics then and now don't seem to know what to make of this one...and I have never understood why. With it's "underdogs against the corporation" theme and dynamic dance routines, I suspect it was just ahead of its time. This is still highly recommended, especially if you have teen girls of your own who may love the music and cast.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, but the Blu-Ray can be found for under 10 dollars, and it's on many streaming services. (I watched it on Disney Plus.)
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Blue Skies
Paramount, 1946
Starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulifield, and Billy De Wolfe
Directed by Stuart Heisler
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Holiday Inn was a huge hit in 1943, and this one was even bigger, in fact the biggest blockbuster of 1946. It continued Crosby's winning streak and was to have been Astaire's swan song before his retirement. Is the movie "nothing but blue skies from now on," or do gray clouds rain on this Technicolor extravaganza? Let's head to a radio station, where Jed Potter (Astaire) is about to tell the story of his life, and find out...
The Story: Potter was once and up-and-coming hoofer in New York in 1919 who pursued pretty Mary O'Hara (Caulifield) while they were appearing in a show together. He took her to a nightclub owned by his former vaudeville partner Johnny Adams (Crosby). Johnny has a habit of buying one club he claims he adores, then selling it and buying another one elsewhere when he gets a better idea. Mary falls for Johnny, but he's not much for commitment, and she's looking for security. They eventually get married, but he keeps moving her around to bigger and better clubs. Fed up with his inability to stay in one place, she returns to Jeb...but ends up leaving again, causing him to turn to liquor. After an accident leaves Mary blaming herself and she flees, will either man ever see her again?
The Song and Dance: The first half is pretty fluffy, with Caulifield being pursued by both men. It's the second half where the story takes a surprisingly dark turn for a musical from this time, with it's fairly frank talk of divorce and the accident that ends Jeb's career. It gives this story a slight edge that even Holiday Inn lacked. The Technicolor cinematography is also quite good, with glowing colors and lush sets.
Favorite Number: The movie opens with the spectacular girls-on-the-staircase "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." Astaire gets a solo dancing around the ladies in their elaborate gowns, then pulls Caulifield out for a brief duet. Dancer Olga San Juan gets two numbers, the suggestive "You'd Be Surprised" at one of Johnny's clubs and the hotter Hispanic-themed "I'll See You In Cuba" later in another club. Crosby introduces "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" in a simple routine at the club, and does the adorable "(Running Around In Circles) Getting Nowhere" with his daughter (Kathryn Grimes) later. He and Astaire have a lot of fun with their duet recreating Johnny and Jeb's old vaudeville act, "A Couple of Song and Dance Men."
Astaire figures into the film's two biggest - and most famous - numbers. He'd been associated with "Puttin' On the Ritz" for years, and Paramount pulled out all the stops, from him dancing in slow motion to appear older to a dance done with what appears to be a whole chorus of Fred Astaires. "Heat Wave" is the number that ends that accident, with Astaire first dancing with the chorus, then San Juan, in a lush routine that somewhat resembles some of his routines from the more fantasy-oriented Yolanda and the Thief.
Trivia: Dancer Mark Draper was supposed to have been Crosby's partner in this film. His speech impediment and constant criticism of Caulifield's dancing lead to Crosby insisting that he be replaced by Astaire.
Astaire, tired and frustrated with his lack of good roles (like this one), retired after making the film...for two whole years, until he returned to MGM for Easter Parade.
What I Don't Like: Even with the slightly tougher second half, the story here is still pretty fluffy. Those looking for something more substantial will have to go elsewhere. It's supposed to be set in the Roaring Twenties...but you'd never know it from anything but Astaire's narration. The costumes and sets never change and never look like anything besides 1946.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of either leading man, this is worth checking out for the dance routines alone.
Home Media: Currently only available as part of the Universal Vault direct-to-DVD series on Amazon.
DVD
Starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulifield, and Billy De Wolfe
Directed by Stuart Heisler
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Holiday Inn was a huge hit in 1943, and this one was even bigger, in fact the biggest blockbuster of 1946. It continued Crosby's winning streak and was to have been Astaire's swan song before his retirement. Is the movie "nothing but blue skies from now on," or do gray clouds rain on this Technicolor extravaganza? Let's head to a radio station, where Jed Potter (Astaire) is about to tell the story of his life, and find out...
The Story: Potter was once and up-and-coming hoofer in New York in 1919 who pursued pretty Mary O'Hara (Caulifield) while they were appearing in a show together. He took her to a nightclub owned by his former vaudeville partner Johnny Adams (Crosby). Johnny has a habit of buying one club he claims he adores, then selling it and buying another one elsewhere when he gets a better idea. Mary falls for Johnny, but he's not much for commitment, and she's looking for security. They eventually get married, but he keeps moving her around to bigger and better clubs. Fed up with his inability to stay in one place, she returns to Jeb...but ends up leaving again, causing him to turn to liquor. After an accident leaves Mary blaming herself and she flees, will either man ever see her again?
The Song and Dance: The first half is pretty fluffy, with Caulifield being pursued by both men. It's the second half where the story takes a surprisingly dark turn for a musical from this time, with it's fairly frank talk of divorce and the accident that ends Jeb's career. It gives this story a slight edge that even Holiday Inn lacked. The Technicolor cinematography is also quite good, with glowing colors and lush sets.
Favorite Number: The movie opens with the spectacular girls-on-the-staircase "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." Astaire gets a solo dancing around the ladies in their elaborate gowns, then pulls Caulifield out for a brief duet. Dancer Olga San Juan gets two numbers, the suggestive "You'd Be Surprised" at one of Johnny's clubs and the hotter Hispanic-themed "I'll See You In Cuba" later in another club. Crosby introduces "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" in a simple routine at the club, and does the adorable "(Running Around In Circles) Getting Nowhere" with his daughter (Kathryn Grimes) later. He and Astaire have a lot of fun with their duet recreating Johnny and Jeb's old vaudeville act, "A Couple of Song and Dance Men."
Astaire figures into the film's two biggest - and most famous - numbers. He'd been associated with "Puttin' On the Ritz" for years, and Paramount pulled out all the stops, from him dancing in slow motion to appear older to a dance done with what appears to be a whole chorus of Fred Astaires. "Heat Wave" is the number that ends that accident, with Astaire first dancing with the chorus, then San Juan, in a lush routine that somewhat resembles some of his routines from the more fantasy-oriented Yolanda and the Thief.
Trivia: Dancer Mark Draper was supposed to have been Crosby's partner in this film. His speech impediment and constant criticism of Caulifield's dancing lead to Crosby insisting that he be replaced by Astaire.
Astaire, tired and frustrated with his lack of good roles (like this one), retired after making the film...for two whole years, until he returned to MGM for Easter Parade.
What I Don't Like: Even with the slightly tougher second half, the story here is still pretty fluffy. Those looking for something more substantial will have to go elsewhere. It's supposed to be set in the Roaring Twenties...but you'd never know it from anything but Astaire's narration. The costumes and sets never change and never look like anything besides 1946.
The Big Finale: If you're a fan of either leading man, this is worth checking out for the dance routines alone.
Home Media: Currently only available as part of the Universal Vault direct-to-DVD series on Amazon.
DVD
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Christmas Eve Double Feature - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas & The Year Without a Santa Claus
Rudolph and Frosty are the most famous characters to come out of the Rankin-Bass holiday specials, but they're far from the only ones. We celebrate Christmas Eve with two of my favorites from the company, a retelling of the classic poem and a unique story about how Santa decided he wanted to take a holiday season off. Are they worthy of gracing your home during the holidays? Let's head to the town of Junctionville just in time for the mail to arrive and find out...
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Rankin-Bass, 1974
Voices of George Gobel, Joel Gray, Tammy Grimes, and John McGiver
Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: Everyone in Junctionville - mouse and human - is stunned when Santa sends back their letters unopened. Turns out a brainy little mouse named Albert (Grimes) sent him a letter claiming he's fake and signed it "all of us," which Santa took to mean the whole town. Clock maker Joshua Trumble (Gray) tells the verbose mayor (McGiver) that he'll make a clock that, when chiming midnight, will play a song that will convince Santa that the townspeople still love him. Curious Albert went exploring in the clock...and damaged it so badly, it breaks down in front of the whole town. Now no one will hire Trumble, and the family is starving. Feeling guilty, Albert goes to the clock to make amends and assure everyone that Santa will arrive on schedule.
The Animation: This is one of Rankin-Bass' specials done in regular 2D animation...and if the rounded, wide-eyed character designs look familiar to humor lovers, they were done by Paul Coker Jr. He's best-known today for his artwork for MAD Magazine, including creating its cover character Alfred J. Newman. Santa looks very different here than he does in other Rankin-Bass shorts, more like the elf mentioned in the poem, and frankly a little odd. Everything else looks better; the mice are rather cute, even Albert, with his giant glasses.
The Song and Dance: Brief but charming, with a couple of nice songs and some decent animation for the time. Grimes and Gobel do especially well as the mouse who may be brilliant, but doesn't understand faith, and his sensible but loving father. McBrayer has some funny moments as the head of the town who can never manage to finish his wordy speeches in the way he intended.
Favorite Number: Father Mouse admonishes his intellectual son to "Give Your Heart a Try" in a charming sequence that has them imagining themselves as fantasy characters or in other holidays. Gray gets the sweet "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" as he assures his family that Christmas will go on as usual, whether Santa comes or not.
What I Don't Like: They could have given Gray more to do. The opening credits claim he's the narrator, and while he does get to introduce "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand," it's the mice who are the really important characters and do the actual narrating.
Did they need to recite the entire original Clement C. Moore poem in the end? It kind of feels like filler and takes up more than a quarter of the special.
The Big Finale: Short and sweet, this is one of the more interesting of the regular animated Rankin-Bass specials. Would make great background on the actual night before Christmas.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only, but it on a deluxe "remastered" edition from Warner Bros.
DVD
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Rankin-Bass, 1974
Voices of Mickey Rooney, Shirley Booth, George S. Irving, and Dick Shawn
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: Santa (Rooney) is not feeling is best. He's tired and achy and wonders if it's still worth going out for Christmas. Mrs. Claus (Booth), hoping to convince him that there's goodwill in the heart of everyone at this time of year, sends two elves down to Earth to find a little Christmas cheer. Thanks to the battling Miser brothers who control the weather, they end up in Southtown, where the citizens haven't seen snow in a hundred years. The adults - including a cop - are offended by their clothes and odd ways, and the kids claim they don't believe in Santa. Santa goes after them and encounters little Ignatius (Colin Duffy) and his parents. Iggy doesn't believe in Santa at first, until his father tells him that he still does.
When their reindeer Vixen is mistaken for a dog and ends up in the pound, the elves and Iggy tell the town mayor (Ron Marshall) their story. He won't release her until they can make it snow in super-hot Southtown...and they can't make it snow until they get the Heat Miser (Irving) and Snow Miser (Shawn) to compromise for a few minutes. Even after that, it takes a heartfelt act by all the children of the world to prove to Santa that he's really, truly needed.
The Animation: We switch to stop-motion animation for this one...but even this shows Coker's hand, with rounder, wide-eyed figures, larger noses, and more exaggerated features than earlier Rankin-Bass shorts. The best work by far is in the Miser Brothers' numbers, as we see just how different from - and similar to - each other the weather-based pair are.
The Song and Dance: My personal favorite Rankin-Bass special. This is definitely one of the more unique holiday programs in the annals of television...and you won't see anyone like the Miser Brothers in any other show. Booth is adorable as Mrs. Claus, especially when she's dealing with the Misers and their refusal to give in to each other. The elves get some hilarious lines - they're a riot when they're trying to blend in while down in Southtown - and Mother Nature's brief appearance is hysterical.
Favorite Number: Mrs. Claus' first idea after Santa claims he's too sick to go out is to dress as her husband, and she reveals her obvious glee at the idea in "Anyone Can Be Santa." Santa and Iggy's father explain about the importance of faith and believing in Santa and the Christmas spirit in "I Believe In Santa Claus." A touching "Blue Christmas" towards the end, performed by one of the children who is missing him badly, is sweet enough to convince Santa to change his mind.
Of course, the most famous songs from this one are the Miser Brothers' numbers. They're done as old-fashioned cane-and-hat vaudeville turns, with mini-versions of each brother dancing along as they sing about their respective temperatures and why they love what they do. It's funny, it's well-done, and the song is so good, it got a hit recording by neo-swing group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Trivia: There was a live-action, feature-length TV remake in 2006 with Michael McKean as Snow Miser and Harvey Firnstein as Heat Miser, and an animated sequel, A Miser Brothers Christmas, in 2008.
What I Don't Like: Considering how much she got into that "Anyone Can Be Santa" song, I'm surprised they didn't pursue Mrs. Claus' attempts to dress as her husband further. Those two elves are not the most reliable judges of character.
I wish the tone had been more consistent. They sort of oddly switch gears about mid-way through, from convincing Santa to not take his holiday, to getting the kids to let him take one.
The Big Finale: One of the more unusual Rankin-Bass specials is worth the look if you love the cast or stories about Santa.
Home Media: Another Warner Bros-owned Rankin-Bass special with a remastered deluxe edition.
DVD
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Rankin-Bass, 1974
Voices of George Gobel, Joel Gray, Tammy Grimes, and John McGiver
Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: Everyone in Junctionville - mouse and human - is stunned when Santa sends back their letters unopened. Turns out a brainy little mouse named Albert (Grimes) sent him a letter claiming he's fake and signed it "all of us," which Santa took to mean the whole town. Clock maker Joshua Trumble (Gray) tells the verbose mayor (McGiver) that he'll make a clock that, when chiming midnight, will play a song that will convince Santa that the townspeople still love him. Curious Albert went exploring in the clock...and damaged it so badly, it breaks down in front of the whole town. Now no one will hire Trumble, and the family is starving. Feeling guilty, Albert goes to the clock to make amends and assure everyone that Santa will arrive on schedule.
The Animation: This is one of Rankin-Bass' specials done in regular 2D animation...and if the rounded, wide-eyed character designs look familiar to humor lovers, they were done by Paul Coker Jr. He's best-known today for his artwork for MAD Magazine, including creating its cover character Alfred J. Newman. Santa looks very different here than he does in other Rankin-Bass shorts, more like the elf mentioned in the poem, and frankly a little odd. Everything else looks better; the mice are rather cute, even Albert, with his giant glasses.
The Song and Dance: Brief but charming, with a couple of nice songs and some decent animation for the time. Grimes and Gobel do especially well as the mouse who may be brilliant, but doesn't understand faith, and his sensible but loving father. McBrayer has some funny moments as the head of the town who can never manage to finish his wordy speeches in the way he intended.
Favorite Number: Father Mouse admonishes his intellectual son to "Give Your Heart a Try" in a charming sequence that has them imagining themselves as fantasy characters or in other holidays. Gray gets the sweet "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" as he assures his family that Christmas will go on as usual, whether Santa comes or not.
What I Don't Like: They could have given Gray more to do. The opening credits claim he's the narrator, and while he does get to introduce "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand," it's the mice who are the really important characters and do the actual narrating.
Did they need to recite the entire original Clement C. Moore poem in the end? It kind of feels like filler and takes up more than a quarter of the special.
The Big Finale: Short and sweet, this is one of the more interesting of the regular animated Rankin-Bass specials. Would make great background on the actual night before Christmas.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only, but it on a deluxe "remastered" edition from Warner Bros.
DVD
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Rankin-Bass, 1974
Voices of Mickey Rooney, Shirley Booth, George S. Irving, and Dick Shawn
Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass
The Story: Santa (Rooney) is not feeling is best. He's tired and achy and wonders if it's still worth going out for Christmas. Mrs. Claus (Booth), hoping to convince him that there's goodwill in the heart of everyone at this time of year, sends two elves down to Earth to find a little Christmas cheer. Thanks to the battling Miser brothers who control the weather, they end up in Southtown, where the citizens haven't seen snow in a hundred years. The adults - including a cop - are offended by their clothes and odd ways, and the kids claim they don't believe in Santa. Santa goes after them and encounters little Ignatius (Colin Duffy) and his parents. Iggy doesn't believe in Santa at first, until his father tells him that he still does.
When their reindeer Vixen is mistaken for a dog and ends up in the pound, the elves and Iggy tell the town mayor (Ron Marshall) their story. He won't release her until they can make it snow in super-hot Southtown...and they can't make it snow until they get the Heat Miser (Irving) and Snow Miser (Shawn) to compromise for a few minutes. Even after that, it takes a heartfelt act by all the children of the world to prove to Santa that he's really, truly needed.
The Animation: We switch to stop-motion animation for this one...but even this shows Coker's hand, with rounder, wide-eyed figures, larger noses, and more exaggerated features than earlier Rankin-Bass shorts. The best work by far is in the Miser Brothers' numbers, as we see just how different from - and similar to - each other the weather-based pair are.
The Song and Dance: My personal favorite Rankin-Bass special. This is definitely one of the more unique holiday programs in the annals of television...and you won't see anyone like the Miser Brothers in any other show. Booth is adorable as Mrs. Claus, especially when she's dealing with the Misers and their refusal to give in to each other. The elves get some hilarious lines - they're a riot when they're trying to blend in while down in Southtown - and Mother Nature's brief appearance is hysterical.
Favorite Number: Mrs. Claus' first idea after Santa claims he's too sick to go out is to dress as her husband, and she reveals her obvious glee at the idea in "Anyone Can Be Santa." Santa and Iggy's father explain about the importance of faith and believing in Santa and the Christmas spirit in "I Believe In Santa Claus." A touching "Blue Christmas" towards the end, performed by one of the children who is missing him badly, is sweet enough to convince Santa to change his mind.
Of course, the most famous songs from this one are the Miser Brothers' numbers. They're done as old-fashioned cane-and-hat vaudeville turns, with mini-versions of each brother dancing along as they sing about their respective temperatures and why they love what they do. It's funny, it's well-done, and the song is so good, it got a hit recording by neo-swing group Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Trivia: There was a live-action, feature-length TV remake in 2006 with Michael McKean as Snow Miser and Harvey Firnstein as Heat Miser, and an animated sequel, A Miser Brothers Christmas, in 2008.
What I Don't Like: Considering how much she got into that "Anyone Can Be Santa" song, I'm surprised they didn't pursue Mrs. Claus' attempts to dress as her husband further. Those two elves are not the most reliable judges of character.
I wish the tone had been more consistent. They sort of oddly switch gears about mid-way through, from convincing Santa to not take his holiday, to getting the kids to let him take one.
The Big Finale: One of the more unusual Rankin-Bass specials is worth the look if you love the cast or stories about Santa.
Home Media: Another Warner Bros-owned Rankin-Bass special with a remastered deluxe edition.
DVD
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
NBC/UPA, 1962
Voices of Jim Backus, Joan Gardner, Jack Cassidy, and Morey Amsterdam
Directed by Abe Levitow
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Bob Merrill
This was one of the earliest animated specials made for television, and the first time Merrill and Styne worked together. Mr. Magoo, the goofy blind-as-a-bat old codger, was one of the most popular characters at limited animation specialists UPA during the 1950's. How does he fit into this adaptation of one of the the most beloved pieces of Christmas literature? Let's join Magoo (Backus) as he's making his rather haphazard way to a theater in New York and find out...
The Story: Mr. Magoo plays the Ebeneezer Scrooge role in a Broadway musical version of A Christmas Carol, when he finally manages to get to the theater after a series of mishaps. The curtain does finally come up on Scrooge doing his ledgers in his counting house. He refuses to give any money to two men collecting for the poor, and his clerk Bob Cratchit (Cassidy) has to coax him into closing the office on Christmas Day.
That night, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts, starting with his former partner Jacob Marley (Royal Dano). Marley is weighed down by chains of his sins, showing him other wandering spirits who can no longer aid their fellow man. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Les Tremayne) takes Scrooge to the small but loving dinner of the Cratchit family and their razzleberry dressing-loving son Tiny Tim (Gardner). Youthful Past (Gardner) shows him his childhood as an unloved boy, and how he lost the love of his fiancee Belle (Jane Kean). It takes a spooky Future and watching three pickpockets who steal from the dead to make Scrooge understand the importance of charity...and what his own future holds if he doesn't change.
The Animation: If you've ever seen any of the other UPA cartoons of the 1950's and early 60's, you know what to expect here. The animation is slanted and stylized, all straight lines, geometric shapes, and pastel colors. The movement is fairly limited, but it works with the sharp lines and simple but elegant designs.
The Song and Dance: Mr. Magoo (and Jim Backus) may have been born to play Ebeneezer Scrooge. Backus really throws himself into the role, especially in the past sequence as Scrooge sadly recalls how he lost his Belle, and in the finale when he's begging for his life. He's backed by a great cast that includes Broadway star Cassidy, fellow sitcom ham Amsterdam, and radio favorites Les Tremayne as a booming Ghost of Christmas Present and Gardner as the Ghost of Christmas Past and a sweet Tiny Tim.
Favorite Number: The special kicks off with the dynamic "Back on Broadway," Magoo's opening song as he explains about the play he's in... and his antics actually getting to it. As someone who's been a loner since childhood, Young Scrooge's "Alone In the World" touches a deep chord with me. Cassidy and the Cratchit family get the rousing "We'll Have the Brightest Christmas" as Bob explains that, even if they can't have the holiday of their dreams, they still have each other. Kean introduces the special's sole ballad, the ravishing "Winter Was Warm" for Scrooge's fiancee as she sadly recalls their relationship. The scavengers in the Future segment revel in the ultimate villain song, "We're Despicable."
What I Don't Like: I have no idea why they felt the need to reverse the Past and Present sequences; for some reason, the Present sequence comes first here. (I'm guessing they wanted to put more emphasis on Tim and the Cratchits.) Most TV prints nowadays tend to cut the "Back On Broadway" opening, which loses a great number and the explanation of what's going on with Magoo being in a play.
The Big Finale: This and Mickey's Christmas Carol are my favorite animated versions of this timeless story. Give it a try - even if you're not a fan of Magoo. The music and cast alone are worth checking out.
Home Media: Re-released last year on DVD and Blu-Ray by current owner NBC/Universal. It's also available on several streaming services.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Jim Backus, Joan Gardner, Jack Cassidy, and Morey Amsterdam
Directed by Abe Levitow
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Bob Merrill
This was one of the earliest animated specials made for television, and the first time Merrill and Styne worked together. Mr. Magoo, the goofy blind-as-a-bat old codger, was one of the most popular characters at limited animation specialists UPA during the 1950's. How does he fit into this adaptation of one of the the most beloved pieces of Christmas literature? Let's join Magoo (Backus) as he's making his rather haphazard way to a theater in New York and find out...
The Story: Mr. Magoo plays the Ebeneezer Scrooge role in a Broadway musical version of A Christmas Carol, when he finally manages to get to the theater after a series of mishaps. The curtain does finally come up on Scrooge doing his ledgers in his counting house. He refuses to give any money to two men collecting for the poor, and his clerk Bob Cratchit (Cassidy) has to coax him into closing the office on Christmas Day.
That night, Scrooge is visited by four ghosts, starting with his former partner Jacob Marley (Royal Dano). Marley is weighed down by chains of his sins, showing him other wandering spirits who can no longer aid their fellow man. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Les Tremayne) takes Scrooge to the small but loving dinner of the Cratchit family and their razzleberry dressing-loving son Tiny Tim (Gardner). Youthful Past (Gardner) shows him his childhood as an unloved boy, and how he lost the love of his fiancee Belle (Jane Kean). It takes a spooky Future and watching three pickpockets who steal from the dead to make Scrooge understand the importance of charity...and what his own future holds if he doesn't change.
The Animation: If you've ever seen any of the other UPA cartoons of the 1950's and early 60's, you know what to expect here. The animation is slanted and stylized, all straight lines, geometric shapes, and pastel colors. The movement is fairly limited, but it works with the sharp lines and simple but elegant designs.
The Song and Dance: Mr. Magoo (and Jim Backus) may have been born to play Ebeneezer Scrooge. Backus really throws himself into the role, especially in the past sequence as Scrooge sadly recalls how he lost his Belle, and in the finale when he's begging for his life. He's backed by a great cast that includes Broadway star Cassidy, fellow sitcom ham Amsterdam, and radio favorites Les Tremayne as a booming Ghost of Christmas Present and Gardner as the Ghost of Christmas Past and a sweet Tiny Tim.
Favorite Number: The special kicks off with the dynamic "Back on Broadway," Magoo's opening song as he explains about the play he's in... and his antics actually getting to it. As someone who's been a loner since childhood, Young Scrooge's "Alone In the World" touches a deep chord with me. Cassidy and the Cratchit family get the rousing "We'll Have the Brightest Christmas" as Bob explains that, even if they can't have the holiday of their dreams, they still have each other. Kean introduces the special's sole ballad, the ravishing "Winter Was Warm" for Scrooge's fiancee as she sadly recalls their relationship. The scavengers in the Future segment revel in the ultimate villain song, "We're Despicable."
What I Don't Like: I have no idea why they felt the need to reverse the Past and Present sequences; for some reason, the Present sequence comes first here. (I'm guessing they wanted to put more emphasis on Tim and the Cratchits.) Most TV prints nowadays tend to cut the "Back On Broadway" opening, which loses a great number and the explanation of what's going on with Magoo being in a play.
The Big Finale: This and Mickey's Christmas Carol are my favorite animated versions of this timeless story. Give it a try - even if you're not a fan of Magoo. The music and cast alone are worth checking out.
Home Media: Re-released last year on DVD and Blu-Ray by current owner NBC/Universal. It's also available on several streaming services.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Musicals On TV - Mrs. Santa Claus
CBS, 1996
Starring Angela Landsbury, Charles Durning, Michael Jeter, and Lynsey Bartilson
Directed by Terry Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Hoping to bring back the Golden Age of TV Musicals, CBS made this their big Christmas attraction in December 1996. It was a hit at the time...but it seems to have been slightly forgotten in recent years, even as musicals continue to make a comeback on the big and small screens. Is this holiday-themed vehicle for Landsbury still worthy of our attention, or should it be left behind like stale fruitcake? Let's head to the North Pole, where the elves are working diligently on the toys, to find out...
The Story: Feeling unappreciated by her husband when he won't hear her suggestion for a new route, Mrs. Anna Claus (Landsbury) takes the reindeer and sleigh out for a spin about a week before Christmas. A blizzard lands her in New York's Avenue A in 1910, a melting pot of immigrants struggling to survive. She moves into a boarding house run by Mrs. Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris) and her daughter Sadie (Debra Wiseman).
Sadie stands on a soapbox on the street and tries to preach to the crowds about women's rights, but she can't get their attention. Marcello (David Norona), the handsome young caretaker at the stable where the reindeer are housed, has a crush on Sadie, but is too intimidated to tell her. Nora (Bartilson), an Irish child at the boarding house working to raise money for her mother to come over from Dublin, offers "Mrs. North" a job at Tavish's Toys...which turns out to be a sweatshop with deplorable working conditions run by nasty Mr. Tavish (Terrance Mann). She gets involved with everyone, trying to solve their problems, all while badly missing her husband. Meanwhile, Santa (Durning) is just as lost without her, despite the efforts of his head elf (Jeter) to make him feel better. Not to mention, if the sleigh isn't back by Christmas Eve, he won't be able to make his big trip.
The Song and Dance: For the most part, this one is definitely on the nice list. Landsbury pours her heart into the role of the neglected wife who ends up helping everyone around her change their lives for the better. She does especially well with Bartilson and the other kids, clowning around and having a blast with them. Lavish sets and costumes - the outfits were done by the legendary Bob Mackie - add greatly to the period feel.
Favorite Number: There's two good ensemble routines, "Avenue A," where Marcello shows Mrs. Claus around the street and introduces her to the locals, has some spirited choreography in a sequence set at a bar. There's also some nice choreography in Landsbury's number with the kids at Tavish's Toys, "Almost Young." Landsbury joins Bartilson in turning sheets hanging on a clothesline into vaudeville costumes in "Whistle" and duets with Durning on the finale, "The Best Christmas of All."
What I Don't Like: This movie is trying to do way too much. It throws together Mrs. Claus' story about being appreciated with commentary on women's rights and child labor, the secondary romance between Marcello and Sadie, and the one with Nora and her family. Any one or two of those plotlines probably would have covered a full 90 minutes. Not to mention, this is obviously intended to be a cute, smiley-happy musical and lacks the grit of the real New York in that time period. The darker themes don't always work with the sugary feel.
The score is also disappointing for Herman's last work to date. Some of the songs are pleasant enough, but they're not as memorable as his tunes for his Landsbury stage vehicles Mame and Dear World.
The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half on a cozy Christmas evening if you're a fan of Landsbury or Herman, or are looking for a sweet holiday musical for the whole family.
Home Media: Not currently on streaming, but it was re-released on DVD two years ago and can often be found for under ten dollars.
DVD
Starring Angela Landsbury, Charles Durning, Michael Jeter, and Lynsey Bartilson
Directed by Terry Hughes
Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Hoping to bring back the Golden Age of TV Musicals, CBS made this their big Christmas attraction in December 1996. It was a hit at the time...but it seems to have been slightly forgotten in recent years, even as musicals continue to make a comeback on the big and small screens. Is this holiday-themed vehicle for Landsbury still worthy of our attention, or should it be left behind like stale fruitcake? Let's head to the North Pole, where the elves are working diligently on the toys, to find out...
The Story: Feeling unappreciated by her husband when he won't hear her suggestion for a new route, Mrs. Anna Claus (Landsbury) takes the reindeer and sleigh out for a spin about a week before Christmas. A blizzard lands her in New York's Avenue A in 1910, a melting pot of immigrants struggling to survive. She moves into a boarding house run by Mrs. Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris) and her daughter Sadie (Debra Wiseman).
Sadie stands on a soapbox on the street and tries to preach to the crowds about women's rights, but she can't get their attention. Marcello (David Norona), the handsome young caretaker at the stable where the reindeer are housed, has a crush on Sadie, but is too intimidated to tell her. Nora (Bartilson), an Irish child at the boarding house working to raise money for her mother to come over from Dublin, offers "Mrs. North" a job at Tavish's Toys...which turns out to be a sweatshop with deplorable working conditions run by nasty Mr. Tavish (Terrance Mann). She gets involved with everyone, trying to solve their problems, all while badly missing her husband. Meanwhile, Santa (Durning) is just as lost without her, despite the efforts of his head elf (Jeter) to make him feel better. Not to mention, if the sleigh isn't back by Christmas Eve, he won't be able to make his big trip.
The Song and Dance: For the most part, this one is definitely on the nice list. Landsbury pours her heart into the role of the neglected wife who ends up helping everyone around her change their lives for the better. She does especially well with Bartilson and the other kids, clowning around and having a blast with them. Lavish sets and costumes - the outfits were done by the legendary Bob Mackie - add greatly to the period feel.
Favorite Number: There's two good ensemble routines, "Avenue A," where Marcello shows Mrs. Claus around the street and introduces her to the locals, has some spirited choreography in a sequence set at a bar. There's also some nice choreography in Landsbury's number with the kids at Tavish's Toys, "Almost Young." Landsbury joins Bartilson in turning sheets hanging on a clothesline into vaudeville costumes in "Whistle" and duets with Durning on the finale, "The Best Christmas of All."
What I Don't Like: This movie is trying to do way too much. It throws together Mrs. Claus' story about being appreciated with commentary on women's rights and child labor, the secondary romance between Marcello and Sadie, and the one with Nora and her family. Any one or two of those plotlines probably would have covered a full 90 minutes. Not to mention, this is obviously intended to be a cute, smiley-happy musical and lacks the grit of the real New York in that time period. The darker themes don't always work with the sugary feel.
The score is also disappointing for Herman's last work to date. Some of the songs are pleasant enough, but they're not as memorable as his tunes for his Landsbury stage vehicles Mame and Dear World.
The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half on a cozy Christmas evening if you're a fan of Landsbury or Herman, or are looking for a sweet holiday musical for the whole family.
Home Media: Not currently on streaming, but it was re-released on DVD two years ago and can often be found for under ten dollars.
DVD
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Cult Flops - Rent
Sony/Columbia, 2005
Starring Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, and Rosario Dawson
Directed by Chris Columbus
Music and Lyrics by Johnathan Larson
Rent was a phenomenon in New York in the mid-late 90's. One of its creators, Johnathan Larson, had helped create it around 1989 and continued working on it for the next six years, hoping that his rock opera would bring Broadway to a generation raised on rock and MTV. It was a smash when it debuted off-Broadway in January 1996...but Larson wasn't there to witness its success. He died of a rare disease shortly before its opening. Larson's death and the raw, open sound did indeed draw many young people to the stage and proved that musicals could be more than family fare. The show's popularity may have worked against itself when it was adapted to film almost nine years later. What happened? Well, let's head to a stage in New York's East Village and find out...
The Story: It's a year in the life of a group of performers, artists, and academics in the East Village from December 1989 to 1990. Roger (Pascal), a rock musician who hasn't been able to sell his work, and Mark (Rapp), an aspiring documentary filmmaker, have their electricity cut off when their former friend Benny (Taye Diggs) demands rent he promised they wouldn't have to pay. He wants to knock down the tenement and build a state of the art "cyber studio." Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel) is a performance artist holding a protest against these plans. Meanwhile, their AIDS-positive friend Tom (Martin) falls for a kind-hearted drag queen street drummer named Angel (Wilson Germaine Heredia), and Roger finds himself head-over-heels for Mimi (Dawson), a HIV-positive dancer in a strip joint.
Mark is thrilled when he's able to sell footage from a raid on Maureen's protest. Maureen celebrates by finally getting together with her girlfriend, uptight lawyer Joanne (Tracie Toms), but they break it off after she catches Maureen flirting with another woman at their engagement party. Tired of her heroin addiction, Roger also eventually breaks off with Mimi, and the group goes their separate ways after Angel dies of complications from AIDS. Roger takes off to move to Santa Fe, but he can't forget Mimi and ends up back in New York. In the end, as Mark debuts his documentary on those living with the AIDS/HIV virus, the others remember how wonderful life can be...and that there really is "no day like today."
The Song and Dance: At least you can't fault most of the performances. There's some excellent singers here pouring their heart into Larson's soaring music. I didn't know about half of these people had such gorgeous voices, especially Dawson and Martin. Martin and Heredia are the stand-outs as the anarchist philosophy professor and his devoted lover, the much-loved and aptly-named transvestite. Menzel also has a great time as the fickle performer who can't commit to one lover, no matter what she tells her girlfriend.
Favorite Number: Both versions of "Viva La Boheme!" revel in some nice choreography and lively performances, as does the second version of this musical's signature tune, "Seasons of Love." Rapp and Toms discuss why Maureen drives them crazy - and shows off a sensational tropical pas de deux - in "Tango: Maureen." Angel and Tom get two great duets, the upbeat "Tonight 4 U" after Angel earns enough money for a decent Christmas dinner, and the touching "I'll Cover You." Heredia is obviously enjoying himself in the former, delightedly kicking through in his cute red and white feather-trimmed outfit. Menzel and Toms reveal why their differences are pushing each other apart in the delightful duet "Take Me or Leave Me."
Trivia: After Larson's death and a sensational opening, this proved to be so popular, it was moved to the Nederlander Theater on Broadway. It went on to win four Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize and ran there for over a decade, finally closing in 2008. Menzel, Rapp, Pascal, Martin, Heredia, and Diggs were all in the original cast. The final performance was filmed and released as Rent: Live on Broadway. A London production with a lot of the same cast didn't do quite as well, only running a year. There was a brief off-Broadway revival in 2011.
This is based after the opera La Boheme, by Giacomo Pucinni, and and actually uses a lot of the original plot.
What I Don't Like: This is another Broadway show that probably should have stayed on the stage. Much of it feels stagey and static, despite frequently being filmed outside. There's too much talk and not nearly enough action. Pascal comes off as dull outside of his stunning voice, and Dawson isn't terribly believable as a heroin junkie stripper. Columbus, best known for family-friendly action films like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, wasn't the right director for this. He just doesn't have the punch or the grit to make us care about most of these characters.
Also, the obvious general warning that this is a rock opera. It's not for people who are looking for lighter, less overtly musical fare or who aren't fans of that genre of music.
The Big Finale: Broadway fans and many New York critics were especially hard on this when it came out, complaining about the direction and the stagy feel. I say, if you can get around the inappropriate choice of director and the stage-bound numbers, you might find a few hidden gems in this gritty urban tale.
Home Media: On DVD and streaming; the two-disc DVD can often be found or under five dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, and Rosario Dawson
Directed by Chris Columbus
Music and Lyrics by Johnathan Larson
Rent was a phenomenon in New York in the mid-late 90's. One of its creators, Johnathan Larson, had helped create it around 1989 and continued working on it for the next six years, hoping that his rock opera would bring Broadway to a generation raised on rock and MTV. It was a smash when it debuted off-Broadway in January 1996...but Larson wasn't there to witness its success. He died of a rare disease shortly before its opening. Larson's death and the raw, open sound did indeed draw many young people to the stage and proved that musicals could be more than family fare. The show's popularity may have worked against itself when it was adapted to film almost nine years later. What happened? Well, let's head to a stage in New York's East Village and find out...
The Story: It's a year in the life of a group of performers, artists, and academics in the East Village from December 1989 to 1990. Roger (Pascal), a rock musician who hasn't been able to sell his work, and Mark (Rapp), an aspiring documentary filmmaker, have their electricity cut off when their former friend Benny (Taye Diggs) demands rent he promised they wouldn't have to pay. He wants to knock down the tenement and build a state of the art "cyber studio." Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen (Idina Menzel) is a performance artist holding a protest against these plans. Meanwhile, their AIDS-positive friend Tom (Martin) falls for a kind-hearted drag queen street drummer named Angel (Wilson Germaine Heredia), and Roger finds himself head-over-heels for Mimi (Dawson), a HIV-positive dancer in a strip joint.
Mark is thrilled when he's able to sell footage from a raid on Maureen's protest. Maureen celebrates by finally getting together with her girlfriend, uptight lawyer Joanne (Tracie Toms), but they break it off after she catches Maureen flirting with another woman at their engagement party. Tired of her heroin addiction, Roger also eventually breaks off with Mimi, and the group goes their separate ways after Angel dies of complications from AIDS. Roger takes off to move to Santa Fe, but he can't forget Mimi and ends up back in New York. In the end, as Mark debuts his documentary on those living with the AIDS/HIV virus, the others remember how wonderful life can be...and that there really is "no day like today."
The Song and Dance: At least you can't fault most of the performances. There's some excellent singers here pouring their heart into Larson's soaring music. I didn't know about half of these people had such gorgeous voices, especially Dawson and Martin. Martin and Heredia are the stand-outs as the anarchist philosophy professor and his devoted lover, the much-loved and aptly-named transvestite. Menzel also has a great time as the fickle performer who can't commit to one lover, no matter what she tells her girlfriend.
Favorite Number: Both versions of "Viva La Boheme!" revel in some nice choreography and lively performances, as does the second version of this musical's signature tune, "Seasons of Love." Rapp and Toms discuss why Maureen drives them crazy - and shows off a sensational tropical pas de deux - in "Tango: Maureen." Angel and Tom get two great duets, the upbeat "Tonight 4 U" after Angel earns enough money for a decent Christmas dinner, and the touching "I'll Cover You." Heredia is obviously enjoying himself in the former, delightedly kicking through in his cute red and white feather-trimmed outfit. Menzel and Toms reveal why their differences are pushing each other apart in the delightful duet "Take Me or Leave Me."
Trivia: After Larson's death and a sensational opening, this proved to be so popular, it was moved to the Nederlander Theater on Broadway. It went on to win four Tonys and the Pulitzer Prize and ran there for over a decade, finally closing in 2008. Menzel, Rapp, Pascal, Martin, Heredia, and Diggs were all in the original cast. The final performance was filmed and released as Rent: Live on Broadway. A London production with a lot of the same cast didn't do quite as well, only running a year. There was a brief off-Broadway revival in 2011.
This is based after the opera La Boheme, by Giacomo Pucinni, and and actually uses a lot of the original plot.
What I Don't Like: This is another Broadway show that probably should have stayed on the stage. Much of it feels stagey and static, despite frequently being filmed outside. There's too much talk and not nearly enough action. Pascal comes off as dull outside of his stunning voice, and Dawson isn't terribly believable as a heroin junkie stripper. Columbus, best known for family-friendly action films like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, wasn't the right director for this. He just doesn't have the punch or the grit to make us care about most of these characters.
Also, the obvious general warning that this is a rock opera. It's not for people who are looking for lighter, less overtly musical fare or who aren't fans of that genre of music.
The Big Finale: Broadway fans and many New York critics were especially hard on this when it came out, complaining about the direction and the stagy feel. I say, if you can get around the inappropriate choice of director and the stage-bound numbers, you might find a few hidden gems in this gritty urban tale.
Home Media: On DVD and streaming; the two-disc DVD can often be found or under five dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July
Rankin-Bass, 1979
Voices of Billie Mae Richards, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Vernon, and Shelly Winters
Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Johnny Marks
Hoping to expand their holiday empire, Rankin-Bass combined their three most popular characters to create this movie, which debuted on ABC in November 1979. They even threw popular comic Red Buttons and beloved Broadway star Ethel Merman into the mix. Did they manage to pull off this complex Christmas crossover? Let's head to the North Pole for an epic battle and find out...
The Story: Centuries ago, the evil ice wizard Winterbolt (Paul Frees) ruled the North Pole with a heavy and frigid hand, until the Lady Boreal (Nellie Bellflower) puts him into a deep sleep. When he awakens years later, he discovers that Santa Claus (Rooney) has moved in and started his toy-making factory. He sends a blizzard to get rid of him, but Lady Boreal uses the last of her magic to make the baby reindeer Rudolph's nose glow bright red. Rudolph ends up pulling Santa's sleigh, to Winterbolt's frustration. Lady Boreal tells Rudolph that his nose will stop glowing if he ever uses his power for evil ends.
Meanwhile, Frosty (Vernon) and Crystal (Winters) have returned to the North Pole and started a family, with two children of their own. They all get an offer to star in the circus by Milton the Ice Cream Man (Buttons), who has come to pick up ice cream for the beach-side 4th of July parade. He wants to marry his sweetheart, tightrope walker Lanie Lorraine (Shelby Flint), but her mother Lily (Merman) is in danger of losing the circus to the unscrupulous Sam Spangles (Don Messick). Milton offers to set Frosty and Rudolph up in an act, but Frosty can't go where it's hot. Winterbolt appears, giving him and his family amulets that will allow them to remain in one piece until the fireworks end on the 4th of July.
Santa and Mrs. Claus (Darlene Conley) are supposed to pick them all up and take them back to the North Pole, but Winterbolt traps them in another huge blizzard. He encourages a jealous reindeer named Scratcher (Alan Sues) to trick Rudolph into stealing the money from the show and giving it to Sam. Winterbolt forces him to lie and say he did it on purpose. It takes another appearance by Lady Boreal and one from Rudolph's whale friend Big Ben (Hal Peary) to remind him that he's no liar...but he is a good friend.
The Animation: One of the last of the stop-motion Rankin-Bass programs. The streamlined designs of Rudolph and Santa from Rudolph's Shiny New Year carry over here; Rudy's a little thinner and less babyish than he was in the original special. There's some surprisingly complicated special effects for Rankin-Bass. The North Pole battles between Boreal and Winterbolt look pretty darn good, as do those all-important fireworks at the circus.
The Song and Dance: Kudos to Rankin-Bass for rounding up as many of the voices from the original specials as they could get away with at the time. In fact, this would be the last time Richards and Vernon voiced Rudolph and Frosty respectively. Winterbolt is definitely one of their more interesting villains, and one of the very few to not be redeemed. He's truly a nasty and (pardon the pun) ice-cold piece of work, willing to use blackmail on snowmen and a baby reindeer to further his ends.
Favorite Number: The big number here is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," which becomes a circus spectacular with Laine dancing on a revolving tree and animals and clowns representing elves and toys. It's rather charming, and is probably the best thing about this. Crystal's first version of the ballad "Everything I Always Wanted," sung to Frosty in the North Pole as she tells him how important he is to her, is really lovely, as is Santa's "I See Rainbows" sun to reassure his wife when they're lost in the blizzard. Rudolph and Frosty celebrate their restoring Rudolph's nose and good name with a cute reprise of "We're a Couple of Misfits" from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
What I Don't Like: Good grief. The story is far too complicated and melodramatic for its simple characters. None of this makes a lick of sense. It's so bizarre, it makes Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band look almost normal by comparison. At least Merman gets to sing four songs and takes down Winterbolt in the end; Buttons barely has anything to do, besides pine over the girl. (And why did they dub Rooney? He's perfectly capable of doing his own singing.)
What happened to Scratcher after he returned to the North Pole? We never do find out if he rejoined Santa's sleigh or what happened to him after Winterbolt's demise, nor do we see him punished for his part in tricking Rudolph.
The Big Finale: I can handle some of the stranger Rankin-Bass specials...but this one is a little too odd, even for me. Only truly devoted fans of Rankin-Bass need apply. Everyone else should be fine with the originals.
Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Voices of Billie Mae Richards, Mickey Rooney, Jackie Vernon, and Shelly Winters
Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Johnny Marks
Hoping to expand their holiday empire, Rankin-Bass combined their three most popular characters to create this movie, which debuted on ABC in November 1979. They even threw popular comic Red Buttons and beloved Broadway star Ethel Merman into the mix. Did they manage to pull off this complex Christmas crossover? Let's head to the North Pole for an epic battle and find out...
The Story: Centuries ago, the evil ice wizard Winterbolt (Paul Frees) ruled the North Pole with a heavy and frigid hand, until the Lady Boreal (Nellie Bellflower) puts him into a deep sleep. When he awakens years later, he discovers that Santa Claus (Rooney) has moved in and started his toy-making factory. He sends a blizzard to get rid of him, but Lady Boreal uses the last of her magic to make the baby reindeer Rudolph's nose glow bright red. Rudolph ends up pulling Santa's sleigh, to Winterbolt's frustration. Lady Boreal tells Rudolph that his nose will stop glowing if he ever uses his power for evil ends.
Meanwhile, Frosty (Vernon) and Crystal (Winters) have returned to the North Pole and started a family, with two children of their own. They all get an offer to star in the circus by Milton the Ice Cream Man (Buttons), who has come to pick up ice cream for the beach-side 4th of July parade. He wants to marry his sweetheart, tightrope walker Lanie Lorraine (Shelby Flint), but her mother Lily (Merman) is in danger of losing the circus to the unscrupulous Sam Spangles (Don Messick). Milton offers to set Frosty and Rudolph up in an act, but Frosty can't go where it's hot. Winterbolt appears, giving him and his family amulets that will allow them to remain in one piece until the fireworks end on the 4th of July.
Santa and Mrs. Claus (Darlene Conley) are supposed to pick them all up and take them back to the North Pole, but Winterbolt traps them in another huge blizzard. He encourages a jealous reindeer named Scratcher (Alan Sues) to trick Rudolph into stealing the money from the show and giving it to Sam. Winterbolt forces him to lie and say he did it on purpose. It takes another appearance by Lady Boreal and one from Rudolph's whale friend Big Ben (Hal Peary) to remind him that he's no liar...but he is a good friend.
The Animation: One of the last of the stop-motion Rankin-Bass programs. The streamlined designs of Rudolph and Santa from Rudolph's Shiny New Year carry over here; Rudy's a little thinner and less babyish than he was in the original special. There's some surprisingly complicated special effects for Rankin-Bass. The North Pole battles between Boreal and Winterbolt look pretty darn good, as do those all-important fireworks at the circus.
The Song and Dance: Kudos to Rankin-Bass for rounding up as many of the voices from the original specials as they could get away with at the time. In fact, this would be the last time Richards and Vernon voiced Rudolph and Frosty respectively. Winterbolt is definitely one of their more interesting villains, and one of the very few to not be redeemed. He's truly a nasty and (pardon the pun) ice-cold piece of work, willing to use blackmail on snowmen and a baby reindeer to further his ends.
Favorite Number: The big number here is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," which becomes a circus spectacular with Laine dancing on a revolving tree and animals and clowns representing elves and toys. It's rather charming, and is probably the best thing about this. Crystal's first version of the ballad "Everything I Always Wanted," sung to Frosty in the North Pole as she tells him how important he is to her, is really lovely, as is Santa's "I See Rainbows" sun to reassure his wife when they're lost in the blizzard. Rudolph and Frosty celebrate their restoring Rudolph's nose and good name with a cute reprise of "We're a Couple of Misfits" from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
What I Don't Like: Good grief. The story is far too complicated and melodramatic for its simple characters. None of this makes a lick of sense. It's so bizarre, it makes Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band look almost normal by comparison. At least Merman gets to sing four songs and takes down Winterbolt in the end; Buttons barely has anything to do, besides pine over the girl. (And why did they dub Rooney? He's perfectly capable of doing his own singing.)
What happened to Scratcher after he returned to the North Pole? We never do find out if he rejoined Santa's sleigh or what happened to him after Winterbolt's demise, nor do we see him punished for his part in tricking Rudolph.
The Big Finale: I can handle some of the stranger Rankin-Bass specials...but this one is a little too odd, even for me. Only truly devoted fans of Rankin-Bass need apply. Everyone else should be fine with the originals.
Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Musicals On TV - Babes In Toyland (1955)
NBC, 1955
Starring Dennis Day, Barbara Cook, Dave Garroway, and Jack E. Leonard
Directed by Max Liebman
Music by Victor Herbert; Lyrics by Glenn MacDonough
In 1954, NBC was faltering in ratings. Their big variety shows were no match for the dramas and those newfangled sitcoms on CBS. Hoping to bump up their numbers, new head of programming Pat Weaver commissioned three "musical spectaculars" a month on Saturday, Sundays, and Mondays. Though the first of these, Satins and Spurs with Betty Hutton, didn't do well, the concept did eventually catch on. A version of Babes In Toyland put on in 1954 on Max Lieberman Presents was one of the more popular ones. It proved to be such a hit, it was rebroadcast on Christmas Eve the next year with a slightly different cast. How does this retelling of the beloved holiday fantasy look today? Let's head to Macy's to meet with its book-reading Santa Claus and find out...
The Story: Santa (Garroway) is very surprised to encounter a lost little girl named Joan (Ellen Barrie) wandering around the toy department. While waiting for her mother to pick her up, Santa reads her the story of Babes In Toyland. Tommy Tucker (Day) loves Jane Piper (Barbara Cook), but the evil Barnaby (Leonard) also covets her. In revenge, he fires Tommy from his job and tries to distract Jane's siblings with clowns and musicians. The distraction backfires; Jane and the kids remain devoted to Tommy. Barnaby finally lures Jane's siblings Ann (Karin Wolfe) and Peter (Dickie Belton) into the woods, bringing Tommy and Jane after them. It'll take the help of shy toymaker Grumio (Cox) and his walking puppets and life-sized toy soldiers to reunite the lovers and save Toyland.
The Song and Dance: For the most part, this remains quite charming. Day and Cook make a cute couple, Garroway is very funny as one of the more sarcastic Santas in TV history, and Barrie's an appropriately pert and modern young miss on his knee. Leonard chews every bit of the considerable and elaborate-for-the-time scenery as the old-fashioned grumpy villain. The Bill Baird Marionettes fit in far better here than they did in The Sound of Music a decade later and come off as charming and sweet.
I'll admit, I like this version better than the original 1954 broadcast with Jo Sullivan as Jane Piper and pretty much the same cast. Sullivan comes off as a little too sophisticated and "New York"-ish. Cook looks and sounds more appropriate for a fairy tale lass. The production is a little slicker here, too, and the clowns are slightly more tolerable.
Favorite Number: We open with a fun "Toyland Ballet" as Garroway and Barrie introduce each famous nursery rhyme character. Day and Cook get a soaring "Castle In Spain" as Day describes what they'll have after he finds another job. Bambi Lynn and Rod Alexander dance a lovely Spanish-tinged pas-de-deux to an instrumental version of the song as a fantasy sequence. Cox joins the Marionettes for a bouncy and adorable "Never Mind, Bo Peep" and a series of solos to the tune of the Victor Herbert song "Chansonette" from Naughty Marietta. Day sings the sweet Irish ballad "Barney O'Flynn" with local lass Karin Wolfe.
What I Don't Like: While this works better than A Christmas Carol, it's still hampered by the limits of early television. One clown in the 1955 version does manage an incredible drum solo, but the others in both broadcasts are dull and serve no real function. A ballet with the kids and the animals of the forest towards the end of the show also comes off as filler. Cox is ill-used in both specials; I wish he had more to do than just interact with the Marionettes and do a few lines with Day and the ingenue.
The Big Finale: Even after more than 60 years, this remains enjoyable holiday fare for fans of the cast, TV history, 50's musicals, or families with young children who will enjoy seeing favorite nursery rhyme characters recreated on-screen.
Home Media: Only on DVD from VAI Entertainment; alas, the DVD is pricey on Amazon. You may be better off looking for this one used.
DVD
Starring Dennis Day, Barbara Cook, Dave Garroway, and Jack E. Leonard
Directed by Max Liebman
Music by Victor Herbert; Lyrics by Glenn MacDonough
In 1954, NBC was faltering in ratings. Their big variety shows were no match for the dramas and those newfangled sitcoms on CBS. Hoping to bump up their numbers, new head of programming Pat Weaver commissioned three "musical spectaculars" a month on Saturday, Sundays, and Mondays. Though the first of these, Satins and Spurs with Betty Hutton, didn't do well, the concept did eventually catch on. A version of Babes In Toyland put on in 1954 on Max Lieberman Presents was one of the more popular ones. It proved to be such a hit, it was rebroadcast on Christmas Eve the next year with a slightly different cast. How does this retelling of the beloved holiday fantasy look today? Let's head to Macy's to meet with its book-reading Santa Claus and find out...
The Story: Santa (Garroway) is very surprised to encounter a lost little girl named Joan (Ellen Barrie) wandering around the toy department. While waiting for her mother to pick her up, Santa reads her the story of Babes In Toyland. Tommy Tucker (Day) loves Jane Piper (Barbara Cook), but the evil Barnaby (Leonard) also covets her. In revenge, he fires Tommy from his job and tries to distract Jane's siblings with clowns and musicians. The distraction backfires; Jane and the kids remain devoted to Tommy. Barnaby finally lures Jane's siblings Ann (Karin Wolfe) and Peter (Dickie Belton) into the woods, bringing Tommy and Jane after them. It'll take the help of shy toymaker Grumio (Cox) and his walking puppets and life-sized toy soldiers to reunite the lovers and save Toyland.
The Song and Dance: For the most part, this remains quite charming. Day and Cook make a cute couple, Garroway is very funny as one of the more sarcastic Santas in TV history, and Barrie's an appropriately pert and modern young miss on his knee. Leonard chews every bit of the considerable and elaborate-for-the-time scenery as the old-fashioned grumpy villain. The Bill Baird Marionettes fit in far better here than they did in The Sound of Music a decade later and come off as charming and sweet.
I'll admit, I like this version better than the original 1954 broadcast with Jo Sullivan as Jane Piper and pretty much the same cast. Sullivan comes off as a little too sophisticated and "New York"-ish. Cook looks and sounds more appropriate for a fairy tale lass. The production is a little slicker here, too, and the clowns are slightly more tolerable.
Favorite Number: We open with a fun "Toyland Ballet" as Garroway and Barrie introduce each famous nursery rhyme character. Day and Cook get a soaring "Castle In Spain" as Day describes what they'll have after he finds another job. Bambi Lynn and Rod Alexander dance a lovely Spanish-tinged pas-de-deux to an instrumental version of the song as a fantasy sequence. Cox joins the Marionettes for a bouncy and adorable "Never Mind, Bo Peep" and a series of solos to the tune of the Victor Herbert song "Chansonette" from Naughty Marietta. Day sings the sweet Irish ballad "Barney O'Flynn" with local lass Karin Wolfe.
What I Don't Like: While this works better than A Christmas Carol, it's still hampered by the limits of early television. One clown in the 1955 version does manage an incredible drum solo, but the others in both broadcasts are dull and serve no real function. A ballet with the kids and the animals of the forest towards the end of the show also comes off as filler. Cox is ill-used in both specials; I wish he had more to do than just interact with the Marionettes and do a few lines with Day and the ingenue.
The Big Finale: Even after more than 60 years, this remains enjoyable holiday fare for fans of the cast, TV history, 50's musicals, or families with young children who will enjoy seeing favorite nursery rhyme characters recreated on-screen.
Home Media: Only on DVD from VAI Entertainment; alas, the DVD is pricey on Amazon. You may be better off looking for this one used.
DVD
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Musicals On TV - A Christmas Carol (1954)
CBS, 1954
Starring Fredric March, Ray Middleton, Basil Rathbone, and Sally Fraiser
Directed by Ralph Levy
Music by Bernard Herrmann; Lyrics by Maxwell Anderson
This was the very first musical Christmas Carol made for television. Originally part of an anthology series called Shower of Stars, it proved to be such a hit, it was repeated at Christmas for the next two years and had a popular soundtrack album. How does this piece of holiday TV history stack up to other versions of this beloved tale? Let's join Scrooge (March) in his counting house to find out...
The Story: Ebeneezer Scrooge is the miserly owner of a loan company who hates Christmas and everything it stands for. He refuses to go to Christmas dinner with his nephew Fred (Middleton) or let his clerk Bob Cratchit (Bob Sweeney) have even a little bit of coal for stove. That night, the ghost of his former partner Marley (Rathbone) appears, insisting that two more ghosts will come to change his ways. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Fraiser) and Present (Middleton) takes him into his youth and to current London to visit Bob and his family, including his sickly son Tim (Christopher Cook). It's not until he realizes that the sweet boy may not live to see another holiday that he considers changing his views on charity and the holidays.
The Song and Dance: The most interesting thing about this one is the sheer history on display. The copy I have comes complete with the original commercials for Chrysler cars and the intros by William Lundigan and Mary Costa. Considering how many programs from the early years of television are gone for good, just having this in any shape is probably a treat, especially if you remember the original broadcasts or have any interest in the history of the mid-20th century. March isn't bad as Scrooge; Sweeney and Queenie Leonard are even better as the Cratchit parents.
This is also the only version of this story I've seen go the unique route of having Nephew Fred do a double turn as the Ghost of Christmas Present - and Scrooge does comment that the ghost resembles him.
Favorite Number: The chorus song "The Spirit of Christmas" is performed several times, including in the opening sequence and before the commercials. Belle (Fraiser, dubbed by Marilyn Horne) and Young Scrooge (Craig Hill) get a decent duet at Fezziwig's ball, "What am I Giving My Love For Christmas?"
Trivia: That's a young Bonnie Franklin as Martha Cratchit in the present segment.
This was originally broadcast in color, but the kinetoscopes currently available are only in black and white. It proved to be so popular, it would be rebroadcast in 1955 and 1956.
Basil Rathbone would play Scrooge in another TV musical two years later, The Stingiest Man In Town.
What I Don't Like: The story has been compressed to fit in an hour slot. The segment with the Ghost of Christmas Future has been eliminated all together - a bird leads Scrooge not to his own gravestone, but Tiny Tim's. The past is just Fezziwig's party, and Belle rejects him almost directly after their duet - frankly contradicting most of the song. Ironically, considering Fred's importance to the opening segment, his party is missing from the Present sequence. Despite that hit soundtrack, the music is really very boring (and March sings none of it).
The Big Finale: Only of interest to fans of March, A Christmas Carol, or early broadcast history. There are frankly much better versions of this story - including musical versions - out there.
Home Media: As a public domain film, it's easy found on DVD (the 1955 broadcast is also available).
DVD
Starring Fredric March, Ray Middleton, Basil Rathbone, and Sally Fraiser
Directed by Ralph Levy
Music by Bernard Herrmann; Lyrics by Maxwell Anderson
This was the very first musical Christmas Carol made for television. Originally part of an anthology series called Shower of Stars, it proved to be such a hit, it was repeated at Christmas for the next two years and had a popular soundtrack album. How does this piece of holiday TV history stack up to other versions of this beloved tale? Let's join Scrooge (March) in his counting house to find out...
The Story: Ebeneezer Scrooge is the miserly owner of a loan company who hates Christmas and everything it stands for. He refuses to go to Christmas dinner with his nephew Fred (Middleton) or let his clerk Bob Cratchit (Bob Sweeney) have even a little bit of coal for stove. That night, the ghost of his former partner Marley (Rathbone) appears, insisting that two more ghosts will come to change his ways. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Fraiser) and Present (Middleton) takes him into his youth and to current London to visit Bob and his family, including his sickly son Tim (Christopher Cook). It's not until he realizes that the sweet boy may not live to see another holiday that he considers changing his views on charity and the holidays.
The Song and Dance: The most interesting thing about this one is the sheer history on display. The copy I have comes complete with the original commercials for Chrysler cars and the intros by William Lundigan and Mary Costa. Considering how many programs from the early years of television are gone for good, just having this in any shape is probably a treat, especially if you remember the original broadcasts or have any interest in the history of the mid-20th century. March isn't bad as Scrooge; Sweeney and Queenie Leonard are even better as the Cratchit parents.
This is also the only version of this story I've seen go the unique route of having Nephew Fred do a double turn as the Ghost of Christmas Present - and Scrooge does comment that the ghost resembles him.
Favorite Number: The chorus song "The Spirit of Christmas" is performed several times, including in the opening sequence and before the commercials. Belle (Fraiser, dubbed by Marilyn Horne) and Young Scrooge (Craig Hill) get a decent duet at Fezziwig's ball, "What am I Giving My Love For Christmas?"
Trivia: That's a young Bonnie Franklin as Martha Cratchit in the present segment.
This was originally broadcast in color, but the kinetoscopes currently available are only in black and white. It proved to be so popular, it would be rebroadcast in 1955 and 1956.
Basil Rathbone would play Scrooge in another TV musical two years later, The Stingiest Man In Town.
What I Don't Like: The story has been compressed to fit in an hour slot. The segment with the Ghost of Christmas Future has been eliminated all together - a bird leads Scrooge not to his own gravestone, but Tiny Tim's. The past is just Fezziwig's party, and Belle rejects him almost directly after their duet - frankly contradicting most of the song. Ironically, considering Fred's importance to the opening segment, his party is missing from the Present sequence. Despite that hit soundtrack, the music is really very boring (and March sings none of it).
The Big Finale: Only of interest to fans of March, A Christmas Carol, or early broadcast history. There are frankly much better versions of this story - including musical versions - out there.
Home Media: As a public domain film, it's easy found on DVD (the 1955 broadcast is also available).
DVD
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Animation Celebration Saturday - Smallfoot
Warner Bros, 2018
Voices of Channing Tatum, Zendaya, James Corden, and Common
Directed by Karey Kirpatrick
Music and Lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirpatrick
This is another animated film that sort of passed me by. I'd vaguely heard of it when it came out in theaters last year, but I didn't really know much about it until the DVD showed up at a local library, and I had no idea it was a musical. Honestly, the idea of a curious yeti and a human making contact and trying to teach others about their respective kinds is already kind of strange. How does the music fit in? Let's head to a mountain surrounded by mists in the Himalayas and find out...
The Story: Migo (Tatum) lives in a village of yetis that's isolated by mists and clouds. The village is governed by strict rules written on rocks that tell how they should live and what truths they should abide by. Migo wants nothing more than to succeed his father Dorgle (Danny DiVito) as the one who shoots himself into a gong that they believe will make the sun rise.
One day, while admiring the chief stonekeeper's daughter Meechee (Zendaya), he misses the gong and lands way over the mountain and past the clouds. He discovers a "smallfoot" (human), Percy Patterson (Corden), who was trying to find footage for a nature show to make him a big shot again. Migo tries to tell the other yeti, but no one believes him, and he's exiled. One small group of yeti do think he's telling the truth - the SES (Smallfoot Existence Society), lead by Meechee and a group of outcasts. They encourage him to find Percy again, and then bring him to the village. The stonekeeper (Common) believes Percy to be dangerous and, revealing the truth about why they hide to Migo, tells him to lie to the other yeti. Percy, however, is growing deathly ill in the bitter cold. When Meechee goes into the valley to return him to safety, Migo and the others go after her.
The Animation: While the shivery, icy blue backdrops of the frozen Himalayas are pretty well-rendered, to the point where you feel like you could jump in a pile of snow yourself, the characters look a bit strange. The small, oval eyes are a little goofy on the Yetis, but they don't really look right on the humans, making them look a tad creepy.
The Song and Dance: This was better than I thought it would be. The moral about the importance of curiosity and questioning societal norms is quite timely at the moment. I also appreciate that they're handled at least a little more subtly than, say, Uglydolls handled its "everyone is different" message. I also like that there's no real villains. The conflict is more a tragic misunderstanding between groups than a conflict between a hero and a bad guy.
Favorite Number: "Wonderful Life" was the hit here, and it gets a number worthy of it as Meechee introduces Migo to the delights of the outside world. There's some gorgeous animation here, especially when she's showing him butterflies in a cave. Corden gets a hilarious version of Queen's "Under Pressure" as he explains breathlessly why he's desperate to get back into the spotlight.
What I Don't Like: While well-meaning and a bit better than the similar Uglydolls, the plot is still cliched as all get-out. Migo, and to a lesser degree Meechee, are bland hero characters, and we don't really see enough of Percy to get an impression of him, beyond his desire to grasp the spotlight. The new songs other than "Wonderful Life" are also fairly forgettable.
The Big Finale: If you have younger kids who may appreciate the music and characters, they'll likely get a kick out of this snowy tale of an unusual friendship.
Home Media: As a recent movie, this is easily available in all formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)
Voices of Channing Tatum, Zendaya, James Corden, and Common
Directed by Karey Kirpatrick
Music and Lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirpatrick
This is another animated film that sort of passed me by. I'd vaguely heard of it when it came out in theaters last year, but I didn't really know much about it until the DVD showed up at a local library, and I had no idea it was a musical. Honestly, the idea of a curious yeti and a human making contact and trying to teach others about their respective kinds is already kind of strange. How does the music fit in? Let's head to a mountain surrounded by mists in the Himalayas and find out...
The Story: Migo (Tatum) lives in a village of yetis that's isolated by mists and clouds. The village is governed by strict rules written on rocks that tell how they should live and what truths they should abide by. Migo wants nothing more than to succeed his father Dorgle (Danny DiVito) as the one who shoots himself into a gong that they believe will make the sun rise.
One day, while admiring the chief stonekeeper's daughter Meechee (Zendaya), he misses the gong and lands way over the mountain and past the clouds. He discovers a "smallfoot" (human), Percy Patterson (Corden), who was trying to find footage for a nature show to make him a big shot again. Migo tries to tell the other yeti, but no one believes him, and he's exiled. One small group of yeti do think he's telling the truth - the SES (Smallfoot Existence Society), lead by Meechee and a group of outcasts. They encourage him to find Percy again, and then bring him to the village. The stonekeeper (Common) believes Percy to be dangerous and, revealing the truth about why they hide to Migo, tells him to lie to the other yeti. Percy, however, is growing deathly ill in the bitter cold. When Meechee goes into the valley to return him to safety, Migo and the others go after her.
The Animation: While the shivery, icy blue backdrops of the frozen Himalayas are pretty well-rendered, to the point where you feel like you could jump in a pile of snow yourself, the characters look a bit strange. The small, oval eyes are a little goofy on the Yetis, but they don't really look right on the humans, making them look a tad creepy.
The Song and Dance: This was better than I thought it would be. The moral about the importance of curiosity and questioning societal norms is quite timely at the moment. I also appreciate that they're handled at least a little more subtly than, say, Uglydolls handled its "everyone is different" message. I also like that there's no real villains. The conflict is more a tragic misunderstanding between groups than a conflict between a hero and a bad guy.
Favorite Number: "Wonderful Life" was the hit here, and it gets a number worthy of it as Meechee introduces Migo to the delights of the outside world. There's some gorgeous animation here, especially when she's showing him butterflies in a cave. Corden gets a hilarious version of Queen's "Under Pressure" as he explains breathlessly why he's desperate to get back into the spotlight.
What I Don't Like: While well-meaning and a bit better than the similar Uglydolls, the plot is still cliched as all get-out. Migo, and to a lesser degree Meechee, are bland hero characters, and we don't really see enough of Percy to get an impression of him, beyond his desire to grasp the spotlight. The new songs other than "Wonderful Life" are also fairly forgettable.
The Big Finale: If you have younger kids who may appreciate the music and characters, they'll likely get a kick out of this snowy tale of an unusual friendship.
Home Media: As a recent movie, this is easily available in all formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime (Buy Only)
Thursday, December 5, 2019
The Girl of the Golden West (1938)
MGM, 1938
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Buddy Ebsen, and Walter Pidgeon
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Sigmund Romberg and others; Lyrics by Gus Kahn and others
MacDonald and Eddy were two of MGM's biggest stars after the success of their 1937 vehicle Maytime, but a musical western based after an opera is probably the last thing anyone expected them to do as their next big film. How does the tale of a bandit who falls in love with a saloon-owning tomboy come off nowadays? Let's head to Cloudy, a rough-and-ready California boom town, and find out...
The Story: Mary, better known as "the Girl" (MacDonald), is the owner of the Polka Saloon in Cloudy. She keeps the gold the men bring in from the mountains at her place and turns it over to the stagecoaches when they arrive. All of the men in town adore her and think of her as one of their own, and she has two suitors in Sheriff Jack Rance (Pidgeon) and shy blacksmith Alabama (Ebsen). On a trip to Monterrey, Mary's stagecoach is robbed by Ramerez (Eddy), a notorious local bandit. He's so enamored by her spunk and beauty, he follows her to town, where he poses as a lieutenant at a big festival in town just to get to know her better.
He eventually turns up in Cloudy, intending to rob the gold at the Polka...but can't go through with it when he discovers Mary's the owner. His men aren't terribly happy about that, and his half-breed girlfriend Nina (Priscilla Lawson) is even less thrilled. She tells the Sheriff the truth, and he tells Mary when she just invited Ramerez to her cabin. The bandit is hurt while trying to escape and winds up back at her place. Determined to keep him from the sheriff's grasp, she ends up playing a hand of poker with Rance, with the bandit and her hand in marriage on the line.
The Song and Dance: Unusually action-packed for the MacDonald/Eddy movies, with shootouts, bandits, and a genuinely tense confrontation between MacDonald and Pidgeon during that poker game. Ebsen as sweet Alabama and H.B Warner as Mary's padre friend in Monterrey add much-needed authenticity to this romantic adventure melodrama.
Favorite Number: MacDonald gets to sing a lovely version of "Lieberstraum" with town drunk The Professor (Brandon Tynan) on the newly-purchased piano at the saloon that's one of her better solo numbers. Eddy joins her for two big chorus numbers in the fiesta segment, "Senorita" and "Mariachi." The latter turns into the film's sole large-scale dance routine, with swirling dancers and some huge sets. Ebsen comments on how "civilization" has changed California in the brief but funny "The West Ain't Wild Anymore."
Trivia: This started out as a hit play by David Belasco in 1905. The play became an opera, La fanciulla del west, in 1910. It was filmed three times before, twice as a silent.
What I Don't Like: Philadelphia natives MacDonald and Eddy are too urban to be believable in a western setting. Eddy did better in his later solo western Let Freedom Ring; his idea of a Mexican accent is ridiculous. Womanly MacDonald is no tomboy, either. I have no idea why they couldn't have retained at least a little of the original opera score, as most of Romberg and Kahn's music is rather dull.
The Big Finale: Ok if you're a fan of MacDonald, Eddy, or the opera; otherwise, nothing you need to go out of your way to see.
Home Media: Easy to find on streaming and on DVD from the Warner Archives.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Buddy Ebsen, and Walter Pidgeon
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Sigmund Romberg and others; Lyrics by Gus Kahn and others
MacDonald and Eddy were two of MGM's biggest stars after the success of their 1937 vehicle Maytime, but a musical western based after an opera is probably the last thing anyone expected them to do as their next big film. How does the tale of a bandit who falls in love with a saloon-owning tomboy come off nowadays? Let's head to Cloudy, a rough-and-ready California boom town, and find out...
The Story: Mary, better known as "the Girl" (MacDonald), is the owner of the Polka Saloon in Cloudy. She keeps the gold the men bring in from the mountains at her place and turns it over to the stagecoaches when they arrive. All of the men in town adore her and think of her as one of their own, and she has two suitors in Sheriff Jack Rance (Pidgeon) and shy blacksmith Alabama (Ebsen). On a trip to Monterrey, Mary's stagecoach is robbed by Ramerez (Eddy), a notorious local bandit. He's so enamored by her spunk and beauty, he follows her to town, where he poses as a lieutenant at a big festival in town just to get to know her better.
He eventually turns up in Cloudy, intending to rob the gold at the Polka...but can't go through with it when he discovers Mary's the owner. His men aren't terribly happy about that, and his half-breed girlfriend Nina (Priscilla Lawson) is even less thrilled. She tells the Sheriff the truth, and he tells Mary when she just invited Ramerez to her cabin. The bandit is hurt while trying to escape and winds up back at her place. Determined to keep him from the sheriff's grasp, she ends up playing a hand of poker with Rance, with the bandit and her hand in marriage on the line.
The Song and Dance: Unusually action-packed for the MacDonald/Eddy movies, with shootouts, bandits, and a genuinely tense confrontation between MacDonald and Pidgeon during that poker game. Ebsen as sweet Alabama and H.B Warner as Mary's padre friend in Monterrey add much-needed authenticity to this romantic adventure melodrama.
Favorite Number: MacDonald gets to sing a lovely version of "Lieberstraum" with town drunk The Professor (Brandon Tynan) on the newly-purchased piano at the saloon that's one of her better solo numbers. Eddy joins her for two big chorus numbers in the fiesta segment, "Senorita" and "Mariachi." The latter turns into the film's sole large-scale dance routine, with swirling dancers and some huge sets. Ebsen comments on how "civilization" has changed California in the brief but funny "The West Ain't Wild Anymore."
Trivia: This started out as a hit play by David Belasco in 1905. The play became an opera, La fanciulla del west, in 1910. It was filmed three times before, twice as a silent.
What I Don't Like: Philadelphia natives MacDonald and Eddy are too urban to be believable in a western setting. Eddy did better in his later solo western Let Freedom Ring; his idea of a Mexican accent is ridiculous. Womanly MacDonald is no tomboy, either. I have no idea why they couldn't have retained at least a little of the original opera score, as most of Romberg and Kahn's music is rather dull.
The Big Finale: Ok if you're a fan of MacDonald, Eddy, or the opera; otherwise, nothing you need to go out of your way to see.
Home Media: Easy to find on streaming and on DVD from the Warner Archives.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Slightly French
Columbia, 1949
Starring Dorothy Lamour, Don Ameche, Janis Carter, and Willard Parker
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Music and Lyrics by Allan Roberts, Lester Lee, and others
Douglas Sirk is now considered to be one of the underrated directors of German and American cinema...but in 1949, he was merely a journeyman director for Columbia and Universal. This would be one of only two musicals he did during his American career. How does this My Fair Lady-esque tale of a Hollywood director who trains a dancer to be a French chanteuse for his new movie come off in the 21st century? Let's head to what appears to be a very movieland version of Paris to find out...
The Story: Director John Gayle (Ameche) is notorious in Hollywood for obsessing over his films and working his cast and crew to the bone. The French actress on his most recent movie (Adele Jergens) just walked off the set, and they need someone to replace her. Gayle and his best friend and producer Doug Hyde (Parker) are told that they'll have to shut the production down, until they encounter dancer Mary O'Leary (Lamour) at a carnival. She can imitate most accents, including French. Gayle and his skeptical sister Louisa (Carter) hire a French voice coach (Jeanne Manet) to turn her into a genuine chanteuse named Rochelle Olivia. She falls for him in the process, but he's more interested in his film. She shows off her new European persona with Doug, hoping to make him jealous. It works too well...and now it looks like both her new career and the film may be in jeopardy unless John can figure out how much his new discovery means to him.
The Song and Dance: Better than I thought it would be from the "B" pedigree. Sirk managed some wonderful directorial touches, especially with the shadowy black and white "Love Masquerade" number in the finale. Ameche and especially Lamour do quite well as the battling lovers. Several sequences show off Sirk's fondness for melodrama; I loved a scene towards the end where Mary finally tells off John for treating her like an object and acting like a jerk. You don't often see the women telling off the jerks in a rage in a frothy musical, and it was rather refreshing.
Favorite Number: That "Love Masquerade" in the opening sequence and near the finale is actually a little dark for a musical of this time, all silhouettes, dimly lit Paris sets, and slinky dance moves. Lamour gives the standard "Let's Fall In Love" a relaxed workout in a party sequence when Mary is still trying to make John jealous.
Trivia: This is a remake of the 1933 musical Let's Fall In Love.
According to the Internet Movie Database, it was filmed in 1948, but not released until a year later.
What I Don't Like: The story is not the most interesting or original; it's a standard Pygmalion/Cinderella variant. Parker is so dull as Doug, you wonder why Mary would ever be interested in him. He has no chemistry with Carter, and I have no idea why they get paired off, other than that's the usual thing to do.
The Big Finale: Surprisingly enjoyable small-scale musical romance. Not a bad time-waster if you're a fan of Lamour, Ameche, or Sirk's later romantic melodramas.
Home Media: The solo DVD from Sony/Columbia's made-to-order line is out of print, but it can be found as part of that Musical 20 Movies set from Mill Creek.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
Starring Dorothy Lamour, Don Ameche, Janis Carter, and Willard Parker
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Music and Lyrics by Allan Roberts, Lester Lee, and others
Douglas Sirk is now considered to be one of the underrated directors of German and American cinema...but in 1949, he was merely a journeyman director for Columbia and Universal. This would be one of only two musicals he did during his American career. How does this My Fair Lady-esque tale of a Hollywood director who trains a dancer to be a French chanteuse for his new movie come off in the 21st century? Let's head to what appears to be a very movieland version of Paris to find out...
The Story: Director John Gayle (Ameche) is notorious in Hollywood for obsessing over his films and working his cast and crew to the bone. The French actress on his most recent movie (Adele Jergens) just walked off the set, and they need someone to replace her. Gayle and his best friend and producer Doug Hyde (Parker) are told that they'll have to shut the production down, until they encounter dancer Mary O'Leary (Lamour) at a carnival. She can imitate most accents, including French. Gayle and his skeptical sister Louisa (Carter) hire a French voice coach (Jeanne Manet) to turn her into a genuine chanteuse named Rochelle Olivia. She falls for him in the process, but he's more interested in his film. She shows off her new European persona with Doug, hoping to make him jealous. It works too well...and now it looks like both her new career and the film may be in jeopardy unless John can figure out how much his new discovery means to him.
The Song and Dance: Better than I thought it would be from the "B" pedigree. Sirk managed some wonderful directorial touches, especially with the shadowy black and white "Love Masquerade" number in the finale. Ameche and especially Lamour do quite well as the battling lovers. Several sequences show off Sirk's fondness for melodrama; I loved a scene towards the end where Mary finally tells off John for treating her like an object and acting like a jerk. You don't often see the women telling off the jerks in a rage in a frothy musical, and it was rather refreshing.
Favorite Number: That "Love Masquerade" in the opening sequence and near the finale is actually a little dark for a musical of this time, all silhouettes, dimly lit Paris sets, and slinky dance moves. Lamour gives the standard "Let's Fall In Love" a relaxed workout in a party sequence when Mary is still trying to make John jealous.
Trivia: This is a remake of the 1933 musical Let's Fall In Love.
According to the Internet Movie Database, it was filmed in 1948, but not released until a year later.
What I Don't Like: The story is not the most interesting or original; it's a standard Pygmalion/Cinderella variant. Parker is so dull as Doug, you wonder why Mary would ever be interested in him. He has no chemistry with Carter, and I have no idea why they get paired off, other than that's the usual thing to do.
The Big Finale: Surprisingly enjoyable small-scale musical romance. Not a bad time-waster if you're a fan of Lamour, Ameche, or Sirk's later romantic melodramas.
Home Media: The solo DVD from Sony/Columbia's made-to-order line is out of print, but it can be found as part of that Musical 20 Movies set from Mill Creek.
DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection
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