20th Century Fox, 1947
Starring Betty Grable, Dick Haymes, Anne Revere, and Gene Lockhart
Directed by George Seaton
Music by George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
We end Women's History Month with this unusual story of a female typist determined to make it in the man's world of business just as typewriters debuted. The movie didn't do well at the time, but does it have something to say to us now, in a world where more women are taking over men's jobs and pushing for equal rights? Let's head to the Packard Business College in New York City to see their first graduating typist (typwriter) class and find out...
The Story: Cynthia Pilgrim (Grable) graduates at the top of her class and is delighted to take a job at a shipping firm in Boston. The head of the firm, John Prichard (Haymes), believes that the world of business is for men only and turns her away. His Aunt Alice (Revere), however, is an ardent supporter of women's suffrage and tells her nephew to hire Cynthia or else. The men, including office manager Mr. Saxon (Lockhart), make fun of her until she gives them a curt answer back, earning their respect.
Cynthia has less luck winning over the rest of Boston. No boarding house will accept a woman typewriter...except the one owned by Catherine Dennison (Elizabeth Patterson). Dennison specializes in lodgings for "outcasts," artists and musicians whose work gets them turned away by stuffy Bostonites. Cynthia quickly befriends artist Michel Michel (Arthur Shields), poet Leander (Allyn Joslyn), and music teacher Herbert (Charles Kemper), all of whom share her feelings about the stuffy citizens of Boston.
John Prichard, however, has become smitten with her after seeing her attractive legs. He tries to get her out on a date, but she refuses at first, until he agrees to go to a Women's Suffrage meeting. The women, including Alice Prichard, want her to speak for them as a representative of women in the workforce. John continues to press his point, but he can't deter Cynthia from her cause, not even when he takes her to a ball and introduces her to his equally independent mother (Elizabeth Risdon). They get engaged, but call it off when she won't give up her job. Now John has to find a new secretary...and has begun to realize just how much The Shocking Miss Pilgrim's efficiency and common sense has come to mean to him and his buisness.
The Song and Dance: I've never seen a Grable musical quite like this one. For all the comedy with Cynthia's artist buddies, it actually has some fairly serious discussions of what a women is capable of and whether or not they belong in jobs normally held by men. In fact, with women pushing for greater representation in the workplace once again in the news, it may be more relevant now than it was in the late 40's. Grable actually does quite well as the very determined Cynthia, and Elizabeth Patterson and the artist gentlemen are hilarious as her greatest supporters. The Technicolor production and gorgeous costumes add to the lush feel.
I also appreciate that this one ends with Grable running her own business. It doesn't take the obvious route of her giving everything up for him.
Favorite Number: Grable gets the best song from this one, the sprightly "Changing My Tune" after she gets her room and makes her first friends in Boston. The ladies of Boston prove that they're not the frustrated spinsters John thinks they are in the rousing "Stand Up and Fight." Grable and Haymes share three nice duets, "Waltzing Sitting Down" when John's pursuing Cynthia at the ball, "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?" after the women's suffrage rally, and "For You, For Me, Forevermore" when he asks her to marry him.
Trivia: This started out as a far-more serious story about a suffragist secretary who kills her boss when she shoves him downstairs and goes on trial for murder. The original author was furious that they turned it into a boy-meets-girl musical and criticized the music and the results.
And yes, you read the songwriters correctly. George Gershwin died in 1939, but his brother Ira chose songs they'd written but never used and tailored them to the film.
What I Don't Like: First of all, Haymes is stiff, smarmy, has no chemistry with Grable, and is less believable as a tough sexist businessman than Grable is as a "typewriter." The costumes are lovely but historically inaccurate - bustles were a lot bigger than that in 1874. The movie occasionally waffles on it's premise and whether or not women actually should be in the workplace or not. The Gershwin songs are lovely - the Gershwins couldn't write a bad one - but not as memorable as some of their earlier ones.
Also, if you're looking for one of Grable's more typical legs-and-laughs tropical vehicles, you'll likely be as disappointed as many audiences were in 1947.
The Big Finale: Unique and interesting Grable vehicle is a nice find for fans of her, the Gershwins, or 40's musicals.
Home Media: Alas, this one is out of print on DVD. Streaming is your best bet.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Aristocats
Disney, 1970
Voices of Eva Gabor, Phil Harris, Liz English, and Sterling Holloway
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by various
This movie came out at a time of great turmoil for the Disney Studios. Walt Disney died in 1966, and no one was really sure how to continue without him. It would be the last film he personally approved before he passed on. How does the story of a mother cat and her kittens who are cat-napped by a jealous butler look today? Let's head to Paris around 1910, as Madame Adelaide (Hermoine Baddley) is preparing to make her will, and find out...
The Story: Madame is a retired opera singer who lives alone with her cat Duchess (Gabor) and Duchess' kittens Toulouse (Gary Dubin), Berlioz (Dean Clark), and Marie (Liz English). Madame adores her talented feline companions and intends to leave them her fortune. Her butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby) is incensed that he didn't get the money first. He drugs the cats' milk and takes them out to the countryside to dump them...at least until he's attacked by a pair of hound dogs with a taste for tires, Napoleon (Pat Buttram) and Lafayette (George Lindsay).
The cats end up stranded in the nearest river. An alley cat, Thomas O'Malley (Harris), helps them back to Paris and introduces them to his jazz-loving international cat buddies. Duchess, however, can't bring herself to leave Madame and insists on going home. Edgar, however, hasn't given up on eliminating the cats. It'll take a combined effort from every animal in Madame's household to stop Edgar from sending the cats on a one-way ticket across the globe.
The Animation: Typical of Disney's sketchy style of the time, it's at least colorful and cute, with some nifty designs for the animals and decent effects on the rainstorm Dutchess and the kittens are stranded in and in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat."
The Song and Dance: Not bad, considering all the trouble they ran into making it. Though there's some good songs, it's primarily a comedy, with Buttram and Lindsay standing out as the hounds determined to catch anything on four wheels. Gabor and Harris are adorable as the mother cat and gallant tomcat, and the three kids are hilarious as the talented sibling kittens. There's also some good bits from Holloway as sweet mouse detective Roquefort, who is the one who ends up seeking his lost cat friends.
Favorite Number: "Scales and Arpeggios" and the bouncy title song were the last songs written by the Sherman Brothers before they left Disney. "Scales" is a charming duet for Duchess and Marie as they practice their singing, while the very French Maurice Chevalier performs "Aristocats" over the credits. Terry Gillkyson did "Thomas O'Malley Cat," Thomas' smooth and laid-back introductory number as he strolls down the road in the countryside and finds Duchess and the kittens in distress. Madame and her doddering lawyer Georges (Charles Lane) get an adorable tango to an instrumental "Habenera" from the opera Carmen in the opening.
By far the best known song from this one is the big jazz number in Paris, "Evr'body Wants to Be a Cat." Harris, Scatman Crothers, and a group of international stereotype cats throw their all into a big jazz dance routine that literally brings down the house. It's by far the best and catchiest song in the film.
Trivia: Louis Armstrong was originally going to play the second-in-command of the alley cats, but had to bow out for health reasons.
The film began development in 1961. It was originally going to be more of a mystery, but was reworked to get closer to adventure-rescue aspect of 101 Dalmatians. In early drafts of the script, a maid played by Elsa Lanchester helped Edgar get rid of the cats and had a comic love duet with him, but she was dropped to simplify the plot.
There was to have been a direct-to-home-media sequel in the mid-2000's that had Marie and her brothers foiling a jewel heist on an ocean liner, but John Lasseter canceled all sequels after taking over the animation studio to focus more on other projects.
What I Don't Like: Edgar is definitely not one of the better Disney villains. While he does manage a little bit of menace towards the end when he captures Duchess and her kittens, he's mostly a bungling idiot who can't even get past a pair of hound dogs. The story is a mess of cliches mainly taken from Lady & the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, the slapstick with the dogs and animals towards the end can come off as a little too juvenile, and those international stereotypes in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat" may offend some audiences today.
The Big Finale: Cute enough time-passer for younger kids who'll enjoy the animal antics and those who grew up watching it on cable or video.
Home Media: This one was a late arrival to video, but it's now easily found on all formats, often for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Eva Gabor, Phil Harris, Liz English, and Sterling Holloway
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Music and Lyrics by various
This movie came out at a time of great turmoil for the Disney Studios. Walt Disney died in 1966, and no one was really sure how to continue without him. It would be the last film he personally approved before he passed on. How does the story of a mother cat and her kittens who are cat-napped by a jealous butler look today? Let's head to Paris around 1910, as Madame Adelaide (Hermoine Baddley) is preparing to make her will, and find out...
The Story: Madame is a retired opera singer who lives alone with her cat Duchess (Gabor) and Duchess' kittens Toulouse (Gary Dubin), Berlioz (Dean Clark), and Marie (Liz English). Madame adores her talented feline companions and intends to leave them her fortune. Her butler Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby) is incensed that he didn't get the money first. He drugs the cats' milk and takes them out to the countryside to dump them...at least until he's attacked by a pair of hound dogs with a taste for tires, Napoleon (Pat Buttram) and Lafayette (George Lindsay).
The cats end up stranded in the nearest river. An alley cat, Thomas O'Malley (Harris), helps them back to Paris and introduces them to his jazz-loving international cat buddies. Duchess, however, can't bring herself to leave Madame and insists on going home. Edgar, however, hasn't given up on eliminating the cats. It'll take a combined effort from every animal in Madame's household to stop Edgar from sending the cats on a one-way ticket across the globe.
The Animation: Typical of Disney's sketchy style of the time, it's at least colorful and cute, with some nifty designs for the animals and decent effects on the rainstorm Dutchess and the kittens are stranded in and in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat."
The Song and Dance: Not bad, considering all the trouble they ran into making it. Though there's some good songs, it's primarily a comedy, with Buttram and Lindsay standing out as the hounds determined to catch anything on four wheels. Gabor and Harris are adorable as the mother cat and gallant tomcat, and the three kids are hilarious as the talented sibling kittens. There's also some good bits from Holloway as sweet mouse detective Roquefort, who is the one who ends up seeking his lost cat friends.
Favorite Number: "Scales and Arpeggios" and the bouncy title song were the last songs written by the Sherman Brothers before they left Disney. "Scales" is a charming duet for Duchess and Marie as they practice their singing, while the very French Maurice Chevalier performs "Aristocats" over the credits. Terry Gillkyson did "Thomas O'Malley Cat," Thomas' smooth and laid-back introductory number as he strolls down the road in the countryside and finds Duchess and the kittens in distress. Madame and her doddering lawyer Georges (Charles Lane) get an adorable tango to an instrumental "Habenera" from the opera Carmen in the opening.
By far the best known song from this one is the big jazz number in Paris, "Evr'body Wants to Be a Cat." Harris, Scatman Crothers, and a group of international stereotype cats throw their all into a big jazz dance routine that literally brings down the house. It's by far the best and catchiest song in the film.
Trivia: Louis Armstrong was originally going to play the second-in-command of the alley cats, but had to bow out for health reasons.
The film began development in 1961. It was originally going to be more of a mystery, but was reworked to get closer to adventure-rescue aspect of 101 Dalmatians. In early drafts of the script, a maid played by Elsa Lanchester helped Edgar get rid of the cats and had a comic love duet with him, but she was dropped to simplify the plot.
There was to have been a direct-to-home-media sequel in the mid-2000's that had Marie and her brothers foiling a jewel heist on an ocean liner, but John Lasseter canceled all sequels after taking over the animation studio to focus more on other projects.
What I Don't Like: Edgar is definitely not one of the better Disney villains. While he does manage a little bit of menace towards the end when he captures Duchess and her kittens, he's mostly a bungling idiot who can't even get past a pair of hound dogs. The story is a mess of cliches mainly taken from Lady & the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians, the slapstick with the dogs and animals towards the end can come off as a little too juvenile, and those international stereotypes in "Evry'body Wants to Be a Cat" may offend some audiences today.
The Big Finale: Cute enough time-passer for younger kids who'll enjoy the animal antics and those who grew up watching it on cable or video.
Home Media: This one was a late arrival to video, but it's now easily found on all formats, often for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Duchess of Idaho
MGM, 1950
Starring Esther Williams, John Lund, Van Johnson, and Paula Raymond
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Al Rinker and others; Lyrics by Floyd Huddleston and others
Esther Williams was at her peak as one of MGM's top stars when she appeared in this romantic comedy. This was her fourth time with Van Johnson as her leading man, who'd also reached his peak as a favorite. How does this tale of shenanigans at the popular Sun Valley ski resort look nowadays? Let's head to the theater where shy Ellen Hallett (Raymond) and her bolder sister Christine Riverton Duncan (Williams) appear in a show and find out...
The Story: Ellen is crazy about her handsome boss, Douglas Morrison Jr. (Lund), but can't bring herself to tell him. Christine helps her by following Douglas to Sun Valley and making a play for him. She's hoping he'll call for Ellen, who often pretends to be his fiancee when he has a woman in love with him that he can't fend off. Trouble is, not only does Douglas fall for her, but so does the handsome, cocky band leader Dick Layn (Johnson). Trouble is, she finds herself in love with Dick, while Douglas falls for her. Now she has to steer Douglas to Ellen, while not losing Dick's attentions.
The Song and Dance: With a story that light, the song and dance are the main attractions here. Williams and Johnson always did work well together, and this movie is no exception. They're relaxed and have decent chemistry together, making the silly story more believable than it might have been otherwise. The Sun Valley setting allows for some colorful costumes and sets, especially on the slopes. The Technicolor glows here, even when it's obvious that the backgrounds aren't real.
Favorite Number: Williams sneaks in two water ballets in the beginning and the end, including the elaborate opening number with wide red slides. Lena Horne shows up to sing a decent ballad, "Baby Come Out of the Clouds." Eleanor Powell, in her final film, shows off her still-decent dancing legs with a sparkling solo late in the film. Williams and Johnson get a cute dance with a potato that involves a lot of leaning over and bumping noses.
My favorite song from this one is the jivin' "You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right." Johnson and Connie Haines join his orchestra for a spoof of academics, with Johnson as a hep cat professor. The song is catchy, and the duo perform it with a great deal of vigor.
Trivia: Along with being Powell's last movie, this was Lena Horne's last film at MGM and one of Skelton's last MGM films.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention that fluffy story? Like most of Williams' vehicles, it's barely noticeable. This really isn't the place for people looking for something more dramatic or meatier. Lund and Raymond are smarmy and dull respectively as the second couple. Also, Williams is only in the water in the beginning and the end. Most of this movie was designed to show off her comedic talents rather than her swimming.
The Big Finale: This is a pleasant enough way to pass an hour and a half if you love Williams, Johnson, or big-band music.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD via the Warner Archives.
DVD
Starring Esther Williams, John Lund, Van Johnson, and Paula Raymond
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Music by Al Rinker and others; Lyrics by Floyd Huddleston and others
Esther Williams was at her peak as one of MGM's top stars when she appeared in this romantic comedy. This was her fourth time with Van Johnson as her leading man, who'd also reached his peak as a favorite. How does this tale of shenanigans at the popular Sun Valley ski resort look nowadays? Let's head to the theater where shy Ellen Hallett (Raymond) and her bolder sister Christine Riverton Duncan (Williams) appear in a show and find out...
The Story: Ellen is crazy about her handsome boss, Douglas Morrison Jr. (Lund), but can't bring herself to tell him. Christine helps her by following Douglas to Sun Valley and making a play for him. She's hoping he'll call for Ellen, who often pretends to be his fiancee when he has a woman in love with him that he can't fend off. Trouble is, not only does Douglas fall for her, but so does the handsome, cocky band leader Dick Layn (Johnson). Trouble is, she finds herself in love with Dick, while Douglas falls for her. Now she has to steer Douglas to Ellen, while not losing Dick's attentions.
The Song and Dance: With a story that light, the song and dance are the main attractions here. Williams and Johnson always did work well together, and this movie is no exception. They're relaxed and have decent chemistry together, making the silly story more believable than it might have been otherwise. The Sun Valley setting allows for some colorful costumes and sets, especially on the slopes. The Technicolor glows here, even when it's obvious that the backgrounds aren't real.
Favorite Number: Williams sneaks in two water ballets in the beginning and the end, including the elaborate opening number with wide red slides. Lena Horne shows up to sing a decent ballad, "Baby Come Out of the Clouds." Eleanor Powell, in her final film, shows off her still-decent dancing legs with a sparkling solo late in the film. Williams and Johnson get a cute dance with a potato that involves a lot of leaning over and bumping noses.
My favorite song from this one is the jivin' "You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right." Johnson and Connie Haines join his orchestra for a spoof of academics, with Johnson as a hep cat professor. The song is catchy, and the duo perform it with a great deal of vigor.
Trivia: Along with being Powell's last movie, this was Lena Horne's last film at MGM and one of Skelton's last MGM films.
What I Don't Like: Did I mention that fluffy story? Like most of Williams' vehicles, it's barely noticeable. This really isn't the place for people looking for something more dramatic or meatier. Lund and Raymond are smarmy and dull respectively as the second couple. Also, Williams is only in the water in the beginning and the end. Most of this movie was designed to show off her comedic talents rather than her swimming.
The Big Finale: This is a pleasant enough way to pass an hour and a half if you love Williams, Johnson, or big-band music.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD via the Warner Archives.
DVD
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Music In My Heart
Columbia Pictures, 1940
Starring Tony Martin, Rita Hayworth, Edith Fellows, and Alan Mowbray
Directed by Joseph Santley
Music and Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest
Before they really figured out what to do with her, Rita Hayworth was one of the busiest actresses at Columbia. She made five movies in 1940 alone, including this one. How does this B-movie about a singer who stays with a young woman and her family to avoid being deported look today? Let's start with a disappointed Patricia O'Malley (Hayworth) in a cab and find out...
The Story: Patricia shares her cab with Robert Gregory (Martin), a singer on the run from the authorities. Seems his parents never applied for citizenship and they want to deport him. Patrica's hoping to meet Charles Spencer Gardner III, a rich man she wants to marry. Thanks to a cab accident, they both miss the boat. Patricia invites Robert to stay with her family, to the delight of her younger sister Mary (Fellows). Mary thinks Patricia and Robert are perfect for each other and is determined to play matchmaker. She proves to be right, as Patricia and Robert fall for each other and become engaged. Robert, however, has had an offer for a Broadway show, and Charles and his butler Griggs (Eric Blore) aren't as gone as she thought. Griggs brings a paper that claims Robert's married, which pushes Patricia back into Charles' arms, even as Robert gets a shot at radio stardom.
The Song and Dance: A sweet little B movie with decent performances and some nice music. Hayworth does well enough as the young woman who thinks she knows what she wants, and Fellows steals the show as her sister who knows better. The real focus, though, is on Martin, who does as well as he can with the odd deportation story. Blore provides a few good gags as the fussy butler who will do anything to make his employer happy.
Favorite Number: "It's a Blue World" was nominated for an Oscar, and Martin gives it the right sell. He also gets the romantic duet "No Other Love" with Julietta Novis in the opening operetta number and performs the 1890's standard "A Bird In a Gilded Cage" in a charming little routine with Fellows. Hayworth gets a brief dance routine in the kitchen a little later.
What I Don't Like: First of all, with immigration again in the news, the deportation story seems almost quaint nowadays. They never do say why his parents didn't get their citizenship or what country he's fleeing from. Second, I really wish it was longer. Hayworth has little to do besides switch between beaus and do a few songs.
The Big Finale: There are worse ways to pass an hour if you're a fan of Hayworth or Martin.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD as a solo film and part of that Musical 20 Movies set from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musical 20 Movies Collection
Starring Tony Martin, Rita Hayworth, Edith Fellows, and Alan Mowbray
Directed by Joseph Santley
Music and Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest
Before they really figured out what to do with her, Rita Hayworth was one of the busiest actresses at Columbia. She made five movies in 1940 alone, including this one. How does this B-movie about a singer who stays with a young woman and her family to avoid being deported look today? Let's start with a disappointed Patricia O'Malley (Hayworth) in a cab and find out...
The Story: Patricia shares her cab with Robert Gregory (Martin), a singer on the run from the authorities. Seems his parents never applied for citizenship and they want to deport him. Patrica's hoping to meet Charles Spencer Gardner III, a rich man she wants to marry. Thanks to a cab accident, they both miss the boat. Patricia invites Robert to stay with her family, to the delight of her younger sister Mary (Fellows). Mary thinks Patricia and Robert are perfect for each other and is determined to play matchmaker. She proves to be right, as Patricia and Robert fall for each other and become engaged. Robert, however, has had an offer for a Broadway show, and Charles and his butler Griggs (Eric Blore) aren't as gone as she thought. Griggs brings a paper that claims Robert's married, which pushes Patricia back into Charles' arms, even as Robert gets a shot at radio stardom.
The Song and Dance: A sweet little B movie with decent performances and some nice music. Hayworth does well enough as the young woman who thinks she knows what she wants, and Fellows steals the show as her sister who knows better. The real focus, though, is on Martin, who does as well as he can with the odd deportation story. Blore provides a few good gags as the fussy butler who will do anything to make his employer happy.
Favorite Number: "It's a Blue World" was nominated for an Oscar, and Martin gives it the right sell. He also gets the romantic duet "No Other Love" with Julietta Novis in the opening operetta number and performs the 1890's standard "A Bird In a Gilded Cage" in a charming little routine with Fellows. Hayworth gets a brief dance routine in the kitchen a little later.
What I Don't Like: First of all, with immigration again in the news, the deportation story seems almost quaint nowadays. They never do say why his parents didn't get their citizenship or what country he's fleeing from. Second, I really wish it was longer. Hayworth has little to do besides switch between beaus and do a few songs.
The Big Finale: There are worse ways to pass an hour if you're a fan of Hayworth or Martin.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD as a solo film and part of that Musical 20 Movies set from Mill Creek Entertainment.
DVD
DVD - Musical 20 Movies Collection
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Family Fun Saturday - The Slipper and the Rose: A Story of Cinderella
Universal, 1976
Starring Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Michael Horden, and Annette Crosbie
Directed by Bryan Forbes
Music and Lyrics by The Sherman Brothers
We head across the Atlantic to England for tonight's review. This musical was a huge hit in England in the mid-70's, and while critics largely dismissed it at the time, it went over relatively well over here as well. How does this lengthy version of one of the most beloved fairy tales in the world fare now? Let's make our way to the castle in the country of Euphania, where the Prince Edward (Chamberlain) has recently returned home, and find out...
The Story: The King (Horden) and Queen (Lally Bowers) are in despair that their son Edward (Chamberlain) refuses to take a bride. He wants to marry for love, but his parents want him to wed a princess who will help fortify their borders. Meanwhile, Cinderella (Craven) was just banished to the kitchen by her domineering stepmother (Margaret Lockwood) after her father's death. She goes to the local cemetery to place flowers at her parents' grave and is caught watching the Prince and his bodyguard John (Christopher Gable).
The king and his advisers suggest a ball to keep the countries on their borders from invading. When less than half the princesses they invite agree to come, they extend the invitations to local nobility. Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are delighted to go, but refuse to allow her to join them. Her fairy godmother (Crosbie) first helps her make gowns for her family for the ball, then makes her appear in a gorgeous dress of her own. She and Edward fall for each other at first sight, but even after he finds her and her glass slipper, there's still the fact that his parents want that political alliance with a real princess to deal with.
The Song and Dance: This is one of the most gorgeously filmed musicals of the 1970's, with Craven romping in fields against soft-focus photography and singing "When He Danced With Me" in moonlit shadows. Though she and Chamberlain aren't bad as the put-upon servant girl and the frustrated prince, the supporting cast really shines here. Horden and Bowers are hilarious as the royal parents who don't understand their son's desire to marry for love, Lockwood is suitably haughty and obnoxious as Cinderella's stepmother, and Crosbie makes an unusually tart and sensible Fairy Godmother. Stunning costumes and sets, too, especially at the royal ball, where Cinderella's creamy white pops against the purples and greens and oranges worn by the other guests.
Favorite Number: The film kicks off well with two songs revealing the royal family's differing viewpoints on marriage. Edward laments "Why Can't I Be Two People?" when his parents pester him about finding a bride, while the king and queen ask "What Has Love Got to Do With Getting Married?" The King and his advisers insist that the kingdom has to be "Protocolligorically Correct" to avoid war in one of the big chorus routines, while John and the servants explain about their place in the world in "Position and Positioning." "Suddenly It Happens" is the Fairy Godmother's song as she transforms Cinderella's dress...and her life..in preparation for the ball. Edward and Cinderella recall their magical night, one in the ballroom, one in stunning moonlit shadows, in "She/He Danced With Me."
What I Don't Like: Like most big film musicals of the 60's and 70's, this one goes on for way too long. The entire subplot with the prince having to marry a princess from another kingdom and the final 20 minutes where Cinderella is convinced to leave him is dull and depressing filler. They probably could have stuck a little closer to the original story without all the political trappings and been fine, or at least trimmed some of it.
The Big Finale: Perfect remedy for home-bound, princess-crazy girls who are looking for a new version of one of the most popular fairy tales in the world, or fans of Chamberlain or the Sherman Brothers' other work.
Home Media: It was re-released last year in all formats. Streaming service Tubi currently has it for free.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Tubi
Starring Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Michael Horden, and Annette Crosbie
Directed by Bryan Forbes
Music and Lyrics by The Sherman Brothers
We head across the Atlantic to England for tonight's review. This musical was a huge hit in England in the mid-70's, and while critics largely dismissed it at the time, it went over relatively well over here as well. How does this lengthy version of one of the most beloved fairy tales in the world fare now? Let's make our way to the castle in the country of Euphania, where the Prince Edward (Chamberlain) has recently returned home, and find out...
The Story: The King (Horden) and Queen (Lally Bowers) are in despair that their son Edward (Chamberlain) refuses to take a bride. He wants to marry for love, but his parents want him to wed a princess who will help fortify their borders. Meanwhile, Cinderella (Craven) was just banished to the kitchen by her domineering stepmother (Margaret Lockwood) after her father's death. She goes to the local cemetery to place flowers at her parents' grave and is caught watching the Prince and his bodyguard John (Christopher Gable).
The king and his advisers suggest a ball to keep the countries on their borders from invading. When less than half the princesses they invite agree to come, they extend the invitations to local nobility. Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are delighted to go, but refuse to allow her to join them. Her fairy godmother (Crosbie) first helps her make gowns for her family for the ball, then makes her appear in a gorgeous dress of her own. She and Edward fall for each other at first sight, but even after he finds her and her glass slipper, there's still the fact that his parents want that political alliance with a real princess to deal with.
The Song and Dance: This is one of the most gorgeously filmed musicals of the 1970's, with Craven romping in fields against soft-focus photography and singing "When He Danced With Me" in moonlit shadows. Though she and Chamberlain aren't bad as the put-upon servant girl and the frustrated prince, the supporting cast really shines here. Horden and Bowers are hilarious as the royal parents who don't understand their son's desire to marry for love, Lockwood is suitably haughty and obnoxious as Cinderella's stepmother, and Crosbie makes an unusually tart and sensible Fairy Godmother. Stunning costumes and sets, too, especially at the royal ball, where Cinderella's creamy white pops against the purples and greens and oranges worn by the other guests.
Favorite Number: The film kicks off well with two songs revealing the royal family's differing viewpoints on marriage. Edward laments "Why Can't I Be Two People?" when his parents pester him about finding a bride, while the king and queen ask "What Has Love Got to Do With Getting Married?" The King and his advisers insist that the kingdom has to be "Protocolligorically Correct" to avoid war in one of the big chorus routines, while John and the servants explain about their place in the world in "Position and Positioning." "Suddenly It Happens" is the Fairy Godmother's song as she transforms Cinderella's dress...and her life..in preparation for the ball. Edward and Cinderella recall their magical night, one in the ballroom, one in stunning moonlit shadows, in "She/He Danced With Me."
What I Don't Like: Like most big film musicals of the 60's and 70's, this one goes on for way too long. The entire subplot with the prince having to marry a princess from another kingdom and the final 20 minutes where Cinderella is convinced to leave him is dull and depressing filler. They probably could have stuck a little closer to the original story without all the political trappings and been fine, or at least trimmed some of it.
The Big Finale: Perfect remedy for home-bound, princess-crazy girls who are looking for a new version of one of the most popular fairy tales in the world, or fans of Chamberlain or the Sherman Brothers' other work.
Home Media: It was re-released last year in all formats. Streaming service Tubi currently has it for free.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Tubi
Thursday, March 19, 2020
The 'I Don't Care' Girl
20th Century Fox, 1953
Starring Mitzi Gaynor, David Wayne, Oscar Levant, and Bob Graham
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Music and Lyrics by various
We've seen serious takes on biographies of famous performers in the last few weeks, but this oddity is really more of a spoof. Though Eva Tanguay was a major vaudeville headliner in the late 19th and early 20th century, by the early 50's, she was largely forgotten by all but nostalgia buffs and stage historians. They try to get around this with a comic story that has the three men in Eva's life come to Hollywood to relate very different stories of how they met her and she became a star. How does this unusual approach work today? Let's head to Hollywood, as producer George Jessel (himself) prepares for a biopic of Tanguay, and find out...
The Story: Three men come to Jessel and his team, all claiming to have the real scoop on the vivacious, publicity-loving vaudeville headliner. Ed McCoy (Wayne) says he met here when she was a waitress in a bar and they became a team. She goes on when another vaudeville team, Charlie Bennett (Levant) and Larry Woods (Graham) fight over her. Later, McCoy convinces Bennett to be her accompanist in her first big number. Nonsense, says Bennett. She was really a singer with an alcoholic partner who was dropped when the management gave her part to major star Stella Forrest (Hazel Brooks). Flo Ziegfeld (Wilton Graff) discovered her to spotlight in his Follies. Woods has still another version, about how they fought when she thought he was going to give his operetta to Stella...at least until he went away to World War I, and she went after him.
The Song and Dance: This strange, goofy musical is as bright and wacky as Tanguay herself was said to be. Gaynor gives it her all in the truly oddball numbers, kicking up her heels and shaking Tanguay's signature feathers and having a ball. I do appreciate that they tried for a different approach with the story, with the Rashomon-style device of having each leading man tell a different version of Tanguay's life. Some of the costumes and sets are downright amazing, especially in the "Beale Street Blues" and "Johnson Rag" numbers on stylized Technicolor stages.
Favorite Number: The first version of "I Don't Care" on a bare stage has Gaynor climbing all over the audience in the boxes and shaking her tail feathers with abandon. It probably gets the closest to what was reportedly the real Eva Tanguay's wild performance style. Wayne joins Gaynor for "Pretty Baby," which starts out with them courting on a bench and ends with them dressed as a nanny and a baby, and then her swirling around the stage. "Beale Street Blues" is a colorful and gritty finale, with dancers slinking around a bar in bright pinks and blues and Gaynor in a feathered headdress. Levant gets to show his stuff on the piano with two solo Liszt numbers.
Trivia: Renown Broadway choreographer Jack Cole did the dances for "Beale Street Blues," "Johnson Rag," and the second version of "I Don't Care." Long-time Hollywood choreographer Seymour Felix staged the smaller numbers. Broadway dancer Gwen Verdon can be seen in "Beale Street Blues." She also did the dive into the circle of water in "I Don't Care" because Gaynor couldn't swim.
None of the men's stories get remotely close to the real Tanguay. She was born in Canada, but her family ended up in Massachusetts, where she started singing at local music halls as a child. She made her Broadway debut in a Broadway musical in 1901; by 1905, she was one of the biggest stars in vaudeville, famed for her brassy, sassy self-confidence. She did appear in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1909...but she took a number from Sophie Tucker. No one took a number from her. She became best known as one of the earliest celebrities, coming up with stunts to keep her in the news well into the 1930's. Her marriages to a dancer in 1913 and a pianist in 1927 were brief... and neither bore any resemblance to the men in the film.
What I Don't Like: What on Earth does any of this have to do with vaudeville, Eva Tanguay, or the early 20th century? The big opening number under the credits stops to tell us that there's something wrong with Eva...but we never find out what, or how it fits in with the rest of the story. Cole's abstract numbers are truly weird, especially the ridiculous Renaissance-themed "Johnson Rag," and has nothing whatsoever to do with anything. Ironically, the numbers staged by Felix mostly come closer to the real style of the era.
It's also obvious that 20th Century Fox messed around in the editing room. The movie is way too short. You don't really get to know anyone, including Eva, and the story lurches along with no real rhyme or reason. Levant's his usual self, but Wayne and Graham are so bland, you have no idea what "bad girl" Eva would be doing with either of them.
The Big Finale: Ultimately, it's too weird and disjointed to be a favorite. Worth seeing once for Gaynor and the really strange Cole chorus routines.
Home Media: Currently available only as part of the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives made-to-order DVD collection.
DVD
Starring Mitzi Gaynor, David Wayne, Oscar Levant, and Bob Graham
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Music and Lyrics by various
We've seen serious takes on biographies of famous performers in the last few weeks, but this oddity is really more of a spoof. Though Eva Tanguay was a major vaudeville headliner in the late 19th and early 20th century, by the early 50's, she was largely forgotten by all but nostalgia buffs and stage historians. They try to get around this with a comic story that has the three men in Eva's life come to Hollywood to relate very different stories of how they met her and she became a star. How does this unusual approach work today? Let's head to Hollywood, as producer George Jessel (himself) prepares for a biopic of Tanguay, and find out...
The Story: Three men come to Jessel and his team, all claiming to have the real scoop on the vivacious, publicity-loving vaudeville headliner. Ed McCoy (Wayne) says he met here when she was a waitress in a bar and they became a team. She goes on when another vaudeville team, Charlie Bennett (Levant) and Larry Woods (Graham) fight over her. Later, McCoy convinces Bennett to be her accompanist in her first big number. Nonsense, says Bennett. She was really a singer with an alcoholic partner who was dropped when the management gave her part to major star Stella Forrest (Hazel Brooks). Flo Ziegfeld (Wilton Graff) discovered her to spotlight in his Follies. Woods has still another version, about how they fought when she thought he was going to give his operetta to Stella...at least until he went away to World War I, and she went after him.
The Song and Dance: This strange, goofy musical is as bright and wacky as Tanguay herself was said to be. Gaynor gives it her all in the truly oddball numbers, kicking up her heels and shaking Tanguay's signature feathers and having a ball. I do appreciate that they tried for a different approach with the story, with the Rashomon-style device of having each leading man tell a different version of Tanguay's life. Some of the costumes and sets are downright amazing, especially in the "Beale Street Blues" and "Johnson Rag" numbers on stylized Technicolor stages.
Favorite Number: The first version of "I Don't Care" on a bare stage has Gaynor climbing all over the audience in the boxes and shaking her tail feathers with abandon. It probably gets the closest to what was reportedly the real Eva Tanguay's wild performance style. Wayne joins Gaynor for "Pretty Baby," which starts out with them courting on a bench and ends with them dressed as a nanny and a baby, and then her swirling around the stage. "Beale Street Blues" is a colorful and gritty finale, with dancers slinking around a bar in bright pinks and blues and Gaynor in a feathered headdress. Levant gets to show his stuff on the piano with two solo Liszt numbers.
Trivia: Renown Broadway choreographer Jack Cole did the dances for "Beale Street Blues," "Johnson Rag," and the second version of "I Don't Care." Long-time Hollywood choreographer Seymour Felix staged the smaller numbers. Broadway dancer Gwen Verdon can be seen in "Beale Street Blues." She also did the dive into the circle of water in "I Don't Care" because Gaynor couldn't swim.
None of the men's stories get remotely close to the real Tanguay. She was born in Canada, but her family ended up in Massachusetts, where she started singing at local music halls as a child. She made her Broadway debut in a Broadway musical in 1901; by 1905, she was one of the biggest stars in vaudeville, famed for her brassy, sassy self-confidence. She did appear in the Ziegfeld Follies in 1909...but she took a number from Sophie Tucker. No one took a number from her. She became best known as one of the earliest celebrities, coming up with stunts to keep her in the news well into the 1930's. Her marriages to a dancer in 1913 and a pianist in 1927 were brief... and neither bore any resemblance to the men in the film.
What I Don't Like: What on Earth does any of this have to do with vaudeville, Eva Tanguay, or the early 20th century? The big opening number under the credits stops to tell us that there's something wrong with Eva...but we never find out what, or how it fits in with the rest of the story. Cole's abstract numbers are truly weird, especially the ridiculous Renaissance-themed "Johnson Rag," and has nothing whatsoever to do with anything. Ironically, the numbers staged by Felix mostly come closer to the real style of the era.
It's also obvious that 20th Century Fox messed around in the editing room. The movie is way too short. You don't really get to know anyone, including Eva, and the story lurches along with no real rhyme or reason. Levant's his usual self, but Wayne and Graham are so bland, you have no idea what "bad girl" Eva would be doing with either of them.
The Big Finale: Ultimately, it's too weird and disjointed to be a favorite. Worth seeing once for Gaynor and the really strange Cole chorus routines.
Home Media: Currently available only as part of the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives made-to-order DVD collection.
DVD
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Happy St. Patrick's Day! - Once (2007)
20th Century Fox, 2007
Starring Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh, and Geoff Minogue
Directed by John Carney
Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
After the complicated shenanigans with leprechauns and and pots of gold in the Finian's Rainbow review from last year, I thought I'd try something a little quieter and more contemporary. This love story between a guy and a girl making music in Ireland was a surprise hit on its debut and later proved equally popular on the legitimate stage. Is it just as romantic over a decade later? Let's head to Grafton Street in Dublin to hear a local street singer (Hansard) play his songs and find out...
The Story: The guy first encounters the girl, a florist from the Czech Republic (Irglova), when he runs into her after chasing a man who stole his money. He goes to her house to fix her vacuum cleaner and discovers she, too, is a musician. They start playing together, and she finds out that most of his songs are about a break-up with a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him. He introduces his parents, but she's not ready for him to put the moves on her. They do make up and start making some great music together. They even manage to get other street musicians together and cut a demo tape. He, however, still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and she has a husband in the Czech Republic she wants to bring to Dublin.
The Song and Dance: This is such a sweet movie. It's just a lovely, simple story of a guy, a girl, and the music they share. Hansard and Irglova are musicians, not really actors, but their acting comes off as unaffected and authentic. The movie was largely filmed in and around the real Dublin for even more authenticity. This is what a low-budget indie musical should look like - just a nice little story about people who enjoy making music together.
Favorite Number: The hit Oscar-winning ballad "Falling Slowly" is the first song the two play together after they discover they're musicians...and it's where they find out just how much chemistry they have together. "Broken Hearted Hoover Sucker Guy" is his explaining about his girlfriend leaving him on the bus home. They impress the studio engineer - and the audience - with the tougher "When Your Mind Is Made Up." "The Hill" is her touching and gentle solo number on an empty piano.
Trivia: The movie proved equally popular on the stage. It was just as surprising a hit on Broadway in 2012, running almost three years and winning the Tony for Best Musical. It ran for two years on the West End.
What I Don't Like: First of all, this is for grown-ups only. There's a lot of rough language, especially from the guy. It's one of the rare musicals to be rated R in the US for a reason. For those of us on this end of the pond, the accents can occasionally be hard to decipher. And obviously, if you like your musicals bigger, brassier, or bolder, this is definitely not the place for you. This is a quiet love story about a guy and a girl who don't even really get together in the end.
The Big Finale: If you're looking for something smaller and sweeter in your musicals, you can't do better than once of the loveliest romantic dramas of the 2000's.
Home Media: As one of the more popular musicals of the last fifteen years, it's easily found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Hugh Walsh, and Geoff Minogue
Directed by John Carney
Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
After the complicated shenanigans with leprechauns and and pots of gold in the Finian's Rainbow review from last year, I thought I'd try something a little quieter and more contemporary. This love story between a guy and a girl making music in Ireland was a surprise hit on its debut and later proved equally popular on the legitimate stage. Is it just as romantic over a decade later? Let's head to Grafton Street in Dublin to hear a local street singer (Hansard) play his songs and find out...
The Story: The guy first encounters the girl, a florist from the Czech Republic (Irglova), when he runs into her after chasing a man who stole his money. He goes to her house to fix her vacuum cleaner and discovers she, too, is a musician. They start playing together, and she finds out that most of his songs are about a break-up with a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him. He introduces his parents, but she's not ready for him to put the moves on her. They do make up and start making some great music together. They even manage to get other street musicians together and cut a demo tape. He, however, still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and she has a husband in the Czech Republic she wants to bring to Dublin.
The Song and Dance: This is such a sweet movie. It's just a lovely, simple story of a guy, a girl, and the music they share. Hansard and Irglova are musicians, not really actors, but their acting comes off as unaffected and authentic. The movie was largely filmed in and around the real Dublin for even more authenticity. This is what a low-budget indie musical should look like - just a nice little story about people who enjoy making music together.
Favorite Number: The hit Oscar-winning ballad "Falling Slowly" is the first song the two play together after they discover they're musicians...and it's where they find out just how much chemistry they have together. "Broken Hearted Hoover Sucker Guy" is his explaining about his girlfriend leaving him on the bus home. They impress the studio engineer - and the audience - with the tougher "When Your Mind Is Made Up." "The Hill" is her touching and gentle solo number on an empty piano.
Trivia: The movie proved equally popular on the stage. It was just as surprising a hit on Broadway in 2012, running almost three years and winning the Tony for Best Musical. It ran for two years on the West End.
What I Don't Like: First of all, this is for grown-ups only. There's a lot of rough language, especially from the guy. It's one of the rare musicals to be rated R in the US for a reason. For those of us on this end of the pond, the accents can occasionally be hard to decipher. And obviously, if you like your musicals bigger, brassier, or bolder, this is definitely not the place for you. This is a quiet love story about a guy and a girl who don't even really get together in the end.
The Big Finale: If you're looking for something smaller and sweeter in your musicals, you can't do better than once of the loveliest romantic dramas of the 2000's.
Home Media: As one of the more popular musicals of the last fifteen years, it's easily found in all major formats.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Animation Celebration Saturday - Happily Ever After (1993)
Filmation, 1993
Starring Irene Cara, Malcom McDowell, Michael Horton, and Ed Asner
Directed by John Howley
Music and lyrics by various
Today, Filmation is best-known for their action-oriented Saturday morning and syndicated shows like He-Man: Masters of the Universe and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, but they did make animated films in the 70's and 80's. Most went straight to video or TV, but a few did get into the theaters. This was intended to be the second in a series of follow-ups to popular Disney films after their Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, but the studio shut down before it could go any further with these plans. How well does this follow-up to Snow White look now? To find out, we begin at the evil queen's castle, where her animal minions are enjoying a wild celebration...
The Story: That celebration doesn't last for very long. The castle is taken over by Lord Maliss (McDowell), the evil queen's brother, who wants to avenge his sister and destroy Snow White. He's able to kidnap the Prince (Horton), but Snow White (Irene Cara) is able to flee through the woods to the Dwarfs' cottage. Their home has been taken over by their cousins the Dwarfelles, seven female dwarfs who control nature. Thunderella, the youngest (Tracey Ullman), has been having trouble with her weather powers. Mother Nature (Phyllis Diller) doesn't appreciate her mistakes or the others using their magic to bicker and send them along with Snow White to the Land of Doom to rescue the Prince. On the way, they encounter a mysterious Shadow Man in rags who will do anything to protect Snow White. The Dwarfelles think he's working with Maliss, but Snow White can't help thinking he seems familiar...
The Animation: Better than their TV shows, but still nowhere near the quality Disney had started to put out by 1993. The Dwarfellas are appropriately defined and cute (even when their characters aren't), but Snow White and the Prince look more than a little lifeless. Maliss is more appropriately frightening, especially in his dragon form. Some of the action sequences in the second half, like the flood, come off a little better.
The Song and Dance: This is less a sequel to the Disney Snow White and more "Snow White as interpreted by the makers of He-Man." As such, it has a few interesting ideas and characters. McDowell happily chews all the scenery he can as the genuinely menacing Lord Maliss. The relationship between Snow White and the Shadow Man is sweet and even touching, especially if you figure out who he really is well before Snow White does. The Dwarfelles have a couple of funny bits, especially when they're attacking the castle towards the end. I also appreciate that Snow White actually tries to stop Maliss a few times and comes off as a bit tougher than she usually does in most adaptations of her story.
Favorite Number: Scowl tells the other critters in the Evil Queen's castle how he's "The Baddest" in one of the goofiest early rap numbers I've ever heard. The Dwarfellas and Snow White play a game to guess what Mother Nature's "creations" are actually supposed to be in "Mother Nature's Song." Cara gets to sing a decent early 90's power ballad, "Love Is the Reason," over the credits.
What I Don't Like: There's some wonderful ideas here. I just wish they did more with them. The movie needs to be at least 20 minutes longer. Most of the Dwarfellas barely register beyond a few gags, and why did they have powers? They barely used them, other than at the beginning to quarrel and in the end when Thunderella used hers. Mother Nature only appears in her one song and briefly in the finale and doesn't really do much, either. And what were with the totally worthless bat and owl characters? Scowl (Asner) and Batso's (Frank Welker) side plot with them wanting to be bad has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the film and, other than Scowl's ridiculous rap number that comes from nowhere, is basically padding.
The Big Finale: There's enough that I like here for me to consider this a guilty pleasure...but if you're not into Filmation's style or weird 80's-early 90's animated movies, you probably won't find much to enjoy here.
Home Media: I'm afraid your best bet is YouTube or doing what I did and looking for the VHS. Not only is the DVD out of print and very expensive, but they cut out a lot of the violence, making the movie even more confusing than it already is.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Cover Girl
Columbia Pictures, 1944
Starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Eve Arden, and Phil Silvers
Directed by Charles Vidor
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
This was one of Rita Hayworth's most popular movies, and one of the biggest hit musicals of the war years. It was also her only chance to star with Gene Kelly, who was on loan from MGM. Columbia rarely went all-out, but they threw everything they had into this one, including Technicolor, lavish sets and costumes, Kern and Gershwin, and Kelly's first chance to choreograph his own dances. Did it pay off? Let's head to a nightclub stage in Brooklyn as the show is about to begin to find out...
The Story: Rusty Parker (Hayworth) is a chorus girl at a nightclub owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly). On a lark, Rusty joins fellow dancer Maurine (Leslie Brooks) in a contest to appear on the cover of Vanity Magazine. Maurine jealously tells her to act goofy around secretary Cornelia Jackson (Eve Arden), who dismisses her. Her boss John Coudair (Otto Kruger) has a different opinion when he sees Rusty dancing at the club. She's a dead ringer for Maribelle Hicks (Hayworth), the dancer he loved and lost 40 years before.
He's so delighted by her dancing, he brings producer Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) to see her act. He wants to put her on the cover, but she's reluctant to leave Danny. Not wanting to stand in her way, he starts an argument with her and finally gets her to leave. She does become a hit on Vanity, and later on Broadway. Wheaton's so enamored of her, he wants to marry her...but she can't forget Danny.
The Song and Dance: This one goes the unusual route of cutting between Rusty's attempt to become a star and Danny's desire for her happiness and her grandmother's romance with the young Coudair (Jess Barker). Either way, it's a feast for the eyes, with stunning costumes and some of the most glorious Technicolor cinematography of the era. Kelly finally gets the chance to develop some of the ideas he'd bring back to MGM, from taking out a wall and dancing up and down the street for "Make Way for Tomorrow" to his "Alter Ego Dance" with himself. The supporting cast is just as much fun, including sarcastic Arden as the woman in charge of choosing the new cover girl and Bowman as the dapper producer.
Favorite Number: There's some classics here, starting with "Who's Complaining." Phil Silvers is very glad that Hayworth and the chorus girls are taking over men's jobs in this cute dance routine at the club. "Make Way for Tomorrow" has Kelly, Silvers, and Hayworth romping all over the street, using various items they find around garbage cans to make music. Kelly and Stanley Donen's choreography is inventive and fun, and it's just a treat to watch. "Cover Girl (The Girl on the Cover)" turns from chorus girls (and one literal little girl) highlighting famous magazines to Hayworth coming out of the clouds and dancing down a long, winding ramp with boys in tuxes.
The gorgeous ballad "Long Ago and Far Away" was the hit here, and it gets a romantic number worthy of it too, with Barker and Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) doing a brief but lovely duet. "Alter-Ego Dance" has Kelly literally performing with his "reflection" via special effects that still look pretty good today and foreshadows many ideas and motifs he'd work with in his more elaborate dances at MGM.
Trivia: Supposedly, Kelly's character here inspired his same-named character almost 40 years later in Xanadu.
Cover Girl made Kelly and Hayworth major stars and encouraged MGM to give Kelly more control over his choreography in his next movie Anchors Aweigh.
What I Don't Like: Like most musicals from the 30's and 40's, this one is fairly lightweight. Silvers can be occasionally annoying, and Danny sometimes comes off as more obnoxious than self-sacrificing. It's not for folks looking for a heavier or more substantial story.
The Big Finale: A sheer delight, with glorious color, some of Kern's best film music, and fabulous numbers. If you're a fan of Kelly and Hayworth or the musicals of the 40's, you'll want to check this one out.
Home Media: DVD or streaming's your best bet here. The Twilight Time limited edition Blu-Ray is expensive.
DVD
Blu Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Eve Arden, and Phil Silvers
Directed by Charles Vidor
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
This was one of Rita Hayworth's most popular movies, and one of the biggest hit musicals of the war years. It was also her only chance to star with Gene Kelly, who was on loan from MGM. Columbia rarely went all-out, but they threw everything they had into this one, including Technicolor, lavish sets and costumes, Kern and Gershwin, and Kelly's first chance to choreograph his own dances. Did it pay off? Let's head to a nightclub stage in Brooklyn as the show is about to begin to find out...
The Story: Rusty Parker (Hayworth) is a chorus girl at a nightclub owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly). On a lark, Rusty joins fellow dancer Maurine (Leslie Brooks) in a contest to appear on the cover of Vanity Magazine. Maurine jealously tells her to act goofy around secretary Cornelia Jackson (Eve Arden), who dismisses her. Her boss John Coudair (Otto Kruger) has a different opinion when he sees Rusty dancing at the club. She's a dead ringer for Maribelle Hicks (Hayworth), the dancer he loved and lost 40 years before.
He's so delighted by her dancing, he brings producer Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) to see her act. He wants to put her on the cover, but she's reluctant to leave Danny. Not wanting to stand in her way, he starts an argument with her and finally gets her to leave. She does become a hit on Vanity, and later on Broadway. Wheaton's so enamored of her, he wants to marry her...but she can't forget Danny.
The Song and Dance: This one goes the unusual route of cutting between Rusty's attempt to become a star and Danny's desire for her happiness and her grandmother's romance with the young Coudair (Jess Barker). Either way, it's a feast for the eyes, with stunning costumes and some of the most glorious Technicolor cinematography of the era. Kelly finally gets the chance to develop some of the ideas he'd bring back to MGM, from taking out a wall and dancing up and down the street for "Make Way for Tomorrow" to his "Alter Ego Dance" with himself. The supporting cast is just as much fun, including sarcastic Arden as the woman in charge of choosing the new cover girl and Bowman as the dapper producer.
Favorite Number: There's some classics here, starting with "Who's Complaining." Phil Silvers is very glad that Hayworth and the chorus girls are taking over men's jobs in this cute dance routine at the club. "Make Way for Tomorrow" has Kelly, Silvers, and Hayworth romping all over the street, using various items they find around garbage cans to make music. Kelly and Stanley Donen's choreography is inventive and fun, and it's just a treat to watch. "Cover Girl (The Girl on the Cover)" turns from chorus girls (and one literal little girl) highlighting famous magazines to Hayworth coming out of the clouds and dancing down a long, winding ramp with boys in tuxes.
The gorgeous ballad "Long Ago and Far Away" was the hit here, and it gets a romantic number worthy of it too, with Barker and Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) doing a brief but lovely duet. "Alter-Ego Dance" has Kelly literally performing with his "reflection" via special effects that still look pretty good today and foreshadows many ideas and motifs he'd work with in his more elaborate dances at MGM.
Trivia: Supposedly, Kelly's character here inspired his same-named character almost 40 years later in Xanadu.
Cover Girl made Kelly and Hayworth major stars and encouraged MGM to give Kelly more control over his choreography in his next movie Anchors Aweigh.
What I Don't Like: Like most musicals from the 30's and 40's, this one is fairly lightweight. Silvers can be occasionally annoying, and Danny sometimes comes off as more obnoxious than self-sacrificing. It's not for folks looking for a heavier or more substantial story.
The Big Finale: A sheer delight, with glorious color, some of Kern's best film music, and fabulous numbers. If you're a fan of Kelly and Hayworth or the musicals of the 40's, you'll want to check this one out.
Home Media: DVD or streaming's your best bet here. The Twilight Time limited edition Blu-Ray is expensive.
DVD
Blu Ray
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
The Dolly Sisters
20th Century Fox, 1945
Starring Betty Grable, June Haver, John Payne, and SK Sakall
Directed by Irving Cummings
Music by James V. Monaco, Charles Henderson, and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others
Betty Grable was the top draw at Fox by the time this movie went into production in 1944. It was only natural for the biggest star in Hollywood and the newest star on the Fox lot to play two of the most beloved vaudeville performers of the early 20th century. How does the troubled lives of these glamorous siblings come off nowadays? Let's follow Uncle "Latsie" Lazlo Dolly (Sakall) and his nieces to small Hungarian cafe in New York in 1904 and find out...
The Story: Rosie (Haver) and Jenny (Grable) are still singing in that cafe in 1912 to pay their uncle's gambling debts. Still needing cash, they decide to get into vaudeville. Harry Fox (Payne) first comes into their life on the train to New York. He fibs that he's a Broadway headliner, when it turns out he's really a low-level songwriter. He's upset that they're billed over him, but it evaporates when they go over really well. He even helps them get in with vaudeville impresario Arthur Hammerstein (Robert Middlemass). They're a huge hit, even as Harry continues to struggle.
Harry and Jenny do finally marry and his newest song becomes a hit...just as World War I breaks out. Harry joins the army and Jenny rejoins Rosie for a European tour. He wants her to join him, but she can't bring herself to leave her sister again, leading him to demand a divorce. The sisters ultimately remain in Europe after the war. Rosie becomes engaged to department store owner Irving Netcher (Frank Latimore), while Jenny gambles, drinks, and pursues a British nobleman (Reginald Gardiner). Unfortunately, tormented by her memories of Harry, they end up in a nasty car crash. Jenny's career ends in a haze of hospital visits and morphine, but there's always her memories of one last concert with Harry.
The Song and Dance: Grable is the thing in this colorful and evocative rendition of the vaudeville era of the early 20th century. She actually comes off pretty well as the older sister torn between her love for her sibling and her love for her first husband. Where this movie scores best is when it focuses on the sisters themselves and their world of seal trainers, acrobats, demanding singers, and glittering dancers. The costumes and sets are colorful and fairly accurate to the era for one of these movies and for the early 40's. I also love the sequence where Harry encourages the girls to pose as Hungarian headliners to get Hammerstein's attention, and earlier when they're dressed as children to get a half-fare train ride and still flirt with Harry.
Favorite Number: Most of the songs in the film were from the era the story was set in, like Payne and Grable's cute "Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl" sung to a male chorus on a record at their boarding house. Grable and Haver get one of the two new songs, "We've Been Around," as they try to convince Hammerstein that they're big European stars. Payne introduces the lovely ballad "I Can't Begin to Tell You," which he gets to sing with the girls in the finale. He also does a nice "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" with Grable in a nightclub right before he's discovered.
What I Don't Like: Most of this movie is pure fabrication. Yes, the Dolly Sisters really were vaudeville headliners, were twin dancers whose moves shadowed each other, were a hit in Europe during and after the war, and Jenny really did marry a songwriter named Harry Fox and was in a terrible car accident. They were also tall, willowy brunettes instead of bosomy blondes, and they came over from Hungary with their parents, not their goofy uncle. Jenny's accident was years after she divorced Fox, and it was over whether she should marry Selfridge, the real-life British department store owner. Neither sister's life ended happily. Consumed by her injuries and the resulting pain, Jenny committed suicide in 1941. Rosie considered it, but finally died in 1970.
Haver is stiff as a board as the slightly younger Dolly Sister and with a lot less to do. Payne comes off only slightly better. He was never really comfortable in musicals, despite being a good singer. The larger musical numbers come off even worse. While the "Powder, Lipstick, and Rouge" chorus routine is generally goofy but harmless, "The Darktown Strutters Ball" in Paris, with it's glamorous depictions of African-American stereotypes, is more offensive than amusing today.
The Big Finale: Ultimately, this one is best for fans of Grable, romantic melodrama, or the big Technicolor musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD via 20th Century Fox's Marquee Musicals collection.
DVD
Starring Betty Grable, June Haver, John Payne, and SK Sakall
Directed by Irving Cummings
Music by James V. Monaco, Charles Henderson, and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others
Betty Grable was the top draw at Fox by the time this movie went into production in 1944. It was only natural for the biggest star in Hollywood and the newest star on the Fox lot to play two of the most beloved vaudeville performers of the early 20th century. How does the troubled lives of these glamorous siblings come off nowadays? Let's follow Uncle "Latsie" Lazlo Dolly (Sakall) and his nieces to small Hungarian cafe in New York in 1904 and find out...
The Story: Rosie (Haver) and Jenny (Grable) are still singing in that cafe in 1912 to pay their uncle's gambling debts. Still needing cash, they decide to get into vaudeville. Harry Fox (Payne) first comes into their life on the train to New York. He fibs that he's a Broadway headliner, when it turns out he's really a low-level songwriter. He's upset that they're billed over him, but it evaporates when they go over really well. He even helps them get in with vaudeville impresario Arthur Hammerstein (Robert Middlemass). They're a huge hit, even as Harry continues to struggle.
Harry and Jenny do finally marry and his newest song becomes a hit...just as World War I breaks out. Harry joins the army and Jenny rejoins Rosie for a European tour. He wants her to join him, but she can't bring herself to leave her sister again, leading him to demand a divorce. The sisters ultimately remain in Europe after the war. Rosie becomes engaged to department store owner Irving Netcher (Frank Latimore), while Jenny gambles, drinks, and pursues a British nobleman (Reginald Gardiner). Unfortunately, tormented by her memories of Harry, they end up in a nasty car crash. Jenny's career ends in a haze of hospital visits and morphine, but there's always her memories of one last concert with Harry.
The Song and Dance: Grable is the thing in this colorful and evocative rendition of the vaudeville era of the early 20th century. She actually comes off pretty well as the older sister torn between her love for her sibling and her love for her first husband. Where this movie scores best is when it focuses on the sisters themselves and their world of seal trainers, acrobats, demanding singers, and glittering dancers. The costumes and sets are colorful and fairly accurate to the era for one of these movies and for the early 40's. I also love the sequence where Harry encourages the girls to pose as Hungarian headliners to get Hammerstein's attention, and earlier when they're dressed as children to get a half-fare train ride and still flirt with Harry.
Favorite Number: Most of the songs in the film were from the era the story was set in, like Payne and Grable's cute "Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl" sung to a male chorus on a record at their boarding house. Grable and Haver get one of the two new songs, "We've Been Around," as they try to convince Hammerstein that they're big European stars. Payne introduces the lovely ballad "I Can't Begin to Tell You," which he gets to sing with the girls in the finale. He also does a nice "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" with Grable in a nightclub right before he's discovered.
What I Don't Like: Most of this movie is pure fabrication. Yes, the Dolly Sisters really were vaudeville headliners, were twin dancers whose moves shadowed each other, were a hit in Europe during and after the war, and Jenny really did marry a songwriter named Harry Fox and was in a terrible car accident. They were also tall, willowy brunettes instead of bosomy blondes, and they came over from Hungary with their parents, not their goofy uncle. Jenny's accident was years after she divorced Fox, and it was over whether she should marry Selfridge, the real-life British department store owner. Neither sister's life ended happily. Consumed by her injuries and the resulting pain, Jenny committed suicide in 1941. Rosie considered it, but finally died in 1970.
Haver is stiff as a board as the slightly younger Dolly Sister and with a lot less to do. Payne comes off only slightly better. He was never really comfortable in musicals, despite being a good singer. The larger musical numbers come off even worse. While the "Powder, Lipstick, and Rouge" chorus routine is generally goofy but harmless, "The Darktown Strutters Ball" in Paris, with it's glamorous depictions of African-American stereotypes, is more offensive than amusing today.
The Big Finale: Ultimately, this one is best for fans of Grable, romantic melodrama, or the big Technicolor musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Currently only on DVD via 20th Century Fox's Marquee Musicals collection.
DVD
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Animation Celebration Saturday - The Pebble and the Penguin
MGM, 1995
Voices of Martin Short, Tim Curry, Jim Belushi, and Annie Golden
Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Bruce Sussman
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
After releasing two of the biggest animated hits of the 80's, director Don Bluth had a really rough time in the 90's. All Dogs Go To Heaven came out on the same day as The Little Mermaid, and every movie he'd made since then debuted to diminishing returns and complaints from critics who thought he'd gotten too cutesy. There were problems with production on this one from the get-go, and MGM's continually butting in and making changes on the film didn't help anyone, either. Bluth and Goldman got so fed up, they demanded to have their names taken off the final product. Were they right to do this, or is this movie worth giving a pebble to? Let's head to Antarctica, where a flock of Adelie penguins are preparing for their mating ritual, to find out...
The Story: Hubie (Short) wants badly to mate with Marina (Golden), but he's too shy to really explain his feelings. He hopes finding the most beautiful pebble in the Antarctic will explain the depths of his passion better than any words could. When the shore is picked clean of stones by bigger penguins, he desperately wishes for one on a star. The perfect glittering pebble falls from the sky, but it does Hubie no good. Marina has another suitor, a larger, stronger male named Drake (Curry). Drake shoves Hubie off a cliff. Avoiding a leopard seal, he ends up on an iceberg going north. He eventually ends up in a cage on a ship bound for zoos.
Hubie's not the only one who doesn't want to spend his life in a cage. Rocco (Belushi), a rockhopper penguin, isn't overly eager to be stuck behind bars, either. Hubie and Rocco help each other escape the boat, then get to shore. Rocco's one dream is to fly, and even though Hubie thinks it's ridiculous, he lies and tells him about a flying penguin who can help him if he goes to Antarctica with him. Now the two have to get back and find a way to take down Drake, before he banishes, ravishes, or does something horrible to Marina.
The Animation: A real mixed bag. Sullivan Studios outsourced this to several European studios, and it shows. The continuity is all over the place, with Rocco's scarf constantly changing colors and more closely resembling a chin than neck gear. The designs on the penguins are often more creepy than cute, with their huge eyes and teeth that birds shouldn't have.
The Song and Dance: I will admit that this is mildly better than Thumbelina. Belushi can occasionally be funny as the stubborn rockhopper penguin with the unusual dream, Curry's not a bad Gaston-type jock villain, and a few of the musical numbers aren't horrible. Even just the fairly unique angle of the penguins and their festival deserves a mention.
Favorite Number: The animals on the boat Hubie ended up on put on their own Busby Berkeley spoof routine to tell him just how terrible it is, "The Good Ship Misery." Drake tries to woo Marina with soft lights, romantic dancing, and telling her she'll be banished if she doesn't do what he wants in "Don't Make Me Laugh."
What I Don't Like: The opening and closing number "Now and Forever" makes no sense. Why have the penguins frolicking around sheet music and instruments? That's not what the story's about. They should be dancing in the Antarctic and spotlighting the search for the pebbles. That the song is mushy and dull just makes things worse.
The leads are a problem, too. Hubie's an annoying twit who lies to the guy he calls his best friend and laughs in his face when he reveals his greatest dream to him. No wonder Rocco wanted to get far away from him. It's a wonder he wasn't cast out of the rookery ages ago. The object of Hubie's affections isn't much better. Marina has absolutely nothing to do besides pine for Hubie and push Drake away. Frankly, I have no idea what she sees in Hubie, other than Drake's an even worse option.
MGM's bungled editing job resulted in plot holes galore. You never find out how Hubie ended up on the ship, for instance, or why Marina absolutely has to mate Hubie before the full moon, or much of how Hubie and Rocco got back down south. The woman narrator is just as annoying and useless here as Patou's narration was in Rock-a-Doodle three years before. The film should really be showing things, not telling them.
The Big Finale: Poor Don Bluth just couldn't catch a break in the 90's. This is cute but bland, and the so-called hero is more obnoxious than fun. For young kids who'll enjoy watching the penguins and major Bluth fans only.
Home Media: Easily found in all major formats; Tubi currently has it streaming for free with ads.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Tubi
Voices of Martin Short, Tim Curry, Jim Belushi, and Annie Golden
Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Bruce Sussman
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
After releasing two of the biggest animated hits of the 80's, director Don Bluth had a really rough time in the 90's. All Dogs Go To Heaven came out on the same day as The Little Mermaid, and every movie he'd made since then debuted to diminishing returns and complaints from critics who thought he'd gotten too cutesy. There were problems with production on this one from the get-go, and MGM's continually butting in and making changes on the film didn't help anyone, either. Bluth and Goldman got so fed up, they demanded to have their names taken off the final product. Were they right to do this, or is this movie worth giving a pebble to? Let's head to Antarctica, where a flock of Adelie penguins are preparing for their mating ritual, to find out...
The Story: Hubie (Short) wants badly to mate with Marina (Golden), but he's too shy to really explain his feelings. He hopes finding the most beautiful pebble in the Antarctic will explain the depths of his passion better than any words could. When the shore is picked clean of stones by bigger penguins, he desperately wishes for one on a star. The perfect glittering pebble falls from the sky, but it does Hubie no good. Marina has another suitor, a larger, stronger male named Drake (Curry). Drake shoves Hubie off a cliff. Avoiding a leopard seal, he ends up on an iceberg going north. He eventually ends up in a cage on a ship bound for zoos.
Hubie's not the only one who doesn't want to spend his life in a cage. Rocco (Belushi), a rockhopper penguin, isn't overly eager to be stuck behind bars, either. Hubie and Rocco help each other escape the boat, then get to shore. Rocco's one dream is to fly, and even though Hubie thinks it's ridiculous, he lies and tells him about a flying penguin who can help him if he goes to Antarctica with him. Now the two have to get back and find a way to take down Drake, before he banishes, ravishes, or does something horrible to Marina.
The Animation: A real mixed bag. Sullivan Studios outsourced this to several European studios, and it shows. The continuity is all over the place, with Rocco's scarf constantly changing colors and more closely resembling a chin than neck gear. The designs on the penguins are often more creepy than cute, with their huge eyes and teeth that birds shouldn't have.
The Song and Dance: I will admit that this is mildly better than Thumbelina. Belushi can occasionally be funny as the stubborn rockhopper penguin with the unusual dream, Curry's not a bad Gaston-type jock villain, and a few of the musical numbers aren't horrible. Even just the fairly unique angle of the penguins and their festival deserves a mention.
Favorite Number: The animals on the boat Hubie ended up on put on their own Busby Berkeley spoof routine to tell him just how terrible it is, "The Good Ship Misery." Drake tries to woo Marina with soft lights, romantic dancing, and telling her she'll be banished if she doesn't do what he wants in "Don't Make Me Laugh."
What I Don't Like: The opening and closing number "Now and Forever" makes no sense. Why have the penguins frolicking around sheet music and instruments? That's not what the story's about. They should be dancing in the Antarctic and spotlighting the search for the pebbles. That the song is mushy and dull just makes things worse.
The leads are a problem, too. Hubie's an annoying twit who lies to the guy he calls his best friend and laughs in his face when he reveals his greatest dream to him. No wonder Rocco wanted to get far away from him. It's a wonder he wasn't cast out of the rookery ages ago. The object of Hubie's affections isn't much better. Marina has absolutely nothing to do besides pine for Hubie and push Drake away. Frankly, I have no idea what she sees in Hubie, other than Drake's an even worse option.
MGM's bungled editing job resulted in plot holes galore. You never find out how Hubie ended up on the ship, for instance, or why Marina absolutely has to mate Hubie before the full moon, or much of how Hubie and Rocco got back down south. The woman narrator is just as annoying and useless here as Patou's narration was in Rock-a-Doodle three years before. The film should really be showing things, not telling them.
The Big Finale: Poor Don Bluth just couldn't catch a break in the 90's. This is cute but bland, and the so-called hero is more obnoxious than fun. For young kids who'll enjoy watching the penguins and major Bluth fans only.
Home Media: Easily found in all major formats; Tubi currently has it streaming for free with ads.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Tubi
Thursday, March 5, 2020
The Perils of Pauline (1947)
Paramount, 1947
Starring Betty Hutton, John Lund, Constance Collier, and Billy DeWolfe
Directed by George Marshall
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Our second Women's History biography takes us further back into the annals of film. Serials, those blood-and-thunder action stories told in 15 to 20 minute bites that kept audiences coming back for more, were popular from the 1910's through the 50's, but hit their peak just before and during World War I. Pearl White was known as the Queen of the Serials. She starred in what's probably the most famous of them, The Perils of Pauline, and would continue to astonish audiences with her amazing stunts through the early 20's. How well does this movie from a quarter of a century later tell the story of Pearl and the hectic world of early silent films? Let's head to a sweatshop in a Midwestern town and find out...
The Story: Pearl White (Hutton) would do anything to become a major dramatic actress. She delivers a costume to grand dame actress Julia Gibbs (Collier) so she can watch her work. She eventually joins the troupe and falls for Mike (Lund), it's director and lead actor. Pearl tries, but can't reign in her natural expressiveness. Mike finally bawls her out after she's too cold to speak her lines in a south seas melodrama. She tells him off and walks out, followed by Gibbs.
Gibbs lands her an audition with her agents, but there's no work. They suggest Julia get a part in the movies...which turns out to be a role that requires her to be pelted with pies. Furious, Pearl jumps on the pie-throwers, shoving aside several movie sets and even a lion in her fury. The director George "Mac" McGuire (William Demerest) is so impressed, he puts her into a serial. That serial is The Perils of Pauline, one of the biggest hits of 1914. One serial leads to another, and soon, Pearl is one of the most popular stars in Hollywood.
Mike, meanwhile, can't find work in the legitimate theater and ends up barking at a carnival. His old friend Timmy (DeWolfe) tells him there's work for him in the movies. Pearl offers him a job, to his horror. He finally takes it for the money, but can't figure out that movies and theater are two different mediums, and silent movies require the kind of grand gestures he once told Pearl to avoid. He asks Pearl to marry him while doing a stunt in a hot-air balloon that gets away, but calls it off when the press emphasizes Pearl and not him. He joins World War I; she makes war serials. Serials go out of fashion after the war, so she goes to Paris for a nightclub show. It's a hit, but she damages her back in an accident. She won't be able to do the kind of stunts she's known for...but Mike's still there for her...
The Song and Dance: Hutton's the last person I'd associate with a big budget semi-musical about a silent movie queen, but she's having a great time whenever Pearl's called on to goof off onstage or show her athletic prowess. Paramount added even more authenticity by giving several silent stars cameos, including William Farnum as a western hero in the set Pearl storms through and comedians Chester Conklin, James Finlayson, and Hank Mann as the chefs who toss the pies at Julia. Speaking of Julia, Collier is also quite good as the aging actress who encourages Pearl's career.
Favorite Number: We start off seeing what Hutton can really do as Pearl sings about how she loves "My Sewing Machine" and hates the nasty boss who keeps her chained to a dead-end job. "I Wish I Didn't Love You So," the ballad Pearl sings for her audition, was nominated for an Oscar. The big one here is "Papa, Don't Preach To Me," the huge glamorous pink and blue chorus routine at the Casino de Paris. It's a lot more boisterous than usual for a big chorus number, with Hutton belting to the skies and dancing with abandon.
Trivia: Pearl White actually started acting at the age of 6. By 13, she rode horses in a circus. She did take jobs like one at the sweatshop to support her family, but ultimately ended up joining many different theater companies before settling in Hollywood and becoming a star. She did hurt her back, which pained her for the rest of her life, but the accident occurred on the set of Perils of Pauline. After serials fell out of favor in the early 20's, she moved to Paris, did start a nightclub act, and never came back to the US. She had short-lived marriages to two actors, neither of whom were named Mike Farrington.
"Poor Pauline" is a genuine hit song about White at the height of her fame in 1914.
What I Don't Like: Pearl's real story is far more interesting than the tripe they have here. When they focus on Hutton's clowning, telling people off, and the actual business of making serials and plays, the movie's not bad. Once again, the romantic melodrama, other than the genuinely funny and original sequence in the hot air balloon, really drags things down. Lund's too dull to suggest a driven actor and has no chemistry with Hutton.
I wish this was more of a flat-out musical...or even better, a musical version of the actual Perils of Pauline. The songs aren't bad. It would be nice if there were more of them, and sung by other people besides Hutton and the offscreen male chorus who perform "Poor Pauline" as she rises to fame.
The Big Finale: If you love Hutton or silent comedy, this is worth rescuing from the train tracks at least once.
Home Media: As a public domain film, it's easily found on DVD and online. Streaming service Tubi currently has it for free.
DVD
Tubi
Starring Betty Hutton, John Lund, Constance Collier, and Billy DeWolfe
Directed by George Marshall
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Our second Women's History biography takes us further back into the annals of film. Serials, those blood-and-thunder action stories told in 15 to 20 minute bites that kept audiences coming back for more, were popular from the 1910's through the 50's, but hit their peak just before and during World War I. Pearl White was known as the Queen of the Serials. She starred in what's probably the most famous of them, The Perils of Pauline, and would continue to astonish audiences with her amazing stunts through the early 20's. How well does this movie from a quarter of a century later tell the story of Pearl and the hectic world of early silent films? Let's head to a sweatshop in a Midwestern town and find out...
The Story: Pearl White (Hutton) would do anything to become a major dramatic actress. She delivers a costume to grand dame actress Julia Gibbs (Collier) so she can watch her work. She eventually joins the troupe and falls for Mike (Lund), it's director and lead actor. Pearl tries, but can't reign in her natural expressiveness. Mike finally bawls her out after she's too cold to speak her lines in a south seas melodrama. She tells him off and walks out, followed by Gibbs.
Gibbs lands her an audition with her agents, but there's no work. They suggest Julia get a part in the movies...which turns out to be a role that requires her to be pelted with pies. Furious, Pearl jumps on the pie-throwers, shoving aside several movie sets and even a lion in her fury. The director George "Mac" McGuire (William Demerest) is so impressed, he puts her into a serial. That serial is The Perils of Pauline, one of the biggest hits of 1914. One serial leads to another, and soon, Pearl is one of the most popular stars in Hollywood.
Mike, meanwhile, can't find work in the legitimate theater and ends up barking at a carnival. His old friend Timmy (DeWolfe) tells him there's work for him in the movies. Pearl offers him a job, to his horror. He finally takes it for the money, but can't figure out that movies and theater are two different mediums, and silent movies require the kind of grand gestures he once told Pearl to avoid. He asks Pearl to marry him while doing a stunt in a hot-air balloon that gets away, but calls it off when the press emphasizes Pearl and not him. He joins World War I; she makes war serials. Serials go out of fashion after the war, so she goes to Paris for a nightclub show. It's a hit, but she damages her back in an accident. She won't be able to do the kind of stunts she's known for...but Mike's still there for her...
The Song and Dance: Hutton's the last person I'd associate with a big budget semi-musical about a silent movie queen, but she's having a great time whenever Pearl's called on to goof off onstage or show her athletic prowess. Paramount added even more authenticity by giving several silent stars cameos, including William Farnum as a western hero in the set Pearl storms through and comedians Chester Conklin, James Finlayson, and Hank Mann as the chefs who toss the pies at Julia. Speaking of Julia, Collier is also quite good as the aging actress who encourages Pearl's career.
Favorite Number: We start off seeing what Hutton can really do as Pearl sings about how she loves "My Sewing Machine" and hates the nasty boss who keeps her chained to a dead-end job. "I Wish I Didn't Love You So," the ballad Pearl sings for her audition, was nominated for an Oscar. The big one here is "Papa, Don't Preach To Me," the huge glamorous pink and blue chorus routine at the Casino de Paris. It's a lot more boisterous than usual for a big chorus number, with Hutton belting to the skies and dancing with abandon.
Trivia: Pearl White actually started acting at the age of 6. By 13, she rode horses in a circus. She did take jobs like one at the sweatshop to support her family, but ultimately ended up joining many different theater companies before settling in Hollywood and becoming a star. She did hurt her back, which pained her for the rest of her life, but the accident occurred on the set of Perils of Pauline. After serials fell out of favor in the early 20's, she moved to Paris, did start a nightclub act, and never came back to the US. She had short-lived marriages to two actors, neither of whom were named Mike Farrington.
"Poor Pauline" is a genuine hit song about White at the height of her fame in 1914.
What I Don't Like: Pearl's real story is far more interesting than the tripe they have here. When they focus on Hutton's clowning, telling people off, and the actual business of making serials and plays, the movie's not bad. Once again, the romantic melodrama, other than the genuinely funny and original sequence in the hot air balloon, really drags things down. Lund's too dull to suggest a driven actor and has no chemistry with Hutton.
I wish this was more of a flat-out musical...or even better, a musical version of the actual Perils of Pauline. The songs aren't bad. It would be nice if there were more of them, and sung by other people besides Hutton and the offscreen male chorus who perform "Poor Pauline" as she rises to fame.
The Big Finale: If you love Hutton or silent comedy, this is worth rescuing from the train tracks at least once.
Home Media: As a public domain film, it's easily found on DVD and online. Streaming service Tubi currently has it for free.
DVD
Tubi
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
With a Song In My Heart
20th Century Fox, 1952
Starring Susan Hayward, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, and Thema Ritter
Directed by Walter Lang
Music and Lyrics by various
I'll be posting reviews of female-centric musicals and biographies of famous female performers on weekdays March in honor of Women's History Month, starting with this big hit. Beloved radio and TV star Jane Froman survived a crash and multiple operations, making her life perfect fodder for the Hollywood treatment, especially as the studios began to take chances on slightly darker biographical stories in the 50's. How does her story come off now? Let's head to a dinner honoring Froman (Hayward) to find out more about her from those who knew her best.
The Story: Froman began as a perky co-ed determined to land a job at a Cincinatti radio station. She's late for her audition, but vaudeville performer Don Ross (Wayne) helps her land a role as a staff singer anyway. Within months, she's the top singer in radio, performing at clubs and on stages for sell-out crowds. She even lands a role in the Ziegfeld Follies. Ross is in love with her and keeps at her to marry him. Jane finally agrees, even though she's not that into him.
She jumps at the chance to sing with the USO after the United States enters World War II. On a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, in 1943, Jane switches seats with a fellow singer...just before the plane crashes into the Tagus River. She and the co-pilot John Burn (Rory Calhoun) are among the 15 survivors. Burn falls for her as they recover together, but she's still married to Ross. When she returns to the US, she continues performing as soon as she recovers...but her damaged legs continue to need operations. With the support of Burn, Ross, and her tough-minded nurse Clancy (Ritter), she finally finds the strength to keep singing for the grateful troops in Europe.
The Song and Dance: Hayward got an Oscar nomination as Froman; she's especially effective in the second half when she almost gives up trying to fight her injuries. Ritter's also excellent as the tough-as-nails nurse who becomes Froman's greatest supporter and caretaker. There's some gorgeous costumes and lovely gowns here as well. I love that glorious full-skirted white dress Hayward wears while swirling in the title number.
Favorite Number: "With a Song In My Heart" starts with Hayward and Richard Allen singing the classic Rodgers and Hart duet, then launching into a glittering, glamorous dance routine joined by dozens of other dancers swirling around them. Most of the other numbers are a lot less elaborate. Songs like "I'm Through With Love," "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" and "Get Happy" mainly consist of Hayward belting with Froman's voice in glittering gowns. She does get to perform a charming "Tea for Two" and "Embraceable You" with Robert Wagner as a paratrooper towards the end. Shell-shocked Wagner and the troops join her for a medley of songs about America in the finale, including "Dixie," "Deep In the Heart of Texas," "Chicago," and "Give My Regards to Broadway."
Trivia: Froman dubbed Hayward's vocals. She also served as a technical adviser on the film, though she understandably didn't want to be on set when they filmed the airplane crash sequences. She continued to have trauma from that event for the rest of her life.
The movie does largely stick to the truth for a Hollywood bio, though it fudges things a bit with when and how she met and married her husbands. She actually married Ross much earlier, in the 30's rather than right before the war. At the time the movie came out, she revived her career on a popular early TV show, and later sang in Vegas. Her marriage to Burn ended in divorce; she married an old college sweetheart in 1962.
What I Don't Like: No amount of glamour or songs can disguise that, at it's core, this is a standard romantic melodrama. When it focuses on the music and Froman's struggles to the top and recovery from her accident, it's strong stuff. Her relationships with the men in her life are far less interesting. Wayne is a bit annoying and rather obnoxious later, when he feels like he's piggybacking on her success; Calhoun is bland and dull. No wonder the sweet Wagner got all the fan mail, to the point where 20th Century Fox decided to groom him for a major career.
The Big Finale: Worth a look if you're a fan of Hayward or inspirational biographies.
Home Media: Alas, it's out of print on DVD. Check used venues or your local library like I did.
DVD
Starring Susan Hayward, David Wayne, Rory Calhoun, and Thema Ritter
Directed by Walter Lang
Music and Lyrics by various
I'll be posting reviews of female-centric musicals and biographies of famous female performers on weekdays March in honor of Women's History Month, starting with this big hit. Beloved radio and TV star Jane Froman survived a crash and multiple operations, making her life perfect fodder for the Hollywood treatment, especially as the studios began to take chances on slightly darker biographical stories in the 50's. How does her story come off now? Let's head to a dinner honoring Froman (Hayward) to find out more about her from those who knew her best.
The Story: Froman began as a perky co-ed determined to land a job at a Cincinatti radio station. She's late for her audition, but vaudeville performer Don Ross (Wayne) helps her land a role as a staff singer anyway. Within months, she's the top singer in radio, performing at clubs and on stages for sell-out crowds. She even lands a role in the Ziegfeld Follies. Ross is in love with her and keeps at her to marry him. Jane finally agrees, even though she's not that into him.
She jumps at the chance to sing with the USO after the United States enters World War II. On a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, in 1943, Jane switches seats with a fellow singer...just before the plane crashes into the Tagus River. She and the co-pilot John Burn (Rory Calhoun) are among the 15 survivors. Burn falls for her as they recover together, but she's still married to Ross. When she returns to the US, she continues performing as soon as she recovers...but her damaged legs continue to need operations. With the support of Burn, Ross, and her tough-minded nurse Clancy (Ritter), she finally finds the strength to keep singing for the grateful troops in Europe.
The Song and Dance: Hayward got an Oscar nomination as Froman; she's especially effective in the second half when she almost gives up trying to fight her injuries. Ritter's also excellent as the tough-as-nails nurse who becomes Froman's greatest supporter and caretaker. There's some gorgeous costumes and lovely gowns here as well. I love that glorious full-skirted white dress Hayward wears while swirling in the title number.
Favorite Number: "With a Song In My Heart" starts with Hayward and Richard Allen singing the classic Rodgers and Hart duet, then launching into a glittering, glamorous dance routine joined by dozens of other dancers swirling around them. Most of the other numbers are a lot less elaborate. Songs like "I'm Through With Love," "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" and "Get Happy" mainly consist of Hayward belting with Froman's voice in glittering gowns. She does get to perform a charming "Tea for Two" and "Embraceable You" with Robert Wagner as a paratrooper towards the end. Shell-shocked Wagner and the troops join her for a medley of songs about America in the finale, including "Dixie," "Deep In the Heart of Texas," "Chicago," and "Give My Regards to Broadway."
Trivia: Froman dubbed Hayward's vocals. She also served as a technical adviser on the film, though she understandably didn't want to be on set when they filmed the airplane crash sequences. She continued to have trauma from that event for the rest of her life.
The movie does largely stick to the truth for a Hollywood bio, though it fudges things a bit with when and how she met and married her husbands. She actually married Ross much earlier, in the 30's rather than right before the war. At the time the movie came out, she revived her career on a popular early TV show, and later sang in Vegas. Her marriage to Burn ended in divorce; she married an old college sweetheart in 1962.
What I Don't Like: No amount of glamour or songs can disguise that, at it's core, this is a standard romantic melodrama. When it focuses on the music and Froman's struggles to the top and recovery from her accident, it's strong stuff. Her relationships with the men in her life are far less interesting. Wayne is a bit annoying and rather obnoxious later, when he feels like he's piggybacking on her success; Calhoun is bland and dull. No wonder the sweet Wagner got all the fan mail, to the point where 20th Century Fox decided to groom him for a major career.
The Big Finale: Worth a look if you're a fan of Hayward or inspirational biographies.
Home Media: Alas, it's out of print on DVD. Check used venues or your local library like I did.
DVD
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