Crown International Pictures, 1978
Starring Mae West, Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLouise, and Tony Curtis
Directed by Ken Hughes
Music by various
Mae West was one of the most beloved comediennes and sex symbols of the 1930's, known for her frankness about sexual mores and her double ententes. Her movies were so popular in 1933 and 1934, they literally saved Paramount from bankruptcy. She wrote most of her movies and plays, and was a dominating force at a time when women were still too often restricted to the home. The increase in censorship in the mid-30's neutered her films and her creativity, and she largely retired in 1940. With the exception of a cameo in the sitcom Mr. Ed, she was rarely seen again...until she wrote and starred in this film at the ripe age of 84. How does this bizarre paean to West's aging charms look today? Let's head to a deluxe hotel in London, England and find out...
The Story: Marlo Manners (West) is a major movie star and sex symbol who just married handsome young British nobleman Sir Michael Barrington (Dalton) and is looking forward to a night of unbridled passion with him in their bridal suite. Her manager Dan Turner (DeLouise) has other ideas. He wants Marlo to keep up with a demanding schedule that includes fittings with her costume designer (Keith Moon) and auditions with her director (Ringo Starr), who is one of her many ex-husbands. Sir Michael wants her all to himself, but Dan keeps distracting him with news reports that question his sexuality and Marlo's feelings for him.
Marlo, meanwhile, has been tasked with convincing another ex-husband, Russian diplomat Alexai Karansky (Tony Curtis), to vote with a group of politicians at the hotel who are trying to solve the world's problems. She's also trying to keep the diplomats and her current husband from finding the cassette tape she's used to dictate her memoirs, which discuss every affair and marriage she's ever had. And then her gangster ex-husband Vance Norton (George Hamilton) returns from the dead, and she can't remember if they ever actually divorced or not.
The Song and Dance: I give Mae West props for even making this. Many women can barely walk at 84, let alone star in a musical film. No matter how misguided the final product was, the woman had guts. I suspect her star power alone was likely the reason they got so many big names to appear, including famous costumer Edith Head to do West's trademark boas and sequined gowns.
Favorite Number: West and Dalton prove how mismatched they - and Marlo and Sir Michael - are in their odd version "Love Will Keep Us Together." She's half-talking the lyrics, he's singing with fairly decent voice, and the lyrics are re-written to emphasize how young and beautiful West is. DeLouise discusses Marlo's importance to Hollywood - and him - while tapping on her glass piano, "Honey Pie."
Trivia: West had to wear an ear piece during the filming, either because she couldn't remember her lines, or because the script had been re-written so often, she hadn't had time to learn them.
George Raft, who played the Godfather gangster, starred in Mae West's debut picture Night After Night and was the one who recommended her for the role.
What I Don't Like: Um, yeah, you can tell this was re-written multiple times. Nothing makes the tiniest bit of sense. While it is amusing for Dalton to suddenly be revealed as secret agent to rival James Bond, given his later career, this has no build-up, nor any previous reference in the script. Everyone goes from trying to destroy Marlo's memoirs because of the sensitive information they contain, to trying to find them for the same reason. What are the politicians doing, besides vaguely arguing? It's never said why Alexai's vote is so important, or why Marlo has to persuade him to go along with the others.
I give West props for trying to revive her career in her twilight years, but she should have been more honest about her age. Every man in the film falls at her feet and drools over her, and everyone keeps singing about how young and beautiful she is. While she does seem to have aged fairly well, she's still an 84-year-old woman. That "Love Will Keep Us Together" duet with Dalton is creepy and awkward at best. Her singing "Happy Birthday Twenty One" to the sports team who are also staying at the hotel is even worse.
The numbers are a problem, too. Like the plot, they're dropped into the movie with no rhyme or reason. I've seen early talkie musicals that work the songs into their stories more organically than the big "Hooray for Hollywood" chorus number after the wedding or Alice Cooper's song near the end "Next Next."
The Big Finale: This is just flat-out terrible. Only if you're a really, really huge fan of camp, West, or any of the stars involved.
Home Media: Out of print and ridiculously expensive on DVD. Streaming is by far your best bet.
Amazon Prime (Rental Only)
Reviews of musical films, from 1930s black and white to widescreen 21st century extravaganzas.
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Walking On Sunshine
Vertigo Films, 2014
Starring Hannah Arteton, Annabel Scholey, Giulio Berruti, and Katy Brand
Directed by Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini
Music by various
As successful as Mamma Mia! was in the US, it was even bigger in England, where ABBA still has many long-standing fans and jukebox musicals have long been popular. That kind of success is bound to launch imitations. The music and fashion of the 80's were also starting to make a comeback in the early 2010's as people looked to thirty years before as an escape into wacky childhood memories. How did they manage to tie 14 songs of the 80's into the story of two sisters who love the same Italian man? Let's start off with the end of a summer romance in Puglia, Italy, and find out...
The Story: Taylor (Arteton) had a whirlwind summer romance in Italy with local man Raf (Berruit), but gave it up to attend college. After college, she joins her sister Maddie (Scholey) in Italy, only to discover that Maddie is now engaged to Raf. They try to deny their feelings to keep Maddie happy, but they can't help admitting they still love each other. Maddie's scuzzy ex-husband Doug (Greg Wise) wants her back in the worst way, too, and will do anything to convince her they can still make it work.
The Song and Dance: The high energy and sense of fun are the only remote saving graces here. Everyone's obviously having a good time, whether they can sing and dance or not, and they're really getting into belting all those familiar hits. There's some spectacular views in Puglia, in the heel of Italy's boot, too. Even when the story's annoying, the glowing Mediterranean vistas are often worth looking at.
Favorite Number: Taylor opens the film singing about being on "Holiday" in the airport while everyone from the pilots to the other flyers join in. Maddie sings about "The Power of Love" in a restaurant, not realizing her sister and fiancee are making goo-goo eyes at each other. Doug tries to seduce his ex with "Don't You Want Me" in the marketplace and "Faith" at her home. She manages to get rid of him both times. "White Wedding" is a montage of everyone rushing off to Maddie's big day, from Lil dragging Taylor in her car to Raf somehow getting tied to a tree and found by nuns.
What I Don't Like: First and foremost, the only one who can sing here is Leona Lewis as Maddie's friend Elena. Everyone else ranges from passable (Arteton) to ear-gratingly terrible (Wise), and it makes a lot of the numbers tough to listen to. The many chorus routines are supposed to look spontaneous, but they're really just unorganized and badly choreographed. The characters are so dull and paint-by-the-numbers, it doesn't matter which sister ends up with Raf in the end. Raf barely has any personality beyond "designated eye candy," to the point where you wonder what all the fuss is about. The story is pretty dull, too, and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
The entire side plot with Doug comes off as less playful and more creepy. Doug's a real scuzzball who follows his ex half-way around the world and won't leave her alone, even when she's made it abundantly clear she has no interest in him. He's lucky all she did was kick him into the pool and played a few pranks. It doesn't help that Greg Wise is the worst singer in a film full of bad ones, and he gets two important numbers.
The Big Finale: Only if you really, really love jukebox musicals or are looking for background music on a summer's evening and aren't too particular.
Home Media: Out of print on disc in the US. Streaming is by far your best bet on this side of the pond.
Amazon Prime
Starring Hannah Arteton, Annabel Scholey, Giulio Berruti, and Katy Brand
Directed by Max Giwa and Dania Pasquini
Music by various
As successful as Mamma Mia! was in the US, it was even bigger in England, where ABBA still has many long-standing fans and jukebox musicals have long been popular. That kind of success is bound to launch imitations. The music and fashion of the 80's were also starting to make a comeback in the early 2010's as people looked to thirty years before as an escape into wacky childhood memories. How did they manage to tie 14 songs of the 80's into the story of two sisters who love the same Italian man? Let's start off with the end of a summer romance in Puglia, Italy, and find out...
The Story: Taylor (Arteton) had a whirlwind summer romance in Italy with local man Raf (Berruit), but gave it up to attend college. After college, she joins her sister Maddie (Scholey) in Italy, only to discover that Maddie is now engaged to Raf. They try to deny their feelings to keep Maddie happy, but they can't help admitting they still love each other. Maddie's scuzzy ex-husband Doug (Greg Wise) wants her back in the worst way, too, and will do anything to convince her they can still make it work.
The Song and Dance: The high energy and sense of fun are the only remote saving graces here. Everyone's obviously having a good time, whether they can sing and dance or not, and they're really getting into belting all those familiar hits. There's some spectacular views in Puglia, in the heel of Italy's boot, too. Even when the story's annoying, the glowing Mediterranean vistas are often worth looking at.
Favorite Number: Taylor opens the film singing about being on "Holiday" in the airport while everyone from the pilots to the other flyers join in. Maddie sings about "The Power of Love" in a restaurant, not realizing her sister and fiancee are making goo-goo eyes at each other. Doug tries to seduce his ex with "Don't You Want Me" in the marketplace and "Faith" at her home. She manages to get rid of him both times. "White Wedding" is a montage of everyone rushing off to Maddie's big day, from Lil dragging Taylor in her car to Raf somehow getting tied to a tree and found by nuns.
What I Don't Like: First and foremost, the only one who can sing here is Leona Lewis as Maddie's friend Elena. Everyone else ranges from passable (Arteton) to ear-gratingly terrible (Wise), and it makes a lot of the numbers tough to listen to. The many chorus routines are supposed to look spontaneous, but they're really just unorganized and badly choreographed. The characters are so dull and paint-by-the-numbers, it doesn't matter which sister ends up with Raf in the end. Raf barely has any personality beyond "designated eye candy," to the point where you wonder what all the fuss is about. The story is pretty dull, too, and makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
The entire side plot with Doug comes off as less playful and more creepy. Doug's a real scuzzball who follows his ex half-way around the world and won't leave her alone, even when she's made it abundantly clear she has no interest in him. He's lucky all she did was kick him into the pool and played a few pranks. It doesn't help that Greg Wise is the worst singer in a film full of bad ones, and he gets two important numbers.
The Big Finale: Only if you really, really love jukebox musicals or are looking for background music on a summer's evening and aren't too particular.
Home Media: Out of print on disc in the US. Streaming is by far your best bet on this side of the pond.
Amazon Prime
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Musicals On TV - Teen Beach Movie
Disney, 2013
Starring Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Grace Phipps, and Garrett Clayton
Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday
Music by various
Hoping for a musical hit as big as their High School Musical franchise, Disney hit the waves with this take on the "beach party" movies of the mid-60's. Those films were wildly popular with teens looking for drive-in fodder, reflecting much of the early surfing and rock n' roll culture. How do those carefree, crazy movies look to a pair of modern teen surfers? Let's head to the beach, where Mack (Mitchell) is waiting for the big one and trying to figure out her future, and find out...
The Story: Mack's boyfriend Brady (Lynch) is devastated when she tells him she's leaving the island and her grandfather's (Barry Boswick) surf shop. She wants to pursue her mother's dream of going to college by joining a prestigious boarding school...but first, she wants to ride a huge 40-foot wave that's on its way. Brady's horrified at the idea and takes a jet ski to find her.
They're swept away and somehow float into the world of Wet Side Story, a 60's beach party film that happens to be Brady's favorite movie. He's thrilled to be among the surfers and bikers who are battling for control of their local hangout Big Mamma's. Super-mature and logical Mack would rather be going home, even after she catches the eye of head surfer Tanner (Clayton) and Brady catches biker girl Lela (Philpps). Trouble is, the two are supposed to fall for each other, then rally the bikers and surfers to take on a pair of mad scientists who have built a laser to change the weather and create another rogue wave. Now Mack and Brady have to try to make the two fall for each other...and teach the groups a lesson in following their heart - if they want to get home.
The Song and Dance: As someone who loves musicals and grew up by the beach, this may be my favorite of the Disney Channel original musicals. The self-reflexive references to beach party and musical cliches reminds me a lot of another Disney musical spoof, Enchanted, although that one brought the musical character to the real world. Lynch and Mitchell had a great time as the duo trying to get home, especially when they're practically singing against their will.
Favorite Number: "Cruisin' for a Bruisin' introduces the biker gang in Wet Side Story and gives Brady a chance to show off how well he knows the film by eagerly joining their intricate choreography. "Boys/Girls Like Me" has the boys at Big Momma's and the girls at a slumber party as they reveal how much romance has changed since 1962. "Falling for Ya" is where everything goes off the ropes as Tanner flirts with Mack and Brady saves Lela. "Meant to Be" has Brady and Mack attempt to shove Tanner and Lela together, with disastrous results. Mack and Brady are so frustrated they're becoming part of the film, they try to talk about it, but "Can't Stop Singing" instead.
Trivia: This is dedicated to original beach babe Annette Funicello, who died in April 2013.
What I Don't Like: Obviously, this is as fluffy as the movies they're making fun of. If you're musical-resistant like Mack or are looking for something more substantial, this won't be for you. It probably helps if you're either into musicals or the real Beach Party movies or are in the 8 - 12 target audience, too.
The Big Finale: If you have surf-crazy pre-teens or are a fan of musicals or the "Beach Party" films yourself, you might get a kick out of this one.
Home Media: As one of the Disney Channel's biggest hits, this is easy to find on streaming and DVD.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Grace Phipps, and Garrett Clayton
Directed by Jeffrey Hornaday
Music by various
Hoping for a musical hit as big as their High School Musical franchise, Disney hit the waves with this take on the "beach party" movies of the mid-60's. Those films were wildly popular with teens looking for drive-in fodder, reflecting much of the early surfing and rock n' roll culture. How do those carefree, crazy movies look to a pair of modern teen surfers? Let's head to the beach, where Mack (Mitchell) is waiting for the big one and trying to figure out her future, and find out...
The Story: Mack's boyfriend Brady (Lynch) is devastated when she tells him she's leaving the island and her grandfather's (Barry Boswick) surf shop. She wants to pursue her mother's dream of going to college by joining a prestigious boarding school...but first, she wants to ride a huge 40-foot wave that's on its way. Brady's horrified at the idea and takes a jet ski to find her.
They're swept away and somehow float into the world of Wet Side Story, a 60's beach party film that happens to be Brady's favorite movie. He's thrilled to be among the surfers and bikers who are battling for control of their local hangout Big Mamma's. Super-mature and logical Mack would rather be going home, even after she catches the eye of head surfer Tanner (Clayton) and Brady catches biker girl Lela (Philpps). Trouble is, the two are supposed to fall for each other, then rally the bikers and surfers to take on a pair of mad scientists who have built a laser to change the weather and create another rogue wave. Now Mack and Brady have to try to make the two fall for each other...and teach the groups a lesson in following their heart - if they want to get home.
The Song and Dance: As someone who loves musicals and grew up by the beach, this may be my favorite of the Disney Channel original musicals. The self-reflexive references to beach party and musical cliches reminds me a lot of another Disney musical spoof, Enchanted, although that one brought the musical character to the real world. Lynch and Mitchell had a great time as the duo trying to get home, especially when they're practically singing against their will.
Favorite Number: "Cruisin' for a Bruisin' introduces the biker gang in Wet Side Story and gives Brady a chance to show off how well he knows the film by eagerly joining their intricate choreography. "Boys/Girls Like Me" has the boys at Big Momma's and the girls at a slumber party as they reveal how much romance has changed since 1962. "Falling for Ya" is where everything goes off the ropes as Tanner flirts with Mack and Brady saves Lela. "Meant to Be" has Brady and Mack attempt to shove Tanner and Lela together, with disastrous results. Mack and Brady are so frustrated they're becoming part of the film, they try to talk about it, but "Can't Stop Singing" instead.
Trivia: This is dedicated to original beach babe Annette Funicello, who died in April 2013.
What I Don't Like: Obviously, this is as fluffy as the movies they're making fun of. If you're musical-resistant like Mack or are looking for something more substantial, this won't be for you. It probably helps if you're either into musicals or the real Beach Party movies or are in the 8 - 12 target audience, too.
The Big Finale: If you have surf-crazy pre-teens or are a fan of musicals or the "Beach Party" films yourself, you might get a kick out of this one.
Home Media: As one of the Disney Channel's biggest hits, this is easy to find on streaming and DVD.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Cult Flops - Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Lionsgate/Miramax, 2004
Starring Romola Garai, Diego Luna, Sela Ward, and John Slattery
Directed by Guy Ferland
Music by various
Dirty Dancing was such a hit, there was talk of a sequel or prequel almost as soon as it came out. There was a TV show that revolved around Baby and Johnny's adventures in October 1988, but it didn't make three months. After that, there was lots of talk, but nothing came of it...until the success of Moulin Rouge suddenly made dance musicals viable again. Most of the musical movies released in its wake weren't nearly as successful with critics or audiences, including this one. Why did the story of a teenager who falls for a local during the Cuban Revolution of 1959 fail to resonate with audiences? Let's start with Katey Miller (Garai) and her family as they're arriving in Havana, Cuba to find out...
The Story: Katey is initially upset with the move, as she was in the middle of her senior year of high school and wanted to attend the prestigious Radcliffe College after high school. Her parents and sister may be happy in the expensive hotel where they're staying, but Katey finds the rich American teens who live there to be more stuck-up than friendly. After they insult a local waiter she accidentally ran into, she follows him into the kitchen. The young man's name is Javier (Luna), and he's not too crazy about her at first. She finally wins him over when joins Javier to see revolutionaries playing music in the street. She even convinces her date James (Jonathan Jackson), the son of her father's boss, to come to a Cuban club and check out the much sexier dancing there.
Javier is fired for walking her home after James attacks her outside of the club. Katey hopes to make it up to him by entering them in a dance contest on Christmas Eve. If they win, they'll go on to the finals and earn 5,000 for his family. Katey only has a week to learn how to be an award-winning dancer...and then she has to explain her new passion to her family, and Javier has to explain it to his ardently anti-American brother Carlos (Rene Lavan).
The Song and Dance: Once again, "dance" is the operative word. Even when the movie itself falters, some of the dance numbers soar, especially the two big ones at the contests towards the end. I also give them credit for at least trying for something a little different. I don't know of many musicals set during the Cuban Revolution. Look for Patrick Swayze making a couple of brief appearances as a sympathetic dance teacher who helps Katey with her big routine for the contest.
Favorite Number: Those old revolutionaries really have something going there with their number "Timbason" that brings Katey and Javier together under more auspicious circumstances. Katey and Javier have a great time learning to dance from Johnny and each other in the lively montage to "Do You Wanna Dance." Their two big numbers - at the Christmas Eve contest and the aborted New Year's Eve finals - are well-done, showing all the passion and excitement that the script lacks.
What I Don't Like: The melodrama doesn't work any better than it did in the first film. Almost no one here is actually Cuban, including the location - they filmed in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Like the original film, this was also intended to have been a much darker story about a teenager who falls in love with a Cuban revolutionary. Decent dance numbers aside, that probably would have been a lot more interesting than the bland, derivative drama we got here. Katey's parents accept their daughter's interest in the brother of a revolutionary rather quickly, considering the initial fuss they made, too.
The Big Finale: In the end, both movies are too melodramatic to be huge favorites of mine. This one is recommended only for dance nuts or major fans of the first film.
Home Media: Only on DVD and streaming in the US, though they can usually be found for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Romola Garai, Diego Luna, Sela Ward, and John Slattery
Directed by Guy Ferland
Music by various
Dirty Dancing was such a hit, there was talk of a sequel or prequel almost as soon as it came out. There was a TV show that revolved around Baby and Johnny's adventures in October 1988, but it didn't make three months. After that, there was lots of talk, but nothing came of it...until the success of Moulin Rouge suddenly made dance musicals viable again. Most of the musical movies released in its wake weren't nearly as successful with critics or audiences, including this one. Why did the story of a teenager who falls for a local during the Cuban Revolution of 1959 fail to resonate with audiences? Let's start with Katey Miller (Garai) and her family as they're arriving in Havana, Cuba to find out...
The Story: Katey is initially upset with the move, as she was in the middle of her senior year of high school and wanted to attend the prestigious Radcliffe College after high school. Her parents and sister may be happy in the expensive hotel where they're staying, but Katey finds the rich American teens who live there to be more stuck-up than friendly. After they insult a local waiter she accidentally ran into, she follows him into the kitchen. The young man's name is Javier (Luna), and he's not too crazy about her at first. She finally wins him over when joins Javier to see revolutionaries playing music in the street. She even convinces her date James (Jonathan Jackson), the son of her father's boss, to come to a Cuban club and check out the much sexier dancing there.
Javier is fired for walking her home after James attacks her outside of the club. Katey hopes to make it up to him by entering them in a dance contest on Christmas Eve. If they win, they'll go on to the finals and earn 5,000 for his family. Katey only has a week to learn how to be an award-winning dancer...and then she has to explain her new passion to her family, and Javier has to explain it to his ardently anti-American brother Carlos (Rene Lavan).
The Song and Dance: Once again, "dance" is the operative word. Even when the movie itself falters, some of the dance numbers soar, especially the two big ones at the contests towards the end. I also give them credit for at least trying for something a little different. I don't know of many musicals set during the Cuban Revolution. Look for Patrick Swayze making a couple of brief appearances as a sympathetic dance teacher who helps Katey with her big routine for the contest.
Favorite Number: Those old revolutionaries really have something going there with their number "Timbason" that brings Katey and Javier together under more auspicious circumstances. Katey and Javier have a great time learning to dance from Johnny and each other in the lively montage to "Do You Wanna Dance." Their two big numbers - at the Christmas Eve contest and the aborted New Year's Eve finals - are well-done, showing all the passion and excitement that the script lacks.
What I Don't Like: The melodrama doesn't work any better than it did in the first film. Almost no one here is actually Cuban, including the location - they filmed in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. Like the original film, this was also intended to have been a much darker story about a teenager who falls in love with a Cuban revolutionary. Decent dance numbers aside, that probably would have been a lot more interesting than the bland, derivative drama we got here. Katey's parents accept their daughter's interest in the brother of a revolutionary rather quickly, considering the initial fuss they made, too.
The Big Finale: In the end, both movies are too melodramatic to be huge favorites of mine. This one is recommended only for dance nuts or major fans of the first film.
Home Media: Only on DVD and streaming in the US, though they can usually be found for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Dirty Dancing
Vestron Pictures, 1987
Starring Jennifer Gray, Patrick Swayze, Cynthia Rhodes, and Jerry Orbach
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Music by various
We're staying in the 1980's for our first entry this week. As an 8-year-old in 1987, I fondly remember how big this movie was during late summer and early fall. Everyone talked about it, imitated the dance moves, joined dance classes, and dug out their old rock records from the early 60's. Is it still worthy of the acclaim, or should it be put in a corner? Let's head to a summer resort in New York's Catskills Mountains just as as Frances "Baby" Houseman (Gray) is arriving with her family and find out...
The Story: Baby's on vacation at the resort with Dr. Jake (Orbach) and Marjorie (Kelly Bishop) Houseman and her older sister Lisa (Jane Brucker). She's full of hope and desire to change the world and help people, but she's also bored with her traditional life. She gets a shot in the arm when she sees the handsome Johnny Castle (Swayze) dancing with his partner and good friend Penny (Rhodes) at the resort and is instantly intrigued. When she's recruited to help his cousin Billy (Neal Jones) bring watermelons to the staff's "dirty" dancing party, she runs into him and is instantly smitten, despite dancing awkwardly.
She has to learn about dancing in a hurry Baby discovers Penny's pregnant and can't do a big dance routine at another resort. If she and Johnny don't do that number, they'll lose their jobs. Baby agrees to take her place. In the midst of lessons and attempting lifts in the river, they fall for each other. Baby, however, is afraid of what her father will say when he finds out she's in love with a low-life who is badly regarded my many people at the resort, In the end, Baby discovers that the most important thing anyone can do is to stand up for not only your rights, but for the rights of others to dance in any way they choose.
The Song and Dance: Gray, Swayze, and the music are the things here. Swayze absolutely oozes sexuality as the dance instructor from the streets who's more of a gentleman at heart than many of the smarmy rich boys at the club, while Gray more than matches him as the sheltered teen who learns lessons in more than just dance. The music is an odd mix of classic early 60's rock and extremely late 80's rock, but it somehow works. Orbach also comes off well as Baby's father, who challenges his own prejudices when his beloved daughter falls for a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The Catskills scenery is a serene and glowing contrast to the occasionally overwrought melodrama. The occasional burst from real-life early 60's DJ "Cousin Brucie" adds a bit of authenticity.
Favorite Number: The Contours' "Do You Love Me?" gives Baby her first glimpse into the world on the other side of the tracks at the staff shows off its slinky moves in the "dirty dancing" party. Many of the scenes of Johnny teaching Baby to dance are iconic today, including sequences done to the 60's romp "Hey Baby" and the 80's fast ballad "Hungry Eyes." "De Todo Un Poco" is the Latin-flavored instrumental tune that provides the backdrop for Johnny and Baby's big dance number at the other resort. Though Baby has a shaky start and isn't confident enough for lifts at that point, they do well enough for it to be a highlight. Johnny and Baby have more fun getting down and sexy with Mickey and Sylvia's playful ballad "Love Is Strange."
The two biggest numbers from this movies were massive blockbusters in their own right. Swayze's intense ballad "She's Like the Wind" underscores Johnny leaving after he's been fired over Baby. The heartfelt and passionate slow song perfectly suits the moment and is probably my favorite number from the film. The climatic "I've Had the Time of My Life" at the talent show is likely the most famous number, as Johnny and Baby consummate their relationship by showing off the number they'd practiced throughout the movie...including that lift...and get the entire resort to join in.
Trivia: The movie is based after screenwriter Eleanor Boardman's real-life experiences with a dance instructor at a Catskills resort in the 60's.
This was one of the first big-screen assignments for Kenny Ortega, who choreographed the dance sequences.
What I Don't Like: While I appreciate that they had the guts to tackle abortion in a movie largely intended for teenagers, that part of the plot comes off as overly earnest and melodramatic. The class prejudice story hasn't always dated that well, either. Not to mention, it sometimes feels like the movie doesn't know what time period it wants to be set in. The songs are good...but the 80's synth-pop sometimes mixes awkwardly with the 60's ballads and dance songs. The men's hair and clothing is pretty accurate for the time. Other than a few fluffy dresses, the women's hair and costumes are definitely more 80's, especially Gray's curly perm.
The Big Finale: Come for the fantastic dance numbers; stay for excellent performances that almost succeed in drowning out the goopy plot.
Home Media: The movie was the first million-seller on video, and its popularity continues into the streaming era. It's easily found on all formats; Amazon Prime currently has it for free with a subscription.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Starring Jennifer Gray, Patrick Swayze, Cynthia Rhodes, and Jerry Orbach
Directed by Emile Ardolino
Music by various
We're staying in the 1980's for our first entry this week. As an 8-year-old in 1987, I fondly remember how big this movie was during late summer and early fall. Everyone talked about it, imitated the dance moves, joined dance classes, and dug out their old rock records from the early 60's. Is it still worthy of the acclaim, or should it be put in a corner? Let's head to a summer resort in New York's Catskills Mountains just as as Frances "Baby" Houseman (Gray) is arriving with her family and find out...
The Story: Baby's on vacation at the resort with Dr. Jake (Orbach) and Marjorie (Kelly Bishop) Houseman and her older sister Lisa (Jane Brucker). She's full of hope and desire to change the world and help people, but she's also bored with her traditional life. She gets a shot in the arm when she sees the handsome Johnny Castle (Swayze) dancing with his partner and good friend Penny (Rhodes) at the resort and is instantly intrigued. When she's recruited to help his cousin Billy (Neal Jones) bring watermelons to the staff's "dirty" dancing party, she runs into him and is instantly smitten, despite dancing awkwardly.
She has to learn about dancing in a hurry Baby discovers Penny's pregnant and can't do a big dance routine at another resort. If she and Johnny don't do that number, they'll lose their jobs. Baby agrees to take her place. In the midst of lessons and attempting lifts in the river, they fall for each other. Baby, however, is afraid of what her father will say when he finds out she's in love with a low-life who is badly regarded my many people at the resort, In the end, Baby discovers that the most important thing anyone can do is to stand up for not only your rights, but for the rights of others to dance in any way they choose.
The Song and Dance: Gray, Swayze, and the music are the things here. Swayze absolutely oozes sexuality as the dance instructor from the streets who's more of a gentleman at heart than many of the smarmy rich boys at the club, while Gray more than matches him as the sheltered teen who learns lessons in more than just dance. The music is an odd mix of classic early 60's rock and extremely late 80's rock, but it somehow works. Orbach also comes off well as Baby's father, who challenges his own prejudices when his beloved daughter falls for a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The Catskills scenery is a serene and glowing contrast to the occasionally overwrought melodrama. The occasional burst from real-life early 60's DJ "Cousin Brucie" adds a bit of authenticity.
Favorite Number: The Contours' "Do You Love Me?" gives Baby her first glimpse into the world on the other side of the tracks at the staff shows off its slinky moves in the "dirty dancing" party. Many of the scenes of Johnny teaching Baby to dance are iconic today, including sequences done to the 60's romp "Hey Baby" and the 80's fast ballad "Hungry Eyes." "De Todo Un Poco" is the Latin-flavored instrumental tune that provides the backdrop for Johnny and Baby's big dance number at the other resort. Though Baby has a shaky start and isn't confident enough for lifts at that point, they do well enough for it to be a highlight. Johnny and Baby have more fun getting down and sexy with Mickey and Sylvia's playful ballad "Love Is Strange."
The two biggest numbers from this movies were massive blockbusters in their own right. Swayze's intense ballad "She's Like the Wind" underscores Johnny leaving after he's been fired over Baby. The heartfelt and passionate slow song perfectly suits the moment and is probably my favorite number from the film. The climatic "I've Had the Time of My Life" at the talent show is likely the most famous number, as Johnny and Baby consummate their relationship by showing off the number they'd practiced throughout the movie...including that lift...and get the entire resort to join in.
Trivia: The movie is based after screenwriter Eleanor Boardman's real-life experiences with a dance instructor at a Catskills resort in the 60's.
This was one of the first big-screen assignments for Kenny Ortega, who choreographed the dance sequences.
What I Don't Like: While I appreciate that they had the guts to tackle abortion in a movie largely intended for teenagers, that part of the plot comes off as overly earnest and melodramatic. The class prejudice story hasn't always dated that well, either. Not to mention, it sometimes feels like the movie doesn't know what time period it wants to be set in. The songs are good...but the 80's synth-pop sometimes mixes awkwardly with the 60's ballads and dance songs. The men's hair and clothing is pretty accurate for the time. Other than a few fluffy dresses, the women's hair and costumes are definitely more 80's, especially Gray's curly perm.
The Big Finale: Come for the fantastic dance numbers; stay for excellent performances that almost succeed in drowning out the goopy plot.
Home Media: The movie was the first million-seller on video, and its popularity continues into the streaming era. It's easily found on all formats; Amazon Prime currently has it for free with a subscription.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Animation Celebration Saturday - Oliver & Company
Disney, 1988
Voices of Billy Joel, Joey Lawrence, Dom DeLouise, and Cheech Martin
Directed by George Scribner
Music by various
The Walt Disney Company had a bumpy go of things in the 1980's. Their ambitious animated sword-and-sorcery adventure The Black Cauldron was a huge flop in 1984. The Great Mouse Detective did better two years later, enough for Disney to go ahead with another animal-themed project. Oliver & Company was seen as Disney's attempt to get "hip" with an up-to-date cast, rock (and briefly, rap) music, and a comic action story. How does this 80's spin on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist look now? Let's head to the streets of New York City to find out...
The Story: Oliver (Lawrence) is an orphaned kitten making his way on the streets of New York City. He helps scruffy Dodger (Joel) get hot dogs and follows him home when he won't share. Dodger lives in a run-down shack with five other dogs and Fagin (DeLouise), a pickpocket who is in hock to ruthless businessman Sykes (Robert Loggia). Oliver gets in trouble on his first assignment with the gang and ends up in the care of Jenny (Natalie Gregory), a lonely little rich girl. The other dogs want Oliver back, though, and Jenny's pampered poodle Georgette (Bette Midler) is jealous. When Jenny goes after the dogs, she's the one who gets into trouble. It'll take all the effort of Fagin and his pooch friends to save the little girl and their cat buddy.
The Animation: While it retains the sketchy style of the 60's and 70's entries, there's clearly more care put into it. The detailed backgrounds ably shows New York's upper echelons and grimy side with equal vigor. The characters are cartoonier, with the dogs looking at least something like their respective breeds. Real streets were shot, then animated to give a dog's eye view of the city, and some of them were even done in early CGI.
The Song and Dance: Occasionally charming and often very funny, this is one of Disney's more unusual films. Despite the inclusion of several songs and two rock singers in the cast, the emphasis here is on the gags with the dogs trying to steal various odd bits for Fagin and the action, especially in that heart-pounding ending on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Favorite Number: Things kick off well with another rock singer, Huey Lewis, performing "Once Upon a Time In New York City" over a montage of how Oliver started out with other orphan kittens to be given away and ended up in a thunderstorm. Joel's "Why Should I Worry?" was the big one, and is probably still the best-known number from this film today. Dodger takes Oliver on a merry, musical chase over taxi cabs and down city streets as the kitten tries to get his breakfast back. Ralph (dubbed by another rock star, Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters) sings of New York's "Streets of Gold" to Oliver right as he's about to go on his first attempt to pick pockets. Midler is tailor-made for the preening "Perfect Isn't Easy" as Georgette dresses up and sings to her admirers.
Trivia: This was the first fully-animated Disney movie made under the supervision of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzeburg.
When first pitched in 1985, the film was much darker and grittier, beginning with Sykes' dobermans killing Oliver's parents. Oliver originally wanted revenge, not a family.
What I Don't Like: Most of the movie is one big cliche. Oliver's not terribly interesting beyond his involvement with Jenny and the gang. Jenny is too cutesy and sweet. No wonder Georgette wanted Oliver out. Her big ballad "Good Company" is enough to give you cavities. The action finale is a little too dark for a story that mostly leaned on comedy up until that point. The emphasis on making the story as hip as possible results in a movie that has dated rather badly.
The Big Finale: Not Disney's best by a long-shot, but it has its virtues, including a good cast and some decent songs. Watch with older kids who enjoyed other talking animal tales like Zootopia.
Home Media: This is another late-comer to home video that's now easy to find on disc and streaming.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Voices of Billy Joel, Joey Lawrence, Dom DeLouise, and Cheech Martin
Directed by George Scribner
Music by various
The Walt Disney Company had a bumpy go of things in the 1980's. Their ambitious animated sword-and-sorcery adventure The Black Cauldron was a huge flop in 1984. The Great Mouse Detective did better two years later, enough for Disney to go ahead with another animal-themed project. Oliver & Company was seen as Disney's attempt to get "hip" with an up-to-date cast, rock (and briefly, rap) music, and a comic action story. How does this 80's spin on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist look now? Let's head to the streets of New York City to find out...
The Story: Oliver (Lawrence) is an orphaned kitten making his way on the streets of New York City. He helps scruffy Dodger (Joel) get hot dogs and follows him home when he won't share. Dodger lives in a run-down shack with five other dogs and Fagin (DeLouise), a pickpocket who is in hock to ruthless businessman Sykes (Robert Loggia). Oliver gets in trouble on his first assignment with the gang and ends up in the care of Jenny (Natalie Gregory), a lonely little rich girl. The other dogs want Oliver back, though, and Jenny's pampered poodle Georgette (Bette Midler) is jealous. When Jenny goes after the dogs, she's the one who gets into trouble. It'll take all the effort of Fagin and his pooch friends to save the little girl and their cat buddy.
The Animation: While it retains the sketchy style of the 60's and 70's entries, there's clearly more care put into it. The detailed backgrounds ably shows New York's upper echelons and grimy side with equal vigor. The characters are cartoonier, with the dogs looking at least something like their respective breeds. Real streets were shot, then animated to give a dog's eye view of the city, and some of them were even done in early CGI.
The Song and Dance: Occasionally charming and often very funny, this is one of Disney's more unusual films. Despite the inclusion of several songs and two rock singers in the cast, the emphasis here is on the gags with the dogs trying to steal various odd bits for Fagin and the action, especially in that heart-pounding ending on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Favorite Number: Things kick off well with another rock singer, Huey Lewis, performing "Once Upon a Time In New York City" over a montage of how Oliver started out with other orphan kittens to be given away and ended up in a thunderstorm. Joel's "Why Should I Worry?" was the big one, and is probably still the best-known number from this film today. Dodger takes Oliver on a merry, musical chase over taxi cabs and down city streets as the kitten tries to get his breakfast back. Ralph (dubbed by another rock star, Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters) sings of New York's "Streets of Gold" to Oliver right as he's about to go on his first attempt to pick pockets. Midler is tailor-made for the preening "Perfect Isn't Easy" as Georgette dresses up and sings to her admirers.
Trivia: This was the first fully-animated Disney movie made under the supervision of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzeburg.
When first pitched in 1985, the film was much darker and grittier, beginning with Sykes' dobermans killing Oliver's parents. Oliver originally wanted revenge, not a family.
What I Don't Like: Most of the movie is one big cliche. Oliver's not terribly interesting beyond his involvement with Jenny and the gang. Jenny is too cutesy and sweet. No wonder Georgette wanted Oliver out. Her big ballad "Good Company" is enough to give you cavities. The action finale is a little too dark for a story that mostly leaned on comedy up until that point. The emphasis on making the story as hip as possible results in a movie that has dated rather badly.
The Big Finale: Not Disney's best by a long-shot, but it has its virtues, including a good cast and some decent songs. Watch with older kids who enjoyed other talking animal tales like Zootopia.
Home Media: This is another late-comer to home video that's now easy to find on disc and streaming.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Royal Wedding
MGM, 1951
Starring Jane Powell, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford, and Sarah Churchill
Directed by Stanley Donen
Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Powell came into her first adult role at MGM nearly by accident. She replaced Judy Garland, who was still having personal problems, and Judy replaced June Allyson, who got pregnant and dropped out. Stanley Donen replaced Charles Walters after Walters had trouble with Garland. After all that trouble, how does the story of a brother-sister team who fall in love on a trip to England during the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Phillip, Duke of Ediburgh, look now? Let's start on Broadway with the big number from the show Every Night at Seven and find out...
The Story: Brother and sister dance team Tom and Ellen Bowen go over to London with their show just in time for the big wedding, thanks to their fast-talking agent Irving (Keenan Wynn). On the boat over, Ellen meets handsome but broke Sir John Brinsdale (Lawford), who prefers chasing women to settling down. Ellen falls hard for him, but she has a different beau every week. Meanwhile, her brother has his sights set on lovely chorus girl Anne Ashmond (Churchill), but she's engaged to a man in Chicago. Tom turns to the Irving's veddy British twin brother Edgar (Wynn) to find out more about him...and make sure everything turns out right in time for that big wedding!
The Song and Dance: With Donen at the helm, the emphasis is firmly on the "dance" side of things. The wonderful numbers and charming performances by the four leads are the main reason to catch this now. This was Powell's first adult role, and she runs with it, more than matching Astaire in her acting and her dancing ability. Wynn manages to pull off his unusual dual role as the extremely different set of twins equally well, and Albert Sharpe adds authenticity as Sarah's crusty father, the owner of a local pub.
Favorite Number: "Every Night at Seven" is the title number of Tom and Ellen's show-within-a-show, the whimsical story of a prince who falls for a maid. He and Powell also get my favorite number from this, playing street toughs whose relationship has soured in "How Could You Believe Me When You Said I Loved You When You Knew I'd Been a Liar All My Life?" (Yes, the title is that long.) Powell sings "Open Your Eyes," but their dance winds up being more complicated than they thought when the ocean liner hits a storm and keeps rolling. Powell's big solo is the lovely Oscar-nominated ballad "Too Late Now."
Astaire gets three of his most famous solos here. He dances with a hat rack in a gym in "Sunday Jumps" while waiting for Powell to appear. "You're All the World to Me" has Astaire so thrilled with his feelings for Churchill that he's literally dancing on the ceiling of his hotel room. "I Left My Hat In Haiti" is a more traditional chorus number that has Astaire pursuing a beauty and his chapeau amid the colorful citizens of the Caribbean.
Trivia: The story was inspired by Astaire's relationship with his sister Adele in the 20's and 30's. They really were a popular dancing team who broke up when she married a duke.
So, how did they pull off "All the World to Me?" The room was actually a barrel. The camera and its operator were mounted to an ironing board that could move along with the room.
Sarah Churchill was the daughter of British prime minister Winston Churchill.
What I Don't Like: This is about as fluffy a story as you can get...and ironically, other than the pub and a couple of actors, there's not really much British flavor. It was filmed in its entirety in Hollywood. The emphasis on Princess Elizabeth's wedding also very much dates it to the late 40's-early 50's.
The Big Finale: A charmer with some lovely performances; worth seeing for the delightful musical numbers alone.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can pretty much pick it up anywhere, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Tubi
Starring Jane Powell, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford, and Sarah Churchill
Directed by Stanley Donen
Music by Burton Lane; Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Powell came into her first adult role at MGM nearly by accident. She replaced Judy Garland, who was still having personal problems, and Judy replaced June Allyson, who got pregnant and dropped out. Stanley Donen replaced Charles Walters after Walters had trouble with Garland. After all that trouble, how does the story of a brother-sister team who fall in love on a trip to England during the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Phillip, Duke of Ediburgh, look now? Let's start on Broadway with the big number from the show Every Night at Seven and find out...
The Story: Brother and sister dance team Tom and Ellen Bowen go over to London with their show just in time for the big wedding, thanks to their fast-talking agent Irving (Keenan Wynn). On the boat over, Ellen meets handsome but broke Sir John Brinsdale (Lawford), who prefers chasing women to settling down. Ellen falls hard for him, but she has a different beau every week. Meanwhile, her brother has his sights set on lovely chorus girl Anne Ashmond (Churchill), but she's engaged to a man in Chicago. Tom turns to the Irving's veddy British twin brother Edgar (Wynn) to find out more about him...and make sure everything turns out right in time for that big wedding!
The Song and Dance: With Donen at the helm, the emphasis is firmly on the "dance" side of things. The wonderful numbers and charming performances by the four leads are the main reason to catch this now. This was Powell's first adult role, and she runs with it, more than matching Astaire in her acting and her dancing ability. Wynn manages to pull off his unusual dual role as the extremely different set of twins equally well, and Albert Sharpe adds authenticity as Sarah's crusty father, the owner of a local pub.
Favorite Number: "Every Night at Seven" is the title number of Tom and Ellen's show-within-a-show, the whimsical story of a prince who falls for a maid. He and Powell also get my favorite number from this, playing street toughs whose relationship has soured in "How Could You Believe Me When You Said I Loved You When You Knew I'd Been a Liar All My Life?" (Yes, the title is that long.) Powell sings "Open Your Eyes," but their dance winds up being more complicated than they thought when the ocean liner hits a storm and keeps rolling. Powell's big solo is the lovely Oscar-nominated ballad "Too Late Now."
Astaire gets three of his most famous solos here. He dances with a hat rack in a gym in "Sunday Jumps" while waiting for Powell to appear. "You're All the World to Me" has Astaire so thrilled with his feelings for Churchill that he's literally dancing on the ceiling of his hotel room. "I Left My Hat In Haiti" is a more traditional chorus number that has Astaire pursuing a beauty and his chapeau amid the colorful citizens of the Caribbean.
Trivia: The story was inspired by Astaire's relationship with his sister Adele in the 20's and 30's. They really were a popular dancing team who broke up when she married a duke.
So, how did they pull off "All the World to Me?" The room was actually a barrel. The camera and its operator were mounted to an ironing board that could move along with the room.
Sarah Churchill was the daughter of British prime minister Winston Churchill.
What I Don't Like: This is about as fluffy a story as you can get...and ironically, other than the pub and a couple of actors, there's not really much British flavor. It was filmed in its entirety in Hollywood. The emphasis on Princess Elizabeth's wedding also very much dates it to the late 40's-early 50's.
The Big Finale: A charmer with some lovely performances; worth seeing for the delightful musical numbers alone.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can pretty much pick it up anywhere, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Tubi
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Luxury Liner (1948)
MGM, 1948
Starring Jane Powell, George Brent, Lauritz Melichor, and Frances Gifford
Directed by Richard Whorf
Music by various
Jane Powell came into MGM in the late 40's as their newest go-to teen star, with an opera-worthy singing voice to boot. After doing A Date With Judy with other up-and-coming MGM teens of the time, she went into the second of three musicals she appeared in where she plays matchmaker to her parent in an exotic location. Is this voyage worth it, or should we end up jumping ship? Let's head to the home of Captain Jeremy Bradford (Brent) as he prepares to see his daughter's spoof operetta melodrama, and find out...
The Story: Polly Bradford (Powell) so desperately wants to join her father on his current voyage to Rio de Janeiro, she stows away on his ship. He first sends her to the galley when she's found out, then has her scrubbing floors when she starts sending messages in the mashed potatoes. Passenger Laura Dene (Gifford) finds her and immediately bawls out the Captain for her treatment. She eventually takes the girl in, which pretty much forces father and daughter to acknowledge each other. Polly eventually befriends her favorite opera singer Olaf Erikson (Melichor) and tries to get Laura back with her ex-fiancee Charles (Richard Derr)...at least until she realizes her father has fallen for Laura.
The Song and Dance: There's some first-rate musical numbers in this ocean-going extravaganza. Melichor is charming, funny, and performs his big opera solos quite well. Marina Koshetz is also funny as Zita Romanka, the opera star who has her sights set on the Captain. The sherbet Technicolor is gorgeous, amplifying the shipboard romance.
Favorite Number: The movie kicks off with the cute spoof operetta "Spring Came to Vienna," complete with waltzes, a chorus number, and Powell in a "trouser" (leading man) role. She turns the traditional French song "Alouette" into a big routine for the chefs and cooks in the galley, to the consternation of her father and the guests who want their dinners. Melichor does a sing-a-long version of another traditional song, "Helan Gar," with the audience and the vocal group The Pied Pipers, and a solo "Come Back to Sorrento." Powell joins Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra for "The Peanut Vendor."
What I Don't Like: I'm normally fond of Powell, but Polly comes off as less a hopeful teen than a spoiled brat who constantly lies to her father and everyone else around her and almost ruins his love life. Brent and Gifford are bland and annoying as the reluctant lovers; we don't really believe they'd fall for each other so quickly. The story is obviously goofy fluff designed to show off Powell and Melichor, nothing more. The only other people who sing are The Pied Pipers and Koshetz, who does a weird version of "I've Got You Under My Skin."
The Big Finale: Some people love this one, but I wasn't crazy about it. Only for major fans of Powell and the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Currently DVD only via the Warner Archives.
DVD
Starring Jane Powell, George Brent, Lauritz Melichor, and Frances Gifford
Directed by Richard Whorf
Music by various
Jane Powell came into MGM in the late 40's as their newest go-to teen star, with an opera-worthy singing voice to boot. After doing A Date With Judy with other up-and-coming MGM teens of the time, she went into the second of three musicals she appeared in where she plays matchmaker to her parent in an exotic location. Is this voyage worth it, or should we end up jumping ship? Let's head to the home of Captain Jeremy Bradford (Brent) as he prepares to see his daughter's spoof operetta melodrama, and find out...
The Story: Polly Bradford (Powell) so desperately wants to join her father on his current voyage to Rio de Janeiro, she stows away on his ship. He first sends her to the galley when she's found out, then has her scrubbing floors when she starts sending messages in the mashed potatoes. Passenger Laura Dene (Gifford) finds her and immediately bawls out the Captain for her treatment. She eventually takes the girl in, which pretty much forces father and daughter to acknowledge each other. Polly eventually befriends her favorite opera singer Olaf Erikson (Melichor) and tries to get Laura back with her ex-fiancee Charles (Richard Derr)...at least until she realizes her father has fallen for Laura.
The Song and Dance: There's some first-rate musical numbers in this ocean-going extravaganza. Melichor is charming, funny, and performs his big opera solos quite well. Marina Koshetz is also funny as Zita Romanka, the opera star who has her sights set on the Captain. The sherbet Technicolor is gorgeous, amplifying the shipboard romance.
Favorite Number: The movie kicks off with the cute spoof operetta "Spring Came to Vienna," complete with waltzes, a chorus number, and Powell in a "trouser" (leading man) role. She turns the traditional French song "Alouette" into a big routine for the chefs and cooks in the galley, to the consternation of her father and the guests who want their dinners. Melichor does a sing-a-long version of another traditional song, "Helan Gar," with the audience and the vocal group The Pied Pipers, and a solo "Come Back to Sorrento." Powell joins Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra for "The Peanut Vendor."
What I Don't Like: I'm normally fond of Powell, but Polly comes off as less a hopeful teen than a spoiled brat who constantly lies to her father and everyone else around her and almost ruins his love life. Brent and Gifford are bland and annoying as the reluctant lovers; we don't really believe they'd fall for each other so quickly. The story is obviously goofy fluff designed to show off Powell and Melichor, nothing more. The only other people who sing are The Pied Pipers and Koshetz, who does a weird version of "I've Got You Under My Skin."
The Big Finale: Some people love this one, but I wasn't crazy about it. Only for major fans of Powell and the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Currently DVD only via the Warner Archives.
DVD
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Animation Celebration Saturday - Fun and Fancy Free
Disney, 1947
Starring Edgar Bergen and Luana Patten; Voices of Dinah Shore and Cliff Edwards
Directed by Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Hamilton Luske (animation), and William Morgan (live-action)
Music by various
The fourth Disney package film has more in common with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad than Melody Time or Fantasia. Fun and Fancy Free also features two half-hour segments that were too long to be released as shorts, but not substantial enough for a feature film. How do these two very different short tales fare today? Let's start at your average house in the suburbs with Jiminy Cricket (Edwards) and a record player and find out...
The Story: Actually, there's two stories here. Jiminy starts "Bongo" on a children's record to cheer up a doll and a teddy bear. Dinah Shore narrates the tale of an abused circus bear who finally breaks free of his cage on the train and into the mountain wilderness. He falls hard for pretty girl bear Lulubelle, but she already has a suitor in the giant Lumpjaw. Bongo has to call on all the skills he learned in the circus to avoid Lumpjaw's massive paws and win Lulubelle.
"Mickey and the Beanstalk" takes us across the street to the home of radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (himself) and his dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, along with human girl Luana Patten. Edgar narrates the story of a trio of brave farmers (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy) who climb a beanstalk in order to rescue a golden harp (Anita Gordon) from the rather strange Willy the Giant (Billy Gilbert).
The Animation: The lush watercolor backgrounds in both cartoons are especially notable here, with some gorgeous details in the woods in "Bongo" and Willie's castle and grounds in "Mickey and the Beanstalk." The characters are less elaborate, and pretty cutesy in the case of "Bongo." Willie's done a bit better; the sequence where he shows how he can transform into anything was pretty nifty.
The Song and Dance: Of the two shorts here, "Mickey and the Beanstalk" is by far my favorite. Donald in particular is hilarious, especially in the beginning when he throws a fit over their meager rations. Goofy gets a few good gags on the dinner table at the castle, and Mickey is appropriately heroic as the Jack character. Willie was so funny and memorable, he's been used in later cartoons and TV shows based around the Disney characters as the largest of the semi-regulars. No wonder Mortimer cried when he died. Bergen and especially Charlie McCarthy also get a few good zingers in between musical numbers.
Favorite Number: Jiminy Cricket kicks us off after the title song with his philosophy "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Fellow" as he dodges fish and cats in Luana's house. Dinah Shore and the male chorus reveal to Bongo how bears like to "Say It With a Slap" and show their affection with a little roughhousing. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" starts with the perky "My, What a Happy Day" performed by Gordon and the chorus as they describe the beauty of Happy Valley before Willie steals her away. Willie sings about his amazing transformation abilities in "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum."
Trivia: You never see in the short how Mickey gets the magic beans. At least two versions of that scene were developed, but cut for time. One had him get them from con-artists Honest John and Foulfellow of Pinocchio. Another had Queen Minnie give them to him. Bongo also had a chimpanzee friend from the circus and befriended a pair of bear cubs who were ultimately dropped.
"Bongo" was intended to be a sequel to Dumbo early-on, but the Dumbo characters were edited out early in its development.
This is the last time Walt Disney himself provided the voice of Mickey Mouse.
As mentioned, these shorts were originally intended to be feature films, but World War II and a strike at the Disney Studio prevented them from being developed further. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" was originally going to be paired with "The Wind and the Willows," but they cut "Willows" and replaced it with "Bongo."
Most people are likely more familiar with the TV version of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" that's narrated by Professor Ludwig Von Drake and a beetle who took the place of Charlie McCarthy.
What I Don't Like: First of all, like Ichabod and Mr. Toad, it's more than obvious that these were slapped together with a few extra filler scenes to connect them. They have even less in common than "Sleepy Hollow" and "Wind In the Willows," which are at least adaptations of classic literature. As funny as Bergen, Luana, and the dummies are, Bergen's not nearly as well-known now as he was when he, Mortimer, and Charlie were among the most popular stars on radio and early television. Some kids may need explanation as to why a man and a couple of mannequins are narrating a Mickey Mouse cartoon.
I'm not nearly as fond of "Bongo" as I am of "Mickey and the Beanstalk." The animation is lovely and Shore sounds wonderful, but the songs aren't as memorable and the story is one big cliche. The bears may not mind "saying it with a slap," but a few humans may be uncomfortable with the notion in a time when relationship abuse is more widely discussed.
The Big Finale: See it for "Mickey and the Beanstalk." If you can find that one solo, either on video or DVD, do so. Otherwise, this is really only necessary for major fans of Disney or the Disney characters.
Home Media: The DVD for the entire film is out of print; your best bet is streaming or picking up the separate release of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" with several other shorts.
DVD
DVD - Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk
Amazon Prime
Starring Edgar Bergen and Luana Patten; Voices of Dinah Shore and Cliff Edwards
Directed by Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts, Hamilton Luske (animation), and William Morgan (live-action)
Music by various
The fourth Disney package film has more in common with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad than Melody Time or Fantasia. Fun and Fancy Free also features two half-hour segments that were too long to be released as shorts, but not substantial enough for a feature film. How do these two very different short tales fare today? Let's start at your average house in the suburbs with Jiminy Cricket (Edwards) and a record player and find out...
The Story: Actually, there's two stories here. Jiminy starts "Bongo" on a children's record to cheer up a doll and a teddy bear. Dinah Shore narrates the tale of an abused circus bear who finally breaks free of his cage on the train and into the mountain wilderness. He falls hard for pretty girl bear Lulubelle, but she already has a suitor in the giant Lumpjaw. Bongo has to call on all the skills he learned in the circus to avoid Lumpjaw's massive paws and win Lulubelle.
"Mickey and the Beanstalk" takes us across the street to the home of radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen (himself) and his dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, along with human girl Luana Patten. Edgar narrates the story of a trio of brave farmers (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy) who climb a beanstalk in order to rescue a golden harp (Anita Gordon) from the rather strange Willy the Giant (Billy Gilbert).
The Animation: The lush watercolor backgrounds in both cartoons are especially notable here, with some gorgeous details in the woods in "Bongo" and Willie's castle and grounds in "Mickey and the Beanstalk." The characters are less elaborate, and pretty cutesy in the case of "Bongo." Willie's done a bit better; the sequence where he shows how he can transform into anything was pretty nifty.
The Song and Dance: Of the two shorts here, "Mickey and the Beanstalk" is by far my favorite. Donald in particular is hilarious, especially in the beginning when he throws a fit over their meager rations. Goofy gets a few good gags on the dinner table at the castle, and Mickey is appropriately heroic as the Jack character. Willie was so funny and memorable, he's been used in later cartoons and TV shows based around the Disney characters as the largest of the semi-regulars. No wonder Mortimer cried when he died. Bergen and especially Charlie McCarthy also get a few good zingers in between musical numbers.
Favorite Number: Jiminy Cricket kicks us off after the title song with his philosophy "I'm a Happy Go Lucky Fellow" as he dodges fish and cats in Luana's house. Dinah Shore and the male chorus reveal to Bongo how bears like to "Say It With a Slap" and show their affection with a little roughhousing. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" starts with the perky "My, What a Happy Day" performed by Gordon and the chorus as they describe the beauty of Happy Valley before Willie steals her away. Willie sings about his amazing transformation abilities in "Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum."
Trivia: You never see in the short how Mickey gets the magic beans. At least two versions of that scene were developed, but cut for time. One had him get them from con-artists Honest John and Foulfellow of Pinocchio. Another had Queen Minnie give them to him. Bongo also had a chimpanzee friend from the circus and befriended a pair of bear cubs who were ultimately dropped.
"Bongo" was intended to be a sequel to Dumbo early-on, but the Dumbo characters were edited out early in its development.
This is the last time Walt Disney himself provided the voice of Mickey Mouse.
As mentioned, these shorts were originally intended to be feature films, but World War II and a strike at the Disney Studio prevented them from being developed further. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" was originally going to be paired with "The Wind and the Willows," but they cut "Willows" and replaced it with "Bongo."
Most people are likely more familiar with the TV version of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" that's narrated by Professor Ludwig Von Drake and a beetle who took the place of Charlie McCarthy.
What I Don't Like: First of all, like Ichabod and Mr. Toad, it's more than obvious that these were slapped together with a few extra filler scenes to connect them. They have even less in common than "Sleepy Hollow" and "Wind In the Willows," which are at least adaptations of classic literature. As funny as Bergen, Luana, and the dummies are, Bergen's not nearly as well-known now as he was when he, Mortimer, and Charlie were among the most popular stars on radio and early television. Some kids may need explanation as to why a man and a couple of mannequins are narrating a Mickey Mouse cartoon.
I'm not nearly as fond of "Bongo" as I am of "Mickey and the Beanstalk." The animation is lovely and Shore sounds wonderful, but the songs aren't as memorable and the story is one big cliche. The bears may not mind "saying it with a slap," but a few humans may be uncomfortable with the notion in a time when relationship abuse is more widely discussed.
The Big Finale: See it for "Mickey and the Beanstalk." If you can find that one solo, either on video or DVD, do so. Otherwise, this is really only necessary for major fans of Disney or the Disney characters.
Home Media: The DVD for the entire film is out of print; your best bet is streaming or picking up the separate release of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" with several other shorts.
DVD
DVD - Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk
Amazon Prime
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Follow Thru
Paramount, 1930
Starring Nancy Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Zelma O'Neal, and Jack Haley
Directed by Laurence Schwab and Lloyd Corrigan
Music by various
Of course, color wasn't limited to all-star revues and backstage tales in the early talkie era. Even romantic comedies with music came in shades of peach, turquoise, and gold. Tough gal Nancy Carroll and heartthrob Buddy Rogers were at team in several films before they appeared in this pre-Caddyshack golf comedy. Feisty Zelma O'Neal and lanky Jack Haley were imported from the original 1929 Broadway show. Let's head to the golf club as a champion is being born and find out...
The Story: Lora Moore (Carroll) is literally born into golf. She's the top golfer at the Palm Springs club where her father worked, at least until she loses a match to stuck-up rival Ruth Van Horne (Thelma Todd). Lora eventually hires handsome pro golfer Jerry Downes (Rogers) to help improve her game...but he ends up improving her love-life too when they fall for each other. Ruth also has her eye on Jerry and starts spreading the word that Lora and Jerry are sleeping around. Meanwhile, Jerry's wealthy but girl-shy best friend Jerry Martin (Haley) is pursued by Lora's buddy Angie Howard (O'Neal), who totally refuses to take "no" for an answer.
The Song and Dance: Thank heavens Paramount hung on to their original color print of this one. This is a sweet delight with some of the most delectable uses of color I've ever seen. Carroll's red hair and green eyes were made for two-strip Technicolor. Indeed, the very first shot of her on the golf course shows of an incandescent ruby smile that's brighter than the lights used for the process. She and Rogers simply glow together; Haley and O'Neal have even more fun as the shy guy and the sassy flapper who won't give up on him. Everything pops on the screen, from Rogers and Carroll crooning in an orange orchard to Todd's aqua beads and peach feathers and Carroll's plaid kilt at a costume party.
Favorite Number: The big hit from this one was the standard "Button Up Your Overcoat," and O'Neal and Haley have a great time with it, rubbing and shaking each other in a reminder that "you belong to me." Rogers and Carroll are even cuter crooning "We'd Make a Peach of a Pair" on the golf course. The sole traditional large chorus number is "I Want to Be Bad." Scarlet-clad O'Neal kicks off things by dancing with imps and defying the moral censors of the 20's who wanted women to be dainty. She even stretches this to a chorus of angels, who eventually turn into dancing devils!
What I Don't Like: This is about as fluffy of a romantic comedy as you can get. Other than "Want to Be Bad," it's also pretty small-scale, especially compared to more prestigious early talkies like King of Jazz. There's also times when the early talkies and this being based on a stage show is apparent, including obviously fake scenery during "Peach of a Pair" and the stagy scene where Haley and Eugene Pallatte are trying to retrieve something from the girls' locker room.
The Big Finale: Worth searching the golf course for if you love the early talkies, romantic comedy, or 20's musicals.
Home Media: At press time, this rarity is only available on YouTube.
YouTube
Starring Nancy Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Zelma O'Neal, and Jack Haley
Directed by Laurence Schwab and Lloyd Corrigan
Music by various
Of course, color wasn't limited to all-star revues and backstage tales in the early talkie era. Even romantic comedies with music came in shades of peach, turquoise, and gold. Tough gal Nancy Carroll and heartthrob Buddy Rogers were at team in several films before they appeared in this pre-Caddyshack golf comedy. Feisty Zelma O'Neal and lanky Jack Haley were imported from the original 1929 Broadway show. Let's head to the golf club as a champion is being born and find out...
The Story: Lora Moore (Carroll) is literally born into golf. She's the top golfer at the Palm Springs club where her father worked, at least until she loses a match to stuck-up rival Ruth Van Horne (Thelma Todd). Lora eventually hires handsome pro golfer Jerry Downes (Rogers) to help improve her game...but he ends up improving her love-life too when they fall for each other. Ruth also has her eye on Jerry and starts spreading the word that Lora and Jerry are sleeping around. Meanwhile, Jerry's wealthy but girl-shy best friend Jerry Martin (Haley) is pursued by Lora's buddy Angie Howard (O'Neal), who totally refuses to take "no" for an answer.
The Song and Dance: Thank heavens Paramount hung on to their original color print of this one. This is a sweet delight with some of the most delectable uses of color I've ever seen. Carroll's red hair and green eyes were made for two-strip Technicolor. Indeed, the very first shot of her on the golf course shows of an incandescent ruby smile that's brighter than the lights used for the process. She and Rogers simply glow together; Haley and O'Neal have even more fun as the shy guy and the sassy flapper who won't give up on him. Everything pops on the screen, from Rogers and Carroll crooning in an orange orchard to Todd's aqua beads and peach feathers and Carroll's plaid kilt at a costume party.
Favorite Number: The big hit from this one was the standard "Button Up Your Overcoat," and O'Neal and Haley have a great time with it, rubbing and shaking each other in a reminder that "you belong to me." Rogers and Carroll are even cuter crooning "We'd Make a Peach of a Pair" on the golf course. The sole traditional large chorus number is "I Want to Be Bad." Scarlet-clad O'Neal kicks off things by dancing with imps and defying the moral censors of the 20's who wanted women to be dainty. She even stretches this to a chorus of angels, who eventually turn into dancing devils!
What I Don't Like: This is about as fluffy of a romantic comedy as you can get. Other than "Want to Be Bad," it's also pretty small-scale, especially compared to more prestigious early talkies like King of Jazz. There's also times when the early talkies and this being based on a stage show is apparent, including obviously fake scenery during "Peach of a Pair" and the stagy scene where Haley and Eugene Pallatte are trying to retrieve something from the girls' locker room.
The Big Finale: Worth searching the golf course for if you love the early talkies, romantic comedy, or 20's musicals.
Home Media: At press time, this rarity is only available on YouTube.
YouTube
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Cult Flops - King of Jazz
Universal, 1930
Starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, The Rhythm Boys, John Boles, and Jeanette Loff
Directed by John Murray Anderson
Music by various
Color has been an integral part of musical films almost since they debuted. Two-strip Technicolor, so called because strips of red and green were cemented together, was used frequently for musicals as late as 1932. This process couldn't show the full range of color - no blues or blue-based colors, and yellows could come out muddy - but it could still come out striking in the right hands. Theater director John Murray Anderson was renown for staging massive spectacles for Ziegfeld shows and would seem like the right person to helm this huge undertaking. Does this revue revolving around the music of the then-popular Paul Whiteman Orchestra still resonate today? Let's start with the first-ever color cartoon and find out...
The Story: There isn't one. Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra appear in or accompany a series of musical numbers and short comedy skits, hung together with the thread of Whiteman paging through his scrapbook of memories.
The Animation: The first cartoon is color gives us a good glimpse at the rubber-hose style of the Walter Lanz Studio at that time. Other than the color, it's pretty typical of the wacky shenanigans that turned up in shorts from the early 30's, with lots of slapstick, native stereotypes swaying in time to the music, and even a dance bit from Lanz's first major star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
The Song and Dance: What a show! The difference between this and other static early talkie revues like The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is staggering. Anderson keeps everything moving as much as possible with the technology of the time, even managing some pre-Busby Berkeley overhead and colored kaleidoscope shots during the "Rhapsody In Blue" number. Some of the comedy shorts are actually pretty cute too, especially William Kent lamenting his lost goldfish in "Oh! Forevermore" and the All Quiet on the Western Front spoof. Producer and Universal studio head Carl Lammale threw everything the studio had into this one, and it shows, from the glittering ruffled costumes to the gigantic turquoise piano and tons and tons of extras.
Favorite Number: The opening credits and cartoon is accompanied by "Music Hath Charms," sung by none other than Bing Crosby. Crosby also joins the other Rhythm Boys for the jaunty "Mississippi Mud" and "When the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Get Together." They get together with the Brox Sisters as one of the many couples who perform on "A Bench In a Park." John Boles goes romantic in the ballad "It Happened In Monterey" with lovely Spanish chorus dancers and rousing with a chorus of cowboys in "Song of the Dawn."
Soprano Jeanette Loff sings of her mother's "Bridal Veil" as beautifully bedecked brides and flower children of centuries past serenely glide past her, ending with her and her groom (Stanley Smith) showing off that massive veil on a wide staircase. "Ragamuffin Romeo" starts with singing street urchins Jeanne Lang and George Chiles and ends with amazingly limber dancers Don Rose and Marion Stadler as another urchin and his rag doll. Some incredibly rubber-limbed dancing, this time from Al Norman, also figures into the surreal and imaginative version of "Happy Feet," with women's heads singing from a shoe box.
The three big numbers all revolve around jazz or music history or making music. Whiteman appears to pull the members of his orchestra out of his pocket, then lets later-famous jazz men like Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang do their thing in brief solo bits. "Rhapsody In Blue" (or really in turquoise in the recent restoration) has Gershwin look-a-like Roy Bargy at the piano as dancer Jacques Cartier performs Hollywood's idea of a primitive native ritual, then joins lines of beauties with feather fans in a fanciful dance routine that ends with the fans becoming a kaleidoscope of turquoise. "The Melting Pot" is more problematic today, given how many European countries and their music are sited, complete with fanciful national costume and songs, but not one reference to jazz's start in African rhythms.
Trivia: This was originally going to a biography about Whiteman, then a linear backstage story. Whiteman and his band sat around for two months while Universal tries to think of a good plot to stuff his famous songs in. By the time they gave up and turned it into a plotless revue, Whiteman and his band had gone back east for other engagements and had to be coaxed back.
Anderson's work here did get good reviews, but he ran way over budget and feuded with Lammele. He was only called to Hollywood twice more, to devise water pageants for Esther Williams in her 1944 vehicle Bathing Beauty and three-ring glitter for Cecil B DeMille's Oscar-winning 1952 circus drama The Greatest Show On Earth.
Bing Crosby makes his film debut here. He was originally going to sing "Song of the Dawn," but got arrested for drunk driving shortly before shooting and was replaced by Boles.
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra were one of the most popular groups of the 1920's. They were so huge at the time, Whiteman's nickname was "King of Jazz." Truthfully, Whiteman's style was more "20's pop music" rather than "jazz" as most people know it today. He was better known for being able to bring together genuinely talented musicians, like Lang, Bargy, Venuti, and Bix Beiderbecke. (The last-named had already left the outfit before they went west.)
The film was released at 105 minutes. Current restored prints run 99 minutes; most prior prints ran 93. It was cut to 65 minutes for a 1933 re-release, then returned to 93 minutes for home video. Older prints also "color correct" the "Rhapsody In Blue" number to accurately reflect the color blue.
What I Don't Like: Some of the more vaudeville-flavored routines are a little too goofy, especially Wilbur Hall playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" with a bicycle pump and Jack White's "Oh, How I'd Love to Own a Fish Store." A few of the blackout sketches haven't dated well, either. There are also rare times when this being an early talkie does show, especially with many long shots of chorus girls doing high kicks that go on forever.
The biggest problem is that time has changed people's perception of who really made American music. The native stereotypes in the animated short and the "Rhapsody In Blue" dance (the dancer wasn't even black) may offend some folks today, as will the lack of references to the importance of African rhythms and chants to the creation of jazz and popular music as we know it in "The Melting Pot."
The Big Finale: While I wouldn't call it a "masterpiece" like some people online, it's definitely one of the more fascinating and beautiful early talkie revues and deserves a lot more love.
Home Media: The Criterion Collection put Universal's restored print on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2018. The DVD is out of print; the Blu-Ray is the one you'll want to look for.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, The Rhythm Boys, John Boles, and Jeanette Loff
Directed by John Murray Anderson
Music by various
Color has been an integral part of musical films almost since they debuted. Two-strip Technicolor, so called because strips of red and green were cemented together, was used frequently for musicals as late as 1932. This process couldn't show the full range of color - no blues or blue-based colors, and yellows could come out muddy - but it could still come out striking in the right hands. Theater director John Murray Anderson was renown for staging massive spectacles for Ziegfeld shows and would seem like the right person to helm this huge undertaking. Does this revue revolving around the music of the then-popular Paul Whiteman Orchestra still resonate today? Let's start with the first-ever color cartoon and find out...
The Story: There isn't one. Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra appear in or accompany a series of musical numbers and short comedy skits, hung together with the thread of Whiteman paging through his scrapbook of memories.
The Animation: The first cartoon is color gives us a good glimpse at the rubber-hose style of the Walter Lanz Studio at that time. Other than the color, it's pretty typical of the wacky shenanigans that turned up in shorts from the early 30's, with lots of slapstick, native stereotypes swaying in time to the music, and even a dance bit from Lanz's first major star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
The Song and Dance: What a show! The difference between this and other static early talkie revues like The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is staggering. Anderson keeps everything moving as much as possible with the technology of the time, even managing some pre-Busby Berkeley overhead and colored kaleidoscope shots during the "Rhapsody In Blue" number. Some of the comedy shorts are actually pretty cute too, especially William Kent lamenting his lost goldfish in "Oh! Forevermore" and the All Quiet on the Western Front spoof. Producer and Universal studio head Carl Lammale threw everything the studio had into this one, and it shows, from the glittering ruffled costumes to the gigantic turquoise piano and tons and tons of extras.
Favorite Number: The opening credits and cartoon is accompanied by "Music Hath Charms," sung by none other than Bing Crosby. Crosby also joins the other Rhythm Boys for the jaunty "Mississippi Mud" and "When the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Get Together." They get together with the Brox Sisters as one of the many couples who perform on "A Bench In a Park." John Boles goes romantic in the ballad "It Happened In Monterey" with lovely Spanish chorus dancers and rousing with a chorus of cowboys in "Song of the Dawn."
Soprano Jeanette Loff sings of her mother's "Bridal Veil" as beautifully bedecked brides and flower children of centuries past serenely glide past her, ending with her and her groom (Stanley Smith) showing off that massive veil on a wide staircase. "Ragamuffin Romeo" starts with singing street urchins Jeanne Lang and George Chiles and ends with amazingly limber dancers Don Rose and Marion Stadler as another urchin and his rag doll. Some incredibly rubber-limbed dancing, this time from Al Norman, also figures into the surreal and imaginative version of "Happy Feet," with women's heads singing from a shoe box.
The three big numbers all revolve around jazz or music history or making music. Whiteman appears to pull the members of his orchestra out of his pocket, then lets later-famous jazz men like Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang do their thing in brief solo bits. "Rhapsody In Blue" (or really in turquoise in the recent restoration) has Gershwin look-a-like Roy Bargy at the piano as dancer Jacques Cartier performs Hollywood's idea of a primitive native ritual, then joins lines of beauties with feather fans in a fanciful dance routine that ends with the fans becoming a kaleidoscope of turquoise. "The Melting Pot" is more problematic today, given how many European countries and their music are sited, complete with fanciful national costume and songs, but not one reference to jazz's start in African rhythms.
Trivia: This was originally going to a biography about Whiteman, then a linear backstage story. Whiteman and his band sat around for two months while Universal tries to think of a good plot to stuff his famous songs in. By the time they gave up and turned it into a plotless revue, Whiteman and his band had gone back east for other engagements and had to be coaxed back.
Anderson's work here did get good reviews, but he ran way over budget and feuded with Lammele. He was only called to Hollywood twice more, to devise water pageants for Esther Williams in her 1944 vehicle Bathing Beauty and three-ring glitter for Cecil B DeMille's Oscar-winning 1952 circus drama The Greatest Show On Earth.
Bing Crosby makes his film debut here. He was originally going to sing "Song of the Dawn," but got arrested for drunk driving shortly before shooting and was replaced by Boles.
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra were one of the most popular groups of the 1920's. They were so huge at the time, Whiteman's nickname was "King of Jazz." Truthfully, Whiteman's style was more "20's pop music" rather than "jazz" as most people know it today. He was better known for being able to bring together genuinely talented musicians, like Lang, Bargy, Venuti, and Bix Beiderbecke. (The last-named had already left the outfit before they went west.)
The film was released at 105 minutes. Current restored prints run 99 minutes; most prior prints ran 93. It was cut to 65 minutes for a 1933 re-release, then returned to 93 minutes for home video. Older prints also "color correct" the "Rhapsody In Blue" number to accurately reflect the color blue.
What I Don't Like: Some of the more vaudeville-flavored routines are a little too goofy, especially Wilbur Hall playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" with a bicycle pump and Jack White's "Oh, How I'd Love to Own a Fish Store." A few of the blackout sketches haven't dated well, either. There are also rare times when this being an early talkie does show, especially with many long shots of chorus girls doing high kicks that go on forever.
The biggest problem is that time has changed people's perception of who really made American music. The native stereotypes in the animated short and the "Rhapsody In Blue" dance (the dancer wasn't even black) may offend some folks today, as will the lack of references to the importance of African rhythms and chants to the creation of jazz and popular music as we know it in "The Melting Pot."
The Big Finale: While I wouldn't call it a "masterpiece" like some people online, it's definitely one of the more fascinating and beautiful early talkie revues and deserves a lot more love.
Home Media: The Criterion Collection put Universal's restored print on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2018. The DVD is out of print; the Blu-Ray is the one you'll want to look for.
DVD
Blu-Ray
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Happy 4th of July! - Take Me Out to the Ball Game
MGM, 1949
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Betty Garrett
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Roger Edens and others; Lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and others
We celebrate America's birthday with a movie about it's favorite pastime. Kelly and Sinatra came together for a second time to play baseball stars who moonlight as vaudeville performers in the off-season, joined by popular comedienne Garrett and a land-locked Esther Williams. Does this sports tale hit a home run with audiences today, or does it strike out? Let's head to Opening Day for the Chicago Wolves at the turn of the 20th century and find out...
The Story: Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) and Eddie O'Brian (Kelly) return from vaudeville to discover that the Wolves have a new owner. K.C Higgins (Williams) is not only a woman, but is smart, athletic, and knows as much about baseball as the guys do. Dennis is smitten with her, but Eddie thinks she's a pain when she pushes their training. Dennis has his own fan, the very determined Shirley Delwyn (Garrett). Eddie's annoyed by K.C at first, until he too starts to see her charms.
Meanwhile, two gangsters have money on the Wolves losing in the pennant, and they think the best way to do that would be keep their best player, Eddie O'Brian, away from the team. They first offer him a dancing gig to tired him out, and when he quits that, outright knocks him out to keep him out of the game. When Shirley figures out what's going on, she, K.C, and Dennis have to find a way to get Eddie back in the game.
The Song and Dance: Charming confection features some enjoyable dances, glowing Technicolor costumes and sets, and a unique ball-field-meets-backstage plot. There may be a few other musical baseball tales, but not ones where the players are also performers. Kelly and Sinatra show all the chemistry and spirit they'd displayed five years before in Anchors Aweigh and would with Munshin again later that year in On the Town. Garrett is also having a lot of fun as she tries to get Sinatra to see her as more than just a groupie.
Favorite Number: Kelly and Sinatra start off strong with their vigorous rendition of the title song as part of their vaudeville act. "The Girl Said No" and "O'Brian to Ryan to Goldberg" are their numbers with Munshin, describing their adventures with various ladies across the US and their big winning triple play respectively. "Strictly USA" is the sole large chorus number, sung first by the guests at Garrett's big 4th of July clambake, then at the end by the four leads as part of their vaudeville act finale. Kelly's soft-shoe solo spoofs another holiday with an authentic Irish song, "The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore Upon St. Patrick's Day."
Trivia: Berkeley didn't direct that much of the movie, despite his name being on the finished film. He dropped out due to personal problems, and the film was finished by Kelly and Stanley Donen.
Ginger Rogers was originally supposed to play K.C Higgins, but dropped out a month before filming began. She replaced Judy Garland, who left due to her ongoing substance abuse problems.
What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious Williams, despite her real-life athletic prowess, was a last-minute choice for K.C. She gets one short swimming scene, has zero chemistry with Kelly (and didn't get along with him or Donen in real-life), and doesn't really have that much to do after she shows up the guys on the ball field. The gangster plot also seems shoehorned in to give the second half more of a lift. I actually think seeing the guys go back-and-forth to their two jobs and how they dealt with that would have been more interesting without the cliched betting story. Not to mention, the finale is really kind of abrupt and rather ridiculous.
The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half between barbecues on the 4th of July if you're a fan of any of the stars or the big MGM Technicolor musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Betty Garrett
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Roger Edens and others; Lyrics by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and others
We celebrate America's birthday with a movie about it's favorite pastime. Kelly and Sinatra came together for a second time to play baseball stars who moonlight as vaudeville performers in the off-season, joined by popular comedienne Garrett and a land-locked Esther Williams. Does this sports tale hit a home run with audiences today, or does it strike out? Let's head to Opening Day for the Chicago Wolves at the turn of the 20th century and find out...
The Story: Dennis Ryan (Sinatra) and Eddie O'Brian (Kelly) return from vaudeville to discover that the Wolves have a new owner. K.C Higgins (Williams) is not only a woman, but is smart, athletic, and knows as much about baseball as the guys do. Dennis is smitten with her, but Eddie thinks she's a pain when she pushes their training. Dennis has his own fan, the very determined Shirley Delwyn (Garrett). Eddie's annoyed by K.C at first, until he too starts to see her charms.
Meanwhile, two gangsters have money on the Wolves losing in the pennant, and they think the best way to do that would be keep their best player, Eddie O'Brian, away from the team. They first offer him a dancing gig to tired him out, and when he quits that, outright knocks him out to keep him out of the game. When Shirley figures out what's going on, she, K.C, and Dennis have to find a way to get Eddie back in the game.
The Song and Dance: Charming confection features some enjoyable dances, glowing Technicolor costumes and sets, and a unique ball-field-meets-backstage plot. There may be a few other musical baseball tales, but not ones where the players are also performers. Kelly and Sinatra show all the chemistry and spirit they'd displayed five years before in Anchors Aweigh and would with Munshin again later that year in On the Town. Garrett is also having a lot of fun as she tries to get Sinatra to see her as more than just a groupie.
Favorite Number: Kelly and Sinatra start off strong with their vigorous rendition of the title song as part of their vaudeville act. "The Girl Said No" and "O'Brian to Ryan to Goldberg" are their numbers with Munshin, describing their adventures with various ladies across the US and their big winning triple play respectively. "Strictly USA" is the sole large chorus number, sung first by the guests at Garrett's big 4th of July clambake, then at the end by the four leads as part of their vaudeville act finale. Kelly's soft-shoe solo spoofs another holiday with an authentic Irish song, "The Hat My Dear Old Father Wore Upon St. Patrick's Day."
Trivia: Berkeley didn't direct that much of the movie, despite his name being on the finished film. He dropped out due to personal problems, and the film was finished by Kelly and Stanley Donen.
Ginger Rogers was originally supposed to play K.C Higgins, but dropped out a month before filming began. She replaced Judy Garland, who left due to her ongoing substance abuse problems.
What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious Williams, despite her real-life athletic prowess, was a last-minute choice for K.C. She gets one short swimming scene, has zero chemistry with Kelly (and didn't get along with him or Donen in real-life), and doesn't really have that much to do after she shows up the guys on the ball field. The gangster plot also seems shoehorned in to give the second half more of a lift. I actually think seeing the guys go back-and-forth to their two jobs and how they dealt with that would have been more interesting without the cliched betting story. Not to mention, the finale is really kind of abrupt and rather ridiculous.
The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour and a half between barbecues on the 4th of July if you're a fan of any of the stars or the big MGM Technicolor musicals of the 40's and 50's.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, usually for under 10 dollars.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Stage Door Canteen
United Artists, 1943
Starring Cheryl Walker, Lon McAllister, William Terry, and Marjorie Riordan
Directed by Frank Borzage
Music by various
Every city and large town had a canteen or club during the war years where military personnel could get a meal, listen to top bands, and dance the night away with woman volunteers. They were places the service people could forget their troubles for a while. Some of the canteens in larger cities were staffed by genuine stars and celebrities doing their bit for the war effort, including the Stage Door Canteen in New York City where the best and brightest of Broadway did their all for the troops. How does the story of a soldier who falls in love with one of the volunteers look now? Let's head to the Stage Door Canteen with waitress and acting hopeful Eileen (Cheryl Walker) and find out...
The Story: Eileen and her roommates Jean (Marjorie Riordan) and Ella Sue (Margaret Early) are volunteers at the Canteen. They talk to and dance with the soldiers, but they're not supposed to become intimate with them. Eileen, though, can't help falling in love with sweet Dakota (William Terry). She's really there to catch the eye of a Broadway producer and get a part...but when she finally does, she wonders if it's really worth while without her soldier.
The Song and Dance: This may have the most eclectic selection of cameos from any of the wartime semi-revues. Fans of theater history may find this of particular interest, as it features the only film appearance of stage star Katherine Cornell and rare bits by other theater luminaries like Helen Hayes, Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontanne, and Ina Claire. As slight as the story is, it's still an improvement over the ridiculous plot of Star Spangled Rhythm. It feels real and authentic to the era, helped by the leads being played by non-stars. I also appreciate how the Chinese servicemen were treated. They were among America's allies during World War II, so they're spoken to with respect and a refreshing lack of stereotypes.
Favorite Number: Ray Bolger gets a cute dance routine cribbed from the show he was starring in on Broadway at the time, By Jupiter, "The Girl I Loved to Leave Behind." Singer Lina Romay and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra spoof the Latin mania in the early 40's with "She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn." Lanny Ross performs the Oscar-nominated "We Mustn't Say Good-Bye" with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, while Kenny Baker does a lovely "Goodnight Sweetheart" with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. Ethel Waters sings a frisky "Quicksands" with Count Basie and His Orchestra. Peggy Lee made her mark with the classic blues ballad "Why Don't You Do Right?" with Benny Goodman.
Trivia: The real Stage Door Canteen was too busy entertaining servicemen for filming, so the movie was made at Fox Pathe Studios in New York and RKO Pictures in Hollywood.
Most of the money from the film went to the Canteen and the American Theater Wing who operated it.
What I Don't Like: As with Star Spangled Rhythm, this is very much a film of its time. The word "Jap" is thrown around pretty frequently, especially by British star Gracie Fields in her big "Machine Gun Song" number. Neither the music nor most of the cameos are as memorable as the ones in Star Spangled Rhythm or other wartime musicals. If you're not a fan of theater history or don't know anything about older movies or theater stars, you'll probably be more baffled than anything. There's also the fact that the movie looks pretty cheap compared to the big-budget studio revues; the focus is on the stars and story, not the bounty.
The Big Finale: Fascinating if you're a fan of theater or film history or the history of World War II.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere, including streaming for free with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Make sure to look for the 132 minute print; some prints run 93 minutes and cut out a lot of numbers.
DVD
Amazon Prime
Starring Cheryl Walker, Lon McAllister, William Terry, and Marjorie Riordan
Directed by Frank Borzage
Music by various
Every city and large town had a canteen or club during the war years where military personnel could get a meal, listen to top bands, and dance the night away with woman volunteers. They were places the service people could forget their troubles for a while. Some of the canteens in larger cities were staffed by genuine stars and celebrities doing their bit for the war effort, including the Stage Door Canteen in New York City where the best and brightest of Broadway did their all for the troops. How does the story of a soldier who falls in love with one of the volunteers look now? Let's head to the Stage Door Canteen with waitress and acting hopeful Eileen (Cheryl Walker) and find out...
The Story: Eileen and her roommates Jean (Marjorie Riordan) and Ella Sue (Margaret Early) are volunteers at the Canteen. They talk to and dance with the soldiers, but they're not supposed to become intimate with them. Eileen, though, can't help falling in love with sweet Dakota (William Terry). She's really there to catch the eye of a Broadway producer and get a part...but when she finally does, she wonders if it's really worth while without her soldier.
The Song and Dance: This may have the most eclectic selection of cameos from any of the wartime semi-revues. Fans of theater history may find this of particular interest, as it features the only film appearance of stage star Katherine Cornell and rare bits by other theater luminaries like Helen Hayes, Alfred Lunt, Lynne Fontanne, and Ina Claire. As slight as the story is, it's still an improvement over the ridiculous plot of Star Spangled Rhythm. It feels real and authentic to the era, helped by the leads being played by non-stars. I also appreciate how the Chinese servicemen were treated. They were among America's allies during World War II, so they're spoken to with respect and a refreshing lack of stereotypes.
Favorite Number: Ray Bolger gets a cute dance routine cribbed from the show he was starring in on Broadway at the time, By Jupiter, "The Girl I Loved to Leave Behind." Singer Lina Romay and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra spoof the Latin mania in the early 40's with "She's a Bombshell from Brooklyn." Lanny Ross performs the Oscar-nominated "We Mustn't Say Good-Bye" with the Freddy Martin Orchestra, while Kenny Baker does a lovely "Goodnight Sweetheart" with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra. Ethel Waters sings a frisky "Quicksands" with Count Basie and His Orchestra. Peggy Lee made her mark with the classic blues ballad "Why Don't You Do Right?" with Benny Goodman.
Trivia: The real Stage Door Canteen was too busy entertaining servicemen for filming, so the movie was made at Fox Pathe Studios in New York and RKO Pictures in Hollywood.
Most of the money from the film went to the Canteen and the American Theater Wing who operated it.
What I Don't Like: As with Star Spangled Rhythm, this is very much a film of its time. The word "Jap" is thrown around pretty frequently, especially by British star Gracie Fields in her big "Machine Gun Song" number. Neither the music nor most of the cameos are as memorable as the ones in Star Spangled Rhythm or other wartime musicals. If you're not a fan of theater history or don't know anything about older movies or theater stars, you'll probably be more baffled than anything. There's also the fact that the movie looks pretty cheap compared to the big-budget studio revues; the focus is on the stars and story, not the bounty.
The Big Finale: Fascinating if you're a fan of theater or film history or the history of World War II.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so you can find it pretty much anywhere, including streaming for free with a subscription to Amazon Prime. Make sure to look for the 132 minute print; some prints run 93 minutes and cut out a lot of numbers.
DVD
Amazon Prime
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