Musicals On TV - Aladdin (1990)

Disney, 1990

Starring Brent Sudduth, Susan Egan, Richard Kiely, and Barry Boswick

Directed by Micky Dolenz

Music by Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy; Lyrics by Jim Eiler

If this seems like a really strange production for a Disney Channel movie, it actually has a much older pedigree. The Prince Street Players began in a loft on New York's Prince Street in 1965 as a repertory company for original children's musicals. According to musical history site Musicals 101, at least three of their shows were filmed and broadcast by CBS in 1966 and 1967, including their version of Aladdin. Interestingly, it has a lot more in common with the earlier 1958 Aladdin with Cole Porter music than Disney's own animated movie from two years later, including the Asian setting. Let's start with Aladdin (Sudduth) to see just how different this TV production is...

The Story: Aladdin is a street urchin in Old China who prefers flying his kite with his buddies to taking a job. His mother (Jane A. Johnston) is in despair he'll ever grow up or make enough money to take care of her. His runaway kite lands right in the Emperor's garden, leading him to his lovely daughter Mei-Ling (Egan). They fall in love, but the Emperor (I.M Hobson) demands she marry a man who is wealthy but unattractive. 

Aladdin's now determined to become rich and win her hand. He follows a man who claims to be his uncle (Richard Kiley) and can produce untold treasures. He really wants Aladdin to retrieve a magical lamp from a cave. After Aladdin is shut up in the cave, the goofy genie (Boswick) is able to not only free him, but gives him a dancing doll (Donna McKechnie) that pleases the Emperor enough to win Mei-Ling's hand. The magician won't let go as easily, though, and figures out a way to trick Aladdin's mother and get his own hands on the lamp. But Aladdin has one last surprise - and a final genie - in reserve.

The Song and Dance: Attractive songs and performances from rarely-seen stage veterans highlight this made-for-cable production. Egan is a sweet and dear princess, and Kiely makes for a quite menacing magician. Johnston has her own fun as Aladdin's pushy mother, especially when she insists on selling the lamp because she's never been able to see or hear the Genie. I also appreciate this is another Aladdin that sticks to the original Arabian Nights story. Not only does this retain the Chinese setting, but it also has the second Genie of the Ring (also Boswick) who rarely turns up in most movie retellings. 

Favorite Number: We open with Aladdin and his friends doing backflips in the street as they tell one and all why they're "Flying My Kite" instead of doing more productive work. Mei-Ling talks about it being "A Lovely Morning In China," which is reprised for her wedding procession with Aladdin later. The Genie's manic "In the Wink of an Eye" is almost as strange as a later, bluer genie's numbers, with Boswick manically mugging as he builds a very early CGI home for the newly-rich Aladdin. McKechnie has two instrumental dances as "Fatima, the Dancing Doll" when she's introduced to Aladdin, and later when given to the Emperor, that are fairly well-done.

Trivia: This was Brent Sudduth's only appearance on film. 

It was called Aladdin In China when it ran in Europe to separate it from versions of the story set in the Middle East. 

What I Don't Like: It's obvious that this is a cheap cable production. The cardboard backdrops and the very, very poorly done early CGI palace and magic carpet during the "Wink of an Eye" numbers scream "low-rent Asian high school production in the late 80's." Some people may enjoy Boswick's mugging, but I find him to be way over the top and annoying as the Genie of the Lamp, lacking Robin Williams' warmth and Will Smith's wit. Suddoth basically fades into the woodwork as the supposedly cheeky street urchin. No wonder this was his only film. This also has the same problem as the 1958 Aladdin of featuring white actors in Chinese roles. 

The Big Finale: I'm going to say this is only for those who have fond memories of catching it on The Disney Channel in the early 90's or who are desperately looking for a musical for young children and aren't too particular. (It does make me wish CBS/Paramount or The Prince Street Players would dig up the original 60's shows so we can compare them, though.)

Home Media: On DVD, but it's expensive. You're better off catching this one on streaming company Tubi, where it's free with commercials. 

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Extra - American Pop

Columbia Pictures, 1981

Voices of Ron Thompson, Lisa Jane Persky, Jeffrey Lippa, and Richard Singer

Directed by Ralph Bakshi

Music and Lyrics by various

Bakshi started out in the 50's making kids' cartoons for Terrytoons characters like Heckle and Jeckle and Mighty Mouse. By the late 60's, he was tired of doing children's programming and seeing animation derided as merely "kids' stuff." He made Fritz the Cat in 1972, the first X-rated, adult-oriented animated film based after the black comedy comic strip. That film lead to Bakshi doing a series of animated features for grown ups throughout the 70's and 80's, of which this is the only musical. How does Bakshi's ultra-hip, in-your-face rotoscoped style mesh with the history of music in America during the late 19th and 20th centuries? Let's begin in a small Russian Jewish village in 1897 as the Rabbi leads the children's prayers and find out...

The Story: Zalmie Belinsky (Lippa) and his mother flee Russia after Cossacks attack their village. They end up in New York, where Zalmie works for a burlesque house. After his mother dies in the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes a singer there. His changing voice is already a problem when he's shot in the throat while performing during World War I. That ends his singing career, but not his involvement with burlesque. He meets his wife Annabella (Persky) there while appearing as a clown. He turns to gangster Nicky Palumbo (Ben Frommer) to finance the wedding after she gets pregnant. 

They have a son, Benny, who tragically witnesses his mother's death when she opens a box with a bomb intended for his father. Despite his intention to go straight, his jazz piano career ends tragically when he dies in World War II. His son Tony (Thompson) is dissatisfied with living in his mother's house in Long Island. He steals his stepfather's car and runs away. He first lands in Kansas, where he falls for a waitress, but doesn't stay long. He eventually becomes the songwriter for a psychedelic rock band. They're a hit, but they break up after he and lead singer Frankie Hart (Mews Small) become addicted to heroin and she dies from an overdose. 

Tony is eventually reduced to pushing drugs with his son from the waitress, Pete (Thompson). He finally abandons the boy back in New York City. Pete grows up selling drugs on the streets, but he wants more...and unlike his father, he has the talent to back up his ambition. 

The Animation: All of Bakshi's movies in one way or another made heavy use of rotoscoping, aka tracing and animating real-life models. While this can sometimes be a little too creepy or uncanny valley, in this case, it mostly works. Some of the characters are already pretty creepy, like Tony and some of the gangsters during the 20's-30's segment. I love the use of color too, from the creamy whites and pastels of pre-World War II New York night clubs to the electric neons of a rock concert in 1981. 

The Song and Dance: Wow. The only other Bakshi movies I've seen are the live action-animation hybrid Cool World from 1992 and part of his 1978 version of Lord of the Rings. I'm going to look up more of his films, if they're all as solid and involving as this. Special kudos to Thompson as the two most successful of Zelkinskys, Small as dynamic and troubled singer Frankie, and Jerry Holland as Louie, the burlesque theater owner who takes Zalmie in.

Favorite Number: Zalmie's introduction to burlesque is real-life variety stage headliner Eva Tanguay (Roz Kelly) shaking and shimmying to her signature number "I Don't Care" in a skimpy red costume. Zalmie prances as the back half of a horse to George M. Cohan's ultra-patriotic "Over There" during a performance for the troops in World War I. The old Gershwin number "Somebody Loves You" provides a montage of how Zalmie falls for Bella. Bella sings the ballad of longing "Bill" as Nick and Zalmie discuss her career. The swing favorite "Sing, Sing, Sing" gives us a montage of black dancers (including the Nicholas Brothers) juxtaposed against real-life footage of World War II battlefronts. Benny can't resist sitting down at a piano while running after the Nazis and playing "As Time Goes By." His "Lili Marleen" for a German soldier doesn't go over nearly as well.

The most famous musical numbers from this are probably from the late 60's rock sequence and the 80's finale. Frankie's "Summertime" from Big Brother and the Holding Company continues the Gershwin theme and shows off her vulnerability, while the Doors' "People are Strange" plays under the sequence where Tony takes LCD and has one of the most colorful acid trips ever represented on the big screen. Pete finally gets to turn Bob Seeger's "Night Moves" into a neon showstopper, complete with early animation and the only version of this song you'll ever hear with keyboard orchestration.

Trivia: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York was a real-life industrial disaster that lead to the deaths of 146 workers, mainly immigrant women. The tragedy lead to many factory reforms and the improvement of working conditions in sweatshops.

Eagle-eyed old movie fans will spot footage from The Public Enemy, Stormy Weather, and the war movie Hell Is for Heroes edited and rotoscoped into the film. 

Ralph Bakshi is the voice of the piano player who encourages the pregnant Annabella to try a new song.

What I Don't Like: The story looks and sounds great, but that doesn't stop it from being pure melodrama. The cliches run hard and heavy here, though the grittiness and Bakshi's tough and realistic style does mask some of the campier theatrics and frequently unlikable characters. This is especially a problem in the second half. Tony is such a jerk from the get-go, you wish he'd get a clue and a life long before he dumps his son. Ironically, despite the focus on them, Tony is the only Zelinsky you get to know well. We do get to see a little of Zalmie, but Benny dies before they do much with him, and all we really see of Pete is him standing up to the band. 

And remember, just because it's animated doesn't mean it's for kids. Swearing, drinking, some violence, smoking, and drug usage in the second half make this absolutely not for little ones.

The Big Finale: I genuinely loved this, but I also generally enjoy "through the years" stories. If you're also into stories of music history or Bakshi's ultra-realistic style, or want to see an animated musical for more mature audiences, you'll want to join the Zalinskys and their journey through pop culture history.

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Stars Over Broadway

Warner Bros, 1935

Starring Pat O'Brian, James Melton, Jane Froman, and Jean Muir

Directed by William Keighley

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

Even Warners, home of tough-guy gangster films and dark "message" dramas, got on the opera star band wagon of the mid-30's, but their approach to finding their singers was a bit different. James Melton and Jane Frohman were two of the most popular singers on radio in 1935, each with their own shows and legions of fans. The were big enough by 1935 for Warners to take a chance on starring them in a movie with major star Pat O'Brian and up-and-comer Jean Muir. How does this backstage drama about a manager and his two singing hopefuls look nowadays? Let's begin at Danceland in New York City, just as Al McGillevray (O'Brian) is told he's washed up in show business, and find out...

The Story: Al's saved from suicide when he hears the porter in his hotel room performing a country song with a stunning voice. He convinces the young man, Jan King (Melton), to try becoming a major opera star. Al does manage to get him singing lessons with Italian teacher Minotti (William Riccilardi), but it'll take years of study before Jan's ready to really hit the big time.

Al doesn't want to wait that long to make money. He pushes Jan into radio and nightclub work instead as a crooner and idol. At an amateur contest, he meets Nora Wyman (Muir), who also wants to be a singer. Al points out that she's really too much of a sweetheart for the business.

He's having his own problems with Jan, anyway. Jan's having far too much fun as a successful radio star to even consider opera now. He meets nightclub star Joan Garrett (Frohman) during a performance and becomes her partner, living it up with booze and women. The extracurriculars start to effect his performance, until he's fired after missing a performance. Al wants him to study opera and Nora to be out of show business all together, and will do anything to save the two people he cares about most from themselves.

The Song and Dance: I'm surprised at how dark this one is, especially for the era. Kudos to Warners for getting away from the fluffy romances and showcasing their stars in a slightly different light. The story is actually quite touching, especially how Al will literally do anything for his proteges and even blames himself for Jan's downfall. O'Brian is more at home with the backstage melodrama here than he was with the comedies Flying High and In Caliente. Frank McHugh and a young Marie Wilson have a few good moments as a whiny songwriter and the receptionist at the amateur show. 

Favorite Number: The song that stops Al from ending his life is "Carry Me Back to the Lone Prairie," which Melton sings unknowingly while attending to his room. Jane Frohman sings the intense ballad of anger and hatred "You Let Me Down" at Witmark's. She joins Melton for "At Your Service, Madame," at the nightclub in a comic story of a butler who falls for his mistress. An unidentified vocal trio at the nightclub perform the rousing "Coney Island." Melton ladles his romantic tenor into "Where Am I (Now That I've Found Heaven)" at Luigi's and later during the montage of his success. 

Trivia: Marie Wilson's first credited role.

Melton did later sing with the Metropolitan Opera, but his real passion was antique cars. He collected over 125 of them and showed them off in a museum in the 1950's. 

The standard "September In the Rain" was written for this film, but cut from the final print. It finally made it into Melton's next movie, Melody for Two. 

What I Don't Like: Wish the ladies had more to do. Frohman sings three numbers but otherwise disappears after Jan becomes a success. Likewise, would have liked to hear more from Muir, who had a gorgeous voice as well. Melton sings a lot better than he acts, too. While I commend Warners for dealing with subjects like suicide and alcoholism in a musical, the story still occasionally gets too melodramatic for its own good. This is a major problem in the second half, when Jan starts drinking and Nora has her own sudden attempt at suicide towards the end. It's a lot slower and not as fun as when Al tried to push Jan to the top.

And you'd never know Busby Berkeley choreographed this movie if you didn't check the credits. "At Your Service, Madame" is really the only number that remotely evinces his touch. Most of the others are performed in a church or a nightclub or in front of a microphone on the radio. Apparently, there were other larger numbers, but they were dropped from the final print.

The Big Finale: Don't let the generic title fool you. If you're looking for something a bit meatier in your musicals and don't mind some operatic warbling, you might want to check out TCM and give this star a chance. 

Home Media: And this is another one that's only found on TCM at the moment.

Watch TCM

Family Fun Saturday - Sleeping Beauty (1987)

The Cannon Group, 1987

Starring Tahnee Welch, Morgan Fairchild, David Holliday, and Kenny Baker

Directed by David Irving

Music by Michael Berz; Lyrics by Michael Berz and others

This is the last Cannon Movie Tale - low-budget musical fairy tales made by B movie specialists The Cannon Movie Group - I hadn't gotten around to, mainly because it's also currently the only one that isn't free somewhere. The story of the princess who pricks her finger and falls into an enchanted sleep has been told in many adaptations over the years, from Disney's exquisitely animated version in 1959 to The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, a cheesy horror film, in 2016. Where does Cannon's version fall? Let's start with an elf (Baker) who wants to help a queen (Fairchild) have a baby and find out...

The Story: After the queen drinks a potion made of roses, she does have the desired baby. They name her Rosebud, for the flower that made her birth possible. All the fairies of the kingdom are invited to give gifts at the little princess' christening to bestow gifts upon the baby. To the king's horror, they discover there's only enough golden plates for eight of the nine fairies. He eventually decides the Red Fairy (Sylvia Miles) is seen so rarely, they can leave her out. She shows up furious over the snub and curses the princess to die on her sixteenth birthday when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. The White Fairy (Jane Wiedlin) amends the curse to let the girl fall into a deep sleep instead.

Rosebud (Tahnee Welch) grows up beautiful, smart, and curious as to why everyone in her kingdom dresses in rags and there's not a bit of cloth to be found. Her parents had all the spindles destroyed to save her, and now everyone's tired of not having new clothes. They have far worse problems when Rosebud is lured to a tower where she does prick her finger on a spindle and the curse comes to pass. The little elf is distraught and convinces the White Fairy to put her whole kingdom to sleep and protect it with rose thorns, until the day when a handsome prince (Nicholas Clay) finds his way to the castle to awaken his sleeping beauty.

The Song and Dance: Baker's having a wonderful time as the little elf who first helps the queen have her longed-for child, then plays matchmaker and aids the prince in finding his slumbering maiden. The almost adorably quaint special effects used for when he jumps over the mountains are especially funny. Miles isn't bad as the vengeful fairy during the few times we see her. Considering the fuss over the lack of spun cloth, the costumes aren't bad, both before the wedding and after they've fallen to rags. 

Favorite Number: We open with the seamstresses of the kingdom performing how they "Spin, Spin, Spin" and create lovely gowns for the queen. The lady in question isn't as happy, admitting in "The Queen's Lament" that she wishes for a child of her own. The King cheers "How Good It Is" with his couriers and wife as they celebrate the coming of the princess. "Rip" is the mildly catchy chorus number for the king's citizens as they complain about the lack of cloth in the kingdom. After sixteen years, their clothing is in disrepair and has ripped into rags. 

Trivia: Only Cannon Movie Tale made entirely in Isreal.

Filmed back-to-back with Hansel & Gretel, which caused a lot of trouble when the two had to share equipment and productions. 

What I Don't Like: More than any other Cannon Movie Tale, this very obviously reveals its B-movie origins in the cheap sets, tinny synthesizer music, and silly or non-existent special effects. There's also the very obvious padding with the side story about everyone's clothes falling to pieces that adds nothing to the film. Baker's the only one having any fun. Neither Welch nor her prince have much to do besides look attractive. Welch's two songs are dull, her acting is worse, and she was dubbed to boot. 

The Prince doesn't fight a dragon, as in the Disney cartoon or Fairy Tale Theatre episode. He isn't even seen until the final ten minutes of the film. We hear many princes died trying to rescue Rosebud, but given the thorns easily move aside, it's hard to believe it. And what happened to the Red Fairy? She vanishes after Rosebud falls asleep. I wish they'd done a lot more with her, or at least brought her back in to try to get rid of the prince. 

The Big Finale: My least-favorite Cannon Movie Tale by a long shot. Bad acting, boring songs, a silly story, and cheap production make this for the youngest and least-discerning fairy tale fans. 

Home Media: On streaming and on DVD paired with other Cannon Movie Tales.

DVD - 2 Fairy Tale Musicals (with Beauty and the Beast)

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - The Night Is Young (1935)

MGM, 1935

Starring Ramon Novarro, Evelyn Laye, Charles Butterworth, and Una Merkel

Directed by Dudley Murphey

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

As we discussed earlier this month, operetta made a comeback on the big screen in the mid-30's thanks to the success of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's vehicles from MGM and Columbia's for Grace Moore. Evelyn Laye was beloved stage actress on England's West End, but her one try at Hollywood was in the disastrous flop One Heavenly Night from 1931. Novarro's MGM contract was ending, but they decided to give him one more go at stardom, hoping to make him and Laye the next MacDonald and Eddy. How did they fare in this story of a ballerina who loves an archduke? Let's begin with a tinkling music box over the credits and a white ballerina twirling on and see...

The Story: Emperor Franz Josef (Henry Stephenson) has arranged for his nephew, the Archduke Paul Gustave (Novarro), to marry a princess. Paul really loves the Countess Zarika Rafay (Rosalind Russell), but the Emperor hates her family. Franz doesn't mind him seeing women, providing they're outside of the royal courts. Paul claims he's in love with one of the ballerinas they're watching, Lisl Gluck (Laye). She's always getting into trouble for watching her pianist fiancée Toni Berngruber (Donald Cook). 

Lisl is relieved she's merely a decoy while he spends time with the Countess. She's not as happy at first when he insists she live in the royal palace, until he agrees to produce Toni's ballet. They eventually get to know each other better as she reveals the music of the ballet to them, and after spending an evening at the local carnival, fall in love. Not only is Toni jealous, but there's also their class to consider. His marrying a ballerina won't sit well with his family, and his uncle reminds him to consider his country before he makes the sacrifice.

The Song and Dance: Lovely, romantic, and quite funny, especially for an operetta. No wonder Laye was considered one of the great beauties of the English stage well into the 50's. She's sweet and delicate as the so-so ballerina who finds herself falling for a duke in spite of herself. Merkel and Butterworth liven things up considerably as Lisl's best friend Fanni and her sweetheart, the dour carriage driver Willy, and Russell's appropriately haughty the few times we see her. Edward Everett Horton is back too, this time more appropriately as a fussy baron (this time with considerable sideburns). Glorious costumes and sets lavishly recreate the Austrian empire of the 1880's, with stunning gossamer bustle gowns for the ladies and elaborate uniforms for the men.

Favorite Number: The big hit here was "When I Grow Too Old To Dream." It remains a Romberg standard to this day, and the movie shows us why twice. Lisl gives us the lyrics the first time while singing it wistfully at the Archduke's home. Later, she and Paul perform it as one of their major duets. The other is the title song, which is one of the ones they write together at his home. Willy sings about how he prefers "My Old Mare" Mitzi to any girl in the world...including Franni tooting on a horn behind him. Franni and Lisl dress up at the Duke's home to parody a lady of the opera, "The Noble Duchess." The Duke is a lot more amused than you might think with their satire. Novarro and Laye sing the comic "There's a Riot In Havana" while out with Franni and Willy at a local nightclub. 

Trivia: Sadly, the movie was such a huge flop, Laye went back to England and wouldn't do another movie for a decade (and never again in Hollywood), and Novarro was relegated to lesser studios. 

What I Don't Like: This is about as typical of an operetta as you can get, from the middle-European setting to the schmaltzy story. I do give them credit for going with a fairly mature bittersweet ending, but the rest of the movie is one big cliché. Fans of the genre have seen this type of mawkish melodrama in everything from Maytime to The Student Prince. Speaking of...yeah, if you haven't guessed, you really need to be a fan of operetta to enjoy this one. If you aren't into the genre or old-fashioned romances, this is not the place for you.

The Big Finale: Fortunately, I am a fan of operetta. If you love Novarro or the supporting cast or the genre, this is a romantic treat that deserves to be rediscovered. 

Home Media: Sadly, this is another one that seems to be TCM only at the moment. 

Watch TCM

Cult Flops - Kiss Me Again (1931)

Warner Bros, 1931

Starring Bernice Claire, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Everett Horton, and Claude Gillingwater

Directed by William A Seiter

Music by Victor Herbert; Lyrics by Henry Martyn Blossom

Operettas and light opera were common during film's first years of sound as the movies saw a musical explosion. A few of them, including The Love Parade and Devil-May-Care, were hits with audiences and critics, but most were considered overly campy or melodramatic even then. Seeing how musicals in general and operettas in particular were flopping at the box office during the fall of 1930, they held off releasing this for a year. It didn't work; the movie tanked, despite a good cast and the original print being in two-strip Technicolor. Does this frothy romance still deserve that fate, or should it get a second chance for stage success? Let's begin with shop girls showing off the latest in 1930 fashions and find out...

The Story: French shop girl Fifi (Claire) loves handsome and wealthy Legionnaire officer Paul de St. Cyr (Pidgeon). What she really wants to be is an opera star, but he objects to her desire for a career. His father Count de St. Cyr (Gillingwater) objects to his son marrying a poor woman and claims he won't let him have her until she can make her own money. She uses the money from the Count to finance her singing career. Even after she's the toast of the town, she can't forget Paul...but Paul's being forced into marriage with the woman who loves his best friend Rene (Horton). It'll take some quick thinking from Rene and his lady Marie (June Collyer) to make sure everything comes out right in the end.

The Song and Dance: Charming romantic comedy based after the Herbert stage show Mademoiselle Modiste. Claire simply glows as the working woman who determined to prove she's worthy of the opera stage and a rich man's heart. She and Pidgeon are delightful together, especially early in the film when they're courting while the shop girls watch romantically. Gillingswater has a great time as Paul's irascible old coot of a father, and Frank McHugh is surprisingly hilarious as the ex-husband of the owner of the clothing store who is still under her thumb. Some of those early 30's costumes are gorgeous, too; check out the fashion parade in the opening as the shop girls show off their work.

Favorite Number: And we open with that clothes parade as the ladies swish across the elaborate Art Deco shop and model the latest in 1930 fashions. The shopgirls get to watch "Kiss Me Again" as Paul and Fifi declare they'll always love each other. The song is heard several times, including in the finale when Fifi performs it at his homecoming reception to remind him of their love. Lamenting his inability to attract the ladies, Francois (McHugh) becomes "A Make Believe Ladies' Man" when the shopgirls dress him up in satin and feathers and chase him around the racks. Fifi is "The Mascot of the Troop" as she celebrates the departure of the Legionnaires in full Legion regalia, complete with a chorus of officers. The Count rants to Francois that "I Want What I Want When I Want It" when he's stuck with a bland healthy meal. Exotic dancers the Sisters G show off their surreal moves in "Pan Americana" and the sensual "Air de Ballet" with the chorus. 

Trivia: It previewed in 1930 and was released outside the US as Toast of the Legion. Warners cut several numbers when the previews were a disaster, including the majority of Pidgeon's songs. 

Filmed in two-strip Technicolor, but currently exists only in black and white.

What I Don't Like: Occasionally, the early talkie stiffness creeps in, especially during crowd shots when everyone is just standing around. This is adorable piffle, probably too sweet and bubbly for the rough-and-tumble early 30's. With his numbers exorcised, Pidgeon doesn't have that much to do besides look handsome and back down to his father, and Horton has even less (and looks pretty ridiculous in his mustache that matches Pidgeon's). Also, operetta seems to be hit-or-miss with many people who are used to a less pretentious style in their musicals. If you don't love light opera or older styles of music, you may find this to be a bit too campy or creaky.

The Big Finale: Charming and sweet, this romantic comedy is worth toasting the Legion for if you're a fan of operetta, the musicals of the early talkie era, or are looking for something light and frothy to watch on TCM.

Home Media: And TCM is apparently the only place you can catch it at the moment. 

Watch TCM

Musical Documentaries - Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Couldn't Be Televised)

Searchlight Pictures/Hulu, 2021

Featuring Sly & the Family Stone, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and many others

Directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Music and Lyrics by various

Having enjoyed No Maps on My Taps last Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, I thought I'd try another documentary about the black musical experience in America. This time, we skip ahead to 1969, the year after King's assassination. TV producer Hal Tuchin filmed the Harlem Cultural Festival, a celebration of Afro-American culture and music. It was made into two television specials at the time, then promptly forgotten. It wasn't until 2004 that film archivist Joe Lauro convinced Tuchin to digitalize the footage, and it took until 2019 for it to be bought from the owners following Tuchin's death. Was this history worth digging up, or should it have remained buried? Let's begin at Mount Morris Park (now Martin Garvey Park) in New York's Harlem neighborhood as the show is about to begin and find out...

The Story: The biggest names in soul, R&B, and blues converged on six weeks of sold-out shows at Mount Morris Park. The joy of the sold-out crowds is contrasted with their lives on the mean streets of Harlem and East Harlem. Harlem was rocked by riots in 1964 that left the neighborhood battered and scarred, but there was hope for the future as they celebrated how blacks fought to reclaim a culture and a music all their own.

The Song and Dance: Wow. It's a damn shame this was overshadowed by Woodstock and other major music festivals that year. There are some amazing performances you just aren't going to see anywhere else. They did an incredible job restoring the footage. I imagine it had to have been in bad shape after being locked up for 50 years, but it looks like it was filmed last week, with glowing colors and audio that beautifully captures every moment onstage. It's wild just to see the relatively conservative then-mayor of New York John Lindsay contrasted to the ultra-hip festival coordinator Tony Lawrence (who was also one of the acts). 

Even more than the music, it was fascinating hearing about this event from not only surviving performers, but people who actually attended. Their memories of how it felt to see this gathering of a culture that had until a few years before largely been forced underground helps show what a watershed this was to black New York audiences at the time. Several people called it "more important than the moon landing"...because this was about those of us on Earth in the here and now, not just far-away possibilities.

Favorite Number: Stevie Wonder kicks things off with a wild drum solo and his electric rendition of the Isley Brothers hit "It's Your Thing." Legendary bluesman B.B King tells us "Why I Sing the Blues" and shows us why he was King of the Blues. Gospel group The Staple Singers really get the crowds into their swinging numbers "Give a Damn," "Help Me Jesus," and "It's Been a Change." The Edwin Hawkins Singers add their own praise to "Oh Happy Day." Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples joins group Operation Breadbasket for Tommy Dorsey's "Precious Lord Take My Hand." 

Gladys Knight & the Pips really rock their cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Mixed-race group Sly & the Family Stone show why they're "Everyday People" with their vibrant performances of that major hit, "Sing a Simple Song," and "Higher." Afro-Puerto-Rican performers Mongo Santamaria and Ray Baretto show off another side of Harlem in their colorful polka-dot shirts with their Latin-influenced "Afro-Blue," "Watermelon Man," "Together," and "Abijdan." Jazz songstress Nina Simone steals the show with her intensely personal "Backlash Blues," "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," and "Are You Ready?"

What I Don't Like: Boy, do I wish they hadn't waited 50 years to do this. We might have heard from a lot of the actual performers, instead of mostly people who saw the show and a few major stars (like Gladys Knight). There are times with pinkish fringing on the edges of the frame or slightly blurry images when you're reminded this is footage from 1969. Watch out for violence and racial slurs that go along with many discussions of this era. 

The Big Finale: If you have any interest at all in black culture or the history of rock, R&B, soul, and gospel in the 60's, you owe to yourself to catch this glorious celebration of a time and place where people found joy in a music that was uniquely theirs. 

Home Media: It'll be available on DVD and digital February 8th. For now, it's a Hulu exclusive. 

Hulu

Cult Flops - Rock n' Roll High School Forever

Live Entertainment (Artisan), 1991

Starring Corey Feldman, Evan Richards, Patrick Malone, and Liane Curtis

Directed by Deborah Brock

Music and Lyrics by various

Rock n' Roll High School wound up being a surprise hit in 1979, enough for original director Arkush to consider a sequel. He didn't get to it until the early 90's, by which time the music scene had changed considerably. Cable channel MTV debuted in 1981, making "music videos" necessary for any music group of the time. The punk scene faded around the same time, splintering into many forms of hard rock. Heavy metal and rap were the choice music of a new generation of teen rebels. Kids, however, still rebelled, often against other kids, as in the many class-war comedies pitting local poor kids, or "slobs," against their wealthy "snob" peers. How does this play out in a teenage wasteland that's very different, but still the same in many ways? Let's begin at the rebuilt Ronald Regan High School over a decade later as the teachers discuss their anarchic students and find out...

The Story: The Eradicators, the hippest band at school, initiate "Rock and Roll High School Day," the anniversary of the original school's destruction, by flushing all the toilets and overflowing the aging plumbing. That's enough for the school board to call in Vice Principal Vadar (Mary Woronov), a frightening disciplinarian. She initiates a series of far stricter rules, breaks the Eradicators into different classes, and forbids them from seeing their favorite band or playing at prom. That's enough for group leader Jesse Davis (Feldman). He declares war on Vader and the school's conservative yuppie clique, playing pranks and doing everything he can to get the Eradicators to appear in the prom and prove rock means a lot more to teens than what they hear on MTV.

The Song and Dance: Considering it went straight to video in the US, this was surprisingly kind of fun. Feldman and Woronov are having a great time as the anarchic musician who wants to stick it to the snob kids and the rigid vice principal who wants to make the student body behave in any way possible. Liane Curtis, as the Eradicators' smart goth guitarist, and Patrick Malone, as their keyboardist and mechanical genius, do the best of the remaining kids, and we have an early performance by later tough guy Michael Cervantis taking over as school businessman Eaglebauer. The costumes and cinematography scream "1991" in every way possible, giving it a wacky camp vibe that makes it almost like a less-dark Heathers at times. 

Favorite Number: We open with the kids taking over the school with their flushing the toilets at once and ousting the teachers as Jesse rides a motorcycle down the halls, to the tune of "Bring It On Down." The Eradicators somehow convince a lady to let them worship her refrigerator while singing "I Yi Yi Yi Yi Like You Very Much." "I'm Walkin'" and "Tutti Frutti" are their big numbers at the first dance. The latter covers a huge fight, with the Eradicators throwing food around and destroying decorations. "High School Is a Prison" is played over the Eradicators ending up in the basement detention and seeing how strict Vader's ridiculous rules are. The Eradicators manage to clear out the other band hired for prom long enough to come in for the finale, including "Dare Dreamer" and "Rock Us Danny" as the kids laugh at their videos depicting how imperfect the frigid Vader and spoiled yuppie kids are. 

What I Don't Like: Um, yeah, did I mention how of-its-time this movie is? From the brightly patterned and slouchy or dark leather clothes on the Eradicators to the pastel or neutral plaids worn by the rich brats, this production screams "low budget 1991." It lacks the grittiness of the first film, though the humor is just as raunchy, if not even more annoying and juvenile. It's less off the cuff weirdness than trying too hard to be cool. And don't look for the Ramones - the band they want to see here is the little-known Pursuit of Happiness.

There's also the cliched subplot involving Jesse and the pretty substitute music teacher Rita (Sarah Buxton). Other than a hilarious sequence where Rita shows football players how cool classical music can be, she doesn't have much to do. Vader chases after her in the end only so Jesse can rescue her; she barely noticed Rita during the rest of the movie.

The Big Finale: Some folks seem to have fond memories of catching this on cable or checking out that video in the early and mid-90's. There's some funny sequences, but it's mostly unnecessary. Only if you're a gigantic fan of Feldman or the comedies of the late 80's and early 90's. 

Home Media: On DVD with another raunchy Feldman comedy from the 90's, South Beach Academy. 

DVD - Red Carpet Double Feature: South Beach Academy/Rock and Roll High School Forever

Rock n' Roll High School

New World Pictures, 1979

Starring PJ Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, and Dey Young

Directed by Allan Arkush and Joe Dante (uncredited)

Music and Lyrics by various

Get Crazy was far from Arkush's first brush with rock n' roll insanity. Infamous low-budget producer Roger Corman wanted to make a rebellious teen flick like the ones he did in the early and mid-60's and fill it with current music. Arkush initially wanted Todd Rundgren or Cheap Trick, but they were unavailable. He and Dante hit on using popular punk rock group The Ramones when one of the actors was a fan and suggested them. How does this cross between 60's teen rebellion and the Ramones' punk sensibilities look nowadays? Let's begin at Vince Lombardi High School in South Los Angeles, where the students are just about to begin their school day, and find out...

The Story: Riff Rendell (Soles) is the biggest fan of the Ramones in LA, but Principal Evelyn Togar (Mary Woronov) thinks rock is destructive to young minds and distracts them from learning. Riff has a song, "Rock n' Roll High School," she wants to give to Ramones leader Joey Ramone (himself) and waits in line for three days to do it. Incensed over Riff cutting class, Togar takes her ticket to their big concert away. Riff and her quieter best friend Kate (Young) win tickets to the concert on a radio contest. Togar has other ways of making her students conform...but Riff and the Ramones take over the school, oust the teachers, and decide once and for all to show Togar and their parents that a little harmful fun never killed anyone.

The Song and Dance: Wow, that was wild. If you're a fan of the Ramones or hard rock of the 60's and 70's, you'll be in heaven with the terrific soundtrack. Clint Howard is having the most fun as Eaglebauer, the school's geeky matchmaker who is so in demand, he has an office in the boys' bathroom complete with secretary. Woronov revels in her role as the strictest principal in Southern California, loudly demanding the students conform to her dated and slightly corny ideology. The low-budget production means we get the use of authentic South LA locations, including two real area high schools and the actual demolition of one for the big explosion in the finale.

Favorite Number: We first hear the title number when Riff plays it for her gym class after Togar calls the teacher away. The spirited number turns a routine gym work-out into something a lot more sexy and energetic! "Smokin' In the Boys' Room" introduces us to Eaglebauer and the lines of boys waiting to get his romantic advice in the hazy bathroom. (Somehow, he manages to have a fairly decent-sized office in a tiny stall.) Riff is so crazy about Joey Ramone, she imagines him everywhere in her room while high in "I Want You Around." The actual concert gives us an electric montage of Ramones hits, including "Blitzerkeg Bop," "California Sun," and "She's the One," that shows us why girls like Riff were crazy about these guys.

What I Don't Like: Yeah, it's pretty obvious this is a low-budget production. Most of the other teens, including Soles, aren't the best actors...or even really teens. (Soles was 28 during filming.) The Ramones are such bad actors, Dee Dee Ramone had his lines cut from six to two. The movie has a lot of the same problems as the slightly higher-budgeted Get Crazy - it gets too weird and campy for its own good. The antics are frequently juvenile, trashy, and/or annoying, the humor is often plain stupid, and the script veers from sometimes clever to ridiculous. 

The Big Finale: In the end, the energetic numbers and wild and campy shenanigans are enough to make me understand why this has something of cult following. The numbers and general lunacy are enough for me to recommend it to fans of the Ramones, hard rock, or the wacky teen sex comedies of the late 70's and 80's. 

Home Media:  Easy to find in all major formats. It can currently be found streaming for free at Shout Factory TV's website.

DVD

Blu Ray

Shout Factory TV

Animation Celebration Saturday - Encanto

Disney, 2021

Voices of Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecilla Botero, John Leguiziamo, and Mauro Castillo

Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard

Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda

This is one of two major non-Pixar animated movies Disney put out last year, the other being the princess action film Raya and the Last Dragon. Miranda had wanted to do another Disney film since his previous collaboration with the studio, Moana, was a huge hit in 2016. Bush and Howard were scouting around for another project after Zootopia and hit on this fairy tale set in Columbia. As with Moana, there was extensive research into Columbia culture, including their music and architecture. How well did they do with this unique South American fairy tale? Let's begin with Alma Madrigal (Botero) as she explains to a young Mirabel (Noemi Josefina Flores) about how her family came to their "miracle" and find out...

The Story: Alma and her husband Pedro fled a revolution with others residents of their town. She lost her husband to the raiders, but saved her triplet children with the help of a magical candle. The candle produced a miracle that destroyed the raiders and created a safe tropical "encanto," environment surrounded by mountains and a living Casita, home, where she could raise her children. The children are each blessed with magical gifts by the candle, and their children are blessed with gifts...except for Mirabel (Beatriz), who has no gift. 

The day her little cousin Antonio (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) receives his ability to speak with animals, Mirabel sees the Casita break apart and crack. No one else sees it, and they disregard it as Mirabel being jealous of their gifts. Searching for answers, Mirabel tries to find traces of her uncle Bruno (Leguziamo), a psychic whose readings of the future were so hated, he disappeared a decade before. He may be the only one who can help her reveal all the secrets of the Madigals and their miracle candle, before the light goes out and they all lose their amazing gifts permanently. 

The Animation: Absolutely stunning. The lush tropical forests of Columbia teem with rainbow colors that burst from every frame. The characters flow like the waters where Alma finds her miracle, and every single one looks unique, yet obviously related. The backgrounds are where this really stand out. The Casita is its own character, with its moving stairs for Mirabel to slide down and brilliant walls that can be ominous or welcoming, sometimes in the same shot. 

The Song and Dance: Touching and unique fairy tale about family, expectations, making use of our unique gifts, and how it's better to talk about the past than avoid it for the sake of unattainable perfection. Columbians were mostly delighted at how their beleaguered country is depicted. Most portrayals of Columbia in North America tend to focus on the violence that's wracked their country or exotic romanticism. "The Violence" that drove out Alma and Pedro has apparently wrecked many similar Colombian families for centuries. Just the fact that the family is portrayed with such joy and happiness - and they're still together in the end - is special in and of itself. 

As someone who also comes from a family where she feels like an outsider, I absolutely love Mirabel. She's quirky, clumsy, and a bit insecure, but she's also determined, loving, and extremely empathic. She will do anything to find out the truth and keep her family together, even if it alienates the rest of her family. Beatriz is perfect, just as quirky-cute sounding as her character. I also like Leguziamo as the family's other black sheep Bruno, Botero as the seemingly rigid and controlling Alma, and Jessica Darrow and Diana Guerrero as Mirabel's sisters Luisa and and Isabela who aren't as perfect as Mirabel thinks.

I also appreciate that, unlike almost every other Disney film in animation and live-action, there's no flat-out villain. Alma is to a degree, but the real "villain" here is more her outdated ideas of strength and ignoring problems, rather than her being a typical bad person. There's many other types of adversity a person can overcome besides an antagonist. 

Favorite Number: Mirabel explains her family's gifts, how they help their community, and her place (or lack of place) in it in the opening number "The Family Madrigal." She's tired of "Waiting On a Miracle" after she sees the cracks in the Casita but no one believes her. Lusia reveals how "Surface Pressure" and the need to always be on call for everyone is giving her anxiety and making her doubt her gift. Her fun-loving Uncle Felix (Castillo) and emotional weather-controlling Aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitan) explain why "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and how he became the black sheep of the family. Isabela wonders "What Else Can I Do?" as she shows off her other plant-creating abilities to Mirabel and reveals how tired she is of always looking perfect, to Alma's horror. 

What I Don't Like: The story isn't quite as different as it's protagonist at times. It occasionally feels more like a Marvel superhero movie set in Columbia and with Latin American overtones. I commend Disney for trying to move outside the princess tales, but at the same time, the story meanders during the middle and sometimes gets a little dull before they find Bruno. The songs are lovely but not quite as memorable as Miranda's score for Moana (or even Hamilton). 

It's also a bit dark for a family movie, with its talk of "the Violence" and family dysfunction. It's probably best for older kids and teens who are starting to ask questions in their own families 

The Big Finale: It may not be perfect, but it's a fun ride with a sweet protagonist, enjoyable characters, and a gorgeously rendered world not often explored outside of South America. 

Home Media: Right now, it's streaming only. It can be found at Disney Plus for free with a subscription.

Amazon Prime (Buy Only)

Disney Plus

That Girl From Paris

RKO, 1936

Starring Lily Pons, Gene Raymond, Jack Oakie, and Mischa Auer

Directed by Leigh Jason

Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Edward Heyman 

The success of the Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy operettas at MGM and Columbia's vehicles for Grace Moore convinced the studios to try other top- drawer opera stars. Pons' first vehicle I Dream Too Much wasn't a huge hit, but it did well enough for her to have a second go. How does Pons' second try at film stardom look nowadays? Let's start at a church in Paris, where opera star Nicole "Nikki" Martin (Pons) is about to get married to her sponsor (Gregory Gaye), and find out...

The Story: Nikki runs off before the marriage ceremony takes place. Looking for adventure, she exchanges clothes with a peasant, abandons her car, and hitchhikes. She's picked up by Windy McLean (Raymond), who leads a musical quartet. He spites her, but she follows him and stows away with him and his four-piece band on an ocean liner bound for the US. She's caught and detained by the authorities, but manages to get off the ship and make her way to their hotel room. 

They're trying to get rid of her before the police find her there when Windy's girlfriend Claire (Lucille Ball) shows up with producer Mr. Hammacher (Herman Bing). She got them a job at Hammacher's road house. Nikki manages to talk her way into a job, then convinces them to take her as a singer when she sabotages Claire's dance. Nikki's singing is a sensation, but when a jealous Claire reports her, she has to flee again. After she finally returns to the Met for her career, Windy's group try sabotaging her new act...until they see how well she does.

The Song and Dance: We get a slight glimpse of Ball's embryonic talents in her short but fairly funny dance routine. She keeps ending up on the floor, thanks to Nikki breaking her shoes earlier. It's frustrating for her, but she does it so well it ends up being a highlight. And at the very least, the leading men are a bit more interesting here than Henry Fonda was in Dream Too Much. Raymond is a bit bland, but at least he and Oakie are a lot more accustomed to musical territory and can actually sing. Aurer and curly-haired Frank Jenks are having even more fun as the most fun-loving member of the band and the Russian member respectively. 

Favorite Number: Jack Oakie and the band really get into their number "Love and Learn" on the ship to the US. "Moon Face" is another Oakie number. This is the one that Claire tries to dance to, only to end up constantly on the floor thanks to Nikki's sabotage. The band jokingly does a swing version of "The Blue Danube Waltz," but Pons has no trouble joining in. "Une voce poco fa" is the aria from The Barber of Saville Pons appears in during the end that the band almost wrecks. The Wildcats invade Nikki's wedding and join on singing "I Love You Truly" with their own lyrics to alert her to Windy's changing his mind about marrying her.

Trivia: Remake of the 1929 hit Street Girl; would be remade in 1942 as Four Jacks and a Jill.

What I Don't Like: Pons sings beautifully, especially on her Barber solo, but she's still too shrill on-screen. The story is dull and silly, lacking the charm of Street Girl (which Oakie also appeared in). Nikki comes off as less desperate to stay in the US and more obnoxious, breaking up a guy's relationship, especially since Claire wasn't that bad of a person. She's hardly the waif Betty Compson was in the original. Doesn't help that there's no Jerome Kern writing her music this time; the new songs are completely unmemorable.

The Big Finale: Strictly for major fans of opera or Ball. 

Home Media: None of Pons' three vehicles are currently available anywhere but occasionally on TCM. 

Watch TCM

Musical Documentaries - That's Dancing!

MGM, 1985

Hosted by Gene Kelly, Ray Bolger, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr, and many others

Directed by Jack Haley Jr.

Music and Lyrics by various

When I was six, this used to appear with some frequency on cable. It gave me my first glimpse of Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and ballet, and I was entranced. It's one of several older films and more recent musicals I saw as a child that helped make me the musical film fan I am today. How does this summation of the history of dance on the big screen look nowadays, with most of these films easily found on home media and no longer limited to cable showings and rare big-screen revivals? Let's start with a man who certainly knows something about dance on-screen, Gene Kelly, as he explains to us about primitive dance around the world, and find out...

The Story: Some of the most popular musical stars and dancers to ever appear on the big screen relate to us the history of dance via segments from movies made by MGM...and for once, other studios as well.

Kelly discusses the origins of filmed dance, dance on the silent screen, and how Busby Berkley's surreal choreography revolutionized chorus numbers on film.

Sammy Davis Jr. talks about solo and couple dance on film, via Fred Astaire, who insisted on the camera remaining on his full figure while he danced and his frequent partner Ginger Rogers. He also goes into Shirley Temple, whose mixed-race tap routines with Bill Robinson broke barriers in the 30's, Robinson's graceful style as a solo act in shorts, and solo stars Eleanor Powell and Ray Bolger and the amazing duo the Nicholas Brothers. 

Russian ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov gives us the history of ballet on film, from Anna Palova on the silent screen to major international ballet greats of the 60's and 70's Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, as well as screen ballerinas Vera Zorina and Moira Shearer. 

Liza Minelli discusses screen adaptations of classic Broadway dance routines, from James Cagney demonstrating what George M Cohan's style looked like in Yankee Doodle Dandy to the explosive "Cool" from the original 1961 West Side Story. 

Ray Bolger gives us the (then) future of dance on the screen, including the "What a Feeling!" finale of Flashdance and Michael Jackson's influential and much-parodied "Beat It" music video. 

The Song and Dance: If That's Dancing does one thing right, it's expanding its net to include a truly wide variety of dance...including acknowledging that dancers came from studios other than MGM. We get the Yankee Doodle Dandy and Busby Berkley footage from Warners, the Shirley Temple/Bill Robinson, Nicholas Brothers, and Rogers and Hammerstein dances from 20th Century Fox, Universal's release of Sweet Charity, Flashdance from Paramount, The Red Shoes from England, and the MTV Michael Jackson footage. We also get our first glimpse of cut songs in an incredible extension of Bolger's "If I Only Had a Brain" solo from The Wizard of Oz. They even wrote two original songs. It's also nice to see sequences from musicals made after the 50's as the hosts point out that dance on the screen continues to evolve. There's also the extremely rare footage of early silent dancers, some of it going far back as 1897. 

Favorite Number: As mentioned, we begin with footage, some of it rare, of primitive dances from around the globe, from African tribal ritual to native dances in Mexico and China. Of the Busby Berkley routines shown here, none continue to amaze more than the Oscar-winning "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935, with its thousands of tap dancers who all manage to move in perfect unison. 

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have a lot more fun with two of their best routines, the romantic "Night and Day" from The Gay Divorcee and comic "Pick Yourself Up" from Swing Time. A decidedly different duo, Shirley Temple and Bill Robison, show off their "Organ Grinder's Swing" from The Littlest Rebel. Robison goes it alone and shows off his light-as-air footwork in two numbers from the short King for a Day. A very young Sammy Davis Jr. gets in on his own short, Rufus Jones for President, and gives us a delightful and adorable tap routine. Fred goes it solo as well with "I Won't Dance" from Roberta and later, "A Shine On Your Shoes," making brilliant use of an arcade on Broadway in The Band Wagon. Eleanor Powell manages to combine tap and graceful hula and make it work in the peculiar "Hola E Pae" from Honolulu. 

Vera Zorina demonstrates grace of a different sort with Charles Laskey in "La Princesse Zenobia Ballet" from On Your Toes. Delicate Moira Shearer is haunted by her scarlet footwear, which stands out like a beacon in the sherbet tones of The Red Shoes. Ray Bolger does death-defying leaps after crows (with the help of MGM's special effects department) in a delightful extension of his "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz. 

Astaire this time joins an unusually tough Jane Powell for the colorful tropical chorus routine "I Left My Hat In Hati" from Royal Wedding. Anne Miller joins Bob Fosse, Bobby Van, and the late Tommy Rall for their big tap number "Tom Dick and Harry" from Kiss Me Kate. We get a glimpse at a more spontaneous chorus routine with the teens dancing in the streets and stopping traffic to the tune of the Oscar-winning title song from Fame. The dancers of the original West Side Story show why they're still "Cool" with their stylized, finger-snapping dance moves. "Cool" inspired much of Michael Jackson's "Beat It"; song and video were smash hits in 1983, and we get to see why here, with their equally dramatic moves. We also get Kim Carnes' pop song "Invitation to Dance" over the end credits. 

Trivia: The use of the rare Ray Bolger/Wizard of Oz footage was so well-received, it inspired MGM to dig in its vaults for more deleted numbers to use in That's Entertainment III a decade later. 

Final film appearance of Ray Bolger. 

Bolger and Minnelli's sequences were to have been much longer and feature more numbers from other studios, but many were dropped in the interest of time and expense, as was the sequence with Fred and Ginger. Which brings me to...

What I Don't Like: It's pretty obvious that MGM chopped this up since before release. There's even less rhyme and reason to this than there is to the Kelly and Astaire-hosted That's Entertainment Part 2. Liza Minnelli's segment from Cabaret was dropped, leaving her as the only host without a dance routine in the film and making many audiences wonder what she's doing there. Many of the MGM numbers seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel after three films and makes you really wish the other studios had cooperated more. 

There's problems with the other hosts, too. Their narration is just as stiff as the first That's Entertainment film, and mostly of interest to real dance aficionados. Casual audiences will likely be bored and wish they'd get out of the way and let the footage speak for itself. Baryshnikov in particular lacks the charm and intensity he usually shows when dancing. (And he's not helped by his thick Russian accent.) The five hosts often seem spread too thin as well, with Davis Jr. and Kelly covering more than half the film. 

Let's talk about that final "modern" segment. Breakdancing was a huge fad in 1985, but it's barely remembered today by anyone but fans of 80's dance. I understand they wanted to convey the evolution of dance, from primitive times to modern times, but the emphasis on 80's fads like breakdancing and music videos dates this in a way the That's Entertainment films, with their use of mostly older footage, manages to avoid. 

The Big Finale: Mainly of interest to fans of dance on the screen, dance history, or the That's Entertainment documentary series. 

Home Media: Finally got its first solo release on Warner Archive DVD in October 2020; can be found easily for streaming as well. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Happy New Year! - Get Crazy

Embassy Pictures, 1983

Starring Daniel Stern, Malcom McDowell, Gail Edwards, and Allen Garfield

Directed by Allen Arkush

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's begin 2022 with a bang...and one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. In the last year, I've watched a lot of truly weird musicals - guy uses a genie's magic to become a soldier during World War II, a sunny 50's movie about three former friends who find they hate each other, a rock opera about repossessing human organs - but this one takes the nutty fruitcake. How weird does the story of a huge rock concert put on by a promoter trying to save his theater look today? Let's start at the Saturn Theater, as owner and promoter Max Wolfe (Garfield) is about to take off on a plastic rocket, and find out...

The Story: Max holds a legendarily insane rock concert every New Year's Eve. He and his crew, including stage manager Neil Allen (Stern), Joey the young stagehand (Dan Frischman), former stage manager Willie Loman (Edwards), and Violetta the lighting director (Mary Woronov), are preparing for their big show...but first the fire marshal says no fireworks, then wealthy promoter and stadium owner Colin Beverly (Ed Begley Jr.) wants to buy his theater. He says no, then seemingly collapses from an apparent heart attack. His slimy nephew Sammy (Miles Chapin) wants the theater and is more open to the deal.

Even when it turns out Max isn't quite dying, he uses his near-death experience to round up a truly insane amount of talent. There's Captain Cloud (Howard Kaylan) and the Rainbow Telegraph, a psychedelic hippie group that arrives complete with painted bus and magical drugs in the water cooler. King Blues (Bill Henderson), the King of the Blues, is somehow paired with a Jewish backing group. Nada (Lori Eastside) and her 15-piece pop-punk group are the only ones who can control insane punk rocker Piggy (Lee Ving). Elusive folk rocker Auden (Lou Reed) takes his sweet time coming, while bored long-time star Reggie Wanker (McDowell) wonders what's the point of it all. Before the end of the night, much LSD will be consumed, and a grand and noisy time will be had by all...except the bad guys, of course. 

The Song and Dance: If you've been looking for that musical cross between This Is Spinal Tap and Animal House, have I got a piece of lunacy for you. There's more wacky stuff happening in this film then in 10 comedies from the same year. Each act is supposed to represent one from real-life, and they hit the mark more often than not. McDowell actually puts in one of his best performances as the bored rock star who finds the kind of advice he's always wanted from an, er, part of himself, Begley revels in his rare villain role, and Stern has a great time as the harried manager. The costumes in particular beautifully represent the outfits worn by real-life rock stars between 1968 and 1983, from the snappy suits on the blues men to Eastside's brief cheerleading uniform to the rainbow tie-dye on the hippie group. 

Favorite Number: Each group does a version of the blues standard "Hoochie Coochie Man" in their own style. McDowell gets the most into it, while Henderson's is probably closest to what it's supposed to sound like. Lee Ving's punk-rock rendition obscures the lyrics but pumps up the crowds. It gets so crazy, people start jumping off the balcony...and others judge them! McDowell has a great time tearing into his other big number, "Hot Shot," as well, electrifying the crowd with his showmanship and moves before he finds his wife with Joey and has his breakdown. Henderson also has a great time with what we see of "The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll." Even the Jewish band really gets into it, swaying happily with the music. 

My favorite number at the concert was by far Eastside's "I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore," a feminist anthem that gives Eastside and her women a chance to show off their splits and vocal dexterity. Check out her cartwheels and flips spoofing Toni Basil's hit video for "Hey Mickey!" Oh, and don't cut out before the credits! Lou Reed finally gets his number, "My Little Sister," sung to appropriately Stacey Nelkin as Neil's sister Susie, and it's almost kind of charming. 

Trivia: The Saturn Theater actually exists in LA. It's real name is the Wiltern, and it was used for location shooting because the owners were about to remodel it anyway and Arkush and his crew could trash it to their heart's content. The Wiltern is currently a mixed-use venue that does feature, among other acts, rock concerts. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously not for you if you aren't a fan of the genres involved or are looking for a more subdued or traditional show. A lot of the humor is often juvenile, frequently stupid, and very often too weird for it's own good. (A man has a long conversation with a certain body part, for crying out loud. Even Malcom McDowell was shocked at that one.) Heed the R rating, too. There's plenty of sex and many drug references along with all of that rock and roll, including a drug salesman as a major character and a huge walking marijuana cigarette randomly wandering around. 

The Big Finale: 2022 is off to a terrific start. I'm glad I discovered this one. If you're a fan of hard rock, blues, or other wacky "frat" comedies from the late 70's and early 80's like Animal House or Caddyshack, you'll have just as much fun ringing in the New Year with the wildest concert ever. 

Home Media: It finally came out on DVD and Blu-Ray early last month from Kino International, which is currently the only way to see it. 

DVD

Blu-Ray