Musicals On TV - Dames at Sea

NBC, 1971

Starring Ann-Margaret, Anne Meara, Ann Miller, and Harvey Evans

Directed by Martin Charnin and Walter C. Miller

Music by Jim Wise; Lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller

Hoping to drum up viewers, the networks revived the hour-long musical format in the late 60's and early 70's. The Bell System Family Theater was NBC's blanket term for a series of hour-long specials that ranged from heart-tugging dramas to big Broadway shows. We've already seen one of them, George M!, last year for our All-American Weekdays. Dames at Sea actually started way off Broadway as a satirical skit in a small cafe. It moved off-Broadway in 1968 and was a huge hit in its tiny staging, with six performers backed by a piano. How does this small-time spoof of big Berkeley-style movies look today? Let's start off on-stage with one of the highlights, big star Mona Kent (Miller) tapping away to "Wall Street," and find out...

The Story: "Wall Street" ends with Mona insisting the rehearsal went badly. Her fits of temperament are driving the show's director Hennessy (Fred Gwynne) crazy. Into this hot bed of intrigue walks little Ruby (Ann-Margaret), straight off the bus from Centerville, Utah. Wise-cracking chorus girl Joan (Meara) convinces Hennessy to take her on the spot. She hasn't eaten in three days, though. As Joan goes to find food, she faints into the arms of sailor and aspiring songwriter Dick (Harvey Evans). They almost literally fall in love at first sight. Mona, however, hears Dick's songs and thinks they'd be perfect for her. Ruby catches them together and thinks she's lost him.

That's not the only thing she's lost. Hennessy gives them the bad news that the theater is to be torn down. Dick offers the battle cruiser where he's stationed as the theater. Turns out the Captain, Lucky (Dick Shawn), is an old flame of Mona's. She's easily able to persuade him, but she's still after Dick and his songs, too. She has Ruby thrown out when she shows her up, but it turns out that Ruby may be the only one who can save the production when Mona can't continue.

The Song and Dance: Terrific cast makes the most of the hilarious spoof. Ann-Margaret is adorable playing against type as the dewy Ruby Keeler ingenue, and Broadway actor Evans is sweetly clueless as her songwriting sailor swain. Miller, who usually played types that came closer to Joan in her MGM days, relishes being the temperamental diva who doesn't like to remember she came from humble beginnings. 

For once, the lower TV budget works in the show's favor. It still looks small enough to pass for an off-Broadway satire, while big enough to fill the small screen. The costumes are especially well-done, from the sailor uniforms to Joan's loud plaids and Ruby's little-girl-pink ruffles, not to mention some of the more spectacular lounge outfits Mona stomps around in.

Favorite Number: The movie kicks off with its strongest asset, Miller tapping up a storm as she dances with chorus girls and ticker tape on "Wall Street." Ruby faints dead away in Dick's arms...and the moment she awakens, they sing about how "It's You." Mona makes fun of blues songs lamenting unfaithful lovers while sitting on top of a piano for "That Mister Man of Mine." Ruby's own lament after she catches Mona and Dick together, "Raining In My Heart," turns into a chorus routine under umbrellas and plastic raincoats. Joan rallies everyone for "Good Times are Here to Stay" after the theater's been condemned. 

The title song is heard twice, as a number for the sailors to persuade Lucky to use the ship for the show, and in the opening and closing.  "Star Tar" is the big number on the battleship that does, indeed, turn Ruby into a star. She dances up a storm with the sailors, and even has a spectacular finale. The actual finale is "Let's Have a Simple Wedding" as the three couples come together on the ship, with sailor ushers and chorus girl bridesmaids. 

Trivia: This was a huge hit at the off-Broadway Bouwerie Lane Theater in 1968, running over a year and making a real-life star out of its original Ruby, Bernadette Peters. A London mounting in a larger theater ran a half a year in 1969. It tried Broadway in 2015, but once again proved to be too small for a large venue and barely lasted three months. It does remain popular with high schools and regional theaters looking for a small show. 

What I Don't Like: While the TV movie isn't as big as the West End or Broadway versions, having an orchestra and all those chorus girls and sailors does still kind of lose the point of doing a big show with a small cast. It also cut a lot of characters and songs from the original to fit the time slot. Lucky was originally Dick's sidekick, and Hennessy and the Captain were played by the same person. Here, the Captain is merged with Lucky. Among the songs dropped were two solos for Dick and Ruby, "The Sailor of My Dreams" and "Broadway Baby," and a second duet for them, "There's Something About You." Mona was rehearsing a number called "The Echo Waltz" when she got seasick. Joan and Lucky had their own duet, "Choo-Choo Honeymoon." 

(Also, you probably need to have seen at least one or two of the 30's Busby Berkeley musicals this movie is spoofing to get what they're going for here.)

The Big Finale: Once again, it's a shame this is the only filming of this show to date. This is highly recommended if you're a fan of the cast or the real Busby Berkeley musicals of the 30's and is just too cute for words.

Home Media: At press time, this rarity can only be found on YouTube. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Dearest Enemy

NBC, 1955

Starring Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, Cyril Ritchard, and Cornelia Otis Skinner

Directed by Max Liebman

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

We continue our All-American Weekdays with a pair of lesser-known patriotic TV musicals. Dearest Enemy was Rodgers and Hart's second Broadway musical, and their first with an actual plot. It ran a year and a half in 1925 and 1926, a substantial hit for the time, but hadn't been seen since. Some of the songs remained popular enough for NBC to dust this off as one of their musical spectaculars. How well do Rodgers and Hart's very modern music work with the antique setting? Let's begin with a group of grouchy British colonels in London post-American Revolution as they call one specific incident that caused them to lose the war and find out...

The Story: Patriotic New York housewife Mary Murray (Skinner) and her young ladies are making gunpowder and bullets in preparation for the invasion of the British on their shores. They are taken over by General William Howe (Ritchard) and his men, including his aide John Copeland (Sterling). Copeland also brings along Mary's niece Betsy (Jeffreys) in nothing but Copeland's jacket. Her own clothes were blown up by British cannon fire. 

George Washington sent a soldier (Evan Wright) with a message that Mary and her girls should keep Howe and his men at the mansion overnight so he and his troops can reassemble in New York. Not that the girls mind much. Betsy isn't happy at first, until Copeland's charm wins her over. Mary and General Howe also find much in common. Their romances are threatened when Howe figures out what's going on. The ladies, however, still have to keep them from leaving. Even after the colonies win the war, Howe and Copeland never forget those charming American women...but it turns out they haven't forgotten them, either.

The Song and Dance: Jeffreys and Sterling were finishing a two-year-run as the ghostly madcap couple in the TV version of Topper when this came out. That and their own real-life happy marriage shows in their strong chemistry together. Monologist Skinner and TV favorite Ritchard also make an attractive couple and have some of the show's funniest lines. Neil Simon wrote the script to this one, and it shows the witty repartee and some of the goofier gags with how the ladies get the soldiers to stay. I also appreciate that they seem to have kept all but one of the original Rodgers and Hart songs, something that didn't always happen in Broadway adaptations of the 40's and 50's. 

Favorite Number: We open with a prologue set in England after the war, as Howe and the officers lament their loss in "Cheerio." This also becomes the first big chorus number in the US, as Howe, Copeland, and their troops reprise this to the people of New York as they take over the city, reminding them that they can use "Sweet Peter," gunpowder, to keep them in line. Mrs. Murray and her ladies get two numbers lamenting the arrival of the British and the loss of their menfolk to the battlefields, "Heigh-Ho, Lackaday!" and "War Is War." 

Copeland and Betsy get this score's standard, the soaring duet "Here In My Arms." They also have two more numbers together, "I Beg Your Pardon" on Betsy's scandalous entrance sans clothes, and "Bye and Bye" during Mrs. Murray's ball. Mrs. Murray and Howe get their own charming duets, "Old Enough to Love" early on and "Where the Hudson River Flows" during the dance routine at the ball. Howe jokes about how he and his men are tired of living like "The Hermits" after the number and don't mind sticking around. The ladies all admit "I'd Like to Hide It" when they're torn between their new love for the British troops and keeping them from wrecking havoc on Washington's arms.

Trivia: Mary Lindley Murray was a real person who did detain General Howe and his troops so Washington and his men could regroup after the Battle of Brooklyn in New York and move to safer quarters to plan their next attack. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the copy currently put out by VAI Entertainment is not in the best shape. It's fuzzy in many places and worn in others. Considering many TV specials of the 50's that were filmed live remain lost, we're still lucky to have this at all. 

Second, Mary Murray and General Howe may have been real, but Betsy, Copeland, the ladies, and their romances are all fictional. Online research reveals that a lot was changed from the original version of this show, too. In the stage show, Betsy made her first appearance in a barrel, holding a parasol. The ending was different, too. The men were captured and freed, and Copeland reunited with Betsy in America. Also, this is not for those of you who aren't fans of operetta. The ballads sound very 1920's, but the chorus routines and patter songs for Skinner and Ritchard are pure light opera patter and may not be for those who prefer a more modern sound to their musicals.

The Big Finale: Definitely not a bad start for Rodgers and Hart. Too bad this is the only filming of this show to date. Lovely American Revolution romance deserves to be far better-known. 

Home Media: Like all of the VAI TV musical DVDs, this is in print but expensive. You're better off looking for this used or on eBay.

DVD

Family Fun Saturday - Huckleberry Finn (1974)

United Artists, 1974

Starring Jeff East, Paul Winfield, Harvey Korman, and David Wayne

Directed by J. Lee Thompson

Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman

The Reader's Digest musical version of Tom Sawyer was so well-received in 1973, they started production on this one before the first movie was even finished. Unfortunately, they ran into trouble even Huck and Jim couldn't predict. Winfield didn't want any singing slaves and was treated poorly by the Missouri police. Roberta Flack's insisted on having guitars in the song "Freedom" and threatened to sue if she couldn't, which led to the soundtrack album going unreleased. One of the producers passed away before filming. Thompson had trouble with the musical direction, and Robert B. Sherman had a knee operation in the middle of filming. There's also the story of Huck and his adventures with runaway slave Jim on the Mississippi River being controversial to begin with. How does it fare in this version? We open with a montage of life in Missouri in the 1850's and find out...

The Story: Huckleberry Finn (East) is tired of being coddled by the two kindly widows who took him in. He's tired of their fussing and wishes he could escape for some adventure. He gets a lot more adventure than he bargained for when first his mean drunk of a Pap (Garry Merrill) kidnaps him to steal his money, and then the old ladies' slave Jim (Winfield) runs away after hearing they may sell him to get the ransom. Huck fakes his own murder, but Jim is accused of the crime. The two finally set off down the Mississippi together on a home-made raft, meeting many different people from all walks of life, foiling the plots of swindlers The Duke (Korman) and The King (Wayne), dodging slave traders, and learning a lesson about the true meaning of freedom. 

The Song and Dance: Winfield and East work well together as the escaping pair in this down-home epic. You really feel their chemistry, especially towards the end, when the duo tangle with the slave traders. I also like Korman as the flamboyant flim-flam man who is determined to become rich by any illegal means necessary and Merrill as Huck's nasty drunk of a father. Once again, we have splendid cinematography in small towns on the real Mississippi River, with some gorgeous shots of the river itself. The music is a delight, too, making it even more of a shame that Flack made all the fuss that halted the release of the soundtrack album. 

Favorite Number: Even without the guitars, "Freedom," the ballad that accompanies the montage of daily life on the Mississippi in the opening credits, is absolutely gorgeous. The Sherman Brothers were masters at writing slow numbers for family movies without traditional girl-meets-boy plots, and they demonstrate it well with this lush, lovely salute to independence.  

Winfield isn't the best singer, but he does tell his wife (Odessa Cleveland) how "Someday, Honey Darlin'," they'll be free, and covers his part of his rousing duet "Cairo, Illinois" with East well enough. Merrill growls and complains about his "Rotten Luck" that he never gets old ladies who give him big inheritances. East isn't a great singer, either, but he does well enough by his solo near the end when he asks "What's Right, What's Wrong?" The daughters of the rich plantation owner who briefly takes Huck in flutter fans and simper about "A Rose In a Bible" at a family get-together. 

Korman and Wayne get three big numbers highlighting their ability to take a crowd for everything it's got. Korman roars  "The Royal Nonesuch" to introduce their non-existent European play and "In Their Hands" to the grieving young women whose money they want. They introduce themselves to Huck and Jim as being "Royalty!" 

Trivia: An unrelated stage Huckleberry Finn adaptation, Big River, went over far better with critics and audiences in 1985. 

What I Don't Like: They actually stick to the book pretty well...until the finale. In the original book, Huck learned that his father and the sisters had died, and the sisters set Jim free in their will. Huck went west to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) before the family that adopted Tom Sawyer could take him in, too. Not only is the action finale with the slave traders badly done, it's awkwardly staged. It's assumed that Jim does take his freedom, but the movie ends before we find out what happened to Huck. It also eliminates Tom Sawyer and his family. Perhaps they couldn't get Whittaker back?

This is also a good time to discuss the language and themes in this movie. Like Minstrel Man, this is set in a time and place where the N word was bandied about quite a bit. It depicts slavery in the pre-Civil War south, including the slave catchers who treat the men like property. Winfield requested that the language be toned down, but some of it does remain. There's also a fair amount of violence, from Pap's abuse of Huck to most of the men at the antebellum house dying under the guns of their rivals.

The Big Finale: Critics and audiences have been divided on how well this represents the book for years, and whether it should have been a musical at all. I think the terrific music and some decent performances are the best things about it. Not a bad choice for families with older kids and young teens who have read the book and understand the violence and language that comes with it. 

Home Media: Easy to find on all major formats. The Twilight Time Blu-Ray bundles it with Tom Sawyer and is a tad expensive. It's currently running for free with commercials on Tubi. 

DVD

Blu-Ray - Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn

Tubi

Private Buckaroo

Universal, 1942

Starring The Andrews Sisters, Dick Foran, Shemp Howard, and Jennifer Holt

Directed by Edward F. Cline

Music and Lyrics by various

We jump back two decades to begin our All-American weekdays with this wartime romp. Universal's musical output during the war consisted mainly of Deanna Durbin operettas and low-budget, high-energy programmers like this one. The Andrews Sisters were one of the most popular acts of the war years. While their main fame was on records and radio, they also occasionally turned up in B-films like this one. They're not the only star names of the big band era who can be found here, either. We also get Harry James and His Music Makers and Foran, a then-popular radio crooner. How does all of this fit in with the story of radio singer Lon Prentice (Foran), whose high-and-mighty attitude doesn't make him popular with his fellow GIs? Let's begin at a nightclub, where Prentice is singing with Harry James and his band, and find out...

The Story: Prentice is furious when he's rejected from the draft due to one flat foot. He manages to get surgery...and not only is he accepted, but so are James and his orchestra. They're all under the dubious leadership of one Sargent Mugsy Shavel (Howard). Shavel is furious when Lieutenant Howard Mason (Richard Davies) lets Prentice get away with not training, as he thinks it's a waste of time. No one else is happy about that, either, least of all Mason's daughter Joyce (Holt). While he tries to show her he's worthy of being a soldier, Shavel competes with singer Lancelot Pringle "Biff" McBiff (Joe E. Lewis) for the love of his fiancee, Bonnie-Belle (Mary Wickes). 

The Song and Dance: With a story that goofy, song and dance are the main things of interest. I do like that this doesn't take itself seriously for a second. Everyone knows this is low-budget fluff and just has fun with it. Look for that incredible dance routine featuring the Jumping Jacks and Jills (along with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan) towards the end of the movie. I also think this has one of Shemp Howard's best performances away from the Three Stooges. He's hilarious with the soldiers and gets some of the film's best lines. Mary Wickes has a fine time as the woman who isn't used to all these guys being after her, too. 

Favorite Number: We open at the nightclub where Foran sings the lively title number and "I'm In the Army Now." The Andrews Sisters get "Three Little Sisters" and "Johnny Get Your Gun Again" with James. Singer Helen Forrest joins James and his orchestra for "You Made Me Love You." The trio sing "Steppin' Out Tonight" and "Six Jerks In a Jeep" with their driver on the way to camp. James, now the camp bugler, gets a "Concerto for Trumpet." Foran performs the bluesy "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen" to convince Holt he really is a good singer. Lewis' main solo is "I Love the South." 

The big number is in the finale. It starts off sweet and romantic, with the Andrews Sisters putting over what would become one of their most popular songs, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." This goes straight into James and the orchestra's instrumental jam session. O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and the Jacks and Jills show off some pretty darn amazing jitterbugging as they whirl up a storm over the dance floor. It ends with the Sisters insisting "We've Got a Job To Do" as the men shove off for overseas...including Donald and Prentice.

What I Don't Like: For all their star status, the Andrews Sisters don't really have much to do beyond their numbers. Surprisingly, given their popularity in other Universal programmers of the time, neither do Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. Foran never did develop much personality. He comes off as smarmy and entitled, and it doesn't get much better once he reforms. 

The Big Finale: If you love wartime musicals, the big band era, or the Andrews Sisters, jump in the jeep and head off to camp to check this out.

Home Media: This is in the public domain, so it's easy to find anywhere. Tubi currently has it for free with ads.

DVD

Tubi

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini

American International Pictures, 1965

Starring Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Mickey Rooney, and Beverly Adams

Directed by William Asher

Music and Lyrics by Guy Hermic, Jerry Styner, and Lynn Easton

Let's kick off summer with the last Beach Party movie I haven't reviewed yet. This is also the second-to-last in the series, and the last to feature Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Buster Keaton. With families and older movie-goers staying home to watch TV, movies desperately tried to court this new breed known as the teenager. Teens had disposable income, and they wanted to get outside and away from their families. Turns out smaller companies who churned out B-movie fodder had a better feeling for teens than the big leagues. How does the story of a young man who is desperate to make sure his girlfriend is faithful tie into the usual lunacy with Harry Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), his biker Rats, fun on the beach, and even a bit of magic? Let's begin at a Tahiti island, where Naval Reserve Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is enjoying the amorous advances of a local girl (Irene Tsu) and find out...

The Story: Frankie turns to island witch doctor Bwana (Buster Keaton) to conjure up something that'll allow him to make sure his girl Dee Dee (Funicello) is true to him while he's gone. Bwana's daughter (Elizabeth Montgomery) conjures up a gorgeous lady in an animal-print bikini who calls herself Cassandra (Adams). 

It works too well. The girls are jealous. The boys are crazy about her. Advertising executive J. Peachmont "Peachy" Keane (Rooney) wants to make her his biker model. His partner Ricky (Hickman) is interested in Dee Dee, but she blows hot and cold with him. And then there's Harry Von Zipper and the Rats, who think their leader would be the perfect Boy Next Door to Cassandra's Girl Next Door. It all culminates in a big bike race to see who would really be the best model...and who Dee Dee really wants to be with.

The Song and Dance: I'm continually impressed with the music in these movies. There's actually fewer performance numbers with the Kingsmen and more songs that move the plot along, and they're woven in fairly well for what amounts to a spoof. Rooney jumps into his role as the ad man and his two big numbers with relish. (Not to mention, enjoys being around all those scantily-clad beach bunnies.) Keaton has some funny moments as the least-likely witch doctor in the history of film, while Lembeck's having a great time both in his normal leather-clad mode and shocking his group by turning up in a suit.

Favorite Number: The title song turns up twice, as the first number when the cast sings about what they hope will be a wild summer, and later in the film by vocal group The Kingsmen. "How About Us?" say the beach bunnies to Peachy after he announces his biker ad campaign. He's so smitten with Cassandra, he won't consider anyone else. Rooney and advertising head BD McPherson (Brian Donlevy) join their fellow ad men to sing about the importance of "Madison Avenue" in a corporate spoof that seems to have been dropped in from How to Succeed In Business Without Even Trying. 

Von Zipper and the Rats get two numbers, with Zipper insisting he's "The Boy Next Door" and telling his group to "Follow the Leader," even if they have to wear suits. Funicello has a sweet solo, "Better Be Ready," at their hang-out. She and the girls talk about "The Perfect Boy" after she gets a letter from Frankie telling her how much he misses her. 

Trivia: Avalon and Funicello had relatively limited roles because he was in the middle of filming another AIP Beach Party-style movie, Sergeant Deadhead, and she was pregnant. That's why she's covered up on the beach and constantly has popcorn or Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets in front of her. 

The genuinely unique stop-motion opening credits were done by Art Clokey, of Gumby fame. 

What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a goofy beach-bound satire with an old white silent comedian playing a witch doctor and a bikini suddenly appearing out of nowhere. You know what you're getting into. These are the kind of movies you'll either think are hilarious, or are really, really dumb. The story makes absolutely no sense, even by the standards of this series. This is also the only film in the series to dial down the "Party" aspect. The Kingsmen are the only group to appear, and they do two chorus numbers and two brief instrumentals. Funicello, who did not enjoy making this movie (she called it her least favorite Beach Party film), seems bored and lacks chemistry with an overeager and annoying Hickman.

The Big Finale: Most people call this the worst Beach Party movie...but truth be told, I think if you enjoy one, you'll probably like them all. Likewise, if you're not into one, you won't enjoy the others. I wouldn't start with this one, but it has enough of interest to be worth checking out for fans of the series. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and on disc from Olive Films.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Happy Father's Day! - Rich, Young, and Pretty

MGM, 1951

Starring Jane Powell, Wendell Corey, Danielle Darrieux, and Vic Damone

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate a day for dads with this story of a dad, a daughter, and their eventful trip to Paris. Powell specialized in these little-miss-fix-it vehicles at MGM in the mid-late 40's like Luxury Liner and Holiday In Mexico that had her trying to help her father find love while often finding it herself. This would be the last of those movies...but this time, she's grown up enough that the focus is really on her romance with a handsome Frenchman. How does her dad, who has already had a bad marriage with a Frenchwoman, react? Let's begin at the Texas ranch home of Jim Staunton Rogers (Corey) and his daughter Elizabeth (Powell) as they prepare for their Paris trip and find out...

The Story: Jim is in Paris on a business trip, and is taking Elizabeth with him. He's hoping she won't run into the mother she's never met. He told her she's dead, but she's really singer Marie Devarone (Darrieux). They fell for each other in 1927, but Marie decided she was homesick for France and walked out. Marie has moved on and is now dating her co-star, Paul Sarnac (Fernado Lamas). Elizabeth falls for the handsome Frenchman Andre Milan (Damone), and the two claim they'll marry. Marie and Paul encourage their romance, but Jim had been burned by one French lover and doesn't want his daughter to go through the same. 

The Song and Dance: Powell and Darrieux anchor this sweet small-scale musical romance as the young woman who experiences her first real romance in the City of Light. Darrieux had been a star in French films of the 30's and 40's, and she brings that real-life experience to her role as the glamorous singer who just couldn't give up Paris to be a simple Texas farm wife. Look for Hans Conried as a fussy waiter and Una Merkel as Jim's loyal secretary who is supposed to be keeping an eye on Elizabeth.

Favorite Number: We open with father and daughter singing about their trip to "Paris"; Lamas reprises it later in the nightclub. Jim requests that the strolling gypsy band sings "Deep In the Heart of Texas"...which they attempt to do quite charmingly. His daughter joins in to help them out. The ensemble dance routine "Tonight for Sure" has Darrieux waltzing with French partners...before overly enthusiastic American military men try to join in with their too-fast two steps. Darrieux gets the slower ballad "Dark Is the Night" later, when Elizabeth comes to see her sing one last time. She performs the old standard "There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie" for Jim in 1927 after he's admitted he's smitten with her.

Powell and Damone get to ladle their instruments into three extensive duets. The sweet "Wonder Why" was nominated for an Oscar. "I Can See You" also wound up being a hit at the time. Darrieux and Lamas initially sing "We Never Talk Much," about the joys of just being together, but it's picked up by Damone and Powell later as they admit their love, to her father's chagrin. They get the lively "The Old Piano Roll Blues" at her father's home. "How'd Ya Like Your Eggs In the Morning" has Damone joining four singing chefs at the club - the vocal group The Four Kingsmen - for a cute novelty number.

Trivia: Darrieux's first American movie since the 1938 film The Rage of Paris. 

What I Don't Like: Everything else is as bland as the film's paint-by-the-numbers title and forgettable songs. First of all, the plot is a little too convoluted. It's very hard to believe that Elizabeth wouldn't have run into some evidence of her mother's existence at some point, like a birth certificate, especially since Marie never changed her name. Second, Corey is abrasive and annoying as Elizabeth's suspicious father, and Damone (who never did become much of an actor) is dull in his first role. While the cast feels quite French, the obvious studio backdrops and sets haven't a drop of French flavor in them. 

The Big Finale: Not Powell's best movie, but worth seeing at least once for some decent numbers if you're a fan of her or Darrieux. 

Home Media: On streaming and DVD, the latter as one of the earliest Warner Archives titles. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Minstrel Man (1977)

CBS, 1977

Starring Glynn Turman, Ted Ross, Tonea Stewart, and Stanley Bennett Clay

Directed by William H. Graham

Music and Lyrics by various

Since Juneteenth has its roots in the post-Civil War south, I thought I'd do a movie set during that time period...and a very controversial one, at that. It's difficult to discuss the musical history of the 19th and early 20th century without bringing up the minstrel show. Once a popular form of variety show, the minstrel show fell out of favor on stage as vaudeville took over by the early 20th century. It was dead as a professional form of entertainment by the 1930's, but continued to pop up in amateur shows as late as the early 60's. 

By the time this movie debuted in 1977, the Civil Rights Movement and many other changes had largely made minstrel shows into an offensive curio from a less enlightened time. How does this story of two brothers who try to change the minstrel traditions look nowadays, at a time when race relations are more in the news than ever? Let's begin as a narrator explains the minstrel tradition and find out...

The Story: Ever since Harry Jr. (Turman) and Rennie Brown (Clay) witnessed their father (Gene Bell) die of a heart attack during a minstrel performance, they've been determined to change the rules. Harry wants to succeed as a black man in the mostly-white minstrel world. Rennie wants to become a composer and get in on this new sound they're calling ragtime. Harry joins a black minstrel show, but they don't have an easy time of it. White audiences - and especially white theater owners - won't accept anything but the familiar stereotypes and demeaning jokes and songs. Harry, Rennie, Harry's wife Carla (Stewart), and their fellow performers change the minstrel show for one small-town Illinois stage to turn the jokes on blacks and whites...but when that ends in tragedy, Harry has to decide whether he wants to follow his heart, or do what audiences expect of black performers. 

The Song and Dance: While I don't believe it's banned like the YouTube channel I watched this on claims, it apparently hasn't turned up since its original broadcast, either...and that's a major shame. This is a powerful exploration of how words and music can uplift or demean, and how people can change the status quo, even when it's hard or painful. Turman and Clay give stellar performances as the two brothers who want their performances and songs to be heard with no need to hide behind dark make-up, and Stewart's almost as good as sweet Carla. It was even filmed on-location in Carroll County, Mississippi, adding to the deep-south charm. The costumes and sets, including at the minstrel show, are well-made and accurate for the era.  

Favorite Number: We open with "A High Old Time In Dixie" giving us a good view of an average minstrel number, with the men in blackface and dancing and playing banjos and tambourines as they wiggle their bodies in time to the song. The next song, "Coon, Coon, Coon," shows us why these were so difficult for black audiences, with fabulous clog dancing and what would now be considered horribly racist lyrics. Harry Sr is doing a fast clog number that looks pretty good...until he keels over from a heart attack. 

Years later, the brothers dance together on the streets to Rennie's catchy harmonica music. It's enough to catch the eye of Charlie Bates (Ted Ross), who thinks Rennie is perfect to partner him in songs like "My Old Kentucky Home" for his minstrel show. He hears Carla singing a spiritual with a choir in a church and is immediately smitten, even getting Charlie to sing along. 

Rennie's more interested in writing early ragtime songs that don't talk down to their audiences and lovely blues numbers like "Take My Hand" for Carla. The latter accompanies them passing by anti-black graffiti as they make their way to the stage in Illinois. Audiences don't take well to Charlie singing "Ragtime Special In Town" without make-up, despite it him having a great time high-stepping along to it. 

What I Don't Like: As nice as it is to think of the men wiping off their blackface in the end and the audience applauding, they very likely would not have gotten away with it in real-life in the early 20th century. The blackface makeup isn't entirely right, either. Black minstrels did wear burnt cork makeup, but rarely with the white eyes and lips, as seen here. Also...yeah, if the blackface or some of the more racially-charged language really offends you, you probably won't want to come here. There's also some violence towards the end and two deaths, one clearly the result of a lynching.

The Big Finale: One of the most eloquent statements on music and race ever broadcast on television, this underrated film deserves to be far better-known. 

Home Media: It existed at museums but was largely unseen by the general public until someone posted it on YouTube in 2014.

YouTube

Were the World Mine

SPEAKProductions, 2008

Starring Tanner Cohen, Wendy Robie, Judy McLane and Zelda Williams

Directed by Tom Gustafson

Music by Jessica Fogle; Lyrics by Cory Kruekeberg

There's a lot to celebrate this week, so let's start with this indie film for Pride Month and the end of the school year in many parts of the US. Were the World Mine is an adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as seen through the eyes of a homosexual teenager whose attempt to use a bit of magic to be accepted in his town causes some big problems. How big, you ask? Let's start with Timothy (Cohen) at the exclusive boys' school he attends and find out why he wanted to do this...

The Story: Timothy feels like an outcast wherever he goes. He has a crush on Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker), the captain of the rugby team, but the rest of the team and its macho jock Coach Driskill (Christian Stolte) make fun of him. His mother Donna (McLane) doesn't know what to make of his coming out and is still reeling from her husband's abandoning them. She's desperately trying to make good selling cosmetics with flighty Nora Bellinger (Jill Larson), who fires her after she discovers her son's sexuality. His only real friends are guitar-playing Frankie (Williams) and her buddy Max (Ricky Goldman). 

Timothy gets a shot of empowerment when he's chosen to play Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream by English and drama teacher Ms. Tebbit (Robie). It inspires him to create a flower that'll make whomever smells it fall in love with whichever person of the same sex they saw last. He wants the citizens of the town to "walk a mile in his shoes" and know what it's like to be hated for whom you love. On one hand, Jonathan is now drawn to him, and he couldn't be happier. It's not working for everyone else, though. Suddenly, the show may be in jeopardy unless the effect can be reversed...and Ms. Tebbitt can convince Timothy that his actions may have done more harm than good. 

The Song and Dance: Not many musicals can turn Midsummer Night's Dream into the story of one young man's coming of age. Cohen is charming, sweet, and even a bit creepy as the bullied youth who thinks he's found the perfect way to make the prejudiced townspeople understand what it's like to be different. I also like McLane as his confused and frustrated mother, Williams and Goldman as his very funny buddies, and Larson as the over-the-top make-up saleswoman who learns a lesson in acceptance when she rejects Donna because of her son...and then chases after Donna herself after she was sprayed with the flower. The boys came up with some nifty costumes for the play, too, including the symbolic flowing white lace wings Timothy wears as Puck.

Favorite Number: "Oh Timothy" is the opening number, as Timothy fantasizes about Jonathan...and Johnathan and his friends revel in pushing him around. Frankie gets two short numbers revealing her feelings on Timothy's problems as she plays guitar for the guys, "Pity" and "He's Gay." Timothy is nervous about the "Audition," but he wins Ms. Tebbit over with "Be As Thou Wast Wont." We get another fantasy number onstage in Timothy's head as the title song turns into an epic ballad for him, Jonathan, and the chorus. He admonishes his love to "Sleep Sound." "The Course of True Love" is the big chorus number for Timothy and the town as they try to figure out how they feel what they feel...and why. Frankie and Cooper, one of her friends, have a big rock routine talking about the myth the players were putting on, "Pyramus and Thisby." 

What I Don't Like: This is a low-budget indie with an unusually large cast for its budget...but it's still not the glossiest production. Sometimes the adults can overdo it, or the boys come off as a little stiff or trying too hard. I'll pass the B-budget special effects with the spraying flower. Honestly, it kind of works with the high school play story.

The Big Finale: This sweet take a classic fantasy is worth looking into for fans of gay cinema, the small-time indie films of the 2000's, or those looking for a new twist on a beloved Shakespearean play. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. Is currently running for free with commercials on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Wizard of Oz (1982)

Toho, 1982

Voices of Alieen Quinn, Lorne Greene, Billy Van, and John Stocker

Directed by Fumihiko Takayama

Music by Joe Hisashi and Yurichio Oda; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and Allen Byrnes

The popularity of The Wizard of Oz books extends overseas. This was far from the first anime adaptation of the books, which would be the TV anthology series Tales of Magic from 1976. It was apparently, however, the first theatrical adaptation in that country, although it eventually went straight to video there and in the US. How does this more faithful adaptation look today? Let's start in Kansas, as Dorothy (Quinn) bids her aunt and uncle goodbye, and find out...

The Story: Dorothy and her beloved dog Toto are whisked away over the rainbow in their home by a big storm. When they land, Dorothy's shocked to learn from the Witch of the North (Elizabeth Hanna) that she's now in the Land of Oz, and her house has killed the Witch of the East. The Witch sends Dorothy to the Wizard (Greene) at the Emerald City to ask about the way home to Kansas. 

On the way, she encounters a talking scarecrow (Van) who wishes his head was stuffed with brains instead of straw, a tin woodsman (Stocker) who wishes he could feel, and a lion (Thick Wilson) who laments he's such a coward, he can't be king of the beasts. This odd set of friends must work together in order to get to the Emerald City, and then to take on the Witch of the West (Hanna) when the Wizard says he'll grant their requests if they get rid of her. The Wizard, however, isn't what he seems...

The Animation: If this looks familiar, one of the companies who worked on this was Topcraft. They also did work for Rankin-Bass. It does have a very Rankin-Bass feel to it, with the wide-eyed Dorothy (who is blonde - most versions of Oz tend to make her a brunette ala Judy Garland), realistic wolves and crows who look appropriately spooky in the Witch of the West's realm, and large headed caricatures for the Wizard and Scarecrow.  

The Song and Dance: One thing I really appreciate about this one is the fidelity to the original book. In fact this is one of the closest adaptions of the first Oz novel I've ever seen. Admittedly, they leave out the trip to Glinda in the last third, her friends are tied up by the witch instead of taken apart, and Dorothy's shoes are red rather than silver, but other than that, this is pretty accurate. Quinn's a sweet and funny Dorothy; Van and Stocker also do fairly well as the straw man who is smarter than he thinks, and the metal wood cutter who may not have a heart, but can certainly feel.

Favorite Number: We open over the credits with Quinn reminding us that what you make of fantasy is "Strictly Up to You." "I Dream of Home" is Dorothy remembering good times with her aunt and uncle while sleeping one night and wishing she was with them. We hear "A Wizard of a Day" twice, first during Dorothy and her friends' journey to the Emerald City, and later after they defeat the Wicked Witch of the West.

What I Don't Like: The cheap synthesizer music is totally at odds with the fantasy elements and sounds tinny and out of place. The songs are far from memorable, with stiff and dull English lyrics. Greene's Wizard is barely in the film, and when he does, he only tells Dorothy's friends that they had what they needed all along. He doesn't even give them anything. Glinda is also barely in the film. She turns up in the last few minutes without explanation. Since we don't see the Witch until the Wizard sends the others after her, their attack seems unmotivated.

The Song and Dance: The music isn't the best, but this is otherwise a very charming adaptation of this book with a lot to like if you're a fan of anime from the 70's and 80's or the original Oz novels.

Home Media: Never on disc in North America, this is currently only on YouTube on this side of the Atlantic. 

YouTube

Cult Flops - Cry Baby

Universal, 1990

Starring Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Polly Bergen, and Ricki Lake

Directed by John Waters

Music and Lyrics by various

After the success of Hairspray in 1988, John Waters suddenly found himself in demand. Depp was also at the height of his early years as a quirky, oddly dark matinee idol in Edward Scissorshands and the TV drama 21 Jump Street. This duo with the extremely dark sensibilities came together for this campy homage to 1950's greaser culture that's a lot more subversive than either of the Grease movies. How does the story of a "square" girl who falls for a "drape" from the wrong side of the tracks in 1954 Baltimore look today? Let's begin at high school, as we meet these two with their respective cliques, and find out...

The Story: Allison Vernon-Williams (Locane) is a pretty, sweet teen who is also very bored with being "good" and wants to find out if there's more out there. She gathers the courage to approach the baddest of the "drapes," Wade "Cry Baby" Walker (Depp). Wade's known for being able to shed a single tear that makes the girls go crazy. Allison's first intrigued by him, then in love, and Wade reciprocates her feelings. He and his friends turn up at a talent show put on by the charm school run by Allison's grandmother (Bergen). This makes her obnoxious "square" boyfriend Baldwin (Stephen Mailer) jealous and worries her grandmother, who knows the real reason why Wade and his family are so badly regarded by the town.

Allison doesn't care. Wade takes her to Turkey Point, the hang-out for the drapes, where his pregnant sister Pepper (Ricki Lake) and her friends Hatchet Face (Kim McGuire) and Wanda (Traci Lords) give her a make-over that turns her into a drape's dreamboat. That night, Wade explains further into where his parents are and why the town has so much trouble with the "drapes." As they talk, Baldwin and his buddies come in to destroy the building, but they end up starting a riot and blaming it on Wade. Not only that, but Lenora Frigid (Kim Webb), who has a crush on Wade, claims she's carrying his baby. 

Allison returns to the squares, but even her grandmother thinks she made the wrong decision. His friends rescue her from Baldwin's performance at a new local theme park, then bring her along to the state penitentiary to campaign for Wade's release. Baldwin's not happy and claims he'll fight...but when push comes to shove, only one of Allison's suitors is really man enough to claim her...

The Song and Dance: Every cliche of 50's teen culture is gloriously and deliciously mocked here, from the "nice kids against the greasers" to the brief chicken race that ends the film. I love that one cliche they mock here is the disapproving parents. Actually, none of the adults really seem to have problems with their kids' lifestyles, even the more "square" parents of Wanda and Hatchet Face. I love that they defy a big stereotype by having Allison's grandmother and even the judge eventually come around and understand Allison and Wade's feelings for one another. 

Some of the performances are really fun, too. Depp gleefully mocks his dark image as the favorite matinee idol of goth and "bad" girls. Locane is sweet and wide-eyed in her white or pastel dresses...until they get her into tight "drapes" blouses and capris, and then her inner tiger is unleashed. Susan Tyrell and Iggy Pop are hilarious as Wade's aunt and uncle who run Turkey Point and more-or-less take care of him. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Women In Cadillacs" as we see what about the Drapes and their culture attracts meek Allison. Baldwin and his friends get the extremely boy-band-50's "Sh-Boom" at the talent show and "Mr. Sandman" with Allison at the opening of the Enchanted Forest Amusement Park. Allison's song at the talent show is the squeaky ode to "A Teenage Prayer." She turns up the heat with her duet with Wade at Turkey Point, "King Cry Baby." Wade and the prisoners at the jail bemoan why they're "Doin' Time for Being Young" while "Teardrops are Falling." "Please, Mr. Jailer," laments Allison and the drapes at the prison as they fight to get him released. The film ends with Allison, Wade, and the drapes reunited as "High School Hellcats."

Trivia: Baldwin and his group the Whiffles originally had two more numbers, "Chicken" and the 50's pop standard "The Naughty Lady From Shady Lane." They were cut for time, but occasionally showed up in viewings on USA Network in the 90's and 2000's. 

Look fast for William DeFoe as the nastiest corrections officer in Maryland. Other familiar faces in cameos include David Nelson looking remarkably like his father Ozzie as Wanda's very square father and Mink Stole and Troy Donahue as Mona's parents. 

This also became a Broadway musical in 2008...but unlike Hairspray, it barely lasted two months. It's turned up overseas and occasionally on regional stages since then. 

Depp was dubbed by James Intveld, Locane by Rachel Sweet. 

What I Don't Like: For all the goofy melodrama spoofs and Waters' fondness for gross-out humor, at times this seems like nothing more than another 80's-early 90's slobs vs snobs movie done up in 50's trappings. Also unlike the musical version of Hairspray, this isn't really for kids. The F word is dropped (hilariously by Wanda's parents at one point in the courtroom), there's a lot of references to female anatomy, and there's violence with the riot and the chicken game in the end. Frankly, most of the characters come off as aloof as Depp himself. It's hard to relate to any of them, even Allison, like many audiences would Tracy and Penny in Hairspray. There's also the dubbing on Depp and Locane. (Though if you've heard Depp sing in Into the Woods, you'll understand why he was dubbed.) 

The Big Finale: If you love other 50's spoofs like the Grease films or are a fan of Depp or Waters and his black comedies, this is worth checking out for the wild numbers and cast alone.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats. The DVD often turns up for under $10. It can currently be found streaming for free with ads on Tubi.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Cult Flops - Oz: A Rock and Roll Road Movie

Greater Union, 1976

Starring Joy Dunstan, Robin Ramsay, Graham Matters, and Ned Kelly

Directed by Chris Lofven

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we dip into camp in its many forms for two unique cult flop rock musicals, starting with this wonder from Down Under. I'll admit, until I saw this floating around on a library streaming site, I'd never heard of it before. I do enjoy weird versions of The Wizard of Oz (the 1985 Return to Oz is one of my favorite movies) and 70's hard rock, so I figured I'd give this modern Australian retelling a shot. How does Dorothy do as a rock groupie wandering around the outback and Melbourne in the 1970's? Let's begin at a small nightclub outside of Melbourne, Australia and find out...

The Story: Dorothy (Dunstan) is a groupie with local rock band Wally (Matters) and the Falcons. She's knocked out during an accident in their van and wakes up in an unfamiliar town. A fashion designer who calls himself Glynn the Good Fairy (Ramsay) gives her a pair of sparkly ruby heels for killing a thug who had been terrorizing the town. 

On his suggestion, she heads to Melbourne to see the final concert of The Wizard (Matters), a glam rock star who is retiring. She's joined by Blondie (Bruce Spencer), a forgetful surfer, Greaseball (Michael Carman), a mechanic with a softer heart than he'll admit, and Killer (Gary Waddell), a cowardly nerd of a biker. They help her dodge a huge man in a truck (Kelly) whose brother she accidentally killed...and who would love to get his hands on more than her ruby shoes.

The Song and Dance: This is a strange little film, but it does have its good points. The gorgeous cinematography, for one thing. The low budget gives us a chance to see the real Australian state Victoria and city of Melbourne in all their dusty, gritty glory. I like the feel here, the gritty realism meets surrealistic fantasy as the trucker keeps popping up all over the place and the "Wizard" and his seemingly glamorous word turns out to be far from the fairy tale whirl Dorothy thinks it is. 

Favorite Number: "Livin' In the Land of Oz" is heard at least four times, including twice when Dorothy is on the road and on the closing credits. As in the 1939 film, each of Dorothy's friends have songs on the soundtrack representing them. Greaseball's song talks about him not being that heartless. Blondie's "Beating Around the Bush" is his number while he and Dorothy travel in his yellow surf-print station wagon. Killer's in "The Mood" as he takes Dorothy down that road on his motorcycle. Dorothy gets "Our Warm and Tender Love" and "Who's Gonna Love Me Tonight," the latter as she arrives in Melbourne for the concert. The Wizard's "You're Driving Me Insane" is certainly trippy, with it's psychedelic special effects and Rainbow Brite-on-steroids barely-there costumes. 

Trivia: This actually wound up being a commercial disappointment in Australia despite good reviews. It went over much better in the US, especially the larger cities on the coasts. 

Also known in the US as Twentieth Century Oz. 

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how strange and of-its-time this movie is? First of all, some of the Australian accents, especially on Dorothy's guy friends, are so thick they're hard to understand at times. Second, the acting is not wonderful. I'll cut Dunstan some slack, since it was her first movie, but the guys are a little too goofy at times, too (when you understand them). There's also the stereotyping with Glynn and the big thug guy threatening to take advantage of Dorothy several times (and getting very close once, including getting her clothes off). Speaking of, be warned - this would get an R rating in the US nowadays. The "F" word is tossed around a lot (including by Dorothy), there's some violence with the attacks on Dorothy's friends, the insinuated rape, nudity, and the Wizard's scanty costumes. 

The Big Finale: In the end, I'll admit I enjoyed this...to a degree. The music was catchy enough and the premise interesting enough that I'm glad I finally got around to watching it, but it's not something I feel the need to return to. Your mileage may vary, depending on how strange you like your 70's hard rock and Wizard of Oz adaptations. 

Home Media: To my knowledge, it doesn't look like this has ever been on disc in North America. Streaming is your only bet on this side of the Pacific. 

Internet Archive

Animation Celebration Saturday - Journey Back to Oz

Filmation, 1972

Directed by Hal Sutherland

Voices of Liza Minnelli, Paul Lynde, Ethel Merman, and Herschel Bernardi

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Adaptations of the Wizard of Oz books go as far back as 1908. The MGM version from 1939 is probably the most famous, but it's far from the only one. After the 1939 film was a hit on TV, there was a notoriously low-budget production in 1969, and then this animated one in 1972. Neither is well-regarded today, but this has a slightly more impressive pedigree. Filmation began this around 1962, but they ran out of funds until over a decade later. 

By the time it came out, Disney-esque fantasies were out of style, and it wasn't a success...on the big screen. It did far better on TV starting in 1976, when live-action sequences featuring Bill Cosby (and later, Milton Berle) were added for syndicated showings. The original would turn up on video later, and that's what this review is based on. Does it reach the same heights of the original film, or should it stay in Kansas? Let's begin in Kansas, as Uncle Henry (Paul Ford) scolds Dorothy (Minnelli) for not helping get ready for a storm, and find out...

The Story: This time, Dorothy and Toto are themselves caught up in the cyclone, no house needed. After landing in Oz, they first encounter a talking signpost (Jack E. Leonard) whose signs all point to the Emerald City...going different ways. Fearful Jack Pumpkinhead (Lynde) only wants to go one way - away from his creator, the evil witch Mombi (Merman). She conjures up green elephants to stampede through the Emerald City, where she kidnaps Toto and the Scarecrow (Mickey Rooney). 

Dorothy goes to her old friends for help, but the Cowardly Lion (Berle) and Tin Woodsman (Danny Thomas) are too afraid of Mombi to help. Glinda (Rise Stevens) does better, giving her a box to use "in dire need." Dorothy will need all the magic she can get if she, Jack, and Charlesworth the Wooden merry-go-round horse (Bernardi) are to defeat Mombi and save the Scarecrow and Toto!

The Animation: Not bad for Filmation at this time. The colors are, appropriately for an Oz movie, the real selling point. They pop off the screen, brilliant greens and velvet purple when Dorothy first arrives, sparkling silver in the land of tin, deeper green in the Emerald City. The stylized designs move well enough; the Tin Woodsman especially is rather cute here. 

The Song and Dance: Impressive cast for a relatively low-budget undertaking. Liza does just as well as her mother playing the budding young woman who only wants to help her friends. Lynde's hilarious as the fearful but loyal Jack, and Bernardi gets some of the best lines as the sarcastic wooden carousel horse. Rise Stevens lends her Metropolitain Opera soprano to a gentle Glinda. Merman's a rather scary witch, too, and it is amusing to hear Margaret Hamilton play Aunt Em in the beginning, the total opposite of her Wicked Witch from the 1939 film! 

Favorite Number: Minnelli's "Over the Rainbow" song to Toto in Kansas is "A Faraway Land" as she longs to return to Oz and see its lovely greenery and unique citizens again. She also gets the upbeat "Keep a Happy Thought" after Jack laments about never finding the Emerald City. This time, the witch gets to sing, too. Mombi creates her green elephants in "An Elephant Never Forgets" and explains her mother's dying wish to her, "If You're Going to Be a Witch, Be a Witch." 

Stevens' glorious soprano makes the most of her song explaining to Dorothy why she doesn't need magic...because "You Have Only You." Minnelli finishes with the "Return to the Land of Oz March" and her telling the others why she wants to go back to Kansas, "That Feeling for Home." Herschel's number is "That Horse On the Carousel" as Charlesworth tells the others how he ended up where he was.

Trivia: Danny Thomas' voice recording was of such poor quality, he was largely re-recorded by Larry Storch. 

The 1976 ABC showing had live-action wrap-around segments featuring Bill Cosby as The Wizard, searching for two munchkins. Milton Berle would appear as The Wizard for syndicated airings. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, there's a lot of padding in this movie. The signpost and his song have no function in the story. He's neither seen, nor mentioned again after Dorothy leaves him. The numbers for the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodsman, and Scarecrow exist more to show off the actors than move the story along, and contradict their character development from the original book and 1939 film, too. Speaking of the songs, they're not bad, but they certainly aren't as memorable as the ones from 1939. 

It also appears to be a mash-up of characters and events from many later Oz books, mainly the second, The Marvelous Land of Oz. Dorothy largely replaces the boy Tip who created Jack Pumpkinhead in the book, though. Mombi wasn't the one who originally created the elephants, either. And Charlesworth may be based after the title character of the final book in the series, The Merry-Go-Round Horse of Oz. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing at least once for fans of Oz or Filmation for the cast and some decent numbers. 

Home Media: The DVD is in print, but very expensive and hard to find. You're better off streaming this one. 

 

DVD

YouTube

The Chocolate Soldier

MGM, 1941

Starring Nelson Eddy, Rise Stevens, Nigel Bruce, and Florence Bates

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music and Lyrics by various

This is the last of three vehicles Nelson Eddy did at MGM without Jeanette MacDonald. It's also the first movie for popular Metropolitan Opera soprano Rise Stevens, whom Eddy personally selected as his leading lady. This started life as the smash hit Broadway musical of 1909...but it was based on the George Bernard Shaw play Arms and the Man, and he was extremely crotchety when it came to adaptations of his work. Instead of dealing with him, MGM stuffed the songs around another play they already owned. How does this work as a retelling of the non-musical play The Guardsman? Let's begin at a theater in Vienna, where the recently married stars Karl Lang (Eddy) and Maria Lanyi (Stevens) are staring in a production of The Chocolate Soldier, and find out...

The Story: They're both jealous of the opposite sex paying attention to them. Karl becomes really upset, though, when he learns Maria wants to give up musicals and star in opera. He disguises himself as a passionate Russian singer, Vassily Vassilvich, to test her faithfulness. She at first turns away his overtures, then seemingly embraces them. Karl thinks he's lost his wife's affections forever, but Maria isn't as taken in by his playacting as he thought...

The Song and Dance: Once again, the leads and the lavish production carry the day. Eddy's Russian accent is slightly less absurd than his Mexican accent from The Girl of the Golden West, but he's still having more fun than usual as the jealous husband who masquerades as someone more passionate to prove his wife's faithfulness. Stevens, with her saucy manner and twinkling eyes, is funny enough to make me wish she did more theatrical films (her later appearances were all on TV). MGM once again goes all out, with gorgeous gowns for Stevens and lavish Russian-style costumes with acres of fabric for Eddy's impersonation and during the onstage-show.

Favorite Number: We open onstage with songs from the actual Chocolate Soldier. A huge chorus dances and pirouettes to the title song and "Tiralala," while Karl and Maria come onstage after bantering in their dressing rooms for the latter. Karl sings the Russian number "Song of the Flea" as Vassily at the Double Eagle club to seduce and impress Maria. She's more of the latter than the former. 

He gets the caressing "While My Lady Sleeps" later in an attempt to serenade Maria. They perform the hit ballads "Sympathy" and "My Hero" in the Chocolate Soldier sequences later. The chorus comes in with "Thank God the War Is Over," while a king orders his men to "Seek the Spy." Maria initially sings the opera number "Evening Star" at home; Karl later plays it on a piano and performs it in English. Maria also gets another aria, "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta douce voix" from the opera Samson and Delilah. 

Trivia: This was nominated for Best Sound Recording, Best Cinematography - Black and White, and Best Music: Scoring of a Musical Picture. 

The Guardsman, which this is based on, originally debuted on Broadway in 1924. The 1931 film version carried over its legendary original stars, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. It would be the only time they appeared together on-film. The original stage Chocolate Soldier has been revived on Broadway many times since 1909, mostly recently in 1947, and remains popular with opera and light opera companies. 

What I Don't Like: Although Bates has a few funny moments, this may well be a two-person show. No one else registers, including Bruce as Karl's best friend. I wish Shaw hadn't been so picky about how his plays were represented. The sumptuous onstage sequences are so well-done, I'd love to see what MGM could have done with the original, full show. (Stevens starred in a TV version of the original Chocolate Soldier in 1955.) 

The Big Finale: If you love Eddy, Stevens, opera, or operetta, this is one confection you'll want to remain faithful to. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime