Family Fun Saturday - The Littlest Rebel

20th Century Fox, 1935

Starring Shirley Temple, Bill Robinson, John Boles, and Karen Morley

Directed by David Butler

Music and Lyrics by various

We remain in 1861, but move to the south for our next Civil War musical. This is Shirley Temple's second Civil War-set vehicle that year after The Little Colonel, but this one hews a lot closer to the conventions of her films. It does have a lot in common with Colonel, including her dancing with Bill Robinson again, but it may be even harder for many audiences to swallow today. Let's begin with Virginia "Virgie" Cary (Temple) for a glimpse of her privileged world at her lavish birthday party and find out...

The Story: Virgie and her parents are shocked when Fort Sumter is attacked and the Civil War begins. Her father Herbert (Boles) joins the Confederate Army as a spy and captain. Her mother (Morley) tries to keep things going on their plantation, but it's hard when the Union Army pretty much moves in. Spunky Virgie manages to gain the respect of the officers, especially Colonel Morrison (Jack Holt), who has a little girl of his own. 

Unfortunately, it's not enough to keep their plantation from being burned to the ground during a torrential thunderstorm. Mrs. Cary becomes deathly ill shortly afterwards. Her husband sneaks in to see her, and while he does talk to her one more time before her death, he and Colonel Morrison are arrested when the Union officer tries to help him escape. Virgie and her family's last remaining servant, Uncle Billy (Robinson), earn the money for a train to Washington DC in order to plea for Captain Carey's release from the ultimate authority himself, President Lincoln (Frank McGlynn Sr.).

The Song and Dance: Shirley and Bill Robinson are really the thing here, along with a relatively lavish production with tiny hoopskirts for Shirley and authentic Civil War uniforms for the gentlemen. Shirley's hilarious defying the Union soldiers - especially when showing off her real-life skills with a slingshot! - and handles the dramatic sequences almost as well. Robinson's character is treated with at least a little more respect than most of the black servants in the movie. Mrs. Carey relies heavily on him, and Virgie sees her as her actual uncle (which Temple apparently did as well). He and Temple have most of the best moments, including two terrific tap numbers.

Favorite Number: We begin after Virgie's birthday lunch with her and the children at the party dancing together. This is quickly ended by the announcement of the war as the fathers announce their intention to join the Confederate Army. Temple cheekily sings "I Wish I Was In Dixie" to the Union officers when they first arrive at the plantation. Shirley plays and sings "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" to her father when he's visiting the first time. Robinson gets his own solo to "Turkey In the Straw" and joins Temple later for their delightful "Polly Wolly Doodle" with updated lyrics by B.G DeSylva. No wonder they made enough money to travel just with this dance. They're both having a marvelous time tapping together. 

Trivia: The scene with Virgie shooting the Union Army with a slingshot was written into the film because Shirley actually was an excellent shot. 

This was based on a Broadway play from 1911. 

What I Don't Like: Between the treatment of its black characters and the ridiculous melodrama, especially in the second half, this is one of Shirley's most dated vehicles. Shirley even turns up in blackface at one point to evade the Union Army. It's no more convincing for them than it is for us. The black characters are actually happy they're in slavery. Willie Best and his annoying slow drawl is the worst offender here, making him an unpleasant contrast to dignified Robinson. 

While it is amusing to see Virgie defy the Union army in the first half, I really wish her mother didn't have to die mid-way through. It's an unnecessary burst of melodrama in a movie already bogged down with it. The entire thing with her convincing Lincoln to release her father is utterly ridiculous and just plain silly. 

The Big Finale: Not Temple's best by a long-shot, but still worth seeing for her dances with Robison. Put it on with your older kids, but be prepared to have some long discussions about the treatment of blacks in the Civil War era and the 1930's. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Bloomer Girl

NBC, 1956

Starring Barbara Cook, Keith Andes, Carmen Matthews, and Paul Ford

Directed by Alex Segal

Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg

Operetta was not normally Harburg and Arlen's turf, but Harburg in particular was a passionate liberal who supported his many causes in his music. Cook was the next big thing on Broadway when this show debuted, having just come off the short-lived but well-remembered Candide and a year before her breakthrough in The Music Man. How well does she do in this recording of the 1944 Broadway hit about the fictional niece of real-life feminist and early black rights supporter Amelia "Dolly" Bloomer (Matthews)? Let's begin with the five older Applegate sisters and their mother Serena (Nydia Westman) and maid Daisy (Patricia Hammerlee) as they wait for their hoopskirt salesmen husbands to come home to Cicero Falls, New York in 1861 and find out...

The Story: Those five older Applegate sisters may be content to marry salesmen and sit around in hoopskirts, but that's not enough for youngest sister Evelina (Cook). She thoroughly believes in her Aunt Dolly Bloomer's (Matthews) views on women's and black rights, including the right to more comfortable clothing. Her frustrated father (Ford), the owner of a hoopskirt factory, encourages southern gentleman Jeff Calhoun (Andes) to court her. Evelina will have nothing to do with him until he frees his slave Pompey (Rawn Spearman). 

Jeff's more than happy to do so at first, until his brother Hamilton (Frank Overton), who thoroughly believes in the right to own slaves, protests. Evelina's father is even more upset when his daughter turns up in bloomers on a Sunday and insists on her aunt's right to perform Uncle Tom's Cabin with her girls. The women end up in jail, until Governor Newton (Paul McGrath) admits he supports their cause and lets the show go on. The show - and Evelina and Jeff's relationship - is disrupted by the Civil War. The war, however, brings many positive changes, including making Jeff see the light about the importance of freedom for all.

The Song and Dance: By far the best things about this are the period-perfect costumes and the rare chance to see Cook in her prime and Agnes deMille's original choreography, including the dramatic and much-lauded "Civil War Ballet." Cook is an adorable whirlwind, coquettish with Jeff, then easily standing up to her father and the sheriff in defence of her aunt and the causes she supports. Matthews is just as strong-willed as her aunt, and Ford is a blustery delight as her conservative father. Considering how wonderful the dancing is here, I really wish more of it had been retained. Love the costumes, too. We have full-on, period-accurate hoopskirts and bloomers for the ladies, tight suits and Civil War uniforms for the men, and tattered clothing for the slaves and black men who sing "I Got a Song."

Favorite Number: We open with "When the Boys Come Home" as the Applegate sisters and mother await the arrival of their salesmen husbands. Jeff sings about his "Evelina," but Evelina isn't impressed. Dolly, Daisy, and the Bloomer girls who work at Dolly's newspaper claim "It Was Good Enough for Grandma," but they want a lot more than sitting at home in a lively, adorable dance. Pompey declares "The Eagle and Me" equally deserve freedom. For Jeff and Evelina, everything is "Right as the Rain." 

"Sunday In Cicero Falls" starts off quietly for the chorus, until Dolly and her girls come high-stepping along with an encore of "Good Enough for Grandma" to advertise Uncle Tom's Cabin. "I Got a Song," says Pompey and two of his friends as they explain that they can't laugh, but they can sing. Dolly and Evelina sing a "Lullaby" to the ladies while in prison. Daisy prances to the upbeat "I Never Was Born" while dressed as Topsy for the Cabin production, blackface and all. The brief "Man for Sale," with an auctioneer (David Aiken) "selling" off a black man during the show. It's interrupted by the announcement of the Civil War, which leads into the stirring "Civil War Ballet." James Marshall leads the dance corps, many from the 1944 show, as they depict the men going to war, and what happens when they come home.

Trivia: Bloomer Girl ran a year and a half on Broadway in its original production, respectable for the time. Celeste Holm played Evelina; Dooley Wilson was Pompey. Its only New York stagings since then were a brief City Center revival in 1947, an off-Broadway revival in 2000, and an Encores! concert in 2001.

Brock Peters has a small role as Pompey's friend Alexander; he can be heard in "I Got a Song" and "Man for Sale." He would go on to star as Crown in the 1959 Porgy and Bess, the wrongfully accused Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, and as Joseph Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 

Amelia "Dolly" Bloomer was a real-life feminist and abolitionist who lived in small-town upstate New York and advocated freer, looser clothing for women and did run a newspaper advocating her causes in the 1850's. By 1859, she'd actually moved to Iowa and had resumed wearing longer skirts, since hoopskirts and heavy petticoats were being replaced by that point by crinolines. 

What I Don't Like: There's a few reasons this is rarely seen nowadays, despite the wonderful music and dance and still-relevant subject matter. Some of the dialogue, especially concerning African-American rights, comes off as condescending or overly stiff today. There's also the second half hinging around a performance of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Though it's downplayed from the original show, where it was a major set piece that included an expanded "Man for Sale" and a sequence derived from Eliza crossing the ice, we still get Hammerlee's too-goofy blackface "I Never Was Born" number. 

The Uncle Tom's Cabin sequence wasn't the only one to be cut down for television. Most of the other dance routines were dropped as well, along with numbers for Evelina's brothers-in-law and the men in Cicero Falls ("The Farmer's Whiskers," "Pretty as a Picture"), a solo for Daisy ("T'Morra, T'Morra"), and a third duet for Evelina and Jeff ("Rakish Young Man With the Whiskers"). Also, basic warning that this is a fuzzy black-and-white recording of a show originally broadcast live and in color. Considering how many such shows have been lost to time, we're lucky to have this at all.

The Big Finale: The terrific music and ballets and the fact that this doesn't turn up often onstage nowadays makes this rare program worth checking out for fans of Cook, Harburg and Arlen, or the folksy Americana shows of the 40's and 50's. 

Home Media: It's in print, but like all VAI International DVD releases, is expensive online. You're better off checking eBay or other used venues for this.

DVD

Cult Flops - High, Wide, and Handsome

Paramount, 1937

Starring Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Elizabeth Patterson, and Raymond Walburn

Directed by Rouben Mamoulian

Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 

We begin two weeks of All-American Weekdays with this rare and unique historical action tale. Paramount developed this after the overwhelming success of Show Boat at Universal the year before. They brought on a lot of the personnel from that film, including its leading lady Irene Dunne and its songwriters Kern and Hammerstein. 

Director Mamoulian was known for imaginative musicals like Love Me Tonight that put emphasis on music and a sweeping camera to tell the story, while Hammerstein and Kern's work often investigated different sides of American history. How do they bring their own touches to the story of a farmer who marries the daughter of a snake oil salesman, only to push her aside when he discovers oil on his land? Let's begin at Titusville in western Pennsylvania, as con-man Doc Watterson (Walburn) and his daughter Sally (Dunne) sell their latest wares to the disbelieving crowd, and find out...

The Story: Sally, Doc, and Doc's assistant Mac (William Frawley) are stranded in Titusville when the crowds accidentally burn their gypsy cart. They stay with sensible farmer Grandma Cortland (Patterson), who opens her arms to them. Sally falls for and eventually marries Grandma's idealistic grandson Peter (Scott), who has been trying to mine the "rock oil" found on his land. 

On the day of Sally and Peter's wedding, the oil suddenly erupts! Turns out there's oil all over the farmers' land. Railroad barons from Philadelphia, led by scheming Walt Brennan (Alan Hale Sr.), try to buy the land off of Peter. When he refuses, they raise the price of bringing the oil to the refineries beyond what the farmers can afford to pay. Peter finally decides to go around them and build a pipe to deliver the oil. He's spending so much time with his oil, he's neglecting Sally. She leaves him to return to her father's circus, but returns when the deadline for the pipeline is moved up from a week to a day.

The Song and Dance: For all the resemblance to Show Boat, I do commend Paramount for going with a fairly original story. I don't know of any other operettas (and only one stage musical) that revolves around oil drilling, and it's the only film I know of to be set in western Pennsylvania. It feels so much like a western, with its railroad barons opposing the farmers and trying to get them off their land, that for once, Randolph Scott isn't out of place in a musical. He's on far more accustomed turf here than he was in Roberta or Follow the Fleet. 

Paramount spared no expense on this one. There's a lot of complicated outdoor shooting, including near the end when they're building the pipeline. While Mamoulian doesn't use the dialogue flowing into song that was so effective in Love Me Tonight, he does shoot some truly exciting action sequences. In addition to the big finale, with Sally and her people riding to save the day, there's also a brawl at a town dance between Peter and Mr. Stark (Irving Pichel), who also wants Sally's hand. Great supporting cast, too. Patterson and Walburn almost steal the film as sensible Grandma Courtland and Sally's roguish parent. Kern and Hammerstein wrote some lovely songs, too, including two standards, "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" and "Can I Forget You?"

Favorite Number: We open with the title song as Doc and Sally sing, dance, and push Doc's literal oil tonic. Sally sings "Can I Forget You?" twice, first on the hill to Peter before she, Mac, and Doc hit the road, and later as her big number at the circus. The second is especially rapturous, with Dunne looking so gorgeous, you can understand why none other than PT Barnum was impressed with her. Mac leads the townspeople in "Will You Marry Me Tomorrow, Maria?" at Sally and Peter's wedding...at least until the derrick Peter spent the first half of the film fussing over strikes oil!

Sally and Peter do manage to have time to settle down and for her to sing about how they'll be "The Folks Who Live On the Hill." Saloon singer Molly Fuller (Dorothy Lamour) laments "The Things I Want" at the saloon for the oil drillers. Sally joins her at another saloon for the rousing "Allegheny Al" in an attempt to get her a job. She has so much fun, and the barflies enjoy it so much, she ends up with the job instead.

Trivia: Titusville is a real city in Pennsylvania and really is considered to be the birthplace of the American oil industry.

What I Don't Like: What the heck is this again? It can't decide if it wants to be a romance, an action film with western overtones, or Show Boat. Sally's right that she doesn't have much to do in the middle of the movie. Once the emphasis moves to Scott after he strikes oil, she and the music takes a backseat. Lamour has even less to do beyond her two numbers and seems out of place - historical films were never her forte. And frankly, the whole thing with the circus performers, including elephants, coming to the rescue in the end is too goofy even for a musical semi-western.

The Big Finale: While not a rediscovered masterpiece, there is a lot of interest in this charming action musical if you're a fan of Scott, Dunne, and Mamoulian or Kern and Hammerstein's other work. 

Home Media: On DVD from Universal Vault and Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Animation Celebration Saturday - Leo

Netflix, 2023

Voices of Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, and Rob Schneider

Directed by Robert Marianetti and Robert Smigel

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate the end of the school year with the second animated movie from comedian Adam Sandler. His first one, Eight Crazy Nights, was so badly received, it took him over 20 years to try another. This time, he went with an original story about a school pet who learns a lesson in aging when he ends up giving advice to an entire fifth-grade class. Does this movie deserve your respect, or should it be dumped in the Everglades? Let's begin with that fifth grade class, as the kids anticipate the school year, and find out...

The Story: Leo the tuatara (Sandler) and Squirtle the Florida box turtle (Burr) have been the pets in a fifth grade classroom at Fort Myers, Florida for years. After he overhears one of the dads mention tutaras only live 75 years, he becomes determined to escape to the Everglades and live out what little he has left of his life. He seizes his chance when the original teacher goes on maternity leave and is replaced by the far stricter Ms. Malkin (Strong). She insists that the kids each take home a class pet for the weekend to teach them responsibility. The kids resist at first, until Leo reveals he can talk and gives them advice on how to deal with their problems. 

Soon, all of the kids are clamoring to take Leo home and have him help them...until a jealous Squirtle spills the beans about Leo's ability to talk. Ms. Malkin takes him home when they refuse to, and reveals to Leo why she's so mean to them. She does manage to encourage them to win a big trip at the history fair, but she dumps Leo in the Everglades instead of admitting it was his idea. It's Squirtle who uses the overprotective drone owned by one of the kids to tell them what's really going on, and remind them that sometimes, all you need is a supportive ear and a little advice from an elder. 

The Animation: Pretty good CGI. Thankfully, it's not as grotesque as Thelma the Unicorn last month. The characters are generally more cute than they are scary, even the alligators and animals in the Everglades. Even Ms. Malkin has a soft, squishy body that slides and glides around. Leo and Squirtle move like their actual species, even with the slightly gross jokes about Leo's regrowing tail and the Squirtle's tattoo getting slung around.

The Song and Dance: The last thing I expected from Adam Sandler was a touching rumination on growing older, listening, and how elders can mentor the next generation. He was hilarious as Leo, especially when encouraging the kids and telling them how special they are. The kids were adorable, Strong was terrific as the grouchy older substitute teacher who has never been able to connect with her students well enough for full teaching, and Burr comes off even better as the turtle who wonders why the kids don't pay attention to him like they do his best friend. Even the songs are catchy and fun.  And really, there should be more animated movies for kids that revolve around how they deal with their elders and what it feels like to grow up and get older. 

Favorite Number: We open with the kids singing about how "Last Year" went, and what they hope for this school year. "Feeling Free" and "Here's to Us" are background numbers as we learn about Leo's desire to see the Everglades and his friendship with Squirtle. Leo gives us the "Lizard's Lament" as he complains about how he'll never get to live his dream. The two teachers insist that "There's a Time" to work and a time to be at home when pregnant.

"The Talking Song" has Leo encouraging chatty Summer (Sunny Sandler) to ask questions instead of rambling on. He tells Eli (Rory Smigel) to write a "Dear Drone" letter and break up with his flying babysitter. Spoiled Jayda (Sadie Sandler) is reminded that she's "Not That Great" as her obnoxious rich father (Jason Alexander) does a Busby Berkeley take off with dancing clocks to "Extra Time." "Instruction" is a montage of the kids learning life lessons from Leo. "Can't Feel My Face" has Cole (Bryant Tardy and Corey J) revealing his childishly high voice...which turns out to be great for a rendition of "Last Christmas" at the school's holiday recital. Leo gently admonishes brainy Mia (Reese Lores) "Don't Cry" as he helps her get to sleep. 

The kids and Ms. Malkin sadly recall how happy they were "When I Was 10" after they believe Leo has betrayed them. Leo reminds Ms. Malkin how "Happy" she was when a favorite teacher encouraged her to learn. We hear "Last Year" again as the kids graduate and Ms. Malkin and the two pets get new assignments. "When It's Us" is heard over the credits as Leo, Ms. Malkin, and Squirtle avoid the feral kindergartners who are now their charges.

What I Don't Like: At times, the movie feels like a cross between the Disney show Recess from the early 2000's and The Magic School Bus. The kids and their problems are nothing new, though them getting advice from an aging pet is certainly an interesting new wrinkle. As per most of Adam Sandler's comedies and the film's audience, the jokes can occasionally be gross bordering on annoying, like where Squirtle's tattoo ended up and what the one class fish is constantly doing. 

The Big Finale: Highly recommended for fans of Sandler who don't think he can do gentle and charming and families looking for a great animated movie appropriate for 8 to 12 year olds. 

Home Media: It's a Netflix exclusive at the moment. 

Netflix

Mo' Better Blues

Universal, 1990

Starring Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Joie Lee, and Wesley Snipes

Directed by Spike Lee

Music and Lyrics by various

School Daze was the first time Spike Jones made a musical, but it would be far from the last. Two years later, he traded pop and rap for smoky jazz halls and a more intimate plot revolving around a driven musician and how his bad decisions impact his relationships and his career. This would also be his first of six movies to date featuring Denzel Washington, just as he was beginning his career as one of the most beloved and intense stars in Hollywood. How does the story of that musician and his band look nowadays? Let's begin with the young Bleek Gilliam in 1969, whose mother is so obsessed with him learning the trumpet, she refuses to let him out to play with his friends, and find out...

The Story: Twenty years later, the adult Bleek (Washington) is the head of a popular jazz quintet with a regular gig at a Brooklyn jazz club. He does like his girlfriend Indigo (Joie Lee), but he's interested in other women, too, and isn't ready to settle down. The band's manager Giant (Spike Lee) is having his own trouble paying off gambling debts. Bleek wants a better contract, but the owners of the club insist Giant locked them into their current deal. 

Bleek's not doing so well with the ladies, either. He tries dating Indigo and Clarke Bentancourt (Cynda Williams) at the same time, only to buy them the same dress and call them by the wrong names. Doesn't help that his saxophonist Shadow Henderson (Wesley Snipes) loves Clarke, too, and is gunning for more solos and more respect. He finally fires Shadow after a confrontation, then Giant when he learns about his gambling. He still can't help intervening when the loan sharks attack Giant...but his injury in the ensuing fight leads him to lose his career and rethink his life choices.

The Song and Dance: Washington and the music are the things here. They both have an excellent showcase, whether Washington is bouncing heedlessly between the women in his life, or Jones is capturing the smoke and sweat and heat of small-time jazz clubs. Fans of Bradford Marsalis and his groups will really get a kick out of this. Some of his music is sensational, especially the numbers mid-way through.

Favorite Number: Our first song at the club is "Say Hey," which gives us a glimpse of what Bleek is doing as an adult and Giant's giant problems with gambling. Other Marsalis jazz compositions heard at the club include "Knocked Out of the Box," "Again, Never" (which was nominated for a Grammy), and the title song. "Pop Top 40" is Washington and Snipes parodying the then-popular rap and R&B culture. "Beneath the Underdog" is the last song Bleek does before the brawl in the alley that ends his career. "A Jazz Thing" is the song he tries to play along with after he returns. Williams finally gets her chance to sing with a band with the sultry "Harlem Nocturne."

Trivia: Washington and Snipes trained to mimic Terrance Blanchard and Donald Harrison's playing. They admitted that they were never going to be virtuoso players, but they were able to mimic the men very well.

Dedicated to character actor and comedian Robin Harris, who died shortly after the film's completion.

Joie Lee is Spike Lee's sister. During the wedding scenes, she's given away by her actual father Bill Lee.

What I Don't Like: For all the focus on Washington's character, I actually wish there was even more on his troubles. Giant is almost more of a lead character than he is, especially mid-way through when the movie has shifted gears to focus on his problems with the loan sharks. Lee's not a bad actor, but he's not at the level of either Snipes or Washington. Also, as in many of Lee's earlier films, the women are treated rather badly. They both deserve better than these jazz-obsessed jerks give them, and in real life, I doubt either would have gone back to Bleek, no matter how badly he wanted to be saved. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Washington, Snipes, or Marsalis' or Lee's other work, you'll want to join Bleek and his quintet onstage for this love letter to smooth jazz and those who make the music happen.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals On TV - Cindy (1978)

ABC, 1978

Starring Charlayne Woodard, Scoey Mitchilll, Mae Mercer, and Cleavant Derricks

Directed by William A. Graham

Music and Lyrics by Stan Daniels

Let's celebrate Juneteenth this week with two very different takes on the African-American experience during the mid-late 20th century. Tales of American history were all the rage on TV in the late 70's after the success of mini-series like Roots and Rich Man, Poor Man. Minstrel Man is one result of this increased interest in both African-American history and American history in general. This is another. The World War II setting may also be part of the nostalgia craze of the 70's that had people looking to the recent past to escape the horrors of the present. How does that feed into this unique version of the beloved fairy tale? Let's begin with a narrator flat-out admitting over a more traditional fairy-tale book that this is a modern adaptation as a random jazz quartet starts the opening credits music and find out...

The Story: Cindy (Woodard) has come from the south to live with her daddy (Mitchilll) in 1943 Harlem. She's out of place in the faster pace of the city, and especially with her money-hungry stepmother Sara (Mercer) and snooty stepsisters Olive (Nell Carter) and Venus (Alaina Reed Hall). Her only friend is Michael Simpson (Derricks), the guy who lives on the fire escape over her and is too lazy to join the draft.

Cindy desperately wants to attend the Sugar Hill Ball, but her father can't earn the money for a dress, and her stepmother and stepsisters don't want her there anyway. Michael takes pity on her and loans her a dress he borrowed from the wife of his employer. At the ball, she's swept off her feet by handsome Captain Joe Prince (Clifton Davies), but loses one of her sneakers when she flees because Michael has to get the dress back. Captain Prince is determined to find the girl of his dreams...but even when he does, Cindy realizes when Michael makes the ultimate sacrifice who is really the man for her.

The Song and Dance: Sweet story is anchored by eager Woodard and relaxed Mitchilll as her daddy who fibs about his real status at work to impress her and her stepmother. Hall and Carter are a riot as the tough, man-crazy stepsisters, and Davies has a few funny moments as the princely heroic captain who only need to dance with Cindy to fall in love with her. There's some amusing touches, like the jazz quartet who keep popping up to provide background music and comment on the action, or the montage of the private detective (W. Benson Terry) trying on that sneaker to Fats Waller's "Your Feet's Too Big." The period-perfect costumes and gorgeous ball gowns (including Cindy's head-turning white lace outfit) were nominated for Emmys in 1978. 

Favorite Number: We open with Cindy joining little girls jumping rope on the street with an enthusiastic version of the jump rope chant "One for the Money." It doesn't go so well for her stepsisters when they try. Despite her father telling her that city folks worship far quieter than country folks, Cindy still tears into "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." Her stepsisters claim the "Sugar Hill Ball" is so wonderful, they can't describe it. We get several instrumental swing numbers at the ball as everyone swirls to the music...and then Cindy arrives, and the music becomes everything from slow ballads to tango. 

"Your Feet's Too Big" is the montage as the private detective tries that sneaker on every eligible maiden in Harlem. Cindy's daddy tells his fussy wife that he's been lying about his job, but he's proud to be a "Men's Room Attendant." It amusingly turns into a big chorus number, with guys popping out of stalls to sing along. Joe tells Cindy that you know "When It Happens." Her family encourages her to accept his proposal, but there's someone else Cindy loves more. The movie ends with Cindy admitting that "Love Is the Magic" as she thinks of how happy she is.

What I Don't Like: Other than the "Feet's Too Big" montage, the new songs are period-accurate jazz and showtunes, but otherwise not terribly memorable. Derricks' Michael is well-meaning but a bit dull. There's not much to him other than he won't join the war. I do like the twist about whom Cindy ends up with, but I wish we'd seen a little more of them together before that. And yes, this is a low-budget TV musical from the late 70's. The costumes are lovely, but the sets are mainly cramped rooms, ball rooms, and fire escapes. 

The Big Finale: Like Minstrel Man, this is a charming and enjoyable bit of black TV history that really deserves to be better-known. 

Home Media: Also like Minstrel Man, at press time it can only be found in a washed-out copy on YouTube.

YouTube

Happy Father's Day! - Rock-A-Bye Baby

Paramount, 1958

Starring Jerry Lewis, Connie Stevens, Marilyn Maxwell, and Salvatore Baccaloni

Directed by Frank Tashlin

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Let's celebrate Father's Day with a dad who really knows about taking care of children. This would be Lewis' third solo movie after breaking up with Dean Martin, and his first with director Tashlin. Considering Tashlin used to direct cartoons and Lewis acted like a live-action cartoon at times, it wound up being a match made in film comedy heaven. How does the tale of a TV repairman who finds himself taking care of three abandoned babies look nowadays, as more fathers take care of children on their own? Let's begin, not with Lewis, but with movie star Carla Naples (Maxwell) as she admits to her agent Harold Hermann (Reginald Gardiner) that she has a big problem and find out...

The Story: Carla admits to Harold that she had a drunken night with a Mexican matador and ended up marrying him. They were going to have it annulled, but then he died in the ring. She returns to her hometown in Indiana to ask TV repairman Clayton Poole (Lewis) to take care of her child. Clayton has always been devoted to Carla and agrees to watch the baby. 

To his shock, it turns out to be not one, but three babies! Clayton runs himself ragged trying to care for and afford the three little girls, until her sister Sandy (Stevens) and strict barber father Gigi (Baccaloni) agree to help. Even with them pitching in, the Indiana child support services insist on placing them with a more typical two-parent family. Sandy finally claims she's married to him...just as Carla decides she wants her children and says she's married to Clayton! Clayton goes on the run, until he figures out which lady he really cares about.

The Song and Dance: I was expecting something annoying, like a few of Lewis' later vehicles, but this ended up being rather sweet. Makes me wish Lewis did more flat-out musicals without Dean Martin. He has the lion's share of the music, including the opening number over the credits and a hilarious rock spoof, and he handles them very well. Baccaloni starts out as a stereotypical strict Italian father, but he ends up a lot more interesting when he sees Clayton working hard to take care of the babies and realizes he may have been too hard on his girls. Their duet ends up being one of the film's highlights. Tashlin's own manic sensibilities always brought out the best in Lewis, and this is no exception. Some of Clayton's gags early-on when he's trying to stop a blasting hose and figure out how to take care of three babies are especially funny.

Favorite Number: We open with the show-business "Rock-a-Bye-Baby" over the credits, as Lewis and several show girls romp through a theater, explaining what we're going to see. The first song in the actual film is "The Land of La La La," as Clayton recalls his relationship with Carla as children in their favorite spot. He insists that "Love Is a Lonely Thing" when he worries about having to leave town because of Gigi's wrath. Clayton and Gigi have a genuinely charming lullaby, "Dormi, Dormi, Dormi" that finally makes the worried grandpapa understand how much Clayton loves his little girls. 

Sandy bemoans Clayton seeing her as a child, even as she helps to take care of his children, wondering "Why Can't He Care for Me?" We get to see the filming of the so-called Egyptian "epic" that caused Carla to abandon her daughters as chorus girls in loincloths sing about "The White Virgin of the Nile." Clayton is so desperate to make milk money, he joins a rock group playing for a local TV amateur hour in the early rock spoof "Rock My Baby, Rock." He's no guitar-player, but he does prove to have some pretty sweet - if rather odd and jerky - moves. 

Trivia: That's Lewis' son Gary playing him as a boy during the "Land of La La La" number. 

Based after the 1944 Preston Sturges comedy Miracle at Morgan's Creek. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, neither Stevens nor Maxwell come off especially well. Stevens is annoying and obnoxious, pushing herself at Clayton when it's obvious he wasn't interested. It feels more like they end up together because the script says so than any chemistry between Stevens and Lewis. Maxwell is a little cold, leaving her children for what turns out to be an empty-headed musical, and her sudden change of the heart in the end feels like too little, too late. Also, there is a lot of Lewis in this movie. He even has most of the songs. If you're not a fan of his, this isn't the place for you.

The Big Finale: If you ever wondered if Jerry Lewis could handle a musical on his own, the answer is...yes, mostly. Recommended for fans of his or Tashlin's who love slapstick or early rock satire. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.  DVD and Blue Ray are via Olive Films.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals On Streaming - The Prom

Netflix, 2020

Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Jo Ellen Pellman, and Nicole Kidman

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Music by Matthew Skylar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

Our next Pride Month musical is based on a real-life incident. In 2010, a lesbian teenage girl was banned from attending her prom with her girlfriend at a school in Mississippi. They did let her attend a separate prom, while local parents held another for the other children. Celebrities eventually rallied around her cause so the kids could attend a prom with everyone. Though the Broadway show wasn't a hit in 2018, a film version was announced in 2019. Despite interference from the pandemic, it still managed to make it out to Netflix and a few theaters in December 2020. Does it deserve its time to shine, or should it remain in the closet? Let's begin as the PTA of Edgewater, Indiana make a momentous decision about their prom and find out...

The Story: Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), the head of the PTA, announces that prom is canceled due to lesbian student Emma (Pellman) wanting to attend with her girlfriend. Narcissistic Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen (Streep) and Barry Glickman (Corden) pick up the story on social media and decide to champion Emma's cause to make them seem more charitable. They're joined by Angie Dickinson (Kidman), who just quit the chorus line of Chicago after 20 years, and former sitcom star turned stage actor Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannelis).

They burst into Edgewater and immediately attempt to shove Emma's story in the spotlight. All Emma wants is a chance to enjoy dancing with her sweetheart Alyssa (Ariana DeBoise), but Alyssa fears upsetting her mother Mrs. Greene. Emma's also constantly being bullied by the straight teens in the school who blame her for losing their prom. She does have sympathetic principal Tom Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Kay), a huge fan of Dee Dee's, in her corner. 

When the PTA creates a separate prom for her and leaves her out anyway, Dee Dee and the others think the best way is to get Emma on a big TV show. Emma, however, has her own way of showing how important being who you are is...and finds a way to connect with people young and old and prove there's nothing wrong with being yourself, no matter what yourself is. 

The Song and Dance: This movie is so corny, it manages to flip all the way around to being weirdly cool. Streep has an absolute ball as the stage star who learns that the whole world doesn't revolve around her, while DeBose beautifully handles her role as the "perfect" daughter who loves her girlfriend, but can't bring herself to disappoint her mother. Critics came down hard on Corden because he's not really gay and plays the role of Barry as a stereotype, but I think he's fine and the problem is more the script than his performance. Rannellis is a riot as the good-natured actor who finds his calling teaching teens about the wonders of theater. The candy-colored production makes the rainbow look pale, with its glittering, feather-and-spangle costumes nicely contrasting with its more realistic Indiana sets.

Favorite Number: We open with "Changing Lives," as we see the Eleanor Roosevelt musical Dee Dee and Barry starred in that bombed on Broadway, and how they and their friends decide to champion Emma's cause. "Just Breathe" says Emma as she's constantly ridiculed at school for being different and causing the prom to be canceled. "It's Not About Me" Dee Dee claims to the PTA when she and her friends barge into the PTA meeting...but of course, they manage to make it about them anyway. All Emma wants to do is "Dance With You" as she and Alyssa dream of their prom. 

"You Happened" says all of the kids as they give their significant others their "prom-posals," including Emma and Alyssa. "We Look to You" Tom admits to Dee Dee as he explains why he loves her and musical theater. Everyone says "Tonight Belongs to You" as they prepare for the prom...until poor Emma realizes that her prom is separate from everyone else's. Angie encourages Emma to show some "Zazz" and stand up for herself. Dee Dee claims "The Lady's Improving" after Tom comes down on her for using Emma as a comeback vehicle. "Alyssa Greene" explains to her girlfriend why it's so hard to be the perfect girl her controlling mother wants to see.

Trent and the touring cast of Godspell finally get through to Emma's tormentors by reminding them to "Love Thy Neighbor," and that using the Bible as an excuse for their poor treatment of Emma denies their own hypocrisy and teen rebellion. Barry's delighted when Emma invites him to the inclusive prom with her, as "Barry Is Going to Prom." Emma's truly touching "Unruly Heart" reaches gay teens across races and sexualities as she encourages them to come out and be what they are. After she's finished, there's not a dry eye online. Even I shed a few tears. The entire cast ends at that inclusive prom, because "It's Time to Dance." Mrs. Greene joins the other ladies over the credits for "Wear Your Crown," while Barry ends with "Simply Love."

Trivia: Alas, in real life, the inspiration for Emma didn't get her inclusive prom. She ended up suing the school, receiving scholarship money and $35,000 in damages. 

The Broadway stage show didn't do so well, either. Despite some good reviews, it barely lasted nine months in New York and didn't recoup its investment. It did tour, and it's now available for regional productions. 

What I Don't Like: At times, the movie comes off as bombastic as the character actors at its core. And they really shouldn't be the ones at its core. The story is really about Emma and should focus more on her, Alyssa, and the kids. Other than her one number "Zazz," Kidman doesn't really have much to do. Pellman tries too hard to hide her feelings, smiling in scenes like "Just Breathe" where she should be anything but happy. 

The Big Finale: This might have been too bombastic for Broadway, but it's a total hoot on Netflix. If you want to check out a big shiny happy Broadway show with a modern bent or are a fan of Streep or Corden, you'll want to give this prom another chance to shine. 

Home Media: At press time, this is a Netflix exclusive. 

Netflix

Hello Again (2017)

Screen Vision Media/KAOS Connect, 2017

Starring Sam Underwood, Martha Plimpton, Rumer Willis, and Audra Ann McDonald

Directed by Tom Gustafson 

Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa

We celebrate Pride Month this week with two recent films that explore all forms and varieties of sexuality. This began as an off-Broadway retelling of the 1897 play La Ronde, the tale of ten interrelated love affairs during each decade of the 20th Century. The play kept the structure, with one character from each episode playing a role in the next, but updated the action and several characters. How do these stories of love across time look nowadays? We begin with the Politician (Plimpton) as she explains to a masked prostitute (Underwood) why she's there before going back in time...

The Story: As mentioned, there's actually 10 stories, all interconnected. In 1902, a prostitute (Underwood) makes love with a soldier (Nolan Gerald Funk) who won't pay. A soldier (Funk) makes love with a nurse (Ushkowitz) in 1942, only for him to abandon her after they make love in a car. The nurse (Ushkowitz) in 1967 seduces a college boy (Al Calderon) she's taking care of, tying him up and leaving him there. The college student (Calderon) wants a wife (Willis) to make love to him in a silent movie theater in 1929, but it's not enough. The wife (Willis) in 1956 dreams of a life with a man more exciting than her husband (T.R Knight).

A husband (T.R Knight) makes love with a handsome young man (Tyler Blackburn) on the Titanic, but the boy abandons him when the ship starts sinking. In 1976, a filmmaker (Cheyenne Jackson) lies to a youth (Blackburn) about him being a big-time screenwriter to get him into bed, only for the boy to leave when he realizes the truth. An actress (McDonald) trying to revive her singing career falls for her producer ex-lover (Jackson) in 2002, but he already has someone else. The former actress (MacDonald) in a secret relationship with the politician (Plimpton) she works with wants it to go further, but the politician is more worried about her career. Which brings us back to 2012, as the politician (Plimpton) dreams of a relationship with the masked prostitute. 

The Song and Dance: This is certainly one of the most unique musicals out there. There's some excellent performances to be found in this film, anchored by Plimpton as the political hopeful. We also have MacDonald as the actress who wants more, out of life and relationships, Willis as the disappointed wife, and Underwood as the mysterious prostitute. The filming makes the most of the low budget with some excellent shots of New York across time and the brief but sumptuous sequence on the Titanic. LaChuisa's almost operatic music and Gustafson's direction explore sexuality and what it means to be a sexual being in ways most mainstream musicals don't dare.

Favorite Number: We open with the Politician admitting "I've Been Looking for Someone." The title song is heard several times, including during the 1901 segment and as a big band dance number in 1942. The soldier in 1942 tells the nurse that "I Gotta Little Time" and "We Kiss," but leaves her behind anyway. The nurse sings in 1967 about how "In Some Other Life," things might be different. The wife sings about "The Story of My Life" in 1929, but the college kid is more interested in his pleasure than hers. She wonders in 1956 what "The Greatest of Adventures" would have been like with "Tom." 

The husband is happy to be making love with a gorgeous guy on a "Ship of Dreams," but admonishes him to "Listen to the Music," not to the ship and their dream going under. The writer in 1976 just wants to be "Safe" with a gorgeous guy who is "The One I Love," even if he has to lie to him. In 2002, the actress gives the "Performance of a Lifetime" in the music video her ex is filming, the odd "Beyond the Moon." She's "The Mistress of the Senator" in 1989, even if she has to live in "A Lie." It ends with the politician admitting "The Bed Was Not My Own."

Trivia: Hello Again originally opened off-Broadway in New York and ran for two months. It did well critically, but saw far more success in Europe. It had two major London productions and has been performed in Germany and Scandinavia as well. 

What I Don't Like: This is a very strange, and rather dark and depressing, musical. Not a single relationship ends happily. The lower budget and stage origins are reflected in the more obvious and claustrophobic sets, like the canteen in 1942 and the recording studio in 2002. LaChiusa is known for writing nearly opera-like music for his shows, and this one is no exception. The music is just as demanding - and often as cold - as its subject matter. There's a lot more to relationships than sex, but you'd never know it from everything that goes on here. It's not for people looking for a straightforward, family-oriented musical, or for cotton candy fluff with a typical happy ending. 

The Big Finale: Adult stage musical fans or those interest in gay theater history may want to give this unusual look at relationships in the 20th century a try.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the latter currently free with ads at Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Seuss Short Subject Special - Dr. Seuss On the Loose & Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?

Let's go on vacation with these two unique Seuss specials. On the Loose is the only animated Seuss anthology; Pontoffel Pock is one of four made exclusively for television and not based on a previous book. Are they as much fun as more familiar stories like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or should they be left unbudged in the desert? Let's begin with the Cat (Allan Sherman) explaining the Sneeches and their problem and find out...

Dr. Seuss On the Loose (Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories)

CBS, 1973

Voices of Allan Sherman, Hans Conried, Paul Winchell, and Bob Holt

Directed by Hawley Pratt

Music by Dean Elliot; Lyrics by Dr. Seuss

The Story: Since this is based on a Seuss anthology, we actually have three stories:

The Sneeches: The Sneeches (Winchell and Holt) are yellow bird-like creatures who live on the beaches. Sneeches who have green stars on their bellies snub those who don't have them, until Sylvester McMonkey McBean (Holt) turns up with his "fix-it-up machines" that can add and remove stars. Now Sneeches are running all over the beaches, trying to one-up the other crowd...at least until they spend all their money, and McBean leaves with his machines and a lesson learned.

The Zax: A north-going Zax (Conried) and a south-going Zax (Conried) meet in the middle of the desert. They will not budge and let the other pass for anything...even when the world continues around them.

Green Eggs and Ham: Sam-I-Am (Winchell) will do anything to convince a man (Winchell) to eat his favorite dish. After following him everywhere from a house to a box to a car to a train to a boat, the man finally learns that it can be fun to try something new, even if it looks strange at first.

The Animation: Same as the other Dr. Seuss specials of the 1970's and 80's. It's bright and colorful sketchy line drawings that closely resemble the Seuss books these specials came from. They have the most fun with all the details in Green Eggs and Ham. Some of the background details here are really funny, from Sam introducing the animals to what happens to the boat. 

The Song and Dance: Some of Dr. Seuss' most unusual characters can be found in these stories. Kudos to the voice actors, especially Holt and Winchell, for managing to make each and every character sound different. Conried does equally well narrating the Zax and giving us an idea of how stubborn they are. And I actually like the idea of them doing three stories, as per the original Dr Seuss On the Loose book. We get a lot of variety, from the Sneeches' race and class parable to the super-short Zax to the purely comic Green Eggs and Ham. 

Favorite Number: We open with the Cat In the Hat explaining about "The Sneeches" as he prances on their beaches. "Twinkle, Twinkle Lovely Star" is the Sneeches' first number as the star-bellied Sneeches lord their tummy badges over the ones that don't have them, and the others wish they could join in. The star-bellies sing "A Toast" to their stars at their first marshmallow roast. When everyone reprises it in the end, it's now about how they've learned that what matters is what you're like inside, not the stars on the outside.

The Cat's introduction to "The Zax" is the only song in that super-short segment. He also gives us a brief introductory song for "Green Eggs and Ham." The chorus gets the number heard throughout the special, "He Will Eat Them." The man finally reprises it in the end with the animals as he finally gives those pesky emerald-hued breakfast food a try. 

Trivia: Allan Sherman's last role. He died a month after this first aired.

The only Seuss special to feature more than one story.

What I Don't Like: Ham is slightly more violent than the original story, and while there's not nearly as much padding as there would be in the heavily revised Netflix TV show, there's still quite a bit of random slapstick. Green Eggs and Ham is also not from the original Dr. Seuss On the Loose book. The other two stories in that book are "Too Many Daves," about a mother who wonders what else she could have named her 23 sons, and "What Was I Scared Of," about a child afraid of moving pants. They may have been too short and/or odd to adapt. 

The Big Finale: Another favorite Seuss special. Check this out with your kids, especially those who are starting to learn about race and class relations. 

Home Media: Easily available in every format, both on its own and as part of Seuss collections. Can currently be found on DVD paired with Pontoffel Pock and The Butter Battle Book. 

DVD - Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories Deluxe Edition

DVD - Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!

Blu-Ray - Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham and Other Stories Deluxe Edition

YouTube

Pontoffel Pock, Where are You? (Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano) 

ABC, 1980

Voices of Wayne Morton, Joe Raposo, Hal Smith, and Sue Allen

Directed by Gerald Baldwin

Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo

The Story: A "schnook" by his own admission, Pontoffel Pock (Morton) would do anything to get away from his family's decaying home and his failed dill pickle factory job. The fairy MacGillicuddy (Smith) hears his plea and gives him a magic piano that can take him anywhere at the press of a button. He first visits the mountain country Groogan, but his showing off wrecks so much havoc, they shoot paint at him instead. 

After he begs MacGillicuddy for a second chance, he heads to the desert town of Casbahmopolis. He hasn't been there more than two minutes when he falls for the "eyeball dancer" Neefa Feefa (Allen), a performer for the sultan who also hates her job and wants to get away from it all. He rescues Neefa, only to drop her on his escape. When he gets hopelessly lost, the fairies all chase after him to return the piano, but he just wants to get back to his Neefa.

The Animation: Same deal here. This one may be even more colorful, as per the around-the-world setting. Groogan is vaguely Swiss, with its lederhosen and Germanic accents, while Casbahopolis gives us purples, deep blues, and brilliant golds straight out of Arabian Nights. Some nice character animation too, especially on the fairies and Neefa Feefa.

The Song and Dance: The nifty animation and Raposo's catchy songs are the order of the day here. Smith has a field day as both the fussy fairy who can't believe anyone could make such a mess of a flying piano and the weary fairy-in-chief after they've been chasing Pock for the last five minutes. This is also one of the more action-packed Seuss stories, with everyone chasing Pock and him trying to first rescue, then find his Neefa again in the second half. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Pull On the Pull 'Em" as Gil Gickler, the Master Dill Pickler (Raposo) explains how his job works. After the disaster at the factory, Pock admits "I Had Failed" and introduces "The House My Family Left Me." MacGillicuddy introduces "That Wonderful Piano" when he answers Pock's request. 

"Welcome to Groogan" say the townspeople, until Pock swooping around in "I'm Flying Free" makes a mess of their home. After that, it's "Load Up that Goomy Gun" and shoot that show-off down! Neefa Feefa complains about her own job dancing for the sultan in "Optic Coptic (The Eyes Song)." Everyone gets involved in the title song as the fairies chase Pock, Pock tries to figure out how to get back to Eefa, and Eefa wonders why he hasn't returned to her yet. We end with a reprise of "Pull On," this time with Eefa joining in as well.

Trivia: The last Dr. Seuss special done by Freleng-DePatie Enterprises before they were sold to Marvel Comics and became Marvel Productions. 

Nominated for Outstanding Animated Program at the Emmys in 1980. 

What I Don't Like: Kind of a strange story, even for Seuss. Pock's so much of a "schnook," he comes off as a little bland or annoying other than his showing off to the Groogans. The story can get a little jumbled and hard to follow near the end, when everyone is chasing Pock. The Arabian stereotypes during the Casbahopolis sequences might be slightly offensive to some people.

The Big Finale: There's enough worth checking out here for those who are fans of Seuss or want to try a different Seuss with their elementary school-age kids.

Home Media: As mentioned, this is on disc paired with Dr. Seuss On the Loose and The Butter Battle Book. The only place it can currently be found solo is on YouTube. 

YouTube

Strike Me Pink

Goldwyn/United Artists, 1936

Starring Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman, Sailly Eilers, and Harry Einstein (Parkyakarkus) 

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by Lew Brown

By the mid-30's, the Goldwyn/Cantor extravaganzas weren't the only game in town for merriment. Berkeley had moved to Warners, while the Production Code ensured that the Goldwyn Girls could no longer show skin and Cantor's blackface numbers couldn't be quite so suggestive. Musicals had come back into fashion, and now every studio was creating lavish spectaculars featuing big numbers with lots of pretty girls. How does Cantor's last movie for Goldwyn reflect these changes? Let's begin, not with Cantor, but with college student Butch Carson (Gordon Jones) as he defends a smaller student from bullies, and find out...

The Story: Butch is a sweet guy, but he's not very bright. He turns to his friend Eddie Pink (Cantor), the owner of the tailor shop where he studies, to help him ace his final exams. He was supposed to take over managing his mother Hattie Carson's (Helene Lowell) amusement park, but joins the Navy instead. Eddie, who has read a book on how to be more assertive, gallantly agrees to take the job.

He instantly regrets it when he realizes that a group of gangsters led by Mr. Couple (William Frawley) have been pushing to have their illegal slot machines in the amusement park and have killed all of Eddie's predecessors. He manages to avoid their bullets and hypnotize one of their men, though he doesn't have much luck dodging his meddling bodyguard Parkyakarkus (Einstein). His crush on nightclub singer Joyce Lennox (Merman) may be what does him in when she convinces him that she killed a man. He'll do anything to help her, but even he thinks there's something going on when gangsters phony ghosts who can burp and play cards start chasing him and Parkyakarkus all over the amusement park!

The Song and Dance: Cantor dominates this from start to finish. He does get some good routines, especially when he's hypnotizing gangsters or convincing them he's impervious to their bullets. (I also appreciate that this is one of two Goldwyn movies where he doesn't end up in blackface, not even to avoid the mob.) Eliers gets a few good lines as his disbelieving secretary, and Frawley's a decent menacing gangster. Goldwyn's usual lavishness gives us gorgeous gowns for the ladies and location shooting at the long-gone The Pike amusement pier in Long Beach, California. 

Favorite Number: Taurog begins Merman's nightclub number "First You Have Me High" with a striking shot of her in black, with just her white face surrounded by a dark background. This eventually becomes dozens of dancing Goldwyn Girls who are joined by handsome partners as they swirl around her. Cantor admires comely Dona Drake and the Goldwyn Girls as they swirl across the stage, singing about how "The Lady Dances." Merman and Cantor sing on the Ferris wheel about how he'll be smoking a "Calabash Pipe" when they grow old together, despite her having no real interest in him. Merman gets to solo on the peppier "Shake It Off With Rhythm," this time joined by Sunnie O'Dea and the Goldwyn Girls tapping to their mirrored reflections.

Trivia: Look for a young Brian Donlevy among the thugs threatening Eddie. 

What I Don't Like: No one besides Cantor and the gangsters really have all that much to do. Merman is top-billed with Cantor, but other than her numbers and luring Eddie with her phony murder story during the middle of the movie, she's barely there. You think Jones will be a prominent character, from what a big deal they make over Eddie helping Butch out in the opening, but he vanishes after ten minutes and is neither seen, nor heard from again. Harold Arlen and Lew Brown's songs are lovely, but not that memorable.

The Big Finale: Fine for major fans of Cantor or Merman. Casual viewers will want to start with one of his earlier, better-received vehicles like The Kid from Spain or Roman Scandals. 

Home Media: Once again, easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

The Kid from Spain

Samuel Goldywn/United Artists, 1932

Starring Eddie Cantor, Lyda Roberti, Robert Young, and Ruth Hall

Directed by Leo McCarey

Music by Bert Kalmar; Lyrics by Harry Ruby

This week, we're returning to the wild world of comedian Eddie Cantor with two more of his vehicles for producer Samuel Goldwyn. Cantor's wacky movies were the height of escapist entertainment during the worst years of the Great Depression. Between his stage appearances, his annual movie in November or December, and his radio show, Cantor was one of the biggest stars in the world at this point. Does he live up to that legacy here, or should this movie be chased off by a bull? Let's begin very far from Spain in an oversized college room ala Goldwyn and find out...

The Story: Eddie Williams (Cantor) and his friend Ricardo (Young) are expelled from college after Ricardo gets his friend drunk and leaves him in the women's dormitory. As they figure out what to do next, Eddie accidentally finds himself mixed up in a bank robbery and forced to drive the criminals to Mexico. To Eddie's horror, he learns there's a detective (Robert Emmett O'Connor) who's hot on his trail. 

He reunites with Ricardo in Mexico and poses as Don Sebastian II, a great bullfighter, to avoid being caught. This has its own problems. Eddie tries to help Ricardo win sweet Anita Gomez (Hall), but she's promised to Pancho (John Miljan). Meanwhile, her sister Rosalie (Roberti) falls for Eddie, but she's already involved with the bandit Pedro (J. Carrol Naish). Eddie's going to have to fight that bull whether he likes it or not in order to avoid the authorities and prove to everyone that he has what it takes to be a real fighter. 

The Song and Dance: This wild bit of Hollywood fantasy benefits from Cantor's nutty brand of humor, Goldwyn's typical largess, and delightful directorial touches from both McCarey and Busby Berkeley. Berkeley's signature style is all over this movie, from the sexy (and extraneous) opening number in the pool to the big "What a Perfect Combination" number at the night club. Roberti more than matches Cantor with her odd accent and equally manic energy, while J. Carrol Naish has fun as the menacing bandit who doesn't like Eddie messing around with his girl.

Favorite Number: And we open in that girls' dormitory with their big number, "But We Must Rise (The College Song," as they begin their morning routine. Somehow their morning routine includes doing formations for an overhead camera in a huge pool and descending down a slide to their dorm room. After Eddie gets to Mexico, he sings about all the naughty things that happen "In the Moonlight" as he passes couples. 

"Look What You've Done" Eddie fusses to the delighted Rosalie as she tells him she's in love and he admits he's got a lot more on his mind than romance. Dancer Grace Poggi does a brief flamenco to an instrumental song before Eddie turns up in blackface for his big routine. "What a Perfect Combination" he claims as Goldwyn Girls in black and white lace Mexican-style outfits dance and make formations around him. 

Trivia: Real-life American matador Sidney Franklin is seen showing off his actual skills in the ring right before Eddie comes out.

What I Don't Like: This is pure Hollywood fantasy, even for Goldwyn. None of the Mexicans are played by anyone who looks or sounds remotely Mexican, including Young and Hall. Hall is so dull she fades into the woodwork. Young's having a little more fun as Eddie's more dashing friend. The songs aren't bad, but they're far from Kalmar and Ruby's best. There's also all the skin shown during that (completely extraneous) opening number, and Cantor turning up in his signature blackface for no reason to sing "What a Perfect Combination." 

The Big Finale: If you can get past the goofy stereotypes, this is one of Cantor's better vehicles and his recommended for fans of him or Berkeley's other musicals of the 30's and 40's.

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

DVD

Amazon Prime

A Salute to the Sherman Brothers - A Symposium on Popular Songs

Disney, 1962

Voices of Paul Frees, Gloria Wood, Skip Farrell, and Billy Storm

Directed by Bill Justice

Music and Lyrics by the Sherman Brothers

This is in honor of Richard Sherman, who passed away on Wednesday. Symposium was one of their earlier projects at Disney, made just a year after Walt was impressed with their hits "Tall Paul" and "Pineapple Princess" for Annette Funicello and hired them. They looked into their own past with this unique 20-minute featurette as they recalled the styles of music their own songwriter father Al Sherman created in the 30's and 40's. 

This would also the be the first and only theatrical short for Professor Ludwig Von Drake, a talkative duck who was more commonly seen on The Wonderful World of Color TV show. Does Von Drake do as well with his hosting duties on the big screen as he did on NBC in the 1960's? Let's begin with Von Drake inviting us into the enormous mansion that houses the Symposium and find out...

The Story: Professor Von Drake explains the history of popular music and claims he more-or-less invented it, via 7 songs ranging from ragtime in the early 1910's to then-current rock.

Animation: While not the best they ever did, the Professor generally looks and moves a bit better here than he does on his episodes. The opening with the elegantly sketchy blue mansion is especially nice. The music segments are done as stop-motion and look unique for Disney, with their adorably cut-out-paper, hand-drawn look. 

The Song and Dance: If you know anything about the history of popular music up to the early 60's or are familiar with Von Drake's other shorts, this is really cute. Von Drake has some genuinely funny moments, including his rollicking take on rock in the finale. All of the stop-motion is pretty nifty, but the opening "Rutabaga Rag" with the dancing vegetables are definitely the coolest. 

Favorite Number: The Professor opens by claiming he created ragtime because he was broke and in rags when he did it. This takes us to our first number, "The Rutabaga Rag," with actual fruit and vegetables dancing to the ragtime beat. "Charleston Charlie" takes us into the Roaring 20's as the Professor recalls the days of raccoon coats and Betty-Booping flappers. He claims the name of the song was originally "Louisville Ludwig," but what we hear is a Dixieland satire performed by a cut-out booping cutie. 

"Although I Dropped $1,000" spoofs the cheer-up ditties of the early 30's that the Shermans' father Al specialized in, and even mentions a few of them. "I'm Blue for You, Boo Boo Boo" jumps to later in the 30's as we're introduced to a line-drawing version of crooners like Bing Crosby. "The Boogie Woogie Bakery Man" has fun with the Andrews Sisters and the close-harmony numbers they performed during World War II. "Puppy Love Is Here to Stay" is a homage to the more innocent brand of pop music that was big with teenagers during the early-mid 50's, while the Professor's "Rock, Rumble, and Roar" finishes things off with the rock that was just coming back into fashion.

Trivia: Nominated for Best Short Subject in 1963.

Though this is the only theatrical short featuring Professor Ludwig Von Drake to date, he continues to be used on TV, usually as a brainy absent-minded professor type on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck-based shows. 

What I Don't Like: Let's discuss "Boogie Woogie Bakery Man." The lyrics that reference Orientals and stereotypical treatment of the Chinese is in line with the time period being depicted and the early 60's, but song and artwork come off as dated and a bit offensive for many people nowadays. In fact, a lot of the references in the songs will likely fly over the head of younger kids who would enjoy watching Von Drake do his routines, and many adults who would be interested in the music and animation might get irritated by Von Drake's constant chatter. 

The Big Finale: Truth be told, while the Shermans' songs are a lot of fun, I don't think the Professor was quite ready for his theatrical close-up. Recommended only for major fans of Disney, Von Drake, or the Shermans. 

Home Media: To date, this has only been released on DVD as part of the limited edition Walt Disney Treasures set Disney Rarities, which is insanely expensive on Amazon. You're far better off looking for this used or on YouTube.

DVD - Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920's - 1960's

YouTube