Animation Celebration Extra - Shinbone Alley

Allied Artists, 1970

Voices of Carol Channing, Eddie Bracken, Alan Reed, and John Carradine

Directed by John David Wilson

Music by George Kleinsinger; Lyrics by Joe Darion

Cockroach poet Archy and his alley cat girlfriend Mehitabel go back to 1916, as comics by Don Francks in the New York Tribune spoofing city life in the 1910's and 20's. The comics remained popular in the 1950's, enough for a concept album based around the characters featuring Bracken, Channing, and David Wayne to be released in 1954. It was expanded for the stage in 1957, retaining Bracken as Archy and with Eartha Kitt replacing Channing as Mehitabel. Despite featuring some of the first stage work of Mel Brooks and the use of animal characters and an integrated cast, it was not a success, but the songs and the original stories retained enough fans for British animator Wilson to try them as an animated film. How well does he do bringing the trials and tribulations of two very different animal friends to life? Let's begin with a splash, and the voice of Archy (Bracken) as he jumps off a bridge, and find out...

The Story: Archy's suicide attempt ends with him being reincarnated as a cockroach. He's horrified by this at first, until he figures out how to write poetry by jumping on the keys of a reporter's (Byron Kane) typewriter and finds a muse in alley cat Mehitabel (Channing). He and Mehitabel become friends, despite her going off with tough tomcat Big Bill (Reed). Archy tries to convince her to get a better job after Bill drops her, but she just goes off with shady producer cat Tyrone T. Tattersall (Carradine) instead. 

Tattersall finally kicks her out when he's angry over her upstaging him by singing Romeo and Juliet. Mehitabel briefly ends up back with Big Bill, inspiring heartbroken Archy to lead the other bugs to a near-revolution. He eventually learns that Mehitabel has been abandoned with kittens and finally convinces her to take a respectable job as a house cat. Her children have a home, but she's bored, and Archy isn't allowed in the house. He takes up with decidedly unladylike ladybugs before he finally realizes that being a real friend means accepting your friends for what they are, bad choices and all. 

The Animation: The sketchy style is pretty common for animated films from this era. The characters move very well, and the backgrounds in particular are quite detailed, with its depictions of down-and-dirty New York in the 1910's from an animal's point of view. The animation is bumped up for the musical numbers. Archy's attempt to incite his fellow bugs to revolt against humankind is drawn in the sparer style of the original George Herriman artwork, indeed looking like a hand-drawn strip literally come to life.

The Song and Dance: Terrific performances anchor this odd adult animated musical. Bracken comes off better (and a lot less annoying) here than he ever did in live-action, especially screaming for bugs to riot in that revolution number! Channing more than matches him as the wild and fickle kitty who follows her heart - and her libido - first and her best friend a distance second. Alan Freed is so good as self-centered Bill, you'd barely recognize him as the long-time voice of Fred Flintstone. The animation is limited but occasionally gets fairly creative, as in that revolution sequence. And honestly, just the unique subject matter of a poetry-writing cockroach falling for a wild-living alley cat makes this more interesting than most animated films from this era.

The Songs: We open with "I Am Only a Poor Cockroach" as Archy explains his situation and how he ended up in a roach's body. Mehibital and her ladies sing "Come to Meeoww" as their introductory and the introduction to life as an alley cat. Big Bill and his buddies have more positive feelings about their home in the jaunty ragtime title song. "Archy's Philosophies" covers everything from the human race to poetry, which segways in to "The Moth Song" as he describes what happens to a moth when they do "the conventional thing" and play with fire. 

Mehitabel comes back after Bill drops her, determined as ever to say "Cheerio My Deario" and sing and dance her trouble away. Reunited, the two claim "Who Cares If We're Down and Out?" "Ah the Theater, the Theater" introduces Tyrone and shows him to be the fake we and Archy know him to be and Mehitabel doesn't want to believe he is. Her version of "Romeo and Juliet" is hilarious, singing her idea of the words and annoying Tyrone more and more.  

The background cat girl singers croon a "Lullaby for Mehitiabel's Kittens," even as the mother herself laments constantly having to sacrifice her career for children. "Blow Wind Out of the North" finally convinces her to take a real job and seek shelter for herself and her children. "The Lightning Bug Song" is another bittersweet Archy story, this one about a flashy lightning bug who got above his station. Mehitabel is used to the wild life and gets very tired of the constant "Here Pretty Pussy" from her new owners. Archy ends up dancing with "Ladybugs of the Evening" when he gets drunk after his best friend throws him out, reminding him that roaches aren't allowed in the house. Mehitabel reprises "Cheerio My Deerio" when she returns to Shinbone Alley with her buddy Archy, then goes into the finale reprise of the title song.

Trivia: As mentioned, the stage Shinbone Alley was even less of a success than the film, barely lasting three weeks. It was filmed for TV in 1960 under the Shinbone Alley title with Bracken and Tammy Grimes, but only audio survives. 

Director John David Wilson mostly did shorts in England. This would be his only feature.

What I Don't Like: No wonder this never seems to have worked as anything but a concept album. What audience did they intend this for again? The semi-cute animated bugs and their antics are for kids, but the subject matter - including two attempted suicides and kittens born out of wedlock to parents who don't want them - is decidedly adult. They couldn't figure it out in 1957 onstage or on film in 1970, and I doubt anyone could now. The songs are ok, not horrible, but nothing that memorable, and the animation leans heavily on the barely-moving sketchiness that was common in this time period. Not only that, but frankly, neither Archy nor Mehtiabel - or anyone they meet - are all that pleasant to begin with. 

The Big Finale: If you can talk your young teens into an animated film with singing animals or are intrigued by the cast or are familiar with the comics this is based on, the performances here are good enough to make this worth checking out at least once. 

Home Media: The DVD is in print, but is currently expensive. You might be better off looking for copies on YouTube or elsewhere. 

DVD

YouTube

Honoring Chinese New Year - The Legend of Su-Ling

Golden Films, 1998

Voice cast unknown

Directed by Diane Paloma Eskenanzi

Music by Mike Himmlestein; Lyrics by Mike Himmelstein and Terry Sampson

UAV was far from the only company that put out imitations of the latest animated blockbusters in the 1990's and early 2000's. Golden Films debuted in 1990 to make low-budget animated films and specials for television. Unlike UAV, they occasionally branched into original stories in addition to Disney and Don Bluth imitations. Given when this was released, it's likely this was originally intended to piggyback the success of Mulan, but it has more in common with daintier Disney stories from earlier in the decade like Beauty and the Beast. How well does it come off today? Let's begin with the opening number "Land of Jade" as Chinese peasants work in the sun and sing about their kingdom and find out...

The Story: The peasants are forced to give up their treasures to the Emperor, who amasses wealth and beautiful things to fill the hole in his heart after the death of his wife. He tries to force his son Chen into marrying a princess of his choosing, but she's a spoiled brat with no patience or appreciation for the garden Chen has worked hard on. The Emperor and his sniveling toady Wang want Chen to marry and add the princess' wealth to their coffers, but Chen wants to marry for love.

Tired of his father's smothering and greed, Chen flees the palace in the guise of a peasant. He takes up with a kindly old fisherman and falls for his beautiful granddaughter Su-Ling. Su-Ling is angry because the Emperor took her nightingale, the one thing she owned, as a present for the princess. When the nightingale refuses to sing, Wang convinces the Emperor that Su-Ling's grandfather might have a spell that would make it perform again. Su-Ling follows him, flat-out telling the Emperor that the bird won't sing because she won't. The Emperor forces Su-Ling to marry his son...but Su-Ling doesn't realize that the prince and her beloved fisherman are one and the same...

The Animation: Only slightly above UAV's usual work. The colors are bright and jewel-like, as appropriate for a story set in China, but the movement is stiff, there's no expression on the characters, and they tend to look all alike. The backgrounds and costume designs are a little bit more detailed, especially in the opening chorus number and during Chen's number when he's venturing into the world.

The Song and Dance: Golden Films gets credit for going with an original story and not a flat-out rehash of Mulan. Despite Su-Ling being in the title, Chen is the one who really propels the action. This is has more in common with a gender-reversed Aladdin or the Hans Christian Andersen story The Nightingale than Mulan. I'm also glad no one is really played as a bad guy. The Emperor may behave like a jerk, but he's reacting badly to the loss of his wife. Wang is a yes-man who is just following orders. The real story is seeing how the Emperor learns that beauty and graciousness is something that can't be bought or forced, and that all the riches in the world can't compare to the richness of a loving heart. 

The Numbers: We open with that chorus number "Land of Jade" depicting Su-Ling, Chen, and the people of China at work and play, which also closes the film. "Here I Go Out In the World" takes Chen out of the palace and among his people to find his own way. "I Found This Love" is Su-Ling and Chen's big ballad as they help her grandfather and fall for each other. We also get a short chorus dance with a "Dragon" before Chen marries the woman his father wants him to.

What I Don't Like: For the character who is actually in the title, Su-Ling could have had more to do. She's feisty, standing up to her grandfather and the Emperor, but she's mostly seen in the beginning and the end. She and Chen barely have time to fall in love, or do much of anything together besides their ballad. One minute, she mistakes him for a thief, and the next, they're crazy about each other. The Emperor's sudden change of heart in the end is a little too fast as well. Once again, I really wish they'd been able to expand it another half-hour or so to flesh out the characters and their motivations.

The Big Finale: Short but charming fairy tale is worth checking out this Chinese New Year for fans of Aladdin and those looking for a sweet and unique way to pass 40 minutes or so before dinner.

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

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Warner Bros, 1952

Starring Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Charles Laughton, and Hilary Brooke

Directed by Charles Lamont

Music by Bill Russell; Lyrics by Lester Lee

Lou and Bud didn't make too many flat-out musicals, and the few that they did make tended to be for other studios. Universal wouldn't make their films in color, so they insisted on making one independent film outside the studio a year that they financed and would be more lavished than the norm for their vehicles. Character actor Charles Laughton had starred as Captain Kidd in a popular 1945 film. He admired Lou and was eager to appear in a knockabout comedy. How well does Laughton's gravity work with the duo's usual slapstick shenanigans? Let's begin with the infamous Captain Kidd (Laughton) and his men pulling into port and find out...

The Story: Oliver "Puddin' Head" Johnson (Costello) and Rocky Stonebridge (Abbott) are working at the Death's Head Tavern when Kidd and his men arrive. Pretty Lady Jane (Fran Warren) wants Oliver to bring a love note to Bruce Martingale (Bill Shirley), the singer at the tavern. Oliver manages to get the love note mixed up with the map to an enormous treasure belonging to Kidd. Kidd's not the only one who wants that map back. Captain Ann Bonney (Brooke) doesn't appreciate Kidd raiding ships on her turf and wants her share of the treasure, too. 

Rocky convinces Kidd to bring them on board and share the treasure. Not only does Kidd have no intention of sharing the treasure with anyone - including Anne - but he forces Bruce onto his ship and kidnaps Lady Jane after he raids the ship taking her to the New World. Not to mention, Captain Ann thinks Lady Jane's love note was intended for Oliver and wonders what she sees in him. She may be the only one who can save them all when Kidd goes back on his word and all of them end  up in danger.

The Song and Dance: Laughton may be having more fun than you might think as the tyrannical Kidd, but Brooke does the best here as the lovely female pirate who is determined to get her share of the treasure...and of Oliver, too. The three-strip Cinecolor has a slightly softer look to it than Technicolor, giving this the feel of a painting in a book on pirate lore. Abbott and Costello have some decent gags as well, including the handcuff sequence taken from their 1942 mystery movie Who Done It? 

The Numbers: We open with Kidd's first mate Morgan (Leif Erickson) bellowing "Away Ay Aye Ay" as he and he pirates tell us about their life on the sea. "Meet Captain Kidd" brings in the tyrannical sea dog and shows why he's respected and feared. Morgan and Bruce claim they lead "A Bachelor's Life" at the tavern. Oliver and Rocky join Morgan sing to the chorus that "Tonight We Sail." Bruce and Lady Jane are kept apart, but the still manage to duet on "Speak of Me the Tall Pine" and "North of Nowhere."

What I Don't Like: For one thing, too many of their gags are recycled from older material, and not just the handcuff sequence, either. Laughton and Brooke dominate the proceedings so much, it's hard for anyone else to come across - including Bud and Lou. Laughton acts rings around both of them, and frankly there's too much emphasis on him and on the uninteresting Jane and Bruce in the second half and not them.

The Big Finale: Harmless hour and a half's worth of viewing for fans of swashbucklers, Laughton, or Abbott and Costello, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD. The latter comes from the Warner Archives; the former is currently free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Cult Flops - Forbidden Zone

The Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1980

Starring Herve Villechaize, Susan Tyrell, Marie-Pascal Elfman, and Phil Gordon

Directed by Richard Elfman

Music and Lyrics by various

Our second cult musical of the week jumps ahead five years to a very different rock group. The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo began life in 1972 as a surrealist street performance troupe. They added 30's and 40's jazz and their own material when original founder Richard Elfman's brother Danny joined in 1976. By 1979, Danny Elfman wanted to take the group in a whole new direction. This movie was seen as a way for Richard Elfman to transition from making music to making movies, and for Oingo Boingo to move from being a theatrical troupe to a New Wave rock group. How successful were they? Let's begin as the title card explains about the house with the entrance to the Sixth Dimension in its basement and find out...

The Story: Drug and slum lord Huckleberry P. Jones (Gene Cunningham) sells one of his houses to the Hercules family. They're told not to open the door to the basement, the Forbidden Zone. Sister Frenchy (Marie-Pascal Elfman) does it anyway and is captured by the Princess (Gisele Lindley), who brings her to King Fausto (Villechaize) and Queen Doris (Tyrell) of the Sixth Dimension. Fausto falls for Frenchy and wants to marry her. The Queen is insanely jealous and orders their frog servant Bust Rod (Jan Stuart Schwartz) to throw her in the dungeon.

Meanwhile, Frenchy's brother Flash (Gordon) and their Gramps (Hyman Diamond) have also gone to rescue her, but are taken prisoner as well. Their father (Cunningham) is blasted into the Sixth Dimension and ends up captured as well. Flash and Gramps escape and discover the first Queen (Viva), who wants her revenge on Doris for seducing her and locking her in the dungeon. There's also their meek friend Squeezit (Matthew Bright), who reluctantly goes looking for Frenchy and his sibling Rene (Bright), only to run a foul of Satan (Danny Elfman) and his Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo.

The Song and Dance: Um, yeah. You can't get much more out there than this movie. With its wacky pastel cardboard sets and surreal animation, this is about as cult as you can get. No wonder Danny Elfman would go on to work extensively with Tim Burton for years. They share a very similar sensibility. For all that they insult every race out there, this movie is surprisingly decent to its transvestite characters. At the very least, Renee and Squeezit are no worse or less strange than anyone else. Bright and Tyrell come off best as the sensitive drag duo Squeezit and Rene and Susan Tyrell as the Queen who is determined to fight off every newcomer and keep her throne and her short man. 

The Numbers: We open with the title song over the animated credits, performed by Danny Elfman and the Mystic Knights. Our first full-on number is a version of the standard "Some of These Days," performed by Ma, Pa, and Frenchy to explain why they shouldn't go into the Sixth Dimension. We then go down below for an instrumental version as a mostly-naked chorus performs it in the Sixth Dimension. Frenchy dances to the Josephine Baker number "La Petite Tonkinoise" during class, joined by two blind dancers. 

Frenchy arrives in the Sixth Dimension finds The Kipper Kids dressed as boxers joining real-life Latin singer Miguelito Valdes singing "Bim Bam Boom" in the ring. Queen Doris' introductory song is "Witch's Egg," on why she's such a bad girl and doesn't want to share her hubby. Frenchy briefly performs another Baker number, "Plure," while begging for help. Queen Doris does not like her husband watching this number one bit! "The Alphabet Song" is a spoof of the Three Stooges' "Swinging the Alphabet" that begins with Miss Feldman (Kendric Wolfe) giving their own version and ends with it becoming a rock number and those "kids" tossing out some pretty sweet dance moves. 

Rene laments what the Queen will do to them, while Doris rages about the "Queen's Revenge" and how she intends to eliminate her rivals. "Pico and Sepulveda" is the chorus number for Pa Hercules and the workers at the La Brea Tar Pits, singing with the real voices of Felix Figureroa and His Orchestra. Satan himself and his men get to lay into the jazz parody "Squeezit the Moocher" as Squeezit begs to help Frenchy and his sister. Queen Doris is not impressed with Mr. Bernstein's "Yiddishe Charleston" and zaps him out of existence. The wild "Finale" brings everyone who is still alive together to celebrate rock, jazz, and taking over the universe.

Trivia: The movie was filmed in black and white. It was originally going to be hand colored, but that was eventually discarded as expensive and inefficient. It would be digitally colorized under Richard Elfman's supervision in 2008. (I reviewed the colorized version currently at Tubi.)

Richard and Marie-Pascal Elfman were married at the time. They originally financed the movie repairing and selling houses. They ran out of money but were helped by a benefactor.

Richard Elfman has been trying to make a sequel to this for years and has discussed putting out collectibles and books based after the Sixth Dimension characters as well. 

What I Don't Like: If anything in the above descriptions offends, annoys, upsets, or mystifies you, this probably won't be your thing. This movie insults pretty much everyone else besides transvestites, including gay people, Jews, and African-Americans. The opening animation includes blackface, and the school "kids" include gay and black stereotypes. (The Mystic Knights' makeup in the "Squeezit the Moocher" sequence and the clown drug seller in the opening are said to be more obviously blackface in the original black and white version.) Violence, heavy swearing, women who spend the movie running around in little or no clothing, and some noisy and very casual sex makes this for adult cult movie fans only.

The Big Finale: Some things are just too weird, even for me. I thought this had some great music, but was otherwise a bit much for my taste. If you're a bigger fan of Danny Elfman or Oingo Boingo than me or are more into the weirder side of his work, you might find a lot more in the Hercules family's adventures in the Sixth Dimension than I did.

Home Media: Easily found pretty much everywhere, including on disc and free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Tommy (1975)

Columbia Pictures, 1975

Starring Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margaret, Oliver Reed, and Elton John

Directed by Ken Russell

Music and Lyrics by Pete Townsend and others

Having enjoyed the unique film biographies I watched last week, I thought I'd dive further into the stranger side of rock with two really weird movies from the 70's and 80's based around groups of the time. Townsend wrote the original Tommy in 1968. It debuted a year later on a two-disc record and was a massive success. Music producer Robert Stigwood, who specialized in rock spectacles like Jesus Christ Superstar, bought the rights and brought in Russell. Russell wasn't a fan of rock, but he knew weird extravaganzas like no one's business. How did  his peculiar sensibilities shape this story of a young deaf, dumb, and blind pinball player who becomes a messianic-like figure? Let's begin with Tommy's mother Nora Walker (Ann-Margaret) and father (Robert Powell) during the early days of their courtship and find out...

The Story: Nora is pregnant with her son Tommy (Barry Winch) when her husband goes missing during World War II. Five years later, she falls for Frank Hobbs (Reed), whom she met at a summer camp. Tommy looks up to Frank, until he sees him murder his returning father reflected in the mirror. Frank and Nora insist that he didn't hear or see anything, making him withdraw into a deaf, dumb, and blind state.

By the time Tommy (Daltrey) is in his early 20's, Nora is in despair of him ever being cured. Frank takes him to a faith healer (Eric Clapton) and a drug dealer (Tina Turner), but nothing works. Leaving him with a bullying cousin (Paul Nicholas) and an abusive uncle (Keith Moon) doesn't help, either. Tommy eventually discovers he's a pinball protege, beating even the reigning champ (Elton John). This brings him a great deal of money, but it does nothing to help his condition. 

Frank finally takes Tommy to a doctor (Jack Nicholson) who suggests he confront his reflection in the mirror. His mother is fed up and shoves him through it...which does the trick. Tommy is not only cured, he wants to transform the entire world. He travels with a band to spread his word, turning his home into a religious camp. That makes him wildly popular with young girls especially, at least until they demand he do more than talk and sing. He loses everything in the ensuing riot...but gains an understanding of the true meaning of salvation.

The Song and Dance: Even just that plot description tells you what you're in for. The Who's music and simply amazing imagery carry the day here. There's also some fabulous costumes, going from the austerity of World War II through the glittering "glam rock" popular in the mid-70's. Russell spared no expense, and the result is a jaw-dropping mish-mash of all-star cameos (look for Turner's "Acid Queen" number and Jack Nicholson in one of his only two musicals to date) to the expansive cinematography and massive sets and pinball machines. Ann-Margaret did so well as Tommy's desperate mother, she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Reed nearly matches her as the seemingly cheerful holiday worker she falls for, until she discovers his dark side. 

The Numbers: We open with Nora and Captain Walker's romantic courtship, her husband's disappearance, and Tommy's birth in "Captain Walker/It's a Boy." "Bernie's Holiday Camp" shows Tommy's childhood and introduces Frank, showing why mother and son both come to appreciate him. Nora and Frank hope "1951" will be their year, but they worry "What About the Boy" when he sees them kill his father. Tommy's "Amazing Journey" begins and ends with the mirror as he shuts himself in his head. His mother laments that he can't even appreciate his birthday on "Christmas." 

"Eyesight to the Blind" and "Acid Queen" are Frank and Nora's attempts to find someone to heal their son. "Eyesight" takes them to a cult that worships Marilyn Monroe, while the "Acid Queen" deals in drugs and Iron Maidens. Neither "Cousin Kevin" nor Uncle Ernie who "Fiddles About" do much to help Tommy's condition. Tommy eventually finds the "Sparks" that brings him to an abandoned pinball machine. Pete Townsend himself narrates "Extra, Extra, Extra," on Tommy's rise to fame, bringing us to the famous "Pinball Wizard" sequence. Elton John stomps out in massive boots (that he asked to be allowed to keep) in a lavish sequence with the two of them surrounded by fans in probably the show's best-known song.

"Champagne" depicts Tommy's rise as a media sensation. Nora watches in her pristine white room, furious that her son can't experience all of this for himself. She imagines herself covered in the beans she sees on TV and the chocolate she's been eating, writhing in her misery. "There's a Doctor" brings in Frank to explain they're seeing another doctor, and the doctor telling them what's really wrong with Tommy. "Go to the Mirror" leads Nora to the edge, taking us to "Tommy Can You Hear Me" and "Smash the Mirror." 

"I"m Free" finally releases Tommy, letting him enjoy everything he's missed over 20 years. "Mother and Son" and "Miracle Cure" is his becoming that messiah figure. "Sally Simpson" is the young girl who believes in his cult and is hurt defying her father to see him. "Sensation," "Welcome," and "TV Studio" shows Tommy's rise to cult figure. "Tommy's Holiday Camp" brings his people together, but they rebel, claiming "We're Not Gonna Take It." It ends with Tommy fleeing the destroyed home and following the sun in "Listening to You/See Me, Feel Me."

Trivia: Tommy's continuing popularity led to Townsend adapting it to the stage in 1992. It opened on Broadway a year later and ran for two years. The London production in 1996 didn't do nearly as well, not even making a year. It was revived on Broadway briefly in 2024.

Two real-life pinball machines were made by Data East that were inspired by the film, one featuring Roger Daltrey, the other Elton John.

There's quite a few changes from the album (and would be more for the stage version). For one thing, Captain Walker kills his wife's lover on the album and onstage, not the other way around, and he came back from World War I rather than World War II. The order of many songs are reversed, new lyrics were written, and "Bertie's Holiday Camp," "Extra, Extra, Extra," "Champagne," "Mother and Son," and "TV Studio" were added.  

What I Don't Like: Your interest in and appreciation of this film will depend on how big of a Who and hard rock fan you are and your tolerance for Russell's in-your-face style of direction. This is not a subtle movie. It's also not a traditional romantic family musical. It's not for those who aren't fans of hard rock in general and the Who in particular, who can't handle or don't like Russell's wild camp spectacles, or who are looking for a quieter show. Fans of the album and the stage show may not appreciate some of the changes or the weirder casting. 

The Big Finale: Necessary viewing for fans of the Who and Elton John, this is also recommended for those who like their rock musicals huge, lavish, and completely off-the-wall. 

Home Media: Easy to find in all formats, including streaming. The two-disc 4K set will be released on March 18th. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - Say Amen, Somebody

United Artists, 1982

Starring Thomas A. Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Delois Barrett Campbell, and Zella Jackson Price

Directed by George Nierenberg

Music and Lyrics by Thomas A. Dorsey and others

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with this joyous celebration of gospel music, from the director of the delightful tap documentary No Maps On My Taps I reviewed in 2021. Considering King himself was a minister, a musical on gospel and those who brought it to the masses seems extremely appropriate. Nierenberg was a young Jewish man who knew little about the subject, but like with the revival of tap, thought its story deserved to be told. Let's begin with one of the extraordinary performers he brought back into the limelight, Father of Gospel Thomas A. Dorsey, and see how well he did...

The Story:  We hear the story of gospel and how it was brought to the masses, via long-time performers like Dorsey, "Mother" Willie Mae Ford Smith, and the Barrett Sisters. Smith and Dorsey in particular recall the difficulties they had bringing gospel music to churches in the 1930's and the creation of Dorsey's most famous song, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord."

The Song and Dance: What a delight! I'm glad Nierenberg found these people. It's sheer happiness to see them belting their religious numbers to the heavens. They're all obviously having a wonderful time, especially in the finale during the gospel convention. Their stories are fascinating. I've only seen one or two other documentaries on gospel music, so it was interesting to hear it performed and discussed by people who made it what it is today. And  thankfully, unlike Maps, there's more than enough time to learn about all of these people and how many of them sacrificed everything to bring gospel to the masses. 

The Numbers: We open with Willie Mae Smith, the mother herself, belting "Singing In My Soul" and "What Manner of Man" for the huge crowds at the convention. Dorsey gets a brief "When I've Done My Best." We see no less than beloved gospel singer Mahalia Jackson performing Dorsey's "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" in older footage. Zella Jackson Price gets "I'm His Child," Smith reprises "Soul" later for a smaller crowd. 

The O'Neal Twins with the huge Interfaith Choir get the dynamic "He Chose Me" and "Highway to Heaven," along with "Jesus Dropped the Charges." The Barrett Sisters' numbers include "The Storm Is Passing Over," "No  Ways Tired," and "He Brought Us." Dorsey gets a chance to sing his own "Precious Lord" in front of that enormous crowd at the gospel convention near the end of the movie. 

What I Don't Like: Honestly, this might have the opposite problem from Maps. Sometimes, these people go on a little too long before they actually show how good they still are at singing. I kind of wish it had gone even further into its subject, including the reasons these people and their music were barred from so many churches in the 30's and 40's - namely, the racism. that kept the music from spreading faster then. 

The Big Finale: Even non-gospel fans like me can appreciate this joyous celebration of how gospel music and attitudes towards it and those who sing it have changed over the years.

Home Media: The discs are currently out of print but can be found on the secondary market. You're better off looking for this one on streaming.

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Blu-Ray

YouTube (buy or rent) 

Cult Flops - I'm Not There

The Weinstein Company, 2007

Starring Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, and Marcus Carl Franklin

Directed by Todd Haymes

Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan and others

Better Man isn't the first film biography in the past twenty years to experiment with the format. Likewise, A Complete Unknown is far from the first time a director tried to get into Bob Dylan's head. After his success with the romantic drama Far from Heaven, Haynes went experimental with this look at Dylan's many personas. Six actors play Dylan in time periods ranging from the early 20th century to the mid-70's, filmed in styles and genres ranging from documentary to western. How well does this come off today? Let's begin with folk-rock star Jude Quinn (Blanchett) on an operating table after a motorcycle accident and find out...

The Story: Actually, there's six stories, representing six different periods in Dylan's life. Eleven-year-old black youth Woody Guthrie (Franklin) travels on the rails, performing his blues protest songs for unimpressed hobos. He's taken in by a couple after he nearly drowns, but a call from a corrections officer sends him off again. He eventually ends up in a hospital to connect with his idol, the real Woody Guthrie. 19-year-old Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw) is our first black-and-white segment. He's being questioned, though it's never clear why or by whom. 

Jack Rollins (Bale) was a legend among folk artists in Grenwich Village during the early 60's, but disappeared by the middle of the decade after making insulting remarks at an awards ceremony. He's discovered a decade later in California, now a born-again Christian priest known as Father John. Actor Robbie Clark (Ledger) plays Rollins in a film biopic, but his sexism and stardom strains his relationship with his wife Claire (Charlotte Gainesbourg). 

Quinn is castigated for using electric instruments at a folk concert. He agrees with Rollins that folk has hit a wall and doesn't seem to be living up to its own lofty ideals. The snooty interviewer in England (Bruce Greenwood) who reveals that his past isn't as wild as he claims doesn't help his descent into drug addiction. Legendary outlaw Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) tries to keep the town he's now living in from being demolished for a highway by none other than the man who supposedly killed him, Pat Garret (Greenwood)...but his attempt to confront him ends with him on the road again.

The Song and Dance: No wonder Blanchett was nominated for a host of acting awards, including an Oscar for Supporting Actress. She's mesmerizing as the increasingly erratic genius in her segments, giving him a measure of tender vulnerability and even gentleness under the rage. Franklin also does well as the cheeky African-American boy who ignores criticism to perform his way and is determined to meet his idol. Haynes's work here is equally amazing. The quick editing takes us seamlessly from Woody's late 50's all the way back around, jumping from time period to time period as we learn how one period relates to the next.

The Numbers: We open with "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again," performed by Dylan himself over black-and-white images of the ordinary people Dylan sang to in the 60's the ends with Woody jumping on the train. Woody sings "When My Ship Comes In" the white couple who rescues him from drowning. He does even better with the old black gentleman (Richie Havens) who performs "Tombstone Blues" with him. 

Fellow folkie Alice Fabian (Julianne Moore) recalls her first meeting with Rollins and how he was the voice of his generation as we see him singing "The Times They are A'Changin" at a student protest. "Trouble In Mind" gives us Woody being attacked by hobos trying to steal his guitar, while "Visions of Johanna" give us how Robbie and Claire ended their relationship as the Vietnam War ended. "I Want You" depicts the happier start of their relationship. 

A rollicking "Maggie's Farm" performed by Stephen Malkmus at a folk festival is nearly drowned out by the boos of a shocked crowd. He also gets "Ballad of a Thin Man" in a whimsical montage that depicts the interviewer searching for the truth about Quinn, ending at a Black Panther meeting as they too are influenced by Quinn's music and Quinn stumbling around onstage when the crowd boos him. "One More Cup of Coffee" has Billy riding through town, admiring children in costume. "Goin' to Acapulco," sung by a white-faced man in the town, has a distinctly Mexican flavor. 

The Monkees' "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" gives us the voices of another group of artists who struggled for artistic integrity over the party where Quinn admits he couldn't handle the European tour. Quinn and Rollins all question that "Trouble In Mind" as Rollins explains his religious conversion and Quinn hangs out with poet Alan Ginsburg (David Cross). Dylan's gospel period is represented by "Pressin' On," as Robbie and Claire do just that in their marriage; Claire and the people of Billy's town are the "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands." "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol" gets Billy out on a train and lets Robbie take his girls on a trip. The movie finishes with footage of the real Dylan playing his harmonica for a sold-out crowd.

Trivia: The grungy Billy the Kid segment was inspired by the violent "hippie westerns" of the late 60's like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, which Bob Dylan did music for. The stark black and white Quinn story took its look from Fellini's 8 1/2 and the Neo-Realist movement of the 60's. Robbie's segment got its inspiration from the films of Jean-Luc Goddard. 

This would be Heath Ledger's last movie released in theaters before his untimely death in 2008. 

What I Don't Like: I think it's abundantly clear that this is not your typical musical biography. Those looking for something more linear or upbeat will want to go elsewhere. Gere and Ledger are defeated by material that's less interesting than Blanchett and Franklin's segments. Whishaw is seen the least and barely has anything to do besides toss out a few quotes. And...yeah, at times, once again particularly in Gere and Ledger's segments, you wonder if there's actually a point to any of this. You don't really learn much more about Dylan than you did coming in, which, given how enigmatic the real Dylan continues to be to this day, is likely what they were going for.

The Big Finale: I'm going to say your enjoyment of this one will depend on your fondness for Dylan and willingness to try something different in your musical bios. If you're a fan of his who wants to see the before and after of A Complete Unknown and are willing to go off the beaten path, there's a lot to enjoy in this unique experiment.

Home Media: It's on DVD, but it can be far more easily found on streaming, including Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Tubi

Better Man

Paramount, 2024

Starring Robbie Williams, Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, and Kate Mulvany

Directed by Michael Gracey

Music and Lyrics by various

Our first theatrical musical of 2025 is another rock biography, but is otherwise a very different animal than A Complete Unknown...literally, given its lead is depicted as a walking, talking ape. British rock star Robbie Williams got his start as part of boy band Take That, but he really rocketed to celebrity when he went solo in the mid-late 90's. He thought fame would make him the man he'd always wanted to be, but he was haunted by his insecurities and self-medicated with drugs and alcohol instead. How does the story of how he survived his demons look nowadays, with a string of similar stories having already come and gone? Let's begin with a distinctly simian Williams (Davies) explaining how he always felt less "evolved" than others and find out...

The Story: As a child growing up in Stoke-On-Trent, England, Robert Williams wanted nothing more to be a singer like his idol Frank Sinatra. His father Peter (Pemberton) is obsessed with Sinatra and the idea of fame, claiming to his son that the admiration of the audience is everything. Robert is devastated when he walks away from the family to become a stand-up comic and misses his debut in the school play. 

Years later, Robert drops out of high school to audition for a boy band. He's almost rejected, but gruff manager Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman) likes his spunk and hires him. Robert is rechristened Robbie, and becomes the wild "bad boy" of the phenomenally successful Take That. They start out in gay clubs, but by the time they're playing for sold-out crowds of screaming girls, they're an international success. 

Robbie, however, is still filled with doubt and wants more creative control. He finally breaks with the group and goes solo. At first, his solo career seems destined for success. He falls for singer Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) of the group All-Saints, reconnects with his father, and makes a comeback with the help of songwriter Guy Chambers (Tom Budge). Unfortunately, his solo success does nothing to help his inner demons. His father encourages his drinking and debauchery, Nicole leaves him over his cheating, and his beloved grandmother Betty (Alison Steadiman) dies. After a disastrous concert at Knebworth, Robbie realizes that fame is a double-edged sword...and the only person who really needs to love him is himself.

The Song and Dance: First of all, I will admit that, while not a huge fan of Williams or Take That, I had friends who were fans of Williams in the early-mid 2000's and remember hearing music from both on the radio in the 90's and early 2000's. Maybe that's why I enjoyed this as much as I did. I'm familiar enough with Williams' work for this to not be a total surprise, but aren't a big enough fan to know every detail of his life. 

The motion capture work on this was incredible. Yes, it looks like there's an ape doing flips and dancing on city streets and crying into his grandmother's arms. Davies and Williams do well conveying Robert's pain, while Pemberton does the best of the supporting cast as his father who is obsessed with fame, to the detriment of his relationship with his son. I also give them credit for trying something different with the musical biography format, and for being brave enough to get into fairly dark turf with what's going on in Robbie's simian head. 

The Numbers: Our first actual number is the Sinatra standard "My Way." Nine-year-old Robert and his father perform it side-by-side in their living room. They reprise it in the end onstage, singing together for the first time since then. Robert gives us a boisterous "I am the Pirate King" with his classmates after nearly passing out on entrance. Alas, his father never sees it, leading Robert to perform "Feel" as he laments his father abandoning his family. 

"I Found Heaven" is our first chorus number and the first song with Take That. Robbie and the others sing it in rehearsal, then for those sleazy gay clubs when Robbie realizes he's finally found a place that accepts him for what he is. "Rock DJ" is a massive song and dance all over London after Take That is signed to a major contract, as the boys dance and sing with half the kids in England and show off their more famous concert costumes. Robbie wants to "Relight My Fire" when he leaves the band, but nearly "Comes Undone" during a wild hallucination of driving at insane speeds and ending up trapped under the ice. 

"She's the One" is another massive number, this one a romantic pas-de-deux with Nicole on a gold and white yacht...that's contrasted with their life as he has affairs and she has an abortion. Robbie wishes it would turn into "Something Beautiful," but it's not to be. The classic rock standard "Land of 1000 Dances" gives us another montage, this one of Robbie's increasingly insane performances and his destructive lifestyle. Robbie's best-known songs, the ballad "Angels," plays over his grandmother's funeral and his break-up with Nicole. 

"Let Me Entertain You" begins with him suspended over the crowd at Knebworth and ends with him literally fighting every single version of himself who ever repeated negative self-talk. "Better Man" gets him into a rehab as he finally makes up with his former band mates and his parents. We get Williams' new "Forbidden Road" over end credits photos of the real human entertainer. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, while Williams still has a fair-sized fan base in England, he's not that well-known in the US. I'm surprised Paramount even wanted to put this in the theater over here. I suspect this might have done better catering to niche audiences on Paramount Plus. It's also not for young boy band fans. There's copious nudity, swearing, drinking, and drugs. Start your older kids on Williams and Take That's albums before coming anywhere near here. 

I suspect the real reason this is flopping the box office is it's sometimes too darn weird for its own good. Despite how well they pull it off, just the idea of a rock idol being played by a CGI ape may be enough to put many people off. It's also way too long, with the second half in particular after he goes solo and falls for Nicole dragging like crazy. Some of the story is muddled, and you never know if it happened, or it's all in Robbie's head. 

The Big Finale: I hope this does better on home media and streaming. It's a truly unique gamble that Gracey and Williams manage to pull off spectacularly, and deserves a lot more than the head-scratching it's getting right now.

Home Media: There's no release date for the film yet, but the soundtrack will be out February 7th. 

CD Soundtrack

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Secret of Anastasia

UAV, 1997

Voices of Lisa DeSimone, Jere Shea, Earl Hammond, and Roger Raines

Directed by Lee Lan

Music by Megan Cavallari; Lyrics by David Goldsmith

The Disney movies weren't the only animated films that had imitations made of them in the late 90's and early 2000's. Any animated film that was even remotely popular at the box office had at least two or three cheaper versions of it released on home video by knock-off video companies. We've already seen one movie from UAV's "Secret" series two years ago, The Secret of Mulan. The year before, they put out their own version of the Don Bluth hit Anastasia. Does it match its predecessor, or should it be left behind at the Palace? Let's begin at the palace, as a narrator (Raines) explains what happened to the Romanov family and why Anastasia (DeSimone) now lives by herself along with four talking musical instruments, and find out...

The Story: Anastasia and her friends are finally forced to flee the Winter Palace when they're attacked by the Secret Police. They end up on a box car bound for Copenhagen, where they encounter former general Vladmir Ikonovich (Shea). He's taken by how much she resembles the lost princess. Ignoring her protests that she is the lost princess, he teaches her how to behave at court and presents her to the Dowager Duchess (Barbara Jean Kearney) at her home in Copenhagen. She doesn't impress the Duchess until she performs a song that only Anastasia knew. 

Handsome Prince Paul (Robert Petkoff) is even more impressed. Vladimir is jealous of the attention he gives her, but Anastasia's musical instrument friends know something is wrong here. The little accordion Alexei (Raines) follows the seemingly charming royal and learns there's something a lot more sinister under the surface, something that could take down the last of the Romanovs for good.

The Animation: Like all UAV productions, this is about as cheap as you can get. The colors are lovely (and actually compliment each other, unlike Secret of Mulan), but the designs are a little weird, with their pale, wide eyes and immobile faces, and there's little detail in the backgrounds. The characters move well enough, but their expressions are either overdone, or they have no expression in scenes that would call on conveying some emotion. Anastasia should be freaking out during Paul's "Prince Charmless" number, not just blinking and looking mild.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a bit of a surprise. Some of the plot lines here actually make more sense than the Don Bluth Anastasia did, like the Secret Police being the villains instead of Rasputin (who died well before the Romanovs did) and the Dowager Duchess living in her original hometown of Copenhagen. The walking, talking musical instruments are less goofy than they appear at first, especially if you were paying attention to the portraits in the beginning during Alexai's narration. Petkoff is having more fun than he should as Cheka, and DeSimone is a lovely and sweet Anastasia. 

The Numbers: We open with Anastasia and her musical instrument friends in their rooms, singing about how they hope to be "In the Sun" again someday. It's also the song that finally puts her over with the Dowager Duchess when she hears her singing it after being rejected. "A Princess After All" is Vladmir teaching Anastasia how to be a princess, though it occasionally seems she knows more about that subject than him. Paul revels in being "Prince Charmless" when he reveals his real identity to the captive Anastasia. "You Will Be With Me In My Heart" is the finale, as Anastasia's instruments make the ultimate sacrifice to bring Vladmir back to her.

What I Don't Like: In addition to the lousy animation and so-so music, for every plot point they came up with that is honestly better than the movie its imitating, there's two that don't work. Vladimir had a point - why did Anastasia's friends have to be awkward instruments? They could have been anything. Anastasia  herself comes off as more naive and less feisty than the Don Bluth version, but that could be because this Anastasia has lived in one room all  her life, rather than an orphanage. Chaka himself is so wonderfully over the top, he didn't need the annoying skinny sidekick with the raven stumbling around him. Oh, and Anastasia has two more sisters who aren't mentioned or included here. 

My biggest problem is, this does do so much that's right, I wish it could have expanded on it. It needs at least another 20 to 30 minutes to give us a better idea of the characters and maybe show us more of the Revolution and how Anastasia ended up in those rooms in the Winter Palace and her and Vladmir's romance.

The Big Finale: Not a bad way to spend an hour on a cold winter's day if you're a fan of Anastasia or are looking for something fun to watch with your older kids.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere. Many streaming companies have it for free.

DVD

Tubi

The Roku Channel

Gold Diggers of 1937

Warner Bros, 1936

Starring Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Victor Moore, and Glenda Farrell

Directed by Lloyd Bacon

Music by Harry Warren and Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Al Dubin

Despite the success of the 1935 Gold Diggers, Warners was starting to notice diminishing returns with its other Berkeley-esque backstage extravaganzas and lowered the budget on this one. Bacon took over the directing reigns here, letting Berkeley to concentrate on what he did best - creating elaborate dance numbers that let the cameras do the dancing. The studio initially wanted Arlen and Harburg to write the music, but they were so disappointed with the results, they brought Dubin and Warren back in. How well did they all do with the bizarre story of a life insurance salesman who convinces a Broadway producer to buy life insurance and has to keep him alive in order for him to continue to make money from it look today? Let's begin at an insurance convention in Atlantic City and find out...

The Story: Rosmer Peek (Powell) is the top salesman with his insurance company. He hires former chorus girl Norma Perry (Blondell) as his secretary and convinces Broadway producer J.J Hobart (Moore) to sign a million-dollar life insurance policy. His partners Morty Wethered (Osgood Perkins) and Tom Hugo (Charles D. Brown) squandered all of Hobart's money in the stock market. They want that million dollars to back a new Broadway show and do everything they can to push him closer to death, including sending gold digger Genevieve Larkin (Farrell) to seduce him. Genevieve ends up falling for him instead. Now there might not be a show, unless Rosmer and his friends can find another way to get the money without losing their million-dollar golden goose in the process.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for going with a truly original story this time. I don't know of too many other musicals about singing insurance salesmen and the business of selling insurance. I also love how the insurance company eventually earns the money - via Genevieve's genuine gold digger girlfriends and the wealthy insurance men the snagged at the beginning of the film. Powell and Blondell had just gotten married a few months before this movie's release, and you can see that in their strong chemistry and playful performances. Moore's so adorable as the hypochondriac producer having the most fun he's ever had in his life, you can understand why Genevieve fell for him. Some great costumes, too, especially in the big Berkeley number in the finale, "All's Fair In Love and War."

The Numbers: We open with Powell singing the hit "With Plenty of Money and You" before and during the credits. He also gets our first chorus number, encouraging his fellow salesmen to increase their morale with "The Life Insurance Song." The first version of "Speaking of the Weather" is, surprisingly for a Berkeley musical, a plot number. Rosmer tries to flirt with Norma, even as a storm scatters the paperwork on  her desk everywhere. It's charming and cute, and Powell and Blondell have fun with it. 

"Let's Put Our Heads Together" is another chorus number as everyone at the party for the life insurance company find romance. We also get a bit of "Speaking of the Weather" here as Rosmer's buddy Boop Oglethorpe (Lee Dixon) shows off a wild, arms-and-legs tap routine and Genevieve dances with J.J. "Speaking of the Weather" is reprised again as part of the "All's Fair In Love and War" finale. This men against women military satire begins with all the lovers spooning in massive rocking chairs. This is traded in for military formations as over a hundred women in white uniforms create Berkeley's iconic overhead patterns.

Trivia: A sixth song, "Hush Mah Mouth," was apparently filmed but not used.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how weird this is? Life insurance seems like a pretty odd subject for a musical, and mixing it with the backstage shenanigans doesn't make much sense. The "All's Fair" number is somewhat scaled-down compared to the bigger, more dramatic "Lullaby of Broadway" and "The Words are the Music In My Heart" from Gold Diggers of 1935. Considering "Plenty of Money" went on to be a hit in its own right, I'm surprised it only gets that quick run-through from Powell before the credits. You'd think Berkeley would have built that up into a big money-based number like in the earlier Gold Diggers of 1933. 

The Big Finale: Worth catching if you're a fan of the cast or the Berkeley backstage imitations of the 1930's for the good numbers and performances.

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming, the former currently from the Warner Archive.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Gold Diggers of 1935

Warner Bros, 1935

Starring Dick Powell, Gloria Stuart, Alice Brady, and Hugh Herbert

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music by Harry Warren and Al Dubin

Warners and Busby Berkeley were on a roll with their series of backstage comedies featuring snappy repartee, Warren and Dubin's memorable music, and a rotating troupe of not-so-naive ingenues, tough dames, snooty rich backers, desperate directors, and husband-hunting chorus girls. Gold Diggers of 1933 was such a smash, Warners turned it into a series of unrelated backstage musicals revolving around show business folks butting heads with high society. How does the second Gold Diggers movie - and the first full directing assignment for Berkeley - look nowadays? Let's begin as the various managers of the resort hotel Wentworth Plaza admonish their staff on how to treat their wealthy guests and find out...

The Story: Among those wealthy guests are Matilda Prentiss (Brady), a millionairess who keeps her money by spending as little of it as she can. She's trying to encourage her daughter Ann (Stuart) to wed rich and eccentric T. Mosley Thorpe (Herbert), but Ann finds him and his constant talk about his snuff box collection to be insufferably silly and dull. Matilda has already had to bail Ann's brother Humbolt (Frank McHugh) out of four bad marriages and has no desire for her daughter go through the same, but Ann is bored and fed up with both Thorpe and her mother's stranglehold on her. 

Mrs. Prentiss hires desk clerk Dick Curtis (Powell) to escort her daughter around the resort and keep her out of trouble. Dick does it for the money, but he soon falls for intelligent and feisty Ann. Meanwhile, Mrs. Prentiss swears she'll throw the least amount possible into the annual charity show for the Milk Fund, but flamboyant Russian director Nicolai Nicoleff (Adolph Menjou) ends up spending her money like water on lavish numbers. He's hoping to skim off the earnings with the help of hotel manager Louis Lampson (Grant Mitchell), even as stenographer Betty Hawes (Glenda Farrell) blackmails Thorpe.

The Song and Dance: With a story that flimsy, "song and dance" are definitely the operative words here. Though Powell and Stuart have good moments as the star-crossed pair, the real stars are the supporting cast. Brady and Menjou are hilarious as the stingy older woman who laments losing even a penny of her vast wealth and the desperate Russian director who hopes her money will make a hit and put him back in the black. Herbert also has some good moments as the silly snuff box collector, while McHugh and Dorothy Dare as Dick's fiancee make a surprisingly cute second couple. There's some amazing sets and costumes in this film too, both in Berkeley's big musical numbers and in and around the massive New Hampshire resort.

The Numbers: Our first number is an instrumental dance routine for the many workers who keep the Wentworth Plaza humming and its guests happy, from dancing street sweepers outside the hotel to maids who are seen in Berkeley overhead shots. Dick says "I'm Goin' Shoppin' With You" as he and Ann purchase a whole new wardrobe from Berkeley chorus girl shop keepers and spend her mother's money. We originally hear "The Words are In My Heart" when Dick serenades Ann during a moonlit boat ride. It's reprised later in the Milk Fund show, this time in a far more elaborate Berkeley routine. The number starts with Dick and Ann singing in the woods before moving to three sisters playing the piano. This turns into rows and rows of chorus girls in whites performing with pianos that seemingly dance around them, thanks to the men obviously moving around under them.

The big number by far is "Lullaby of Broadway." We begin in darkness, as the camera moves in on Wini Shaw singing the number. She turns into an animated skyline, which becomes shots of the typical day of a working girl (Shaw). Eventually, she goes out with her tuxedo-clad lover (Powell) to a nightclub where we get massive lines of men in tuxes and chorus girls in surprisingly scanty black costumes for a movie made shortly after the Production Code began tapping their hearts out on enormous Art-Deco risers. The whole thing moves to conclusion that might be a little too dark for both the upbeat songs and this largely fluffy movie.

Trivia: Gloria Stuart did have some success in the 30's, including this film, but she's best-known to most audiences nowadays as the elder Rose who tells the flashback sequences in the 1997 Titanic. 

"Lullaby of Broadway" won Best Original Song and Best Dance Direction in 1935.

What I Don't Like: I wish they came up with a more interesting story to stuff between those crazy numbers. It lacks the Depression grit of the 1933 entries and has more in common with the runaway heiress screwball comedies that were also popular in this era. "Lullaby of Broadway" is such a brilliant number, it feels totally disconnected from - and out of place in - the rest of the film. It's also a lot darker than the rest of the movie, including that downer ending.

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for the numbers alone if you're a fan of Berkeley or the big backstage musicals of the 1930's.

Home Media: It's currently pricey on DVD. Your best bet might be streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Disney, 1998

Voices of Neve Campbell, James Marsden, Matthew Broderick, and Suzanne Pleshette

Directed by Darrell Rooney

Music and Lyrics by various

In honor of the Lion King prequel Mufasa that's currently in theaters, we're jumping back to another attempt to extend the Lion King franchise. Honestly, this follow-up makes more sense than some of the other random direct-to-home-media sequels Disney put out in the 90's and early 2000's. The Lion King is their own material, not a fairy tale that was never meant to be continued, and the original film does end with the birth of a new Lion King. 

In fact, considering that film's overwhelming success, it might have been more surprising if they didn't release a sequel to it. Is it worthy of the first film, or should it be banished to the Outlands? Let's begin where the first film left off with the birth of Simba (Broderick) and Nala's (Moira Kelly) daughter Kiara (Michelle Horn) and find out...

The Story: Kiara is tired of her father constantly hovering over her and not letting her leave his sight, so she wanders to the Outlands to escape him and her bodyguards Timon (Nathan Lane) and Puumba (Ernie Sabella). She befriends a smaller cub named Kovu (Ryan O'Donahue) who saves her from a crocodile-filled river. Simba comes to rescue her, only to discover that Kovu's mother is Zira (Pleshette), a follower of Scar. Zira's training Kovu to kill Simba and allow her to regain the throne.

Years later, the adult Kovu (Marsden) once again rescues Kiara (Campbell), this time from a wildfire set by his sister Vitani (Meredith Scott Lynn) and his brother Nuka (Andy Dick). Simba does let Kovu join the Pridelanders, even though he doesn't trust the younger lion. Rafiki (Robert Gulliame), who has been instructed by the spirit of Mufasa (James Earl Jones) to bring Kiara and Kovu together, does his best to introduce them to "upendi" (Swahili for "Love") while Kovu trains Kiara as a hunter.

Their love is challenged when Zira and the Outlanders attack Simba. Simba thinks Kovu initiated it and banishes him. Horrified, Kiara goes off in search of Kovu, while Timon and Pumba follow her. It's the two lovers who finally bring everyone together to show that, no matter whom they follow, they're all still lions deep down and aren't all that different from one another.

The Animation: This isn't bad, per se, but it's far from great. Even The Lion Guard Disney Jr. TV show from 15 years after this had more detail and better movement. Like all of the Disney direct-to-home-media sequels from this period, it looks like a Disney Channel cartoon. It's colorful and the animals still remain very expressive (especially Timon and Pumba), but the backgrounds aren't nearly as detailed.

The Song and Dance: Given its made-for-TV pedigree, this is probably better than it has any right to be. Pleshette is definitely having the most fun as the angry and scheming Zira. Dick is also good as her equally nasty older son who laments that he should have been "the Chosen One" who followed in Scar's paw prints. Broderick is even more interesting here as a Simba grappling with raising a feisty daughter and how to deal with the specter of his past than he was in the first film. The majestic opening number "He Lives In You" is far and above the best song in the score. It was taken from the cassette Rhythm of the Pride Lands and has far more African flavor than anything else in the film. 

The Numbers: And we open with "He Lives In You" as we see Kiara's birth and its aftermath. Simba teaches his daughter how "We are One" after her harrowing adventure in the Outlands. "My Lullaby" is anything but soothing as Zira reminds her children of their place and what she's trained them for. Rafiki teaches Kira, Kovu, and all of the Pridelands about "Upendi" in the film's big chorus number. The other chorus routine is "One of Us" as Kovu is accepted into the Pridelands. Kira and Kovu hope "Love Will Find a Way" and reunite them for good.

What I Don't Like: This is cliched as heck, and nothing you haven't seen before. Timon and Pumba basically have nothing to do besides a few moments chasing Kiara. They don't even get a comic song this time. The delightfully nasty Zira and troubled Simba are shoved aside in favor of the bland Kiara and Kovu. "He Lives In You" and to a lesser degree "We are One" are the only songs of even mild interest. "Love Will Find A Way" is an imitation "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" that's just as dull as the characters singing it.

The Big Finale: Mainly of interest to huge fans of anyone in the cast or the original animated Lion King or Lion Guard. 

Home Media: Easily found on all formats, including streaming on Disney Plus.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Ice-Capades (1941)

Republic Pictures, 1941

Starring James Ellison, Dorothy Lewis, Phil Silvers, and Jerry Colonna

Directed by Joseph Santley

Music and Lyrics by various

With many parts of the US expecting snow or cold weather this weekend and early next week, I thought this B-movie rarity from Republic Pictures would be perfect for the first review of 2025. The Ice Capades began in 1940 as a touring skating show for a string of arenas in the northeast. The shows were such tremendous sell-out successes that Hollywood took notice. 

Many of the real Ice Capades skaters at the time, including European skating champs Belita and Vera Hruba, appeared in what was a relatively lavish production for low-budget Republic. How did they manage to concoct a story about a photographer and one of the skaters for what was essentially a revue on ice? Let's begin in a snow-bound New York as Colonna (Colonna) awakens his hungover newsreel cameraman partner Bob Clemens (Ellison) and find out...

The Story: Bob is supposed to be shooting champion Swiss ice queen Karen Vadja (Renie Riano), but he misses his plane and his chance to catch her in action. He assumes one skater is no different from another and films a woman (Lewis) at a rink in New York, claiming she's Vadja. Turns out the lady is Marie Bergin, a fine skater who also happens to be an illegal immigrant on the run from detectives.

 Promoter Larry Herman (Silvers) is enchanted with the woman and wants to make her a star...at least until they figure out that Vadja looks nothing like this lovely creature. Bob first has to find her...then he and Herman have to convince her to come out of hiding and star in the new show that Larry developed for her and other major skaters, Ice-Capades, even if Bob has to marry her to do it. 

The Song and Dance: Not the greatest movie in the universe, but there's some nice bits. Ellison is fairly cute as the devoted bachelor whose indifference to women and to skating ends up causing most of the commotion. Silvers has a few good bits that foreshadow his later con-artist characters in movies and TV, too. Jerry Colonna and Barbara Jo Allen have several routines that show why their Professor and Vera Vague characters were huge on the radio in the late 30's and 40's. Some of the skating numbers aren't bad and give us a good idea of what appearing in a big touring ice show like the Ice Capades was like in the early 40's. 

The Numbers: Our first number begins without music, as Colonna and Bob film Marie's routine on the pond across from Bob's apartment in New York. Music is added later when it's shown to a rapturous audience that includes Larry and his assistant Dave (Gus Schilling). Our first professional ice number is from comedians Jackson (Tim Ryan) and Reed (Harry Clark), who give us slapstick shenanigans on skates. Al Surrette is another dancing comedian, this one dressed as a loose-limbed scarecrow. Ice dance team the Benoits get a brief Latin-flavored couples routine next. British figure skater Megan Taylor gives a brief but dynamic solo routine next that shows why she won the World Championships in 1938 and 1939. 

Colonna gets to show off on a ukulele for Allen with his goofy one-man chorus number. During the rehearsal, we get Phil Taylor as a horseman flanked by fellow skating riders in what amounts to a solo routine before giving way to Lois Dworshak and her far jazzier Jitterbugs. Dworshak gets a blusier solo routine. While on a date in Central Park with Bob, Marie dreams of stardom in the Ice Capades, in a romantic solo flanked by young men in top hats and chorus girls in long gown. The Benoits return for a couples routine with the chorus before Marie returns. There's even a few Busby Berkeley overhead shots of skaters at one point.

"Forever and Ever" is the song supposedly written for Marie and performed by a Romani tenor at the restaurant where Bob takes her on a date. Belita opens the finale with a graceful and romantic solo that shows why she was snatched up to be rival B-studio Monogram's big skating queen shortly after the release of this film. The big finale "Legend of the Falls" features Taylor, Lewis, and Vera Hruba putting in lovely performances in rather ridiculous Native American costumes in Hollywood's idea of a folk dance on ice, including chorus girls "playing" tom toms and skaters turning up in cowboy costumes. 

Trivia: Movie debuts of Belita and Vera Hruba (later Vera Hruba Ralston after she married the head of Republic Pictures).

Ice Capades would remain one of the most popular ice skating shows in the world through the 1980's. By the end of the 80's, it began to lose ground to newer shows that focused on families (Disney On Ice) or major figure skating stars (Stars On Ice). After running through a series of owners (including former skating star Dorothy Hamill), it was disbanded in 1997. Attempts to revive it in 2000 and 2008 went nowhere.

What I Don't Like: This is pretty obviously a B-musical from 1941. Though more lavish than the Republic norm for the early 40's, the cardboard sets and claustrophobic direction clearly give away its origins. For all they praise her beauty and skating, Lewis has the appeal of a melting snow cone. She certainly doesn't look or sound like an illegal immigrant on the run from the authorities. There's a reason this would be her only appearance on film. 

The Big Finale: This hard to find movie is only of interest to fans of Colonna, his radio shows, or vintage figure skating. Everyone else will probably be bored between numbers. 

Home Media: It's so rare, the only place you can currently find it is on a copy at the Internet Archive that's likely taken from an 80's or 90's TV broadcast. 

Internet Archive