Family Fun Saturday - The Frog Prince (1971)

Robert Laurence Productions/The Jim Henson Company, 1971

Voices of Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and Richard Hunt

Directed by Jim Henson

Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo

We end the month as we began it, with the Muppets. This time, we jump way far back, to when Jim Henson was trying to prove that his felt characters could be more than commercial announcers or filler between variety show numbers. This is the second of three fairy tale-based specials Henson did featuring Kermit, and probably the best-received of the three. It was so popular, four of the Muppets used in this special would go on to appear on The Muppet Show three years later. Does it still cast a spell today? Let's begin with our narrator Kermit the Frog (Henson) by the well and find out...

The Story: Sir Robin the Brave (Gordon Thomson) is turned into a frog by the wicked witch Taminella (Jerry Juhl). Kermit and his friends by the well in the castle garden don't believe him, even when he tells them he can't swim. He has to befriend a princess and get her to kiss him, and the lovely Melora (Trudy Young) would seem to be the perfect candidate. Trouble is, she too is under a spell. Her words are twisted backwards by the evil woman who claims to be her father King Rupert (Henson)'s sister. Robin recognizes her as Taminella, who wants to take Melora's throne on her birthday and become queen. Robin and Kermit try to translate Melora's backwards warnings and dodge Taminella's big, dumb ogre Sweetums (Carl Banas).

The Song and Dance: This is by far my favorite, not only of the Muppet fairy tale specials, but of the specials Henson did before he developed The Muppet Show. Robin and Sweetums were so adorable and hilarious respectively, they've been used in Muppet shows and films ever since. Raposo's songs are a delight, too, especially Young singing with Robin the Frog (Nelson) and Sweetums' noisy number. Nice costumes too, on Muppet and human alike. I like that Kermit's a little more involved with this than he would be with The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and the later Christmas specials, too. 

The Numbers: We open with the "Frog Chant" from the frogs at the well and the chorus. Robin explains what happened to him to turn him from "Sir Robin the Brave" into a little frog. Kermit and his friends insist that it's great to be "Frogs." Robin interprets Melora's turned around "N'I'm Ineteen" ("I'm Nineteen") in a charming duet. After he gets into the castle, Robin is almost stomped on by Sweetums, until he manages to insist "Sleep, Sweetums." "Sweetums," for his part, isn't happy with having been manipulated and just wants his frog dinner. "Anthems of Joy" is the happy ending, as Melora and Robin embrace, the people of the country are glad to have the right queen, King Rupert is happy for his daughter, and Kermit misses his froggy friend.

Trivia: Robin and Sweetums aren't the only Muppets from this special who would turn up on The Muppet Show. Featherstone and King Rupert made occasional appearances in royalty-themed skits during the first season. 

What I Don't Like: While we do get Robin and Sweetums here along with Kermit, don't expect the rest of the Muppet gang like Piggy or Fozzie. This came out three years before that show debuted. Young's adorable as the Princess, but what little we see of Thomson is a bit stiff for a dashing prince. Frankly, Taminella is more annoying than she is threatening. How the king fell for her, I will never know. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Muppets or of fairy tales like me, this is worth swimming a well for if you can find it.

Home Media: Alas, at press time, it can only be found on out-of-print videos and a blurry copy on Dailymotion. 

Dailymotion

Sunny (1941)

RKO, 1941

Starring Anna Neagle, Ray Bolger, John Carroll, and Edward Everett Horton

Directed by Herbert Wilcox

Music and Lyrics by various 

Anna Neagle was one of the biggest stars in British cinema from the early 30's through the early 50's. She and her director husband Herbert Wilcox went effortlessly from epic historical drama to elegant comedies to frothy musicals without batting an eyelash. RKO was impressed with their two biographies of Queen Victoria and offered them a four-picture contract in 1940. This is the third of the four, and the second of the three musicals they did. Is it as charming as the original Marilyn Miller film and the Neagle/Wilcox version of Irene, or should it be left at the altar? Let's begin at the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans and find out...

The Story: Sunny O'Sullivan (Neagle) literally runs into millionaire Larry Warren (Carroll) at the Mardi Gras parade. The Queen of Hearts (Martha Tilton) and her entourage encourages Larry to give her a hug and kiss. He does, but she disappears shortly after. He wanders into a circus near where he met the lady. Not only are his sister Elizabeth (Frieda Inescourt), the family lawyer Harry Bates (Horton), and wealthy Juliet Runnymede (Grace Hartman) there, but so is Sunny. She's the premiere dancer and bareback rider and one of the circus' star attractions. He tries to get through to her, but she goes out with her old friend Bunny Billings (Bolger) instead.

They run across each other in the restaurant later that night. Larry convinces her to join him for a ride. They fall in love, and he proposes. She's ready to leave the circus, but his snobbish old-money family isn't ready to accept a bareback rider as a daughter-in-law. She does manage to win over tough Aunt Barbara (Helen Wesley), but Elizabeth still considers her to be beneath them. The circus people turn up on the day of Sunny's wedding to see her off. Elizabeth encourages them to perform, shocking and upsetting Larry. Sunny, furious with his behavior, takes off with the circus. With the help of Aunt Barbara, Larry now has to prove to Sunny that he loves her no matter who she is or what she does.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a far better showcase for Neagle's talents than Irene. You get two major dance sequences, one with the truly great Bolger, costumes that are just as lovely (at least, what you can see of them in the terrible copies currently in circulation), and some great songs by Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, and others. (Including the trio that were cut from the 1930 Sunny.) Wesley, Horton, and Bolger all have fun with their limited roles, especially Wesley as the tough-as-nails aunt who unexpectedly softens for Sunny. 

The Numbers: After a montage of Mardi Gras parade sights and sounds, our first number is Queen of Hearts Martha Tilton and her entourage insisting that "The Lady Must Be Kissed." Bunny's first dance number lets him incredible splits and spins while executing slapstick falls. Bolger then sing-recites "Who" before we see Sunny with an enormous feather fan in a feather-bedecked gown and they do an elegant dance together. The title song is our first big chorus number as Sunny comes out on horseback to do her bareback tricks and dance with the horse while Carroll tries to flirt with her from the audience. 

"Who" turns up again as Larry takes Sunny on a riverboat ride, sung first by the chorus, then sung by Larry and danced by Sunny. Bunny and Sunny are "Jack Tar and Sam Gob," doing a comic dance dressed as horny sailors. She sings the old folk song "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" at her engagement party, thinking she's impressing Aunt Barbara. She asks Larry "Do 'Ye Love Me?" after she explains things to Aunt Barbara. Dance team Grace and Paul Hartman (in their first of two appearances together onscreen) perform the comic "The Mohache" to the tune of Ravel's "Bolero" at Sunny's wedding. Bunny dances as the "Ringmaster" at the sold-out circus show. Sunny starts singing "Sunshine"when she comes out...before Larry joins in and she realizes he's her only audience. Larry sings "Forever and a Day" as he drives Sunny's trailer to the riverboat in the finale. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, someone really needs to throw money at restoring this, too. This one is in even worse shape than the 1930 Sunny, with wonky sound and horribly scratched picture. Second, the wafer-thin story isn't really improved by the re-writing. Wesley's crotchety Aunt Barbara is a little bit more interesting than Sunny's father, but neither Bolger nor Horton have much to do other than Bolger's numbers. They do nothing with the New Orleans setting besides the opening at Mardi Gras, and only a little bit more with the circus folks than the first film. Dashing Carroll is also a bit of an improvement over the dull Lawrence Gray in the original, but he's still nowhere near Neagle's wattage.

The Big Finale: I did like this one a bit more than the 1930 Sunny or Neagle's first American picture Irene, but it's still mainly for her fans or fans of big 40's musicals. 

Home Media: This is in the public domain, so it's easily found anywhere. It's currently on Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Sunny (1930)

First National Pictures, 1930

Starring Marilyn Miller, Lawrence Gray, Joe Donahue, and O.P Heggie

Directed by William A. Seiter

Music and Lyrics by various

Operetta, of course, isn't the only musical genre to see remakes. Nor are remakes a recent phenomenon. This week, we're going to look at a musical comedy that got two very different versions a decade apart from each other. Sunny was producer Charles Dillingham's follow-up vehicle for Broadway superstar Marilyn Miller after the phenomenal success of her hit Sally. Is this circus-set romantic comedy worthy of the $150,000 she earned for it, or should it be left in the center ring? Let's start at the circus, as men ogle the posters for bareback rider Sunny Peters (Miller) and find out...

The Story: Sunny's dad (Heggie) wants her to marry Harold Harcourt Wendell-Wendell (Mackenzie Ward), who is wealthy but deadly dull. She becomes smitten with Tom Warren (Gray), an old friend who stops by to see her before he takes a boat back to the US. Stealing boy's clothes, she runs away and follows him onboard. Not only is she caught, but she has no idea he's already engaged to socialite Margaret Manners (Barbara Bedford). 

The only way she can get off the boat is to marry her American friend Jim Denning (Donahue). They plan on getting a divorce the moment they can, especially since Jim is already in love with Weenie (Inez Courtney) from the circus. Sunny, still head over heels in love with Tom, tries to fool him into saying he's in love with her by appearing to be hurt at a fox hunt. When that doesn't work, she plans on returning to England and marrying Harold, at least until Tom sees the light.

The Song and Dance: And with a story that flimsy, song and dance...or really, Miller's dances...are the main points of interest. Miller's wattage, at least when she's singing and dancing, hasn't dimmed between films. She still loves what she's doing and is magnetic while doing it. Donahue and Heggie are the only ones who get anywhere near her as the good-natured guy buddy who helps her out and her stubborn father. Some of Jerome Kern's best songs can be found here, too - Gray and Miller singing "Who" is totally charming.

The Numbers: In fact, the movie puts its best foot forward and starts with its biggest hit song. Gray wonders "Who" stole his heart as he pours his heart out to a delighted Miller. They're both so adorable, it's by far the best sequence in the film. Sunny briefly sings "I Was Alone" after she boards the boat dressed as a boy as she wistfully watches Tom on board. She does a totally joyous instrumental tap dance after she's caught and allowed to stay onboard. After a massive wedding, she and Jim have their own hilarious dance as they wonder "When We Get Our Divorce." Tom and the men sing the old chestnut "Oh, He Didn't Ramble." Sunny finishes with her own interpretation of a fox hunt, complete with crop and top hat.

Trivia: This was supposed to have had three more numbers from the original show, "Sunny," "Do 'Ye Love Me," and "Two Little Love Birds," but they were cut from US prints when musicals fell out of fashion late in 1930. "Sunny" can be heard over the credits and as an instrumental number in the opening. 

The original Sunny debuted in September 1925. It ran a year, a pretty big hit for the time. It also did well in London, where ran nine months and toured for three years. 

What I Don't Like: There's a reason this hasn't turned up since that UK tour. The story is a soggy cream puff that collapses entirely in the second half. Cutting the music doesn't help. Miller's wonderful when she dances, but she's still not much of a singer and even less of an actress. Gray's deadly dull other than that charming "Who?" sequence. They really don't make much of that circus setting. I wonder if the cut numbers were set at the circus or did more with it. They're barely there at all before Sunny runs off to the boat. Oh, and Warners needs to throw some money at restoring this. The copy at Tubi and on DVD is scratchy and has wonky sound

The Big Finale: If you enjoyed Sally, you'll want to give Miller's second starring role a look as well.

Home Media: On DVD via the Warner Archives and on Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - Dot and Keeto

Yoram Gross Films/Hoyts Distribution, 1985

Voices of Robyn Moore and Keith Scott

Directed by Yoram Gross

Music by Guy Gross, Bob Young, John Levine, and John Zulaikha; Lyrics by John Palmer

Let's return to the Australian outback this weekend for the next film in the long-running Dot series. After Dot and the Koala ended up being something of a cross between a typical Saturday morning cartoon of the 80's and Animal Farm, the next film returned to the original format of Dot encountering Aussie animals in the real outback. This time, the theme is the Australian insect world, including a few most people don't really think of as heroic or friendly. How well does Dot do in her time among the insects? Let's begin in the outback, as a live-action Dot (Ashley Ayre) tries to keep her brother Simon (Leaf Nowland) from harming ants and caterpillars and find out...

The Story: Dot (Moore) eats a magic root in order to explain to the insects that she tried to help them, but she eats the wrong root and shrinks to their size. She first befriends Keeto (Scott), a sweet male mosquito who agrees to help her find the root. Dot tries to go inside to find her mother, but she encounters cockroaches who don't take too kindly to her. Militaristic ants who think she's the one who destroyed their home like her even less. Their queen (Moore) looks down on her. She almost becomes food for a nasty wasp (Moore) and befriends a hungry caterpillar (Scott). Meanwhile, Dot's old friend the kangaroo shrinks down and goes looking for her.

The Animation: Same as most of the other movies in this series. After the weird and too-cartoonish Dot and the Koala, it's almost refreshing to see this one go back to drawing the animals more realistically. They're still not that well-integrated with the actual environments, but they look like the animals they're representing and they move well enough.

The Song and Dance: Like I said, after the preachy environmental message and odd Saturday morning vibe of the previous film, it's rather a relief to see this one return to formula. Good-natured Keeto is at least somewhat more tolerable than annoying Funny Bunny from Dot and the Bunny, and we get to see the mother kangaroo and a bit of her close relationship with Dot again this time, too. It's also fascinating to learn more about both insects that are native to Australia, and ones like mosquitoes and caterpillars that most of us have in our own backyards. 

The Numbers: Our first song goes to Dot as she explains why the "Little Things" of nature mean so much. "Cockroach" and his brethren sing to Dot about how they've managed to survive for so long, while the "Work Ant" marches its way to its home carrying a screaming, furious Dot. "Queen Ant" sings about how she's on top of the heap in her ant hill. Butterwalk the Caterpillar (Scott) tells Dot how he'll become a "Butterfly." There's also talk of the fearsome "Spider." We end with a reprise of "In the Kangaroo Pouch" from Dot and the Kangaroo as the Kangaroo takes Dot home.  

What I Don't Like: Honestly, this one shares most of the same problems as the rest of the series. The animation, though it's improved since the previous entries, still isn't great. The story meanders and wanders along with Dot. It's not for someone who is looking for a more straightforward plot. 

The Big Finale: Honestly, if you liked the other films in this series, you'll enjoy Dot's visit with the Australia's smallest residents just as much. 

Home Media: YouTube only at the moment. 

YouTube

Footloose (2011)

Paramount, 2011

Starring Kevin Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell

Directed by Craig Brewer

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's move down south for an altogether more dynamic remake. The success of the 1998 stage version of the popular 1984 film sparked talk of a movie remake. Brewer came on 2010 after Kenny Ortega dropped out. Zac Efron was originally supposed to play the lead, but when he left, Wormald stepped in. Hough, a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars, was making her big-screen debut here. How well do they all handle the story of a grieving teenager who proves to a small town that dancing is no crime? Let's begin with the event that sparked the restrictive law, the death of Bobby Moore, the son of Reverend Shaw Moore (Quaid) and his friends in a car crash on the bridge, and find out...

The Story: The reverend is so beside himself with grief, he convinces the town council to pass several rigid laws concerning their teenage children, including one banning unsupervised dancing within city limits. Ren McCormack (Wormald) is also grieving when he arrives in town from Boston three years later. He's living with his Aunt Lulu (Kim Dickens) and Uncle Wes (Ray MacKinnon) and their little girls after the death of his mother, but he's having a hard time fitting in. Though he does make friends with goofy Willard (Miles Teller) and falls for Moore's rebellious daughter Ariel (Hough), most of the town sees him as a troublemaker. When he and the other teens insist on holding a real senior prom, Reverend Moore continues to insist that dancing and rock will lead to no good. It takes a talking-to from his daughter and wife Vi (MacDowell) to show him how his protectiveness may be causing more harm than good. 

The Song and Dance: If nothing else, I give them credit for getting people who can actually dance this time. No need to put in a substitute for Wormald in his big blow-off-steam solo "Catch Hell." He was a back-up dancer for Justin Timberlake (who recommended him) and certainly knows what he's doing. He's even from Boston in real-life, with the accent to match. Quaid's the other stand-out as the rigid reverend who hasn't gotten over the loss of his son and thinks it's the dancing and music that lead to his demise. As in the first film, gorgeous cinematography, this time in and around rural Georgia and the Atlanta suburbs, helps ground this old-fashioned story in the here and now. Some terrific choreography too, especially in the scene when Ren takes Willard, Ariel, and Ariel's friend Rusty (Ziah Colon) to a cowboy bar and when the kids finally get their prom in the finale.

The Numbers: We open with the title song as we see Bobby and his friends dancing and partying...and realize that it was likely drinking, not dancing, that was one of the major causes of the accident. "Where the River Goes" covers Ren's arrival in Bomont and his stroll across the town, checking out the sellers at a local fair before he ends up at his aunt and uncle's house. Ren's got the "Walkin' Blues" when he's fixing up the old Volkswagen to be his car. "Bang Your Head" provides the backdrop at the local speedway, where Ariel's boyfriend Chuck (Patrick John Fluger) is a driver. "Holding Out for a Hero" is now a slow ballad as Ren remembers his late, beloved mother while working on the Volkswagen. "Dance the Night Away" is the big chorus number at the drive-in, where Ren gets all of the kids dancing to the dance-rap tune 

Fed up with being accused of being a troublemaker when he's really just grieving and out of place, Ren takes out his anger in the dynamic "Catch Hell" solo dance routine at the garage. "So Sorry Mama" is the second big chorus routine, the country line dance at the cowboy bar where Ren finally teaches the nervous Willard how to dance. Willard finally gets into the spirit of the thing with the big line dance "Fake I.D." It's Ren's little girl cousins and their friends who finally teach the football players to dance with the help of their Barbie speaker and the original "Let's Hear It for the Boy." This turns into the teens printing out flyers and drumming up support for their fight against Bomont's city council.

"Little Lovin'" provides the backdrop for all of the teens and their families cleaning up the cotton mill for the big dance. (The cool chandelier the kids make from metal tubing, old glass bottles, and light bulbs shows how well they've really, really been paying attention in shop class.) As in the original film, "Almost Paradise" covers Ren and Ariel's entrance and the football team spreading out to find dance partners. The movie ends with country star Blake Shelton turning the title number into a foot-stomping country anthem in a delightfully riotous dance routine for the teens.

Trivia: The stage version of Footloose opened on Broadway in 1998. Despite mixed reviews that complained about the dated story, it ran for two years. The London mounting in 2006 only managed five months. It was briefly revived in London in 2017 and turns up occasionally in regional stagings. 

What I Don't Like: The good cast can't the fact that the story hasn't dated well in either version. This was annoyingly melodramatic in 1984, let alone the 21st century. Despite the dusty rural Georgia setting, this also lacks some of the Midwestern grit that attached itself to the 1984 film. Wormald has the opposite problem from Kevin Bacon in the original. He's a sensational dancer who needs no double, but doesn't have Bacon's charisma. 

The Big Finale: Honestly, same deal as with the 1984 version. It's still too melodramatic for my taste, but if you liked the original or the dance-oriented movies of the 2000's-early 2010's, you'll want to dance on over and hear it for the boys.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats, often for under $10. Paramount Plus currently has it and the original with a subscription. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Paramount Plus

Cult Flops - The Producers (2005)

Universal/Columbia, 2005

Starring Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, and Will Farrell

Directed by Susan Stroman

Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks

This week, we're looking at two more recent remakes of older musical and semi-musical films. Mel Brooks' original film version of The Producers did well enough at the box off in 1967 but got mixed reviews. Critics at the time didn't always get the black comedy about two producers who try to put on a flop musical that turns into a huge hit. The 2001 stage version, on the other hand, was wildly popular with critics and audiences alike. Everyone praised Susan Stroman's inventive choreography and direction and the pitch-perfect performances of Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick as the title characters. Needless to say, all three were carried over to the film version...but what works on stage doesn't always work on screen, as we're about to discover. Let's begin in Times Square in 1959 as theatergoers emerge from producer Max Bialystock's (Lane) latest flop musical and find out just how much a smash stage show can go off the rails onscreen...

The Story: Max is still mourning the demise of his latest theatrical venture when his meek accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick) points out that you can make more money off of a flop than a hit. Intrigued, Max hits on the idea of staging the worst musical possible and reaping the rewards when it tanks. Leo resists it first, until he realizes how tired he is of his bland, boring life at the accounting firm. 

They first seek out Franz Liberkind (Farrell), the Nazi-obsessed author of the ridiculous musical Springtime for Hitler, even taking an oath in order to get the rights to his show. Transvestite director Roger Di Bris (Gary Beach) and his effeminate partner Carmen Ghia (Roger Bart) object to the darker tones in the show, insisting on keeping everything light, even if the Germans win the war. Gorgeous Swedish blond Ulla (Thurman) turns up on their doorstep, and both men are smitten enough to hire her as their secretary and promise her a role on the show. 

The two men do their level best to make sure everything is a disaster, including Max getting dozens of little old ladies to finance it, but...against all good taste and better judgement, Springtime for Hitler winds up as a smash success. Leo's ready to turn them in, until Franz turns up with a gun because everyone laughed at his play and Ulla suggests they take the money and run. Max thinks he's left holding the bag, but you can't break up Broadway's most unlikely and closest producing team, even when they're in jail.

The Song and Dance: It's the movie people who are the revelations here. Who knew Thurman, who is usually associated with action and drama roles, could sing and shake her hips like a champ? And that split she does at the end of "If You Got It, Flaunt It" is incredible. Farrell has way too much fun as the Hitler-adoring Franz, with his pigeons and crazy vows. Makes me wish they both did more musicals. Of the stage folks, only Beach as the mincing director has any idea of how to play the role to the camera. There's some sensational costumes in brilliant colors reminiscent of the Technicolor of 50's MGM musicals, too. And frankly, I do appreciate that the musical drops some dated aspects of the original film, eliminating the character of the hippie who originally played Hitler and giving Ulla more authority and more to do. 

The Numbers: We open with the brief "Opening Night" as two usherettes (Bryn Dowling and Meg Gillentine) wonders how the audiences will react to Max Bialystock's latest show. The theatergoers come out shortly after and give their assessment - it's "The Worst Show In Town." "We Can Do It," Max insists to Leo in his office, though Leo isn't as sure. Leo changes his tune around his "Unhappy" coworkers after he fantasizes about how "I Want to Be a Producer," complete with chorus girls in skimpy beaded dresses prancing in the office. 

Franz teaches Max and Leo the Fuhrer's favorite song, "Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop," before he insists on their vows. Roger, Carmen, and their extremely stereotypical stage team think a musical should be much lighter. "Keep It Gay!" Roger proclaims. Ulla auditions for Max and Leo at their office with "If You've Got It, Flaunt It"...and while the duo haven't started casting yet, they aren't exactly objecting to the show. Max gets the money for the show from a chorus line of old ladies tapping on their walkers (including Andrea Martin and stage star Debra Monk) who say "Along Came Bialy." Leo and Ulla are more interested in falling in love, dancing around their now very white office while singing about "That Face."

They can't find a better Hitler than Franz after he floors everyone with his rendition of "Haben Sie Gehurt Das Deutsche Band?" Roger and Carmen claim "You Never Say Good Luck On Opening Night" backstage, but Max disagrees. "Springtime for Hitler" and "Heil Myself" are the big chorus numbers, and they are a riot of color, sequins, and every possible German and World War II stereotype, up to and including Roger taking over as a decidedly not-butch Hitler. 

One of the two new songs added for the film version is "You'll Find Your Happiness In Rio," which shows Ulla and Leo doing just that as Max reads the postcard from them in prison. He feels "Betrayed" as he rants in a soliloquy of the type that were popular in 40's and 50's musicals, relating pretty much the entire show up to that point. Leo returns at the trial, claiming no one thought he was special "Till Him." The duo are still doing their same "sell everyone 100 percent of the show" schtick in prison as Max directs their big jailbird musical "Prisoner of Love." It becomes their first stage hit after they're paroled. Mel Brooks himself claims "There's Nothing Like a Show On Broadway" (the other new song) over the credits before telling the audience "Goodbye!" and that it's time to go home.

Trivia: The Producers opened in April 2001 and was a sensation, running six years and earning 12 Tony Awards, the most of any show to date. It also did well on London's West End, running three years. In fact, at press time, a revival is playing at London's Garrick Theatre. 

Three songs from the stage show, "The King of Broadway," "In Old Bavaria," and "Where Did We Go Right?" were filmed, but cut for time. All three are in an extended cut, and "King of Broadway" and "In Old Bavaria" are included as extras on the DVD.

What I Don't Like: Frankly, it feels like Thurman and Farrell are in an entirely different film from everyone else. Lane and Broderick are used to scaling their performances to the balcony, not to the camera. Everyone else is playing everything way too broadly, shouting when something slightly more sly and subtle would have done better. Likewise, Stroman's direction and choreography is scaled to theater audiences. Despite the filming in real locations, this feels like the filmed play it is. Good as most of the numbers are, they also push the running time a little too long. This is over 2 hours, way too long for a wacky black backstage comedy. Some of the other numbers or the shtick in the middle could have been trimmed with no one the wiser. There's also the simple fact that...a musical about a "gay" Hitler isn't nearly as shocking as it would have been in 1967, nor are the many rather ridiculous gay, theater, and Jewish stereotypes. 

The Big Finale: Good performances from Ferrell and Thurman aren't enough to put this in the "hit" column for anyone but the biggest fans of the leads, Brooks, or modern Broadway shows. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, with the DVD often being found for under $10. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - Hail Hail! Rock and Roll

Universal, 1987

Starring Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Johnnie Johnston

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Music and Lyrics by Chuck Berry and others

This year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by honoring another musical pioneer from the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. Chuck Berry had his strongest successes from 1955 through 1964 as one of the pioneers of R&B and early rock. He was overshadowed by the British Invasion and hard rock in the later 60's, even as the Beatles covered "Roll Over Beethoven," but would have one more moment in the sun with the novelty hit "My Ding-a-Ling" in the 70's. By the 1980's, Berry in particular and early rock in particular were getting a reassessment as his songs turned up on TV and on oldies stations and his albums were re-released on vinyl and on CD. We learn just how influential and popular his music was in this documentary honoring his 60th birthday. Let's begin with testimony from no less than John Lennon as we see an array of stars explaining Berry's influence on their music and find out...

The Story: We see rehearsal for two dynamic concerts at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri honoring Berry's 60th birthday and featuring an array of stars singing his music. Before and between scenes of the concert, Berry discusses his life and career, talking about his beginnings as the house band at the Cosmopolitan Club in St. Louis and how he fought with producers and fellow musicians a like to get his money and protect his music.

The Song and Dance: First of all, I'm glad the Fox Theater still exists in St. Louis, because it's a gorgeous palace with incredible architecture. It's the perfect backdrop for the two electric concerts that showcase Berry at his rollicking, dynamic best. We even get a wide array of stars of the time singing with him, everyone from Linda Ronstadt to John Lennon's son Julian. I like how honest the documentary is, showing that yes, Barry had trouble in the 50's and 60's with racism and whites who didn't really understand his sound covering his music, but the fact that, well, he wasn't always the most pleasant person. In fact, we see in the rehearsals that he could be downright controlling...but he's dynamic onstage, playing likely as well as he ever did.

The Numbers: We open with interviews and a dynamic "Mabellene" between four rehearsal numbers at Berry's home and at the Cosmopolitan Club, "Come On," "Carol," "It Don't Take But a Few Minutes," and a brief take on the standard "I'm Through With Love." We see how hard he pushes his band and hear his arguments with Richards in particular on "Carol" and "It Don't Take." 

"Roll Over Beethoven" featuring blues guitarist Robert Cray opens the first concert. After "Almost Grown," Linda Ronstadt, who recorded a cover of "Back In the USA" in 1978,  joins up for a rollicking duet. Berry tears into "Sweet Little Sixteen," "No Money Down," and "Nadine." Julian Lennon looks a little out of place for "Johnny B. Goode," but he does well enough with the duet and looks pretty good in the 50's-style suit. After "Memphis, Tennesee" and "Little Queenie," Cray returns to put his own stamp on "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." We hear testimonies from Little Richard between "Too Much Money Business" and "No Particular Place to Go." 

Eric Clapton takes the stage for "Wee Wee Hours." He sticks around for "Rock and Roll Music" as Etta James comes in for a duet. The big finale is the song that provided the film's title. Guitarist Joe Walsh joins Berry, Richards, Cray, and Clapton here.

Trivia: Berry had overworked his voice singing at an outdoor concert shortly before shooting began on this film and had to be dubbed at the concert scenes. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Universal needs to take a crack at restoring this. The copy currently at Amazon Prime seems a bit on the grainy side, especially in the rehearsals. Second, I kind of wish there'd been more focus on Berry himself and less on stars of the time gushing about how he influenced their music. Berry may have been, to be blunt, a jerk, but he was a fascinating one, and it really is interesting to hear his take on his music and how he got started.

The Big Finale: I remember this turning up on cable fairly frequently in the late 80's when I was a kid, and I'm finally glad I got around to seeing it. If you have any interest in Chuck Barry, his music, or the early history of rock, you'll want to ride along in your own automobile and give this take on his life and songs a look.

Home Media: The discs currently seem to be hard to find. Your best best for this would be streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - The Vagabond King (1956)

Paramount, 1956

Starring Oreste Kirkop, Kathryn Grayson, Rita Moreno, and Walter Hampden

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Rudolf Friml; Lyrics by Brian Hooker and Johnny Burke

Operetta made a comeback in the early 1950's when several classic operettas of the 1910's and 20's were recreated on TV and on record. Paramount saw the success of The Student Prince at MGM and "spectaculars" like The Chocolate Soldier on television and went looking for their own version of Mario Lanza. They thought they found him in Maltese opera tenor Oreste Kirkop, who, despite his limited knowledge of English, was handsome, manly, and possessed a marvelous singing voice. They picked up Kathryn Grayson from MGM and gave dancer Rita Moreno one of her first major roles, but then let it sit on the shelf for over a year before it was released to an indifferent public. Did this deserve that fate, or should this rousing color retelling of Francois Villon's story deserve another chance to rule? Let's begin with the scheming Duke of Burgundy (Tom Duggan) and his men just outside of Paris and find out...

The Story: Francois Villon (Kirkop) and his fellow vagabonds are arrested by Louis the XI (Hampden) and his men when they visit the tavern he frequents disguised as peasants. Louis anoints him the new provost marshal after his actual marshal Thibault (Leslie Nielson) is revealed to be a spy to Burgundy. He's hoping to enlist him and his fellow peasants, poets, and drinks in battling the Duke and his army. Earlier in the day, Francois had encountered the beautiful Princess Katherine (Grayson) at a church and had fallen hopelessly in love with her, despite already having a girlfriend in the tavern wench Hugette (Moreno). It's the ladies who are willing to lay down the line - and in Hugette's case, her own life - to make sure Louis stays on the throne and Francois stays off the hangman's noose.

The Song and Dance: The ladies are the stand-outs here amid the brilliantly colored pageantry of 15th-century France. Grayson is equally spunky and sweet, especially later-on, when she begins to fall for Villon. Moreno brings enough fire and passion to Hugette to power the entire City of Lights, and is certainly more realistic as a tavern wench than cutesy Lillian Roth was. The production benefits from the improved Technicolor, with lavish medieval costumes and fanciful headgear for both genders that would make the rainbow pale. We even get a medieval ballet near the end with a literal warring heaven and hell that gives us a good idea of court amusements among the rich in the fifteenth century. And at least if they had to have additional numbers, Friml actually got to write the music this time. 

The Numbers: Our first number is "Bon Jour," which introduces us to Francois and his men as they travel back to Paris, waving to the peasants they see along the way. Hugette joins the vagabonds for the swirling chorus number "Viva La You" at the tavern. Katherine performs "Some Day" in the courtyard as she dreams of the man she saw at the church. Francois, Hugette, and the Vagabonds make "Comparisons" between the wealthy and the poor and Burgundy and Louis just before Francois is arrested. "Hugette Waltz" takes us to the dungeons as Hugette laments the loss of her beloved rogue. 

"Only a Rose" is performed in the courtyard, with Francois telling Katherine how much he's fallen for her. "Watch Out for the Devil" is the big ballet depicting the fight between heaven and hell - or Louis and Burgundy in this case - performed by Katherine and Francois. We end with "Song of the Vagabonds" for Francois and the chorus as they rout the Duke of Burgundy and his men and a reprise of "Only a Rose" as Francois and Katherine drive off into the countryside.

Trivia: Final movie for Katherine Grayson and only movie for Oreste Kirkop. Kirkop didn't speak English at the time. His speaking voice was dubbed by Elliot Reid.

Rita Moreno's singing voice was dubbed by Eve Boswell. 

That's Vincent Price doing the narration in the opening sequence.

What I Don't Like: The men are the problem here. While Hampden isn't bad as opportunistic Louis, Jack Lord and Leslie Nielson are simply too modern to be believable as scheming medieval spies. Kirkop is a wonderfully lusty singer, but lacks the presence of either Dennis King or Mario Lanza (who had been considered for the role early-on). He has no chemistry with Grayson or Moreno and frankly belongs back in an opera house in Malta, not film. Not to mention, the dubbing on his voice is terrible, with Reid sounding nothing like his singing voice. The sets look spectacular but are obviously fake and give the film the feeling of an overripe stage play, and Friml and Burke's added songs are pleasant but unremarkable compared to the soaring "Some Day" and "Only a Rose" or the devastating "Hugette's Waltz." 

The Big Finale: Mainly worth checking out for operetta fans like me or fans of Grayson, Moreno, or the huge colorful musicals of the 50's and 60's. 

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

YouTube

Cult Flops - The Vagabond King (1930)

Paramount, 1930

Starring Dennis King, Jeanette MacDonald, O.P Heggie, and Lillian Roth

Directed by Ludwig Berger

Music and Lyrcis by various

For the next two weeks, our weekday reviews will look at musical remakes, either of older films, or a remake and the original. This version of the 1926 stage hit of the same name was intended to be Paramount's stately answer to major film operettas like Warner Bros' The Desert Song or MGM's (now-lost) Rogue Song. It proved to be too stately for 1930 audiences who were looking for war movies and gangster films, but how does it look now? Let's begin in fifteenth-century Paris, where only a lawless poet stands between the King of France (O.P Heggie) and the Duke of Burgundy's attempt to take over his throne...

The Story: Francois Villon (King) is arrested by Louis the XI and his men while drunk and brought to the castle. Louis anoints him king for a day, hoping to enlist him and his fellow peasants, poets, and drinks in battling the Duke and his army. Earlier in the day, Francois had rescued the beautiful Princess Katherine (MacDonald) and had fallen hopelessly in love with her, despite already having a girlfriend in the tavern wench Hugette (Roth). It's the ladies who are willing to lay down the line - and in Hugette's case, her own life - to make sure Louis stays on the throne and Francois is hung for a king's amusement the next day.

The Song and Dance: Oh, how I wish the full color copy was available online! What little color is seen during the "Only a Rose" number is blurry but exquisite, with MacDonald looking every inch the princess she's supposed to be in exquisite peach, standing out against the lavish green garden. In fact, even in the blurry mostly black and white copy currently on YouTube, it's that much-vaunted pageantry where this stands out. MacDonald is a radiant princess in glittering gowns amid enormous, craggy castles and the fetid alleys of a shadow-strewn Paris, while Heggie makes a wonderful opportunistic King Louis. European director Ludvig Berger had made several similar sumptuous fantasies in France and Germany during the silent era, and he knew something about spectacle and how to make it work.

The Numbers: We open over the credits and at the tavern Francois frequents with "Song of the Vagabonds." "King Louis" is Francois' mocking rhyme and assessment of Louis' ability to rule his people. "Mary, Queen of Heaven" is a number for the choir when Katherine is praying in Notre Dame. The ballad "Some Day" is Katherine's first solo as she changes for bed and contemplates Francois and their first meeting in Paris. Francois declares to his followers what he would do "If I Were King." He tells the disguised Louis "What France Needs." 

"Only a Rose" is the only Technicolor sequence existing in current online prints. The gorgeous singing from King and MacDonald and exquisite color somewhat make up for MacDonald being right about King's ego and his continued attempts to push his nose or hands into her shot. Roth's solo is "Hugette's Waltz," as she explains to the vagabonds that she is how she is, take her or leave her. Francois and Katherine get a second duet, "Love Me Tonight," shortly before he is to fight the Burgundians. The people of Paris reprise "Song of the Vagabonds" during the actual siege. "Nocturne" is the executioner's number as he's about to hang Francois.

Trivia: The color prints do exist and were restored by UCLA in 1990, but alas, to date have only seen there other than the "Only a Rose" sequence taken from the PBS documentary Broadway: The American Musical. 

This is based on the fanciful book and non-musical play If I Were King. If I Were King was filmed as a non-musical three times, in 1920 and 1938 under its original title and in 1927 as The Beloved Rogue. 

The Vagabond King opened on Broadway in 1925 with King as Villon and was a huge hit for the time, running over 500 performances. It had a brief revival on Broadway in 1943. It hasn't been seen there since, but remains popular with light opera companies in New York and elsewhere. The film would be remade in 1956 with Kathryn Grayson as Katherine (which we'll be looking at on Thursday). 

What I Don't Like: Jeanette MacDonald had a point about Dennis King and his ego. He's a little too into the role, proclaiming everything to the rafters when film calls for a somewhat subtler approach. He's too hammy even for a swashbuckler. This is likely why he very rarely made movies after this. Lillian Roth has the opposite problem. She's too much of a cute comedienne to be playing a sensual streetwalker and really can't pull off her "Hugette's Waltz." And oh, how I wish UCLA would release the rest of that color copy to the general public! I have the feeling it would help this tremendously, and certainly be nicer to look at than the dim, blurry copy currently on YouTube.

The Big Finale: In the end, as lovely as it is, it's really only for fans of MacDonald, operetta, or early film musicals. 

Home Media: Which perhaps makes it just as well that the only place you can see this is in that blurry copy I mentioned that's currently on YouTube. 

YouTube

Family Fun Saturday - Geppetto

ABC/Disney, 2000

Starring Drew Carey, Julie Louis-Dreyfus, Brett Spiner, and Seth Adkins

Directed by Tom Moore

Music and Lyrics by Steven Schwartz

We're staying with TV films this weekend, but skipping ahead a decade and a half to the turn of the new millennium. ABC had successfully relaunched its Wonderful World of Disney in 1997 with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. After it's 1999 version of Annie was also a hit, Disney stuck closer to home for its next big show. Drew Carey's self-titled sitcom was right in the middle of its almost 10-year run on ABC in 2000. Between his sitcom and his stint hosting the improv show Who's Line Is It Anyway, Carey was one of the most popular comedians on TV as the calendar changed to the 2000's. Louis-Dreyfus was almost as popular, coming off the run of the phenomenally beloved Seinfeld. Disney threw them both into their next TV musical, switching Pinocchio to focus on his woodcarver father and the Blue Fairy. Does this work, or should it be swallowed by a whale? Let's begin with the title character (Carey) as all of the children in town rush to his store to buy new toys, and find out...

The Story: Geppetto is tired of seeing children with scolding parents, thinking that he'd be the perfect father. He gets a chance to learn how hard it is to be a parent when the Blue Fairy (Louis-Dreyfus) makes his puppet Pinocchio (Adkins) come to life. Pinocchio is lively and funny, but he's also a bundle of questions when he should be sleeping, wanders off downtown, and isn't interested in woodcarving like his father. Geppetto sends his new son to school, only for him to come home admitting he got into a fight after imitating the other boys. Geppetto is furious with his son and with the Blue Fairy, who points out that no child or parent is perfect. 

By the time he's willing to listen, Pinocchio has run away with Stromboli (Spiner) and his puppet show. When Geppetto goes to see the show, Stromboli tells him his son went to see the world. What Pinocchio really did was board a carriage to Pleasure Island. Geppetto goes after him, encountering an inept magician (Wayne Brady) and a town filled with perfect, obedient children made by Professor Bunoragazzo (Rene Auberjononis). He and Stromboli arrive at Pleasure Island almost at the same time, but they're both thrown out for being adults. When Pinocchio and the other boys at the Island turn into donkeys, Geppetto follows him in a boat. He's swallowed by a whale, only to be reunited with a repentant Pinocchio. It then that they finally realize that being a parent means loving your child even when they're at their worst, and that the best any parent can do is help their child grow.

The Song and Dance: It's the song and dance, along with a relatively lavish production for a TV musical in 2000, that are the stand-outs. Some of the songs in Steven Schwartz's score aren't bad. I especially like "Satisfaction Guaranteed" for Professor Bunoragazzo and the townspeople and Geppetto and the Blue Fairy's counterpoint duet "Just Because It's Magic." Wayne Brady is hilarious in his sequence with Carey as the lousy magician, and Spiner makes for a funny and scary Stromboli. At the very least, this is better than the  live-action remake that focused on Pinocchio in 2022. 

The Numbers: We open with Carey singing "Once Upon a Time" as the traditional Disney Storybook opens. The first big chorus number is "Toys," as the kids in the town beg for Geppetto's wares, and Geppetto wishes he had a child of his own. "Empty Heart" is his lonely lament that he's never been blessed with a son. He's thrilled to be "Geppetto and Son," until Pinocchio constantly wanders off while he introduces him to the townspeople. The Blue Fairy tries to explain that "Just Because It's Magic" doesn't mean it guarantees a happy ending. We hear "I've Got No Strings" from the original film as Pinocchio dances with Stromboli's puppets. Stromboli's more likely to cheer himself in "Bravo Stromboli!" 

Lezamo the magician reprises "Toys" with Geppetto, reminding him that he's beloved by other children. Professor Bunoragazzo, his son (Christopher Marquette), and the townspeople of Idylla insist that they can deliver a perfect child "Satisfaction Guaranteed" in a huge chorus number, but Geppetto finds those so-called "perfect" children more creepy than delightful. Usher Raymond (aka Usher) is the "Pleasure Island" ringleader who encourages the boys there to break away from their parents' rules and do whatever they want. Geppetto reprises "Geppetto and Son" when Pinocchio finds him in the whale. He tells Stromboli he'll give him his business or anything he wants. He doesn't need anything "Since I Gave My Heart Away." This is also heard over the credits, performed by singer Sonya Issacs.

What I Don't Like: First and foremost, Carey and Louis-Dreyfus are too modern and goofy to work as a resident of fairy-tale Italy in the late 1800's and a magical fairy. Carey fully admitted he was miscast and that making this wasn't a happy affair. You don't buy him as a concerned father who just wants his son to listen. And...frankly, Geppetto's story isn't all that interesting. Some of the sequences, like the creepy "Satisfaction Guaranteed" town, have their moments, but it doesn't add up to much of a whole. You really wish they'd just done a live-action remake of Pinocchio 22 years early and focused on the character who actually does the growing up and makes the journey. 

The Big Finale: While it is better than the 2022 Pinocchio remake, considering how bad that was, that's not saying much. Unless you're a huge fan of Carey, Brady, or Louis-Dreyfus, you're better off just watching the original animated film on DVD or Disney Plus again.

Home Media: Disney is all too aware of the negative reception this one got. At press time, this is DVD only.

DVD

Musicals On TV - Copacabana (1985)

CBS, 1985

Starring Barry Manilow, Annette O'Toole, Joseph Bologna, and Estelle Getty

Directed by Waris Hussein

Music and Lyrics by Barry Manilow

Tonight's venture into 1940's nostalgia has a few things in common with Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. Queen and Copacabana were TV movies that were big hits on CBS at a time when nostalgia for the mid-20th century was at an all-time high. They both won Emmys, despite musicals being passe on the big and small screens. They were also love stories with sudden tragic endings, although at least the end of this one was obvious from the beginning if you watched the opening and know the song it's based on. In most other ways, this one is a much different beast, with a familiar star and a slightly larger budget. How different is it from Queen and its intimate ballroom? Let's begin at the disco club Copacabana with the tattered, tragic Lola LaMarr (O'Toole) before flashing back to when she met her beloved Tony (Manilow) in 1948 and find out...

The Story: Lola and Tony meet when they both compete on a popular radio game show to win a spot at the famous Copacabana night club in New York. Tony wins, but it turns out to be a bartender job. He's still happy to have his foot at the door, even if his mother Bella (Getty) wants better for him. Tony finally finds Lola working in a dime-a-dance joint. He manages to get her a job as a Copa Girl when he reworks her dark ballad as a show-stopping dance routine. Owner Sam Silver (Ernie Sabella) eventually gives Tony a better job playing blues ballads on the piano too when the pianist is fired. 

Tony and Lola have fallen head-over-heels for each other when she catches the eye of Rico Castelli (Bologna), a gangster based out of Havana, Cuba. He convinces Lola she'll become a big star in his Tropicana nightclub, even getting his current mistress Conchita (Silvana Gallardo) to prepare her for their opening act. Tony gets his own major act at the Copa with the help of the wealthy, amorous Pamela Deveraux (Andra Akers). Pamela eventually gets Tony to Havana to rescue Lola and Conchita when he finds out what Tony does to his lovers. Even when Tony gets the ladies out, Rico still follows them back to the Copa...and tragedy comes along with him, leaving Lola heartbroken for 30 years. 

The Song and Dance: Manilow and O'Toole make a charming couple in this mostly delightful salute to vintage musicals. O'Toole in particular is a revelation, hilarious when pushing her dark ballad "Man Wanted," adorable and sweet with Manilow in the lovely "Who Needs to Dream?"Manilow surprisingly isn't bad either. Bologna makes a great nasty gangster too, and Getty has some nice moments as Tony's nagging mama. There's a nice production for a TV movie from this era too, with gorgeous gowns for the Copa Girls and the Havana dancers, lavish tuxes for Manilow and Bologna, and a nice recreation of late 40's New York and Havana in a Los Angels backlot. Director Hussein won an Emmy for his seamless melding of song and dance; "Who Needs to Dream?" is especially good here. 

The Numbers: We open with the last part of the title song in that 1978 disco as we see what became of Lola before flashing back to 30 years before. After the radio show, our first full number is actually three. Tony is "Changing My Tune," and changing the style of the song every time a publisher complains it isn't "now" or "tomorrow" enough. "Let's Go Steppin'" is the first chorus number for the Copa Girls, giving us the lavish, glamorous world of the nightclub Tony and Lola both badly want to work at. Lola originally performs "Man Wanted" as a dark ballad sung on top of a piano. Tony reworks it into a brassy showstopper that gets her the Copa Girl job. 

Tony starts "Lola" as a number on his piano, but he can't finish it until he encounters the real Lola at the dance hall. They dance together as Tony explains that his "big job" at the Copa wasn't so big after all. Walking home, he starts "Lola" on the accordion, which then segways into "Who Needs to Dream?" They're so delightful as they dance and play, everyone in the apartment buildings surrounding them ends up giving them deserved applause. 

"Aye Carrumba" is the second Copa chorus number and Lola's first. The Copa Girls go tropical in frilly dresses and huge Carmen Miranda hats as Lola leads the dance corps. "Call Me Mr. Lucky" is Tony's first song on the piano after he switches to playing. It becomes "Big City Blues" when Lola leaves for Havana. He gets another promotion to lead singer for "Sweet Heaven." This one has him with the Copa Girls, circling him in white and silver. "El Bravo!" is the big chorus number at the Tropicana in Havana. Lola is the damsel in distress in this swashbuckling spoof; Tony is the title hero in the second version. The movie ends with the start of the title song, as we see exactly what happened to kill Tony and break Lola's heart and mind.

Trivia: Copacabana has twice been made into a stage musical. The original one-act version debuted at Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City in 1991. This was expanded into a full musical that played London's West End from 1994 to 1996. Though it went over well in London and has toured and occasionally appeared in regional theaters in the US, it has yet to play Broadway.

What I Don't Like: First of all, as a big Manilow fan since childhood, I know the song ends tragically...but I don't think the movie should have. As with Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Tony's sudden death in the finale doesn't really work with the mostly lighthearted romp that came before it. The stage versions have Rico as the one on the other end of that fatal bullet, and frankly, that makes more sense with the story seen here. My other problem is, like the vintage film musicals this is imitating, this is incredibly campy. If you're not a fan of vintage musicals, Manilow, or camp, this is no place for you. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of 40's musicals or are a big Manilow fan like me, you'll want to track down "the hottest spot north of Havana." 

Home Media: The DVD is out of print and prohibitively expensive at press time. You might be able to find it for a half-decent price used, but you're better off watching the decent copy currently on the Internet Archive.

DVD

Internet Archive 

Musicals On TV - Queen of the Stardust Ballroom

CBS, 1975

Starring Maureen Stapleton, Charles Durning, Charlotte Rae, and Michael Brandon

Directed by Sam O'Steen

Music by Billy Goldenberg; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman

First of all, this review is dedicated to my good friend Linda Young, who suggested it a month ago after I mentioned listening to the Ballroom cast album. Thanks, Linda. 

Let's jump-start the cold winter months with a double-dose of small-screen nostalgia from the 70's and 80's that have a lot in common. They fondly recall the nightclubs and ballrooms of the 30's and 40's at a time when ballrooms were the home of elderly dancers reliving their younger years and nightclubs were more likely to feature DJs playing disco than big bands. We'll put on our dancing pumps and head to the ballroom first with this sweet story of a widow who learns life really does begin after fifty when she starts going to a local ballroom regularly and falls for an equally lost mail man. Does this story still resonate, even long after the ballrooms have long vanished? Let's begin with Bea Asher (Stapleton) and her family at the hospital as they receive devastating news and find out...

The Story: Bea is numb at first after her husband dies, until she decides to be her own boss and opens a thrift shop to sell all the things they accumulated over the years. She's even more devastated when her beloved son David (Brandon) and his family move across the country to Los Angeles after he gets a better job. Her waitress friend Angie (Jacqueline Hyde) insists on taking her out to the Stardust Ballroom for a night of dancing. Bea hasn't danced in years, and she feels frumpy and out of place among the beautiful older women there...until she meets Al (Durning). Al has been looking for the right partner, and he's enchanted by gentle, kind Bea. 

One date at the Stardust becomes many, and Bea becomes far more confident. She dyes her hair, wears brighter clothes, and stands up to her pushy sister Helen (Rae) and uptight daughter Diane (Beverly Sanders) who disapprove of all the time she spends not bowing to them. Al and the ballroom become her second home and her lifeline, even after she finds out the truth of why Al is there. She's never been happier, even competing in the big dance show to become the annual Queen of the Stardust Ballroom with Al by her side. 

The Song and Dance: This was a huge hit for CBS in the winter of 1975...and it's not hard to see why. The simple, touching story is unusually and refreshingly realistic for a musical. Stapleton is devastating as the woman who has spent her whole life kowtowing to her husband and family's wishes and finally discovers who she is on the dance floor. During equally matches her as the dashing mail man she falls for with secrets of his own. The gritty cinematography contrasting the glamorous ballroom with Bea's Bronx neighborhood won an Emmy, as did the lovely choreography by Marge Champion.

The Numbers: We open with Bea's devastating sung-spoken "Who Gave You Permission?" as she wanders around her Bronx home, wondering what she's doing to do without her husband. She reprises it later, actually singing this time as she changes her hair, updates her wardrobe, and realizes she doesn't need anyone's permission to enjoy life. She's hoping "Pennies and Dreams" will be enough to get her through when she realizes how much of life she's been collecting and not living and wonders if her new life is "A Big Mistake." Singer Martha Tilton performs "Call Me Yours" at the ballroom when Al tries to get Bea to dance. Al, for his part, realizes how "Suddenly It's You" and that Bea is the dance partner he's been waiting for. "I Love to Dance" is their charming duet in the finale at the Queen dance off as they sing about the delights of couples dancing. There's also all of the instrumental chorus numbers at the ballroom, including the one after Bea dyes her hair where Bea and Al win third place in a contest for free ballroom passes.

Trivia: The musical was so well-received, it was expanded into a full Broadway show, Ballroom, in 1978. Alas, it had a lot of trouble on the road in previews. Director-choreographer Michael Bennett wanted to emphasize the dancing and had most of the character songs from the film, including "Suddenly It's You" and "Who Gave You Permission," cut. The show barely ran two months and lost a ton of money despite featuring Tony-nominated performances by Dorothy Loudon and Vincent Gardenia in the leads. It would be reworked in 1998 for a Chicago production under the title Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, restoring the cut material and once again focusing on Bea and Al. 

What I Don't Like: The ballroom dance sequences aside, this is not a big, brassy musical. This is the small, sweet story of one woman's self-discovery and working through grief. Some people may wonder why she stuck with Al, despite him being married. Others may find the entire story dated. I wasn't enamored with the tragic ending. In fact, this is one place I think the stage version actually works better. The stage musical ends with Bea becoming the queen and accepting Al despite his marriage. Her sudden death doesn't really jive with all the self-discovery that came before it, even if it does give Durning one last, touching scene leaning over her while realizing he'll never have another partner - or love - like her.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of ballroom dance or either of the leads, or are looking for a sweet, lower-key musical, I highly recommend this lovely look at one woman's journey through grief and into self-love via dance. 

Home Media: Easily found in all formats, but the discs do tend to be pricey. Your best bet here may be streaming. It can currently be found for free at Tubi with commercials.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - A Little Princess (1996)

GoodTimes Entertainment, 1996

Voices of Melissa Bathory, Lawrence Bayne, Desmond Ellis, and Katherine Giaquinto

Directed by Laura Shepherd

Music and Lyrics by Mark Shekter

Animated films weren't the only movies that had cheap animated knock offs made of them in the 1990's. Almost anything family-oriented that was popular in the era had six hour-long cartoon "movies" released to the direct-to-video market based on it. A Little Princess, based on the beloved children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was a hit movie in 1995. This animated version debuted less than a year later. How does it compare to the book and film? Let's begin as a carriage takes little Sara Crewe (Bathory) and her father (Bayne) to the Minchin School for Girls and find out...

The Story: Sara's father is extremely wealthy and gives her everything she wants, but she's far from spoiled. On her first day, she helps out plump, shy Ermengarde (Marieve Herington) when she forgets an answer and is kind to the servant Becky (Giaquinto). Miss Minchin (Nonnie Griffin) is only interested in the money Sara's father is paying for her lavish lifestyle. 

On Sara's eleventh birthday, a lawyer arrives and tells Miss Minchin Sara's father has died without a penny to his name. Furious, Miss Minchin forces Sara to work as a servant with Becky to pay off her debts. Sara tries to be cheerful, including telling a story based around her predicament to Ermingarde and Becky and attempting to make friends with spoiled Lavinia (Sarena Paton) when her family can't come to Parents' Day, but it's hard in that cold attic. Even with her mother's "magic" doll Ami Lu, it's hard to believe that things can get better...until she and Becky flee the house and discover a miracle has occurred. and that maybe magic isn't as far away as it seems.

The Animation: Bright and rather sketchy, almost looking like it was made in the 60's rather than the 90. At least the characters have more than one facial expression (as is often a problem in these cheap 90's animated knock offs) and the colors are bright primaries and stark black and whites that pop off the screen. The sketchiness manages to be both charming and annoying, feeling more like a Saturday morning cartoon from this era than this classic novel.

The Song and Dance: Actually, I like some of the things they do here. My favorite change involves the doll. In the book and most movie and TV versions, Sara's doll is named Emily, and she's just a toy she and her father buy at a store before he leaves. Here, Ami Lu is an Indian doll that had belonged to Sara's mother and is believed to be magic, making it even more special and meaningful to her. Sara may even be sweeter here than in the book. She never even attempted to make friends with Lavinia or forgive Miss Minchin. The way they wind the segments from Sara's story (obviously based on what Sara herself is going through) throughout the narrative is creative, too. 

The Numbers: Miss Minchin gets a big goofy solo on how much she loves (and will chase after the symbols of) "Money." Shut up in the attic, lonely and scared, Sara looks out to the London night and performs "Somewhere Far From Home" as she wishes for a better place where someone could love her. 

What I Don't Like: This has more in common with the 1995 movie and the Shirley Temple version from 1939 than the book. Several major characters, including Miss Minchin's nicer sister Amelia and the servant Ram Dass who helps Sara, are eliminated all together. As in the other film versions, it's Sara's father who finally gets her out of Miss Minchin's clutches, not his repentant partner. He doesn't buy the school in the end in the book, and Becky is Sara's servant, not a student. Not to mention, there's the cheap animation and two dull songs. 

The Big Finale: If you have little princesses of your own who might enjoy the story and don't mind or care about the cheap animation and changes from the book, this is an enjoyable bit of fluff to warm you up on a cold winter's afternoon.

Home Media: Your best bet on this one is streaming. It can be found for free with commercials pretty much everywhere, including Tubi.

Tubi

YouTube

Happy New Year! - Sesame Street Stays Up Late

PBS, 1993

Voices of Carol Spinney, Kevin Clash, Martin P. Robinson, and Fran Brill

Directed by Chuck Vinson

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's kick off 2026 with a look at one of Sesame Street's lesser-known specials. Though Big Bird was still the focus of most stories at this point, with the death of Jim Henson and the need to recast many of his characters (like Ernie), other Muppets and puppeteers stepped up to the spotlight. Elmo was just being built up as a major character when this special debuted. Sesame Street had been evolving at this point as well, with new adult human characters, a new set, and new Muppets like the just-debuted Rosita and Zoe. How is all this reflected in this look at how countries around the world celebrate the New Year? Let's get to Sesame Street, where Big Bird is announcing that it's time to party, and find out...

The Story: As most of the adults go out for the New Year, the kids and Muppets of Sesame Street remain behind for a party of their own. Gina (Alison Bartlett) and tap-dancing wunderkind Savion (Savion Glover) keep an eye on them and help them with preparations. Oscar the Grouch (Spinney) is trying to get through to his family long-distance and isn't too happy with Ernestine the Telephone Operator's (Lily Tomlin) constant chatter. He tells a nervous Telly the Monster (Robinson) that if the year ends, so will everything else. Telly does everything he can to keep the New Year party from happening. 

Meanwhile, Elmo (Clash), Prairie Dawn (Brill), and the Muppet News Network do reports on New Year's Eve celebrations around the world. The reports from Norway, Germany, Israel, and Portugal come direct from those countries' versions of Sesame Street and their own Muppet characters. Elmo's "cousin" Pepe (Clash) helps Rosita (Carmen Osbahr) with the reports on the New Year's fiesta in Mexico, while Elmo's cousin Elmo-noske (Clash) reports from Japan. 

The Song and Dance: This is so sweet. For one thing, the only countries whose New Year's customs I knew anything about before I saw this were Mexico and Israel. It really is fascinating to learn about New Year's celebrations in other parts of the world. I liked seeing the Muppets from other versions of Sesame Street, too. From the Oscar-like Moiske Oofnik and huge, sweet Kippi in Israel to pretty kitty Tita in Portugal, I love seeing how different cultures represent puppetry and kid-friendly characters. Elmo makes for an adorable and hilarious host (and generally doesn't hog the spotlight as much as he would later in the 90's and 2000's), and Prairie Dawn's on-the-spot reporting on Sesame Street is funny, too. Telly's story, on the other hand, is handled with marvelous sensitivity for younger kids who may not understand what New Year's is really about and might be nervous about the noise and the idea of the year ending. There's also the cute side plot with Big Bird spending the special trying to wake up Snuffy before midnight.

The Numbers: We open with Big Bird's announcement to the kids on the Street that "We're Going to Stay Up Late and Party." Rosita and Pepito join the children of Mexico to perform a "Mexican Folk Song" as they make their pinata. "Oshagatu" is the song for the children of Japan as they fly kites and enjoy their day of freedom. "Bashanah Habaah" is the joyous number celebrating the Jewish New Year and its unique customs. The children and Muppets of Germany go from house to house asking for treats in the "Rummel Pot Song." Max Mekker, Alfa, and Bjarne Betjent from the Norwegian Sesame Street join the children of Lillehammer, Norway in the kid amusement park Lilleputhammer for the lovely "It's New Year's Eve." Oscar finally connects with his family in a brief "New Year's Chorale for Six Grouches." Big Bird gently reminds everyone that it's the "Faces That I Love" that make New Year's special.

Trivia: Known on VHS and some older streaming copies as Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World. 

There's a couple of references to the Olympics in the Norway segment. Lillehammer, Norway would host the Winter Olympics in 1994.

This was one of the first appearances of Ernie since Jim Henson's death in 1989. He was voiced in his brief appearance here by Steve Whitmire. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, while Elmo doesn't take over this special to the degree that he would dominate the show later in the 90's, there's still a lot of him here. If you're not a fan of him, you may not be into this.  Second, this is an older Muppet special. Some younger kids may wonder where more recent characters like Julia or Abby Cadabba are. The "around the corner" set where most of this takes place was retired in 1998, along with the characters who inhabited it. Most kids watching Sesame Street nowadays may not even know they existed. 

The Big Finale: If your kids are fans of Elmo or Big Bird, or you remember this from when you were a kid, this remains a charming look at holiday customs in other parts of the world and here in the US.

Home Media: Streaming is your best bet for this one, usually under the "Celebrates Around the World" title. The DVD is currently hard to find and pricey.

DVD

Amazon Prime