Animation Celebration Saturday - Cinderella (1994)

Jetlag Productions, 1994

Voices of Bailee Reid, Kathleen Barr, Nathan Aswell, and Michael Donovan

Directed by Toshi Hiruma

Music by Andrew Diminitroff; Lyrics by Joellyn Copperman

Golden Films and UAV weren't the only low-budget companies churning out animated fairy-tale adaptations in the 90's. Jetlag Productions mainly focused on fairy tale adaptations, with this generally considered to be the best of the lot. How well did they do with this retelling of the most beloved fairy tale in the world? Let's begin with the charming song "Dream On, Cinderella" that gives us a gentle hint of what's to come and find out...

The Story: Cinderella lives happily with her widowed father until he brings home a wife and two daughters. The moment he goes on a long business trip, Cinderella's stepmother reveals her true nature. She forces the girl to work as a servant in her own house, giving her room to her slovenly daughters. Cinderella has a beloved snow globe from her late mother. When she shakes it, a fairy godmother appears in her room. Not only does she play pranks to keep her family off her back, she gives her a lavish gown, a carriage with lizard pages and a mouse driver, and crystal shoes for the prince's big ball. She enchants the prince, but even then, her stepmother raises doubts that it was really her...until her fairy godmother intervenes once and for all.

The Animation: Not great, but a cut above Golden and UAV. At least everyone has more than one expression, and they actually show anger and fear. There's some nice backgrounds, too, especially at the ball, and some ok effects for a low-budget film when the fairy godmother does her thing.

The Song and Dance: No wonder I heard this has a cult following of people who grew up watching it in the 90's and early 2000's. It's surprisingly charming for a low-budget effort. I like that the focus here is on Cinderella and her fairy godmother, not on sidekick mice, her step-family, or anywhere else. In fact, the fairy godmother has a lot more to do here than in most versions, including slapstick with the stepsisters. This is one of the rare versions to keep her father alive until the end, too. As a fairy tale fan, I also appreciate references to the Grimm's version of this (the birds picking the lentils out of the ashes) in what's largely a retelling of the French Charles Perrault story.

The Numbers: We open with the lovely "Dream On, Cinderella," a soft ballad of encouragement that gives us an idea of the magic that is to come. "It's the Chance of a Lifetime," claim Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters as they prepare for the ball...and taunt Cinderella. "When Love Has Gone Away" is a sweet sequence after the ball as Cinderella and the Prince desperately wish they were in each other's arms.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention the "low budget" thing up there? The cheap animation and so-so voice acting shows their origins all too plainly. While it's not quite so glaring as it is for Golden or UAV, it's still nowhere near even Disney's worst. 

The Big Finale: There are far worse ways to pass 45 minutes with your princess-crazy elementary schooler or someone who grew up watching this on TV or video in the 90's and 2000's.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. Currently free on Tubi with commercials. 

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Donkey Skin (Peu D'Ane)

Cinema International Corporation, 1970

Starring Catherine Denveuve, Jean Maris, Jacques Perrin, and Delphine Seyrig

Directed by Jacques Demy

Music by Michel Legrand; Lyrics by Jacques Demy

Jacques Demy's first two musicals The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort were huge international hits, but for his third musical, he went with something a little less prosaic. Having done a bleak drama in Hollywood that didn't go over well, he returned to France for a full-on fantasy. This adaptation of a Charles Perrault fairy tale went over far better in France, where it was one of the bigger hits of 1970. Does it retain the same magic today? Let's begin with the introduction of the Blue King (Maris), his lovely wife (Denveuve), and their beautiful and gentle daughter (Denveuve) and find out...

The Story: After his wife dies, the King is encouraged to find a new wife and produce an heir. The queen insisted that he marry someone even lovelier than her...and the only person he can find is his daughter. On the advice of her godmother the Lilac Fairy (Seyrig), she holds her father off by asking for dresses the color of a good weather day, the moon, and the sun. She then demands that he kill and skin the magical donkey who has been excreting jewels and coins for him. The Fairy gives the princess her wand and a trunk with the three gowns, then covers her in dirt and wraps her in the donkey skin.

Fleeing her father's kingdom in this disguise, she manages to find a job as a pig keeper and a little hut in the woods. The prince of the kingdom (Perrin) sees her in the hut and falls so much in love with her, he becomes literally lovesick. He begs that Donkey Skin be told to bake a cake that will restore his health. She bakes her ring into it, proving her love for him. All the women in the kingdom are called to see if the ring fits their finger. No one thinks it could fit Donkey Skin, but the prince has his suspicions...

The Song and Dance: Like Demy, I've always been fascinated by fairy tales. The original version of this story comes off as rather dour. After all, it does involve incest and death. Demy manages to make all this sweet, whimsical, and even playful. Perrin and Denveuve are a charming royal couple, and Seyrig is hilarious as the Lilac Fairy who has her own reasons for keeping the princess from marrying her father. 

The production is nothing less than stunning, with the two kingdoms dressed in all cobalt blue and scarlet red. Even the faces of the couriers are blue and red. The costumes are acres of puffs, ruffles, and bows, with puffed sleeves that dwarfs the actors' heads. Gorgeous cinematography too. Real French castles and the actual French countryside glow like those incredible sun and moon gowns. 

The Numbers: We open with "Amour, Amour" performed on the piano by the princess as we're introduced to her family, the blue kingdom, and the magical donkey. The Lilac Fairy explains why it's a bad idea for a princess to marry her father in "Conselis de la Fee des Lilas." Our first chorus number has the peasants throwing "Les Insultes" at Donkey Skin for being so dirty and different. 

"Chanson du Prince" is the Prince's song when he sees her at the hut. The princess explains about her plan to put the ring in the cake in "Recette Pour un Cake D'Amour." The Prince and Princess dream of rebelling against their parents and being together in "Reves Secrets d'un Prince et d'une Princesse." The last number is also the second chorus routine. Every woman in town tries to make her finger slender enough to fit that ring in "Les Massage des Doights."

What I Don't Like: First of all, same deal as Demy's other movies. There's no dubbed version of this. If you don't speak French and aren't willing to use subtitles, you may have a hard time understanding a lot of what's going on. Second, while the incest subtext isn't pushed too hard, it is there. The original version of this story was a lot darker. In some versions (including the short "Sapsorrow" from Jim Henson's The Storyteller), the father dies in the end. Some details border on goofy for silliness' sake, like the Lilac Fairy and Blue King turning up in a very anachronistic helicopter in the end.

The Big Finale: Highly recommended for families with pre-teen princess lovers who are willing to read a few subtitles or those who love French cinema or who are big fairy tale fans like me. 

Home Media: Only on disc in the US as part of a pricey Jacques Demy blu-ray set from the Criterion Collection. You may be better off streaming this one.

Blu-Ray - The Essential Jacques Demy

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Elle: A Modern Cinderella Tale

Frame of Mind Entertainment, 2010

Starring Ashlee Hewitt, Sterling Knight, Thomas Calabo, and Juliette Hing-Lee

Directed by Sean and John Dunston

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cinderella Story films and their popularity with young girls inspired similar projects. One of them was this small indie film featuring two then-up-and-coming stars Knight and Hewitt. Knight was a hit in Disney Channel shows and films from the early 2010's, particularly the sitcoms Sonny With a Chance and So Random! and came with his own fans. Disney Channel hits like High School Musical series made fluffy musicals all the rage among younger kids, but does this modern fairy tale about a girl who is afraid to follow her dreams after tragedy work the way the Disney movies continue to? Let's begin with Elle (Hewitt) as she imagines our animated opening credits and find out...

The Story: Elle is an intern at her Uncle Allen's (Calabo) Spunn Records. She's mainly a go-fer for their biggest musical act, obnoxious pop stars Sensation. She's talented in her own right, but after her parents died on their way to her audition for a music school, she's too afraid to sing anymore. At least, until her favorite music star Ty Parker (Knight) turns up at Spunn, insisting on creating a record that's different from the usual shallow pop music.  Allen thinks he has the right girl to sing besides him in British internet star Kandi Kane (Kiely Williams). Elle accidentally poses as her when she dresses up and records a number of her own. 

Ty's smitten with this sincere newcomer, but it turns out that Elle is in major trouble. First of all, she recorded over Sensation's newest single. Second, Kandi and lead Sensation singer Stephanie (Katherine Bailess) have something to hide, and they're not about to be upstaged by an intern. Ty is still interested in Elle even when he learns the truth, but Kandi is not above using blackmail and petty humiliation to keep her place at the top. Elle is ready to give up her dreams, but her best friend Kit (Hing-Lee) and Andy (Shawn-Caulin Young), the goofy barista she has a crush on, dig up the dirt on Kandi and the Sensations that reveal they're anything but the high-and-mighty divas they claim to be.

The Song and Dance: Some ok performances are pretty much all to recommend for this one. Knight is one of the more charming pop princes to turn up in one of these movies, witty and supportive after Kandi and the Sensation trio cruelly make fun of Elle's crush on Ty. Hing-Lee and Young have a few cute moments in the second half when they manage to dig up the real dirt on Kandi Kane and her sudden ascent to fame. There's also a lovely scene where Adam admits that he'd admired Elle's parents and didn't just start Spunn Records for the money. And admittedly, I do give the cast a lot of credit for writing their own songs, including Hewlitt. 

The Song and Dance: We open during the animated credits as Elle explains what "My World" is like. Sensation's silly music video "Something About a Saturday" belies their popularity with cheap background graphics and out-of-step dancing. No wonder they don't end up finishing it. "Hollywood" provides the backdrop for the montage of Elle trying on Sensation's costumes. Elle is first seen "Love Is With Me Now" as a child at her birthday. She reprises the song in her white gown and a simple setting of flickering candles and acoustic guitars in the studio. "Kandi Sweet" is the song that supposedly made Kandi an online smash, but with its cheap background and obnoxious lyrics, one wonders how it became such a hit. 

Elle once again reprises "Love Is With Me Now" at Adam's party that ends with Kandi and Sensation mocking her fondness for Ty. She finally sings the number she wrote with Ty, "Fairy Tale," at the music school audition. The movie ends with "Happy Ever After" as we find out what happened to the main cast.

What I Don't Like: The movie looks and acts as cheap as those fake blue screen backgrounds in Sensation and Kandi Kane's music videos. For one thing, most of the leads either can't act, or like Hewitt and Knight, are stifled by the cliched material. It randomly throws together elements from better teen pop movies like Save the Last Dance and the Cinderella Story films in the hope that kids won't notice how annoyingly bland it all is. I'm really tired of the prince claiming he wants to find this huge new sound...only to end up performing songs that aren't all that far removed from the frothy pop stuff he was doing before. The dull music and costumes scream "bad indie movie from fifteen years ago trying desperately to be hip." 

The Big Finale: Unless your 8 to 12-aged girl is a huge fan of anyone in the cast or is looking for background noise at a slumber party, this is one Cinderella who can be easily left at the ball.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere and on every format. It can currently be found for free with ads at Tubi. 

DVD

Tubi

Musicals On TV - Cindy (1978)

ABC, 1978

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

Directed by William A. Graham

Music and Lyrics by Stan Daniels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YouTube

Delicious (1931)

Fox Film Corporation, 1931

Starring Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Raul Roulien, and Virginia Cherrill

Directed by David Butler

Music by George Gerswhin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Sunny Side Up was such a smash, Fox immediately put Gaynor and Farrell into more of the same. High Society Blues was also a hit, enough that despite musicals going out of style later that year, Fox had the  confidence for a third go-around. This time, they recruited no less than George and Ira Gershwin to write the songs and some background scoring for this romance about an immigrant coming to America and the polo player she falls for. How well does this story look now, with immigration once again in the news? Let's begin on the ship, as we witness people from many countries performing songs in their native language while the wealthier first-class passengers watch them, and find out...

The Story: Heather Gordon (Gaynor) is a Scottish lass who first encounters Larry Beaumont (Farrell) when she and Russian immigrant Sascha (Roulien) borrow his piano so Sascha can compose a song for her. Larry's instantly smitten and offers to help her, which doesn't amuse his frigid fiancee Diana Van Bergh (Cherrill) one bit. Meanwhile, Sascha's sister Olga (Manya Roberti) is being courted by Larry's Swedish valet Chris Jansen (El Brendel). 

Heather's horrified when it turns out the uncle she was supposed to live with can't afford to take her in and she'll be sent back to Scotland. She flees Detective O'Flynn (Laurence O'Sullivan) and hides in the stable that houses Larry's horse. It's taken to Larry's mansion, where Chris offers to watch over her. She runs into Larry there and takes off yet again, this time ending up back with Sascha and his family at their cafe. They let her into their act, which works until O'Flynn turns up looking for her. Larry's been  hurt, and she wants to see him, but the jealous Diana initially bars entry. She thinks she has nowhere to turn, but once Chris gets Larry moving, he finally realizes who really cares about him.

The Song and Dance: Some of the "song and dance" here are among the most memorable and creative of the early talkie era. Gaynor struggles to maintain her Scottish accent, but she's otherwise just as adorable here playing a winsome lass who will do anything to stay in America. Roulien is warm and likable as the gifted composer with a crush on Heather, and Roberti has some very funny quips when the girls are on the boat together. Director David Butler once again puts in some of his best work, notably in the big "Melting Pot" and "New York Rhapsody" sequences, with their elaborate effects and effective montages. 

Favorite Number: The movie opens with that series of traditional songs performed by the various ethnic groups on the ship, ending with Roberti's spirited "Oche Chornye." Roulien finally gets the title song on that piano, inspired by how Heather pronounces "Delicious" in her Scottish brogue. Gaynor sings to the camera about her dream lover again, this time hoping that "Somebody From Somewhere" will take her in. "Katinkshcka" is the number at the Russian cafe. Roberti and Mischa Auer want approval from their "dolly" Gaynor, who comes complete with exaggerated Russian costume and big circles on her cheeks. Brendel's "Blah Blah Blah" after Sascha and Heather announce their engagement is a dearly silly spoof of sappy lyrics in love songs.

The big ones here are two extended set pieces, both featuring Gaynor. Heather dreams of her entrance into America, "The Melting Pot." Reporters announce her arrival, the Mayor gives her the key to the city, Uncle Sams swirl around her, and even Mr. Ellis (of Island fame) greet her. "New York Rhapsody," later renamed "Second Rhapsody" in the concert halls, is heard in the finale when Heather flees into the city. This time, she's greeted by a nightmarish medley of images, as men accost her and the shadowy night threatens to swallow her tiny frame. The symphonic music finally reaches its crescendo as, believing she has no other choice, she turns herself in to the police.

What I Don't Like: I'm actually a bit grateful they didn't make Farrell sing this time, but he's otherwise even less interesting. Chemistry or no chemistry, there's really no reason for Larry and Heather to end up together, other than the two were one of Hollywood's most popular acting duos at the time. Frankly, Sascha was a far nicer guy who treated Heather well and was obviously a talented composer to boot. For all of Butler's innovative set pieces, there's just as many arid long shots of people standing around talking. While the Gershwins never wrote a bad score, the music here isn't their absolute best (although "Second Rhapsody" would later get some play in concert halls). 

The Big Finale: Mainly for fans of the Gershwins' music or the stars in question. Everyone else will be fine looking up the amazing "Second Rhapsody" number separately.

Home Media: Only on YouTube, in a copy that, for some reason, substitutes weird upbeat instrumental music for "Second Rhapsody." The number can be found elsewhere with restored instrumentation. 

YouTube

Second Rhapsody Sequence

Happy 4th of July! - Sunny Side Up (1929)

Fox Film Corporation, 1929

Starring Janet Gaynor, Charles Farrell, Marjorie White, and Frank Richardson

Directed by David Butler

Music and Lyrics by B.G DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson

Happy 4th, everyone! Let's jump back to Independence Day in New York 94 years ago, where tenements held massive block parties with dancing, music, recitations, and food from many countries, and the wealthy gathered in Long Island estates for for elaborate soirees with cocktails and elegant garden shows. This is a historic film in many respects. It was one of the first truly original film musicals that wasn't based on a  previous stage show or a backstager that stuffed the songs between the story. 

DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson worked on the songs and the book, assuring that the Cinderella story of a New York shop girl who falls for a playboy was unusually well-integrated for the time. How does it look now? Let's join the camera in roaming across the Manhattan tenement where Molly Carr (Gaynor) and her best friend Bea Nichols (White) live and find out...

The Story: Molly's latest crush is Jack Cromwell (Farrell), the handsome son of a wealthy Long Island family. She's been ogling his picture in the society pages, but the last thing she expects is for him to turn up in her apartment on the 4th of July. Jack got drunk at his parents' party when his fiancee Jane Worth (Sharon Lynn) preferred flirting to setting the wedding date, crashed his car, and stumbled into Molly's apartment.

He's so enchanted by her performance at the block party and her kindness to him afterwards, he encourages her, Bea, Bea's boyfriend Eddie (Richardson), and Eric Swenson (El Brendel), the owner of the grocery store on the bottom floor of their building, to come out to his Long Island mansion and perform at the big charity show his mother (Mary Forbes) is putting on. Jack dresses Molly in fine clothes and tells his mother she's a society lady and the others are her servants. He's hoping to make Jane jealous, but the last thing he expects is to fall for her. His ruse works too well when an angry Jane passes it around that Molly is a kept woman. Molly runs back to Manhattan, but Jack isn't going to let her go so easily...

The Song and Dance: If your only exposure to the early sound era is backstage fluff like The Broadway Melody or Al Jolson's soppy melodramas, have I got a treat for you. This utterly adorable romantic comedy remains delightful today, thanks to its two leads, a decent supporting cast, and how well the charming songs bolster the plot. Gaynor may sound like the Disney Snow White and sing like she's on helium, but she's utterly convincing as the naive shop girl who finds herself courted by a millionaire. White and Richardson have a terrific time as the supportive best pals, and even Brendel's Swedish hayseed gags are more tolerable than usual. 

They're backed by a terrific production, especially for the early sound era. David Butler would make a career out of directing sweet fluff like this for everyone from Bob Hope to Doris Day. His unique opening depicts the residents of Molly's tenement and how they celebrate the 4th of July, roaming from room to room, giving us snippets of their daily lives. The cinematography is gorgeous for the early sound era and even includes some relatively complex outdoor shooting. 

Favorite Number: Molly sings the sweetly simple ballad "I'm a Dreamer, Aren't We All?" three times. The first and last time, she's at home, dreaming of Jack. The second performance is at the charity show, behind a curtain of spouting water, after she thinks she's lost him. This one is much slower and a lot more heartfelt. By contrast, Jane's big song is the jaunty "You'll Find the Time and I'll Find the Place" at the Long Island mansion, her admittance that she's willing to go along with whatever guy comes along. Bea and Frank twit each other in the goofy vaudeville dance routine "You've Got Me Pickin' Pedals off of Daisies" as they literally pick flower crowns. Molly leads the crowd at the block party into a big sing-along for title number

The charity show begins with the totally outrageous "Turn on the Heat." Lynn and the chorus girls begin in furs and igloos...but as the song continues and their wriggling grows wilder, palm trees sprout, the ladies shed their furs, and even the set burns up in the frenzy! It's campy, insane fun of the type Busby Berkeley would perfect in the 30's and early 40's. Gaynor and Farrell appear in the other big number, the hit "If I Had a Talking Picture of You." The song is cheerful and bouncy, but their childish voices don't do it justice, and they sound more like five-year-olds than adults courting each other. This isn't helped when actual kids toddle on dressed exactly like them and sing along. Farrell reprises this more effectively in the finale, when Molly sees him singing it and realizes the true depth of his feelings for her. 

Trivia: This was one of the biggest hits of 1929 and inspired other studios to make their own non-backstage original musicals. 

"Turn On the Heat" was originally filmed in Multicolor, but current prints are only in black and white.

Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell starred together in three previous silent melodramas, Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Lucky Star. This would be their first sound film. 

Look for a young Jackie Cooper as the little boy who tries to recite "The Village Smithy" during the block party while squirming to get to the bathroom. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Farrell doesn't work out quite as well as his co-star. They do have obvious chemistry (and were actually dating at the time), but his nasal voice and flat delivery belie his role as Long Island's most eligible Prince Charming, and his singing is worse than hers. Second, there are times when the early talkie stiffness does turn up, mostly in sequences when people are standing and talking, Also, keep in mind that this is a pre-Code movie. Some relatively racy moments include a sequence with a feminist giving birth control pamphlets to a mother surrounded by children and mild swearing. 

The Big Finale: One of the best movies of its era, this is a sweetheart of a romantic comedy that deserves a place at your 4th of July get-together.

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

YouTube

Musicals On Streaming - Disenchanted

Disney, 2022

Starring Amy Adams, Maya Rudolph, Patrick Dempsey, and Gabriella Baladacchio

Directed by Adam Shankman

Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Talk of a sequel to Enchanted began early as 2010...but it got kicked around to various authors until 2020, when the script was finally ready after over a decade. In the interim, Disney and the movie industry had gone through enormous changes. Disney was back on top, thanks to a series of hits that questioned their older fairy tale tropes (Frozen, Tangled) or ignored them all together (Wreck It Ralph, Zootopia)...but the 2020 pandemic hit them hard. With family movies frequently faltering at the box office, Disney released Disnenchanted to its streaming service Disney Plus. Does the mixture of fantasy, reality, music, and animation still work after over a decade, or should it be shoved back into Andalusia? Let's begin with Pip (Griffin Neuman) the chipmunk explaining how Giselle (Adams) ended up moving her family to the suburbs and find out...

The Story: Giselle is thrilled to move her family to the seemingly bucolic suburb Monroeville, but her husband Robert (Dempsey) and stepdaughter Morgan (Baldacchio) aren't as thrilled. Their Victorian home is falling apart, Robert has to commute long hours to work, and Morgan doesn't get along in her new school. Giselle tries to promote Morgan as the queen of the town's upcoming fairy tale ball. In her enthusiasm, she ends up embarrassing Morgan and causing trouble with Malvina Monroe (Maya Randolph), the head of the town council. She wants her son Tyson (Kolton Stewart) to be prince of the ball.

King Edward (James Marsden) and Queen Nancy (Idina Mentzel) brought a wish-making magic wand from Andalusia as a housewarming gift. Giselle uses it to wish she had a perfect fairy tale life, with no missing husbands or pouting teens. It works...too well. Giselle didn't expect the fairy tale she'd end up in would be Cinderella. Now she's turning into a genuine wicked stepmother who mistreats her daughter, Robert is a knight who is too busy slaying dragons to have time for her, and Malvina is the even nastier queen. Giselle has to remember who she is and why she loves her family before the clock chimes midnight...and Andelusia disappears permanently.

The Animation: Not used as much this time around, and maybe it's just as well. I suspect that, while it still looks 2D, it may have been done by a computer. It's not as lush, with less details in the background and on the characters. It looks less like a Disney movie of the 50's and more like one of their recent TV shows.

The Song and Dance: Adams is really the only reason to see this one. She's having a grand time, swirling around with the chorus and trying to make the best of the situation, even when her family has to live in the master bedroom because their new home is still being worked on. She plays off well against the more dour Balacchio. Randolph does almost as well as the stuck-up head of the town council who isn't used to newcomers challenging her and the spoiled queen who wants to hang on to her power in any way possible. The costumes and sets remain gorgeous; the latter were filmed in a real Irish small town made to look like upstate New York. 

Favorite Number: We open with Pip singing about how things are going in "Andelusia," and giving us the origins of Giselle before and after she came to New York. Giselle sings about how Monroeville will be "Even More Enchanted," but with construction workers moving all around her, her stepdaughter doesn't buy it. Edward and Nancy tell them about "The Magic of Andelusia" and how the wishing wand works. Giselle wants desperately to return to "Fairy Tale Life"...and thinks she has when she wakes up and the appliances and chorus of peasants join in. 

Morgan claims everything is "Perfect" as she shops for flowers in town...then wishes that maybe it wasn't quite so much. Marvina and Giselle contrast and compare their evil powers, as they desire to be "Badder"...and better than the other. Nancy finally gets a number, "Love Power," as she reveals to Morgan how she can restore her stepmother to normal.

What I Don't Like: Nothing else works. Most of the other actors, including Dempsey and Stewart, don't have enough to do. We don't really see enough of Morgan or Tyson to understand why she has a crush on him or why she's acting the way she is, other than the move. There's a kernel of a good idea here, but it's lost under a morass of silly references that aren't worked nearly as well into the script and half-baked characterizations. Not to mention, fairy tale satire is really overworked now, especially with Disney having embraced other types of fantasy and other tropes. 

The Big Finale: Truth be told, the reason I put off reviewing this for so long is I suspected the moment they announced a sequel that it wouldn't work. They tried too hard to make the movie magical, only for it to end up being mundane. Only worth checking out for major fans of Adams, the cast, or the first film. 

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

Disney Plus

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: Starstruck

Warner Bros, 2021

Starring Baliee Madison, Michael Evans Behling, April Telek, and Lillian Doucet-Rouche

Directed by Michelle Johnson

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cinderella Story movies were so popular with their target audience, they continued even when the pandemic raged. This is the most recent one to be released. In keeping up with the times, this one was released to streaming first, well before it debuted on disc. How does this version of the story differ from other retellings of Cinderella, or even from the other movies in this series? Well, for one thing, we start off on a farm, with Finley Tremaine (Madison) acting out a scene for the animals in her family's barn yard...

The Story: Finley dreams more of anything of becoming a great actress, but she's currently stuck on the farm, doing chores while her vain stepmother Valerian (Telek), spoiled and shallow stepsister Saffron (Doucet-Rouche), and cynical and lazy stepbrother Kale (Richard Harmon) let her wait on them hand and foot. They refuse to let her go to an audition for a western musical about Billy the Kid filming in her country town, but she manages to sneak on the set anyway. She impresses the director Trevor (Matty Finochio) with her singing and fancy rope tricks, until she has to chase her pig John Ham and ends up in the mud. 

Still hoping to land a role, she dresses as a cowboy and calls herself Huck. That not only gets her into the movie, it gives her a chance to befriend Jackson Stone (Behiling), the film's star. Unfortunately, Saffron and Valerian get roles as background extras, with Kale trying to weasel in as their manager. She has to dodge them and find a way to keep them from selling her farm, before she loses her beloved home and her dream.

The Song and Dance: The western theme gives this one a bit of a lift compared to some of the more typical movies in this series. This is the only Cinderella Story movie to end without a ball, fancy gowns, or some kind of a metaphorical glass slipper. She doesn't need them. No goofy and unnecessary best friend sidekicks, either, unless you count Finley's animals. The real focus is on her ambitions, not on romance.  There's decent shots of the wide open spaces of Vancouver, Canada, too. Madison and Behling aren't bad as the central couple. She's sweet and endearing, especially when talking to her animals. He's one of the better "prince charmings" in the series, even if it seems ridiculous that he can't see through her thin disguise. 

Favorite Number: Finley's "I want" song "My Own Story" is heard twice, in the opening as she sings of her acting dreams to the animals on the farm, and later when she's happy they're finally coming true. There's two brief instrumental dance routines for the chorus, a hoedown during the audition, and another number at the "saloon" during filming that ends with "Huck" showing off some amazing rope tricks. Finley claims "I Can't Be Stopped" as she shows off at the audition...but she can be, by her own pet pig John Ham. Valerian and Saffron attempt "We're Sisters" at the audition...but not only is their number absurd, it's obvious that they're terrible performers, and that the only reason Trevor keeps them around is as eye candy and comic relief. Jackson joins the chorus for the driving "Welcome to the Show" in the actual film as "Billy the Kid" and his men manage a fair bit of menace as they sing of their intention to take the opposition down.

What I Don't Like: How the heck does no one see through Finley's "Huck" disguise? You'd think Jackson would, at least. It's painfully obvious. This one does at least try for a shred of originality with its movie and farm backdrops. I also give them credit for going for a stepbrother here instead of the usual second stepsister. Harmon does have a few good moments dealing with John Ham and trying to convince Jackson to let him be his manager, but Telek and Doucet-Rouche have far less to play and aren't nearly as interesting. For all the attempts at unique touches, this still features most the cliches inherent in the Cinderella Story films, from the meet cute encounter to the dull music without a tinge of the country inherent in the setting. 

The Big Finale: While I enjoyed this a little more than the previous film in the series Christmas Wish, it's still mainly recommended as slumber party or birthday background fodder for 8 to 14 year olds. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Once Upon a Time (1973)

G.G Communications/Constantin Film, 1973

Voices of Eva-Maria Werth, Arnold Marquis, Ursula Heyer, and Tilly Lauenstein

Directed by Rolf Kauka

Music by Peter Thomas; Lyrics by Roberto deLeonardis

I had to do a little research on this one. Apparently, Rolf Kauka was a fairly well-known cartoonist in Germany during the mid-20th century. His Fix & Foxi comic strip was so popular, by the 1950's, he had his own publishing  house. This would be his only venture into feature films. Is this combination of one of the best-known Grimm's Fairy Tales in the world and one that's less popular outside of Germany as much fun as those comics characters, or should they be dropped down a well? Let's begin with the narrator introducing sweet Maria (Werth), her rich drunkard father Mr. Bottle (Marquis), and Maria's little dog Bello, and find out...

The Story: Their lives are changed when a gypsy posing as a fortune teller (Lauenstein) manages to con Bottle into marrying her. She and her spoiled and haughty daughter Mary Lou (Heyer) take over his home, buying themselves rich clothes and jewlery and forcing Maria to do all the work. Mary Lou's so obnoxious, she even steals the horse from what she thinks is a hunter (Uwe Paulson) and throws the garnet necklace he gave Maria into the well.

Mary Lou is shocked when it turns out the horse and the necklace actually belong to a prince. She and her mother promise a shoe maker who has his eye on her (Wolfgang Spier) Mary Lou will marry him if he makes her a garnet necklace. It doesn't pass muster with the Prince, which forces her to go after the real one. Maria and Bello come along, too. They learn that Mother Holle (Tina Eliers), who makes the snow fall with the help of her children, has the necklace. Mother Holle says she'll give the necklace to whichever girl is worthy...and when Maria easily agrees to help Holle and the beings in her world with their work, while Mary Lou complains and demands the necklace, it becomes very obvious which one deserves the Prince's heart.

The Animation: I can definitely see this coming from a comic book artist. The first half in the regular world isn't really anything special. It looks rather like a Hanna Barbara TV show or movie from this era, with its wide-eyed, slender young women and Prince, grotesque stepmother and Mr. Bottle, and warm Mother Holle. Once the movie drops down that well, we swap out Hanna Barbara for Yellow Submarine.  Everything is eye-popping bright, with its psychedelic train, talking trees laden with apples, and adorable soft curly-haired cows. There's some nice shots when Bello is tied up in the woods and as the snow/feathers fly. 

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for trying something a little different. Cinderella's been done many times, but this is the only animated adaptation I've seen of the German fairy tale Mother Holle. When it focuses on the story and the fantasy, it's actually rather charming. The second half in particular is fairly unique and just a lot of fun to watch, due to the trippier animation and strange characters, like that talking tree. (I also like that the king thorougly approves of his son marrying a commoner. He wants new blood and to get out of his job and focus on bee keeping quick as possible.)

Favorite Number: "Hallelujah!" is barely a number, just the words repeated over and over as the Stepmother swings Mr. Bottle around after she's conned him into marriage. Mr. Bottle laments all the money he's spending on the screechy Mary Lou and her mother in the shopping montage "Marvelous I Say." The very mid-70's pop ballad "Maria" turns up three times, when the Prince sings it after he and Maria meet, as a duet for Maria and the Prince in her imagination at the well, and later back at the well after she's lost the necklace. 

Two jolly little Asian gentlemen "Go Round and Round In Circles" after the sisters arrive in Mother Holle's world. Maria thinks they're adorable. Mary Lou finds them to be an annoying nuisance. ("Round and Round" is also performed by the chorus in the end credits.) Mother Holle's hungry toddlers sing "The Porridge Song" as Maria feeds them, with them singing her praises in the end. The children also sing of "Mother Holle" as they and the girls shake the pillows and make it snow. 

Trivia: Originally released in black and white in 1973; the color version debuted in 1975. The English-dubbed version was released in 1976. It's not known whose voices were used in the dub. 

What I Don't Like: This is one strange movie. Characters are either bland (Maria and her Prince) or so abrasive, it's hard to watch them (Mary Lou, Mr. Bottle and his wife, the cobbler, Mother Holle's screaming kids). Too much time is spent in the first half with the cobbler and the notary (Harry Wustenhagen) and their antics while trying to make the necklace and get Mary Lou to marry him, and with the boar the hunters chase. It's obvious padding and has little to do with the rest of the film. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out at least once on a rainy day if you love fairy tales like I do or want to try a different take on Cinderella. 

Home Media: The DVD is long out of print. Your best bet for this is streaming. Tubi currently has it for free.

Tubi

My Sweet Valentine - Sepia Cinderella

Herald Pictures, 1947

Starring Billy Daniels, Sheila Guyse, Tondeleyo, and Jack Carter

Directed by Arthur H. Leonard

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate Valentine's Day this year with one of the most charming of all "race films." These independent B flicks were made from the 20's through the late 40's for black audiences in smaller, segregated houses. They didn't have the resources of even the "Poverty Row" studios in the era, but what they lacked in largess, they often made up for in vitality...and that's true of this year's Valentine's Day romance. How does the fairy tale look as the story of an up-and-coming songwriter and the girl who truly loves him? Let's start at the boarding house where Barbara (Guyse) and Bob (Daniels) live and find out...

The Story: Barbara helps Bob write what becomes a hit song, "Cinderella." It becomes a hit, but the success goes to Bob's head and he abandons his friends and seldom comes home to the boarding house. He falls for the wiles of devious rich club owner Vivian (Tondeleyo), who sets him up in his own club and milks his popularity for all its worth. Not only does this upset Barbara, but Vivian's fiancee Ralph (Jack Carter) isn't happy, either. When it seems the public's losing interest in Bob, his press agent (Fred Gordon) sets up a contest where he'll choose a woman's shoe out from the dozens entered, then sing with her. Barbara and the residents of the boarding house are determined that she should be the one he chooses...and that he should realize how much she really means to him.

The Song and Dance: "Adorable" isn't a word that comes up often in B-musicals with any kind of cast, but this is just so sweet. Guyes is so lovely and charming, one wonders how Bob can ignore her for so long, and Tondeleyo has just as much fun seducing him. Carter gets a few good moments as her scorned lover mid-way through the film, including a club number of his own. Look for a now-grown Freddie Bartholmew as himself in the audience near the end of the movie. There are some decent numbers, too, including the "Cinderella" song that causes all the ruckus. It's also not as obviously cheap - some of the ladies' gowns are lovely

Favorite Number: "Cinderella" turns up four times, starting with when Bob and Barbara write it in the beginning. Bob sings it at least twice, once in his own "Cinderella Club," while Barbara gets to solo on it near the end. We kick off with Bob's band really tearing into a jiving instrumental routine. They're so good, they get a major ovation from Barbara and Mama Keyes (Hilda Offley). Bob's other big number at the nightclub is the more upbeat "Ring Around My Rosie." Deek Watson and the Brown Dots get two numbers at the contest later, wondering "Is It Right?" and singing about "Long Legged Lizzie." Even the press agent gets to lay into "Oh Ho, It's a Lovely Day." 

Trivia: Bartholmew went to World War II when his voice changed and ended his career. He attempted a comeback on TV and in smaller movies in the late 40's and early 50's, but it never stuck, and he finally gave up acting for television directing and producing in 1952. 

Billy Daniels' first movie. He'd have a real-life hit a year later with his rendition of "That Old Black Magic."

Look fast for Sidney Poitier as an extra. 

What I Don't Like: The cliches fall hard and fast here. Bob's one of the most naive, oblivious idiots you've ever seen, and not just because he fell so hard for the extremely obvious Vivian. He's an easy mark for pretty much everyone, from the fast-talking press agent to the jealous Ralph. While the musical numbers are inserted less awkwardly than in Juke Joint, they're still kind of shoehorned in. Despite them constantly playing the "Cinderella" song, the story doesn't feel particularly "Cinderella" until the last ten minutes or so when they hold that contest. Also, the scene where a black man is obviously playing a stereotypical Chinese being conned by a phony psychic may not sit well with some folks today. 

The Big Finale: Charming and sweet, this is a lovely little romance for Valentine's Day and when you're looking for something lower-key. 

Home Media: It's in the public domain, so it's pretty easy to find anywhere. It can often be found streaming for free.

DVD - Harlem Double Feature - Dirty Gertie From Harlem USA/Sepia Cinderella

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

Warner Bros, 2019

Starring Laura Marano, Gregg Sulkin, Isabella Gomez, and Johannah Newmarch

Directed by Michelle Johnson

Music and Lyrics by various

Here's another one I didn't know about until a few months ago. I had no idea the Cinderella Story series continued on DVD and digital for over a decade after the first sequel Another Cinderella Story came out. How does this modern holiday fairy tale compare to the other movies in this series, as well as similar Christmas-themed musicals like The Mistle-Tones? Let's begin with our Cinderella in this entry, Kathrine "Kat" Decker (Marano), as she dreams of stardom at her favorite time of the year and find out...

The Story: At the moment, Kat lives with her snobbish stepmother Deirdre (Newmarch) and her two spoiled daughters, shy Grace (Chanelle Peloso) and obnoxious and Internet-obsessed Joy (Lillian Doucet-Roche). Kat works at Santa Land, a local Christmas amusement park, as an elf singer with her seamstress best friend Isla (Gomez). She has a crush on the new Santa Claus...who turns out to be Domenic Wintergarden (Sulkin), the song of wealthy Terrance Wintergarden (Barclay Hope). He tells her who he is, but she can't bring herself to give away her identity after Joy humiliated her online. 

Deidre's delighted when she gets an invitation to the Wintergardens' Gala Christmas Ball. Turns out it's for Kat, whose father was a good friend of Terrance's. Deidre takes the dress Isla bought for Kat and has it redone for Joy and burns the invitation Domenic gave her. She wants to pass Joy off as Kat and get at Terrance's money, as she's spent her own. Kat's upset when she's insulted by Domenic's rich friends, including his girlfriend Skylar (Maddie Phillips), and doesn't want to attend the Gala anyway...until her dog Bruno leads her to the letter that gives away her stepmother's plot and finally pushes her to reclaim her life and her identity. 

The Song and Dance: A few cute performances brighten this otherwise routine story. Gomez, who would later star in the remake of One Day at a Time, is lively and funny the few times we see her as Kat's supportive best friend. Sulkin is slightly more interesting than most of the love interests in this series, and even gets a really cute duet with Moreno mid-way through. And at least they do make some use of the Christmas setting, including Kat and Isla's fairly amusing jobs working for the barking drill sergeant manager (Garfield Wilson) in the awful holiday suit at Santa Land.

Favorite Number: We open with "The Best Christmas" over the credits as Kat dreams herself into a computer-generated winter concert fantasy. "Toys Toys Toys" is Kat and Isla's number as they sing about what Santa will hopefully bring all the children in the audience at Santa Land. Kat and Domenic perform a charming dance around Santa Land's attractions as they sing about how "Santa Brought Me to You." "What Elves are For" is the cheesy chorus number Kat inadvertently ruins at the Gala, including rock group The Math Club dancing with candy canes. We end with "Everybody Loves Christmas" as Kat makes her big debut at the Gala in a white gown Isla created, dancing with the chorus in strange white wire costumes.

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately has the same problems as the other musical entries in this series. The story is bland and has been done to death (including five other Cinderella Story films). Newmarch and the stepsisters are annoyingly over-the-top, and don't even get much of a comeuppance other than being escorted out of the Gala when their plot is discovered. Marano really isn't much better. Kat's too gullible and silly. Why would she believe a word her stepmother said, especially when she was well aware of how untrustworthy she was? 

There's also a lot of complaints online about the "autotuning" on the songs. I think what they mean is the songs have been too heavily processed and digitized, and they do sound a little off as a result. I'm more concerned about the music being stale pop that could fit into any Hallmark romantic comedy without missing a beat. It belies all the constant dialogue praising Kat's so-called "talent." 

The Big Finale: I think I'm the wrong audience for this series. Cute enough time-waster if you need background music for your 8 to 14-year-old girl's Christmas party or sleepover; completely unnecessary for anyone else. 

Home Media: Easily found on all major formats. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

First Love (1939)

Universal, 1939

Starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Stack, Eugene Pallatte, and Helen Parrish

Directed by Henry Koster

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're switching streams to the less flamboyant vehicles of a very different musical performer. Teen soprano Deanna Durbin's films were such major hits in the late 30's, they were credited with helping Universal through a very rough financial time. This began as a more traditional fantasy version of Cinderella in 1938, but Walt Disney already had a hold on that title and protested. They retooled it into a modern-day version, with the little cinder girl now replaced by a poor orphan who returns to an uncaring family and falls for a prince charming at a New York dance. How does this version look today? Let's begin on graduation day at Miss Wiggins' (Kathleen Howard) School for Girls and find out...

The Story: Constance "Connie" Harding's (Durbin) schooling has been paid for by her Uncle James Clinton (Eugene Pallatte), who didn't attend graduation and has never wanted anything to do with her. With no other home to go to, she has no choice but to move in with them. Uncle James and the servants like her, but his daughter Barbara (Parrish) is jealous of her sweet, innocent charm, son Walter (Lewis Howard) is too lazy to care about anyone, and his flaky wife Grace (Leatrice Joy) cares more about what her astrological charts say than anything going on with her family. 

Spoiled Barbara sends Connie on an errand to stall her current crush Ted Drake (Stack) at the country club before he can ride off without here. She tries to lure his horse away, but only succeeds in embarrassing herself. Ted thinks she's adorable, but Barbara's livid and claims he hates her. Barbara is so jealous, she refuses to let Connie come to the Drake family's ball with them, despite her mother claiming she could. The servants find a way to let her come anyhow. She manages to sing for the crowds there, impressing Tom and his father (Thurston Hall). Barbara is so angry, she fires the servants and once again tells Connie Ted thinks nothing of her. Connie runs off..but she has help from Uncle James, who has had enough of his family's snobbish behavior, and Miss Wiggins, who wants to see her best student happy.

The Song and Dance: Durbin is adorable in this sweet modern fairy tale, and who knew later tough-guy Stack would make such a dashing prince charming? They're backed by a collection of Universal's best character actors. Pallatte is the stand-out as the stern father with a soft spot for Connie who would rather see her be happy than let his family get away with abusing her. There's also Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Treen as the housemaids who help transform Connie's graduation gown into a ball gown, Charles Coleman as the sensible butler, and Kathleen Howard as Connie's crusty but loving teacher. Gorgeous costumes, too, especially the gown for Connie that caused all the fuss before the ball. 

And...kudos to Universal for letting Durbin realistically grow up onscreen (something 20th Century Fox never really managed with Shirley Temple). This role would lead her to do more mature films in the future, including two thrillers in the early 40's.

Favorite Number: We open with Durbin singing "Home Sweet Home" for her fellow finishing school graduates...but bursts into tears before the end because she's leaving for an uncertain future. She proves to the servants she has an opera-worthy voice by singing "Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy)" for them just as her Uncle James walks in. She's delighted to have "Spring In My Heart" as she sings her heart out for everyone at the ball. Miss Wiggins insists she perform the difficult aria "Un Bel Di" from Madame Butterfly for her music teacher audition in front of the school. She thinks it's too sad, but Miss Wiggins has her reasons for choosing that song...

Trivia: First film for Robert Stack and Lewis Howard. Stack won a nation-wide search for a man to give Durbin her first onscreen kiss.

Silent screen actress Leatrice Joy's first movie since 1930. 

What I Don't Like: Pallatte is such a scene stealer, he almost walks away with the movie, especially in the end when he lays into his obnoxious children and ditzy wife and shows them exactly what he thinks of their laziness and selfishness! This really isn't much of a musical. We just get a few songs for Durbin. It's more of a sweet romantic comedy, with all the inherent cliches of the genre. Parrish's Barbara was such a spiteful wench from the beginning, I'm amazed Connie believed what she said about Ted twice. Frankly, I wouldn't have believed a word that came out of her mouth from the get-go. 

Even Universal had concerns about the abrupt ending. There's no New York-wide search for the girl with the shoe, and we never do find out how Miss Wiggins got the other slipper from Tom. They really could have done more with this, or at least showed Tom actively looking for her.

The Big Finale: One of Durbin's better early vehicles; highly recommended for fans of her, unique Cinderella stories, or those who are interested in a young Stack before his TV years. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only as part of the Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Collection.

DVD - Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Collection

Higher and Higher (1944)

RKO, 1944

Starring Jack Haley, Frank Sinatra, Michele Morgan, and Leon Errol

Directed by Tim Whalen

Music and Lyrics by various

This began life on Broadway in 1940 as a rare flop for Rodgers and Hart. RKO bought it and turned it into Sinatra's second movie and a vehicle for him and dancer Haley. By this point, Sinatra's star had already started to rise, and he looked like a clear threat to the popularity of older crooners like Bing Crosby. We get an even younger crooner, Mel Torme, here as well. How does this twist on the Cinderella tale of a servant who discovers where she belongs fare today? Let's begin with all the servants of millionaire piano manufacturer Cyrus Drake (Errol) going about their daily duties in song and find out...

The Story: They won't have those duties for much longer. Cyril is broke. He's in bankruptcy, and the courts may foreclose on his home. With Cyril's family on a long trip overseas, they form a "corporation" to turn pretty scullery maid Millie (Morgan) into the spitting image of his daughter Pamela Drake and have her marry rich. They choose wealthy Sir Victor Fitzroy Victor (Victor Borge) as the man for her. Millie is really more interested in Cyril's valet Mike O'Brian (Haley), but she does find handsome crooner Frank Sinatra (himself) attractive. So does Katherine Keating (Barbara Hale), the real debutante daughter of a friend of the Drake family. Mike thinks Millie wants Sinatra, but the others push her towards Victor. Millie has to decide what she really wants, and if she's really willing to go to the alter in the name of money.

The Song and Dance: This turned out to be way more fun than I figured from the B-level cast and small production. Sinatra's still a little stiff, but he's obviously much happier playing himself than he was a writer in Step Lively that same year. Errol and Mary Wickes have delightful moments as the desperate millionaire who will do anything to get back into easy riches and the social secretary who just wants to keep her job. 

Lovely Morgan is especially charming as the scullery maid who only wants to marry the man of her dreams. She gets her own hilarious moment at the ball when she can't figure out how to make a speech and blurts random lines out. There's some gorgeous gowns once they send Millie into high society, especially during the "Butler's Ball" where the two competing debs announce their sponsorship. And I have to admire the creative ending and how they do finally get Drake out of hock. It's also nice to see performers like Borge and dancers Paul and Grace Hartman who rarely made movies. 

Favorite Number: Sinatra naturally gets to croon several gorgeous ballads, including two hits, "The Music Stopped" and the Oscar-nominated "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night." Both are performed with Dooley Wilson, as the family's chauffeur and house pianist. He also gets a funny number with besotted pre-teen maid Marcy McGuire, who claims "I Saw You First" while chasing him around the house and his bike.

We even get three nice chorus routines for the family. The movie opens with "It's a Most Important Affair," as the servants do their duty all around the house to prepare their employer for his evening on the town. "Today I'm a Debutante" and "Disgustingly Rich" are the numbers where Mike convinces everyone to "incorporate" and turn Millie into a high society beauty. Wilson tells Mel Torme and McGuire that "You're On Your Own" in love. It eventually spreads to the entire household, including the two sets of lovers going for a walk in the garden. 

Trivia: This was Sinatra's first and last time playing himself in a film, and Borge's first and last time playing someone other than himself in a film. It's also Mel Torme's first movie. 

"Disgustingly Rich" is the only remaining Rodgers-Hart song from the original show, which barely lasted a month in 1940. It did manage to toss off a standard despite the short run, "It Never Entered My Mind."

Morgan was dubbed by Martha Mears.

What I Don't Like: First of all, Errol, Borge, and Haley are wasted in roles that barely require them to do much dancing or comic piano-playing. Torme only sings in the chorus numbers with the servants, too, and never in a solo. Second, while admittedly the score here is said to actually be better than the one in the original stage show, they couldn't have at least retained "It Never Entered My Mind" for Sinatra? Not to mention, they supposedly changed the plot to shoehorn Sinatra in, too. It does feel like one man too many is after Millie. There's also that fluffy plot. The "corporation" behaves like a pack of wolves after a bone, and it does get a little annoying until Mike stops the whole thing during the wedding. 

The Big Finale: Charming surprise is worth a look if you're a big fan of Sinatra, romantic comedies, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Another Cinderella Story

Warner Bros, 2008

Starring Selena Gomez, Jane Lynch, Drew Seely, and Jessica Parker Kennedy

Directed by Damon Santostefano

Music and Lyrics by various

The original A Cinderella Story was a non-musical romantic comedy featuring then-hot ingénue Hilary Duff as the put-upon teen of the title. It was such a smash with kids, Warners followed it with a series of direct-to-DVD films that all followed the same theme. This was the second in the series, and the first to be a musical. Selena Gomez was another popular teen star of the time, having made waves the year before in the Disney Channel fantasy sitcom The Wizards of Waverly Place. How well does she do in a less overtly magical story? Let's begin with a dance routine in the head of Mary Santiago (Gomez) and find out...

The Story: Mary was taken as a child by lazy and vain fading pop star Dominique Blatt. She and her silly twin stepdaughters Bree (Katherine Isabelle) and Britt (Emily Perkins) treat Mary like a servant, working her to the bone. The spoiled duo make Mary's life miserable in and out of school, where they bully her and her more courageous best friend Tami (Kennedy). 

Mary's school is up in arms when handsome pop star Joey Parker (Seely) returns for his senior year. He's hoping to regain his inspiration and remember why he started dancing. His best friend Dustin "The Funk" (Marcus T. Faulk) arranges a dance contest for the end of the school year. Dominique wants to shove her girls at him or at least sing with him, but he can see straight through her and refuses. Meanwhile, Tami convinces Mary to attend their school's Black and White Ball with her. She dances with Joey without knowing who he is...and flees when she finds out. She leaves behind her music player as the only clue to her identity. Joey has to figure out who has that specific playlist, then convince Mary to finally come out of her stepfamily's shadow for good.

The Song and Dance: Gomez makes a lovely Cinderella here, showing all of the charm that made her a favorite on Waverly Place and other Disney programming of the time.  She's also a good enough dancer to pull off some of the more intricate moves in several numbers, including when she and Seely are matching moves in the "two-way mirror dance class" number. Lynch may be the craziest, most over-the-top stepmother in these movies yet, with her wild costumes and mile-high beehive hair, even if you don't believe for a minute that she was ever a major pop star. We also get a rare reference to some older versions of Cinderella where the stepmother gives her tons of chores like picking peas out of lentils in the ever-growing list of chores Dominique piles on Mary.

Favorite Number: We open with serious dancers in black before a black backdrop performing the hit "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" with Mary. The number ends abruptly when Mary's awaken by the domineering Dominique. "Hold 4 You" and "Baby Got Bacne" are part of the ridiculously over-the-top advertisement for zit cream that Dominique's been reduced to doing in order to hang on to her lavish lifestyle. Dustin and Joey sing about how they're going to find a "1st Class Girl" who will capture Joey's heart. Joey falls hard for Mary when they do the "Valentine's Dance Tango" at the Black and White Ball. They write "New Classic" during a date at Dominique's mansion; later, this becomes the song Joey uses to convince Mary to come onstage for the big finale at the dance contest.

What I Don't Like: Not only is Seely no more interesting as the male lead than other "Prince Charmings" in the Cinderella Story movies, but he's a decade older than Gomez and looks it. The stepsisters have all the personalities of two wet mops and other than arranging for Mary to find Joey with his ex-girlfriend Natalia (Nicole LaPlaca) and their awful dances in the end don't have much to do. Dustin and Tami are the obvious "best friends" too, and while Kennedy can be charming, Faulk is just annoying. It's also as obviously low-budget as the other films in this series, with most of it set in the school or mansion. And yes, there's the fact that the story is a mass of cliches you've seen a thousand times before in stories of this stripe and will again (including four more times in this series). 

The Big Finale: As with the other movies in this series, this would make great background noise for a slumber or birthday party for girls in the appropriate 8 to 14 age range.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats; it's on disc paired with the original Cinderella Story. HBO Max currently has it with a subscription. 

DVD - A Cinderella Story/Another Cinderella Story

Blu-Ray - A Cinderella Story/Another Cinderella Story

HBO Max

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song

Warner Bros, 2011

Starring Lucy Hale, Freddie Stroma, Missi Pyle, and Megan Park

Directed by Damon Santostefano

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cinderella Story musicals offer an interesting glimpse into the minds of what was popular with teen girls and their parents from 2004 through 2021. Shoe Fits came out around the time Hamilton, Come from Away, and other musicals incorporating modern genres and stories were suddenly making Broadway trendy with teens. Once Upon a Song debuted during the tail end of the craze for Indian culture and music that also produced Cheetah Girls: One World. How does this tie into the story of a girl who almost loses her voice and her identity to a very wicked stepmother? Let's begin with another fantasy musical number, this one in a more typical concert setting, and find out...

The Story: Katie Gibbs (Hale) is forced to slave away for her ditzy stepmother Gail Van Ravensway (Pyle), spoiled stepsister Bev (Park), and annoying little stepbrother Victor (Matthew Lintz). Gail is the principal of Wellesley Academy of the Arts, and she's absolutely delighted when the wealthy owner of Kensington Records, Guy Morgan (Dikran Tulane), enrolls his son Luke (Stroma), in the hopes of turning him into a top music businessman. Luke's more interested in singing than seeking new talent, but his father wants to mold him in his image.

Katie sneaks a CD with her song on it into Guy's briefcase, in the hope of appearing in the upcoming Showcase he wants to produce at the school. Gail, hoping to promote Bev as a major star, lies and says she was the singer and Katie stole it. Bev, however, can't sing a note and is frankly almost as ditzy as her mother, if not nearly as vindictive. She forces Katie to pose as Bev's voice and take care of Victor instead of attending the Bollywood Ball. Gail's so-called "guru" Ravi (Manu Narayan) helps her and her best friend Angela (Jessalyn Wannlin) attend, but Gail catches them. Now Katie has to go along with the deception if she wants the people she loves, including herself, to have a happy ending...but she has a lot of friends in unexpected places who will help give Gail her comeuppance, including Victor and Ravi.

The Song and Dance: After the annoyingly over-the-top and silly stepmother and stepsister in If the Shoe Fits, I really appreciate Gail being played as a slightly nastier piece of work. At least her plot is a lot more interesting than just shoving her daughter in the limelight. We even get a twist in not only a younger stepbrother instead of a second stepsister, but both are just as abused as Katie. They only go along with their mother to gain her approval, but there's no making Gail approve of anyone but herself and her whims. I also appreciate the complicated plot that does a little more with the "modern Cinderella" premise than just winning an audition. There's real stakes here; Katie stands to lose her home and her chance at success if she doesn't go along with Gail.

Favorite Number: We once again open in a dream, this time as a music video for Katie's big song "Run This Town," complete with dancers and skimpy costumes. "Bless Myself" is heard twice, once as the demon Katie gives to guy, and again in the finale when everyone comes together to celebrate Katie finally being heard. (Listen for a bit of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" towards the end here.) The girls come "Knockin'" when they hear Luke and his buddy Mickey O'Malley (Titus Makin Jr.) writing songs of their own. 

"Oh Mere Dilruba" is the big Bollywood dance-off between Angela, who has studied dance, and Gail, who doesn't know what the heck she's doing. No prizes for guessing who wins that contest. The second version of "Make You Believe" is supposed to be Katie sing for Bev, complete with backup dancers...but thanks to Luke, Angela, and Victor and his cameras, Katie's brought out into the limelight once and for all.

What I Don't Like: The Cinderella is the problem here. Hale has a decent voice, but she's also bland, boring, and is frankly no more fun to watch than her dim stepsister. Stroma's even worse; he's so dull, you'd never believe he'd rather be writing his own songs than taking business courses. The running gag with Mickey throwing increasingly strange bands at Luke in the hope of them being discovered stops being cute the third time they use it. That complicated plot can get to be a little too much at times. You start to lose track of who's doing what to whom by the end. There's also the fact that Ravi comes off as a silly Indian stereotype; him turning out to be only half-Indian doesn't make it better.

The Big Finale: If the Shoe Fits has the better Cinderella and (mildly) better music, but this one has the more interesting plot and villains. Both would make cute slumber party background noise for 8 to 14-year-old girls and their parents.

Home Media: Same deal as Shoe Fits - on DVD and streaming, the latter free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits

Warner Bros, 2015

Starring Sofia Carson, Jennifer Tilly, Thomas Law, and Amy Louise Wilson

Directed by Michele Johnson

Music and Lyrics by various 

From 2008 to 2021, Warner Bros released a series of Cinderella fairy tales for teen girls set in modern times. The original from 2008 with Hilary Duff as the put-upon young woman who finds love isn't a musical, but the subsequent four direct-to-home-media movies were. This one may be the most musical of the bunch, given it involves the making of an actual Cinderella stage musical. Let's begin with a rousing musical number set around a car repair shop, as Tessa (Carson) dreams of stardom, and find out...

The Story: Tessa works hard as a mechanic to support her whiny stepsisters Athena (Wilson) and Olympia (Jazzara Jaslyn) and her obnoxious and silly stepmother Divine (Tilly). She accompanies them to a luxury hotel, where auditions for a major Cinderella musical featuring pop star Reed West (Law). Tessa bonds with makeup artist Georgie (Nicole Fortuin), who thinks she has what it takes to win that audition after seeing her dance with the other teens working at the hotel. 

Georgie gives her a mole and a blonde wig and convinces her to audition. She aces it, and Reed's smitten...but he's also smitten with Tessa when she's able to repair the vintage motorcycle they're using for the show. Tessa's exhausted trying to be two people at once and frustrated over her relationship with Reed, especially after his director and manager Freddie Marks (David Ury) claims he's seeing singer Harper Halston (Ashley De Lange). Divine and her daughters have their own plans for this Cinderella, and they have no intention of letting her make it to the big finale! 

The Song and Dance: Carson makes a charming Cinderella, both in the actual show that plays the story straight, and the film itself. She has fun with her two roles, reveling in showing up the boys when she can fix the motorcycle and the stagehands can't and attempting a (very bad) British accent as Bella Snow. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Full Throttle," as Tessa dreams of stardom in a Grease-esque dance routine set in a fantasy car repair shop...which ends abruptly when she's brought back to real life by a fellow mechanic. "Stuck On the Outside" turns up several times, including for Reed when he's announcing the auditions and as the song Tessa/Bella sings at the audition. Georgie encourages Tessa to "Do You." Their routine is so infectious, the entire kitchen staff ends up dancing along, first around the appliances, then on the beach.

What I Don't Like: Tilly, Wilson, and Jaslyn are annoying and way too over-the-top, even for a wicked stepmother and stepsisters. They're too much for a story that should have been played more delicately. It's also more than obvious that this is a low-budget, direct-to-home-media feature. The musical is put on at a hotel? They couldn't try to get a larger theater, especially for a show featuring a supposedly huge pop star? The costumes are bargain-basement, off-the-rack prom gowns and goofy 80's-inspired neon travesties for Tilly and the stepsisters. The songs aren't really all that memorable, either. 

And there's the obvious fact that the story is pure cliché, no matter how modern it is. You've seen this a thousand times before, and will see it many more times (including twice more in this series). It's not for those looking for a more original twist on this fairy tale.

The Big Finale: Cute time-waster for families with 8 to 14-year-old girls or those who must see every Cinderella adaptation that comes down the pike. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming. Tubi currently has it for free with ads.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Rags (2012)

Nickelodeon, 2012

Starring Max Schneider, Keke Palmer, Drake Bell, and Robert Moloney

Directed by Bille Woodruff

Music and Lyrics by various

By the early 2010's, the overwhelming success of The Disney Channel's original musicals was so all-encompassing that other family and teen cable channels jumped on the bandwagon. Rags was Nickelodeon's fourth and final musical film to date, and by far their most successful. How does this gender-switched modern retelling of Cinderella compare to other family-friendly versions, including the one that debuted on Amazon last year? Let's begin on the streets of New York as our narrator Shawn (Bell), studio technician at Majesty Records, introduces us to our lead characters, and find out...

The Story: Charlie Prince (Schneider) works cleaning his late mother's kareoke bar The Palace for his obnoxious stepfather Arthur (Moloney) and his annoying stepbrothers Lloyd (Burkely Duffield) and Andrew (Keenan Tracey). Arthur is convinced Lloyd and Andrew have musical talent and pushes them as a duo he calls Androyd. Charlie's the one with real talent. He writes his own music and can sing and play guitar. 

Kadee Worth (Palmer) is another talented teen. Unlike Charlie, she's one of the top musical stars in the world, but she's tired of her silly and shallow image and the egotistical rock star Finn (Avan Jogia) she's being forced to date. Her father Reginald (Isiah Mustafa), who owns Majesty, insists it's good to keep her name in the papers, but she wants to play her own songs. Charlie manages to get a job there as a janitor after bringing a CD of his brother's work for Majesty's talent show, but it's Charlie who catches Kadee's eye. They bond when she finds him trying to earn money to buy back his mother's piano and he brings her to perform on the street.

Things are looking up for Charlie when Kadee invites him to the masked ball for the talent show and he and Shawn cut a demo of his song with the stage name "Rags." Arthur takes his invitation and uses it for him and his sons, but they're booed off the stage. Thanks to the Palace's managers Martha (Christina Sicoli) and Diego (Zak Santiago), he's able to attend the ball and wow the crowd. He runs off right after kissing Kadee. She and her father want to know who Rags is, but Arthur is still determined to get his sons in front of the spotlight no matter what...

The Song and Dance: As adorable as this is, I like that it has a slight edge to it that most of the shinier Disney TV musicals lack. Charlie's world includes the rock and rap of the street along with light pop; blousy Arthur reeks of sleaze in his circa 1974 leisure suits and is definitely a wee bit darker than would turn up in any Disney project. Palmer is an attractive pop princess whose father's assistant shoves her into gold armor outfits out of the disco era, but would really rather be playing her own songs with Charlie and chasing her giant dog Trumpet. Though it's set in New York, it was actually filmed in Vancouver, and that real setting adds to that slightly edgier vibe. 

Favorite Number: We open on the street with Charlie and his buddies doing their vibrant "Someday," until it breaks up and Shawn tosses a big tip for him. Charlie dreams of stardom as he dances with a broom while cleaning the Palace with "Hands Up." Kadee's flashy introductory number is "Look at Me Now" in that crazy gold outfit with the overwhelming puffed sleeves. Poor kid. The song's good, but the outfit looks ridiculous. The entire number is an overdone mass of dancers in mock-intense poses, something most real teens would be more likely to hoot off the camera. The two show "Perfect Harmony" when they play the piano together at the pawn shop. Charlie, in his "Rags" guise, reminds everyone they're "Not So Different After All" onstage at the ball. He and Kadee come together in the end with Lloyd as one of their backup dancers for "Me and You Against the World."

What I Don't Like: For all the edgy vibes, this is still a made-for-TV pop musical. Kadee's insistence on playing her own music would be a little more understandable if her own music didn't sound almost exactly like the music she sang before and if her new image was, well, a bit more different than her older one than a slightly less flashy wardrobe. The story is a mass of cliches seen in every version of Cinderella from Sally in 1929 to that Amazon jukebox musical from last year. 

The Big Finale: It's too bad Nick doesn't dive into the genre more often. Overly familiar story aside, this was really adorable. Worth checking out at least once with your favorite young musician if you or your 8 to 14 year old loves the cast or Nick's other films. 

Home Media: On Paramount Plus and DVD, the latter paired with another original Nickelodeon musical, Big Time Movie. 

DVD - Big Time Movie/Rags

Paramount Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Cinderella (2021)

Sony/Amazon, 2021

Starring Camilla Cabello, Idina Menzel, Nicholas Galitzine, and Billy Porter

Directed by Kay Cannon

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cinderella fairy tale goes back thousands of years and has been told in dozens of variations across the globe. It remains one of the most adapted stories in every media, including film. In the 1920's, inspired by the success of the show Sally, there was a wave of modern Cinderella stories, where shop girls and waitresses married the rich Long Island boy of their dreams and became a musical star. While this version returns to the original French fairy tale setting, the songs and dreams of the title character are both very modern...and harken back to those Broadway dreamers who hoped to become stars. How much does it differ from other versions? Let's start in the main town square as the townspeople go about their day...to the tune of "Rhythm Nation"... and find out...

The Story: Cinderella (Cabello) lives outside of town with her nasty stepmother Vivian (Menzel) and her two daughters. Ella wants nothing more than to own a dress shop and sell her creations, but women aren't encouraged to do anything in the kingdom but look pretty. She comes to the square to sell a dress and catches the eye of Prince Robert (Galizine), who is there disguised as a peasant. He noticed her spunk and wit earlier when she perched on a statue of King Rowan (Pierce Bronsonan) to see the changing of the guards and buys her creation when everyone else mocks her.

She's elated and uses the money he gave her to make a dress of her own. Rowan's holding a ball for his reluctant son to find a bride. He wants him to be king, but Rowan's not interested. His sister Gwen (Tallulah Grieve) is interested and has many ideas, but her father ignores her. Ella's stepmother already promised her to a local farmer (Rob Beckett), but Ella really wants to show off her creation to the world. She'll get her chance with the help of her Fabulous Godmother (Billy Porter)...and show how powerful getting your voice out there can be. 

The Song and Dance: And song and dance are the operative words. This is a gorgeous fairy tale stuffed full of songs ranging from Janet Jackson to The White Stripes and Queen, along with new music written by director Cannon and Cabello, among others. Cabello is a charming and witty Cinderella, sharp and funny when telling off the royals at the guard-changing ceremony, adorably awkward at the ball. Menzel more than matches her as the seemingly harsh stepmother who thinks that pushing her daughters into marriage is the best thing for them. Driver and Bronsonan have a great time as the King who relishes his power...and the Queen who wants her voice to be heard, too. The costumes and sets are appropriately brilliant and colorful, especially the stunning, swirling gowns at the dance. Love the special effects when the Fabulous Godmother brings white petals swirling around and turns Ella's mice into footmen. 

Favorite Number: We open with a medley of "Rhythm Nation" for the peasants in the square as they describe their lives and "You Gotta Be" for Cinderella as she works on her dresses with her mouse friends. Ella also gets one of the songs written for the film, "Million to One," her explanation in the town square as to why she wants a business of her own, is one of two new songs written for the film. Robert tries to explain to his friends why he just wants "Someone to Love" in a swirling dance in the palace. Meanwhile, Vivian proudly proclaims she's a "Material Girl" while doing laundry with her daughters who would rather marry a rich man...and expects all her children to do the same. 

"Shining Star" is Porter's big number with the excellent special effects as his magic transforms Ella from hoping drudge with sassy mouse friends into beautiful designer with sassy footmen. "Whatta Man/Seven Nation Army" is one of the two ball numbers, as the stepsisters and the other hopeful women of the court try their best to impress Robert; "Perfect" is his big romantic duet with Ella, first twirling on the dance floor, then at the piano as she admits she's a commoner. "Dream Girl" is Menzel's own composition, as she reveals to her stepdaughter why she's so hard on her.

What I Don't Like: This isn't that far removed from Roller Boogie. It's cute, but really campy, especially in some of the wilder numbers like the "Whatta Man" medley and the opening sequence. While I appreciate the message about women's choices and the power of following our dreams and making our voices heard, it's put across with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. It's not for you if you're looking for a more traditional "little girl sitting by the hearth" story. And frankly, I sort of agree with King Rowan on his son. Galitzine can sing well, but he comes off as a bored and fairly uninteresting slacker with little personality beyond not wanting to be king. 

The Big Finale: It's no masterpiece, but you can do a lot worse if you have older kids who love princess stories or recent pop music or musicals. Check it out at least once with your favorite young royal.

Home Media: It's an Amazon Prime exclusive at the moment.

Amazon Prime