Musicals On TV - Hansel and Gretel (1958)

NBC, 1958

Starring Barbara Cook, Red Buttons, Stubby Kaye, and Hans Conried

Directed by Paul Bogart

Music by Alec Wilder; Lyrics by William Engvik

Let's take in one more fantasy before moving on to our Halloween Horror-a-Thon next week. The success of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957 prompted a series of fairy-take musicals on TV in the late 50's. NBC, who had originally commissioned Cinderella, gathered an impressive cast for this charming retelling of the famous Grimm's story about two children who end up in the clutches of a witch in a candy house. Does it reach the heights of Cinderella? Let's begin in the town square, as the Town Crier (Kaye) announces the beginning of Market Day, and find out...

The Story: A poor woodcarver (Rudy Vallee) and his wife (Rise Stevens) are having trouble selling their wares at the market. The witch (Conried) and her helpers Eenie (Will B. Able), Meenie (Paula Laurence), Miney (Shaike Ophr) and Moe (Sondra Lee) buys all of their wares after she discovers they have two children, Hansel (Buttons) and Gretel (Cook). The children, horrified when they drink all the milk and don't leave any for their parents, follow the witch into the woods. The town crier and their parents realize that the witch turns any children she gets her hands on into gingerbread and follows them.

The Song and Dance: Buttons and Cook may seem like an odd choice to play the young brother-sister duo, but they're both hilarious and adorable. Conried is a riot as the witch who eats greedy little children. What I can see in the terrible copy currently on YouTube indicates a charming fairy-tale production, with lavish peasant dresses for the ladies and lederhosen for the men. Some of the songs aren't bad, either, especially the siblings' song "Much Too Happy Dancing." 

The Numbers: We open with the Town Crier announcing "Market Today" and the town showing off its wares. Father, the Town Crier, and the shopkeepers in town insist there's a reason that "Men Run the World." "Morning Song" and "Evening Song" are Gretel's introductory numbers. She insists to Hansel that they're "Much Too Happy Dancing" to mind their empty stomachs. "Ernie, Meenie, Miney, and Moe" sing about what they do in the woods, and they wonder "What Little Girls are Made Of?" with Gretel.

What I Don't Like: First of all, I wish someone would take a crack at restoring this! The copy currently on YouTube is dreadful, barely viewable. More importantly, this is kind of strange for a TV musical production. Though some of the songs aren't bad, they really don't seem to relate to the story. They spend so much time with the Town Crier and the parents, we honestly don't see as much of Hansel and Gretel as you might think. 

The Big Finale: Between the bad copy on YouTube and this being just ok despite the great cast, you're better off looking for the soundtrack CD and letting this one be consumed by the witch.

Home Media: As mentioned, this can only be found in a blurry, faded black and white copy on YouTube. At the least, the copy does include the original commercials for Rexall Drug Stores. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - The Desert Song (1955)

NBC, 1955

Starring Nelson Eddy, Gale Sherwood, Otto Kruger, and John Conte

Directed by Max Liebman

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach

This was the other big operetta that debuted on NBC in 1955. In fact, it might be an even more likely prospect for an adaptation than The Chocolate Soldier. It was a bit newer, having originally debuted in 1926. It had already turned up three times on film, most recently in 1953 with Gordon MacRae as the heroic Red Shadow. Baritone Nelson Eddy was no stranger to the role, having sung it on records for years. How well does he do with the story of the French general's son who masquerades as the leader of the Riffs in North Africa in 1925? Let's begin with the Riffs and their masked leader The Red Shadow (Eddy) getting ready to fight against the French Legionnaires and find out...

The Story: The Red Shadow does indeed lead a double life. By night, he leads the Riffs on a rebellion against French rule. During the day, he's Pierre Birabeau, the son of General Birabeau (Kruger), who is the leader of the French garrison. Pierre passes himself off as a weakling to deflect suspicion, which becomes more of a problem with the arrival of spirited Margot Bonavalet (Sherwood). Her fiancee is the valiant Captain Paul Fontaine (Conte), a stoic fighter who is everything gentle Pierre isn't. 

Pierre falls hard for Margot, but she's looking for excitement, not someone who seems more like a good friend than a lover. He kidnaps her when he's the Red Shadow and takes her to the fortress of his friend Ali Ben Ali (Salvatore Baccaloni), the head of the Riff tribes. Margot does fall in love with him here, even as she wonders who he really is. When jealous dancing girl Azuri (Violet Essen) gives away his location, the general captures the Riffs and insists on a duel. The Red Shadow, however, can't fight his own father. Margot is horrified when the Riffs turn him out to the desert with a broken sword in shame...but then Pierre turns up back in Morocco with that same sword, and she realizes who she truly loves.

The Song and Dance: The supporting cast and interesting story are what shine here. Baccaloni is a jovial desert chieftain, Kruger a father alternately concerned about his weakling son and the rebellion, and tenor Earl Williams is lovely as the Red Shadow's second-in-command. This also probably comes the closest of any screen Desert Song to the actual show. It still drops all of the comic characters and their numbers, including Pierre's goofy friend Benjy, but it otherwise feels a lot more like what people saw on the stage in 1926 than the 1953 or 1943 versions do.

The Song and Dance: The movie opens with "Ho! Bold Men of Morocco" and "The Riff Song" as the Red Shadow and his men discuss their recent battles. After a short Arabian dance, we get the local women in the outpost wondering "Why Did We Marry Soldiers?" in a lively chorus number. The ladies join their men for the "French Military Marching Song." "O Pretty Maid of France" is Paul's introduction of Margot. Margot admits to Pierre that she longs for the heady thrill of "Romance." Hassi's more interested in the desert life that's "Soft as a Pigeon Lights Upon the Sand." We see what Azuri does for a living with her short solo dance number. Pierre tries to woo Margot, but she finds his idea of courtly love too slow. "Then You Will Know" I love you, Pierre tries to explain.

The Red Shadow appears at the outpost to sing the title song with Margot before we see Bambi Lynn and Rod Alexander more-or-less reprise what they were doing with "The Desert Song Ballet." Dancers in Spanish costumes represent the Spanish side of Africa with "My Little Castagnette." Ali Ben Ali insists that the Red Shadow "Let Love Go." Hassi talks about how "One Flower Grows In Your Garden," but Pierre and Ali care more that they're "One Alone." Margot admits her growing feelings about the Red Shadow in "The Sabre Song." The Red Shadow sings his "Farewell" in a reprise of "One Alone" after he refuses to fight his father. We get a brief reprise of "French Military Marching Song" when the soldiers return to the outpost, then more of Azuri's dance, ending with reprises of the title song and "One Alone."

Trivia: This, The Chocolate Soldier, and Satin and Spurs were part of the series Max Liebman Presents, which broadcast a series of lavish (for TV in the 50's) musicals on Saturdays from 1954 to 1956. 

A young Neil Simon was among those brought in to modernize and streamline the dialogue. 

The Desert Song originally opened on Broadway in 1926, where it was a major hit, one of the biggest hit operettas of the 20's. A short-lived revival in the 70's moved the setting to the 30's, for some reason. It hasn't been seen on Broadway since then, but remains popular with opera and light opera companies. 

This is the only surviving footage of Eddy appearing in a live television musical. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the constant ballets and dance numbers only fit in slightly better here than they do in Chocolate Solider. No matter how passionately they dance, Lynn and Alexander's big ballet numbers simply weren't necessary and really slow the pacing. Eddy is way too old to be playing the Red Shadow or Pierre and only comes off as slightly less stiff than in his movies with Jeanette MacDonald, and Sherwood's not a whole lot more animated as Margot. Essen's not a believable dancing girl, either. In fact, it's pretty obvious the Arabians are all opera singers in bad makeup, even in the poor black and white copies currently available.

The Big Finale: While far from bad, this is really only for fans of Eddy or 50's musicals. There's better versions of The Desert Song out there.  

Home Media: Same deal as The Chocolate Soldier. The VAI disc is expensive, but it can currently be found on YouTube.

DVD

YouTube

Musicals On TV - The Chocolate Soldier (1955)

NBC, 1955

Starring Rise Stevens, Eddie Albert, Akim Tarmiroff, and Earl Wrightson

Directed by Max Liebman

Music by Oscar Strauss; Lyrics by Stansilaus Stange and Carolyn Leigh

We're going to stay in the 50's this week, but move into a completely different medium and genre. Operetta, the most fanciful and rarefied of musical genres, made a comeback in the 50's, both on the big and small screens. Musicals were getting grander, wider, louder, and suddenly, operettas, with their lavish stories and huge voices singing of passionate romance, didn't look quite as out of place. Several operas and operettas were adapted for television in the 50's as the new medium sought classier material that would elevate the masses. The Chocolate Solder had originally been a big MGM musical with Stevens in 1941, but that version wasn't able to use the original plot. How does this operetta look when it comes closer to the original source material, George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man? Let's begin in "the public square, in any middle-sized country, in the middle of Europe" and find out...

The Story: Nadina (Stevens), the daughter of Mayor Ludvick (Tamrioff), is engaged to Alexis (Wrightson), a handsome soldier in the army. She dreams of his return, but gets quite a shock when a man claiming to be an enemy soldier (Albert) climbs in her window. He's really Bumeril, a Swiss mercenary who would rather be eating chocolate than fighting. She has to hide him from Alexis and her father when they come upstairs, then leads him into the wine cellar. He does manage to evade the drunk soldiers who come looking for him and escape. 

Shortly after, Mayor Ludvick holds a ball to announce Nadina and Alexis' wedding. Nadina is dismayed to discover Alexis is boastful and obnoxious, hardly the valiant solider she imagined. Meanwhile, Bumeril has returned in a more lavish uniform, impersonating a general whom Ludvick is trying to impress. After he's caught and accused of spying, Nadina comes to his defense at a trial. It looks like all may be lost, until the country really goes to war, and Bumeril's blundering inadvertently turns him into the hero of Nadina's dreams. 

The Song and Dance: This ended up being really adorable, especially for an operetta. Albert in particular is having a blast as the mercenary who'd rather make cocoa, not war. His strutting around during the ball with that enormous plumed helmet is hilarious. Tamirkoff has almost as much fun playing Nadina's blustering father, and Stevens is a funny and knowing Nadina. We have a relatively lavish production for TV too, with gorgeous bustled gowns and pretty European peasant dresses for the ladies and uniforms dripping with braid and brass for the men.

The Numbers: We open with the soldiers' arrival and the peasants in the square announcing "Here We Come." The soldiers give us our first of two large-scale chorus numbers as they show off their abilities for the ladies. Nadina sings of "Our Happy Wedding Day" and "My Hero" as she imagines her marriage to Alexis. Bumeril laments that Nadina refuses to give him any "Sympathy" after he turns up in her room. Alexis and the soldiers "Seek the Spy," but end up getting drunk while looking for him. 

The second half opens with the dancers in the ballroom, waltzing to a glittering instrumental number. Nadina sings "Melodrama" as she admits she's not quite so fond of Alexis as she had been. Wrightson, Tamirkoff, and the chorus boast about "Alexis the Hero" back at the ball. Bumeril sings about "A Quiet Voice" as he waltzes with Nadina, even as she tries to get him to leave. Her response is to remind him that he's little more than a coward and not her fiancee in the title song. This is directly followed by a ballet with Bambi Lynn as Nadina and Rod Alexander as Bumeril, replaying the first act as they dance Bumreril's escape from the soldiers. 

Alexis sings his own praises, to Nadina's amusement, as he claims "Never Was There Such a Lover." She performs "The Letter Song" as she composes a letter to Bumeril, turning him away. It and "My Hero" are heard again in the court room, when Nadina finally confesses her feelings about her not-so-valiant "Chocolate Soldier." Most of the country just declares "Thank the Lord the War Is Over." It ends with everyone reprising "My Hero" after Bumeril's blundering is revealed to have won the war.

What I Don't Like: This is very much TV in 1955. First of all, the original musical has been considerably simplified. There was a originally a subplot involving Bumeril taking the Mayor's coat filled with pictures from all the ladies of the town, including Nadina's, that isn't included here. Second, although the dancing is lovely, the waltz at the ball and the Lynn/Alexander ballet sequence are completely extraneous. Neither really move the plot along and are more there to show off the dancing and costumes and Lynn and Alexander than the story. There's also the dark, grainy copy on the VAI DVD, but as with other TV musicals of this vintage, we're lucky to have this at all. Most of these musical specials were filmed live, and many remain lost.

The Big Finale: This is a charming, frothy chocolate treat if you're a fan of Albert, Stevens, or vintage operetta and can get past the limitations of early television.

Home Media: It's on DVD, but like all of the VAI titles, it can be expensive. You're better off looking for this one used or on YouTube.

DVD

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Our Town (1955)

NBC, 1955

Starring Frank Sinatra, Eva Marie Saint, Paul Newman, and Paul Hartman

Directed by Delbert Mann

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

We celebrate our second week of All-American Weekdays with two very different TV musicals set in the early 1900's. Thornton Wilder's Our Town originally debuted on Broadway in 1938, where it was an instant success with its unique depiction of fifteen years in a typical New Hampshire town during the early 1900's. It even won the Pulitzer for drama that year. That very simplicity made it an odd choice for musical treatment, but NBC dusted it off anyway for its Producers' Showcase and front-loaded it with some of the biggest stars of the time, including Sinatra. How does this powerful exploration of life, love, and memory look as a musical? Let's begin with Sinatra, our Stage Manager, as he introduces us to the people of Grover's Corners and tells us their eventual fate and find out...

The Story: We follow neighbors Emily Webb (Saint) and George Gibbs (Newman) from their impatient teen years through their marriage, and her eventual death on the birth of their second child. She's reluctant to leave her life behind, until she's able to see her 12th birthday and realizes what she missed then and how beautiful life and love are. Meanwhile, the Stage Manager introduces the rest of the town, letting us know these people and see their charming, full everyday lives.

The Song and Dance: This may be far from the first play I'd think of adapting for a musical, but darned if they don't pull it off. The cast alone makes it worth seeing. Saint is utterly luminous as the young woman who goes from young girl yearning for love to hopeful bride to woman who discovers in death just how precious life is. Sylvia Field is charmingly bossy as George's mother, and Shelly Fabares is adorable as his younger sister. The score is also excellent, and even tossed off a standard, "Love and Marriage." Period-accurate costumes work well with the minimal sets.

The Numbers: Sinatra opens with "Our Town," and introduces us to the residents of "Grover's Corners." He first performs "The Impatient Years" while Emily and George court and tease each other behind him. They perform it later, as they recall the events leading up to their wedding. Sinatra introduces the standard "Love and Marriage" during the start of the second act, as silhouettes of Emily and George's playful courtship are seen behind him. The cast says "Wasn't It a Wonderful Wedding?" as George and Emily delight in being married. Sinatra initially sings "Look To Your Heart," but Emily picks it up in the finale as she realizes just how the little things in life mean so much.

Trivia: "Love and Marriage" would be the biggest hit written for a TV musical. It's now likely best-known for being used as the theme for the late 80's-90's sitcom Married With Children. 

Originally filmed in color, the surviving kinetoscope is in black and white. 

What I Don't Like: Newman is overage for his role and under-rehearsed...but to give him some credit, he was apparently a last-minute replacement for James Dean. More worrying is Sinatra is pretty much the only singer in the cast. Saint can carry a tune well enough to at least somewhat manage "Listen to Your Heart," but Newman definitely can't. Sinatra may sing "Love and Marriage" with aplomb, but his Hoboken street-wise persona does seem a tad out of place in early 1900's New Hampshire.

The Big Finale: Even the terrible copy currently on YouTube is worth seeing if you love the cast, 50's musicals, or want to see where "Love and Marriage" came from.

Home Media: And that blurry, washed-out black and white copy is currently the only way to see this one.

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas

NBC/Warner Bros, 2014

Voices of Jim Parsons, Ed Asner, Mark Hamill, and Kate Miucci

Directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh

Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

The film Elf, about a human who was raised as an elf and goes to New York to get his father off the naughty list, was an instant sensation in 2003. Comedian Will Farrell had one of his biggest roles as Buddy, the enthusiastic, Christmas-loving human-sized elf who inspires the holiday spirit even in jaded New Yorkers. It became a Broadway show in 2010, and even then was popular during the holiday season. How does this story work as an animated holiday special? Let's begin in Christmastown as Santa (Asner) explains how Buddy (Parsons) was the happiest elf in the North Pole despite also being the clumsiest and find out...

The Story: As it turns out, Buddy isn't an elf. He's a human whose mother gave him up for adoption before her death. Santa sends him to New York to find his birth father Walter Hobbs (Hamill), who is on the naughty list. Walter is a high-powered publishing executive who spends more time trying to create a blockbuster Christmas children's book than with his wife Emily (Rachel MacFarlane) and son Michael (Max Charles) and thinks Christmas means nothing but making money.

Buddy doesn't have a pleasant introduction to the Big Apple. He's thrown out of Walter's office in the Empire State Building when he mistakes him for a singing telegram boy, then ends up at the Hobbs' apartment after he accidentally reveals a mall Santa to be an impostor and starts a brawl. Emily and Michael take to him far more than Walter after he helps Michael with a science project. Buddy's thrilled, and is even happier on a date with sweet but cynical Jovie (Miucci). His father just gets angry with him after he excitedly tears up an important manuscript. Buddy runs away, but his new family bring him back when Santa crashes, and Buddy could be the only one who can drum up enough Christmas spirit to get him back in the air.

The Animation: I really like the unique cut-paper stop-motion work they did here. It looks like the pop-up book Santa reads in the beginning, complete with fluffy clouds made of actual cotton and Wooly yarn or curly nylon hair. While a bit on the jerky side, that once again does kind of work with it being a pop-up book read by Santa. Some of the designs - notably Buddy and Walter's obnoxious boss Mr. Greenway (Gilbert Gottfried) - can be awkward or a little scary, though that was probably intentional in the case of the latter.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being much cuter than I thought it would be. Jim Parsons has just as much fun playing the energetic Buddy as Will Farrell did and sings the heck out of his numbers to boot. Hamill matches him as the executive who is so focused on making a blockbuster by Christmas Eve, he's forgotten what's important. The songs are a lot of fun too, especially Buddy's big decorating number with his family at their apartment and "The Story of Buddy the Elf" over the closing credits.

The Numbers: Santa's a bit annoyed with how the elves are "Happy All the Time" as they work in Christmastown, especially Buddy! Buddy's excited when he goes to find his father,  hoping he'll be the "World's Greatest Dad." Emily and Michael wistfully admire a department store display, telling Santa "I'll Believe In You" if only their husband and father would pay attention to them. They and Buddy use the cards in their house and a few umbrellas to make the austere Hobbs apartment "Sparklejollytwinklejingley." 

"A Christmas Song" explains Buddy's feelings on the holiday to Jovie as they dance on their date and why he loves it so much. After his father rejects him, Buddy joins a group of department store Santas (including Jay Leno) to lament "Nobody Cares About Santa." Emily and Michael rally the New Yorkers in Central Park by claiming "There Is a Santa Claus." This leads into a reprise of "A Christmas Song," ending with the cast singing Buddy's tale over the end credits in "The Story of Buddy the Elf."

Trivia: Elf: The Musical debuted on Broadway as its big Christmas show for 2010. It would return to Broadway in 2012 and is currently playing there again through January. It was on the West End during Christmas in 2015, 2022, and 2023. It's toured extensively during the holidays on both sides of the Atlantic and is a popular holiday attraction for regional theaters as well.

What I Don't Like: Fans of the movie will note many changes, from the narrator being Santa instead of the head elf who adopted Buddy to the elimination of Buddy wrecking havoc in the mail room at the Empire State Building, mistaking a short author Walter is trying to impress for an elf, and helping Michael with bullies in Central Park. I can understand losing the first two, but I wish they'd kept the last one in. We really don't get to see Buddy bond much with any of his family, including the father he's traveled so far to find. It also eliminates a few songs from the musical for time, notably Jovie's solo "Never Fall In Love" and Buddy's "Just Like Him," moves "The Story of Buddy the Elf" to the finale, and uses the opening number created for the 2012 Broadway revival "Happy All the Time."

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the original film or the musical, or just want to show your kids a unique modern animated special, you can do far worse than Buddy's frantic Christmas tale.

Home Media: Easily found on every format, including all over streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musicals on TV - Annie Get Your Gun (1957)

NBC, 1957

Starring Mary Martin, John Raitt, Retta Shaw, and Donald Burr

Directed by Vincent J. Donehue

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

Three years after Satins and Spurs failed to catch on, NBC tried another musical western, this time a Broadway adaptation with a somewhat more likely performer. Native Texan Mary Martin had been a stage star since the late 30's. She was a huge success in the 1947 national tour of Annie Get Your Gun, winning a special Tony for "bringing Broadway to the masses." After her Peter Pan was a ratings smash in 1955 and 1956, they returned to another role she was associated with. Does her version come off better than the 1950 theatrical release with Betty Hutton? Let's head to Ohio, where Buffalo Bill's (William O'Neal) Wild West Show has just gotten into town, and find out...

The Story: Annie Oakley (Martin) is the best shot in all of Ohio. She's so good, she shoots the stuffed bird off the hat belonging to Frank Butler's assistant Dolly Tate (Shaw). Manager Charlie Davenport (Burr) talks her into a marksmanship competition with their shooting star Frank Butler (Raitt) for them to win rooms at the local hotel. 

After Annie beats Frank hands-down, Charlie and Frank convince her to join the show as another assistant. Frank is so delighted with her work, he's smitten with the straightforward young woman, until Charlie gives her an act of her own. She's heartbroken when he takes Dolly and her daughter Winnie (Barbara Luckey) and joins Pawnee Bill's (Robert Nash) rival show. Sitting Bull (Zachary Charles), on the other hand, adopts her into his tribe. 

When Buffalo Bill's European tour produces acclaim but no profit, Sitting Bull comes up with the idea of putting the two shows together. Annie and Frank are all for it...until they start arguing about who's the better shot again. The duo finally take part in one last competition to see for once and for all who really is the best sharpshooter in the world.

The Song and Dance: At the very least, we get some songs that didn't make the cut in the film version and more of a sense of what this was originally like onstage. Raitt is a sexy and very manly Frank Butler and sings better than most of them. Reta Shaw makes the most of Dolly Tate's expanded role, including her reaction when Annie shoots that bird off her hat and her trying to sabotage her gun in the finale. Mary Martin sounds wonderful. Her "I Got Lost In His Arms" is especially lovely, and she works great with the kids. 

Favorite Number: We open with the crowds cheering "Colonel Buffalo Bill" as Charlie and Dolly tout the delights of the Wild West Show. Frank claims "I'm a Bad, Bad Man" to the ladies as he boasts about being thrown out of half the towns in the Midwest. Annie and her siblings say they're only "Doin' What Comes Naturally" when she brings perfectly shot poultry to the hotel owner. Frank tells her that she's not enough woman for him. "The Girl That I Marry" will be feminine through and through. Annie laments that "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun." 

Charlie, Frank, and Buffalo Bill convince Annie to join them with Irving Berlin's show business anthem, "There's No Business Like Show Business." After singing her siblings and two Native children to sleep with "Moonshine Lullaby," Annie's thrilled when Frank says he'll give her billing. They discuss how "They Say It's Wonderful" to be in love. Frank for his part can't believe "My Defenses are Down" and he's fallen for this straight-shooting hillbilly. Annie reprises "Show Business" in the spotlight in front of her image on the poster. Sitting Bull and his tribe literally kidnap her to appear in their big elaborate tribal dance. Annie seems more dazed by their "I'm an Indian Too" than anything.

Annie readily admits she's fallen for Frank, even if he isn't happy about her being a star. "I Got Lost In His Arms," she realizes when they arrive in New York. She sings "I Got the Sun In the Morning" with the crowd at the reception for Pawnee Bill's show after there's talk of merging the two Bills. She and Frank are less thrilled at their competition. Annie points out that "Anything You Can Do," she can do better - including trick shooting.

Trivia: This, too, was broadcast in color for those few who had color TVs in 1957. It was filmed at NBC's new color-equipped studios in Burbank and broadcast to New York. Unlike the Brooklyn studios, the Burbank Studios continue to be used for television filming, though they're no longer owned by NBC.

This would get a TV remake in 1967 based around the 1966 Lincoln Center revival, this time with original stage star Ethel Merman. Alas, that version remains lost at the moment other than one brief clip of her singing "I Got the Sun In the Morning." 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the problems inherent in most versions of Annie pertain to this one, too. It still doesn't treat women and especially Natives well. The Native Americans are still played for comic relief, the lyrics on "I'm an Indian Too" are still condescending, and it's obvious even in the black and white kinetoscope currently available that they're all played by white actors in bad red makeup. It's also very far from historically accurate. In real life, Annie was a soft-spoken and gentle woman who did needlepoint, and Frank quickly realized she was the better shot and stepped down to become her manager. 

Martin is too dainty and feminine to make a great Annie. She does better after Annie cleans up than in the opening when she's supposed to be a hillbilly. Though this does retain the characters of Winnie Tate and Tommy Keller, it eliminates their songs "I'll Share It All With You" and "Who Do You Love, I Hope?" leaving Barbara Luckey and Norman Edwards with nothing to do. And yeah, this is obviously a TV production, with cardboard sets and minimal movement besides two good dance routines on "I've Got the Sun In the Morning" and "I'm an Indian Too." 

The Big Finale: If you love Martin or Annie Get Your Gun, this is worth seeing as a recording of most of the original show prior to that 1966 revamp. 

Home Media: It is on DVD and Blu-Ray, but VAI's discs tend to be expensive. Your best bet currently may be YouTube.

DVD

Blu-Ray

YouTube

Musicals on TV - Satins and Spurs

NBC, 1954

Starring Betty Hutton, Kevin McCarthy, Guy Raymond, and Gus Chandler

Directed by Max Liebman and Charles O'Curran

Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans

Westerns and musicals ruled the airwaves during television's first flush of popularity in the 50's and 60's. Prime-time was saturated with every variation on the oater you could imagine, from kids' shows to hard-hitting dramatic westerns to satires of them. Musicals too were at their zenith in the mid-50's. Most of the television industry still centered around New York then, making it easy to bring in stage stars and film scenes from the latest Broadway smash. Westerns and musicals came together for the first 90 minute color "spectacular," featuring movie comedienne Betty Hutton as a cowgirl who falls for a photographer. How does this look today? Let's begin on a very stage-bound Broadway and find out...

The Story: Rodeo rider Cindy Smathers (Hutton) and her cowhands Tex (Raymond) and Dick (Josh Wheeler) have come to New York to play a big rodeo at Madison Square Garden. Cindy's manager Ollie (Edwin Phillips) insists on her doing a big publicity stunt for her show. Life Magazine sends photographer Tony Barton (McCarthy) and his assistant Ursula (Mary Ellen Kay) to do an extensive photo shoot on a cowgirl loose in the big city. Loud, brash Cindy isn't like the haughty models Tony is used to dealing with, and Cindy's tired of Tony complaining about her not being a lady. Love - and Life Magazine - win out when Cindy sees her picture in the papers and realizes that maybe New York and Tony aren't so bad after all.

The Song and Dance: Hutton tries her hardest with the fluffy story in this live show. She's obviously having a ball, whether she's singing about her grandfather's exploits in the Wild West or trying to learn how to talk "fancy" from a record. Some of the mid-50's costumes are gorgeous, too, especially those evening gowns and ballet dresses at the fashion house, not to mention Hutton's spangled cowgirl costumes and her heavily beaded poncho that she calls a dressing gown. Her idea of being "slinky" is hilarious, too. 

Favorite Number: We open with a jazzy ballet depicting everyday New Yorkers in Times Square, including three gamblers and their ladies. This leads straight into Cindy's entrance with her boys, "We're a Different Kind." They stick out like a sore thumb in their glittery western outfits, brandishing their pistols as a brass band joins in at Madison Square Garden. Cindy jumps up and down on the bed in her hotel room as she tells Tony and Ursula about her grandfather "Wildcat Smathers," to their general shock and annoyance.

Cindy arrives at the big fashion house in time for a showing of evening gowns that turns into an elegant ballet, with three young women introducing gowns called "Ballerina." Cindy and her boys are more interested in tell them how she may be a cowgirl but "A Girl Is Still a Girl." Genevieve, a real-life French chanteuse, appropriately sings a French number at the night club, "Donne-Moi." The high-class night club crowd is less impressed with Cindy's brayed "Little Rock Rhythm and Roll." Her flop there leads Cindy and Tony into the combative "I've Had Enough of You." 

Upset after Tony tries to turn her into a lady, Cindy wanders into a rainstorm, watching happy couples and sadly lamenting "Nobody Cares." Tex reprises "Little Rock Rhythm," first with a country group, then as a jazzier instrumental number for a group of far hipper dancers at a local restaurant. Tex takes over again,  his eccentric dance bringing it back to country. Dick puts out a far gentler desire to be "Back Home" for the group. Tony finally convinces Cindy that "You're So Right for Me"in a charming duet. It ends with the now-Broadway star Cindy performing the big finale "Hey Boys" with a group of tap-dancing sailors. Hutton concludes everything by stepping out of character to reprise "You're So Right for Me" in front of the camera.

Trivia:  The show concludes with Steve Allen taking the audience around the then-new NBC color studios in Brooklyn. NBC would continue to film programming at those studios until 2014. The buildings are now a children's home and family services and a self-storage facility. 

Yes, this was originally broadcast in color for those very few who had it in 1954. 

What I Don't Like: This looks less like a TV spectacular and more like something a couple of producers threw together to fill air time between bigger shows. Some of the songs are charming and the costumes - what little can be seen of them in the degrading kinetoscope copy at YouTube - are lovely, but the sets are obviously fake with absolutely no real New York flavor. Most of the numbers go on for too long, and the big dance pieces and that random ballet at the fashion show feel tacked on and have nothing to do with anything.

McCarthy has all the charm of a dead fish, acts about as well as one, and has no chemistry with Hutton. He would work out far better back in Hollywood two years later as the scientist who discovers the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Hutton, for her part, is trying too hard. Her brash personality is way too big for the small screen. The big screen could barely contain it in the 40's. Much like her character here, she was just too noisy and rowdy for the genteel TV audiences of the 1950's. 

The Big Finale: TV history aside, unless you're a really huge fan of Hutton or the big, brash comic musicals of the 50's and 60's, I'd pass on this one. 

Home Media: Only available in a degrading and washed-out copy on YouTube at the moment.

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Damn Yankees (1967)

NBC, 1967

Starring Jerry Lanning, Phil Silvers, Lee Remick, and Jim Backus

Directed by Kirk Browning

Music by Richard Adler; Lyrics by Jerry Ross

Our next sports musical revolves around the players and those who watch them from home. Even after the original Washington Senators moved to St. Paul in 1958, DC residents still wanted a baseball team in their town. The Senators were revived as an expansion team...and proceeded to play even worse than before. They were still perennial bottom-dwellers when this adaptation of the hit Broadway show first appeared on a revived General Electric Theater. How does this handle the story of a man who would do anything to make the Senators into a winning team...even sell his soul? Let's begin at the home of that obsessive fan, Joe Boyd (Ray Middleton), and his patient wife Meg (Fran Allison) as the Senators lose another game and find out...

The Story: Joe's claim that he'd sell his soul to win the pennant brings in Mr. Applegate (Silvers). Applegate says he can make Joe into a fit young slugger who'll rejuvenate the Senators if he really is willing to sell his soul. Joe's a real estate salesman by trade who has enough sense to add an escape clause that will allow him to return to Meg at the end of the season. 

Joe's an instant success who does revitalize the Senators, but he also misses Meg badly. He even takes a room in her home to be near her. Applegate sends his best seductress Lola (Remick) to tempt Joe into straying. When that fails and Lola falls for him instead, Applegate plants a phony story that Joe is really a criminal. The Senators and Meg are willing to help prove he's no con man, but all Joe really wants is to be at home with his wife again. 

The Song and Dance: This scores with the excellent cast and the creative staging that makes the most of the low-budget sets and effects. Silvers is a very funny Applegate, especially in the trial, and ultra-sexy Remick is certainly believable as Applegate's most successful temptress. She's so enjoyable here, I wish she did more musicals. Square-jawed Lanning looks like a sports hero and sings his numbers beautifully, especially the two ballads, and the Senators are a hoot. The very 60's animation and graphics bring Monty Python's Flying Circus to mind, with their wacky use of silent movie footage, cut-outs, and stop-motion. 

Favorite Number: This time, we open with wives lamenting they lose their husbands to baseball on TV for "Six Months Out of Every Year" over the main credits. Joe says "Goodbye, Old Girl" in his letter to Meg before he leaves with Applegate. "Heart" makes heavy use of those psychedelic graphics stop-motion animation as Coach Buddy (Backus) encourages his team to do their best on the field. The graphics pop up again with "Shoeless Joe From Hannibal Mo" as sportswriter Gloria (Linda Lavin) and the Senators extort Joe as the next big thing. 

Joe has two lovely ballads as he tells Applegate and Meg why he misses his wife, "A Man Doesn't Know" and "Near You." Remick makes the most of her big numbers "A Little Brains, a Little Talent" and "Whatever Lola Wants," despite those weird graphics interrupting the former. Three members of the Senators harmonize about how "The Game" is great for their bodies, but not so much for their love lives. Silvers slides right into his take on all the notable figures he's corrupted, "Those Were the Good Old Days." "Two Lost Souls" starts out as Remick and Lanning singing, but ends oddly with the two doing a dance number amid a swirling, melting Chroma-Key background that is too distracting to let us see the decent choreography.

Trivia: TV debut of Linda Lavin.

The Senators remained bottom-dwellers until they finally moved to Dallas in 1972 and were renamed the Texas Rangers. Washington DC wouldn't get another baseball team until the Montreal Expos moved to DC in 2005 and became the current Nationals.

Broadcast as part of a brief revival of General Electric Theater. 

What I Don't Like: The production is cheap as heck, even for TV. The fans in the stands and most of the baseball team are cardboard cut outs! The graphics can be nifty, but they're more often distracting, especially when replacing what would have been a dance number in any other show. They're also extremely late 60's. Many people nowadays would call them downright ugly.  "Who's Got the Pain?" is really extraneous, but it's a fun song I wish they'd kept.

The Big Finale: This one tends to get strike-outs from many fans online who are expecting a more straightforward adaptation, but I think it's at least a straight line to first. If you love the cast or 50's and 60's musicals and are willing to give those weird psychedelic graphics a chance, this is worth checking out.

Home Media: This disappeared for decades until it turned up on YouTube, which to date remains the only place you can find it. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Bloomer Girl

NBC, 1956

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

Directed by Alex Segal

Music by Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DVD

Spring Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg & The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

Let's celebrate Easter and the start of baseball season with these two lesser-known specials from 1983. While there have been holiday programming made for Easter just as long as there have been for Christmas, most of them tend to get the short end of the stick compared to their cold-weather counterparts. Are these springtime shorts deserving of a place at your Easter weekend celebration, or should they be left off the team? Let's begin with a story told by an egg (Ray Bolger) and find out...

Peter and the Magic Egg

Murikami-Wolf-Swenson, 1983

Voices of Ray Bolger, Al Eisemann, Joan Gerber, and Robert Ridgely 

Directed by Fred Wolf

Music by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volan; Lyrics by Romeo Muller

The Story: Mother Nature (Gerber) gives the Dopplers, poor Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, a child they name Peter Paas (Eisemann). Peter grows far faster than ordinary children, and within a year, he's able to work on the farm. He arranges a contract with the Easter Bunny to provide eggs with the help of the farm animals he's taught to dress and speak like humans.

The farm is owned by Tobias Tinwhiskers (Ridgley), a wealthy farmer who is so obsessed with his machines, he had himself made over as one. He's furious when Peter brings him the money for the mortgage from that contract and challenges him to a ploughing contest. Turns out he's rigged it so Peter falls in a well. Peter's found in a deep sleep that leaves his parents and animal friends in a deep depression. Mother Nature gives the animals an egg that will supposedly awaken Peter, but Tinwhiskers isn't about to let them hatch it!

The Animation: This is the same sketchy style as their previous Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz special, with slightly brighter colors as per the Easter theme. The animals look cute enough and closely resemble the characters on the Paas boxes until recently, and they move pretty well. 

The Song and Dance: For something intended as a half-hour commercial for Paas Egg Dye, this is actually pretty interesting. It has the feel of a folk tale, with its quaint Pennsylvania Dutch setting and man vs. machine theme. The animals are fairly funny, especially when they're called on to hatch that egg, and Tobias Tinwhiskers is a nasty and even scary-looking villain. 

Favorite Number: The special opens and closes with narrator Uncle Amos Egg (Bolger) claiming the story is "A Wonderment." Peter and the animals sings "An Animal Can Be Folks" twice, first when he gives the animals their trademark clothes, then during the show they hold to raise money for the farm. He also sings to implore "Mother Nature" to give him answers. The animals all wonder what "Our Egg" will be like when it hatches. 

What I Don't Like: Peter himself is a bit of a nonentity. Other than his sudden growth spurt, there isn't much to him, and he's missing for most of the special's second half. Honestly, they build up the egg and what's in it so much, when it does hatch, it's a bit of an anti-climax. I see the point they were making, but it doesn't make it less weird.

The Big Finale: Charming spring-time fairy tale is worth checking out if you're looking for something different to watch while dying eggs or waiting for the Easter egg hunt with the kids.

Home Media: Currently out of print on DVD, both solo and packaged with Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz. Your best bet might be checking YouTube. 

DVD

DVD - Peter and the Magic Egg/Dorothy In the Land of Oz

YouTube

The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

NBC, 1983

Voices of Ron McLarty, Pat Lysinger, Knowl Johnson, and Gabriela Glatzer

Directed by Al Kouzel

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Berenstain

The Story: Papa Bear (McLarty) is thrilled when he sees Brother Bear (Johnson) randomly hit a rock with a stick. He thinks he has a future big league star on his hands. He pushes Brother into the Bear Country Little League team, ignoring Sister (Glatzer), who is genuinely talented. It's Brother and his friends who finally show him the error of his ways when he follows them through the bog and is reminded that baseball is only a game, after all. It's not until he's coaching the team that he needs a second base-bear and finally starts seeing his daughter and her abilities in a new light.

The Animation: Once again, it's nothing flashy, but it gets the job done. It does look like the books of the time, which is likely all this special needs. It looks especially good during Brother's game with his buddies in the bog and Sister's "I Want It All" number.

The Song and Dance: This may be the most stripped-down of the five Berenstain Bears specials, and the only one to not revolve around a holiday. It's just the family here. In fact, it's mostly Papa and the cubs. Brother's bog buddies from Easter Surprise are seen, but have no lines. Papa does have some hilarious moments early on, when he sees Brother hit that rock and thinks he has a star on his hands, and mid-way through when he attempts to teach Brother a game he's well aware of how to play.

Favorite Number: We open and close with a chorus number describing why baseball is so popular with many people, "Baseball Is the National Pastime." "You're Safe, You're Out" is what Papa tries to teach Brother. Sister picks it up more readily than her older sibling. She admits that she wants a career and a family, teddy bears and baseball. "I Want It All," says Sister. Brother and his friends sing about how they don't care that their infield is a bumpy bog or their MVP is a many-limbed tree, they say "Come to Our Pick-Up Baseball Game" anyway. 

What I Don't Like: The side story with Sister not being able to play because of her gender hasn't dated well at all nowadays. Even Mama eventually calls Papa on it. It makes Papa look less well-meaning and even more like a jerk than his pressuring Brother does. 

The Big Finale: The last of the five Berenstain Bears specials isn't my favorite, but it's still worth seeing once if you have any Berenstain Bears fans or very young Little Leaguers or Little League hopefuls around. 

Home Media: Once again, the DVD is currently out of print, but it can be found on YouTube.

DVD - The Berenstain Bears: Springtime Surprises

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hobbit (1977)

NBC, 1977

Voices of Orson Bean, John Huston, Hans Conried, and Richard Boone

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass and J.R Tolkien

As we prepare for the release of another Lord of the Rings live-action film later this year (and I re-read the book The Hobbit), we take a look at the two Rankin-Bass animated musical versions of these much-loved fantasy novels. Rankin was a fan of the books and spent three million making this as close to the actual book as they could get away with in prime-time in the late 70's. It debuted as a Thanksgiving special on NBC that year and was popular enough for them to consider a sequel. How does the first full-length adaptation of a Lord of the Rings novel look today? Let's begin with Bilbo (Bean) in his hobbit hole about to receive thirteen very unexpected visitors and find out...

The Story: The last thing Bilbo expects is for twelve dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf (Huston) to turn up on his doorstep and invite him on an adventure. They're traveling to the Lonely Mountain to retrieve their treasure from the dragon Smaug (Boone) and want Bilbo to be their stealthy burglar. Bilbo would really rather stay home, but Gandalf persuades him. 

Bilbo wishes he'd stayed home when they encounter goblins who try to eat them, wolf-like monsters called Wargs who chase them up trees, and a strange little creature called Gollum who hides a certain ring. Bilbo uses the ring to escape and save the dwarfs from many dangers. He even manages to find the treasure and Smaug's weak spot. However, the dragon destroys the surrounding town, and the dwarfs won't share the treasure, inciting a war.

The Animation: That three million dollars shows in sketchy, earthy artwork that is far and above what Rankin-Bass/Topcraft was doing in their holiday specials at this point. It's not nearly as frightening or uncanny valley as the rotoscoping seen in Ralph Bakshki's Lord of the Rings, but it moves too stiffly to be Disney's best, and some of the special effects with the spiders and the dragon are a little cheap. Still, there's some nice work here, from Gollum's expressions to the bright red all around when Smaug decimates Laketown.

The Song and Dance: This was always by far my favorite of the three Lord of the Rings animated films. Folksy comedian Bean is a charming Bilbo, equally capable of fleeing war and goblins and outwitting Gollum. For some reason, we have two well-known directors doing voices here. John Huston is a wonderfully gravely and grave Gandalf, while Otto Preminger is the elf king. Conried does well as grouchy Thorin, head of the dwarfs, too. Also, kudos for most of the songs being fairly accurate adaptations of the ones in the book, word for word. 

Favorite Number: The only fully original song featured in the film is "The Greatest Adventure," heard in the opening and closing performed by folk singer Glenn Yarbrough. The dwarfs sing about "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates" at their impromptu party in his hobbit hole during the opening. The chorus sings as they travel "Under the Lonely Mountain." Later, we hear them perform "The Barrel Song" and "The Mountain King's Return." Yarbrough gets "Roads," "The Roads Goes Ever On and On," "In the Valley Ha! Ha!," and "Old Fat Spider." "Down, Down to Goblin Town" and "Funny Little Things" are performed by a goblin chorus when they capture the dwarfs and Bilbo. 

Trivia: Animator Gene Deitch did an earlier Hobbit animated short in 1966, but it has very little in common with the original book or later feature-length films. 

What I Don't Like: Fans and scholars of Tolkien's work have long complained about everything they cut out to make this more family and TV-friendly, from Bilbo stealing a family treasure of Thorin's and handing it to the elves to Bilbo getting knocked out and missing the entire war instead of protesting it and hiding. Several characters are missing too, notably Beorn, who shelters the group early in the book and gives them directions to the mountain. 

The Big Finale: A great introduction to Tolkien's work and fantasy in general for families with elementary-school age kids who can handle some of the darker elements.

Home Media: The DVDs are rare and expensive online. You're better off streaming this one. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Merry Christmas! - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) & The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas, one and all! This year for our closest review to the big day, we're covering one of the most beloved holiday TV specials of all time, and one that's not as well-known today. Do they still deserve a place at your holiday gatherings? Let's start down in Whoville as the Whos begin preparations for their own celebration and find out...

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

CBS, 1966

Voices of Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray, and Dallas McKennon

Directed by Chuck Jones and Ben Washam

Music by Alfred Hague; Lyrics by Dr. Seuss

The Story: All the Whos down in Whoville like Christmas a lot...too much, if you ask the Grinch (Karloff). He finds their noise to be annoying and their Christmas cheer, especially their big Christmas Day gathering around the town tree, to be sickening. Fed up with the noise and sentiment, he makes himself a Santa Claus outfit, puts horns on his dog Max, and rides a sleigh down to Whoville to steal their holiday goodies. He thinks this will put a damper on their Christmas cheer. Not even a tree-stealing Grinch can stop the true holiday spirit, though, finally teaching the Grinch that "Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

The Animation: Chuck Jones' signature style is all over this special. I don't think anyone can see the Grinch without thinking of that evil yellow grin and those expressive heavy eyebrows. The Whos, by contrast, are tiny and adorable, with their little child faces and slender teardrop bodies. Their pastel Christmas in the opening is wonderful to look at, with something nifty in every frame. And the Grinch may have found them unbearably noisy, but I did love the creative designs of their toys when he's complaining about how loud Christmas morning is.

The Song and Dance: Jones' animation and Seuss' classic script makes this one of the all-time great TV Christmas specials. The Grinch is a hoot to watch, especially just how he gets away with stealing everything and his defrosting afterwards. His dog Max has great moments of his own. I love his wide-eyed expression when the Grinch ties that horn on his head. Cindy Lou catching him is just adorable - I love how big that ornament is compared to her. 

Favorite Number: "Welcome Christmas" is the Who's song. This gentle greeting opens and closes the special and shows us why the Whos' holiday is so special to them...and why it annoys the Grinch. The first rendition of "Welcome" goes straight into "Trim Up the Tree," a Seuss tongue-twister showing off both the Who's unique decorations and Seuss' creative words for them. 

Of course, the big one here is the song heard throughout the special. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is given extra weight by Thurl Ravenscroft's menacing bass and the constantly escalating lyrics. Some of the most creative insults and villain descriptions ever heard on TV come from this song. It perfectly captures what the Grinch is doing as he makes his plans and takes the Whos' goodies.

What I Don't Like: Honestly, the book isn't that long. There's a bit of slapstick padding with Max and the Grinch getting the sleigh down to Whoville, though it's not nearly as intrusive as similar sequences in the live-action and feature-length animated films. 

The Big Finale: This is one of the most famous holiday specials of all time for good reason. If you haven't watched it yet this season, do so, especially if you have younger children who will enjoy the Grinch's antics.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats; frequently runs on TV and cable during December as well.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree

NBC, 1979

Voices of Ron McLarty, Gabriela Glatzer, Jonathan Lewis, and Pat Lysinger 

Directed by Mordecai Gerstein

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Bernstein

The Story: Papa Bear (McLarty) is determined to find the perfect Christmas tree, "a tree to show how Christmassy we are." Mama (Lysinger) recommends buying one from the local tree lot, but Papa takes their cubs Sister (Glatzer) and Brother (Lewis) into the mountains to find a real tree. What Papa didn't consider is  those mountain trees are home to wild animals who don't want to lose their residences for the holidays. If they're not being chased by angry critters, they're being pelted by the snow storm Papa claimed wasn't coming. They're disappointed when they finally get back down the mountain, until Sister notices something glowing at their own tree house...

The Animation: Not nearly as expressive as Jones' work on The Grinch, but there's still a lot of nice details here. I especially love the opening sequence as Papa carries his salmon through town and the snowstorm when they're in the mountains. The characters move less well, but they do largely resemble their book counterparts at the time, which is really all this franchise needs. 

The Song and Dance: The first Bears special gives us Papa in full-on goofy mode. In fact, other than the occasional comment from the cubs, this is almost entirely Papa's show. McLarty puts in likely his best performance as lovable Papa, who may be a bumbler, but can always be counted on to do the right thing in the end. (Eventually.) He gets most of the best moments, whether they're dodging an eagle throwing an ax or skiing and rolling back down the mountains. Some of the rhymes are almost as twisty as those in the Seuss special, especially in the "Christmas Tree" number going up the mountain. 

Favorite Number: We open with Papa strolling through a bustling Bear Town and wrecking havoc with his waving fishing hook as the rest of town sings that "Christmas Day Is Here." Papa and the cubs march along to "A Christmas Tree" as they describe the perfect tree they want to find. The finale has everyone, bears and wild animals, singing about how "The Christmas Star" that glitters over the tree house has brought them together. 

What I Don't Like: We don't really see much of the rest of the family. Mama is only in the beginning and just barely in the end. The cubs don't have that much to do besides pester their father to finally, FINALLY chop down something. Really, if you don't like Papa's antics, you probably won't be into this one.

The Big Finale: Charming comic tale is worth looking around for if you want to find a Christmas special for younger kids or have fans of the older Bears books at home. 

Home Media: On DVD bundled with episodes of the 1985 TV series. 

DVD

And here's hoping all of you have the very merriest of holiday seasons! 

Musicals On TV - Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates (1969)

NBC, 1969

Starring Robin Askwith, Eleanor Parker, Roberta Tovey, and John Gregson

Directed by Robert Scheerer

Music and Lyrics by Moose Charlap

The book Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates has been a beloved children's novel since its release in 1865. The story of poor Dutch boy Hans, his sister Gretel, and their attempt to win the title skates in a big local skating contest has been made into a movie at least four times on TV, including two musicals and two different Disney versions. We're discussing the second musical version from 1969. It first debuted on NBC as a Christmas special and ran on cable frequently during the 80's and 90's. Is it still worthy of those silver skates today, or should it be left behind? Let's begin with how Hans' father Raff (Gregson) had the accident that left his family in poverty and find out...

The Story: Raff fell from a dike and suffered head trauma. He frequently doesn't recognize his family, and when he does, he often suffers violent spells. Hans tries to get a job to earn money for his family, but the residents of his small town look down on him for being poor, and his pride won't allow him to take charity. He's also sweet on pretty and wealthy Annie (Sheila Whitmill), though his mother and hers wishes they'd cool things down a little and avoid the town's gossip. 

Hans whittles wooden skates for him and his sister Gretel (Tovey) in the hope that they might win the New Year's Day skating contest and have skates of their own. He earns enough money carving to join a group of boys from the town in Amsterdam and hire renown physician Dr. Boekman (Richard Basehart). Hans is able to talk Boekman into it, but he cautions that it could prove fatal. Now, Hans and Gretel really have high hopes for the Christmas holiday, not only to win the big skating contest, but for their father to get well.

The Song and Dance: Unlike many TV movies of this time period, this was filmed on location in the real Netherlands. It goes a long way to giving the movie authentic Dutch charm and grace, especially the many shots of long Dutch canals in all their blue frozen beauty. Parker is lovely and elegant as Peter's concerned mother, and Cyril Ritchard steals the show as the fussy innkeeper who teaches Hans and his country friends a memorable musical lesson in manners. 

Favorite Number: We open with the chorus singing about the delights of of "Holland" as Gretel admires her family's small but cozy home. Dame Brinker reminds her children that "There's Always a Way" to make your dreams come true. The children in the town are delighted to be "Free" to join their friends on the frozen pond in the first big skating number. Upset after one of her husband's violent outbursts, his wife recalls the "Golden Tomorrow" of their early courtship. 

Hans and the other boys in town are thrilled when they arrive in the big city of "Amsterdam" as they practice skating for the contest. Innkeeper Mijnheer Kleef (Ritchard) tries to teach the boys "Proper Manners" when they sit at the table, but they keep grabbing at the food and having food fights when his back is turned. Hans and Annie wonder what happens "When He/She Speaks" as they stroll through a Dutch winter wonderland hand-in-hand. It's hard for Hans and Gretel to enjoy "A Hymn to St Nicholas" at Annie's big Christmas Eve party, even when the kindly old bishop himself appears, due to their worries about their father's surgery. 

Trivia: This is the second time the book was adapted into a TV musical. Hallmark Hall of Fame originally did this one in 1958 with Tab Hunter as Hans and Olympic figure skater Dick Button as one of his friends. Disney also did two non-musical TV versions, a more traditional one in 1962 for their Wonderful World of Color and the modernized 1998 Disney Channel movie Brink!

What I Don't Like: Charming though this is, it can also come off as a bit stiff and cold, especially in the first half when Hans' pride has him turning away many friend who could help him. Ritchard's number is such a showstopper that the others, mostly ballads and chorus routines, suffer by comparison. And if you haven't read the book (of which this is a fairly accurate adaptation) and/or aren't into older children's novels, you may find a lot of this slow going or overly melodramatic, especially the end with how the father gets well. 

The Big Finale: Charming tale may be a tad slow and stiff, but it's still highly recommended for fans of Ritchard or the book or those looking for a sweet family musical on a cold Christmas night.

Home Media: The DVD is available, but hard to find. You're better off watching this one online; it can currently be found on YouTube. 

DVD

YouTube

Thanksgiving Short Subject Special - The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw

NBC, 1980

Voices of Ron McLarty, Pat Lysinger, Johnathan Lewis, and Gabriela Glatzer

Directed by Mordicai Gernstein and Al Kouzel

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Berenstein 

This was the second holiday special featuring the Bears in the early 80's. The book series began in the early 60's with The Big Honey Hunt. By 1980, they were an institution, with Stan and Jan Berenstein churning out sometimes as many as five or six books a year. NBC took notice and commissioned these specials featuring bumbling Papa Bear, sensible Mama Bear, and their cubs Brother and Sister. How does the story of a scary Thanksgiving legend that isn't quite as frightening as it seems look today? Let's begin with Mama reading about the legend of Big Paw in the harvest honeycomb and find out...

The Story: The legend says, that if the bears are greedy, and not sufficiently kind to the needy and share what they have with those around them, Bigpaw will come down and devour Bear Country. Papa thinks it's silly, until a squirrel reports having seen an enormous, monstrous bear creature. He panics and has all of Bear Country up in arms, until Mama intervenes and reminds the citizens not to get carried away. A huge noise from Bigpaw's mountain and a massive shadow just sends Papa and the citizens off again. Brother and Sister know that Bigpaw isn't what he seems, and they're the only ones who can remind their father and the others that thanksgiving means being kind to all creatures, monsters included.

The Animation: On par with most Saturday morning cartoons of the time. It's not the fanciest, but it moves relatively well and closely resembles the books that were out then, which is really all this franchise needs anyway. 

The Song and Dance: Possibly the most action-packed of the 80's Berenstein Bears specials, with Papa and his mob trying to attack Bigpaw and Bigpaw almost attacking them. It also has a slightly darker and more sinister tone than the other specials, though it all ends happily. Bigpaw himself went over so well, he'd reappear in Berenstein Bears' Comic Valentine and the first TV show from 1985. Mama is the thing here; she gets two fun numbers and is even more important as the voice of reason than usual when she keeps the citizens of Bear Country from overreacting to the legend the first time.

Favorite Number: Mama performs "Thankfulness" with the Bear family's pet bird as she cleans the house for Thanksgiving and tells the bird what she's thankful for. She tries to explain that "A Stranger Is Just Somebody (You Don't Already Know)" to her husband and the citizens of Bear Country, but they're too terrified to really listen. Even the trees and the very ground around Brother and Sister tremble at the arrival of "Bigpaw" when they wander into Sinister Bog to get Papa's favorite mixed nuts for the Thanksgiving table.

What I Don't Like: This is slightly darker than the other Bears specials, what with Papa and the mob and Bigpaw almost trying to kill each other. It's telling that Papa's big comic routine in the opening with how much he likes holidays is spoken; this is the only special where he doesn't get a big goofy song that says how intelligent he thinks he is. Honestly, Papa's not the only one who thinks the legend sounds silly, too. I'm amazed the Bears panicked over it twice.

The Big Finale: Not my favorite of the Bears' holiday tales, but still worth checking out if you have fans of the books who want to see more or remember when this used to turn up a lot on cable for Thanksgiving in the early-mid 80's. 

Home Media: Currently the only Berenstein Bears holiday special not on DVD, due to a brief scene of the squirrel who tells the citizens about Bigpaw smoking a cigar to make it look scarier. It can be easily found on YouTube and other sharing sites. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Return to Oz (1964)

Videocraft (Rankin-Bass)/NBC, 1964

Voices of Susan Conway, Larry D. Mann, Alfie Scopp, and Carl Banis

Directed by F.R Crawley, Thomas Glynn, and Larry Roemer

Music and Lyrics by Gene Forrell, Edward Thomas, and James Pollack

This started life as the second Videocraft TV show and the first in traditional animation, Tales of the Wizard of Oz. The series only ran for four months in 1961, but reruns proved to be strong enough for Videocraft to make a follow-up their first hour-long special. How does it look nowadays? Let's start with a little paper airplane as it soars through Kansas to a certainly little girl and find out...

The Story: That paper airplane delivers a message from Socrates the Scarecrow (Scopp) to Dorothy (Conway) inviting her back to Oz. She finds her silver slippers and is whisked away in another twister, this time while sitting in an apple tree. Glinda the Good Witch (Peggy Loder) explains to Dorothy that the letter was written by a revived Witch of the West (Mann) and all isn't as she claimed. She destroyed the Tin Man (Mann)'s heart, the Scarecrow's brains, and the Lion's (Banis) courage. The Wizard (Banas) once again sends them off to defeat the Witch and get their hearts' desires back...but he's not what he seems, either. The Witch has to get those silver shoes, or she'll lose her powers all together!

The Animation: If this doesn't look much like any other Rankin-Bass special, it was actually done by F.R Crawley's own studio and merely released by Videocraft. Very sketchy and limited, as per the animation on TV at the time. The backgrounds are often two colors and simple shapes; the characters move a bit stiffly. They do have some funny expressions on occasion, especially the Wizard and Witch. The odd teardrop-shaped Munchkins look more like the "Mr. and Mrs." characters from the little books that teach manners than the Munchkins in the books or any other adaptation. 

The Song and Dance: In a way, this one is more important for the history than for the content. This is the first hour-long show made by Rankin-Bass, who would specialize in them from the mid-60's through the early 80's. At the least, it does have some interesting touches. Dorothy wears the silver slippers from the books (the ruby ones may be trademarked), and there's the occasional unique character or design like the flying alligators. We also get to see at least one sequence from the book that didn't make it into the 1939 movie, when the scarecrow has them remove his hay to hide from an enemy. And I have to admit, I like how Dorothy's friends are insinuated to have really earned what they wanted, instead of being given the objects representing them as in the film and book. 

Favorite Number: The special opens and closes with Dorothy claiming how "I Wanna Go Back" to Oz, and then home to Kansas. "In the Wonderful Oz" is performed by a chorus over the beginning and end credits as they describe all the delights we're about to see. Dorothy sings about how the little people are "Munchkins, Naturally" when she arrives. The Tin Man laments how "I'm Heartless" when Dorothy runs across him. The Scarecrow tumbles and falls as he complains that "You Can't Build a Brain." They make fun of "Dandy the Lion" when he's obviously cowardly again. 

The Wizard and Witch claim that "I am Better Than You" after she's captured him. When the Scarecrow claims no one has magic anymore, Dorothy counters with the ballad "Wonderful Magical Ways" that there's magic everywhere. 

What I Don't Like: Can we say "rehash?" This is basically just a repeat of the original book with aspects of the 1939 film mashed in for good measure and the Witch outright attacking the Wizard. Apparently, the TV show this is based on had more unique stories. I have no idea why the Scarecrow and Tin Man are so nasty to the lion. In the book, they tease him about his cowardice on occasion, but here, they're downright mean. Dorothy does call them on it, but there's really no reason for it. It's also insinuated that the Wizard has real magic here, instead of being just a huckster. The animation is stiff and limited, the songs dull and unmemorable. (Bass would write better music himself for later specials with Rankin and Murray Laws.)

The Big Finale: This makes Filmation's 1972 attempt at an Oz sequel, Journey Back to Oz, look like a masterpiece by comparison. Only recommended for the most ardent Oz and Rankin-Bass fans. 

Home Media: DVD is in print, but fairly expensive. You might be better streaming this one. 

DVD

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - Uncle Sam Magoo

NBC, 1970

Voices of Jim Backus, Lennie Weinrib, Bob Holt, and Patti Gilbert

Directed by Abe Levitow

Music and Lyrics by various

This would be the second and last Magoo TV special after the wildly popular Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. In many ways, it's a lot more ambitious than Christmas Carol, with Magoo playing Uncle Sam and inspiring figures from more than 200 years of American history. It may also be a continuation of the prime-time animated show The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, which had Magoo playing literary and historical characters. How well does everyone's favorite nearsighted old codger do as one of the most beloved American icons? Let's begin with his arrival in Hollywood, bumping into everything in sight and complaining about the state of the country, and find out...

The Story: Magoo (Backus) is supposed to be appearing in a movie, but he's devastated when it turns out he's in an Uncle Sam costume. He was hoping to be a debonair man about town. The spirit of Uncle Sam (Weinrib) insists he has a far more important job to do. Magoo accidentally knocks himself out...and finds himself traveling through various times and places in American history, from the discovery of the US to the real untamed Wild West. He finishes out explaining the importance of these events to the President as we hear from great statespeople and speakers...finally making Magoo understand how history helped shape the country as we know it, too.

The Animation: While Magoo and and most of the historical characters are done in the simple, slanted UPA style, the colors are bolder and brighter than usual, as per the subject matter. UPA eschews the slanted look in the elaborate medleys from various American wars set to stunning artwork. Some of the more dramatic characters, like George Washington and Kit Carson, are also done a little less cartoony than the rest of the special.

The Song and Dance: Stirring and impressive, this look at American history has surprisingly dark edges. The sequences depicting the Civil War and the Wild West in particular don't stint on the uglier sides of those time periods, showing the West in all its violent, land-destroying reality. The choral arrangements are appropriately stirring and beautiful, bringing many old American hymns and songs to life. Backus appropriately is a little more subdued as Uncle Sam after doing his usual myopic gags in the opening. 

Favorite Number: We open with Magoo claiming "They'll Love Me In Hollywood." They might like him a bit more if he was less likely to run over side walks and making a mess of a star trying to get his hand print in cement. He sings "Yankee Doodle Boy" on the moon in an attempt to show how good he'll be as Uncle Sam. Magoo gets two sailor shanties as Viking Leaf Erikson sings "Sailing, Sailing" and Christopher Columbus and his men and John Smith and his crew perform "Blow the Man Down" as they (accidentally) discover the US. The Pilgrims perform a lovely traditional blessing over their first Thanksgiving. We get an instrumental "Yankee Doodle" and "But for You, My Sally Ann" to lead us into the American Revolution.

Magoo encourages Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner" during The War of 1812. Davy Crockett's wife sings "Red River Valley" right before the slaughter at the Alamo. That "storm" takes us straight into an old black spiritual "Hold Down." The Civil War juxtaposes "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean" with "Wish I Was In Dixie," set to real artwork of the time depicting actual Civil War battles...and "Columbia" eventually drowning out "Dixie." "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" briefly represents the Spanish-American War of 1898, while World War I and II are represented by "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." "Home On the Range" shows how the American West went from a dusty, beautiful land "where the buffalo roam" to a world of violent cowboys, ruined nature, and natives run off their land. 

The only other original song is Magoo reciting the many, many "Inventions" created in the US during and after the Industrial Revolution. This goes straight into an instrumental fiddle square dance for settlers. "I've Been Working on the Railroad" shows the coming of the train to the West and its joining at Promitory Point. Giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan sings a gorgeous "Shenandoah" to make his ox Babe cry and let his logs float downriver. Mark Twain directs Magoo down the "Old Mississippi" as he sees two little boys on a raft who inspire his two most famous characters. The miners who flood California in 1849 lament the loss of "Darlin' Clementine." We end with images of "America the Beautiful" under children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

What I Don't Like: The stereotypes here are both subverted and played straight. The indigenous people are played for comedy, especially in the opening discovery sequences, played for drama in the West, and played as "savages" who try (and fail) to attack Magoo. The Chinese workers, however, are pure comic stereotypes and may offend a few people nowadays. There's very few women. We see Betsy Ross, Priscilla Mullins, and hear Eleanor Roosevelt during the montage of famous quotes in the finale. There's also quite a bit of insinuated violence, not only in the war sequences, but out west as well.

The Big Finale: Stirring introduction to American history for elementary school age kids and their families is a pleasant patriotic surprise that should be far better-known.

Home Media: DVD only from Sony Wonder. 

DVD

Musicals On TV - Dames at Sea

NBC, 1971

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

Directed by Martin Charnin and Walter C. Miller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YouTube