A Salute to Mitzi Gaynor - South Pacific

Magna/20th Century Fox, 1958

Starring Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr, and Ray Walston

Directed by Joshua Logan 

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Gaynor wasn't the first choice to play Nurse Nellie Forbush this huge adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rodgers and Hammerstein stage show. They wanted original Broadway stars Enzio Pinza and Mary Martin, but Pinza died in 1957, and Martin wouldn't appear without him. Doris Day passed, and Elizabeth Taylor failed to impress Rodgers and Hammerstein. Gaynor tested twice for them before they finally hired her. Italian actor Brazzi was mainly known for dramas like Three Coins In the Fountain, while Walston did have stage experience (and played the role in London). How well do they pull off the story of a nurse and officer who learn a lesson in prejudice on a South Seas island during World War II when they fall for a French planter and a local girl? Let's begin with the arrival of Lieutenant Joseph Cable (Kerr) to the island and find out...

The Story: Cable is there to persuade local French plantation owner Emile DeBeque (Brazzi) to help him with a reconnaissance mission in Japan, but he refuses. He has children and is beginning a romance with Navy nurse Nellie Forbush (Gaynor) and doesn't want to get involved. Seabee Luther Bills (Walson) convinces Cable to visit the nearby island Bali Hai, where he falls for local girl Liat (France Nuyen), to the delight of her mother, Bloody Mary (Juanita Hill). 

Both romances hit a snag when Nellie breaks up with DeBeque after she learns his children were born to a Polynesian woman and Cable insists he can't bring Liat home to Philadelphia. It's enough to finally convince LeBeque to take that mission. Nellie's horrified and worried when they fly out to fishermen on a Japanese-controlled island DeBeque knows, then come under heavy fire. Only one man makes it back to the South Pacific, but they're happy when their loved ones discover that just because you're "carefully taught" to shun different races doesn't mean you can't overcome those feelings. 

The Song and Dance: If anything, the message of tolerance and prejudice is even more important today then it was during the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1958. No wonder this has seen successful revivals in the last ten-fifteen years or so. Gaynor is a sweet and bubbly Nellie. Her "Honey Bun" is especially delightful, and she works well with Walston. Kerr and Nuyen look gorgeous together and make their doomed relationship fairly believable. Hill's Bloody Mary is both hilarious in the opening with the Seebees and heartbreaking later after she realizes that no matter how much she wants him to, this man is not going to marry her daughter. Check out the historically-accurate costumes, including the hilarious showgirl outfits at the Thanksgiving show that were obviously cobbled together from whatever the sailors and nurses could get their hands on.

The Numbers: We open with the Seabees singing an ode to their favorite local lady "Bloody Mary." "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" is their complaint that they don't have enough women in the South Seas. After Luther points out "Bali Hai," Bloody Mary sings to cable about the beauty and lure of the island. At her date with Emile, Nellie claims that she's "A Cockeyed Optimist." "Twin Soliloquies" gives them their thoughts and worries that they aren't good enough for each other, which goes into Emile's smash hit ballad "Some Enchanted Evening." He introduces his children with their lilting number "Dites Moi." Nellie tells the other nurses "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair," but finally admits "I'm In Love With a Wonderful Guy" to Luther. 

Cable sings to Liat that she's "Younger Than Springtime" in the show's other hit ballad. Mary and Liat give Cable "Happy Talk" and try to talk him into staying with them. "Honey Bun" is the raucous number at the Thanksgiving show. Nellie starts off singing it in a sailor's uniform to Luther dressed as a woman in a coconut bra and hula skirt. Thank goodness for the sailors that real women show up for the chorus, all of them dressed in costumes cobbled together from bits and pieces of whatever fabric and materials could be found. 

Nellie reminds Cable of "My Girl Back Home" when he admits he's in love with Liat. He knows why neither of them can go further with their relationships. It's not ingrained. "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" to hate others who are different than you. Emilio laments that "This Nearly Was Mine" before he leaves for that fateful mission. The children sing "Dites Moi" again when he returns...with a little help from their new caretaker...

Trivia: Won an Oscar for Best Sound in 1959.

South Pacific opened on Broadway in 1949 and was an instant blockbuster, continuing until 1954 and becoming the second-longest-running Broadway show at that time. It became the first show to win all four major acting prizes at the Tonys (and remains the only one to do so), along with picking up the Pulitzer for drama. The West End mounting in 1951 also saw a respectable run. It's been revived twice in London and on Broadway twice in 1967 (with Florence Henderson as Nellie) and 2008 (with Kelli O'Hara in the role). The 2008 revival was also a hit that ran two years and won Tonys for Best Musical Revival and for its Emile, Paulo Szot. 

"My Girl Back Home" was cut from the original show, but reinstated for the film. Most stage versions continue to use it, usually as a solo for Cable. 

For some reason, the first and second scenes are switched around from the stage version. On stage, the show begins with Emile, Nellie, and his children before introducing us to Bloody Mary and the Seabees. (Admittedly, a few stage productions have done this as well.) 

This was originally released at almost 3 hours. The roadshow version was considered lost until a few years ago. Though it's not online, it can be found on DVD.

Brazzi was dubbed by Giorgio Tozzi, who would play Emilie opposite Florence Henderson in 1967. Kerr was dubbed by Bill Lee. Muriel Smith dubbed Juanita Hill, even though she sings just fine on the 1949 original cast albums. 

What I Don't Like: Alas, the show's forward-thinking stance on racism is seen primarily though the lens of its white characters. Though this is apparently handled a bit better here than in the original show (at least Liat has some lines), the only natives we really see are the broadly comic and occasionally annoying Bloody Mary and Liat, who is more-or-less forced into bed with Cable. This is also stiff as a board at times. Despite the nice scenery, other than Cable's romantic swim with Liat after "Younger Than Springtime," people barely move or do much of anything. The only dance routines are "Honey Bun" and a bit of the Seabees goofing off during "Bloody Mary." It's more like a play with especially beautiful backdrops than a movie.

Let's talk about those infamous color filters. Apparently, no one wanted them, including Richard Rodgers and director Joshua Logan, but they ended up using them anyway. The blue towards the end during some night scenes isn't that bad, but the yellows and reds used elsewhere look weird and unrealistic rather than romantic and really take you out of the scene. I have no idea why the audience howling at "Honey Bun" was blue while the performers were left in realistic colors, either. It looks silly rather than dreamy.

The Big Finale: Mixed feelings on this one. Decent performances, gorgeous songs, and the important message don't always overcome the weird production and stagey stiffness. This isn't my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein show (the stage casts are better), but it's still recommended for fans of theirs and the cast and lovers of huge 50's and 60's musicals.

Home Media: The original 2 1/2 hour version is easily found on all formats. It can currently be found streaming on Tubi for free. 

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Blu-Ray

Tubi

Election Day Special - Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

United Artists, 1933

Starring Al Jolson, Frank Morgan, Harry Langdon, and Madge Evans

Directed by Lewis Milestone

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

Here's a truly unique musical experience to tide you over until the election results come in. After their Love Me Tonight was a critical (though not commercial) success, Rodgers and Hart opted to combine that film's rhyming dialogue and whimsical tone with something that more accurately reflected the political climate of the early 30's. It was also Al Jolson's attempt at a film comeback after his success in the late 20's and early 30's fizzled out. How does this mix of reality, poverty, and comedy look now? Let's begin with homeless men Bumper (Jolson) and Acorn (Edgar Connor) as they encounter Mayor John Hastings (Morgan) of New York on a hunting trip and find out...

The Story: Bumper is perfectly happy as the head of the New York homeless folks. They're not interested in working again, content with living a meager but friendly existence in Central Park and occasionally teasing Egghead (Langdon), a communist who works as a street sweeper. He's friendly with Mayor Hastings, as he once saved his life, and he hopes to be like him someday.

Mayor Hastings wishes he were as happy as Bumper and his carefree followers. He thinks his latest mistress June Marcher (Evans) is cheating on him and slips a $1,000 bill in her purse. When she leaves her purse behind, he thinks she's seeing someone else. Bumper does manage to return the purse, but June thinks Hastings is no longer interested and jumps off a bridge. He rescues her, then falls for her when he realizes she's lost her memory. He's willing to give up his shiftless ways to be with her...not thinking of what will happen when she regains her memories...

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most original musicals ever made in Hollywood. There aren't too many movies, let alone musicals, dealing with financial hardship, communism, and Marxist theory. Though Jolson is subdued compared to his earlier movies, he's also a lot easier to take as the head of the New York homeless than he was in his early talkies vehicles like Say It With Songs. (And note this is one of only two movies he made where he wears no blackface whatsoever.) 

While not their absolute best, the Rodgers and Hart score is still pretty good, and contains at least one standard in Jolson's ballad "You are Too Beautiful." Morgan matches him well as the troubled mayor, whose mind is on his lady rather than his job. The rhyming dialogue, with music often seamlessly flowing into words and back again, makes this into almost an opera at times. 

The Numbers: We open with Bumper proclaiming "I've Gotta Get Back to New York" as he and Acorn hit the road. He and the others sing their ode to "My Pal Bumper" after they arrive at Central Park. After a choir sings "My Country Tis of Thee" at the dedication of a new building, Mayor Hastings shows how they're "Laying the Corner Stone.

Acorn, Bumper, and Egghead know they owe "Dear Jane," whom they've never seen, for finding that thousand dollar bill, because "Bumper Found a Grand." After they argue over who gets a share of the cash, Bumper reminds them that it's not so important. After all, "What Do You Want With Money?" because "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum." He gets his answer when a "Kangaroo Court" puts him on trial for getting a job. Bumper admits that he did it for love, and "I'd Do It Again." He finally tells his Angel as they dance in their new apartment that "You are Too Beautiful." 

Trivia: Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin (the carriage driver in Central Park) were popular comedians in the silent era. 

Known as Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp in England, where "bum" has entirely different connotations. 

What I Don't Like: This is the definition of "not for everybody." If you're not a fan of musicals, like your musicals more traditional, don't like the rhyming dialogue, or don't agree with the leftist politics in question (or are unable to overlook them), you will not be into this. It's not for those who aren't fans of Jolson or prefer him in bombastic mode, either. Madge Evans isn't nearly as interesting as the guys. She has very little personality whether she's Bumper's angel or the mayor's mistress, making the love triangle not nearly as romantic as the movie wants to think it is. 

Milestone's lack of experience with musicals shows in his constant cutting away from songs before they finish. Even the lovely "You are Too Beautiful" barely gets a chance to end before he's off somewhere else. No wonder his only other musical would be the more traditional Anything Goes from 1936. The whimsical rhyming dialogue doesn't always work all that well with the social commentary, either. 

The Big Finale: This may be one of the most polarizing musicals in existence. Either you'll get a kick out of what Milestone, Jolson, and writer S.N Behrman were trying to do, or you'll find the rhyming dialogue, political waffling, and Jolson's ego insufferable. Give it a chance this Election Day and see which side of the debate you fall on.

Home Media: It's on DVD, and YouTube and the Internet Archive have it streaming at press time.

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YouTube

Internet Archive

Musicals On TV - Dearest Enemy

NBC, 1955

Starring Anne Jeffreys, Robert Sterling, Cyril Ritchard, and Cornelia Otis Skinner

Directed by Max Liebman

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

We continue our All-American Weekdays with a pair of lesser-known patriotic TV musicals. Dearest Enemy was Rodgers and Hart's second Broadway musical, and their first with an actual plot. It ran a year and a half in 1925 and 1926, a substantial hit for the time, but hadn't been seen since. Some of the songs remained popular enough for NBC to dust this off as one of their musical spectaculars. How well do Rodgers and Hart's very modern music work with the antique setting? Let's begin with a group of grouchy British colonels in London post-American Revolution as they call one specific incident that caused them to lose the war and find out...

The Story: Patriotic New York housewife Mary Murray (Skinner) and her young ladies are making gunpowder and bullets in preparation for the invasion of the British on their shores. They are taken over by General William Howe (Ritchard) and his men, including his aide John Copeland (Sterling). Copeland also brings along Mary's niece Betsy (Jeffreys) in nothing but Copeland's jacket. Her own clothes were blown up by British cannon fire. 

George Washington sent a soldier (Evan Wright) with a message that Mary and her girls should keep Howe and his men at the mansion overnight so he and his troops can reassemble in New York. Not that the girls mind much. Betsy isn't happy at first, until Copeland's charm wins her over. Mary and General Howe also find much in common. Their romances are threatened when Howe figures out what's going on. The ladies, however, still have to keep them from leaving. Even after the colonies win the war, Howe and Copeland never forget those charming American women...but it turns out they haven't forgotten them, either.

The Song and Dance: Jeffreys and Sterling were finishing a two-year-run as the ghostly madcap couple in the TV version of Topper when this came out. That and their own real-life happy marriage shows in their strong chemistry together. Monologist Skinner and TV favorite Ritchard also make an attractive couple and have some of the show's funniest lines. Neil Simon wrote the script to this one, and it shows the witty repartee and some of the goofier gags with how the ladies get the soldiers to stay. I also appreciate that they seem to have kept all but one of the original Rodgers and Hart songs, something that didn't always happen in Broadway adaptations of the 40's and 50's. 

Favorite Number: We open with a prologue set in England after the war, as Howe and the officers lament their loss in "Cheerio." This also becomes the first big chorus number in the US, as Howe, Copeland, and their troops reprise this to the people of New York as they take over the city, reminding them that they can use "Sweet Peter," gunpowder, to keep them in line. Mrs. Murray and her ladies get two numbers lamenting the arrival of the British and the loss of their menfolk to the battlefields, "Heigh-Ho, Lackaday!" and "War Is War." 

Copeland and Betsy get this score's standard, the soaring duet "Here In My Arms." They also have two more numbers together, "I Beg Your Pardon" on Betsy's scandalous entrance sans clothes, and "Bye and Bye" during Mrs. Murray's ball. Mrs. Murray and Howe get their own charming duets, "Old Enough to Love" early on and "Where the Hudson River Flows" during the dance routine at the ball. Howe jokes about how he and his men are tired of living like "The Hermits" after the number and don't mind sticking around. The ladies all admit "I'd Like to Hide It" when they're torn between their new love for the British troops and keeping them from wrecking havoc on Washington's arms.

Trivia: Mary Lindley Murray was a real person who did detain General Howe and his troops so Washington and his men could regroup after the Battle of Brooklyn in New York and move to safer quarters to plan their next attack. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the copy currently put out by VAI Entertainment is not in the best shape. It's fuzzy in many places and worn in others. Considering many TV specials of the 50's that were filmed live remain lost, we're still lucky to have this at all. 

Second, Mary Murray and General Howe may have been real, but Betsy, Copeland, the ladies, and their romances are all fictional. Online research reveals that a lot was changed from the original version of this show, too. In the stage show, Betsy made her first appearance in a barrel, holding a parasol. The ending was different, too. The men were captured and freed, and Copeland reunited with Betsy in America. Also, this is not for those of you who aren't fans of operetta. The ballads sound very 1920's, but the chorus routines and patter songs for Skinner and Ritchard are pure light opera patter and may not be for those who prefer a more modern sound to their musicals.

The Big Finale: Definitely not a bad start for Rodgers and Hart. Too bad this is the only filming of this show to date. Lovely American Revolution romance deserves to be far better-known. 

Home Media: Like all of the VAI TV musical DVDs, this is in print but expensive. You're better off looking for this used or on eBay.

DVD

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.

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Amazon Prime

The King and I (1956)

20th Century Fox, 1956

Starring Yul Brunner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, and Terry Saunders

Directed by Walter Lang

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Anna Leonowens was, in fact, a real person who was indeed the governess for the King of Siam in the 1860's. Though the truth of her encounters with the King of Siam are called into question today, they did inspire a semi-fictional novel in 1944, Anna and King of Siam. The book had already been made into a black-and-white drama in 1946, with Rex Harrison as the King and Irene Dunne as Anna, when Gertrude Lawrence's agent thought she would be perfect as a musical Anna. 

Lawrence did ultimately go over well in the part, but she passed away before the end of the show's run. Yul Brunner was even more of a sensation as the King and was called on to repeat his Tony-winning role. Joining him was Jerome Robbins recreating his award-winning choreography. How does this story look nowadays? Let's begin as Anna (Kerr) and her son Louis (Rex Thompson) as they arrive in Siam and find out...

The Story: Anna immediately clashes with King Mongkut (Brunner) over his not building her a promised house. He convinces her to remain once she meets his many charming children, who she's to teach. She's also to teach his wives English and becomes friends with his head wife Lady Thiang (Saunders). Romantic Anna encourages his newest slave Tup Tim (Moreno) to meet her lover Lun Tha (Carlos Rivas), who brought her to Siam, in secret. 

Mongkut is more interested in proving to the rest of the world that Siam is a modern, scientific country. He and Anna set up a banquet and ballet for the visiting English consulate to prove that Siam isn't the barbaric country many in the West see it as. Things go swimmingly, until Tup Tim runs away. The King wants to punish her...but to do so would truly make him a barbarian in the eyes of the only person in Siam who ever dared challenge him. 

The Song and Dance: Kerr and Brunner put in some of their best performances as the strong-willed teacher and ruler whose constant battle for control eventually mellows into something like respect...and maybe more. Brunner won an Oscar to go with his Tony, making him the first person to win a Tony and Oscar for the same role. The stunning and elaborate period-accurate costumes and sets also won Oscars. Those heavy hoop skirts Kerr wears were so period-accurate, in fact, she lost twelve pounds by the end of filming. 

Favorite Number: We open with Anna teaching a nervous Louis to "Whistle a Happy Tune" as they step off the boat and into a new land...at least until they meet the imposing Kralahome, the King's prime minister. "The March of the Siamese Children" is too adorable as each child impresses Anna in their own way in time to the music. The kids also join Anna as she explains in the school room while she's glad to be "Getting to Know You." 

Lun Tha and Tup Tim meet secretly under the moonlight, admitting that "We Kiss In a Shadow," but love each other no matter what. All of this romance and talk of the Bible and creation is "A Puzzlement" to the amused King. Lady Thiang explains why the King is "Something Wonderful," even if he's also stubborn as a mule. He and Anna do better when he says "Shall We Dance?" and convinces her to teach him a western polka. 

The major set piece is "The Small House of Uncle Thomas Ballet." Actual Asian theatrical tropes are used to bring Tup Tim's version of Uncle Tom's Cabin to delicate life. It seems more Thai than almost anything else in the film, with its brilliant costumes and Asian-tinged re-write of the famously controversial novel. (In fact, to date this is the only theatrical sound version of Cabin, though it has turned up on TV.)

Trivia: Three of the songs cut from the show, Anna's "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" Tup Tim's "My Lord and Master," and more of "I Have Dreamed" were recorded; the first two were filmed, but the footage has since been lost. All three are on the soundtrack LP. "Western People Funny," a song for the ladies before the ball, can be heard briefly in underscoring. 

This was a four-year hit on Broadway in 1951 and also did well in London. Revivals in 1977 (with Brunner in his original role), 1985 (once again with Brunner), 1996 (with Donna Murphy and Lee Diamond Phillips) and 2015 (with Kelli O'Hara and Ken Wantanbe) were all fair-sized hits in their own right, with the latter two winning Best Revival Tonys. 

Paramount announced last year that they're currently developing a remake. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Kerr, Moreno, and Rivas were all dubbed, Kerr infamously by Marni Nixon. Second, every version of Anna and the King is banished in Thailand for a reason. King Mongkut, his court, and their culture aren't always shown in the most flattering light, and can even be see as annoying stereotypes today. Doesn't help that none of the Thai characters are played by Asians (the lovers are actually Latin American). Those massive sets also feel a bit stagey nowadays, making the movie look more like a filmed play. Not to mention, there's all those cut songs that could have fleshed out characters other than Anna, the King, and Lady Thiang.

The Big Finale: Highly recommended for Kerr and Brunner's sparring and the musical numbers alone if you can deal with the dated portrayal of Thai culture.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

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Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The King and I (1999)

Warner Bros/Rankin-Bass, 1999

Voices of Miranda Richardson, Martin Vidnovic, Ian Richardson, and Allen D. Hong

Directed by Richard Rich

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Warner Bros has never had much luck with their animated features. They distributed three independent animated films from 1990 to 1994, all of which underperformed at the box office. Their breakthrough came with Space Jam in 1996, which wound up being one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Neither the medieval fantasy Quest for Camelot nor the musical Cats Don't Dance from the newly-acquired Turner Animation, both released a year later, came close. 

They tried again with another independent company, Morgan Creek Pictures. Producer Arthur J. Rankin Jr. convinced the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization that animated family-friendly versions of their shows would expand their audiences, and even got Richard Rich, whose Swan Princess failed at the box office but did well on video, to direct. How did the first animated Rodgers and Hammerstein musical turn out? Let's begin at sea, as Anna Leonowens (Miranda Richardson) and her son Louis (Adam Wylie) travel to Siam (present-day Thailand) in 1862 and find out...

The Story: Anna's ship is battered in a fierce storm that nearly washes Louis overboard. They're attacked by a sea serpent, but manage to escape thanks to Captain Orton (Ken Baker). The serpent was sent by the Kralahome (Ian Richardson), who intends to use his magic to overthrow King Mongut (Vidinovic) and make himself king. Anna nearly leaves when she sees the king accept a gift of a slave girl from Burma named Tuptim (Armi Arabe) and realizes he hasn't built the house he promised. She finally decides to stay when she meets the king's adorable children, especially his teen son Chulalongkorn (Hong). 

Kralahome is still determined to get rid of her and get the kingdom, and he sends his lackey Master Little (Darrell Hammond) to eliminate her son and the other kids. The arrival of the British, however, may do more damage than the Kralahome ever could when Sir Edward Ramsay (Sean Smith) arrives to see how "civilized" the King is.

The Animation: Full of the rich colors of Siam, with glowing golds, greens, and reds creating a splendid backdrop for Anna and Mongut's adventures. The rest of the animation was farmed out to companies in 24 countries...and looks it. The lighting is terrible, the characters that are supposed to look Thai don't (except for Master Little, who falls a little too far into stereotypes territory), and there's scenes where characters barely move at all. On the other hand, they actually manage to nicely integrate the CGI and 2D animated effects, something you don't always see even in Disney movies during this era. 

The Song and Dance: For all the problems, Richardson and Vidnovic put in surprisingly convincing performances as Anna and the King, and Hong isn't bad as the young prince torn between his duty to his father, what he's learned from Anna, and his feelings for Tuptim. We even get a song for Anna, "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?," that was cut from the 1956 live-action film. When the songs are blended well with the concepts, as with the elegant "Shall We Dance?," the movie almost works. I also like that, for all they whitewashed, they did keep the sequence with the King threatening to whip Tuptim and even make it fairly suspenseful. 

Favorite Number: "Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?" makes its screen debut as Anna rages and trips and kicks over the King telling her he won't build the promised house. For his part, the King wonders what all the fuss is about. It's "A Puzzlement" to him. Anna and the kids are "Getting to Know You" as they explore the markets and streets of Bangkok. Master Little's not far behind, but he's not terribly good at trying to catch her and the children. Tuptim and Chulalongkorn get a fairly romantic "I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In a Shadow" when she points out that their romance is forbidden. "Shall We Dance?" is just lovely, both when Anna and the King dance along to it in a fantasy world, and in the finale, when it's finally just the two of them and the music.

What I Don't Like: You can tell this was adapted by the same team that mangled Quest for Camelot. Why on Earth did Rankin Jr. think this particular Rodgers and Hammerstein property would make a great 90's animated fantasy musical? The Kralahome wasn't a pleasant person in the original show, but he wasn't Scar or Jafar, either. There's enough comic relief animals to fill the Bangkok Zoo, none of which add anything to the film but a few gags. Combining the eldest Prince with the slave who falls for Tuptim just makes that side-story even more cliched than it can come off in the actual show. Master Little is also unnecessary comic relief, and badly stereotyped comic relief at that. 

This also has the same problem as Camelot with inappropriate musical numbers, or numbers where the song doesn't really match the visuals. Why is "I Whistle a Happy Tune" done during that huge storm with the dragon? It sounds and looks utterly ridiculous. The otherwise well-sung and thought out "Getting to Know You" is mangled by Master Little and his ill-timed slapstick that's more suited for a Looney Tunes short than a major animated musical. And giving the story a happy ending doesn't make it any less dated or show the culture and history of Thailand in a better light. 

The Big Finale: I'm afraid even some good performances and songs can't save this one. No wonder the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization banned any further animated retellings of their shows. Only for the most ardent fans of theirs or for families with indiscriminate younger children who may enjoy the animal antics and songs. 

Home Media: Easy to find on all formats; it's currently free on Amazon Prime with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - Meet the People

MGM, 1944

Starring Lucille Ball, Dick Powell, Virginia O'Brien, and Bert Lahr

Directed by Charles Reisner

Music and Lyrics by various

Meet the People began life as Los Angeles revue in 1940. It moved to Broadway on Christmas Day, where it lasted five months, not bad for the time. MGM hit it with the This Is the Army Syndrome three years later, adding a thin wartime-related plot to stuff between songs. Ball was MGM's glamor girl of the moment; Powell stopped there on his way to RKO by way of Warners. Toss in Bert Lahr and original cast members Virginia O'Brien, Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra, and Spike Jones and His City Slickers, and you have a formula for an extremely of its time musical comedy. Let's begin with stage star Julie Hampton (Ball) talking before a crowd of eager shipyard workers and find out just how much of it's time this show is...

The Story: Welder William "Swanee" Swanson (Powell) lies that he sold the most bonds so he can meet Julie. He's so thrilled, he tells the workers she'll kiss everyone who makes additional pledges to him, allowing him to win. After he does win, he takes her out on a date and shows her the musical he's written, Meet the People. She's impressed and shows it to big-shot Broadway producer Monte Rowland (Morris Ankrum), but he's angry when the showy costumes don't reflect the working man depicted in his show and takes off. 

To prove she has the common touch, Julie goes to work at the same shipyard he's at. Julie's surprised as anyone when she finds the work enjoyable and the people fun to be around, and manages to convince Swanee to sign with Monte again. Bringing in photographers to show her working with the people and her speech to the workers goes over less well, leading him to accuse her of hypocrisy. Things get even worse when his cousin John (John Craven) comes home and learns there's no show. Swanee runs off to secure the funds for the show...but Julie and the workers have more than a few surprises in store for him.

The Song and Dance: Once place where I do give this one credit - at the very least, the plot about everyone banding together to create something that truly shows the voice of the people is a lot less dull than the romantic melodrama Warners shoehorned into This Is the Army. The real interest is the cast and the music. Monroe even gets in on a few numbers, and Spike Jones and the City Slickers have an obvious ball with their routine. (Their performances here and in Thank Your Lucky Stars makes me wish they turned up more often in the movies.) 

Favorite Number: We hear the romantic ballad "In Times Like These" twice, first when Powell and Ball duet on it while he sells her on his musical, and later as a number for Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra. The title song also appears twice, in a stirring version for Powell during a daydream when Swanee imagines his show reaching all the workers of America, and later in a more glamorous rendition during rehearsals for Ball and the chorus, bedecked in feathers and glitter. June Allyson joins O'Brien and Monroe at the worker's dance insisting "I'd Like to Recognize the Tune."

The real emphasis here is on the supporting cast. One young female dancer gives us an amazing acrobatic dance routine during a show at the shipyard, featuring lots of incredible bends and spins. The City Slickers get into swashbucklers spoofs in French Revolution dress for the wacky "Shicklegruber." Bert Lahr gets on the gags as well while making fun of nautical shanties with "Heave Ho, Let the Wind Blow." Virginia O'Brien gets in on the dark and rather disturbing comedy number "Say We'll Be Sweethearts Again," about a young woman who wants to stay with her boyfriend despite him being obviously done with her, at the show. 

Trivia: Bert Lahr's mannerisms in this film and his catchphrase "Heavens to Murgatroyd!" would later inspire the Hanna-Barbara pink lion character Snagglepuss. 

Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart wrote "I'd Like to Recognize the Tune." 

"Say We'll Be Sweethearts Again" found a somewhat more appropriate showcase as a number for Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series. 

What I Don't Like: Powell and Ball are clearly bored. Powell left Warners to get away from this type of malarky. No wonder he never did another musical. While the emphasis on shipyard work and the importance of war workers makes this slightly more interesting story-wise than other semi-revues of the time, it's still too fluffy for its own good and, like This Is the Army, was probably better off as an unrelated collection of songs and sketches. In fact, all that talk about how important war work is and how easy Julie's life is by comparison comes off sounding preachy and annoying nowadays. (Even Julie calls Swanee on it.) Other than "Recognize the Tune" and the rather disturbing "Say We'll Be Sweethearts," the songs aren't all that memorable, either. 

The Big Finale: For fans of 40's musicals or the stars in question only. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only; in fact, it was one of the earliest Warner Archive titles. 

DVD

Cult Flops - Hollywood Party (1934)

MGM, 1934

Starring Jimmy Durante, Jack Pearl, Lupe Valez, and Polly Moran

Music and Lyrics by various

Directed by various

This movie began life as The Hollywood Revue of 1933, the next in a series of revues that began with MGM's first variety show in 1929. It took a lot of wrong turns on the way to the screen, running through a series of screenwriters and directors who tried to make sense of the strange numbers and random bits from some of the best comedians at MGM, not to mention the addition of a Disney short. How does Durante's wild Tinseltown blow-out look today? Let's begin at a theater with the newest film starring jungle hero Schazeran the Conqueror (Durante) and find out...

The Story: Durante's pictures are flopping fast. His manager (Richard Carle) insists he needs to start fighting real lions again, rather than the worn-out stuffed ones he's been using. Durante holds a huge party to draw Jack "Baron Munchausen" Pearl (himself) and his menagerie, including lions. Also at the party are an Oklahoma oil family hoping to break into California society, Liondora (George Givot), Durante's rival, who also seeks to buy Pearl's lions, and Durante's female co-star in the Schazeran movies (Velez), who doesn't appreciate being left off the guest list.

The Animation: Mickey Mouse himself appears in a very cute sequence where he imitates Durante, then plays the piano for him. Mickey's typical of the stretch-and-squash animation in his shorts at the time, but he interacts very well with Durante and even has a few nice gags with a piano. "Hot Chocolate Soldiers" is better, a three-strip Technicolor short about a chocolate soldier army who attacks gingerbread men. It's on a par with the Silly Symphonies Disney made at the time, particularly in details like their uniforms and the candy animals they ride before and after their battle. 

The Song and Dance: This is one heck of a party! The barely-there story is merely a framework to hang some creative numbers and a lot of goofiness from some of the top comedians in Hollywood at the time. Durante revels in his rare leading man status, happily vamping Moran and looking ridiculous in his half-naked Tarzan spoofs and "reincarnation" number. Larry Fine and Curly and Moe Howard, the original Three Stooges, have a short bit with their original leader Ted Healy as autograph hounds and a photographer, and Laurel and Hardy get a very funny gag with Lupe Velez involving a lot of broken eggs.

Favorite Number: We kick off with the racy title song, as scantily clad phone operators announce the party to all of Southern California, and then we see people getting dressed and ready to dance the night away. "Feelin' High" takes us into the actual party, as Shirley Ross, Arthur Jarrett, Harry Barris, and The King's Men drink to their heart's content and the chorus whirls over the dining tables. Liondora's young cohort Ben Benson (Eddie Quillan) and the Clemps' starry-eyed daughter Linda (June Clyde) perform a cute near-touch dance to "I've Had My Moments." Arthur Jarrett performs the title song of "The Hot Choc'late Soldiers" animated short, written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed in the cutesy style of "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" from The Broadway Melody. 

Trivia: Among the directors who worked on this movie are Richard Boleslawski, Edmund Goulding, Allan Dwan, Russell Mack, Charles Reisner, Roy Rowland, and Sam Wood. George Stevens directed the Laurel & Hardy scenes. 

Some of the many numbers deleted from the movie still exist, including a spoof of "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" for Jimmy Durante and Polly Moran called "Fly Away to Ioway." Others whose skits and numbers ended up on the cutting room floor included Zazu Pitts, Jackie Cooper, Thelma Todd, Max Baer, and real-life Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller. 

Dwan's complaints that the unfinished film was "a nightmare" inspired the finale, where Durante awakens to see his real wife and concludes the whole thing was a dream.

What I Don't Like: Like many real-life wild parties, this one doesn't make a shred of sense. As much fun as it is to see Mickey Mouse, The Three Stooges, Lupe "Mexican Spitfire" Valez, and Laurel & Hardy in the same movie, they don't really interact with one another, and other than Valez, don't have much to do with what very little plot there is. You can absolutely see the tinkering and many cooks involved. It lurches from number to gag with no form or real reason for existing. That may have worked in 1929, but by the era of the Busby Berkeley Warners extravaganzas, it's silly, annoying, and a bit dated.

The Big Finale: Harmless hour's worth of lunacy if you're a huge fan of Durante or any of the comedians involved. 

Home Media: DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - Billy Rose's Jumbo

MGM, 1962

Starring Doris Day, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, and Stephan Boyd

Directed by Charles Walters

Music by Richard Rodgers and others; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and others

MGM tried for years to get this one off the ground, ever since the Broadway version debuted in 1935. They were first going to it in the 40's with Stanley Donen or Walters directing and Howard Keel starring, and then in the 50's with Debbie Reynolds, but that fell through. It wasn't until 1960 that Doris Day and her then-husband Martin Melcher thought it would be the perfect musical vehicle for her and for Busby Berkeley, who created the circus routines. How does this old-fashioned tale of "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" look today? Let's head to the Wonder Circus as they set up for a show in Iowa and find out...

The Story: Kitty Wonder (Day) loves the circus life and her father, Anthony "Pop" Wonder (Jimmy Durante), but she's tired of him constantly gambling away their finances. Their performers haven't been paid in weeks, and creditors are breathing down their necks. The only ones who are really faithful are Lulu the palm reader (Raye), who is in love with Pop, and the talented elephant Jumbo who is (literally) their biggest asset. 

Enter Sam Rawlins (Stephan Boyd), a strapping young man and virtuoso tightrope performer who insists on a job. Kitty resists him at first, but Pop sees him perform in place of an aerialist who left and hires him on the spot. Sam and Kitty eventually fall for each other, but Sam has his own agenda. Pop's rival James Noble (Dean Jagger) would do anything to get Jumbo, even use a few dirty tricks up his sleeve. Even when the Warners are down, it'll take Sam to remind them that the show must go on, and there will always be "sawdust, spangles, and dreams."

The Song and Dance: An adorable confection with some decent numbers and wonderful sets and costumes. MGM really threw themselves into recreating the circus world of the early 20th century. You can almost smell the peanuts and sweat and feel the sticky cotton candy on the floor. Durante in particular has a lot of fun recreating his Broadway role, including his infamous "What elephant?" line when he tries to hide Jumbo towards the end. Raye more than matches him as the loud-mouth psychic whose lines more often than not seem to be crossed. Day's spunky as ever playing Pop's strong-willed daughter who loves her father, but wishes he'd spend more time pushing the circus and less throwing dice. And I do give them credit for keeping the majority of the original score and plot, with two additional Rodgers and Hart numbers ("Why Can't I?" and "This Can't Be Love") that fit in pretty well.

Favorite Number: We kick off the movie with the romantic "Over and Over Again," as Kitty rehearses with the circus performers, and everyone gets to show their stuff in a Berkeley big-top extravaganza. Berkeley has even more fun with "Circus On Parade," as Raye plays a roaring lion in a cage and a monkey escapes his cage and ends up in the crowd. "Why Can't I?" lament Kitty and Lulu as they wish their men would just pay attention while traveling to the next town. Sam tells Kitty she's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" as he works on the merry-go-round, then waltzes gracefully around the sawdust with her. "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is the big finale, as Kitty, Lulu, Sam, and Pop show off different acts and explain why they love what they do.

Trivia: This was Busby Berkeley's last film, Jimmy Durante's last major role in a movie, and Doris Day's last musical. 

No one seems to know who dubbed Stephan Boyd, or if he was, indeed, dubbed. Studio singer James Joyce was credited, but he has no listing for any other musical, and no one is credited on the soundtrack.

The original Broadway Jumbo debuted at the massive Hippodrome Theater in 1935, the last show to play there before it was demolished in 1939. Despite the success of the Rodgers and Hart score, it only ran six months. To my knowledge, it hasn't been seen since, though "My Romance," "Little Girl Blue," "Over and Over Again," and "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World" remain standards. 

What I Don't Like: Let's start with that plot. If it was old-fashioned in 1962, it's cliched as heck now, and nothing you haven't seen before in dozens of backstage and circus-themed films as late as the live-action Dumbo from last year. Stephan Boyd is basically cardboard, too stiff and dull to make one believe he could ever liven up a real circus (and was dubbed to boot). The finale "Sawdust, Spangles, and Dreams" is a bit odd, as the four leads play every circus role, from clowns to bareback riders. Is it their imagination? Is the Pop Warner Circus back on top? We never find out. Doesn't help that the song isn't up to the rest of the score - it was written by Richard Rodgers with Roger Edens. 

Not to mention, this movie is just plain too long. A lot of the circus routines and the draggy middle section could have been cut with no one the wiser. 

The Big Finale: This was a flop in 1962, and it was really the wrong movie at the wrong time. It was just too old-fashioned for the streamlined early 60's. If you love Day, Raye, or Durante, or are looking for a fun musical for the whole family, I'd grab a ride on Jumbo and head on down to the Warners' tent. 

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

DVD

Amazon Prime

Babes In Arms

MGM, 1939

Starring Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Charles Winninger, and Margaret Hamilton

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music and Lyrics by various

We jump back a year to the first of the Garland-Rooney "put on a show" films. This one started out as a hit Broadway show in 1937. It proved to be even more popular on the big screen, bigger than Garland's other major film that year, The Wizard of Oz. Does it continue to delight audiences with it's talented teens and their barnyard show today, or should it be sent to the orphanage? Let's begin with the birth of a future trooper and find out...

The Story: Mickey Moran (Rooney) is literally born into show business. He dances with his parents in their vaudeville act, at least until the arrival of talking pictures, radio, and the Great Depression brings an end to variety shows. Many aging vaudevillians moved their families to a small town in Long Island, New York after their careers ended, including Joe Moran (Winninger). He encourages the other former vaudevillians in the town to go on tour and prove they're still relevant, before their homes and children are taken away.

Meanwhile, his son is equally determined to show that their children can be every bit the performers their parents are. After their parents claim they'll just be "baggage" on the road, he encourages his sister Molly (Betty Jaynes), his best friend Patsy Barton (Garland), and the local kids to help him put on a show in a barn. Patsy's upset when Mickey initially gives former child star "Baby" Rosalie Essex (Preissler) her role, to the point where she leaves...and there's the lady from the work houses (Hamilton) complaining that the kids should be going to school and studying for a trade, not show business.

The Song and Dance: Berkeley's first movie at MGM shows a lot of creativity, especially in dealing with the kids. There's a lot of energy from everyone, especially the ever-moving Rooney. What I really like is, unlike with Strike Up the Band, there's real stakes here. It's not just winning a contest or helping a friend. The kids are trying to keep their families together by doing what they love during the worst economic downturn anyone ever knew. It makes the melodrama later on a bit easier to take than it is in Strike Up the Band. 

Favorite Number: Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney really get things moving with their lively version of "Good Morning," sung on the piano before an interested song publisher. Betty Jaymes and Douglas McPhail are supposed to be singing a romantic "Where or When" on a moonlit boat ride, but Rooney doesn't think they're putting enough heart into it. He points to Garland to show them how to really pour passion into a song. Speaking of passion, she gets the hit ballad "I Cried for You" on the bus after arguing with Rooney over Rosalie taking her place in the show. The movie ends with a huge patriotic extravaganza, "God's Country," and Rooney and Garland parodying the popular conception of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt at the time, "My Day."

Trivia: The "My Day" Roosevelt spoof was cut after Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945. It was thought lost until the 1990's, when it was discovered on 16 millimeter film and restored. "God's Country" was originally introduced in a stage show called Hooray for What! MGM bought it, but never filmed it. 

This was Garland and Rooney's second film together after the drama Thoroughbreds Don't Cry. 

The original show debuted on Broadway in 1937 and did well for the time, running a little over 9 months, with music by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and choreography by George Balanchine. It was heavily re-written and sanitized in 1959; though the original does turn up from time to time, the 1959 version is the one usually seen in revival and performed by community theaters.

What I Don't Like: Too bad they couldn't have kept more of the original plot or songs. Garland and Rooney proved they were perfectly capable of handling gems like "I Wish I Were In Love Again" and "Johnny One Note" in the later Rodgers and Hart biography Words and Music. "The Lady Is a Tramp" can be heard in the background when Rooney's trying to woo Preissler, but it's not performed on-screen. There's also the big minstrel show number, with Rooney, Garland, and all of the kids in blackface and bad southern accents. It was nostalgia for an earlier era of entertainment then; nowadays, many modern audience members will likely be offended well before rain brings the number to a premature end. 

The Big Finale: This one isn't bad, but I think the Garland-Rooney movies got better as they went along. There's enough good numbers here for this to get a recommend, particularly for fans of the two young stars. 

Home Media: All of the Garland-Rooney musicals are easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Carousel (1956)

20th Century Fox, 1956
Starring Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Cameron Mitchell, and Barbara Ruick
Directed by Henry King
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein III

With a song called "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" among its hits, this movie is practically made for summer. Despite the dark plot, it's a great way to inaugurate the warm weather season. Fox thought so too and released it less than a year after the blockbuster film version of Oklahoma!, and like Oklahoma!, it was revived on Broadway as recently as 2018. Does this one reach the same heights, or does it remain Earthbound? Let's head to "The Highest Judge of All" in the heavens and find out...

The Story: Carousel barker Billy Bigalow (MacRae) recalls to the Starkeeper (Gene Lockhart) how he died, and how much he loved the beautiful mill worker Julie Jordan (Jones). They met when she and her friend Carrie Pipperidge (Ruick) decided to ride the carousel where he worked. His boss Mrs. Mullin fires him for paying too much attention to Julie, and Julie loses her job at the local mill when she's out after curfew, but they get married anyway. Billy can't find a job, and he's ready to go back to the carousel when Julie announces that she's pregnant. Desperate to make money for his child, Billy joins his sailor buddy Jigger (Mitchell) in a robbery during a clambake. The robbery is botched, and Billy ends up falling on his knife.

He convinces the Starkeeper to let him return to Earth fifteen years later to cheer up his daughter Louise (Bambi Lynn). She's now a wild-living tomboy who is tormented by almost every child on the island, especially rich children, because her father took part in a robbery. He comes as she is just about to consider running away to become an actress. His attempt to give her a star still doesn't end well...but he still wants to see his little girl to her graduation....

The Song and Dance: A sumptuous production and some good performances anchor this tragic tale. The majority of the movie was filmed in the real Maine, and it looks absolutely glorious in widescreen. The costumes and sets mostly do a colorful job of bringing turn-of-the-century New England to rousing life. Jones is touching and sweet as gentle Julie, especially in the first half, and Ruick and Rousenville are hilarious as Julie's perky best friend Carrie and her steadfast fisherman beau, and Mitchell radiates hot danger as the troublesome Jigger.

Favorite Number: "The Carousel Waltz," the stage show's prologue, is seen after the credits as we see how Julie and Carrie came to the carnival and Julie and Billy's first meeting. MacRae and Jones also get one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's loveliest ballads, "If I Loved You," as they dance around the idea that they might like each other. Julie's Cousin Nettie (Claramae Turner) leads the big ensemble routine at her spa "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" as the locals, their girls, and a group of sailors celebrate the start of summer. Ruick is adorable in her solo "Mr. Snow," and joins Rousenville for a sweet "When the Children are Asleep" performed on Mr. Snow's boat as they travel to the clambake. MacRae sings a stunning "Soliloquy" as he wonders what his new child will be like on the beach. Nettie reassures Julie that "You'll Never Walk Alone" in a stirring solo after Billy dies.

Along with "June," the other big chorus routine is "Louise's Ballet." Lynn joyously dances the life of Billy's tough tomboy daughter, who plays with the local boys, fights with the rich girls who taunt her for her plain dresses and her poor family, and falls for a carnival barker (Jacques d'Amboise) just like her mother.

Trivia: Frank Sinatra was originally going to play Billy Bigalow and even recorded his songs, but eventually left the production. Accounts differ as to why he walked off. He either didn't want to do a second movie in 55 milometer film or wanted to be with his then-girlfriend Ava Gardner.

The original Broadway production opened in 1948, and while it did run two and a half years, it wasn't anywhere near the success that Oklahoma! before it or South Pacific after it were.  It's done better in the intervening years. There was a TV version in 1967 with Robert Goulet as Billy and two major Broadway revivals in 1994 (with Audra Ann MacDonald as Carrie) and 2018.

What I Don't Like: Heavy dramatics were never MacRae's forte. He sings beautifully, but comes off as stiff and lacking the requisite sexy danger that Billy is supposed to have in the book scenes. As gorgeous as the Maine locations are, they make the few numbers filmed on sets look that much more fake. Turner doesn't really do much besides sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "June Is Bustin' Out All Over"

The biggest problem with this show is built into it from the original Hungarian play that inspired it, Lillom. Billy hitting his wife could get him arrested well before the robbery nowadays, and few women in the 21st century would put up with the abuse Julie does. The second half remains problematic for many productions to this day (many critics complained about it in the 2018 revival). Also, obviously, if you're looking for something light and fluffy, this is not going to be your Rodgers and Hammerstein show.

The Big Finale: I'm not the biggest fan of the original musical, but the rousing numbers and decent cast alone are worth checking out for fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jones, or 1950's musicals.

Home Media: Out of print on DVD. Streaming is by far your best bet.

DVD
Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - I Married an Angel

MGM, 1942
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, Edward Everett Horton, and Binnie Barnes
Directed by W.S Van Dyke
Music by Herbert Stothart and Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, George Forrest, and Robert Wright

MGM wanted to do this movie ever since they got Jeanette under contract in the mid-30's, but the original play and Rodgers and Hart musical were too spicy for the era. By 1942, they'd cleaned it up enough to pass the censors...but MacDonald and Eddy were both past their prime, and the movie didn't do well at the box office. Does this angel deserve a second chance on Earth today? Let's head to the bank owned by playboy Count Palaffi (Eddy) in Budapest and find out...

The Story: Count Willie Palaffi would rather chase all the lovely ladies in town than take care of his bank affairs or pay attention to hard-working secretary Anna Zador (MacDonald). His head teller Whiskers (Reginald Owen) tries to encourage Willie to take a second look at her, but his head secretary Martika (Mona Maris) also has designs on her boss and gives Anna a costume to wear to his big birthday ball. She arrives dressed as an angel, but everyone else is wearing elaborate gowns and headdresses. Willie dances with her until they're laughed at.

He flees and falls asleep in his office, where he dreams that Anna is an angel named Brigitta who has come to Earth to marry him. He thinks she's perfect and does take her for his wife...but she's too perfect and too honest, alienating his society friends and causing a run on the bank. His sister Peggy (Barnes) takes her aside to teach her to be a little more devlish...but it proves to be too successful when she flirts with one of his partners (Douglass Dumbrille).

The Song and Dance: This charming fantasy is a great way for MacDonald and Eddy to go out. They both have some very funny moments; check out her rearranging the Bank's board of directors so they're sitting next to their mistresses, rather than their wives, or the expressions on Eddy's face during the surreal montage towards the end where he can't get to his angel, no matter how hard he tries. The lavish costumes, including MacDonald's "real" angel wings, give the film the appropriate decadent European feel. Great cast, too, including sarcastic Barnes as the Count's sensible sister and Edward Everett Horton as the Count's valet and announcer.

Favorite Number: The title number is heard twice, first as a solo for Eddy, then as a duet for him and MacDonald as he introduces her to his bank board at his wedding reception. "Spring Is Here" is also heard twice - MacDonald sings it in the opening, and she and Eddy perform it together later when they're on their honeymoon. Eddy talks to "Hey Butcher" on the streets in Paris, leading into "I'll Tell the Man In the Street." "Tira Lira La" is the big number for the Count's girls in their fancy costume at the party; they later sing it at the wedding reception when he's getting married. Barnes teaches MacDonald how to be a human woman with "A Twinkle In Your Eyes," complete with a really cute little jitterbug.

Trivia: This was originally going to be a Paramount musical in the early 30's, but Rodgers and Hart moved it to Broadway when the Hays Code declared the idea of an angel losing her wings to a mortal man to be too racy. The original I Married an Angel debuted on Broadway in May 1938 and ran nine months, not bad for the time. While it's probably too fluffy to be revived, it has been seen as staged concerts recently, including an Encores! concert in New York in 2019.

What I Don't Like: The fluffy story is cute but insubstantial, and is likely one of the big reasons this has rarely been seen outside of concert halls since 1938. The idea of a mortal "deflocking" an angel and the angel being corrupted may rub some people the wrong way even today, let alone then, and the film and show aren't terribly kind to women, either. MacDonald and Eddy, as funny as they are, were also a tad old for their roles by this point.

The Big Finale: Many MacDonald and Eddy fans aren't crazy about this one, but I think it's a great way for them to end their partnership. It was just the wrong movie at the wrong time. A European-set fantasy romance probably wasn't the best thing to be releasing during the height of World War II, and the stars had probably worn out their welcome by then, too. One of their better and more unique films.

Home Media: On DVD from the Warner Archives and several streaming companies.

DVD
Amazon Prime

My Funny Valentine - Love Me Tonight

Paramount, 1932
Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Maurice Chevalier, Myrna Loy, and Charlie Ruggles
Directed by Rouben Mamoulien
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

After I reviewed the tragic romance Carmen Jones for Valentine's Day last year, I figured this year's entry called for something much lighter. Rouben Mamoulien's frothy romantic comedy about a princess who falls for a tailor is considered by many critics to be one of the finest musicals of the 30's, if not of all time. Does it deserve those accolades? Let's begin the morning in Paris with the tailor Maurice (Chevalier) and the rhythmic sounds of the city and find out...

The Story: Maurice (Chevalier), tailor from Paris, travels to a country chateau to collect outstanding debts from the Viacomte de Vareze (Ruggles) for tailoring work. On the way, he passes the lovely Princess Jeanette (MacDonald), the Viacomte's niece. Jeanette is a young widow who only lives with her family because there are no eligible men of her station and rank her age in the area. He falls for her the moment he almost knocks her off the road, but she's not nearly so interested in him.

She's a lot more intrigued when the Viacomte claims he's a baron and a friend of his. Now the whole household is beholden to his charms, including the head of the family Duc d'Artelines (C. Aubrey Smith), man-crazy Valentine (Loy), and three aunts who spent most of the movie working on a tapestry. He rescues a fox from a hunt, winning over even Jeanette with his boyish ways. She's not as happy when she finally learns who he really is...but when she realizes how she feels, no matter who he is, she discovers that a modern princess can make her own happy ending.

The Song and Dance: Every book I've read about movie musicals praised this to the skies, calling it one of the best and most cinematic musicals ever made. For once, they were entirely right. Mamoulien sought to break out of the mold of static early musicals by bringing the songs off the stage and into real life. Everything makes music in the opening "The Song of Paree" sequence, taking us from the sounds of the city to Maurice's shop. "There's career-best performances from just about everyone, including Maurice and Jeanette as the lovers; Loy is a riot as Valentine, who is desperate for any kind of male companionship that isn't her family. Rodgers and Hart's songs are probably their best work in Hollywood. "Lover" and "Love Me Tonight" in particular can be heard in the background of many a Paramount movie to this day.

Favorite Number: Every number in this movie is a delight, but "Isn't It Romantic" is a major stand-out. It starts out with Maurice singing about his idea of love in his shop...and we follow the song as it carries from the city to a train to soldiers to the country and Jeanette, who gives a much more traditionally romantic view. It's one of the most exhilarating use of editing in any film musical. Chevalier has a blast with his patter number "Mimi" at the party...and it's just as cute to see various members of the family sing it afterwards in their own way. MacDonald and Chevalier duet on the lovely title song in the garden during the party, and Maurice is sent away to a montage of servants and aristocrats alike whispering that "The Son of a Gun Is Nothing But a Tailor."

Trivia: Censors cut several bits after the movie was re-released in the mid-30's. Among the losses were a few ribald comments from Valentine, Loy's rendition of "Mimi" (supposedly, her breast could be seen through her sheer nightgown) with the rest of the family, and the doctor's number as he examines Jeanette, "A Woman Needs Something Like That." Alas, a full, uncut version of the film has yet to be found.

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you're not a fan of frothy romantic comedy or the two stars, this won't be your glass of French champagne. It's also not for dance nuts. Here, the cameras and editing do the dancing.

The Big Finale: If any movie musical deserves to be better-known, it's this one. If you love romantic comedy, the two stars, or Mamoulien's other work, you owe to yourself to check this one out.

Home Media: While the movie is currently available through the made-to-order Universal Vault collection, the original Kino International DVD I have is neither expensive,  nor difficult to find.

DVD - Universal Vault
DVD - Kino International

Pal Joey

Columbia, 1957
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, and Barbara Nichols
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

This was originally a minor hit on Broadway in 1940, but a revival in 1952 was such a smash, Columbia Studio head Harry Cohn bought it for his most popular actress, Rita Hayworth. By the time they got to filming it, Hayworth had switched to the older woman role, and the ingenue role went to Cohn's newest discovery Kim Novak. Columbia also couldn't get original 1940 star Gene Kelly and ended up reworking the title role into a singer for Frank Sinatra. How does the story of a heel who uses women and people to get his own nightclub look nowadays? Let's join Joey (Sinatra) on the train to San Francisco and find out...

The Story: Joey Evans (Sinatra) is literally tossed on the train after getting into girl trouble in his previous job. He manages to talk his way into a gig at a second-rate club, mainly because he's interested in one of the chorus girls, Linda English (Novak). However, as much as he likes her, he has loftier ambitions. He pursues a previous girlfriend and stripper-turned-rich widow Vera Simpson (Hayworth), even living with her on her yacht in order to get her to fund his new club Chez Joey. Even with his relationship with Vera growing, Joey still has eyes for Linda and gets a job for her at the club. Vera, however, doesn't appreciate that one bit...and her growing jealousy ends with Joey having to decide once and for all which woman really owns his heart.

The Song and Dance: If you love musicals that veer toward the dark-ish, you'll probably enjoy this. Even with the story toned down, this is still pretty cynical for a musical. Sinatra is perfect as the man who uses and abuses women, only to be floored when he actually falls for one. Novak and especially Hayworth are also quite good as the women in his life. They're surrounded by a gorgeous Technicolor production, with the ladies dressed in tight-fitting, jewel-toned 50's gowns and San Francisco recreated in all it's gritty and glamorous Golden Gate glory.

Some people may be bothered by the changed ending, but I actually kind of like it. It remains ambiguous and somewhat downbeat for a musical from this era, even as Joey does get himself a girl (and a dog).

Favorite Number: Sinatra scores with two of his best recordings, a relaxed "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" when he talks his way into the first club job, and one of my favorite-ever versions of the standard "The Lady Is a Tramp" later at Chez Joey. Novak gets in on the intentionally cheesy chorus girl routine "That Terrific Rainbow" and sits in an old-fashioned valentine to croon one of my favorite Rodgers and Hart ballads, "My Funny Valentine." Hayworth has two terrific solos, the stripper spoof "Zip" where she poses as a striptease artist who knows about a lot more than taking her clothes off, and another standard Rodgers and Hart ballad, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" as she showers and dresses after Joey agrees to live with her.

Trivia: Gene Kelly and 20's operetta favorite Vivianne Segal were Joey and Vera in the original 1940 Broadway cast. Segal was retained for the popular 1952 revival, joined by dancer Harold Lang. Lang and Carol Bruce appeared in the first London showing in 1954. It's been revived three times, in 1963, 1976, and 2008; none ran longer than three months. The story was substantially re-written in the 2008 version.

What I Don't Like: The ending isn't the only thing that was changed from the original show. A whole subplot about gangsters blackmailing Joey and Vera was dropped, and several characters were combined or eliminated. Vera's husband was still alive, and her affair with Joey was "on the side." There were a few songs that were performed outside of the nightclub; here, all of the numbers but "Bewitched" and the big finale "What Do I Care for a Dame?" are sung as club numbers. Many songs were dropped as well, including Vera and Linda telling each other to "Take Him" and Joey insisting "You Mustn't Kick It Around."

And even with the darker edges sanded off, this still isn't the musical for you if you're looking for something lighter and fluffier or more overtly romantic, or with a stronger story.

The Big Finale: Not my favorite Sinatra movie, but it's worth a look if you're a major fan of his or Hayworth's or love Rodgers and Hart.

Home Media: Currently available via the made-to-order Sony Choice Collection. That and streaming are your best bet - the limited-edition Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is expensive. (I watched it for free on the streaming service Crackle, which was previously owned by Sony/Columbia.)

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Cult Flops - State Fair (1962)

20th Century Fox, 1962
Starring Pat Boone, Pamela Tiffin, Ann-Margaret, and Bobby Darrin
Directed by Jose Ferrer
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers

If this looks familiar, I reviewed the original 1946 musical last September. Fox had been trying to get a remake off the ground since 1960, with more music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. By the time the movie came out two years later, Hammerstein had passed away, leaving Rodgers to write the new music on his own. How does this bucolic story look over fifteen years later and taking place in a different state fair? Let's head back to the Frake farm, this time in Texas, to find out...

The Story: The Frakes have high hopes that this state fair will be their best ever. Mrs. Frake (Alice Faye) is putting her money on her mincemeat. Her husband (Tom Ewell) is coddling his enormous pig, Blue Boy, in order for him to win a blue ribbon. Son Wayne (Boone) wants to win the state car racing championship. Daughter Margie (Tiffin) just wants to get away from her steady but dull boyfriend. Mr. Frake makes a bet with a gloomy neighbor (

On his first day at the track, Wayne meets Emily (Ann-Margaret) when she poses with a few drivers. He's smitten the moment he sees her. Turns out she's a dancer and model at the fair's theater who performs at various fairs throughout the US. It takes her a little longer, but she falls for him, too. Margie finds her own man in Jerry (Darrin), a fast-talking TV reporter who is covering the fair for a local station. He claims to have a girl in every city, and she's uncertain about him at first, but he finally brings her around. Wayne, however, has a girl at home, and Emily's not the type of girl you bring home to mother. Not to mention, Jerry's angling to work in a bigger market.

The Song and Dance: I have no idea why they moved this to Texas from Iowa, but it does make for some nice cinematography. There's some lovely widescreen shots of dusty Texas, especially in the beginning on the Frake farm. Location shooting at the real-life Texas and Oklahoma state fairs helps add to the southwestern feel.

Pat Boone and Ann-Margaret are by far the stand-outs here as the girl who's been around and the boy who's wild for her, no matter what kind of a woman she is. Boone comes off as surprisingly sexy and charismatic, given his squeaky-clean image, and matches red-hot Ann-Margaret better than you might think. Their chemistry lends their love scenes an unusual amount of heat for a musical.

Favorite Number: Boone gets a relaxed "That's For Me" around the car track after he first meets Emily and falls for her at first sight. Of Rodgers' solo contributions, my favorites were the adorable "More Than Just a Friend," sung by Mr. Frake to Blue Boy when he's trying to buoy his spirits at the fair, Boone and Ann-Margaret's lovely duet "Willing and Eager," and the Frakes' sweet song on the merry-go-round at the fair, "The Little Things In Texas."

Trivia: Alice Faye came out of retirement to appear in this film.

This was Ann-Margaret's second movie after Pocketful of Miracles.

This was not the last version of State Fair, though to date it's been the last on the big screen. A stage version with additional music from other Rodgers and Hammerstein shows made Broadway briefly in 1997, and a non-musical TV film debuted in 1976.

What I Don't Like: This movie has the opposite problem from the 1946 State Fair. Here, it's Margie and her suitor who are the dull ones. Bland Tiffin barely registers (and is dubbed), and Darrin is so smarmy and creepy, you wonder why Margie's interested in him. Faye and Ewell are cute together, but neither especially feel like Texas farmers with young adult children.

There's music problems, too. The remaining Rodgers solo songs aren't nearly as memorable as the originals. Darrin's ballad "This Isn't Heaven' is especially dull. "Isn't It Kind of Fun" becomes an inexplicably strange number for Ann-Margaret and the chorus. It starts with cutesy romance and ends with her and the chorus in black outfits and a sexy red background, and it just doesn't work. Jose Ferrer, who mainly worked in drama, probably wasn't the best choice to direct a rural musical, either.

The Big Finale: Like this summer's version of The Lion King, this remake simply was not necessary. Only worth checking out if you're a major fan of Boone, Faye, or Ann-Margaret. Everyone else is probably fine with the 1946 film.

Home Media: Currently, this can only be found on the out-of-print 2-disc special edition State Fair DVD set. Check used venues or look for it occasionally on TCM.

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Words and Music

MGM, 1948
Starring Mickey Rooney, Betty Garrett, Tom Drake, and Janet Leigh
Directed by Norman Taurog
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

This was the second lavish MGM musical biography about popular songwriters of the early part of the 20th century after Till the Clouds Roll By in 1946. The spotlight here is on Richard Rodgers and his first partner, the complex and troubled lyricist Lorenz "Larry" Hart. Hart had a difficult and tragic life that was often reflected in his dark, introspective words to Rodgers' graceful music. How does that come across on-screen in this time period? Let's join Tom Drake as Rodgers as he discusses how his relationship with Hart began to find out...

The Story: Richard Rodgers (Drake) first meets Lorenz Hart (Rooney) when their friend Eddie Anders (Perry Como) introduces them in the early 20's. Larry's late for their very first meeting, but he arrives with the lyrics for "Manhattan" already hashed out. They have little success for the next few years, until starlet Peggy McNeill (Garrett) performs their songs at a party. The number used in the revue The Garrick Gaieties is a hit and turns them into one of the most popular songwriting duos on Broadway. Their words and music are a perfect match, but Dick is getting tired of Larry's habit of disappearing for weeks while working on lyrics, his obsession with his height and lack of looks, and his partying, and his never being on time.

Neither man does especially well with the opposite sex at first. Peggy continuously turns Larry down; Dick is rejected by older Broadway star Joyce Harmon (Ann Southern) and teenager Dorothy Feiner (Leigh). Dick does eventually marry Dorothy and have two girls with her, but Larry never manages to settle down. Even when they go out to Hollywood, Larry still pops up whenever he feels like it after a spree. He's seriously depressed and sick, especially after Peggy rejects him one last time. Dick's tired of his never being on time, his heavy partying, and constantly disappearing and is considering taking a new partner. Larry is deliriously feverish, even as he wanders dazed into the theater in the rain to see one last show.

The Song and Dance: As with Till the Clouds Roll By, the musical numbers are the thing here. Energetic Rooney really throws himself into playing Hart, the brilliant wordsmith who ultimately succumbed to his demons, and Jeanette Nolan is very sweet as his beloved mother (whom he lived with for much of his life). Some of the costumes are gorgeous; I especially love the outfits for Southern's "Where's That Rainbow?" routine.

Favorite Number: "Where's That Rainbow?" was the only song I'd never heard of before I saw this movie. I'm glad I discovered it. Ann Southern and the chorus have a great time with the lively routine in their colorful dance outfits. June Allyson is squired by the Blackburn Twins in their adorable trio "Thou Swell." Lena Horne scores with stunning renditions of two of Rodgers and Hart's best songs, "Where Or When" and "The Lady Is a Tramp." Rooney and Drake (dubbed by Bill Lee) kick things off with a very cute version of "Manhattan." Cyd Charisse dances a lovely "Blue Room," sung by Como, while Ann Alyn McLerie and the chorus join him for rustic Okalahoma-esque "Mountain Greenery." 

The movie is probably best known for two numbers towards the end of the film. Rooney and his long-time friend Judy Garland performed together on the big screen one last time, and it was worth it to get them together. Their "I Wish I Were In Love Again" is absolutely hilarious. Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen perform the Rodgers ballet "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue" from the Broadway show On Their Toes as far darker and more dramatic than pretty much anything else in the movie.

Trivia: Although the movie was a hit, it was so expensive that it barely recouped its costs.

For all the inaccuracies, some things really did happen. Most of Hart's destructive habits, including his chronic lateness, his running off for weeks while working, his obsession with his lack of looks and his shortness, and his partying, are portrayed more-or-less realistically. A friend really did introduce Rodgers to Hart; their first big show was The Garrick Gaieties. Hart was considered to be part of the Rodgers family. Dick and Dorothy's daughters thought of him as a fun-loving uncle.

Sadly, Hart's death is also portrayed fairly accurately. He did indeed die of pneumonia after wandering around in the rain the night of the the opening of the revival of A Connecticut Yankee.

What I Don't Like: This was even more sanitized than Till the Clouds Roll By. Hart was a closeted homosexual, something they couldn't exactly discuss in 1948. He did have problems with his relationships...with men. Richard Rodgers, who was consulted on the film, was well-known for being a control freak and a bit of a jerk. He was nothing like the blandly attractive Drake. Hart was actually witty and soft-spoken, very different from the brash and energetic Rooney. Drake's romances mid-way through the film feel almost as manufactured as most of the second half of Clouds Roll By. His attempt to woo the ladies just isn't that interesting.

Once again, there's no attempts whatsoever to represent the clothes of time period accurately. It looks like 1948 for the entire movie, including in the 20's in the opening.

The Big Picture: Same deal here. If you're a big fan of Rodgers and Hart or the MGM musicals of the 40's and 50's, you'll find a lot to enjoy if you can ignore the inaccuracies.

Home Media: Currently available on DVD and several streaming companies.

DVD
Amazon Prime

Oklahoma! (1955)

20th Century Fox/RKO, 1955
Starring Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Charlotte Greenwood, and Gloria Grahame
Directed by Fred Zimmerman
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

I'm doing this one in honor of the 75th anniversary revival of the original stage show that just opened on Broadway a couple of weeks ago. This is a far more traditional take on this story than the stripped-down version that's currently playing in New York, and was a huge hit in 1955. Rodgers and Hammerstein personally oversaw the production and made sure it was represented faithfully. How does it compare now? Let's head to the wide open plains of Skidmore, Indiana Territory in 1912 to find out...

The Story: Cowboy Curly (MacRae) wants to ask pretty farm girl Laurey (Jones) out to the big box social that night, but her hired hand Jud Fry (Rod Steiger) gets there first. He ends up going with Laurey's Aunt Eller (Greenwood). Laurey likes Curly, but Jud has an edge of danger to him. Angry, Curly goes to the smoke house where Jud lives to more-or-less threaten him. Aunt Eller warns them off, but Laurey's still nervous. Turns out she has reason to be. Jud's interest in her is turning into obsession. His competing with Curly for Laurey bubbles over at the party...and ultimately ends in tragedy.

Laurey's best friend Ado Annie (Grahame) is having her own romantic problems. She's been pursuing the Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Eddie Albert), but her true love Will Parker (Gene Nelson) is back in town. Her father Mr. Carnes (James Whitmore) promised that he could marry Annie if he had 50 dollars. He had it, but he spent it on gifts for Annie. Ali's not really interested in Annie...and he may have a way to make everyone happy.

The Song and Dance: There's a reason this show was such a hit when it first debuted in 1943. While its relatively dark story and use of music to propel the action isn't as revolutionary today, the script and the simple story mostly still work. Of the cast, my favorites are Greenwood as a perfectly salty Aunt Eller, Jones as troubled Laurey, and Grahame as the indecisive Annie. Too bad Grahame didn't do more comedy, as her Annie is hilarious as she switches between beaus. Nelson makes an amiable Will Parker, and Stieger is darkly menacing as the loutish Jud. The gorgeous costumes and lovely color cinematography (in CinemaScope or ToddAO) give us a marvelous view of a changing state.

One of the things I really enjoy about the movie are getting to see details of farm life and local ritual that didn't make it onto the stage, like Laurey bathing in a local river or the "shiveree" with the men tossing corn husk dolls at Curly and Laurey on a hay stack. It brings at least a little more authenticity to the proceedings.

Favorite Number: Agnes de Mille recreated her famous dances from the original cast here, including Laurey's dream ballet mid-way through that gives us her dream of what will happen if she marries Curly...and her nightmare with Jud. Nelson gets to show off his ragtime steps with "Everything's Up to Date In Kansas City," and he and Grahame do an adorable "All or Nuthin'." MacRae's opening "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" sounds gorgeous, and he, Jones, and Greenwood have fun with "The Surrey With the Fringe on the Top." Grahame's not really a singer, but her expressions are so funny in "I Cain't Say No," it works anyway.

Along with "Laurey Makes Up Her Mind," probably the most famous numbers here are the ensemble routines. Laurey and the girls claim that "Many a New Day" will pass before they mourn a lost love as they perform a charming dance in lovely frilly petticoats. The big title song is appropriately rousing as well.

Trivia: The movie was actually made by the Magna Corporation and originally filmed in the 70 millimeter ToddAO process. My review is based on the CinemaScope 35 mm version, but the ToddAO one is also available and has a few different scenes.

It was supposed to film in the real Oklahoma, but oil drilling there forced them a few states over to Arizona.

The movie version cut Ali Hakim's comic number "It's a Scandal, It's an Outrage," and Jud's mournful "Lonely Room."

Marc Platt, who appeared the year before as Daniel, one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, can be seen in a few numbers and during the party. He's the one who buys Curly's saddle and claims Annie's sweet potato pie gave him a "three day bellyache."

What I Don't Like: As lovely as Arizona is, the location shooting makes the sound stage-bound sets look cramped and fake. Eddie Albert is funny as Ali Hakim, but his character is basically a stereotype and may annoy some people today. Speaking of plot points that don't work now, in 1955, Curly probably just looked like he was needling Jud a bit over his interest in Laurey during that "Poor Jud Is Dead" song. Nowadays, he comes off as a jerk who is practically encouraging a man to commit suicide. No wonder Jud attacks them later. The costumes are gorgeous and fairly authentic. The extremely 50's hair and makeup, especially the cute, short dos on some of the younger girls, are not.

And while "Scandal" isn't one of the better songs in the score and is no great loss, I do wish they'd kept "Lonely Room," even if they had to dub Steiger. It explains Jud's motivations and back story far better than any dialogue could.

The Big Finale: This has long been one of my favorite movies, and my favorite Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. If you haven't seen it yet, this is the perfect time to head to the brand-new Sooner State and meet its colorful residents. Highly recommended.

Home Media: My 2-disc DVD set that includes the CinemaScope and ToddAO versions is out of print, but was re-released in 2017. It's on Blu-Ray and most streaming platforms as well.

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