Kaufman and Hart definitely weren't one-hit wonders. In addition to You Can't Take It With You and several other hits, they also co-authored The Man Who Came To Dinner, which came to Broadway in 1939 and then the silver screen in 1942. Oh, this crazy thing. Among other niceties, Billie Burke is again playing a rich socialite who … Continue reading Stage To Screen: The Man Who Came To Dinner
Stage To Screen: Grand Hotel
"Grand Hotel. Always the same. People come. People go. Nothing ever happens." So intones the lonely and forgotten Doctor Otternschalg as he watches guests and former guests mill around in the lobby of Berlin's Grand Hotel. For him, a former First World War military doctor and burn victim, nothing ever does happen. No one writes … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Grand Hotel
Stage To Screen: Babes In Arms
We all know that before there was Rodgers and Hammerstein there was Rodgers and Hart, and their 1937 hit, Babes In Arms became Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's third movie and first musical together, not to mention the first of their famous barnyard musicals. It was also Arthur Freed's first official producer credit and Busby Berkeley's first … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Babes In Arms
Stage To Screen: 12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men is one of those stories that has to be seen at least once, whether it's the play or film, but no matter how many times it's seen, there's always something new to notice and something new to think about. It's fitting that the story can inspire such perennial freshness. As The Guardian once … Continue reading Stage To Screen: 12 Angry Men
Stage To Screen: Much Ado About Nothing
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays (and one of my favorites, too), is Much Ado About Nothing. Written in either 1598 or 1599, it's full of biting wit, passionate romance, and manipulation of both the shameful and shameless varieties. While it has a long production history, it has a short filmography. For those who might not be … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Much Ado About Nothing
Stage To Screen: Shadowlands
Although he was a literary powerhouse, C.S. Lewis has very seldom been portrayed on the screen as himself (Sorry, Treebeard, although you still kinda count). One of the most major works associated with him is Shadowlands, which mainly focuses on Lewis's life with his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham. For those who aren't familiar with Lewis … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Shadowlands
Stage To Screen: Flower Drum Song
When I took a Broadway performance class at Sierra College we were required to audition for the spring musical, which was to be A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum. I had no interest in being in the show whatsoever but I wanted my grade so I signed up. Anyone who has ever … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Flower Drum Song
Stage To Screen: Peter Pan
Who's up for a trip to Neverland? I know I could sure use one. J.M. Barrie's immortal story has been delighting children and children at heart for over a century with its joyful, sparky melée of pirates, mermaids, Lost Boys, Native Americans (although the story calls them Indians), happy thoughts, fairies, and of course, the … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Peter Pan
Stage To Screen: The Music Man
Few Broadway shows can touch The Music Man. It's probably in the top ten of the most well-known musical comedies, or just musicals in general. It's rousing, it's funny, it's winkingly naughty, it has a lot of cool plays on words, it feels like yesteryear. Most of all, who hasn't wanted to go marching out of the … Continue reading Stage To Screen: The Music Man
Stage To Screen: What A Girl Wants
When I heard that 2003's What A Girl Wants was based on a play, my first thought was, "Really?" For those who haven't seen it, the movie follows Daphne Reynolds (Amanda Bynes), who leads a rather bohemian existence with her mom, Libby (Kelly Preston) in a fifth-floor walkup in New York's Chinatown. Libby is a wedding … Continue reading Stage To Screen: What A Girl Wants
Stage To Screen: On Golden Pond
Every family has its problems. We all know this. We also all know that whether or not a family deals with its problems is another matter, and Ernest Thompson's On Golden Pond is a rather gorgeous and slightly tempestuous look at aging and reconciliation. Yeah, we've had a lot of family movies and dysfunction type stories … Continue reading Stage To Screen: On Golden Pond
Stage To Screen: Pal Joey
OK, so I know I said I was going to do a Stage To Screen about The Sign of The Cross, but once I started researching everything I decided to scrap it and write about Rodgers and Hart's Pal Joey instead. This decision was made for two reasons. First of all, there's not enough verified information … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Pal Joey
Stage To Screen: Fences
Our first Stage To Screen of 2022! Originally I was going to write about The Sign of the Cross because it has an interesting backstory, but at the last minute I decided to switch to Fences because I bought the Blu-ray with some of my Christmas money and I found it very compelling. Fences was written by August … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Fences
Stage To Screen: Henry V
This month's Stage To Screen is a strike-while-the-iron-is-hot kind of scenario, because first of all, I felt like writing about Henry V, and secondly, the Lawrence Olivier version is on HBO Max right now, so the timing is fortuitous. Henry V is one of Shakespeare's later plays, and is thought to have been written and perfomed in 1599. … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Henry V
Stage To Screen: Our Town
Our Town is a perennial favorite for a lot of people all over the world. It's always being produced somewhere. Its setting, the fictional town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, even has its own website. This 1938 Pulitzer Prize winner follows the story of Emily Webb and George Gibbs, next door neighbors and childhood friends who … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Our Town
Stage To Screen: Chicago
A year or two ago my friend Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews fame asked if I would review one of her favorite movies, 2002's Chicago, and I wanted to, but I kept putting it off and putting it off. Now the time has finally arrived, and I'm not only going to review Chicago but give it … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Chicago
Stage To Screen: Girl Crazy
Amazing as their music is, a lot of George and Ira Gershwin's musicals aren't presented today in their original forms, and while Girl Crazy is no different, it has stayed more intact than the vast majority of its mates, at least in terms of its music. Girl Crazy marked the debut of such classics as "I Got … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Girl Crazy
Taking Up Room 