Here we go... Guys and Dolls is quite the show. I first heard the music in college when my voice teacher showed us clips from the 1992 revival starring Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince, Nathan Lane, and Josie de Guzman and liked it so much I bought the soundtrack album. However, I've never seen the 1955 movie … Continue reading If I Were A Broadway Musical
Stage To Screen: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum
Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays. I did. I could have used another week of vacay, but it's all good. On to 2021.... The one and only time I saw Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum was in college. I tried out for it as part of my Broadway performance … Continue reading Stage To Screen: A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum
Broadway Bound 2020: Curtain Call
So. It's been quite a weekend, guys. Other than the current stuff we've all been going through and which I'm not going to elaborate on, the wind knocked out my wifi on Friday afternoon. Then we got the wifi back only to have the wind knock the power out on Saturday. Fortunately these were only … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2020: Curtain Call
Broadway Plays the Ponies
The Broadway Melody of 1936 made a star out of Eleanor Powell, and in 1937 she was at it again with The Broadway Melody of 1938, which, unfortunately, was a flaccid follow-up to its predecessor. This time Powell is the daughter of a horse rancher who wants to break into show business, and once again Robert … Continue reading Broadway Plays the Ponies
Broadway Bound 2020: Day Three
Day Three is upon us--can you believe it? Days One and Two can be found here if anyone has missed them. All right, time for today's entries... MovieRob kicks things off with a Broadway triple-header: Hair, The Browning Version, and Jesus Christ, Superstar. The Midnite Drive-In has a review of the Shoah drama, Bent. Vitaphone Dreamer gets that … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2020: Day Three
Ziegfeld-less Follies
Mr. Ziegfeld, I presume... For someone who was the pinnacle of Broadway success, Florenz Ziegfeld didn't actually appear onscreen all that much as an actual character. Maybe once or twice, but that was about it. Oftentimes he was just an offscreen presence and his show was aspriational for many hopefuls. Other than that, he was … Continue reading Ziegfeld-less Follies
One Month Until The Third Broadway Bound Blogathon
Thirty-one days and counting, people. Thirty-one days until we head back to the Great White Way for a third year of Broadway goodness. I'm glad and appreciative that people are so enthusiastic for this blogathon returning in spite of all the trouble and weirdness we're dealing with in the world right now. If Broadway is … Continue reading One Month Until The Third Broadway Bound Blogathon
Stage To Screen: On the Town
"New York, New York, it's a {insert adjective here} town..." Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's story of three sailors on leave in New York City is probably one of the most famous musicals of the World War Two period. It was both satire and commentary, as it came from a time when relationships … Continue reading Stage To Screen: On the Town
Broadway Bound 2019: Day Three
We've come to the third and final day of our blogathon, and there's more wonderfulness in store. The lights have flickered, signaling the end of Intermission, and now the curtain rises on Act Three... Love Letters To Old Hollywood's mini Marilyn tribute comes to a close with a look at the underrated 1960 gem, Let's Make Love. … Continue reading Broadway Bound 2019: Day Three
King Cole
I'm more of an Irving Berlin fan than a Cole Porter fan, to be honest, but I still like quite a few Porter songs. They're very catchy and endlessly singable, many with graceful, almost operatic melodies. Porter's 1946 biopic, Night and Day, is a delightful, almost non-stop revue of Porter's catalogue, set against the backdrop of his … Continue reading King Cole
One Week Until the Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon
One day, er, one week more. It's coming quick, everyone. Are you ready? And if anyone wants to join us, there's plenty of room onstage and lots of topics to choose from. For more info and suggestions, please check here. Thanks to everyone who's signed up, and see you next week...
Stage To Screen: Show Boat
Street corners. Tourist traps. Flatbed trailers. Any place is fair game for an entertainer to ply their craft as long as there's an audience. Or even if there isn't. When I was with the Continental Singers, we once did an impromptu mini-concert in an old folks' home in Nebraska while waiting for our bus's air … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Show Boat
The Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon Is One Month Away
It's one month until curtain, and no doubt our participants are zealously rehearsing their parts in the Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon. Scripts memorized. Stages blocked. Kicklines formed, for those who are into that sort of thing. It's all coming together. I'm so glad to see people are enthusiastic about the blogging world's return engagement … Continue reading The Second Annual Broadway Bound Blogathon Is One Month Away
The Purrfect Crime
Meow... I always like working more silent movies into my film-watching experience, and while I wish I could be more deliberate about it, the silent films I do get to see are generally surprises. One of the nicest ones so far is 1927's The Cat and the Canary. Based on the successful John Willard play of the … Continue reading The Purrfect Crime
Broadway Bound Blogathon: Curtain Call
First things first, we have a few more arriving at the party… Michaela at Love Letters To Old Hollywood gives us her third and final post with the history of Gigi. Catherine at Thoughts All Sorts has some thoughts on Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Tiffany from Pure Entertainment Preservation Society brings us her review of the 1941 classic, Babes On Broadway. And in […]
Broadway Bound Blogathon: Day Three
We have come to Day Three of our Broadway Bound Blogathon, and more great entries are ahead (See Day Two here). As usual, I will post new arrivals throughout the day. So let's get right to them... Amanda from Old Hollywood Films leads with a look at the history of The King and I. Who knew this classic got … Continue reading Broadway Bound Blogathon: Day Three
End of an Era
Long before MGM put his story on the screen, Florenz Ziegfeld was dipping his toe into Hollywood. The first film he produced was 1917's The Land of Promise. Starring Billie Burke, the film is a straightforward story of farmers and romance. It's also, unfortunately, lost. Other films were takeoffs of his stage shows, such as Rio Rita or Whoopee. Only … Continue reading End of an Era
Taking Up Room 