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Fri 22 Aug, 2003 12:35 pm
It's back! Sorry for the lapse but this thread takes a little more time to put together and I've been extremely busy.
1934 began with "The Cat and the Fiddle" with music by Jerome Kern and starring Ramon Novarro and Janette MacDonald with Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz!) It's really a musical satire and such standards as "The Night Was Made for Love" and "She Didn't Say 'Yes'" are notable.
"Dancing on the Ceiling" which Astaire made famous later in "Royal Wedding" by, you guessed it, actually dancing on the ceiling was a high point of the Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart musical "Evergreen."
Busby Berkeley again shined in the choreography of "Dames," with Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler and ZaSu Pitts. It was really "Gold Diggers of 1934" because of the storyline and the show stopping number was "I Only Have Eyes for You."
Ernest Lubitsch then directed a version of "The Merry Widow" with Maurice Chavalier and Janette MacDonald. MGM chose to meaninglessly release this version to television as "The Lady Dances" so as not to compete with the later Technicolor version with Lana Turner.
Then, what I would consider the high point was the second Astair/Rogers pairing in "The Gay Divorcee." It had a multiple composer score including the wonderful "The Continental."
Then two Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein stage musicals brought to film topped the year with "Music in the Air" and "Sweet Adeline." "Music in the Air" begins with a sweeping shot of the Alps, a precusor to the opening shot of "The Sound of Music." Memorable standards include "I've Told Every Little Star" and "Why Was I Born."
An anecdotal aside -- Novarro is also famous for a gay hate crime murder in his Frank Lloyd Wright Hollywood Hills home. On a private tour of Frank Lloyd Write structures in the L.A. area, we visited the actual house. We were invited in by the daughters of a Hollywood producer and I don't think I'll ever forget walking around on the inside of that house. It was literally spooky.
Quote:""The, what I would consider the high point was the second Astair/Rogers pairing in "The Gay Divorcee." It had a multiple composer score including the wonderful "The Continental.""
I think thats the one where Ginger wore that beautiful feathered dress. I remember something about Edith Heads design. (If that's the one). She spent alot of time getting those feathers excactly right so the skirt swung and flowed properly. It was almost as if the dress were another dancer. This is the kind of detail filmmakers spend time on to make something beautiful work, and we don't even think about the magic behind it all.
Quote:"An anecdotal aside -- Novarro is also famous for a gay hate crime murder in his Frank Lloyd Wright Hollywood Hills home. On a private tour of Frank Lloyd Write structures in the L.A. area, we visited the actual house. We were invited in by the daughters of a Hollywood producer and I don't think I'll ever forget walking around on the inside of that house. It was literally spooky"
Recently, a retired police detective who grew up I beleive in that house came out with a book about his physician father whom this former detective claims was the Black Dahlia Murderer! I'm pretty sure it was that house. (But there are several FLW houses in that area)
I love "Dames". The storyline is useless, but the musical sequences are astonishing. Busby at his best.
While "I only have eyes for you" is more like a classical modern musical (and, man, what a song!), the choreaography in "Dames" is a wondrous architectural op-art construction: the repeating faces, the caleidoscope, the wave of legs... oh! unforgettable! The big bright black & white pleasurely dream machine at full gear!
Fred and Ginger forever!
fealola, that dress was fantastic! But it wasn't Edith. A little before her time. It was Walter Plunkett.
Ooooh! Thank you. I don't know why I think I remember Edith talking about it. Maybe she was giving commentary.
Maybe she was trying to STEAL the credit like she did so often, for so many years.
Walter Plunkett's ex-lover was a fixture in Laguna Beach during the 1970's -- it was Walter Plunkett who designed the Roger's dresses. The AMC documentary on Edith Head did refer back to Plunkett and he was more-or-less an idol for Edith.
He also was the costume designer for "Gone With the Wind," and here's his filmography if anyone is interested:
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Plunkett,+Walter
(Right eoe, Edith did dress up her resume almost better than she dressed up the actors!)
Loved that green velvet curtain dress!
How about that hot red number with the netting that Rhett made her wear to Ashley's b-day party? Now THAT was a Jezebel dress if there ever was one.
Speaking of Edith Head, did she ever allow Givenchy to get the credit as designer for Audrey Hepburn? Was his name ever on screen?
Oooh, yeah. But the dress with the big straw hat in the opening scene was amazingly beautiful. Thats quite a legacy if more than 60 years later, people can remember just about every costume someone wore in a movie! He duplicated everything M. Mitchell described in the book. Best book to screen adaptation- ever.
--Gee I don't know about Givenchy.
You're right fealola. That's saying alot about a designer. Those were gorgeous costumes. Did Plunkett design the menswear as well? Rhett and Ashley were always turned out to the nines! Remember the scene when they are on their honeymoon and while Scarlett is fussing about buying Mammy the red petticoat you can see Rhett's reflection in a full length mirror leaning against the wall? He's decked out completely in white also. My goodness are they gorgeous!
Sorry LW. Let's get back to the musicals...
I'm trying to recall. I think it was during the "I Only Have Eyes For You Number", that a jigssaw was formed. The girls wore boards on their backs so that when they bent over the boards interlocked and made a giant sized picture of Ruby. And Dick Powell saw Ruby's face on all the ads in the Subway? Do I have that right, LW?
But, if I had to vote, I'd choose The Gay Divorcee because I loved The Continental, and, of course, Night and Day.
Fealola: That green dress was my favorite too.
Are we supposed to be voing here, if so I vote for "The Gay Divorcee, too.
Plunket did design the men's costumes for GWTW.
You might also put it that he had designs on the men. :wink:
Oh, well.
Have to see the film again but I do seem to remember the ads on a subway wall, Raggedy.
Raggedy, you recall correctly.
Thanks Fbaezer.
Yes, L.W. - Now I remember. Ruby's face on the ads in the subway.
I'd like to see that movie again.
Well, this is designed to encourage one to search TCM for showings of these classic Hollywood musicals, or rent/buy the DVD. I've resubscribed to NetFlix to catch up on a lot of indepedent and foreign films I can't find at the rental store and so far have watched "Children of Heaven" (from Iran) among other gems. I know they have several of the titles here for rent. It's really worth the $19.95 a month (and I don't really get a think for the recommendation). It ends up costing me about $1.50 per rental and no trips back and forth in the car!
www.netflix.com
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