JackBurley

"Jack, what was different in the film version of Carousel from the stage version? I've read the libretto for the stage musical, albeit a long time ago, and I don't remember any major differences. Please enlighten!" Sorry it took me so long to respond, Ms. Pax. I just searched for my Broadway program of Carousel. It was a frustrating search because, well because I couldn't find it. Did I put it in storage? Anyway, it beautifully detailed the differences. And it's been many years since I've seen both, so I can't muster the details right now. But I remember the results: Billy Bigelow's character in the movie is reduced in a way as to make it seem a little unbelievable that Julie Jordan would care for him. Domestic violence is given twisted play here (his slap that "felt like a kiss", for example); he's a thoughtless lout. In the play, we see more layers to his character. And the main focus of the play is the concept of the male's difficulty in communicating his feelings. "If I Loved You" is the key song in the play, its melodic theme reentering throughout, and its heartbreaking lyrics are put in the spotlight. Everything goes sour [not because of a robbery gone wrong, but] because of Billy's inability to express himself; to simply say, "I love you". I remember the program pointing out some aspects that were necessarily cut from the film because of censorship enstated by the movie code of the time, thus reducing him to a wife beater who finds regret only after he's dead. And on this anniversary of Gordon MacRae's death, I say Viva MacRae!

But it's your memories of an earlier Hollywood that has us curious, Mr. Fender. We have no idea of your age, of course, so don't know whether to ask about Chasen's, the hat shaped Brown Derby restaurant, Mike Lyman's Grill; or going to school at Hollywood High. Or if you're younger you could share impressions of the Viper Room, that summer job at Capitol Records, or the time you dined at Vermont and discovered Ross Hunter was supping with Joe Dallasandro at a neighboring table... you know. We're hungry for this kind of stuff. Have an appetizer for us?

If you're selective, then I must be a movie "****" (if you'll pardon the expression). I see 1 to three movies every week. Tonight will finally see Little Children; have plans for Curse of the Golden Flower and another romp to Dreamgirls later this week...

"Has anyone seen "Volver" and, if so, would you recommend it?" I've seen Volver and would recommend it to most people. I really enjoyed it. But if you're one of those only-go-to-one-movie-per-year people, I'm not sure this is the one I'd pick. That puts a lot of pressure on the flick! It made my list of favorite recent movies: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?messageID=7868755? I was surprised to see that Borat received the best adapted screenplay. Is this because the concept was adapted from his television show?

And the actual Nominees are: Film: Babel The Departed Letters from Iwo Jima Little Miss Sunshine The Queen Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson Peter O'Toole - Venus Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness Forest Whitake - The Last King of Scotland Actress: Pen?lope Cruz - Volver Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal Helen Mirren - The Queen Meryl Streep - Devil Wears Prada Kate Winslet - Little Children Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls Mark Wahlberg - The Departed Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza - Babel Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls Rinko Kukuchi - Babel

Now, now; no need to start throwing sod into the grave. Placido Domingo is still going strong. I saw him sing in Die Walkure at the Metropolitan only last year, and he was strong, virile, confident, and in great voice. Flicka (Frederica von Stade) is still quite active and is presently on tour with baritone Samuel Ramey. Though Kiri Te Kanawa has retired from the operatic stage (with the 2004 production of Barber's Vanessa), she's still singing in concerts and recitals. Sr. Carreras? Well, he hasn't been the same since his illness in the early 1980's anyway. All those who discovered him as one of the "Three Tenors", never heard the real Carreras; and it's true that Sr. Pavarotti is not well enough to sing anymore. But he cancelled so often over the past decade plus, he seems more of a glittering memory of an opera era gone by.

"Why, then, have a link for requesting films? I looked through this thread to see if anyone answered your question, Ms. Here; and didn't it. If I missed it, apologies. Here's the link for requests: http://www.tcm.com/suggestamovie/index/ P.S. I put in many requests for Garden of the Moon and Yolanda and the Thief, and sure enough, they both appeared on this month's schedule. I'm a believer.

It's my understanding that Treasure Island was previously used as an airport. We were just talking about this the other day at work... Ah, I just found this clarification: "After the World's Fair 1939?40 exhibition, the island was scheduled to be used as an airport when the Navy stepped in and offered to exchange Mills Field on the San Francisco Peninsula near the city of Millbrae for the island. The City and County of San Francisco accepted the swap and the airport was built at Mills Field." Message was edited by: a researching JackBurley

Mezzo-soprano Joan Morris is Mr. Bolcom's wife. They did a series of recordings together. I'd love to hear the cabaret recordings. Last year I had the honor of seeing Kitty Carlisle Hart perform, and one of her cutest numbers was "Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise". One could see that the song tickled her as much as it did the audience. Mr. Bolcom, by the way, has written an opera called McTeague that uses the same source material as that for the silent classic Greed...

... where were we? Oh, I just tried to buy that new old ("old" is the new "new", by the way) Clara Rockmore album at Amoeba. It seems they're sold out. Sometimes I hate this City. There are Brittany Spears albums to spare, but a theremin album sells out. Anyway, I picked up Lydia Kavina's (who is featured on the Ed Wood soundtrack) theremin cd from the late 1990's, which comes with the caveat, "The extreme frequency range of the theremin may damage some speaker systems." How suspenseful! Thanks Mr. K! [suddenly feeling as if I've just found myself standing naked on stage]: I'm so sorry if I've hijacked this thread down the theremin trail. Let's see... Oh I know. I wonder if a theremin recording of "The Snake Charmer's Song" has ever been recorded? There's a similar song used in the opening prologue of Footlight Parade. Does anyone know the name of this song? [Whew!]

Sounds like a Kerwin Matthews movie, doesn't it? By the way, do we have the same mother? My parents were always sending me to bed when something terrific was playing. I'd plead, "but it's a classic!". And they'd roll their eyes and retort, "You say that about every movie. Now get between the sheets." Like you, there are instances when I'm still convinced it was far more important to see that piece of celluloid than it was to arrive on time for algebra class the following morning...

Ms 38, please report to the following thread immediately: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=81072&start=15#7798045

Well, let's see... Maureen Forester was considered a contralto, but I don't think she's singing anymore. I saw her perform though, so in my lifetime anyway... Sara Mingardo is a contemporary contralto... Yvonne Minton was sometimes billed as a contralto, but like Shirley Verrett she considered herself beyond the fach. Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann does a lot of concert work. So there's a few to chew on... That said, you're right; they seem to be a rare breed these days. There's hope though: Mark Adamo wrote the character of Jo to be a contralto in his recent opera Little Women. And someone has to sing La Cieca and Azucena! Now, speaking of singers with extensive ranges and colors (like Verrett and Minton above), we haven't mentioned Yma Sumac yet! Said to be raised by the animals of the Peruvian jungle, this Incan princess was speciously[?] exposed by a journalist who said she was actually Amy Camus (Yma Sumac, in retrograde) from Brooklyn. She was outraged by the accusation and denied it vociferously. In the meantime, her low rumbling voice could glissande like the whistle of a teapot to the upper stratosphere. She claimed 5 octaves. She made her film debut in Secret of the Incas. I'll defend her history to the death.

"Mr. Moog persuaded Ms. Rockmore to put her artistry on record. A recording session in 1975 led to her first album, 'The Art of the Theremin', released on LP in 1977 and containing 12 numbers. Three decades later 13 previously unheard cuts from that session are available in a new release on the Bridge label, 'Clara Rockmore?s Lost Theremin Album'." You know how to get me excited, Mr. K! What wonderful news. I own the cd of The Art of the Theremin (doesn't everyone?), and this will make terrific addition to it. It's great timing too; I'll have to pass this article on to a friend. She was just given a [modern] theremin last week for her birthday, and we were gabbing about it only yesterday. Another friend of mine plays the theremin in a band. So I'll be sending this clipping all around. Thanks! By the way, I highly recommend the mentioned documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. It has it all: charm, wit, suspense, drama, pathos. One forgets it's a documentary, as it sometimes plays as a narrative. I believe the DVD is out of print, but I urge everyone to make an effort to find a copy. I have one, if anyone's in the neighborhood. "I caught a clip late Friday Night that I want to try and record this evening - Alice Ghostly singing "The Boston Beguine" from a revue called "New Faces". The lyrics are quite witty and she is a real treat. I have the song on a vinyl LP by a different performer and would like to have this rendition also." Oh my! New Faces of 1952 was a very famous Broadway revue which made stars of with Ertha Kitt, Paul Lynde, Carol Lawrence. It was shot in CinemaScope and released in 1954. Is that the version they showed? Oh shoot, the doorbell... gotta run!

They're "munchkins", and the boys belong to "The Lollipop Guild". Bonus: the girls belong to "The Lullaby League".

From the excellent documentary Astaire and Rogers Partners in Rhythm: [Narrator] Chuck Klausmeyer: Fred began taking an interest in the technical aspects of filmmaking. He would spend hours in the cutting room, making sure the sound synchronized perfectly with his routines. [Dancer/choreographer] Miriam Nelson: He wanted to make sure the sound was crisp and clear 'cause, you know, sometimes it can be fuzzy if you don't have it dialed up right. And of course, it was always perfect. John Mueller [author of Astaire Dancing]: Astaire insisted on dubbing all of his own taps. Hermes Pan tended to dub Ginger Rogers' taps, so when you hear Ginger Rogers tap -- you're really actually hearing Hermes Pan. But you're seeing her dance.

From the San Francisco Chronicle: "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow lived parallel lives over his seven decades, each with enviable success. In one, he helped animate the green clay character Gumby and designed special effects for Star Wars. He received an Emmy in 1983 for his work on the Winds of War. In the other, he played guitar with John Lennon, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel, and opened for the Rolling Stones at Altamont as the guitarist for the Flying Burrito Brothers. Through much of the 1960's, he worked with Art Clokey Productions, helping with animation, design and puppets for the Gumby and Davy and Goliath cartoons. He worked separately on the television series Outer Limits and on stop-motion commercials that included the animated Pillsbury Doughboy and pancake syrup Mrs. Butterworth. In the early 1970's he put his special effects work on hold while performing with the Flying Burrito Brothers, and with Joe Cocker, Frank Zappa, the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, among others. He returned to special effects in 1974, when he worked on the Land of the Lost television series. In 1980, he worked with Industrial Light and Magic in San Rafael on Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and later with Fantasy II Film Effects on Gremlins, Terminator and Dune. Mr. Kleinow, who brought country music's steel guitar into the rock 'n' roll arena while creating Hollywood's special effects, died January 6 in Petaluma, of complications related to Alzeimer's. He was 72.

I just discovered another thread devoted to this theme; for the interested, please click here.

I guess I considered Kay Armen to be a mezzo. Your contralto theory has me curious to rewatch Hit the Deck. I'm also guessing with training she could have been a dramatic soprano. I wish I knew more about her. I understand she was a radio star (Stop the Music and Bob Crosby Show among others), born in Chicago in 1920. Anyone else know more about her? [i won't tell Ewa Podleś that she's extinct. ]

I just read the following review of the annual Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Gala in Opera News. The musical charity organization give scholarships to upcoming vocalists each year. The review confirms (and counters my unfortunate theory) that M?rtha Eggerth and brings up another soprano which has gone unnoticed in this thread so far: Kay Armen. Armen was the zaftig mother with the big voice in 1955's Hit the Deck. "Ciribiribin" anyone? "...Roberta Peters, not a regular performer in the Albanese gala, raised a few eyebrows when she came out and announced that she would sing 'Vilja' (a number long associated with the gala's perennial showstopper M?rtha Eggerth). Her high-B was still impressive. Kay Armen, nearly ninety-one [iMDB lists her birth year as 1920, so this math seems a little odd], blew the audience out of the water with her moving, stylish, mangificently sung medley of "In the Wee Small Hours of the the Morning" and "Time After Time". When [Patrice] Munsel prematurely appeared on stage, Armen resmonstrated "I'm not finished," in a tone that sent the emcee scurrying back to the wings, then lit into a superb "The Man I Love". Closing the first half, finally, was Eggerth -- ninety-six -- whose czardas "Hejre Kati" was a staggering feat of rhythmic elasticity and breath control that brought the audience to its feet." I wish that TCM would grab these two movie sopranos for a little interview!

Is this our cue to request the Osmond's movies?

Mrs. L, there's an entire forum devoted to this great movie. Come join us down there. You'll find that I've been drooling over the flick in that Forum for quite some time. It's one my "essentials". One of the first movies that I rushed to buy on DVD once I finally got the contraption. http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/forum.jspa?forumID=339

It's not known 'cause it's not shown. So this begs the question, why isn't it shown more? A scene from it is featured in (I think) in That's Entertainment! Part III, but I've never had the opportunity to see the entire flick. And it's on my must-see list. TCM? Won't you please indulge us?

But Nixie's right; the "moderator" or webmaster can delete them for us. In the past, I've pointed out the double-posting error in the General Information Forum and they've deleted the extras for me...

"Perhaps you can explain to me how you add copy to a previous post as you did with the words (from the French website...)? I would appreciate it. Mr. Mongo, I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond. I somehow missed your query to me. Regarding typing in text in the same post as a photo: First of all, keep in mind that when I put a parenthesis, it will stand for the greater than < and lesser than > signs. Here goes: I just type in the text as usual (as I am right now) and follow the text with (br)(br). (br) is code for a return; so (br)(br) is the same as a double space, Then I type in the photo link -- surely in the same manner that you already do. Hope this helps; I'm afraid I'm not very articulate in these computer matters... CCerini said, "I have just recently found your 'In the Spotlight' thread which I find fascinating. Up until the end of December, the photos you posted show on my screen as a window with a link that reads 'Photobucket - video and image hosting'." Isn't it a great thread?! I love it too. Mr. Mongo loads photos onto his Photobucket page, so that they can be posted onto the thread. I assume the photobucket only allows so many shots, and he replaces the old shots for the newer posts. When the older shot is replaced, you'll get the message that we now see.