d120421
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Posts posted by d120421
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Eileen Farrell was brilliant, and, as one of the few "legit" opera singers who could also sing "pop" wonderfully, well-deserving of her industry-wide acknowledgement as "Queen of Crossover." But I agree with CC's earlier comment that including singers like Farrell, who had the opportunity to develop their voices on stages and without the necessity of projecting a "Girl Next Door"/Ingenue image is perhaps unfair to filmdom's Teen Sopranos particularly, as they DID spend most of their formative vocal years projecting that wholesome image and singing for microphones. For that reason, Deanna Durbin still gets my vote.
That said, I agree that there wasn't a finer vocal instrument than Farrell's thrilling and versatile dramatic soprano. But including Farrell in the mix opens up a host of other worthy "legit" soprano possiblities, such as, Kirsten Flagstad (BIG BROADCAST OF 1937), Kiri Te Kanawa (DON GIOVANI, MEETING VENUS) and Renata Tebaldi (who dubbed a teenaged Sophia Loren in a film version of AIDA).
While I do prefer more natural sounding vocal styles like Durbin's and Powell's, I do think that Jeanette MacDonald usually made that very formal singing style of hers work for her. It may have been too stylized, but it seemed to me it usually suited the high-born ladies she played, and, as you've said, she was a sparkling presence onscreen in her best films. I thought the same was true of Irene Dunne, who was so brilliant at everything she did, acting-wise, and who could, on occasion, shed her "overtaught" vocal stylings, when appropriate (e.g., "Gallivantin' Aroun' in SHOW BOAT, "Plaisir D'amour" in LOVE AFFAIR and that Norwegian lullaby she sings in I REMEMBER MAMA).
They were a talented group, those movie sopranos!
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I like Jeanette MacDonald very much, but I agree with comments that she had a rather small and delicate voice. She also had a very formal singing style, which, like her acting, at its' best, I found stylish, and, at its' worst, I found rather mannered. She also doesn't seem to quite hit some of her hightest notes directly. I'm not sure I'd say she's flat on them, but she doesn't seem quite secure in them either.
I agree with the comment) that her technique/vocal production was (at least as I hear it) too carefully and formally produced for her to be able to convey the sort of vocal spontaneity that was such a keystone of the work of teen sopranos like Deanna Durbin and Jane Powell (for a comparison just listen to Jeanette's contribution to "The Dickey Bird Song," in which Jane Powell also aprticipates, in Three Daring Daughters). This was undoubtedly one reason that Jeanette almost always played a "high society" type like a princess or a countess, onscreen.
Those caveats aside, I'm impressed by the intelligence and skill with which Jeanette managed her voice in venues which included both films and stage, not to mention radio and recordings. I thought her voice blended very well with Nelson Eddy's, complimenting their onscreen chemistry. While I wouldn't consider Eddy to be the most gifted of thespians, I thought he was genial and likeable onscreen and didn't seem to take his image or his films very seriously.
At her best, particularly in her earlier, saucier Paramount films, I think Jeanette was a very appealing commedienne. Even in these films, her characters are generally rather "highbrow," but the roles and dialogue are more overtly playful and sexy than her the more formal image MGM crafted for her. But even in her more ossified MGM vehicles, some of Jeanette's playful side can shine through, as when her princess in disguise in NAUGHTY MARIETTA pretends to bid goodbye to a drunk on the dock of the ship she's boarded so as to avoid detection from the palace guards searching for her.
In fact, I MARRIED AN ANGEL, the last of the MacDonald/Eddy MGM films (and the one generally regarded as the worst by film buffs), contains of Jeanette's most delightful numbers: the delightfully saucy "With a Twinkle in My Eye," in which Jeanette's earthbound angel is instructed by loyal galpal Binnie Barnes on the art of "telling the truth" without giving offense. Not only does the number allow Jeanette to revisit the sexier side of her Paramount days (as Barnes instructs her in the art of subtle flirting), but the number ends with the two ladies breaking into an energetic jitterbug before shuffling offscreen. I have to say, Jeanette could cut a pretty mean rug!
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Hi Sandy:
Glad you enjoyed Lady On a Train. Like all comedy/mysteries, it has a couple of plotholes, but I think it's a lot of fun and played to the hilt by a marvelous cast. Deanna's ideally cast as the meddling, determined amateur sleuth, and I like David Bruce's performance as the hapless helpmate she drags along on her adventure. Although overdressed in some scenes, I agree that Deanna looks gorgeous, and I like the trio of songs she sings in the film including a rendition of "Silent Night," which somehow manages to be sexy without being offensively so. Woody Brendell's cinematography is another asset: as outstanding as any I've seen in any film noir.
As for Heidi, while I think it certainly has its' assets, I find viewing it a painful emotional experience because of the unfortunate end experienced by the resourceful "Fraulein Rottenmeier": a single woman of a "certain age," whose efforts to make a professional place for herself in a "Man's World" are done in by the malevolent manipulations of a misanthropic midget mountain miss. Boo! Hiss! lol!
Still, one has to give FR her due for a classy justification for her behavior ("Forgive me, Herr Sessemann, I was beyond myself!"), not to mention one of the most imaginative means of removing one's "competition."
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Hi jdb1:
Thanks for the info on Bobby Breen. Actually, I think it was Jack who asked about him. I remember reading that Breen's career was managed by his sister, Sally, who was almost a decade older than he was. She got him entered into various local contests in Canada and eventually scraped enough money together for the two of them to move to New York.
In New York, she took Bobby to audition for Eddie Cantor, who initially turned him down. Then, after Bobby made a successful appearance at the Paramount Theater, Cantor hired him for his radio program and Bobby's success on that show (on which he often appeared with Deanna Durbin, who arrived not long after), led to his movie contract with RKO.
Breen was one of those pre-adolescent child stars whose career came to a screeching halt when he hit puberty. Cantor dropped him when his voice began to change in 1938, and in 1939 his throat doctors advised him to take two years off to give his voice time to mature, which pretty much spelled the end of his stardom. Although he tried to make various comebacks in nightclubs and other venues, he never was able to regain the celebrity he'd had as a kid.
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Lady on a Train (1945): A fun murder mystery set in New York City during the Christmas holidays. Deanna Durbin sees a murder committed from her train window as its' pulling into Grand Central Station and, after the police refuse to believe her, sets out to solve the crime herself;
Remember The Night (1940): Enjoyable romantic drama (written by Preston Sturges) of District Attorney Fred MacMurray taking petty thief Barbara Stanwyck home over the Christmas holidays;
Love Affair (1939): Classic romantic comedy/drama of two sophisticates (Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne) who fall in love on shipboard and are later separated by a tragic accident. Its' remake, 1957's An Affair To Remember,is better known, but I find this one to be vastly superior,as did the writer/director of both versions, Leo McCarey. Besides AATR falls outside of your "post 1955" guidline. lol!;
Penny Serenade (1940): Classic George Stevens' directed drama of the struggles of a newlywed couple (Irene Dunne and Cary Grant) through the first years of their marriage, includes a Christmas scene. Should be required viewing for all aspiring actors on how to play soap opera with subtlety and conviction.
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I hadn't heard of Eggerth's passing, though, given that she would be in her mid-90s by now, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. I do know that she was still singing as of a few years ago, in fact, there was a compilation of her recordings released a few years back that reportedly included some contemporary ones.
In an interview with Opera News several years ago, Eggerth stated that she was induced to sign with MGM (which had been pursuing her avidly for several years) for two reasons: first, that it would enable her and her husband to get out of Europe before the Nazis overran it, and second, because they had promised to star her in leading roles in fiilm versions of operettas like The Merry Widow.
When this didn't come to pass, and all Eggerth had to show for her work at MGM were her two supporting appearances in musicals starring Judy, she asked for release from her contract, which was granted. Eggerth and her husband, tenor Jan Kiepura, subsequently starred on Broadway in a production of The Merry Widow, wihch was very successful and, after the Broadway run ended, they toured in the production for a few years. In a more recent interview with The New York Times, Eggerth stated that she had a big musical number in For Me and My Gal wihch drew standing ovations from preview audiences, but was susequently cut from the film because "MGM was doing everything it could at that time to build Judy Garland into a star."
I like Lily Mars, a lot. Judy gives a charming performance and is perhaps at her most beautiful in this film: both healthy and vibrant, with, for once, the real MGM glamour treatment to back her up.
But I've always felt that "Lily's" mocking of Isobel's Hungarian accent and manner in her parody of "When I Look At You" is perhaps Judy's most unlikeable screen moment. Judy herself does a great job in the number, but even if Lily doesn't like Isobel much, Isobel certainly can't help her Hungarian accent and demeanor, and for Lily to openly savage her in a nightclub/area Isobel frequents strikes me as pretty vicious when one thinks about it.
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She was; whilst making Annie Get Your Gun. Before the firing, however, MGM had a number of projects in preparation for her. Royal Wedding was one of them...
Hi Jack:
I understood that Summer Stock was shot after Judy had been fired from Annie Get Your Gun and that, following completion of that film, she had begun work on Royal Wedding and been supspended for non-compliance with her work schedule prior to being released by the studio.
If I recall correctly, Judy got through Summer Stock (which took over six months to complete because of her problems), and was subsequently assigned to Royal Wedding after the original female lead, June Allyson, became pregnant. I recall reading in some of the Garland bios and other sources that Judy worked on RY for a few weeks before she was suspended by the studio for failing to appear for work for work on several days' shooting (or showing up late for some days' work).
Also, while it was stated for years that Judy was "fired" by MGM, once again, if I recall correctly, more recent research on her life and career indicate that when she did leave MGM it was by the mutual consent of both parties. As one bigrapher put it: "For years it would be mistakeny reported that she had been fired. The truth is: she wanted out, and she got out."
Actually, although I'm a tremendous admirer of her remarkable talent and work, and have sympathy for the problems she experienced, I think I tend to be a little more skeptical of the common (and seemingly overwhelmingly prevalent) perception of Judy as a blameless, angelic, pawn in MGM's relentlessly cruel and unfeeling manipulation of her.
Although it's unquestionably true that MGM worked Judy hard, the studios worked everyone hard, and most performers, even the most talented, lacked Judy's remarkable gifts for grasping her material completely with a minimum amount of rehearsal. While Judy was not the only one to loathe Louis B. Mayer, her many railings against him as a heartless monster whose only interest in her was a cash cow for the studio, do not jibe with the recollections of the majority of her contemporaries, including but not limited to: June Allyson, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell, Kathryn Grayson, Van Johnson and Ann Miller.
I know of no other studio head, for example, who would allow a project to continue shooting over more than half a year, simply to provide some support to a troubled star, as L.B. Mayer did with Summer Stock. The film's producer, Joe Pasternak, stated categorically in his memoir, Easy The Hard Way, that, after several months of Garland-inspired delays and a minimal ammount of useable footage, he advised Mayer to shut the troubled production down, feeling it would never be completed. To his surprise, Mayer refused, stating: "No. Judy Garland has made this studio a fortune in the good days. The least we can do is to give her some support while she's having trouble. If you shut the film down now, it will kill her."
Mayer also finagled methods for Garland to make up the many cost overruns her behavior had cost the studio by arranging for the New York executives of Lowe's, Inc. (MGM's parent company) to either loan her money for her frequent hospitalizations, or to wipe the slate clean by having her perform an additional musical number in a film like Words and Music. As Judy's longtime friend and mentor Arthur Freed stated in an interview with John Kobal: "MGM always paid the bill for Judy's care when she was sick. She was always broke and never had the money to do so."
Mind you, I'm not saying that Mayer or MGM were entirely guiltless in Judy's downfall at the studio. I'm also aware of the quote from an MGM executive to one of the heads of the National Drug Enforcement Agency when he told the studio Judy would need a year off to be weaned off her addiction to morphine: "We can't do it. We've got 14 million dollars invested in her and she's at the top of her box office right now," and, given the prolonged and traumatic shoot for Summer Stock, I do find it difficult to justify MGM's decision to cast Judy in Royal Wedding, even if, as some sources indicate was the case, she told them initially that she was in good health and eager to work on the film.
On the other hand, I know of no other studio that would consistently pay for an ill star's frequent hospitalizations and psychiatric care as MGM reportedly was doing on a regular basis by the late 1940s. In fact, some reports indicate that Metro ultimately did offer to pay Judy's salary while she took a year off to address her demons, and she declined to do so, waspishly retorting: "It's not my head, it's my body that's tired!" As Harry Warren (who wrote the new songs for Summer Stock) commented of Judy's departure from MGM: "She was treated better there than she would have been anywhere else. If she'd been at Warners, she would have been through long ago."
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According to Mongo's Birthday thread, today is Susanna Foster's birthday. He wrote, "Currently ailing, she is at the Actors Fund Nursing Home in New Jersey."
Coincidentally, December 6th was also the date of Betty Jaynes's debut as "Mimi," with the Chicago Opera, an achiement which was acknowledged in newspapers around the country. Even prior to her successful debut as "the World's Youngest Opera Singer," Jaynes received a great deal of publicity when she signed a contract with the company a few months earlier in September, 1936.
Following Jaynes' successsful debut in Chicago, MGM was quick to pounce, signing Jaynes to a seven year contract in January 1937. The studio initially had very big plans for her, announcing her for the female lead in a remake of The Student Prince with Nelson Eddy considered for the male lead. Allan Jones was also listed as a potential cast member. In addition, Jaynes was also announced to appear in an an original movie to be called E Above High C, and a film version of the Duncan Sisters' play Topsy and Eva, co-starring Judy Garland. As Oz fans may be aware, Jaynes was also reportedly at one point cast in The Wizard of Oz as a singing Princess of Oz (with Kenny Baker as the Prince), but the roles apparently didn't survive rewrites of the script.
The Metropolitan Opera's alleged interest in Deanna Durbin also excited a tremendous amount of commetary between her radio debut on the Eddie Cantor show in late September 1936 through 1941/42 when Deanna herself announced that she would continue to concentrate on movie-making and would not be embarking on an opera career in the foreseeable future. One report which appears to be true is that Deanna was contacted by representatives of the Metropolitan Opera on her 15th birthday and offered an opportunity to audition for the company, which she declined to do at the time, though (if I recall correctly) it was reported that she met with the Met executives while in New York for some publicity for the Eddie Cantor Show to discuss the offer.
From 1936 through 1942 it was frequently announced that Deanna would be appearing with the Met in the near future, and even the New York Times ran a blurb to dispell rumors that this was all a publicity stunt and to confirm that she had been in New York in 1940 and had met with members of the Met to discuss the possibility of signing with the company. Some reports indicated that the Met was so eager to have her that it offered to subsidize her vocal training until she was prepared to make her debut (around age 20), and that she would first be appearing locally with the Los Angeles and San Francisco Opera companies to acclimate herself to performing on the operatic stage. Deanna's teacher, Andres de Segurola, also frequently commented that he had been in discussions with the Met about retaining her services. Assuming that at least some of the reports of the Met's interest were genuine, one reason for the company's interest may have been a widely circulated report that at one of the last parties given for MGM golden boy Irving Thalberg, 15 year-old Deanna's performance drew a greater audience response than that of legendary soprano Rosa Ponselle. (Thalberg reportedly sent her a large bouquet to congratulate her and it was said to be the last he sent before his untimely passing.)
Whatever the opinions of those around her, Deanna herself appears to have been (sensibly) non-commital to the idea of making her debut with the Met, and several times demurred at the suggestion that she do so as soon as possible. While some interviews quote her as being interested in performing opera, several comments she made around this time state that she felt that her film, radio and other movie-related commitments were too substantial for her to consider taking on another major task like preparing for a debut at the Met. On more than one occasion, she was quoted as stating that "there's no hurry" to make her operatic debut, citing Grace Moore and Lily Pons as two examples of Met stars who didn't make their debuts with the company until well into their 20s.
Kathryn Grayson is another movie soprano who reportedly received an offer from the Met to make her debut with the company while still in her teens. The offer reportedly came from Edward Johnson, general manager of the Met at the time, who wanted her to appear in Lucia di Lammermoor. While I've never come across any newspaper reports on this, Kathryn herself has recalled it in several interviews. Although she and MGM major donna Ida Kovernan were very interested in having her appear with the company, Louis B. Mayer reportedly vetoed the offer, feeling it would interfere with the studio's plans to launch her as a movie star.
I also recall reading a comment from Susanna Foster that, following her departure from Universal in the late 1940s, she was contacted by the Met about appearing as "Adele" in a production of Die Fledermaus, but that she declined the offer.
Incidentally, the first week of December produced a bumper crop of notable movie sopranos, with Deanna Durbin (December 4th), Grace Moore (December 5th) and Susanna Foster (December 6th), all celebrating birthdays (but not birth years lol!) within days of each other.
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I agree with Redriver, Spadeneal:
I appreciate your graciousness, but, as far as I can see, you have nothing for which to apologize. You expressed your opinions thoughtfully and intelligently, and you had every right to do so.
It would be an awfully dull board if we all felt exactly the same way about every performer/performance/film wouldn't it?
TARZAN FINDS A SON is a very well made TARZAN film and it actually has a pretty interesting behind-the-scenes production history. I remember reading that the reason the scriptwriters were commissioned to create the character of "Boy," was because Maureen O'Sullivan was adamant about wanting out of the TARZAN series. The original script thus had O'Sullivan's Jane being mortally wounded by a warring tribesman's spear, and Boy was created to retain the "family" atmosphere in the films.
When Edgar Rice Burroughs heard about Jane's imminent demise in the film, he reportedly was furious and threatened to sue MGM for killing her off. Metro's lawyers, however, informed him that while his contract with the studio forbade them from demeaning or killing off the "Tarzan" character, it was silent on the character of "Jane." They also noted that it was too late to do anything about the situation since scenes with Tarzan and Boy at Jane's grave had already been shot (I think in Florida). Reflecting Jane's tragic fate, TARZAN FINDS A SON was originally supposed to be called TARZAN IN EXILE.
However, public opinion managed to do what Burroughs could not. When MGM's pre-publicity for the film announced Jane's forthcoming demise, fans hit the ceiling, outraged that Metro would even think of killing the character off. Consequently, MGM felt it had no choice but to "resurrect" the character, and a scene was written into the film that allowed Jane to recover from her wound, while the still champing-at-the-bit O'Sullivan was given a substantial raise to continue in the role.
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Hi Charlie:
Aren't those Teen Sopranos a hearty bunch! They really seem to age pretty well and to live to an advanced age while doing so, seemingly proving that singing does have genuine health benefits by so doing. This was a theme of ATHENA, though I don't know how Edmund Purdom's vocalizing could have helped him, since he was dubbed. lol! Is he still alive?
I don't know whether Betty Jaynes is alive or not. I do recall checking the imdb site several months ago and not seeing a "Date of Death" listing for her, but she may have dropped so completely out of the public eye that the site has lost track of her. The latest information I could ever find on her were some contemporary newspaper articles detaling various attempts by her to make a late 40s showbiz comeback. She reportedly was the Soprano Soloist for the Sunrise Easter Services at the Hollywood Bowl in 1947 or '48, and received favorable commentary for her appearance.
Around the same time she also appeared on a radio show hosted by Don Ameche which offered performing opportunities to performers who had dropped out of the public eye. Jaynes also made a favorable impression on this program and, according to write-ups by Hedda Hopper and other columnists, was reportedly signed by MGM to appear in a Metro musical, but apparently nothing ever came of it.
I believe Susanna Foster is residing in a rest home for actors, but I don't recall which one. She may have passed on since the last time I checked on her (some time last year), but, as far as I know, she's still alive.
Gloria Jean is, obviously, still with us and recently published her memoir with the assistance of a couple of co-authors. I purchased on online copy from Amazon, and though I found it an interesting "read," I wasn't terribly impressed with it as a memoir/biography I thought the research was shoddy and superficial and the book was somewhat awkwardly structured with intrusive (if occasionally interesting) commentary from Jean and her sister Bonnie thrown in a somewhat haphazard manner.
Jean herself, though still an admirable figure to me for surviving the vagaries of her career, came across (to me) as slightly embittered and enduringly resentful of the whole experience. I kept wishing she could find a way to let it go and move on, but, to be fair to Jean, she hasn't, for whatever reason, had the post-film career performing opportunities available to her that Jane, Kathryn and Ann have.
I wonder why that is? Even in the 1950s, when she would (I assume) still be a well-recalled showbiz personality, Jean says many in the profession, including several of her co-workers from Universal (e.g., Joe Pasternak, Robert Cummings, Donald O'Connor), gave her the cold shoulder when she contacted them to assist her in making a comeback.
Thanks for the information about the THREE SAILORS AND A GIRL soundtrack CD. Although it's not much of a film as a film, it probably provides Jane with her most musically versatile assignment, and I like Gordon MacRae, too. I keep hoping that Rhinestone/Turner will offer some soprano soundtrack compilations along those dedicated to Garland, Astaire, Kelly, etc., but, it appears that, except for Mario Lanza, the producers of these CDs aren't very interested in the classically-trained film vocalists. The idiots! lol!
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Hi Mongo:
THANK YOU for taking the time to keep current on threads like these.
As a fan, I do wish Deanna had accepted some of the tempting post-retirement offers she reportedly received, but her decision to quit when she did seems to have worked out quite well for her, so I can't really fault her for it.
Anyway, here's hoping she's having an enjoyable birthday.
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To be honest, I don't know if Dolores would have done well at MGM even had she been available for films in the 1940s. MGM may have been known for its' musicals, but statuesque 'n sexy Dolores hardly fit the "Girl Next Door"/Ingenue image of the Garlands, Graysons, Allysons and Powells which this most conservative and provincial of studios saw as potential stars during this period.
In fact, while I recall several talented musical ladies who didn't fit that "Girl Next Door" image appearing in Metro musicals during the 1940s (e.g., Angela Lansbury, Ann Miller, Nancy Walker, Betty Garrett, etc.), none of them became major stars of the level of an Allyson or Garland, and many were relegated to "specialty" roles in major musical films at best. I guess one might consider Betty Garrett an exception, since she reportedly was on the verge of being starred in MGM's version of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN when she left the studio, but she's the only one of that breed that I can recall offhand.
As for Grey stories, I recall that Mary Martin speaks of her with great admiration in her memoir, MY HEART BELONGS. As a young girl, Dolores was one of the group of young girl dancers Martin coached in either Texas or Hollywood (she dubbed them "The Martinettes" or something like that.)
When Martin's own performing career began to take off, she had to give up her dancing studio/students, but recalled one young girl, who was rather plump and stoutish, but "had a most exciting voice. When she sang 'How Deep Is The Ocean' it was the deepest ocean in the world and the sky was the highest sky." Martin recalled that her plump slightly awkward student grew into the stunning and glamorous Dolores Gray and obviously was (understandably) quite proud of Dolores's success.
Anyway, although I don't love all the musical films in which Dolores appeared, I do love Dolores in them. The lady not only had a "verce," she had STYLE. Just to see that bit in "Thanks a Lot But No Thanks" when she dynamites the men vying for her favors makes IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER worth a look, not to mention her constantly funny reading of the line: "Little Angie Ballantine from...Schenectady." VIVA DOLORES!
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Hi Mongo:
Actually, following her retirement in 1949, Deanna Durbin did give one "official" interview to film historian David Shipman in 1983. She was reportedly motivated to do so in part in response to a BBC survey which indicated that Deanna's films and recordings were the most-requested by the public (by a considerable margin) of those of any star from Hollywood's Golden Age.
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Hi cc:
As you know, you and I have discussed these talented performers before, so you're also aware that, after Deanna Durbin, Jane Powell is my favorite, and, in my opinion after Deanna, the most talented and versatile of the Teen Sopranos.
I agree that Jane's acting in her early roles was a little arch and her characters were sometimes somewhat peevish, but that's what MGM gave her to work with, so she had to make the best of them. Overall, I think she did quite admirably. Though I'm a little put off by "Judy Foster's" treating poor Scotty Beckett like a doormat, and "Tess Morgan's" waspish attitude toward new stepfather Jose Iturbi, even when I didn't like the roles MGM gave her, I found I always liked Jane, which isn't always the case with film performers.
I also think Jane had it tougher than many child performers who had lengthy apprenticeships in films before they became stars. As Jane's husband, Dick Moore commented to her a few years back, "You never made a movie you didn't star in!" Like Deanna (who may have been one of the few child film stars who had it worse than Jane since she hit it so big so quickly), Jane had to learn her movie-making craft in the spotlight of the public eye. Her first film for MGM was one of the studio's most lavish efforts of the year: a big, splashy Technicolored extravaganza, with Jane already receiving special billing as "Your New Young Singing Star." MGM clearly had higher expectations for her than it did the more discreetly promoted Kathryn Grayson a few years earlier and for a young girl from Portland, Ore. the adjustment couldn't have been an easy one, and if a little onscreen nervousness is noticeable at times in her early films, she'd be crazy not to be a little edgy during this period of her career.
I do agree with ch3 that Jane did have a lovely lower register, and I also find many of her high notes to be charming and full-bodied. Her voice doesn't sound as rich or warm to me as Deanna's, but she definitely had a unique and delightful vocal personality. When one matches her voice to her piquant good looks, and deft dancing skills, I'm not surprised that, like Deanna, and despite arriving on the scene after less successful attempts to turn Gloria Jean, Susanna Foster, Ann Blyth, Kathryn Grayson and others into the next Durbin, she quickly became an audience favorite.
And ch3: Always great to hear from you, m'friend! Hope all is well with you and yours. Do you have any new news, Jane-ward?
P.S. For anyone who may not be aware of it, today (December 4th) is Deanna Durbin's 85th birthday. "Happy Birthday, Deanna!" May you have as much pleasure on your special day as you've brought to legions of admirers for more than half a century.
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Hi cc:
Yes, I like Gloria Jean, too. I've seen IF I HAD MY WAY and some of her other films. She was talented and attractive with a lovely voice, but she didn't "grab" me as much as Durbin did when I first saw her. I recently purchased the BING CROSBY DVD set, too, though I haven't watched IF I HAD MY WAY, yet. As I said, I have seen it before, though not for some time, so when I watch it again I'll see if my opinion of Gloria has changed at all.
I guess I'd describe Gloria's voice as somewhere between Deanna Durbin's and Kathryn Grayson's. This comparison may do a disservice to all three performers, but I just mean that, like Durbin, Jean's voice was definitely a lyric soprano, however, like Grayson's, the voice was lighter than Durbin's and the coloratura, was, perhaps, a little more fleeting (i.e., rapid) than Deanna's.
Kathryn definitely had the highest notes of the three girls, and I'd describe her style as probably the most overtly "operatic" of all the "Teen Soporanos." For instance, even when she sang a "pop" tune, like her performance of Cole Porter's "I've Got My Eyes on You" in ANDY HARDY PRIVATE SECRETARY, there was a section in the arrangement for her to engage in some florid coloratura vocalizing between verses. If I recall correctly, they did the same thing with her performance of "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" in SO THIS IS LOVE. While it's understandable that the producers of these filims (and probably Kathryn herself) would want to show off her high notes and coloratura dexterity, I actually generally prefer her more intimate singing in numbers like "Time After Time" and "All of a Sudden My Heart Sings."
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Hi moirafinie6:
I liked GREYSTOKE a lot, too, though it wasn't much like the TARZAN series films. Ralph Richardson did give a fine performance, and I agree that it was a wise move on his part not to appear in any loincloths. lol!
I also agree with you that Ely was more of a lithe, fit Tarzan, rather than a "bodybuilder type" as Weissmuller, Barker, Scott and some of the other Ape Men were, but this seemed to be Sy Weintraub's vision for the character, so I guess Ely fit the type he was looking for.
I also remember that BOWERY BOYS movie where Clint Walker makes a brief appearance at the end as Tarzan. I think you have the title right, though I don't recall if Walker is ever referred to as Tarzan in the film.
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Hi Redriver:
I've heard of the YANCEY DERRINGER series with Jock Mahoney, but I've never seen it. I'd like to, but I don't know if it will ever be shown on TV anytime soon. I recall reading somewhere that Mahoney originally auditioned for the role of Tarzan in the late 1940s after Weissmuller was dropped from the series and before Lex Barker was chosen. In addition to his "villain" role opposite Gordon Scott, I think he also played a villain on the Ron Ely series.
Guess he was pretty bitter about the producers of TARZAN taking so long to award him the loincloth. lol!
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Thanks for the response, Vrabeck:
It seems to me as if Mike Henry's "Brooks Brothers" Tarzan was the culmination of Sy Weintraub's intention to make the character more literate (begun with the last films with Gordon Scott) and more civilized and streamlined (the Jock Mahoney TARZAN films). Seeing Tarzan in a suit and tie was an unusual experience to say the least, though I also recall Herman Brix donning one in one of the late 30s TARZAN serials. Interestingly, I don't recall Ron Ely's TARZAN, though quite literate and well-educated, ever dressing in anything but a loincloth or travelling out of Africa during the run of the series. He may have, but I don't remember him doing so. (Of course, if I recall correctly, Henry was supposed to star in the TV series, but was replaced by Ely after he turned it down due to the grueling shooting schedule for his three TARZAN films and a falling out with Weintraub et. al.)
***SPOILER ALERT**** DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WISH TO KNOW THE ENDING OF TARAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD!!
There's one part of TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD concerning the ending that puzzles me. When I first saw the film as a kid, I recall that just before Tarzan and his lady travelling companion are about to exit the cave leading to the "Valley of Gold," Henry, who's carrying the villain's briefcase which is loaded with explosive materials, stops and quickly constructs a homemade bomb. He lights the fuse and he and hte woman run out of the cave for cover just before the explosion goes off, sealing the entrance to the cave under tons of rubble.
Henry then turns to the woman and says, "Maybe by the time, they're (the peace-loving residents of the Valley of Gold) are discovered again, the rest of the world will have caught up with them."
However, when I caught the film again (several times) when AMC was running TARZAN THEATER regularly during the late 1990s, this scene was cut from every print AMC showed, and the film ended with Henry and the woman (Nancy Kovack, I think), walking down the steps of one of the temples in the Valley of Gold after saying goodbye to the VOG kid and the head honcho who ran the place.
I wonder why this final scene was cut out of the AMC prints, especially as AMC advertised the series as containing "the complete films, commercial free" when they began running them? After catching the film on AMC a few times (and taping a copy of it), I began to wonder whether I'd imagined this final scene, but I subsequently came across a videotape I'd made of the film broadcast on another channel which included it. Oh well, it's an enjoyable TARZAN film in any case, almost certainly the best of the three films Henry made in the series.
Thanks very much for the link to the site offering the Ron Ely series, After looking over the site and its' other offerings, I suspect these are not commercial releases of the series offered, though they look as if they've done a fine job of packaging them, and the video quality may be excellent. For example, I notice that the site offers the complete series of shows like THE FLYING NUN and THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, and I've seen different commercial versions of these series sold in stores. As best I can recall, neither series has been completely released on DVD in these commercially available versions.
But, as I said, the packaging for the TARZAN series is excellent and I may consider purchasing the set if I can find out more about the DVD quality and some other issues.
Thanks again for the link.
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Hi Vrabeck:
Are you sure the Ron Ely series has been released on DVD in the U.S.? Perhaps it has been in the U.K. or other world markets, but I don't recall ever seeing it available here. I've also seen several inquiries on the internet from people interested in purchasing it and wondering when it will be released on DVD.
Anyway, any help you can give concerning when the series was released on DVD and if it is available would be appreciated. I liked the Ely series, but haven't seen it for a long time, so I may not like it as much as I did when I was a kid. For that reason (as well as potential quality issues), I'm not really interested in purchasing a privately made copy from ebay and other sources that offer them, but, if a commercial DVD version was released, I might be interested in taking a look at that, providing it's not too expensive.
I like TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD too, though that kid and the guy who leads the peaceful Indian tribe kinda grate on me. I like the way the main villain meets his end, and Henry's fight with the villain's thug is a pretty good one. The woman who accompanies Tarzan through the jungle is also pretty hot. I seem to recall her making guest appearances on the BEWITCHED TV series as Dick York's former fiancee. She had jet black hair on these shows, but I thought she looked pretty good as a blonde. I think it may be her natural hair color.
You're right. That giant Coke bottle scene is pretty cool, too. I also like the way Henry's Tarzan defeats the armed helicopter that's pursuing him. You can also tell how popular culture was influencing the TARZAN films at this point, since Henry's Ape Man is clearly supposed to be something of a jungle James Bond.
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Deanna Durbin would be my choice. At least, she's my favorite movie soprano.
Deanna's lyric soprano was so warm, pure and rich and even throughout its' range. A much fuller sound, to my ears, than most of the other movie sopranos. Also, she sang so naturally and artlessly, she made anything she sang seem like the easiest and most natural thing in the world, not an easy task when you're singing some of the most difficult music ever written. Deanna's special vocal qualities, also, it seems to me, made her voice particularly well-suited for that impulsive, pro-active "Little Miss Fixit" screen image Universal concocted for her.
Still, I like and admire almost all of the movie sopranos, so I understand it can be largely a subjective choice. It's a great question, cclowell! The classically-trained film vocalists seem to often get overlooked, even by film buffs, but they certainly provided a great deal of pleasure to film audiences for many years. Talented though they all were though, to my ears, Deanna Durbin had the best set of pipes of them all. She was, for me, in a class by herself.
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It is HEAVENLY MUISIC. I recall seeing this short several months ago and it is just as the IMDB summary describes it. Unfortunately, I don't know if it's been released on VHS or DVD, but, if not, you can try requesting that TCM show it again or check the Festival of Shorts listings in the Monthly Program listings.
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Hi Vrabeck:
I hope I'm right, too. I'd love to see the post-Weissmuller TARZAN films released on DVD, even if, as I understand is the case with this latest collection of Weissmuller films, there are no extras included. I'd also like to see the Ron Ely TV series released on DVD, but I haven't heard anything about that happening yet.
I agree with you that Jock Mahoney was better cast as a villain than he was as Tarzan. I understand that Sy Weintraub, who had purchased the film rights to TARZAN from Sol Lesser, was looking to streamline the character and this was why he didn't continue using Gordon Scott in the role.
Mahoney, who was a talented stuntman, gave the role of the Ape Man a good try, and I think deserves a lot of credit for getting through the filming, since he reportedly contracted a serious virus while filming his second TARZAN film and lost a tremendous amount of weight. Still, he didn't quite cut it as the "Lord of the Jungle" in my opinion. Not bad, but not great.
The fight between Mahoney and Scott in TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT is perhaps the best fight scene in any TARZAN film. The two really went at it, and it's still very impressive.
I remember a very good fight scene in one of the Lex Barker TARZAN films too I think it was TARZAN'S PERIL. Barker was fighting an evil native chief who was buying guns to conquer peace-loving Dorothy Dandridge's tribe. The Chief was somewhat stocky and overweight but he put up a pretty good scrap nonetheless, at one point almost knocking Barker out when he slammed Tarzan's head into a tree, and in another sequence, almost driving a huge knife through his skull.
It'll be fun seeing that scene on DVD if the Barker films are released next year. Hopefully it will come to pass.
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Thanks for the compliment, Red River:
I've never seen DUEL OF THE TITANS with Gordon Scott and Steve Reeves. I'd like to see it at some point, as it looks like it's a lot of fun. I've read that Reeves and Scott were good friends offscreen. Since it's one of those "Sword 'n Sandal" epics that were popular in the 1950s/60s, I imagine they had some fun making it.
Yes, Sean Connery was one of the "baddies" in TARZAN'S GREATEST ADVENTURE. He reportedly enjoyed making it and Sy Weintraub, who produced the film, wanted him for the next TARZAN film. Connery agreed readily to the offer, but said something like, "It'll have to wait until I finish filming this spy flick I've just been signed for...." Of course, it was his first JAMES BOND film and we all know how THAT turned out. Small wonder they had to get someone else for Connery's proposed role in TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT.
Incidentally, I also read that Scott had a life-threatening encounter with one of the "fauna" "Tarzan" is supposed to be so good at wrestling into submission/killing. In one of his earlier Tarzan films, TARZAN'S FIGHT FOR LIFE, Scott, as Tarzan, was required to wrestle an 18.5 foot python (which, in the script, was about to make a quick meal out of Eve Brent's "Jane" lol!). It took 6 handlers to unwrap the snake from Scott's body when the scene was finished. The snake nearly killed him...and he was a pretty big guy, as I recall.
For anyone who may be interested, all of the Weissmuller TARZAN films (those he made for both Metro and RKO) have been released on DVD. I did read in a general release of upcoming DVDs sometime back that Warners owns the rights to all the TARZAN films from Weissmullers through the Mike Henry films of the late 1960s, and was planning to follow up the Weissmuller films with a Lex Barker box set, followed by a Gordon Scott one, etc. Here's hoping they follow through on the series.
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Actually, it wasn't so much because of Lucy's movie roles that she got I LOVE LUCY. CBS wanted to transfer a radio sitcom she was doing at the time called MY FAVORITE HUSBAND to television. Lucy, however, insisted that Desi be cast as her husband on a proposed series (she wanted more stability in her marriage to Desi and working on a TV series together would enable him to stop touring with his band). Desi's Latin appearance, accent, etc. would not have fit the all-American character of the husband on MY FAVORITE HUSBAND, so writers concocted the I LOVE LUCY concept of a wacky American redhead married to a successful Latin-American bandleader/entertainer.
In any case, I did not say that Lucy lacked the talent to be a star, but that she lacked the onscreen presence, charisma, warmth, whatever that indefinable element of "star quality" required to be one. I stand by that appraisal, so we can "agree to disagree" on this point. However, based on her output for the studios, I don't see how anyone can say Hollywood didn't offer Lucille Ball many, many excellent opportunities to become a star, and that, for whatever reason, she simply didn't "click" with audiences in a "superstar" manner on movie screens.
Finally, I believe whatever musical you saw Lucy in, her singing voice was most likely dubbed. Lucille Ball's actual singing voice could accurately be described as pleasant at best (as when she joins in with Desi for an impromptu off-the-cuff rendition of "Breezin' Along With the Breeze" in THE LONG, LONG TRAILER), if not significantly worse, as her performance in MAME and several croaking musical excursions on THE LUCY SHOW and other television appearances amply demonstrated. She often had the showmanship and personality to put over a muscial number, but she didn't have the natural vocal endowment to do so.
Andy Hardy's Private Secretary
in General Discussions
Posted
Actually, Andy Hardy's Private Secretary, was very well-received when it was released and is generally considered one of the best of the series. Some contemporary reviews cited it as even better than Love Finds Andy Hardy.
The real standout of the cast was the debuting Kathryn Grayson, who was not only universally praised for her vocals (classical singing was still enormously popular in films at that time), but, through her more demure non-singing presence, for helping to deflect from, by that time, Rooney's increasingly tiresome overblown "teen" antics and the increasingly egocentric turn his "Andy Hardy" character was taking.
Interestingly, despite the fine notices she received for this debut, MGM continued to promote Kathryn with some cautiousness. Signed by MGM in 1939 as its' latest candidate to clone a worthy rival to Universal's enormously popular and universally admired Deanna Durbin, she was kept offscreen being trained for over a year before making her debut in Andy Hardy. Unlike Durbin, however, or MGM's next serious candidate in the "clone Durbin" sweepstakes, Jane Powell, for almost a decade after her film debut, MGM kept Kathryn in prominent supporting roles in films like Anchors Aweigh and It Happened in Brooklyn. Of course, to be fair to Kathryn, MGM was almost as cautious at promoting popular "pop" performers like Judy Garland (who spent most of her adolescence in prominent support of Mickey Rooney) and June Allyson.
However, proving the enduring popularity of operetta and classical vocalism, Kathryn was to receive her best screen opportunities in the late 1940s and early 1950s, in her co-starring vehicles with tenor Mario Lanza and in filmizations of two classic Broadway musicals: Show Boat and Kiss Me Kate.
As for the later Andy Hardy entries, 1941/42 was really the series' "last hurrah," not only were film audiences growing tired of the series' increasingly preachy and moralistic mien, but also of the maturing Rooney's increasingly mechanical and egocentric "teen" shenanigans as perpetual adolescent "Andy Hardy." Significantly, although Rooney wasn't drafted into the Army until 1944, no Hardy films were produced by MGM in 1943, and attempts to re-capture the show's appeal in the postwar era met with decisive audience and critical indifference, if not disdain.