utahperson Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Why doesn't TCM show the "B" Musicals of the 30's, 40's and 50's? Television used to show them in the late 50's. I remember seeing many of them. Nice musicals, cute stories. They must be in some film vault. Link to post Share on other sites
Terrence1 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 You are so right about the wonderful B musicals. There are so many that have never been shown on TCM. Three that come to mind from Universal are "So This Is Paris", "Ain't Misbehavin'", and "Walking My Baby Back Home." How I'd love to see these musicals again! Terrence. Link to post Share on other sites
sfpcc1 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I guess you could call 1975's *The First Nudie Musical* somewhat of a B Musical, (though it's more of a cult movie.) I saw it years ago on cable and remember it being kind of cute despite it's title. Pre Laverne & Shirley Cindy Williams was in it. For some reason she didn't do nudity, (call me sexist but I don't want to see Penny Marshall naked.) This would be a good film for TCM underground. Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 TCM has shown "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" a couple of times that I know of. Also "The French Line" with Jane Russell. I don't know if "She's Working Her Way Through College" and "She's Back On Broadway", both with Virginia Mayo, exactly qualify as musicals but TCM has shown both. I also remember them showing "Everything I Have Is Yours"" with Marge and Gower Champion and "Give A Girl A Break". MGM did a fair amount of "B" musicals (my favorite being "I Love Melvin" with Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds) and TCM seems to have the most ready access to those. If you get The Fox Movie Channel or know someone who could record for you, they still show those great Fox musicals, both the major and minor ones. (I just saw "You Were Meant For Me" with Dan Dailey and Jeanne Crain.) TCM has recently worked out a deal to show Fox films, so keep your fingers crossed. If you're interested in collecting, a company called Mill Creek has isssued a set of 50 public domain musicals from the era you're talking about and, yes, they're just the kind of thing which would have shown up as programming on local stations in the 1950's. I'm sure Amazon or another online source would have it and it would work out to about 50 cents per film probably. The down side is that the quality would probably be less than stellar, but that would replicate the experience of watching them in the 1950's, wouldn't it? I know your frustration. You have to really look around to find that kind of entertainment these days. I remember loving "Out of This World" with Diana Lynn and Eddie Bracken when I saw it on TV in the 1970's and I'm STILL waiting to catch it again. Link to post Share on other sites
Terrence1 Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Dougie, I enjoyed reading your comments on the B musicals. But I'm curious about one thing---I'm sure I'm not as knowledgeable as you, but I consider both of the Virginia Mayo movies as musicals, yet you were not of the same opinion. What am I missing? Terrence. Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 You're certainly knowledgeable enough to know I was wrong. It was an offhand comment based on the fact that both featured non-singing male dramatic leads and the musical numbers were mostly confined to a stage or rehearsal setting, which I'm now realizing wasn't true. I'm now remembering Gene Nelson's wonderful number in the gym. You're entirely correct: both movies should fit anyone's definition of a musical. I'm no expert, but I've been watching this stuff since I was a kid and like the original poster I miss seeing them. It's great knowing how many people like you share that feeling. Link to post Share on other sites
Terrence1 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Thanks for the generous comments, Dougie. It's great knowing that we have similar tastes. I really miss the musicals of decades ago. Link to post Share on other sites
bella38 Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 If I remember right during a discussion between Jane Powell and Robert Osborne , Ms Powell made it very clear the A......B ...C system was expected; unlike today where every movie is expected to be an "A" or a Blockbuster.... myself, I have seen many good B movies.... Gene Nelson moved from one to another and showed myself not only a wonderful tapping hoofer, but also a solid witty performance in Oklahoma! State Fair, what a cast ! Link to post Share on other sites
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