American Musicals

[lzcutter]

Watched the restored version of "All That Jazz" last night and had a thought.

 

Would American Musicals have survived longer if Bob Fosse, Michael Bennet and Gower Champion had all lived longer?

[sweetbabykmd]

I had forgotten all about All That Jazz, as a youth it was one of my favorites since I was heavily into dance. I don't think the waning interest in musicals could have been saved by that time.

[filmlover]

Lynn, if you mean movie musicals, yes, they were pretty much dead by the time Sound of Music came out. Star! bombed. Hello, Dolly almost destroyed 20th Century Fox (because it cost so much). Films like Cabaret were the exception, but the American public's tastes had changed. I think the studio system's collapse had a lot to do with the end of the great movie musical because even in the mid to late Fifties you could see a decline in substance of the form. I think that with more and more films being shot on location, it made things more real and people have trouble accepting someone bursting into song on a city street. (West Side Story is the exception). I would like to see Rob Marshall do more film musicals, based on the way he made Chicago. And even in Chicago, the numbers were done on a nightspot stage where singing and dancing are accepted or as a fantasy in the mind of Roxie Hart.

 

Now, as to Broadway shows, the American musical is still going great. And musicals are probably still accepted there because in a theater you are able to suspend disbelief for a few hours and accept the fantasy. Broadway musicals go through up and down periods, too, but they always survive, to the point that Broadway plays have become largely ignored by the public. Of course, at $100 or so a ticket, people want some spectacle for a few hours. When Wicked played here in Los Angeles, its entire several week run was sold out before it opened, I think. I know I tried to get to see it but never could.

[writesong]

Greetings:

 

Listening to my mother's collection of Broadway musical record albums was how I learned to sing.

 

Well, it was part of it, a BIG part.

 

I also learned by imitating what I heard on the radio and by going to church.

 

I reckon I was different from other kids, for I sang all the time, a capello, no matter where I was, and I continued doing that as a grown man, even when I was in the Army.

 

The fact that others might find that amusing didn't bother me a bit.

 

But, that's how I learned music and singing.

 

The very first Broadway musical movie I ever saw was "THE SOUND OF MUSIC", in a theatre in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, which I saw five times in a row, until I spent all my money.

 

I was madly in love with Julie Andrews, and wanted to marry her, but my mother laughed and told me Julie Andrews was twice my age.

 

Another movie that inspired me to learn the songs was, "PAINT YOUR WAGON", which I've also seen over and over.

 

I remember watching an outdoor production of "OKLAHOMA" in the Rose Gardens of Portland, Oregon.

 

After returning from Viet Nam, I was visiting one of my sisters and she was angry because I wanted to watch "WEST SIDE STORY" on television.

 

I think she may have bought into this bogus nonsense that only homosexual men enjoy Broadway musicals, and therefore, I wasn't exhibiting sufficient masculine qualities.

 

I don't know where people get such an idea.

 

To this day, I still enjoy singing songs from Broadway plays or major Hollywood movies, only now, I've learned to accompany myself with a guitar.

 

I particularly enjoy doing "MAN OF LA MANCHA" and "THE QUEST" (i.e., improperly called, "THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM").

 

You're correct about the contemporary dearth of really good movies of Broadway musicals.

 

"CHICAGO" was probably the last one, or maybe, "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA".

 

Do you reckon there'll never be any more major musical productions?

 

What about regional pageants depicting local heritage?

 

In North Carolina, there's "UNTO THESE HILLS", which I've never seen.

 

In New York, there's the "HILL CUMORAH" pageant, which I haven't seen.

 

In Utah, there's the "PROMISED VALLEY" pageant and the "MANTI" pageant.

 

There's probably a lot more.

 

Has anyone thought to document those, or adapt them for the screen?

 

Thank you.

 

John Robert Mallernee

Armed Forces Retirement Home

Washington, D.C.

[MattHelm]

I don't know about Fosse, he went out with Star 80 which may have shown he was heading away from musicals. Unless he was working on something when he died. I've been watching his early TV stuff on the Colgate Hour, recently.

[lzcutter]

Matt,

 

You should rent "Liza with Z" the television special that he directed with Liza Minnelli. It was part of his Triple Crown win that year (Emmy, Tony, Oscar). It has held up very well.

 

I don't know if he could have given up musicals entirely. They seemed to be so much a part of him.

 

Writesong,

 

There is a wonderful DVD called "The Golden Age of Broadway" by Rick McKay. It is a first person narrative by the Broadway Legends themselves as they talk about breaking into the biz in the Post War Years and what is was like to be a part of Broadway up through the 1970s. I highly recommend it for anyone that loves good stories and to hear them first hand from the men and women themselves is a real treat.

[filmlover]

With regards to "Broadway: The Golden Age" DVD, there is also a terrific lengthy section from a planned sequel, "Broadway: The Next Generation" which is going to be released sometime in a year or so (McKay goes around the country to the performers for the interviews, so it takes awhile).

 

I also just learned he will be releasing another sequel this year first called "Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age" (working title) which covers up to Gower Champion's death in 1980.

 

I was lucky enough to see "Broadway: The Golden Age" at the Egyptian Theater here in Hollywood, and among the people attending with McKay were Hal Linden, Vincent Sherman, Nanette Fabray, Betty Garrett and Edie Adams.

 

Here is the link to McKay's Broadway site: http://www.broadwaythemovie.com/home.htm

[lzcutter]

Filmlover,

 

You're weren't the only one in the audience that evening. I was there too! Rick McKay is a great guy. We became acquainted because our projects are so similar. He's preserving and creating a terrific Archive that will be invaluable in years ahead. Last time I talked with him we were comparing notes on how bad it is to lose one of your interviewees.

 

I can't recommend this series enough to anyone interested in the real story of Broadway.

[filmlover]

Lynn,

 

What project are you working on (if you can talk about it)?

 

filmlover

[MattHelm]

I saw a series on PBS about Broadway that showed a bunch of 16mm footage taken of big stars in Broadway productions ... is this what you're referring to?

[filmlover]

Matt,

 

If the one you saw was divided into six parts and was about six hours long, that was "Broadway: The American Musical." which was a great PBS series. It covers the history of Broadway from 1893 to 2004.

 

On the other hand, "Broadway: The Golden Age," which ran on PBS last month, is two hours long and is pretty much wall-to-wall interviews. The discussion talks about actors and actresses in plays and musicals.

 

filmlover

[MattHelm]

I think it was in six parts, and the title sounds familiar, so I think that is the one I saw. Thanks.

[lzcutter]

Filmlover,

 

I am in the midst of doing an historical archive on the real 20th century history of my hometown, Las Vegas. The archive includes video interviews, home movies, never before seen photos, etc.

History as told by the men and women who built the town.

[filmlover]

It sounds fascinating. I would like to see it. Since I have never read much about the old, old Las Vegas, and only recall from the movie Bugsy that he got the casino thing going, I always get confused when I read or hear references to Vegas before his time. So it will be info I would like to find out about when you get it done.

[MattHelm]

That sounds great, I love Vegas history. I found a couple of Vegas gems in my grandfather's attic after he passed years ago. One is a postcard set from '47 that shows a lot of clubs and casinos that are long gone. It's one of those colorized photo sets they had back then. The other is a 5x7 b&w photo of Bob Hope dressed as a cowboy on a horse, with "Las Vegas 1948" written on the border. Must have been a parade.