Six years before his death in 1996, “Rent” composer Jonathan Larson began performing a solo semi-autobiographical musical “Tick, Tick…Boom!” about a young struggling composer named Jon who fears that he has made the wrong career choice. After his death, Larson’s show was expanded into a three-person piece by David Auburn that ran in London, off-Broadway, and as a national tour. Now it is an acclaimed new Netflix movie directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who appeared in a Encores production of the musical in 2014) and starring Andrew Garfield.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
- 12/7/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Years in the making! The glory of MGM on parade! Enough studio resources to film twenty pictures were expended on this paean to showman Florenz Ziegfeld. It’s really Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s Technicolor valentine to itself, showing off the studio’s enormous stable of musical talent, along with various of its comic performers. Arthur Freed and Louis B. Mayer’s notion of ‘something for everyone’ results in weird stack of grandiose musical numbers and mostly weak comedy. The biggest draw is the incredible color cinematography that peeks through in three or four jaw-droppingly elaborate musical spectacles. The picture is a workout to find the artistic limits of the Technicolor system.
Ziegfeld Follies
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1945 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 117 110 min. / Street Date June 15, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: (alphabetically): Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, Victor Moore, Red Skelton, Esther Williams. Also...
Ziegfeld Follies
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1945 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 117 110 min. / Street Date June 15, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: (alphabetically): Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Lucille Bremer, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Kathryn Grayson, Lena Horne, Gene Kelly, Victor Moore, Red Skelton, Esther Williams. Also...
- 7/20/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Tim McGlynn
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
- 3/9/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
By Tim McGlynn
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
“What does he care if the land ain’t free?”
The Warner Archive has done itself proud with their new release of MGM’s splendid 1951 production of Showboat. This Technicolor spectacular is actually the third film version of the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein classic, which is based on a novel by Edna Ferber. The Freed unit at MGM pulled out all the stops for this effort and cast Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner, Joe E. Brown, Agnes Moorehead, Marge and Gower Champion and William Warfield in this turn- of -the last century story set in the deep South.
Cap’n Andy and his wife Parthy use their paddle Wheeler, the Cotton Blossom, to put on shows up and down the Mississippi River. Their daughter, Magnolia, dreams of playing a part but is discouraged by her strict mother. One day a charming, but down and out gambler...
- 3/9/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Ava Gardner and Howard Keel in Show Boat (1951) will be available on Blu-ray February 23rd from Warner Archive. Oredring info can be found Here
From novel (by Edna Ferber) to Broadway smash (by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) to three film versions to stage revivals. Like Ol’ Man River, Show Boat just keeps rollin’ along. Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by George Sidney, this 1951 version of the saga of riverboat lives and loves has glorious stars in Technicolor® radiance, a made-from-scratch 170-foot paddle wheeler, timeless songs and an equally timeless outcry against racial bigotry. “This was music that would outlast Kern’s day and mine,” Ferber said in recalling her first reaction to hearing “Ol’ Man River.” She was right as rain.
Special Features: Commentary by Director George Sidney; “Till the Clouds Roll By – Show Boat” (1946) Sequence; “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” Ava Gardner Audio-only...
From novel (by Edna Ferber) to Broadway smash (by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) to three film versions to stage revivals. Like Ol’ Man River, Show Boat just keeps rollin’ along. Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by George Sidney, this 1951 version of the saga of riverboat lives and loves has glorious stars in Technicolor® radiance, a made-from-scratch 170-foot paddle wheeler, timeless songs and an equally timeless outcry against racial bigotry. “This was music that would outlast Kern’s day and mine,” Ferber said in recalling her first reaction to hearing “Ol’ Man River.” She was right as rain.
Special Features: Commentary by Director George Sidney; “Till the Clouds Roll By – Show Boat” (1946) Sequence; “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” Ava Gardner Audio-only...
- 2/5/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Marge Champion, a dancer and actor who served as the real-life model for Disney’s 1937 animated classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” died on Wednesday in Los Angeles, according to The New York Times. She was 101.
Champion and her husband, Gower Champion, also had great success as dance partners and choreographers for Broadway musicals, films and television shows. Champion won an Emmy award in 1975 for choreographing the television movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.”
Marge and Gower Champion most notably danced together in multiple MGM musicals, including the 1951 remake of “Show Boat” starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner.
In addition to “Snow White,” Champion’s elegant dance moves served as the inspiration for the Blue Fairy in “Pinocchio” and the tutu-wearing hippo ballerinas in the “Dance of the Hours” number in “Fantasia.”
The Champions danced across television screens in the late 1940s and 1950s, first appearing in...
Champion and her husband, Gower Champion, also had great success as dance partners and choreographers for Broadway musicals, films and television shows. Champion won an Emmy award in 1975 for choreographing the television movie “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.”
Marge and Gower Champion most notably danced together in multiple MGM musicals, including the 1951 remake of “Show Boat” starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner.
In addition to “Snow White,” Champion’s elegant dance moves served as the inspiration for the Blue Fairy in “Pinocchio” and the tutu-wearing hippo ballerinas in the “Dance of the Hours” number in “Fantasia.”
The Champions danced across television screens in the late 1940s and 1950s, first appearing in...
- 10/22/2020
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Marge Champion, who served as the real-life model for Snow White, then teamed with her husband and dance partner, Gower Champion, for Broadway musicals, television shows and movies, has died. She was 101.
Champion, who won an Emmy for choreographing the acclaimed 1975 telefilm Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, dance instructor Pierre Dulaine told The Hollywood Reporter.
Survivors include a step-daughter, actress Katey Sagal, and her son, producer-director Gregg Champion.
Marge and Gower Champion danced together in several MGM musicals, perhaps most memorably in George Sidney’s 1951 remake of Show Boat, which starred Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner. Their ...
Champion, who won an Emmy for choreographing the acclaimed 1975 telefilm Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, dance instructor Pierre Dulaine told The Hollywood Reporter.
Survivors include a step-daughter, actress Katey Sagal, and her son, producer-director Gregg Champion.
Marge and Gower Champion danced together in several MGM musicals, perhaps most memorably in George Sidney’s 1951 remake of Show Boat, which starred Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner. Their ...
- 10/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Marge Champion, who served as the real-life model for Snow White, then teamed with her husband and dance partner, Gower Champion, for Broadway musicals, television shows and movies, has died. She was 101.
Champion, who won an Emmy for choreographing the acclaimed 1975 telefilm Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, dance instructor Pierre Dulaine told The Hollywood Reporter.
Survivors include a step-daughter, actress Katey Sagal, and her son, producer-director Gregg Champion.
Marge and Gower Champion danced together in several MGM musicals, perhaps most memorably in George Sidney’s 1951 remake of Show Boat, which starred Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner. Their ...
Champion, who won an Emmy for choreographing the acclaimed 1975 telefilm Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, died Wednesday in Los Angeles, dance instructor Pierre Dulaine told The Hollywood Reporter.
Survivors include a step-daughter, actress Katey Sagal, and her son, producer-director Gregg Champion.
Marge and Gower Champion danced together in several MGM musicals, perhaps most memorably in George Sidney’s 1951 remake of Show Boat, which starred Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner. Their ...
- 10/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
One of the best and most melodic of filmic transpositions from Broadway, James Whale’s beautifully directed movie showcases all-time great performances by Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger. If you didn’t grow up with an awareness of this 1936 show, it’s because it was tossed in a vault and kept from view for more than forty years. Criterion’s new disc is a wonderful surprise that does the movie justice.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
- 3/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One of the best and most melodic of filmic transpositions from Broadway, James Whale’s beautifully directed movie showcases all-time great performances by Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger. If you didn’t grow up with an awareness of this 1936 show, it’s because it was tossed in a vault and kept from view for more than forty years. Criterion’s new disc is a wonderful surprise that does the movie justice.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
- 3/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
We're once again outside the comfort zone with Moclan culture on The Orville Season 2 Episode 7. This time, Keyali gets drawn in, both personally and professionally.
First, though, let's deal with the secondary plot line quickly. We never really thought Grayson and Cassius were going to last, did we?
I'll admit I did wonder for a second if the simulator break-up was actually a practice run for Grayson but then it didn't really matter because it was obvious she was completely over the relationship.
Related: Enjoy Unlimited access to thousands of Movies & TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. Watch Anywhere. Cancel Anytime!
And it seemed a bit sudden. Although she tells Mercer that it had been falling apart over time, we never really saw that.
I'm mildly disappointed that they're moving back towards a Mercer-Grayson hook-up because it was really refreshing to see an ex-couple working together effectively and (momentarily) moving into healthy new relationships.
First, though, let's deal with the secondary plot line quickly. We never really thought Grayson and Cassius were going to last, did we?
I'll admit I did wonder for a second if the simulator break-up was actually a practice run for Grayson but then it didn't really matter because it was obvious she was completely over the relationship.
Related: Enjoy Unlimited access to thousands of Movies & TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. Watch Anywhere. Cancel Anytime!
And it seemed a bit sudden. Although she tells Mercer that it had been falling apart over time, we never really saw that.
I'm mildly disappointed that they're moving back towards a Mercer-Grayson hook-up because it was really refreshing to see an ex-couple working together effectively and (momentarily) moving into healthy new relationships.
- 2/15/2019
- by Diana Keng
- TVfanatic
This article marks Part 5 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the Academy Awards winners.
The 1950 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Mona Lisa” from “Captain Carey, U.S.A.”
“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from “Cinderella”
“Mule Train” from “Singing Guns”
“Be My Love” from “The Toast of New Orleans”
“Wilhelmina” from “Wabash Avenue”
Won and should’ve won: “Mona Lisa” from “Captain Carey, U.S.A. ”
Best Original Song in 1950 underwhelms a bit, with really only two particularly memorable nominees – one, the winning “Mona Lisa,” and second, the catchy-as-can-be “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.”
“Mona Lisa,” featured in the forgettable Alan Ladd war picture “Captain Carey, U.S.A.,” is performed sumptuously here by the always-marvelous Nat King Cole. His performance, coupled with the rich orchestrations,...
The 1950 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Mona Lisa” from “Captain Carey, U.S.A.”
“Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” from “Cinderella”
“Mule Train” from “Singing Guns”
“Be My Love” from “The Toast of New Orleans”
“Wilhelmina” from “Wabash Avenue”
Won and should’ve won: “Mona Lisa” from “Captain Carey, U.S.A. ”
Best Original Song in 1950 underwhelms a bit, with really only two particularly memorable nominees – one, the winning “Mona Lisa,” and second, the catchy-as-can-be “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.”
“Mona Lisa,” featured in the forgettable Alan Ladd war picture “Captain Carey, U.S.A.,” is performed sumptuously here by the always-marvelous Nat King Cole. His performance, coupled with the rich orchestrations,...
- 8/20/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
Zsa Zsa Gabor, one of the brightest stars of Hollywood's golden age, died on Sunday, Et can confirm. She was 99.
Her husband, Frederic Prinz Von Anhalt, tells Et that Gabor was home with him by her side, and "her heart just stopped."
Photos: Stars We've Lost
In February of this year, the ailing star was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after she reportedly had difficulty breathing.
The film actress and socialite, perhaps best known for her roles in films such as 1952's Moulin Rouge and 1991's The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, was born in Budapest, Hungary, to father Vilmos Gabor, a soldier, and mother Jolie Gabor, the heiress to a European jewelry business.
In 1941, Gabor headed to the U.S. with her mother and made her first film appearance in 1952's Lovely to Look At, co-starring Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton.
As her name grew in Hollywood, Gabor became...
Her husband, Frederic Prinz Von Anhalt, tells Et that Gabor was home with him by her side, and "her heart just stopped."
Photos: Stars We've Lost
In February of this year, the ailing star was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after she reportedly had difficulty breathing.
The film actress and socialite, perhaps best known for her roles in films such as 1952's Moulin Rouge and 1991's The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, was born in Budapest, Hungary, to father Vilmos Gabor, a soldier, and mother Jolie Gabor, the heiress to a European jewelry business.
In 1941, Gabor headed to the U.S. with her mother and made her first film appearance in 1952's Lovely to Look At, co-starring Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton.
As her name grew in Hollywood, Gabor became...
- 12/18/2016
- Entertainment Tonight
Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers...
Judy Garland was wrapping production on one movie and starting production on another when she filmed a cameo for the WWII wartime musical, Thousands Cheer. Despite the fact that Garland was one of MGM's biggest stars, this cameo with José Iturbi was the first Technicolor movie she had made since The Wizard of Oz four years previous. The films between Oz and Thousands Cheer, though large in spirit, were small in budget due to Great Depression constraints. However, the onset of World War II brought about an audience boom - everyone was going to the movies to catch a newsreel and escape the fears of the war. As a result, budgets were about to skyrocket as MGM began to give Judy Garland big and colorful sets, costumes, and scenery to match her big and colorful voice.
The Movie: Thousands Cheer (1943)
The Songwriters: Roger Edens,...
Judy Garland was wrapping production on one movie and starting production on another when she filmed a cameo for the WWII wartime musical, Thousands Cheer. Despite the fact that Garland was one of MGM's biggest stars, this cameo with José Iturbi was the first Technicolor movie she had made since The Wizard of Oz four years previous. The films between Oz and Thousands Cheer, though large in spirit, were small in budget due to Great Depression constraints. However, the onset of World War II brought about an audience boom - everyone was going to the movies to catch a newsreel and escape the fears of the war. As a result, budgets were about to skyrocket as MGM began to give Judy Garland big and colorful sets, costumes, and scenery to match her big and colorful voice.
The Movie: Thousands Cheer (1943)
The Songwriters: Roger Edens,...
- 5/11/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
“There’s still not enough room on this boat for the two of us!”
Show Boat (1951) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved musicals and you’ll have a chance to see it on the big screen at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, May 14th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
Show Boat (1951) a colorful version of the Edna Ferber novel may not be held in as high regard as the 1936 adaption directed by James Whale and starring Irene Dunn and Paul Robeson, but is a big, fun musical nonetheless.
The songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein are considered some of the best either ever composed and are sung by those talented performers Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. Both do excellent work both musically and dramatically even...
Show Boat (1951) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved musicals and you’ll have a chance to see it on the big screen at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, May 14th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
Show Boat (1951) a colorful version of the Edna Ferber novel may not be held in as high regard as the 1936 adaption directed by James Whale and starring Irene Dunn and Paul Robeson, but is a big, fun musical nonetheless.
The songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein are considered some of the best either ever composed and are sung by those talented performers Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. Both do excellent work both musically and dramatically even...
- 5/9/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
or, Savant picks The Most Impressive Discs of 2015
This is the actual view from Savant Central, looking due North.
What a year! I was able to take one very nice trip back East too see Washington D.C. for the first time, or at least as much as two days' walking in the hot sun and then cool rain would allow. Back home in Los Angeles, we've had a year of extreme drought -- my lawn is looking patriotically ratty -- and we're expecting something called El Niño, that's supposed to be just shy of Old-Testament build-me-an-ark intensity. We withstood heat waves like those in Day the Earth Caught Fire, and now we'll get the storms part. This has been a wild year for DVD Savant, which is still a little unsettled. DVDtalk has been very patient and generous, and so have Stuart Galbraith & Joe Dante; so far everything...
This is the actual view from Savant Central, looking due North.
What a year! I was able to take one very nice trip back East too see Washington D.C. for the first time, or at least as much as two days' walking in the hot sun and then cool rain would allow. Back home in Los Angeles, we've had a year of extreme drought -- my lawn is looking patriotically ratty -- and we're expecting something called El Niño, that's supposed to be just shy of Old-Testament build-me-an-ark intensity. We withstood heat waves like those in Day the Earth Caught Fire, and now we'll get the storms part. This has been a wild year for DVD Savant, which is still a little unsettled. DVDtalk has been very patient and generous, and so have Stuart Galbraith & Joe Dante; so far everything...
- 12/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Musicals Collection Blu-ray set from Warner Home Video contains four Hollywood classics of the genre, at least two of them among the greatest of all time: Kiss Me Kate, Calamity Jane, The Band Wagon, and Singin’ in the Rain. And all except for Singin’ in the Rain are making their Blu-ray debut. While the films may not rank equal in terms of quality—those latter two titles are the all-time greats—each of the transfers are outstanding, the movies themselves are still nevertheless enjoyable, and the set is a terrific bargain.
Kiss Me, Kate
Written by Dorothy Kingsley
Directed by George Sidney
USA, 1953
Kiss Me, Kate is offered in 2-D and 3-D versions. Though the 3-D is certainly not the best to grace a Blu-ray, it’s still the version to watch, even with the clichéd, though occasionally amusing gimmick of characters throwing things at the camera. However, it...
Kiss Me, Kate
Written by Dorothy Kingsley
Directed by George Sidney
USA, 1953
Kiss Me, Kate is offered in 2-D and 3-D versions. Though the 3-D is certainly not the best to grace a Blu-ray, it’s still the version to watch, even with the clichéd, though occasionally amusing gimmick of characters throwing things at the camera. However, it...
- 3/17/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Kristen Stewart, Catherine Deneuve make César Award history (photo: Kristen Stewart in 'Clouds of Sils Maria,' with Juliette Binoche) Kristen Stewart and Catherine Deneuve are two 2015 César Award nominees making history. The French Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Crafts announced the nominations on Jan. 28, 2015; the César Awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 20, 2015, at Paris' Théâtre du Châtelet. Kristen Stewart is in the running in the Best Supporting Actress category for Clouds of Sils Maria / Sils Maria. Catherine Deneuve has been shortlisted as Best Actress for In the Courtyard / Dans la cour. So, how are Stewart and Deneuve making César history? Well, let's begin with "the expected one": Deneuve. Catherine Deneuve One of the biggest film icons ever, Catherine Deneuve is one of those relatively rare international film superstars who has never bothered with – or needed – a Hollywood career. Deneuve, who turned 71 last October 22, has been...
- 1/30/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Mickey Rooney dead at 93: Four-time Oscar nominee, frequent Judy Garland co-star may have had the longest film career ever (photo: Mickey Rooney ca. 1940) Mickey Rooney, four-time Academy Award nominee and one of the biggest domestic box-office draws during the studio era, died of "natural causes" on Sunday, April 6, 2014, at his home in the Los Angeles suburb of North Hollywood. The Brooklyn-born Rooney (as Joseph Yule Jr., on September 23, 1920) had reportedly been in ill health for some time. He was 93. Besides his countless movies, and numerous television and stage appearances, Mickey Rooney was also known for his stormy private life, which featured boozing and gambling, some widely publicized family infighting (including his testifying in Congress in 2011 about elder abuse), his filing for bankruptcy in 1962 after having earned a reported $12 million (and then going bankrupt again in 1996), his eight marriages — including those to actresses Ava Gardner, Martha Vickers, and Barbara Ann Thomason...
- 4/9/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will open the 2014 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival with the world premiere of a brand new restoration of the beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! (1955). TCM’s own Robert Osborne, who serves as official host for the festival, will introduce Oklahoma!, with the film’s star, Academy Award®-winner Shirley Jones, in attendance. Vanity Fair will also return for the fifth year as a festival partner and co-presenter of the opening night after-party. Marking its fifth year, the TCM Classic Film Festival will take place April 10-13, 2014, in Hollywood. The gathering will coincide withTCM’s 20th anniversary as a leading authority in classic film.
In addition, the festival has added several high-profile guests to this year’s lineup, including Oscar®-winning director William Friedkin, who will attend for the screening of the U.S. premiere restoration of his suspenseful cult classic Sorcerer (1977); Kim Novak, who...
In addition, the festival has added several high-profile guests to this year’s lineup, including Oscar®-winning director William Friedkin, who will attend for the screening of the U.S. premiere restoration of his suspenseful cult classic Sorcerer (1977); Kim Novak, who...
- 2/14/2014
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Top box office movies of 2013: If you make original, quality films… (photo: Sandra Bullock has two movies among the top 15 box office hits of 2013; Bullock is seen here in ‘The Heat,’ with Melissa McCarthy) (See previous post: “2013 Box Office Record? History is Remade If a Few ‘Minor Details’ Ignored.”) As further evidence that moviegoers want original, quality entertainment, below you’ll find a list of the top 15 movies at the domestic box office in 2013 — nine of which are sequels or reboots (ten if you include Oz the Great and Powerful), and more than half of which are 3D releases. Disney and Warner Bros. were the two top studios in 2013. Disney has five movies among the top 15; Warners has three. With the exception of the sleeper blockbuster Gravity, which, however dumbed down, targeted a more mature audience, every single one of the titles below were aimed either at teenagers/very,...
- 12/31/2013
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Irene Dunne movies: Five-time Best Actress Academy Award nominee starred in now-forgotten originals of well-remembered remakes In his August 2007 Bright Lights article "The Elusive Pleasures of Irene Dunne," Dan Callahan explained that "the reasons for Irene Dunne’s continuing, undeserved obscurity are fairly well known. Nearly all of her best films from the thirties and forties were remade and the originals were suppressed and didn’t play on television. She did some of her most distinctive work for John Stahl at Universal, and non-horror Universal films are rarely shown now. Practically all of her movies need to be restored; even her most popular effort, The Awful Truth (1937), looks grainy and blotchy on its DVD transfer, to say nothing of things like Stahl’s When Tomorrow Comes (1939), or Rouben Mamoulian’s High, Wide, and Handsome (1937), two key Dunne films that have languished and deteriorated in a sort of television/video purgatory.
- 9/12/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Swimmer who found movie fame in a string of MGM musicals
Esther Williams, "Hollywood's Mermaid", who has died aged 91, swam her way through more than a dozen splashy MGM musicals in the 1940s and early 50s. While smiling at the camera, she was able to do a combination of crawl, breast and backstroke, and was forever blowing bubbles under water, seemingly having an inexhaustible supply of air.
Like the starlets Lana Turner, Kathryn Grayson and Donna Reed before her, she started out for MGM in a Hardy Family picture, Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) – though one that allowed her to swim with Mickey Rooney. After being billed 19th in A Guy Named Joe (1943), she shot to stardom in her third film, Bathing Beauty (1944).
It started out as an average Red Skelton vehicle, first called Mr Co-Ed, then Sing and Swim, but Esther's superb figure and pretty features were heightened by Technicolor...
Esther Williams, "Hollywood's Mermaid", who has died aged 91, swam her way through more than a dozen splashy MGM musicals in the 1940s and early 50s. While smiling at the camera, she was able to do a combination of crawl, breast and backstroke, and was forever blowing bubbles under water, seemingly having an inexhaustible supply of air.
Like the starlets Lana Turner, Kathryn Grayson and Donna Reed before her, she started out for MGM in a Hardy Family picture, Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) – though one that allowed her to swim with Mickey Rooney. After being billed 19th in A Guy Named Joe (1943), she shot to stardom in her third film, Bathing Beauty (1944).
It started out as an average Red Skelton vehicle, first called Mr Co-Ed, then Sing and Swim, but Esther's superb figure and pretty features were heightened by Technicolor...
- 6/7/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Swimmer who found movie fame in a string of MGM musicals
Esther Williams, "Hollywood's Mermaid", who has died aged 91, swam her way through more than a dozen splashy MGM musicals in the 1940s and early 50s. While smiling at the camera, she was able to do a combination of crawl, breast and backstroke, and was forever blowing bubbles under water, seemingly having an inexhaustible supply of air.
Like the starlets Lana Turner, Kathryn Grayson and Donna Reed before her, she started out for MGM in a Hardy Family picture, Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) – though one that allowed her to swim with Mickey Rooney. After being billed 19th in A Guy Named Joe (1943), she shot to stardom in her third film, Bathing Beauty (1944).
Continue reading...
Esther Williams, "Hollywood's Mermaid", who has died aged 91, swam her way through more than a dozen splashy MGM musicals in the 1940s and early 50s. While smiling at the camera, she was able to do a combination of crawl, breast and backstroke, and was forever blowing bubbles under water, seemingly having an inexhaustible supply of air.
Like the starlets Lana Turner, Kathryn Grayson and Donna Reed before her, she started out for MGM in a Hardy Family picture, Andy Hardy's Double Life (1942) – though one that allowed her to swim with Mickey Rooney. After being billed 19th in A Guy Named Joe (1943), she shot to stardom in her third film, Bathing Beauty (1944).
Continue reading...
- 6/6/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Deanna Durbin: Highest-paid actress in the world [See previous post: "Deanna Durbin in the '40s: From Wholesome Musicals to Film Noir Sex Worker."] Despite several missteps in the handling of her career, David Shipman states that Deanna Durbin was Hollywood’s (and the world’s) highest-paid actress in both 1945 and 1947. In 1946, Durbin’s earnings of $323,477 trailed only Bette Davis’ $328,000 at Warner Bros. Those are impressive rankings (and wages), but ironically Durbin’s high earnings ultimately harmed her career. By the mid-’40s, her domestic box-office allure was beginning to fade, a situation surely worsened by World War II closing off most of Hollywood’s top international markets. As a result, Universal, since 1947 a new entity known as Universal-International, was unwilling to spend extra money in their star’s already costly vehicles. That’s a similar predicament to the one faced by silent-era superstar John Gilbert at MGM in the early ’30s: the studio had to pay Gilbert an exorbitant salary that made his movies much...
- 5/5/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
‘The Deanna Durbin Unit’ (photo: Robert Cummings, Deanna Durbin, and Charles Laughton in It Started with Eve) [See previous post: "Deanna Durbin Movies Save Universal."] Deanna Durbin and Henry Koster, who has been credited with helping to mold Durbin’s screen persona, collaborated on five movies. Besides Three Smart Girls, there was the inevitable sequel, Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939), in addition to One Hundred Men and a Girl, after which Durbin’s salary was reportedly doubled to $3,000 per week, plus a $10,000 bonus per film; the Cinderella-like First Love (1939), in which, following worldwide publicity, Durbin gets kissed on screen for the first time (Robert Stack was the kisser); Spring Parade (1940), with a Viennese setting and Robert Cummings as her leading man; and It Started with Eve (1941), a light, well-received romantic comedy co-starring Cummings and Charles Laughton. (Universal would also release the 1964 remake, I’d Rather Be Rich, starring Sandra Dee in the Robert Cummings role, Robert Goulet in the Deanna Durbin part,...
- 5/5/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
“Oh, Miss Higgins! You’re the prettiest manager in baseball!”
Celebrate two of America’s great pastimes, Baseball and the Hollywood Musical, this Saturday morning at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, April 13th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
In Take Me Out To The Ball Game, set in the first decade of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly play Dennis Ryan and Eddie O’Brien, two best friends who play with the Brooklyn Wolves baseball club in the summer, then work the vaudeville circuit during the off-season (I guess ball players weren’t paid one hundred years ago what they are today). Their carefree lives are shaken up when go-getter Esther Williams inherits their franchise and takes over as an active, controversial, manager who annoys...
Celebrate two of America’s great pastimes, Baseball and the Hollywood Musical, this Saturday morning at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, April 13th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
In Take Me Out To The Ball Game, set in the first decade of the 20th century, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly play Dennis Ryan and Eddie O’Brien, two best friends who play with the Brooklyn Wolves baseball club in the summer, then work the vaudeville circuit during the off-season (I guess ball players weren’t paid one hundred years ago what they are today). Their carefree lives are shaken up when go-getter Esther Williams inherits their franchise and takes over as an active, controversial, manager who annoys...
- 4/10/2013
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ann Rutherford, best remembered as Scarlett O’Hara’s younger sister Carreen in Gone with the Wind, died earlier this evening at her home in Beverly Hills according to Rutherford’s friend, actress Anne Jeffreys. Rutherford, who had been suffering from heart problems, was 94 as per the Los Angeles Times obit (as per most other sources, she was 91). [Recent Ann Rutherford photos, Ann Rutherford and Marsha Hunt.]
In 2010, Rutherford told the Times that MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer was unwilling to loan her out for "a nothing part" such as Carreen in son-in-law David O. Selznick’s mammoth adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel. Mayer changed his mind when Rutherford burst into tears.
Gone with the Wind ultimately became the biggest blockbuster ever. To this day, the Civil War romantic drama has sold more tickets than any other movie in North America. (Possibly, around the world, relative to population.) Gwtw also won eight Oscars, in addition to two special awards.
In 2010, Rutherford told the Times that MGM mogul Louis B. Mayer was unwilling to loan her out for "a nothing part" such as Carreen in son-in-law David O. Selznick’s mammoth adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel. Mayer changed his mind when Rutherford burst into tears.
Gone with the Wind ultimately became the biggest blockbuster ever. To this day, the Civil War romantic drama has sold more tickets than any other movie in North America. (Possibly, around the world, relative to population.) Gwtw also won eight Oscars, in addition to two special awards.
- 6/12/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Howard Keel on TCM Pt.2: Rose Marie, Pagan Love Song, Callaway Went Thataway Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Desperate Search (1953) A man fights to find his children after their plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. Dir: Joseph Lewis. Cast: Howard Keel, Jane Greer, Patricia Medina. Bw-71 mins. 7:15 Am Fast Company (1953) The heiress to a racing stable uncovers underhanded dealings. Dir: John Sturges. Cast: Howard Keel, Polly Bergen, Marjorie Main. Bw-68 mins. 8:30 Am Kismet (1955) In this Arabian Nights musical "king of the beggars" infiltrates high society when his daughter is wooed by a handsome prince. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. Cast: Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Dolores Gray. C-113 mins, Letterbox Format. 10:30 Am Rose Marie (1954) A trapper's daughter is torn between the Mountie who wants to civilize her and a dashing prospector. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. Cast: Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Fernando Lamas, Bert Lahr, Marjorie Main.
- 8/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Howard Keel on TCM: Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate Callaway Went Thataway is a pleasant comedy in which Keel has two roles: that of a cowboy star who spends most of his time wasted and a naive hick hired to impersonate said cowboy star. Keel is fine in both comedic roles, and so is Dorothy McGuire as the Hollywood slicker who falls for him. Fred MacMurray, as usual, is just there; also there are Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, and Esther Williams playing themselves in brief cameos. Charles Walters' Texas Carnival (1951) is a disappointingly flat Esther Williams musical. Not even Ann Miller manages to save this one. Robert Alton's Pagan Love Song (1950) uses the song and the setting — but not the story — of the 1929 Ramon Novarro blockbuster The Pagan. Nacio Herb Brown and future producer of MGM musicals Arthur Freed wrote the hit song "Pagan Love Song,...
- 8/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Jane Powell, Howard Keel, and fellow Seven Brides for Seven Brothers cast members Howard Keel, best remembered for MGM musicals such as Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, is Turner Classic Movies' next-to-last "Summer Under the Stars" star. On Tuesday, August 30, TCM will be presenting 14 Howard Keel movies, including one TCM premiere — Charles Crichton's British crime drama Floods of Fear. (TCM had initially announced another premiere, the 1948 British drama The Small Voice, starring Valerie Hobson and James Donald; instead, as per its website TCM will be showing — once again — the 1951 comedy Three Guys Named Mike, starring Jane Wyman.) [Howard Keel Movie Schedule.] Tall, baritone-voiced, and handsome, Howard Keel could at times be a quite effective actor, whether in comedies (Callaway Went Thataway, when not singing in Annie Get Your Gun, Calamity Jane and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) or in dramas (the Western Ride, Vaquero!, when not singing...
- 8/30/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Turner Classic Movies' look at Arabs in Hollywood movies continues this evening with six movies. Why exactly Gabriel Pascal's film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) is one of the six, I don't know. Caesar was a Roman-born emperor; Cleopatra, a descendant of Greek royalty, was an Egyptian queen long before the Arab conquest of Egypt. Now, I may be puzzled about its inclusion, but Caesar and Cleopatra is very much worth watching chiefly thanks to Claude Rains' brilliant performance as the first half of the title role and Vivien Leigh's highly theatrical but enjoyable star turn as the second half of the title role. Kismet (1944) would have been more enjoyable had it been directed by Henry Hathaway, Michael Curtiz, Frank Lloyd, or even Lloyd Bacon. William Dieterle, best known for several ponderous Warner Bros. biopics of the '30s, had a heavy hand...
- 7/20/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Natalie Portman in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan Claire Danes' won the SAG Award for playing an autistic woman in the television movie Temple Grandin. Danes remarked that she was competing with fellow Little Women players Winona Ryder (When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story) and Susan Sarandon (You Don't Know Jack). Absentee Al Pacino was the Best Actor winner for You Don't Know Jack. [List of SAG Award television winners and nominees.] "So grateful to have this union protecting me every day," said Best Actress winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan). She then proceeded to thank fellow player Mila Kunis and director Darren Aronofsky. The In Memoriam tribute included Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Dennis Hopper, Lena Horne, Lynn Redgrave, June Havoc, Kathryn Grayson, James MacArthur, Patricia Neal, Peter Graves, David Nelson, and many others. Hilary Swank presented it. Modern Family won the Best Cast in a Comedy Series SAG Award. Photo: [...]...
- 1/31/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
To be young in front of a TV is to be suddenly old, in a world where the past eternally survives
It was a child's straightforward question: "Are they dead, grandpa?" And yes, indeed, they are. Georgina and I were watching Kiss Me Kate on its umpteenth TV outing: with Howard Keel (Rip 2004, aged 85), Ann Miller (2004, aged 81) and Kathryn Grayson (who died only 11 months ago , aged 88). But Georgina, just 10, knew none of that, of course. She loved Miller's tap-dancing and Keel's barrel-chested booming. She just wanted to know whether these particular stars of the great Christmas/New Year movie banquet were still around.
And the answer, inevitably, counted them out. Along with John Wayne, Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Alec Guinness and dozens more. Say goodbye to Eric and Ernie, one more time? No: this New Year they jig and joke again via a drama-cum-biog, after Christmas, and Ronnie Barker returns from beyond the grave.
It was a child's straightforward question: "Are they dead, grandpa?" And yes, indeed, they are. Georgina and I were watching Kiss Me Kate on its umpteenth TV outing: with Howard Keel (Rip 2004, aged 85), Ann Miller (2004, aged 81) and Kathryn Grayson (who died only 11 months ago , aged 88). But Georgina, just 10, knew none of that, of course. She loved Miller's tap-dancing and Keel's barrel-chested booming. She just wanted to know whether these particular stars of the great Christmas/New Year movie banquet were still around.
And the answer, inevitably, counted them out. Along with John Wayne, Dean Martin, Katharine Hepburn, Alec Guinness and dozens more. Say goodbye to Eric and Ernie, one more time? No: this New Year they jig and joke again via a drama-cum-biog, after Christmas, and Ronnie Barker returns from beyond the grave.
- 1/3/2011
- by Peter Preston
- The Guardian - Film News
Kathryn Grayson on TCM Schedule and synopses from the TCM website: 3:00 Am Seven Sweethearts (1942) A father insists that his seven daughters marry in order, from eldest to youngest. Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin, S.Z. Sakall. Dir: Frank Borzage. Bw-98 mins. 4:48 Am Short Film: We Must Have Music (1941) Bw-11 mins. 5:00 Am Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941) On the verge of graduation, a high-school boy decides he needs a social secretary. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Kathryn Grayson. Dir: George B. Seitz. Bw-101 mins. 7:00 Am Two Sisters From Boston (1946) Two girls with Broadway aspirations find work in a Bowery saloon. Cast: June Allyson, Kathryn Grayson, Jimmy Durante. Dir: Henry Koster. Bw-112 mins. 9:00 Am Anchors Aweigh (1945) A pair of sailors on leave try to help a movie extra become a singing star. Cast: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson. Dir: George Sidney. C-139 mins. 11:30 [...]...
- 8/10/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel in George Sidney‘s Kiss Me Kate Kathryn Grayson, who died at the age of 88 last February, is Turner Classic Movies‘ Tuesday, Aug. 10, star. Kathryn Grayson Day is part of TCM’s "Summer Under the Stars" August series. Grayson’s vehicles are frequently shown on TCM, so there’s nothing unusual scheduled for her day, which includes twelve of her movies. [Full schedule.] Those who’ve watched Anchors Aweigh (1945) 78 times will have the chance to sit through it for the 79th time. Those who’ve watched Show Boat (1951) 84 times will be able to catch it for the 85th time. Both are Grayson’s most famous movies; they’re also two of her best vehicles as well. Show Boat, directed by George Sidney, and co-starring Howard Keel and Ava Gardner 4, features (in my view) Grayson’s best performance. Critics, however, generally prefer her fiery stage actress in Kiss Me Kate...
- 8/10/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
HollywoodNews.com: The dog days of summer are the best time of the year for movie fans as they turn on the air conditioning and park themselves on the couch for the latest edition of Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) ultimate movie star showcase: Summer Under The Stars.
Now in its eighth year, the August festival dedicates each of its 31 days to one of Hollywood’s most enduring actors and actresses. This year’s roster is set to include such stars as Steve McQueen (Aug. 3), Ingrid Bergman (Aug. 6), Errol Flynn (Aug. 7), Bob Hope (Aug. 8), Walter Matthau (Aug. 11), Maureen O’Hara (on her 90th birthday, Aug. 17), Katharine Hepburn (Aug. 20), Paul Newman (Aug. 21), Lauren Bacall (Aug. 25), Olivia de Havilland (Aug. 27), Peter O’Toole (Aug. 28), Henry Fonda (Aug. 29) and Clint Eastwood (Aug. 31). Assembled from the network’s library of more than 5,000 films, this one-of-a-kind festival is an opportunity for viewers to enjoy a varied...
Now in its eighth year, the August festival dedicates each of its 31 days to one of Hollywood’s most enduring actors and actresses. This year’s roster is set to include such stars as Steve McQueen (Aug. 3), Ingrid Bergman (Aug. 6), Errol Flynn (Aug. 7), Bob Hope (Aug. 8), Walter Matthau (Aug. 11), Maureen O’Hara (on her 90th birthday, Aug. 17), Katharine Hepburn (Aug. 20), Paul Newman (Aug. 21), Lauren Bacall (Aug. 25), Olivia de Havilland (Aug. 27), Peter O’Toole (Aug. 28), Henry Fonda (Aug. 29) and Clint Eastwood (Aug. 31). Assembled from the network’s library of more than 5,000 films, this one-of-a-kind festival is an opportunity for viewers to enjoy a varied...
- 6/15/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
William Holden, Robert Duvall, Peter Finch in Sidney Lumet’s Network Joan Bennett, Edward G. Robinson, William Holden, Ava Gardner, John Wayne, Boris Karloff, Bette Davis, Burt Reynolds, Faye Dunaway, Robert Ryan, Grant Williams, Miss Piggy, and the recently deceased Kathryn Grayson. Murder, madness, mayhem, mutants, muppets, satanists, and singers. All that and more will be offered movie fans in the March film series at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, Va., starting March 4. [Film Schedule] My chief recommendations are: Sidney Lumet’s totally out-of-control drama Network, the best Hollywood movie of 1976 and featuring two of the greatest male performances of the ’70s: Peter Finch, the Oscars’ first posthumous acting winner, as [...]...
- 3/3/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Joe, Katey and I are back, talking about Hollywood's High Holy Night. As per usual I'm having lots of bandwidth financial drama so I've had to bare-bones the original site (only this year's awardage and Oscars being available) but you can download the podcast from MediaFire or nab it from Rapid Share (Even iTunes seems to be charging me money... which I don't recall happening before. Woe to the technologically stoopid ...i.e. me!)
This podcast is brought to you completely unedited in a wild attempt to exorcise my control freak demons.
Discussed James Cameron, 3D as the future of cinema (and the past of cinema), The Last Station, Avatar, the box office of the Best Pictures then and now, RomCom Queens and Oscar, Adam Shankman and Oscars 'as you've never seen them', Dave Karger's doubts about The Hurt Locker, Sandra Bullock 'learning her place', the Precious resurgence, self-fulfilling...
This podcast is brought to you completely unedited in a wild attempt to exorcise my control freak demons.
Discussed James Cameron, 3D as the future of cinema (and the past of cinema), The Last Station, Avatar, the box office of the Best Pictures then and now, RomCom Queens and Oscar, Adam Shankman and Oscars 'as you've never seen them', Dave Karger's doubts about The Hurt Locker, Sandra Bullock 'learning her place', the Precious resurgence, self-fulfilling...
- 3/3/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Elsie Forster writes: Kathryn Grayson (obituary, 23 February) brought magic and beauty to many in the 1940s and 50s. I was the daughter of a poorly paid railway signalman, living in a pit village in the north-east of England. Life was not all drab and uninteresting, but Hollywood musicals, especially with Kathryn, provided hours of sheer joy.
Musical
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
Musical
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 2/26/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
Singer and Hollywood star best known for her roles in MGM musicals of the 1940s and 50s
When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson, who has died aged 88, sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood. With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes.
Her classical training led her not to the opera house, but to the radio, in particular The Eddie Cantor Show, on which she was discovered by an MGM talent scout at the age of 18 in 1940. In the same year, she married the minor film actor John Shelton.
In her first film,...
When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson, who has died aged 88, sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood. With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes.
Her classical training led her not to the opera house, but to the radio, in particular The Eddie Cantor Show, on which she was discovered by an MGM talent scout at the age of 18 in 1940. In the same year, she married the minor film actor John Shelton.
In her first film,...
- 2/20/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
"Kathryn Grayson, whose beauty and lilting soprano brightened MGM musicals of the 1940s and 1950s including Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat and Kiss Me Kate, has died," reports the AP. "She was 88." The Auteurs community remembers her with a photo, filmography and clip, and the Baltimore Sun's classical music critic, Tim Smith, posts three more clips.
Update, 2/19: "When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson... sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood," writes Ronald Bergan in the Guardian. "With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes."
Image: With Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh (1945).
...
Update, 2/19: "When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson... sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood," writes Ronald Bergan in the Guardian. "With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes."
Image: With Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh (1945).
...
- 2/19/2010
- MUBI
Singer and Hollywood star best known for her roles in MGM musicals of the 1940s and 50s
When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson, who has died aged 88, sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood. With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes.
Her classical training led her not to the opera house, but to the radio, in particular The Eddie Cantor Show, on which she was discovered by an MGM talent scout at the age of 18 in 1940. In the same year, she married the minor film actor John Shelton.
Continue reading...
When coloratura soprano Kathryn Grayson, who has died aged 88, sang five songs, including an aria from La Traviata, in MGM's all-star patriotic parade, Thousands Cheer (1943), she began her 10-year reign as the prima donna of Hollywood. With her china-doll features, little turned-up nose and patrician manner, Grayson raised the tone of more than a dozen musicals. Although opera managers did not beat a path to her door, her clear, slightly shrill, small voice carried well on film in popular classics and operatic scenes.
Her classical training led her not to the opera house, but to the radio, in particular The Eddie Cantor Show, on which she was discovered by an MGM talent scout at the age of 18 in 1940. In the same year, she married the minor film actor John Shelton.
Continue reading...
- 2/19/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Los Angeles - Soprano Kathryn Grayson, 88, who became a star by singing and acting in Hollywood musicals like Showboat and Kiss Me Kate, died at her home in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Reporter said Thursday, citing her personal secretary. A would-be opera singer who found herself in demand for film, Grayson enjoyed the peak of her career in the 1940s and '50s during the golden age of movie musicals, acting opposite such icons as Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Mario Lanza and Howard Keel. Later, she continued performing on the nightclub circuit and acting on television.
- 2/19/2010
- Monsters and Critics
Here's the lovely Kathryn Grayson singing "You, The Waltz and I" from Seven Sweethearts (1942). She died yesterday in Los Angeles at 88.
The Grayson performance I've seen most often is her ornery stage star 'Lilli Vanessi' from her penultimate film, the 3D musical Kiss Me Kate (1953). No, James Cameron didn't invent 3D. If I recall correctly Kathryn does throws things at the screen during her temper tantrums. She even made a blink and you'll miss her cameo in my diva loving music video "She's a B****".
Kiss Me Kate (1953)
I have only seen a handful of her films -- including the Gene Kelly musicals of course -- but I'm always sad when the golden age performers go. Especially the singing stars. Sigh. We shan't see their like again. We definitely shan't hear the likes of Grayson again... since this style of soprano singing is only heard nowadays when someone pops in a Snow White DVD.
The Grayson performance I've seen most often is her ornery stage star 'Lilli Vanessi' from her penultimate film, the 3D musical Kiss Me Kate (1953). No, James Cameron didn't invent 3D. If I recall correctly Kathryn does throws things at the screen during her temper tantrums. She even made a blink and you'll miss her cameo in my diva loving music video "She's a B****".
Kiss Me Kate (1953)
I have only seen a handful of her films -- including the Gene Kelly musicals of course -- but I'm always sad when the golden age performers go. Especially the singing stars. Sigh. We shan't see their like again. We definitely shan't hear the likes of Grayson again... since this style of soprano singing is only heard nowadays when someone pops in a Snow White DVD.
- 2/19/2010
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Kathryn Grayson, the star of numerous 1940s and 1950s MGM musicals, has died at the age of 88. According to Reuters, she passed away in her sleep at her Los Angeles home on Wednesday. Grayson starred in the musicals Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat and Kiss Me Kate. "She was a lady of class and quality, with the greatest sense of humour conceivable," said Sally Sherman, (more)...
- 2/19/2010
- by By Mike Moody
- Digital Spy
Kathryn Grayson, the soprano-voiced star of Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat, Kiss Me Kate, and several other MGM musicals of the 1940s and early ’50s, died yesterday (Feb. 17) in her sleep at her Los Angeles home. Grayson had turned 88 on Feb. 9. An aspiring opera singer, Grayson became an MGM contract player in the early ’40s, reportedly as a potential rival to Universal’s Deanna Durbin. Usually, the pretty, bosomy brunette didn’t have much to do on screen whenever she wasn’t belting out songs — except, of course, look pretty and bosomy. The exceptions to that rule were two George Sidney-directed early ’50s adaptations of Broadway musicals: Show Boat (1951, photo) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). In the [...]...
- 2/18/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Wrap Staff
Kathryn Grayson, star of 1940s and 50s musicals "Kiss Me Kate," "Show Boat" and "Anchors Aweigh," has died. She was 88.
Grayson died Wednesday of natural causes in her Los Angeles home, her longtime companion and secretary Sally Sherman told the Associated Press.
Trained as an operatic soprano singer, Grayson was a staple of MGM's musicals from the early 1940s, mostly in supporting roles. She was later given leads in &q...
Kathryn Grayson, star of 1940s and 50s musicals "Kiss Me Kate," "Show Boat" and "Anchors Aweigh," has died. She was 88.
Grayson died Wednesday of natural causes in her Los Angeles home, her longtime companion and secretary Sally Sherman told the Associated Press.
Trained as an operatic soprano singer, Grayson was a staple of MGM's musicals from the early 1940s, mostly in supporting roles. She was later given leads in &q...
- 2/18/2010
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
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