1h 18min | Biography, Musical | 14 January 1953
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: Mitzi Gaynor, David Wayne, Oscar Levant, Bob Graham, George Jessel.
Uncredited dancers: Barrie Chase, Julie Newmar, Gwen Verdon.
Jack Cole ... choreographer (active '44-'60, 29 films including as dancer)
Seymour Felix ... choreographer (active '29-'53, this is his 38th of 39 films)
bootleg, poor print; official release ordered.
In the Tap! Appendix for Mitzi Gaynor. I'm not convinced she taps.
This is the last of 4 films for Bob Graham.
So what do you do when MGM & G.Kelly have made 2 ultimate musicals in a row? You can't top 'em, so you go a completely different direction: you lampoon the musical film in layers.
Take the concept of Rashomon ('50), where different people see the same event(s) completely differently (well before MGM does it in Les Girls ('57) with M.Gaynor), and "tell the story" of Eva Tanguay (1878-1947). Add the extra layer of having those storytellers being interviewed by writers trying to come up with a script for a biopic on ET. Then bring in 2 radically different choreographers, and have them stage musical numbers as told by those interviewees in radically different styles, according to the personalities of the interviewees, and create stage sets and costumes for ET accordingly, and ignore the era in which ET performed.
Because they're smashing so many conventions, this is a hoot. I'm hoping the official release is a decent print, because the colors are bright, and should be terrific to see.
I'm not the only one who loves this; someone attached the choreographer to each musical number in the Soundtracks, although only 3 each were credited onscreen.
(xx chapters, no menu; I'll update this when I get the official release):
(xx chapters, no menu; I'll update this when I get the official release):
- ch. Kiss Me My Honey, Kiss Me, Sung by Bob Graham and Mitzi Gaynor
- ch. This Is My Favorite City, Sung and Danced by David Wayne, Staged by Seymour Felix (cr)
- ch. On the Mississippi, Sung and Danced by Mitzi Gaynor, Staged by Seymour Felix
- ch. Pretty Baby, Sung and Danced by Mitzi Gaynor and David Wayne, Staged by Seymour Felix (cr)
- ch. Hello, Frisco!, Sung by Bob Graham and Oscar Levant, Staged by Seymour Felix
- ch. Liebestraum played by Oscar Levant
- ch. I Don't Care, Sung and Danced by Mitzi Gaynor, Staged by Seymour Felix (cr)
- ch. Little Fugue in G minor (Bach), The Johnson Rag & Italian food lyrics to opera music samples, played by Oscar Levant, danced by Mitzi Gaynor & male dancers, Staged by Jack Cole (cr)
- ch. As Long As You Care (I Don't Care), Sung by Bob Graham, Staged by Seymour Felix
- ch. I Don't Care (Reprise), Sung and Danced by Mitzi Gaynor, Staged by Jack Cole (cr)
- ch. Piano Concerto no. 1 by Franz Liszt played by Oscar Levant
- ch. Here Comes Love Again, Sung by Bob Graham, Staged by Seymour Felix
- ch. Beale Street Blues, Sung and Danced by Mitzi Gaynor and Bob Graham, danced by Gwen Verdon, Staged by Jack Cole (cr)
I suspect I wouldn't appreciate this so much if I hadn't been watching musicals in sequence.
Just watched the official release, and was not impressed with it being better quality. I put both in the binder so next time I can compare them. Note to self: the copy in the Duplicates storage seemed of lesser quality, so check all 3 before deciding to discard any.
Fox, dir. Bacon; 8
