Show Boat, part 4 December 23, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat, Theater.1 comment so far
Helen Morgan (1902-1941), the original Julie LaVerne, is credited as the original “torch singer,” who perfected the style of leaning on the piano while she sang bluesy songs. In fact, she had to lean on the piano to stay vertical, as she was she was an alcoholic who was frequently drunk on stage. She died after collapsing on stage during a performance of George White’s Scandals. Ann Blyth portrayed her in a biographical movie in 1957.
Show Boat, part 3 December 22, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat, Theater.1 comment so far
Because of the film’s length and cost, Universal subjected Show Boat to some fairly drastic cuts before its release. The most glaring is the song “Why Do I Love You?”, which was in the scene with Nola, Gay and Kim in the automobile (in the last video of today’s section). Ellie’s big number, “Life Upon the Wicked Stage”, is also missing although it plays over the scene of the audience leaving after Gay’s first performance. Some posters for the first release still refer to these songs. The studio added “I Still Suits Me” to beef up the role of Joe for Paul Robeson.
Show Boat, part 2 December 21, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat, Theater.1 comment so far
Show Boat has an unjustified association with financial ruin, and not just for Julie and Steve. The original production was blamed for Florenz Ziegfeld’s bankruptcy, although in fact it was a smash success. And the financial and critical success of this version wasn’t enough to prevent the founder of Universal Pictures, Carl Laemmle, from being forced out as studio head later that year.
Show Boat, part 1 December 20, 2007
Posted by Jeff in 1929 through WWII, Jerome Kern, Movies, Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Peter Pan, Theater.add a comment
This month marks the eightieth anniversary of the original production of Show Boat, the work that ushered in the Golden Age of the Broadway musical and defined the genre for two generations. In honor of which, the non-blog does not present the movie that remains the defining Hollywood version.
“Some Enchanted Evening” December 7, 2007
Posted by Jeff in Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Theater.add a comment
Among Broadway fanatics, this is legendary: on March 28, 1954, General Foods celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with a TV special honoring Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, simulcast on all four networks (ABC, CBS, Dumont and NBC). From that show, the only surviving clip of Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin, the stars of South Pacific.
Robert Goulet, 1933-2007 November 1, 2007
Posted by Jeff in In memoriam, Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Theater.add a comment
Robert Goulet and Barbara Cook, from a 1962 Bell Telephone Hour, performing songs from that season’s Broadway hits, including Goulet’s best-known role, Lancelot in Camelot.
The bench scene July 28, 2007
Posted by Jeff in Musicals, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Theater.3 comments
What is the greatest scene in Broadway musical theater history? Of such questions are great debates made …
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