Let's Start The New Year RIGHT!

With the focus on time and clocks tonight, I offer you "The Syncopated Clock," composed by Leroy Anderson... The most entertaining version I can find on the Internet is the following with percussionist Lexter Deo Santos.

Fortunately, I saved some radio broadcasts from WOR-Radio of Joe Franklin (King of Nostalgia), from New Year's Eve. So I will have the pleasure of enjoying all the tunes associated with New Year's, including Jimmy Durante singing "Old Man Time," Guy Lombardo's "Boo Hoo," and of course "Auld Lang Syne," and so on...

I'm getting ready for tonight's celebration, but I had a moment to watch the incomparable Peggy Lee singing "Is That All There Is."

MY WISHES TO YOU FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

I also will be viewing the 1942 musical Holiday Inn tonight before the party starts. Here's an excerpt of my review for this film originally published back in December of 1983 for a film collector's publication called The Big Reel. 

 

*****

 

One of my favorite films to view during holiday times is the Paramount 1942 film Holiday Inn. It was directed and produced by Mark Sandrich, one of those studio directors pretty forgotten today—perhaps his best films included the Astaire-Rogers vehicles The Gay Divorcee (1934), Top Hat (1935), and Holiday Inn. Saturated with 13 tunes of Irving Berlin, with a comical scenario based upon the idea of Berlin, and heavily laden with Bing Crosby’s and Fred Astaire’s star charm, Holiday Inn is a musical that succeeds in entertaining even the most difficult filmgoers. 

First opening during the beginning of August, in a month lacking any holidays, Holiday Inn "offers a reason for celebration not printed in red ink” concludes the reviewer for The New York Times. ‘Lazybones’ Crosby leaves the difficult life of nightclub performer (the 365-day grind) to become a farmer. Realizing the physical routine is harsher than what he left, Crosby conceives of Holiday Inn while resting up in a sanitarium: a place of home cooking, relaxation, and entertainment—open holidays only. In short, Crosby has some 350 days to “kick around in” as he says. Astaire, unsatisfied with his dance partner (actually she left him), tries to steal Crosby’s girl throughout the film’s remainder, but eventually fails. 

The most notable song from the film, “White Christmas” is introduced by Crosby to co-star Marjorie Reynolds in a cozy New England farmhouse living room with a fireplace burning and snow falling outside. The song’s lyrics are “impressionistic” since they suggest a mood by sensory impressions of things happening at Christmas time. A “White Christmas,” “glistening treetops,” the sound of “sleigh bells in the snow” and the writing of Christmas cards are elements evocative of that warm atmosphere of Christmas. 

Holiday Inn will hold your interest even after this lovely tune is performed early in the film. The numbers for the other holidays are equally outstanding (they include “Let’s Start the New Year Right,” "Be Careful, It’s My Heart," "Abraham," "I Can’t Tell a Lie," "Easter Parade," "Say it With Firecrackers”).

Undoubtedly, Holiday Inn has to be examined as another example of Hollywood’s escapist films. This musical is among the Paramount Studio’s best accomplishments at the time. A film dealing with the holidays, particularly with songs for each holiday, was new to film musicals. Yes the cliched triangular love story does weaken the film somewhat. Nevertheless, the excellent songs by Irving Berlin along with the original talents of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire have been ignored too long by serious film scholars of Hollywood films. Why is this so when Holiday Inn, among other forgotten films like Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), is a well-made entertainment vehicle? This type of film certainly entertained millions and kept the film industry alive even during a major war.

It’s really fascinating that such a light-hearted song-and-dance routine film could be made at this horrible time in world history with only a one-minute reference to the pressing problems of the real world. In the middle of the number “Song of Freedom” with Crosby singing, the stage curtains open to a screen showing a montage sequence of war preparations, factory operations, the President speaking, etc.

Though none of the war’s evils are shown, this brief sequence reminds the viewer that even though they are experiencing a fictional story, there exists a real responsibility of each viewer to our beloved nation to protect his freedom so that “all God’s people shall be free” (lyrics to song). Though some may consider the sequence an obvious intrusion of propaganda, I believe it functions beyond that on a more legitimate level of instilling an intense pride for American values and acts as an exhortation for us to be sure to continue defending those values.

Holiday Inn, really a forgotten film, has been criticized for being episodic in narrative structure. But despite any such alleged flaws, it is an enjoyable experience. A relaxing spirit pervades the film—no doubt, this is due to the angelic charm of Bing Crosby. The romantic conflict is even played for its comic possibilities, and never is it to be taken seriously.

 

*****

 

I will be enjoying the 1945 Jack Benny classic The Horn Blows at Midnight tonight for the first time in over 20 years. Anyone remember that film? Next week I will let you know if it holds up as I remember it.

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!


JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!


*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

The Last Friends Of Old Time Radio Convention Put Me On "TOP OF THE WORLD!"

ANNIVERSARY TODAY:

December 29, 1946 - Shirley Booth was heard on radio in "Broadway," a production of Theater Guild on the Air, with James Dunn co-starring.

*****

Many times throughout the year I have digressed from staying totally on Shirley Booth at this blog dedicated to her. My reason is that I believe that tapping into her energies has provided a step-off to other related personalities that offered me some similar positive energy as Shirley Booth has.

Today I'd like to share with you another person I wish was still with us...but departed, namely Karen Carpenter. The energizing and unforgettable experience I had at the recent (and sadly, the final) Friends of Old Time Radio Convention has reminded me of that phenomenal song that Karen Carpenter sang: "Top of the World." I am not referring to the later song by Brandy. But rather, I am talking about the one written in 1972 with music by Richard Carpenter and lyrics by John Bettis.

I loved that song when it first came out in as a single the following year, and I remember playing it over and over -- I was 13 years old at the time. It gave me such a "high" then, and it still sends shivers up my spine, especially her "one in a million" distinct vocalizing! Boy, she could sing! Karen had the most beautiful voice of any singer I have ever heard....She could capture so much emotion in the way she sang.There's the original beautiful recording from 1972, before it was later re-mixed and re-recorded by Karen. This was from a time when recording artists did not have all the audio technology and tricks that are heavily relied on today. Listen here with stereo speakers to Richard Carpenter's fine arrangement with the luscious strings. It's truly superb!


If you can, listen to Karen's crystal clear vocalizing - quite magical! And, of course, John Bettis wrote a very touching song. As one person noted, they don't make songs sounding like this today!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com/

*****
Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/

Message To All Burglars: Good Will Always TRIUMPH!

ANNIVERSARY TODAY:

December 28, 1947 - Heard on radio in The Fred Allen Show. The show was sponsored by Tenderleaf Tea (NBC). Booth appeared in a number of episodes during this time as herself.

*****

The day after Christmas in 1939 is when Shirley Booth opened in one of her biggest successes on Broadway, My Sister Eileen. This opportunity to perform in this hit show almost would not have happened if not for a burglar.

After her success on Broadway with The Philadelphia Story, Shirley Booth wanted to go to Hollywood to make a picture, though she had some reluctance. Of course, she had been dragging her feet for some time because she loved Broadway so much.

Shirley Booth explained: “The day I was to catch my train for Hollywood, I left my apartment to do some last-minute errands. While I was out, a burglar broke into my apartment and stole a new mink coat. I was sad, but in a way I was glad, for it gave me an excuse to postpone my trip to Hollywood. So I cancelled my train tickets and remained in New York to help catch the thief. While I was waiting for reports from the detectives, I got a telephone call asking me to read for a role in My Sister Eileen.”

That delay created by the burglar's selfish actions gave Shirley Booth a really good opportunity - one that lasted for over two years. Message to all burglars: good will always triumph over your evil doings!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Sydney Greenstreet Was Born On This Day In 1879!

Actor Sydney Greenstreet was born today in 1879 (died January 18, 1954). As I said on Dennis Morgan's birthday (December 20th), Christmas in Connecticut is one of my favorite holiday films. Just love Greenstreet's presence in so many other films, including those with Peter Lorre...anyone remember The Mask of Demetrious? Great film classic!

*****

Here's some of Shirley Booth's anniversaries for January:

This month's anniversary highlight is when the 74-year old Shirley Booth took another shot at a regular television series after Hazel. That’s when A Touch of Grace premiered in 1972.

January 1, 1950 - On radio: Celebrity Time (ABC), Shirley plays herself.

January 1, 1954 - On TV: Stage Struck (CBS), “The Theatrical Highlights of 1953” with Basil Rathbone and Burgess Meredith.

January 4, 1948 - On radio: The Fred Allen Show (NBC). Shirley appeared in a number of episodes.

January 6, 1946 - On radio: Theater Guild on the Air, “Three Men on a Horse” with Stu Erwin and Sam Levene. This episode originated from the Vanderbilt Theater in New York.

January 6, 1947 - On radio: The Cavalcade of America. “The Woman on Lime Rock” Shirley played the lead of Ida Lewis with guest Les Tremayne. This episode is available at www.archive.org under the appropriate Cavalcade of America certified episodes file.

January 8, 1938 - On radio: This is New York (CBS). The show included George Jessel, Ted Peckham, and Hiram Sherman.

January 10, 1964 - On TV: The Jack Paar Program (NBC), Shirley plays herself.

January 12, 1962 - On TV: Here’s Hollywood (NBC), Shirley plays herself.January 16, 1943 - My Sister Eileen, one of Shirley's biggest Broadway hits, closed this day.

January 16, 1948 - The Men We Marry opens on Broadway. It ranks as the shortest show Shirley Booth ever starred in. After only three performances it closed the next day on January 17, 1948. Anything worse than that?

January 18, 1946 - On radio: Pabst Blue Ribbon Town (CBS), included Danny Kaye.

January 20, 1973 A Touch of Grace (Grace Sherwood) premieres on ABC. Only 13 episodes were made, broadcasting from 1/20/73 to 4/21/73).

January 22, 1949 - On radio: The March of Dimes Benefit Show.

January 25, 1945 - On radio: Theater of Romance (CBS), production of “Ball of Fire.”
January 26, 1925 - Hell’s Bells opens. This is Shirley's first Broadway show; her co-star is a still-unknown Humphrey Bogart.

January 28, 1945 - On radio: The Eddie Bracken Show (NBC), Shirley played the role of Betty Mahoney beginning this week.

January 30, 1935 - Three Men on a Horse opens on Broadway. This show ran for almost 2 years, and this is the show that gave Shirley a prominent and memorable starring role.

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Two Of Shirley Booth's Broadway Shows Opened On DECEMBER 26TH!

ANNIVERSARIES TODAY:

December 26, 1957 - Broadway show Miss Isobel first opened in Philadelphia at the Forrest Theatre. It later premiered on Broadway at the Royale Theatre.


December 26, 1940 - Broadway show My Sister Eileen opened in New York at the Biltmore Theatre.

*****

Today is the anniversary of the opening of two Broadway shows, My Sister Eileen and Miss Isobel, both starring Shirley Booth. Here is a press release from 1939 regarding the earlier show. Please note that "Selma Ford" was not her birth name, as this release says. Her birth name was "Marjory Ford," but she never used that name. Instead, she used "Thelma," "Selma," and "Shirley," as stage names.

From: Nat Dorfman
Press Release My Sister Eileen

214 West 42nd Street

SHIRLEY BOOTH New York City

Mothers and fathers of America; let this be a warning! When at the dewy age of three, little Shirley Booth was pushed on the stage of a school auditorium in Brooklyn to recite a poem, she looked around her, saw the rows and rows of faces and decided then and there to be an actress. From that star dusted moment, she never wavered in her ambition in spite of the vehement protestations of her paternal parent. So violent were his objections that she was forbidden to use her real name, which was Selma Ford, on any public platform......

But the drama bug had a fertile nesting place in her bosom and she carried the virus until she was of high school age when the family returned to New York so that she could attend Erasmus Hall. Of course, it’s not even necessary to ask the name of Erasmus’ prize dramatic pupil that year! With her mothers’ secret consent she sought out the casting director for the Poli circuit and after many tries, he finally agreed to cast her in a few tiny parts in the Hartford stock company.

Her father stamped his paternal foot and swore that he’d never speak to her again, and Shirley was resigned to the horror of being disowned. However, several months later she did some detective work and discovered that he had been sneaking into the theatre several times a week, with various business friends, to see his daughter perform. When he was confronted with this, he admitted the truth and the air was cleared for future theatrical conquests.

For more than four solid years, Shirley Booth devoted her time exclusively to stock engagements, with the result that she became one of the most widely traveled young woman in the theatre. Still, she was reluctant to try her luck in New York; -- mainly because she was known on the road and was used to good parts and hated starting afresh in Manhattan in small part.

Her problem was solved by Herman Gantvoort who was a native of Cincinnati and was very much impressed with her notices from his hometown. As a result she was cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in Hell’s Bells which opened at Wallacks Theatre January 26th, 1925. There followed other engagements on Laff That Off and Bye Bye Baby and then once more she took to stock and trekked from Kansas City to Brooklyn (or the sublime to the ridiculous!) in every type of play playing every conceivable sort of role. Back in New York again, her additional training stood her in good stead, The War Song with George Jessel, Too Many Heroes, Excursion, Three Men On A Horse, and most recently Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn, are but a few of her appearances.

Although Shirley Booth will always have a soft spot in her heart for the road, she feels that the rest of her theatrical life will transpire in New York. As a matter of fact she doesn’t care if she never sees the countryside again. As urban a young woman as you could find hereabouts, she has no yen for a shack in the woods near a babbling brook. Just give her an apartment in Manhattan close to the theatres, a fat role in a good play, like the part of ‘Ruth’ in My Sister Eileen and she’ll unpack her trunks for keeps.

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

NEW YORK TIMES TV Listing Confirms THE SMUGGLERS Was To Be INTERRUPTED!

ANNIVERSARY TODAY:

December 24, 1968 - Shirley Booth starred on NBC's Tuesday Night at the Movies: The Smugglers, playing Mrs. Hudson.


December 24, 1949 - Broadway show Goodbye, My Fancy closed on Broadway. This is the show in which Shirley won her first Tony Award for Supporting Actress.

*****

The television movie The Smugglers, directed by Norman Lloyd, had Shirley Booth playing Mrs. Hudson, an American tourist traveling in Austria and Italy. Mrs. Hudson, with her stepdaughter/companion (Carol Lynley), becomes unintentionally mixed up with an international smuggling ring when they try to get through customs with some souvenirs.

Strangely broadcast on Christmas Eve, 1968, The Smugglers never played to its completion due to the interruption by a news broadcast of the historic Apollo 8 space mission.

It has been suggested that NBC intentionally scheduled this inferior and violent movie when they did, knowing that it probably would be pre-empted by the news coverage. Who knows?

A check of the TV Listings from The New York Times confirms that NBC planned this film knowing it would be interrupted. It reads:

8:00 (4) World Premiere Movie: "The Smugglers," Shirley Booth, Carol Lynley, Gayle Hunnicut, Michael J. Pollard, Kurt Kasnar. Mother and daughter are pawns in plot to deliver a "religious statue to a smuggler's friend in Italy. (C) (movie scheduled to be interrupted for reports on Apollo 8)

Unfortunately there's not much chance The Smugglers will ever be available on DVD. Just look at the number of years it has taken to get season two of the well-known Hazel series to come to DVD (it's arriving on February 23, 2012 thanks to Shout! Factory).

Also broadcast on New York television for December 24, 1968 was my favorite rendering of Charles Dickens' immortal tale...

1:15 (2) Late Late Show: "A Christmas Carol" (1951). Alastair Sim...

And of course, as I remembered, this film was repeated again at 2:55 a.m.

In 1971, CBS TV's Late Late Show broadcast (Ch. 2 at 1:10 a.m.) of A Christmas Carol was pitted against my other favorite, Christmas in Connecticut on WNBC TV's Great Great Show broadcast (Ch. 4 at 1:15 a.m.). The New York Times noted quite aptly that the latter film is "Pleasant and amusing. Nice, cozy holiday fare."

Going back a year earlier to 1970, the Alastair Sim version was not played - instead the MGM Edward L. Marin production starring Reginald Owen (1938) ran as usual at that time, opposite the superb Christmas in Connecticut. Despite some interesting touches that MGM added to the classic, this version pales in comparison to Sim's portrayal. I think Owen was miscast and not particularly convincing.

I leave you with one of my favorite TV clips of Bob and Dolores Hope singing "Silver Bells" from 1993.

http://youtu.be/tzirPWT6S18

*****

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Here's A Few Of My Favorite Holiday FILMS!

Here's a few of my favorite holiday films:

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - Barbara Stanwyck, Sydney Greenstreet, and Dennis Morgan (and other talents) bring that warm, indescribable Christmas feeling to this silly farce. Perhaps overlooked by most viewers, this film has an endearing 1940's charm that makes it worth watching anytime! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

A Christmas Carol (1951) - Actually this film was first named Scrooge, but nobody has ever topped Alastair Sim's portrayal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Bishop's Wife (1947) - Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven star in this fantasy about an angel helping a bishop. This film offers some fine performances - if you can ignore the usual Hollywood understanding of humans as heavenly angels - which is erroneous but quite commonplace in our culture.

March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) - Toyland will always be connected to Laurel & Hardy after you see this chestnut that keeps getting better each passing year. Despite some continuity problems, there's some superb singing by Felix Knight (well-known at that time) good acting/makeup by Henry Brandon (billed as Henry Kleinbach), and a most delightful mouse played by a Capuchin monkey!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Tim Burton's wonderful stop-motion tale is an amazing idea executed to perfection. Wish I had thought of it! 

Holiday Inn (1942) - This film is saturated with 13 Irving Berlin tunes, with a comical scenario based upon an idea of Berlin, and heavily laden with Bing Crosby’s and Fred Astaire’s star charm. Holiday Inn is a musical that succeeds in entertaining even the most difficult filmgoers.

I will tell you more next week about Holiday Inn, as well as about an excellent choice for a New Year's Eve film - the Jack Benny classic The Horn Blows at Midnight... SO STAY TUNED!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Shirley Booth To Don DeFore: "I Think Of You Often...I'll Never Forget You, BELIEVE ME!"

Here's a precious Christmas Card addressed to Don DeFore, best known for portraying Mr. Baxter on Hazel. It has been provided to me by Don's son Ron DeFore. The date that it was sent by Shirley Booth is unknown...

Permission to publish from the Ron DeFore Collection. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Shirley wrote:

I think of you often

and remember with

joy what fun we had

together. Don the nice

part is that I see you

often and feel I'm

visiting you when ever

Hazel comes to call

You both are dears.

I'll never forget you

believe me

Love,

Shirley -
*****

My new book on Shirley Booth and her soulmate Bill Baker is now available at Amazon.com.

Order now for holiday sharing!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Dennis Morgan Singing In CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT Is Among My Favorite Christmas MOMENTS!

ANNIVERSARIES TODAY:

Actress/singer Irene Dunne was born today in 1898 (died September 4, 1990).

Actor/singer Dennis Morgan was born today in 1908 (died September 7, 1994). Morgan played in one of my favorite holiday farcical films, Christmas in Connecticut (1945). Along with Barbara Stanwyck and Sydney Greenstreet's superb portrayals, there are some poignant moments in this film that are unforgettable, including Morgan singing "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "The Wish That I Wish Tonight." I will tell you more about that amazing film later this week.

*****

One of my favorite films that she starred in is when she played the lead character in Edna Ferber's story "Show Boat." This is undoubtedly the best film version of this story - it's the one directed by James Whale (best known for his monumental Bride of Frankenstein - see my blog devoted to that film). The Oscar Hammerstein/Jerome Kern musical is truly a breakthrough for musicals. This is a beautiful production, a great cast, and acting talent (even among the character parts) that you can die to imitate.

This production of Show Boat from 1936 brings so perfectly together all the elements ranging from the script, direction, art design, etc. If you haven't seen it and you like classic films, I would recommend it highly.

There's so much that can be said about this film, and I will have to save it for another blog.

Among the great torch singer Helen Morgan's performances in this film (and original production on Broadway in 1927) is the engaging "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." She sings the number I provided below - this was her last role before alcoholism ended her life at the age of 41.

Dunne offered many fine moments in this classic playing the ingenue Magnolia, in particular her fine shuffling at the end of "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man."
Paul Robeson and Hattie McDaniel deserved starring parts. Both are quite skilled and amazingly good singers and natural actors worthy of much adulation - but racism of their times sadly limited their talents. I could never forget their contribution to classic film history! Indeed I can't help loving this film!

Speaking of Helen Morgan...the other song that is connected to her in regards to Show Boat is "Bill." The late Martha Randall Carson told me in an interview that every time Shirley Booth came into a club where Mabel Mercer was performing, Mercer would sing "Bill" in tribute Shirley's beloved Bill. Of course, Shirley's Bill is Bill Baker - the subject of my latest book (For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth and Bill Baker Story, published last December). It is now available to you in time for the holidays! Yes it's a bittersweet story - but one every Shirley Booth fan would enjoy!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

WCBS-TV Channel 2 Would Repeatedly Show That Superb Alastair Sim PORTRAYAL!

That unstoppable yearly celebration we call Christmas is fast approaching. If there's anything I can say in the spirit of the season, it would to remind all my readers of that remarkable line near the end of the animated classic Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas: "Christmas doesn't come from a store. Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more!"

*****

I fondly remember the tradition of enjoying Christmas Eves in New York with WPIX-TV running The Yule Log. In recent years they have brought back this tradition. Also, WPIX was the station to present Laurel & Hardy's remarkable March of the Wooden Soldier, usually several times during the holiday season (see my blog post from last month). The other holiday fantasy that received much airplay, Miracle on 34th Street, quickly became a treasured marker for this time of the year.

I loved WCBS-TV Channel 2 repeatedly broadcasting the 1951 version of Charles Dickens' endearing "A Christmas Carol." In America, the film became retitled Scrooge, but it was originally released as in the UK as A Christmas Carol. This phenomenal British production produced and directed by Brian Desmond Hurst (February 12, 1895 – September 26, 1986), starred the great Scottish actor Alastair Sim. It has to be one of the best portrayals ever made on film. Sim brings us such a remarkable portrayal of Scrooge. He is absolutely brilliant in that role. You can study this actor's complex rendering, as well as the movie, from multiple perspectives and always see more layers and levels of brilliance.

Of course, the well-written dialogue of Scrooge, the superb visuals, the talents of the entire cast, and the music by Richard Addinsell, make the whole production too good to watch just at Christmas. Again, it's one film deserving to be part of your collection.

WCBS-TV Channel 2 would run this film over and over starting around midnite - it would be on 3 or 4 times in a row. No matter what you were doing or wherever you were this film was on so you would hear or see it several times. First it was on what I they called "The Late Show," then followed under the banner "The Late Late Show,' and finally "The Late Late Late Show. Yesterday I mentioned "The Syncopated Clock" song (written by Leroy Anderson). Well that composition would play as the opening music for WCBS-TV's show The Late Late Show....The screen would show lights going on in a building. Yes those were the days...

*****

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO D!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Here's A Christmas Card Sent By HAZEL Creator TED KEY!

Here's a Christmas Card provided by Ron DeFore, son of Hazel co-star Don DeFore. It was sent to the DeFore's by Hazel creator Ted Key (and his wife Anne).. the date is unknown...

Permission to publish from the Ron DeFore Collection. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

*****

My new book is now available at Amazon.com, and other sellers:

For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story

by Jim Manago

Foreword by Leslie Sodaro

Published December 1, 2010

*****


Brooklyn-born Glen MacDonough (1870 - 1924) wrote the lyrics to the popular holiday song "Toyland." It first appeared in the 1903 Babes in Toyland. Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas we enjoy watching March of the Wooden Soldiers, the 1934 Laurel & Hardy comedy classic that is based on that operetta by Victor Herbert (February 1, 1859 - May 26, 1924). The sound quality of that film's operatic singer makes it difficult to understand the lyrics at times...

I offer them to you:

1. When you've grown up my dears,
And are as old as I,
You'll often ponder on the years
That roll so swiftly by, my dears,
That roll so swiftly by.
And of the many lands,
You will have journeyed through,
You'll oft recall
The best of all,
The land your childhood knew!
Your childhood knew. Chorus

Chorus
Toyland. Toyland.
Little girl and boy land.
While you dwell within it,
You are ever happy then.
Childhood’s joy-land.
Mystic merry Toyland,
Once you pass it’s borders,
You can never return again.

2. When you've grown up, my dears,
There comes a dreary day.
When 'mid the locks of black appears
The first pale gleam of gray, my dears,
The first pale gleam of gray.
Then of the past you'll dream
As gray-haired grown-ups do,
And seek once more
Its phantom shore,
The land your childhood knew!
Your childhood knew. Chorus

*****

Macdonough knew what he was writing about!

*****

Anyone remember The Syncopated Clock" by Leroy Anderson (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975). This classical piece played a part in the memories of late nite life of many people (like myself) growing up in the New York metropolitan area, especially on Christmas Eve.

Does anyone share that memory, if so what was it?

I'll show you it tomorrow! SO STAY TUNED!

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

Guess Who's Coming For Christmas?

ANNIVERSARIES TODAY:

December 17, 1936 - One of the earliest credited appearances of Shirley Booth was on radio with The Royal Gelatin Hour starring Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees. Shirley and Douglass Montgomery appear in a sketch called Three Diamond Bid, possibly a parody of Three Men on a Horse.

Tuesday, December 17, 1974: The broadcast of a Christmas Happy Days episode - one of my favorite Christmas episodes, called "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas."

*****

Last year's passing of actor Tom Bosley (October 1, 1927 – October 19, 2010) reminded me that he gave us one of television's best portrayals of an understanding, agreeable father (Howard Cunningham). Much like my own father, who shared the same exact birthday (October 1, 1927), Bosley superbly played Howard with a kindness and an easygoing nature that's unforgettable (although at times he could lose his cool).

In this second season episode (#11), Howard wants a quiet family Christmas. His son Richie learns that mechanic Fonzie will be spending the holiday all alone, even though Fonzie (Henry Winkler) insists that will have a great Christmas in Waukesha (Wisconsin).

Yes, like most situation comedies, it's quite predictable that Fonzie will join them by the finale...but the episode rings true on an emotional level. In fact it's on that level that we derive so much of the pleasures and enjoyment of the holiday season. So many of the festivities, rituals, and myths that people celebrate at this time are unconnected to the actual reality that it's simply a special birthday.

Among some of the best moments in this episode of Happy Days include when lonesome Fonzie is seen eating his dinner out of a can, and Fonzie's simple and refreshing grace: "Hey God, thanks."

The latter says something about the pomposity of so-much public praying...

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com

One Cannot Celebrate Christmas Without Acknowledging This Reality - And Doing Something About IT!

There is at least one song that provides a dose of pathos at Christmas time. That is, it offers a balance to the saccharine and sickeningly overplayed holly-jolly songs everywhere you go (in part due to corporate greed). "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" musically reminds us of the bittersweet experience of Christmas-time for many people. Look around you and you will see the desolate, the stigmatized, the lonely, the grieving, the unemployed, the homeless, the sick, the dying, and so. One cannot celebrate without acknowledging this reality - and doing something about it.

Judy Garland effectively introduced this song composed by Hugh Martin (born August 11, 1914) in 1944 in the film Meet Me in St. Louis.

*****

My new book is now available at Amazon.com and from other sellers:For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story

by Jim Manago

Foreword by Leslie Sodaro

Published December 1, 2010

Go To: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com/ for further details!

*****

 Meet Me in St. Louis is another musical that I would recommend as part of your collection if you enjoy classic films. I am repeating this article I intended for publication in a scholarly journal back in early 1990's....it's about one of my favorite musicals...

****

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

MGM. 1944. Running Time: 113 minutes.

Produced by Arthur Freed
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Screenplay by Irving Brecher and Fred Finklehoffe, based on The New Yorker stories and novel by Sally Benson
Music Adapted by Roger Edens
Dances by Paul Jones
Photography by George Folsey
Dance Director: Charles Walters
Art Directors: Cedric Gibbons and Lemuel Ayers
Songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

Musical Numbers: “The Boy Next Door”
“The Trolley Song”
“Meet Me in St. Louis” (by Andrew Sterling & Kerry Mills
“Skip to My Lou”
“Have Yourself a Merry Christmas”

Awards: National Board of Review Awards – Ten Best Films of the Year List
National Board of Review Awards – Best Acting – Margaret O’Brien
Cast includes: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Leon Ames, Mary Astor and Harry Davenport


“This is a musical even the deaf should enjoy….”
James Agee on Meet Me in St. Louis

Joseph Hurley said it best in 1971 when he stated that Meet Me in St. Louis is “the American past through unashamedly rose-colored filters. It’s American as she wishes she had been, and perhaps even was, for a little while.”(N) Later on in 1977 Bosley Crowther noted: “Being concerned with a period, in styles and social attitudes, its fantasies are now as arbitrary and imperishable as though they were captured under glass. And this is the way we should now view it, as a happy celebration of an age, accurate or not as a generality, like the glitter of the St. Louis Fair.” (N)

James Agee, Joseph Hurley and Bosley Crowther, among other critics have certainly revered Vincente Minnelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis as one of those rare Hollywood films that’s so well-crafted in all aspects; light-hearted, nostalgic, and overflowing with warmth and love that repeated viewings are unavoidable.

Even though the film was a critical and commercial success, there’s still a surprising sparsity of serious comment available. Film Literature Index, the leading periodical to film literature, indicates only seven articles in the English language in the past fifteen years. Most of these articles give only passing reference to the cinematic (or non-narrative to the production; instead, they deal specifically with the film’s literary (or narrative) aspects. Not only do periodicals ignore treatment of Meet Me in St. Louis as a musical, but many history books and textbooks have failed to even give a passing reference to this classic period musical. Some references note that it’s a film of value, but they have never gone as far as to say that it is a “break-through” musical which moved the musical form to a height not achieved earlier.

Plenty of positive responses are scattered throughout film books and periodicals, but they are usually so superficial and inane. For instance, Leslie Halliwell in the Filmgoer’s Companion diminishes the film when he states it’s “A somewhat overrated but enjoyable period musical…”

In addition to the type of articles that simply expose and extol the narrative merits of particular film (or lack thereof), there are those nauseating oral ego trips; namely, interviews with people connected with a specific aspect of a film production. It’s quite unfortunate that much of film criticism incorporates or involves these two limited perspectives. Meet Me in St. Louis is an example of the inadequacy of much film criticism written by those that fail to see cinema as a form requiring it’s own analytical perspective. Film is not merely narrative material. And it can not be done justice by the retelling of anecdotes connected with a production, as the interview approach has glorified.

It’s interesting and intellectually jarring to see a critic no longer studying the film as period musical fait bien. Most odd is Robin Wood’s proposition that "Meet Me in St. Louis is a comedy with intermittent Horror film overtones….Meet Me in St. Louis was a comedy of containment: we laugh at it’s accumulating horrors of family life in order to find them acceptable and to feel affectionate towards them.”(1) Wood reflects more of his own attitude and the critical climate of the seventies than an objective rendering of the film’s importance as a musical. He captures this attitude best when he states that: “In it’s time (1944) it was widely acclaimed as celebratory film; in retrospect from the seventies, it can be more convincingly be read as relentless study of psychopathology of the Family.” (2)

J.P. Telotte’s analysis is perhaps the only one in recent critical literature that is stimulating – yet reasonable in it assertions. He notes that the concluding scene at the fair "demonstrates the great strength of the musical in an almost self-reflexive or metacinematic way, that union of sights and sound fulfilling the film’s fundamental promise: it has created a society of spectator/participants, whose individual hopes – the expectations each member of the Smith family brought to the fair – have been satisfied within a comforting social context.” (3)

As edifying as Wood’s alternative view of Meet in St. Louis as a comedy might be, or as Telotte’s analysis of that tension between self and society, these and the other critics writing about Meet Me in St. Louis have missed the mark about why this film is worth critical evaluation. And they have neglected to study it as a musical.

Is there any need really to give the film more critical attention than it has received? Yes, for Meet Me in St. Louis take the musical form a step forward from where it was before its release in 1944. Minnelli came along, and seeing the simplistic, uneven reality of musical film, made a film that permanently changed films.

Through expert art direction, fine musical number integration into the narrative, and good overall acting and direction, Meet Me in St. Louis is a film with a limited narrative brought to life and given a boost by these ingredients. By utilizing what he knew about art and life Minnelli combined cinematic and narrative elements into one charming film so that a biography of another director of that period said of this film: “Minnelli plunges us into total unreality, we are in another world and we see this world with the eyes of Minnelli. We are immersed in fantasy, in an hallucinatory delirium…In this sense, the script is of no importance whatsoever. Whether it is a question of a drama, a psychological comedy or musical comedy, the result is the same; we leave the real world to find ourselves in a fantastic universe.” (4)

Meet Me in St. Louis is a musical film that has advanced the musical form. The blend of elements is so appropriate and well-done that the film never makes one aware of any transition from performance of a musical number to the plot. Earlier musicals, such as the Busby Berkeley backstage musicals, and even some of the Astaire-Rogers films of the 1930’s, are vehicles whereby the narrative is only an excuse to present a musical number.

The noticeable transition from musical number back to narrative and verse-versa is non-existent in Meet Me in St. Louis. Certainly the Minnelli musicals have in common a singular degree of success in integrating their expressive or musical elements with their narrative lines.”(5) There’s a very natural flow of narrative and number in Meet Me in St. Louis to such a extent that previous musicals which attempted it did not succeed in the integration and blending to the degree that Minnelli’s tour de force Meet Me in St. Louis.

Here in Meet Me in St. Louis we find that the narrative is not subservient to the numbers or something to “put-up with” in order to experience a musical performance. Instead, the musical numbers are the means whereby the characters express or convey their prevailing feelings and thoughts. The numbers are not redundant; they add or further develop information about the characters and the world they live in. The performance mentality is not predominant in Meet Me in St. Louis as it is in other musicals. Therefore, the musical numbers flow naturally from the characters; it’s not disjunctive in nature or a shifting of gears.

Narratively speaking little happens in this 113-minute film, but what does happen is handled so deftly and expertly that the viewer is touched and moved. The limited narrative does not undermine the true power of the film in affecting the emotions, not the intellect, of the viewers. It’s the selection of detail, the décor, the photography, the acting, overall design and direction, as well as the real warmth conveyed in the musical numbers and narrative that makes Meet Me in St. Louis an achievement of the musical form that merits special attention, even though the narration is simple and not much to ponder.

The musical form was raised from its naïve, primitive, escapist, and dichotomous nature of performance vs. plot to a higher level of maturity which comes close to achieving what John Russell Taylor and Arthur Jackson ideally define the musical film as a “film which, in whole or in part, has its shape, its movement, its whole feeling dictated by music.”(6)

Meet Me in St. Louis is the type of film that is totally integrated (musical numbers becoming one with the narrative) and one of the few musicals that achieves better than other films of the era that definition of the ideal musical.

This neglected film deserves a critical approach (and generally speaking, all films do too) that does more than explore the narrative, provides information on the making of the film, or analyzes the film’ ideology or sociological implications. So much criticism emphasizes these aspects.

There’s nothing wrong with approaching a film from any of these perspectives. However, they are limited and so overused to the point of neglecting coverage of cinema as cinema. The approach that would do Meet Me in St. Louis justice as a “break-through” musical is not evident in any of the published critical literature yet.

Meet Me in St. Louis does not require critical studies to justify viewing it repeatedly. The film with its highly integrated structure and outstanding production values defies full understanding. Meet Me in St. Louis is a film achievement that altered permanently what was expected of a musical film. Though it has not been extensively covered in film books and literature, the film remains one of the best musicals ever made from a cinematic point of view; that is studying the film as a film, not studying it as literature, nor studying it as an ideological or sociological artifact.

NOTES

1 Robin Wood, “The American Family Comedy: From Meet Me in St. Louis to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Wide Angle, 3.2 (1979), p. 11.

2 Robin Wood, p. 9.

3 J.P. Telotte, “Self and Society: Vincente Minnelli and Musical Formula.” Journal of Popular Film, 9.4 (1982), p. 186.

4 Joseph Hurley, Notes for the East-West Center Summer film Festival, Honolulu, 1971. [Reprinted in Alan Seeger’s Class Notes, St. John’s University, p. 197).

5 Telotte, p. 182.

6 John Russell Taylor and Arthur Jackson, The Hollywood Musical. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.

N The quotes of James Agee, Joseph Hurley, and Bosley Crowther are derived from Alan Seeger’s Class Notes (see additional sources for further details), p. 194-197.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bathrick, Serafina. “The Past as the Future: Family and the American Home in Meet Me in St. Louis.” The Minnesota Review, New Series 6 (spring 1976), 132-9.

Britton, Andrew. “Meet Me in St. Louis: Smith, or the Ambiguities.” Australian Journal of Screen Theory, No. 3 (1977), 7-25.

Casper, J. A. Vincente Minnelli and the Film Musical. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1977.

Elsaesser, Thomas. “Vincente Minnelli.” Brighton Film Review, No. 15 (December 1969), 11-13 and No. 18 (March 1970), 20-2.

Galling, Dennis Lee. “Vincente Minnelli” Films in Review, 15 (1964), 129-40.

Harcourt-Smith, Simon. “Vincente Minnelli.” Sight and Sound, 21.3 (January-March 1952), 115-119.

Hemming, Roy. The Melody Lingers On: The Great SongWriters and Their Musical Numbers. New York: Newmarket Press, 1986.

Hoberman, J. “Scanners: Oh, You Kid.” Village Voice, 30, December 10, 1985, 49

Johnson, Albert. “The Films of Vincente Minnelli: Part I.” Film Quarterly, 12.2 (Winter 1958), 21-35.

Johnson, Albert. “The Films of Vincente Minnelli: Part ll.” Film Quarterly, 12.3 (Spring 1958), 32-42.

Lehman, P. and others. “Two Weeks in Another Town”: An Interview with Vincente Minnelli.” Wide Angle, 3.1 (1979), 54-71.

McVay, Douglas. “The Magic of Minnelli.” Films and Filming, 5.9 (June 1959), 11+

Minnelli, Vincente. “The Rise and Fall of the Musical,” Films and Filming, 8.4 (January 1962), 9.

Minnelli, Vincente and H. Arce. I Remember it Well. New York: Doubleday, 1974.

Telotte, J.P. “Self and Society: Vincente Minnelli and Musical Formula.” Journal of Popular Film, 9.4 (1982), 181-93.

Wood, Robin. “The American Family Comedy: From Meet Me in St. Louis to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Wide Angle, 3.2 (1979): 5-12.

*****

THANKS FOR VISITING!

JOIN ME AGAIN TOMORROW!

*****
For purchasing any of my books, you can visit Amazon.com
You can also check www.bookfinder.com
which offers the best prices on new & used copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Bill, His Pinup Girl: The Shirley Booth & Bill Baker Story
by Jim Manago
Foreword by Leslie Sodaro
Published December 1, 2010
Further details at: http://shirleybooth.blogspot.com

*****

Now available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076ZCBM2

Love is the Reason for it All: The Shirley Booth Story
by Jim Manago
Radio Research by Donna Manago
Foreword by Ted Key
BearManor Media, May 2008
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com