Girls, "Svengoolie" Is Showing 1971's "Duel" Tonight At 8PM! First Timers Should Tune In, Those Having Seen It Don't Need A Second Viewing!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             To think Steven Spielberg filmed this made-for-TV film in 1971, the start of my junior year of high school.  Fortunately, he shot it while Dennis Weaver was still hot, and in the same year Weaver did "What's The Matter With Helen?"

                            "Duel" is based on a Richard Matheson short story about a trucker, who, for no apparent reason, is harassed by what I always thought of as a "ghost truck," or "ghost driver" plowing down on him throughout the film.  There is plenty of tension and suspense for first timers, whom I urge to watch.  Those having seen it had best tune to something else.  I would love to see "Trilogy Of Terror" once more.  Especially Karen Black as "Julie."  And everyone loves her in "Amelia," the voodoo doll story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Alas, this is not a great month for "Svengoolie," girls!  Though next week is promising, but I won't reveal that until next Saturday.

                                The film is good of its kind, and interesting in the Spielberg chronology.

                               Personally, I would rather again watch 1946's "Duel In The Sun," with Jennifer Jones as Pearl Chavez, "The half-breed Indian girl, built by the devil to drive men crazy!"

                                To think that used to be said about me, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dick Van Dyke Reaches 100 Today! Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Whenever I hear someone is nearing age 100, I get a little nervous.  I recall when my father was on that threshold.  Will he make it, or will he die days before?  It happens sometimes.

                              So, I am delighted to say Dick Van Dyke has made it.  For my generation, he has been many things to us--Rob Petrie, Bert in "Mary Poppins," and Caractacus Potts in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."  With Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious.

                                And don't forget the role that started it all--Albert Peterson, in "Bye Bye, Birdie," a role he also did on stage.

                                 These filmed legacies will live on long after Van Dyke passes. But today I wish him many happy returns---and I do mean MANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                  Living till 100 is a privilege for a chosen few.  I am happy Dick Van Dyke is among the chosen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Happy 100th birthday, Dick Van Dyke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Merrily We Roll Along" As Best Picture Of The Year???????????? It Is In My Book, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                            I have recounted on here before my personal relationship with 'Merrily,' going back to the 1981 Original Broadway Production, which I saw twice; I was so enamored of it.  I will gladly repeat it if needed.  Just say so in the comments, and I will do another post on it.

                             But right now, I am urging everyone to see this film version of the Sondheim musical.  It is more than a filmed stage play; it is a work of cinematic art as I will demonstrate.  The entire score has been retained, and is just as beautiful as ever, and it really is a cinematic achievement.  The last time I went crazy over a film version of a stage musical was when MERYL did "Mama Mia," back in 2008. Though its score cannot equal this one, which is why I think, over time, 'Merrily' will become a classic in the pantheon of well-done filmed musicals like "My Fair Lady," "The Sound Of Music," "Funny Girl," "Oliver!" and "Cabaret."

                              So well has Maria Friedman directed this film I would not mind her taking a crack at "FOLLIES."  Now that is something worth waiting for.

                                How did Maria do it?  Let's start with an extraordinary cast.

                             Jonathan Groff--OK, girls, pick yourselves up off the floor, we know he is incredibly good looking.  Though the story remains the same, Groff's performance is different from any Franklin Shepard I have seen, because he remarkably manages to humanize a pretty despicable character.  Viewers seeing this will not forget Frank's negatives, but when the film closes on this shot of a yearning, youthful Frank, he becomes as human as we have seen and reminds us of all of when we were young and starting out.  How do we feel about the way we turned out?  Hmm, girls?  The film forces us to ask these questions of ourselves, and they may be hard to answer.  But Groff's acting and singing are remarkable--screw "La La Land--and his is an Oscar caliber performance

                           Lindsay Mendez--Just look at this face, and you can see the pain in Mary Flynn.  Mendez makes the viewer feel it throughout, and her voice is glorious.  In some ways she is the most impacted of the three friends' breaking up, but I always wondered--in the opening scene, when Mary leaves the party, finished with Frank, I know she is going back to New York, but are she and Charley Kringas still friends?  I have always wondered.  Vocally, Lindsay knocks every one of the songs she is assigned out of the proverbial ballpark.  She was robbed of a TONY Award, so where is that Best Supporting Actress Oscar?????????????????
.

                                     Daniel Radcliffe--How fitting the film's most recognizable cast member is also the biggest surprise!  His, for me, was the most heartbreaking of all the performances.  His pain when signing "Franklin Shepard, Inc.," which he nails with razor sharp precision, is so palpable, and his is the most moving rendition of "Good Thing Going" I have ever heard.  He is a revelation, darlings, and like his co-stars, deserves an Oscar for his especially gripping performance.

                                     Noticeably, Katie Rose Clarke as Beth sings the hell out of "Not A Day Goes By," and Mary's internal response at the wedding is just devastating.  Lindsay scores again.  Clarke is also great in the "Bobby, Jackie, And Jack" number.  I was sorry when she had to disappear from the story.

                                          God bless Maria Friedman; it took her and 42 years to get this show right.  What she has most noticeably done is really pared down the story to being really about Frank and Charley, and the actors play them almost as a team, with Mary looking on in support.  This was especially true during the heartbreaking final number, "Our Time," where one is forced to first question one's decisions. In the Original Broadway Production, the trio were backed up by a youthful ensemble, and while they sounded gorgeous, it took away from the intimacy of the lead trio. Friedman makes the number more about Charley and Frank, though Lindsay's Mary joins in, with her captivating voice.  As my David says, it is all their time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Kudos to Krystal Joy Brown for making Gussie Carnegie stand out more than she has in other productions.  Her despicability level, I think, exceeds even Frank. And Reg Rogers' performance as her cast aside husband Joe is both theatrical and sadly touching.  This is the first time I have really noticed Joe as a character.  Rogers is good; forget Nathan Lane, he is the one who should be doing Willy Loman this Spring.

                                               I want all my readers to get out and see this emotionally gripping musical. I am so glad I lived long enough to have seen it made right.

                                                 If only Sondheim and Hal Prince had lived to see it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Go And Stuff A Chicken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                No, darlings, I am not trying to insult everyone, but I just love the way "The Golden Girls" stuff their chickens.  At 71 now, I feel like I am a "Golden Girl."  And no, I have never stuffed a chicken.

                                Actually, I think what the ladies are stuffing are Rock Cornish Game Hens, which look very elegant and festive, when served on a dinner plate with other garnishes.  They are edible, but can be a bit dry, and not as much meat on them as chicken.  That is my memory of eating one.

                                 But that lyric about Mississippi bothers me.  They are in Florida.  Is Mississippi south of there?  I am not sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                    Stuffing a chicken may bring elegance to your table.

                                   But Happy Holidays, girls! Stuff whatever you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seventy-One Years Ago Tonight, This Opened On Broadway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Yes, girls, it is "The Bad Seed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                              I told you there is always a reason for writing about it, and here it is.

                             Today marks twenty days after my birthday.  On that day in 1954, which also happens to be the Feast Of The Immaculate Conception, this play opened on Broadway?  Did Nancy Kelly drop the glass on stage?  That had to have been a lot of glass ware during the run.    And just think, two shows a day on Wednesday and Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                What a treat it must have been to witness this on stage.  Anyone out there who has and remembers, comment here and answer about Nancy Kelly and the glass.  Because that is really when the scale of hysteria is notched up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Mervyn LeRoy's 1956 film almost preserves the play in a way foreshadowing Maria Friedman's current and brilliant film adaptation of Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along."  More on that, in another post, dolls!

                                   I am sure it was planned to open this on the Feast Of The Immaculate Conception.

                                   I wonder what Mary thinks of it all?????????????????????

Congratulations, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today It Is Mary's Big Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           It really is darlings.  The Assumption, on August 15, is about Mary's soul automatically going to Heaven.  Christmas, which is fast approaching, is all about the birth of Jesus, but it could not have been accomplished without Mary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             But the Feast Of The Immaculate Conception is a celebration of Mary's actual being.  She was conceived and born into this world, free of Original Sin, the purest of the pure.

                               Hey, if some of you want to watch "The Song Of Bernadette," that would not be a bad idea.  I claim it as my personal Easter film, but this could easily be watched on this day, or the Assumption, since both deal with Mary, and the movie deals with Mary appearing to Bernadette at Lourdes.

                                 So, my dears, a big hoorah to Mary on her special day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                Even Paul McCartney honored her in "Let It Be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                 Here's to Mary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

A Question Especially For Baby Boomers--Were The Annual Christmas Specials Of Our Childhood Meant To Enlighten Or Traumatize Us, Darlings??????????????????????????

                                 Baby boomers like myself, growing up in the 1960's always looked forward to certain annual Christmas TV specials, when growing up.  But, as I aged, I had to, and do, ask myself, were these specials to enlighten us, or to traumatize us???????????

                                 I would go with the latter, as this list of the more popular specials aired in that era will demonstrate.  With the exception of one personal one, these are specials I will never look at today.

                                Consider--

                        "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer--" First broadcast in 1964, things end wonderfully here but not before Rudolph is bullied by his playmates and own father.  It takes Clarice, the lead female deer to sing the haunting "There's Always Tomorrow" to comfort not only Rudolph but also those feeling bullied in home audiences.  Add to that Rudolph runs away from home, after being bullied by his own father.  Meanwhile, Herbie, the elf, is bullied by his colleagues for wanting to be a dentist, while they work away like overworked unionizers doing "Racing With The Clock" from "The Pajama Game," and then there is the Island of Misfit Toys," who are unwanted by all the children in the world. I mean, is this a downer, or what?  I don't care how much happiness one gets at the end, to be subjected to this much trauma beforehand?  This is what stays with one, not the happy ending!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           "A Charlie Brown Christmas--" This 1965 cartoon set the gold standard for all future "Peanuts" specials.  Its rollicking piano solo by Snoopy is a welcome relief from the trauma which included Lucy Van Pelt's (the gold standard for all future mean girls) relationship with Charlie Brown, to the plaintive moment when the Christmas tree falls, and Charlie Brown blames himself, as the bullied will do, when he says, "I've killed it.  Oh, everything I touch gets ruined."  This I can relate to, and despite the touching rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," I can never quite watch this again.

                           "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol--" I had just turned eight, in 1962, when this was first broadcast.  By the way, for Theater Queens, this was the first score Jule Styne and Bob Merrill wrote immediately after "Funny Girl," and it is every bit up to that effort.  Now, most boomers remember the thieves'' song "We're Despicable," because of the melody, lyrics and how it is staged.  And most are frightened by the Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come.  But what gets to me the most is the abandoned child Ebenezer singing "I'm All Alone In The World," reprised by the adult Magoo at the end of Act Two.  And then, most of all, Belle's breakup song "Winter Was Warm," which captivated me as a child, and which I still sing today.   By the way, this was hauntingly sung by Jane Kean, who went on to play Trixie in the Jackie Gleason technicolor version of "The Honeymooners" in the Sixties. Just writing about this gives me melancholy thoughts.

                             "The Little Drummer Boy--" Oh, my God, don't get me started with this one!  The song is lovely, but the Christmas dramatization of it was extremely traumatizing for me, even when broadcast first, back in 1968, when I had just turned 14.  By the way, I saw Disney's 1942 "Bambi" as an adult and have never gotten over it.  And don't get me started on "Dumbo!"  Greer Garson narrates the story, which follows the song, save one aspect.  The boy, like me, is a friend to all animals, and his special and only companion, is a little lamb.  Well, in a shocking act of dramatization, this innocent creature is shown being cruelly run over by a wagon, and the lamb is dead.  Nice, huh?  Now, this kid is alone!  And we are made to feel that.  The moving culmination, where he delivers the lamb to the manger of the infant Jesus, and, as a gift, plays his drum, restoring the lamb to life is beautifully rendered and moving, but can never erase the trauma of the aforementioned accident.  After the first broadcast, I have never watched this one again.  And I never will.

                         The Christmas Scene In 1944's "Meet Me In St. Louis--" This is very personal for me. Start with the most plaintive Christmas song ever written, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, sung by the one who could do it best, Judy Garland.  Following this, Tootie, played by Margaret O'Brien has a childhood nervous breakdown in a scene that was one of several earning her that year a special Juvenile Academy Award.  The film is staged seasonally, so this does not come till near the end, so up to that the film is palatable.  But when the Christmas dance comes, watch out.  Still, this is one of the most perfectly made films ever, so the heartbreak of Judy and Margaret is beautiful to endure, though it can be a bit hard on younger viewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'                         "It's A Wonderful Life--"   Is it?  After seeing this 1946 film, I wondered. Name me a film that combines child abuse by a pharmacist, and father toward his wife and children, a special needs family member who is not especially treated well, denigrations of both spinsterhood and prostitution in the film's lead female characters, and lack of comeuppance for the culprit and you have Frank Capra's iconic Christmas classic.  I don't deny its labeling or stature, or the quality of filmmaking at hand, but over the years, the aforementioned has come to bother me so much I do not think I can view this film ever again.

                              Well, dears, those are my observations.  Let me know what you think.

                              And may the rest of this year be less traumatic than that depicted here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!