Girls, Forgive My Horrible Musical Theater Omission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                         I knew there had to be a reason why, earlier this week, I was singing songs from the 1967 Broadway musical, "Henry, Sweet Henry."  It gave us two Legends Of The American Musical Stage, Neva Small, who was only 14, and a 20-year-old Alice Playten, in a role that netted her a TONY nomination.

                         So, why this post?  Because four days ago, October 23, to be exact, " was the 57th anniversary of this musical's opening at the old--on the ground--Palace Theatre.  I was crazy to see it when it opened, but the show closed on December 31 of 1967, before my parents, who had promised to take me, could get tickets.  What a shame.

                           But the cast album is a gem.  If you can't land a copy, listen to it on YouTube.  

                               Here is Neva Small singing "I Wonder How It Is," which made her a Legend Of The American Musical Stage!  No wonder Bob Merrill went crazy over her talent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                 Cheers, dears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Were This Film Made Today, This Role Would Be Played By Alexndra Ocasio-Cortez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          That is actress Luce Luz Potter, as the chrome-domed leader of the "Invaders From Mars," the original 1953 film--the one and only--which "Svengoolie" is showing tonight.  You do not want to miss this one, girls.

                           Wait till you see Leif Erickson go from a nice father, to an abusive one.  And Janine Perreau, sister of child actress Gigi Perreau, as Kathy Wilson, the embodiment of Fifties childhood conformity!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                              Directed by William Cameron Menzies, who set designed GWTW, the movie has a visual quality especially artsy in film of this type from this era. Jimmy Hunt gives a haunting performance as the little boy who has the ultimate alien experience.

                                And then......but I will not tell you anymore.  Join us tonight at 8PM, as "Svengoolie" presents this genuine classic.  Some of you may want to stay tuned for his second feature, the Jim Henson film, "The Dark Crystal," from 1982.  Which really should have been shown last week as it sort of precedes "Labyrinth."

                         "Invaders From Mars" is one of the few films of its kind where the movie is as good as the poster.  So, make sure not to miss it, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                

For Lovers Of Bergman And Altman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               "May December" came out in 2023, but David and I did not get to see it until several weeks ago, and for those who feel Bergman's 1966 "Persona," and Robert Altman's 1977 "Three Women" are iconic films, feel free to add Todd Haynes' film to that duo.

                                  There are no deer, nor glimmers into Fifties America here.  The premise is simple, the execution complex.  Julianne Moore plays Grace Atherton-Yoo, largely modeled after Mary Kay Letourneau.  Now, for those who may not recall Mary Kay--no, dears, we are NOT talking cosmetics, now! --she was the Washington State school teacher who in 1996 had a sexual relationship with her sixth-grade student, Vili Fulaau.  Sixth grade; can you believe it???????  This led to an arrest, conviction and a prison sentence, resulting in the birth of a child while in prison.  The two married in 2005, had more children, and separated in 2019.  In July 2020, Letourneau died of colon cancer.

                                       Moore's character, Grace, is married to the student, and the action takes place a long time after the aforementioned.  Along comes Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry, an actress playing Atherton-Yoo in a forthcoming movie.  As the film unwinds, so do the characters, till one is not sure who is acting, who is manipulating the other, whether or not the personalities come together, and there are two important scenes--one near the end, where Grace almost turns on her husband in a way that made me lose sympathy for her, and the final scene on the film set, where Portman's character, who had an agenda from the start, gets exactly what she wants.  Is she any the happier for it?  Is anyone here?   That is what Haynes leaves the audience to figure out, and he positions the actresses in a number of mirror shots and together close-ups to emphasize the duality of personalities seeming to come together, until one cannot figure out who is the actor, or who is acting.

                                          There is nothing romantic about "May December," so don't let the title fool you.  But Hayes does pull back the layers under two distinct personalities until we can hardly tell one from the other.

                                             I loved it.  As for who is the best performance, there is no answer.  The two actresses are so in sync they could not work without each other.

                                              Girls, I am telling you, this will invite a real coffee klatch discussion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

49 Years Ago, Today................

                                         Can you believe that next year will mark 50 years?

                                        Girls, this has always been a special day for me, when my father and I saw the Original Company of "A Chorus Line," at the Shubert Theatre.  It was groundbreaking for its time, and brutally realistic about aspirations toward dance in musical theater.  Those realities still hold, which is why the show has a timelessness to it, and which I hope will get some sort of revival in its 50th year.

                                             And then there was Donna McKechnie, whom I had never heard of then, but never forgot after.  I have never seen anyone dance like that in my lifetime, and probably never will again.  I feel so proud just to have been there.

                                               My father lived to 102, dying in 2018.  To the end, we often talked about that special day, when we saw "A Chorus Line," which I will always remember.

                                See this, darlings?  This is why Donna McKechnie became a star!  And I bet she could still do this tonight!

Darlings, We Just Love Laura- Louise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                        That is Laura- Louise McBurney, who lives up on twelve--12F, to be exact--at The Bramford in Ira Levin's and Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby--" the one and only.  Laura Louise was played by the great Patsy Kelly, and she raises an interesting, but unseen question, about the story.

                        In the above scene, when they first meet, Rosemary says she's on the first day of her period.  Laura Louise pipes up that her first day was always hard, delivering one of her best lines, "Dan used to give me gin through a straw, to kill the pain."

                       Now, just exactly, who is Dan?  He is never seen.   One can guess he is or was Laura Louise's husband.  But, just how sympathetic was he to the coven?  Did he know?  Or did he disapprove????????????

                         My guess is there was something about the whole thing he did not like, and Laura- Louise and the others had him done away with.  Of course, in a manner no one would suspect.

                         So, though Patsy Kelly gives the character a wonderfully comic touch--brilliant acting on her part--make no mistake about it.

                          Laura- Louise is pretty sinister.

Darlings, Let's All Go To "A Haunting In Hollis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                            I mean, Hollis, Queens, where Kitty Genovese worked as a bar tender sixty years ago, until her tragic murder on March 13, 1964.

                          Someone in Hollis had the brilliant idea to bring the Dyker Heights concept of Christmas to Halloween, in Queens, converting this rather conventional house into a walkthrough spook house.  Isn't that ingenious?  Now, due to a man being injured, the slide attraction, known as Satan's Slope, has been removed, but from what I have seen this looks to be quite the attraction.  

                           I can't wait to see it, darlings!  Imagine, me wanting to go to Queens!

                           But who could resist those friendly, skeletal faces????????????????????

                          If anyone goes, dears, be sure and tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Girls, Join Us Tonight At 8PM, As "Svengoolie" Presents The 1953 Classic We All Love--"House Of Wax!" And Then, Something Else..............

                                                                                  

                              You cannot go wrong with 1953's "House Of Wax," darlings--a wonderfully atmospheric Technicolor display of period detail and costumes, with Carolyn Jones, above seeming to go for the Oscar gold, as Joan Of Arc, a moment both horrific and campy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             Even though 1933's "The Mystery Of The Wax Museum" is by far the better film, this is one of the better remakes of a film I have seen.  Vincent Price hams it up, the wax figures are gorgeous, Phyllis Kirk radiates girl power as the persistent heroine, and the wax finale is amazing.

                             Dolls, if you have seen it, enjoy it again.  For those who haven't, well what are you waiting for?  Here is your chance.  See you, tonight, at 8PM.

                                Now--

                                This being the Halloween season, "Svengoolie" is showing a second feature, hosted by Nostalgiafeatu and Company. 

     

This turns out to be the 1986 "Labyrinth," a Jim Henson feature, with a cast including his brother Brian, as well as David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and Frank Oz.  Girls, I am ignorant on this one, having never seen it, so I cannot tell you what to expect.  We will have to watch and see.  Though I wish he had stuck to something campy, like last week's  "The Monster That Challenged The World!  Now, that was fun!

Anywauy, join us at 8PM, for a fun filled Saturday evening!

Or so we shall see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!