A Gay/campy chronicling of daily life in NYC,with individual kernels of human truth. copyright 2011 by The Raving Queen
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Darlings, I Have Always Wanted To Be A She Demon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From bitch to She Demon; girls, I ask you, how do I do it????? Anyway, the other day I was telling Monsieur about this great 1958 trash classic that was one of the seminal films of my childhood. It starred Irish McCalla ("Sheena, Queen Of The Jungle") and had dialogue that would have made Preston Sturgess envious. ("You might at least have saved me a pear of toreador pants!!!!!!!!!"). When this would be shown on "Chiller Theater" on Saturday nights, when I was a child, it was as eagerly anticipated as "The Wizard Of Oz!!!!" And if one of my friends, or I, found out before the other, that it was going to be on, we would get on the phone and instantly alert everyone, so that we could plan or entire week, not to mention Saturday itself, around it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And wasn't it SO exciting to watch this film!!!!! My favorite part, which portended my Musical Theater Future was the Dance of the She Demons, as done by the Diana Nellis Dancers!!!!!!!!! Wonder if any of them are still alive; the film was done in 1958, they must have been in their twenties, which means they would be in their seventies today!!!!!!! What a thing to tell your grandchildren--"I was a dancing "She Demon!" I am telling you, darlings, I would be SO proud. Imagine an all-star lineup--Donna McKechnie, Kelly Bishop, Priscilla Lopez, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neurtwtih, Baayork Lee--and I am sure they would all just LOVE to dance it!!!! Hell, I bet even Tommy Tune. Wayne Cilento or Sammy Williams would!!!!!!!!
Not to mention moi, darlings!!!!! Because when this film was shown, and it would get to the dance number, I would get up in front of the TV screen, and do the Dance of the She Demons!!!!!! Or, at least, try to!!!!!!!!! My poor parents; I don't know what they must have thought; on Saturdays, I was a Dancing She Demon, on Sundays as "World of Disney" closed, I would pretend to be Tinker Bell in front of the Castle, waving my magic wand!!!!!!!! It just goes to show I started early, I guess!!!!!!!
But now you can thrill to the ENTIRE dance sequence on You Tube. Not as fun as seeing the entire film, but jollies have to be gotten where one may!!!!!!!!! I am telling you, darlings, if you have NEVER seen this bonafide classic you owe it to yourselves to!!!!!!!!!! To think this was done just a year after "West Side Story" innovated dance on Broadway; I bet Jerome Robbins wished he had gotten his hands on this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With the kind of trash that passes for what is on Broadway NOW, I am telling you, this would be a hit!!!!!!!!!! Like "The Producers" principle, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Something's Coming, girls!!!!!!!!! Like the song says, you better believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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