WHAT MUSICALS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[Fossy]

Evensong (1934)

Tells the story of Maggie O`Neil, (Evelyn Laye) who as Mme. Irela rose to fame as a singer. As she aged she would not admit that she had passed her “use by date”. She was jealous of the rising star Baba L`Etoile (Conchita Supervia).

Spanish soprano Conhita Supervia was a child prodigy who made her operatic debut at age fifteen years. Tragically she died in childbirth just fifteen months after this film was released.

[Fossy]

The Stars Are Singing (1953)

Stowaway 15 year old Katri Walenska (Anna Maria Alberghetti) has jumped ship in New York Harbour. (I seem to recall Lily Pons doing that in one of her movies) She searches for Jan Poldi (Lauritz Melchior) who was a friend of her mother. She finds Jan and is also befriended by Terri Brennan (Rosemary Clooney). She is hotly pursued by the immigration department.

All ends well when Katri receives a phone call from Ike (Ike who? Said Katri) who tells her she can stay in America.

A great songfest of opera and popular songs.

[Uncle Stevie]

Did anyone see Burlesque (2010) with Cher and Christina Aguilera? It is an old fashioned musical with Aguilera doing a superb job for her 1st film. She can really sing with "belting" power. She reminds me of a young Ethel Merman, except Aguilera is a lot prettier and dances very well. I like this movie very much despite the awful critic reviews. ... I promise if you watch this through you will like it too. You can see it on Starz or rent it or buy it from Amazon for under $10.00, as I did. I like this movie for the musical performances and am not judging the acting or the plot. It is well worth the time for fans of musicals.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Thanks, Uncle Stevie. I am going to rent it soon because I haven't seen it yet. I am glad musicals are still being produced, even if on a very limited basis.

[feaito]

Recently I saw "Maytime" (1937) and I've confirmed it's still definitely my very favorite film of the MacDonald and Eddy team. The story is touching and believable; Eddy is in fine form and gives a sincere performance as the idealistic baritone; Jeanette is simply radiant and gives a luminous portrayal of Prima Donna Marcia Mornay; also, she's seldom looked so beautiful and handsomely attired on screen in those Empress Eugenie gowns; the cinematography is gorgeous; John Barrymore is more restrained as usual. I wish Warner would release a Super De Luxe DVD collection of the Mac Donald-Eddy films...

[knitwit45]

'Nando, I agree, Maytime is their best. Anytime I hear the music, it brings tears to my eyes. I always think about their real romance, and how sadly it ended.

[feaito]

[Fossy]

Maytime (1937)

is also one of my favourites. It was the third of their nine movies together. I have all but one of Jeanette`s movies and two biographies. Both of these books say that Maytime was also Jeanette`s favourite movie.

[feaito]

I read that too Fossy and I agree with her . I have two books about Jeanette, her Bio "Hollywood Diva" and "The Films of JMcD and Nelson Eddy", both very enlightening. I bet that the film of Jeanette that you don't have is "Annabelle's Affairs" (1931), which is a lost film. Do you have a copy of the book "Sweethearts"? Do you recommend it?

[Fossy]

Yes Feaito, The film I do not have is Annabelle`s Affairs (1931). It was one of three movies she made for Fox. The three were “lost” and then found, each had degenerated. Of the three ( Oh For A Man (1930), Don`t Bet On Women (1930) and Annabelle`s Affairs (1931) only the first two were able to be saved, although they are only just watchable. I believe that part of Annabelle`s Affairs is in a museum somewhere.

The two books I have are Hollywood Diva and Sweethearts. There are those who believe that Sweethearts is less than, or perhaps an exaggeration of the truth, those who believe it to be total BS, and those who believe in it absolutely. It does seem to be well documented. I believe that the best way to read these books is consecutively, Hollywood Diva first. Sweethearts is well worth the read, and gives a totally different view of the couple.

[feaito]

Thanks for your very valuable feedback Fossy. I'll try to get hold of a copy of Sweethearts.

[Moraldo Rubini]

Recently I saw "Maytime" (1937) and I've confirmed it's still definitely my very favorite film of the MacDonald and Eddy team. The story is touching and believable; Eddy is in fine form and gives a sincere performance as the idealistic baritone; Jeanette is simply radiant and gives a luminous portrayal of Prima Donna Marcia Mornay; also, she's seldom looked so beautiful and handsomely attired on screen in those Empress Eugenie gowns; the cinematography is gorgeous; John Barrymore is more restrained as usual. I wish Warner would release a Super De Luxe DVD collection of the Mac Donald-Eddy films...

I had the good fortune of seeing Maytime on the big screen last May. I took a friend with whom I've been sharing classic films for forty years now. Even so, I was a little hestitant, as MacDonald/Eddy films can be an acquired taste. My friend is a musician -- so I hoped she wouldn't be offended by the irreverant use of classical music. No worries, we were both delighted by movie. Maytime was a Thalberg production, and shooting had already begun -- in Technicolor -- when Mr. Thalberg died. Production came to a halt, all footage was scrapped; eventually starting up again (with lesser budget and black and white film stock) under Hunt Stromberg. Legend is that one of the scenes lost was Act II of Puccini's Tosca -- presumably MacDonald singing the famous aria "Vissi D'Arte". She was thrilled to do this, and sorry that it never hit the screen. I too would like to see a Super De Luxe DVD of this, and fantasize that some of this cut footage could be included as supplmental material.

[feaito]

Hi Marco....great post....Maytime on the big screen.....I can only dream of something like that.....but I'd by content with the De Luxe DVD release

[Uncle Stevie]

Saw "The Gay Divorce'" tonight for about the 4th time. Fred and Ginger really do it up right. Last week I watched one of my favorites - "You were never lovlier" with Fred and Rita. This was a great romantic movie.

[feaito]

Today I watched "A Damsel in Distress" (1937), a wonderful musical with Fred at RKO (sans Ginger) paired with George Burns & Gracie Allen and a young and lovely Joan Fontaine as her very British love interest, with a top-notch George & Ira Gershwin score.

It was kind of uncanny how the film begins -the household servants making ballots about who the young heiress (Fontaine) is going to marry- because it was kind of reminiscent of "Downton Abbey", which I've been watching with my wife (and all their butlers, footmen, maids et al).

The film captures a British flavor and IMO it had a more interesting plot than most of Fred and Ginger's films (although with less interesting dance routines, but marvelous songs on the other hand). Reggie Gardiner as the Earl's (Montagu Love) butler is a joy....he's superb and so is the kid who plays another servant (who made a ballot for "Mr. X"). As for Gracie Allen, I'm not really fond of her humor, but she's OK...