JackFavell wrote:I really like Everyone Says I Love You, it has little pretense and I find all the performers charming.
Wasn't At Long Last Love the movie in which Bogdanovich tried to stage musical numbers as they were acted out -- danced and sung? I mean, no dubbing, or lip synching, no pre-or post production fixing? I've always wanted to see it, but have hesitated.
Yes. The songs were recorded live, I believe. Ask and you shall receive. Yeah, I know. Just what we need. One more movie to watch. I haven't seen it since '75. Do you think it might have gotten better, or I got sappier--or is it more perceptive? Based on Uncle Stevie's comments, I'm not real eager to watch:
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Before I dive headlong into At Long Last Love, I wanted to say that Dorothy Parker seems to be following me around...I found out this week that Parker had written two songs (I never knew she wrote lyrics at all) and that both songs are favorites of mine....I Wished on the Moon (made famous by Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson), and How Am I to Know, (sung most memorably by Ava Gardner in the movie Pandora and the Flying Dutchman). What has this got to do with musicals, you say?
Well, I also found out that Parker and her husband Alan Campbell wrote the script to Naughty Marietta, which I finally saw yesterday. Yes, it's a standard MacDonald/Eddy vehicle, but it's relaxed and fun, with witty repartee, thanks to Ms. Parker. Yes, they start out hating one another and then fall madly in love, but my gosh, it all worked so well! It has a supporting cast to die for, including Elsa Lanchester and Harold Huber. When Jeannette and Nelson sing of love, it's sublime! Their humorous then tortured rapport reminds me of Dorothy Parker and her writing. I know, it seems odd at first thought, but I find the longing that the two have for one another reminds me of the longing, questioning, slightly bitter tone of Parker's lyrics.
A few years ago, I read something on the internet that changed my view of these two icons of the operetta. I always thought of them as a joke. I had never seen any of their movies all the way through. One day, I caught Rose Marie, and could not look away... I loved it immediately and without reserve. I thought the two must be the most brilliant actors on earth if they really did hate one another, because the love they projected on the screen to one another was palpable. It prompted me to do some research. I read that despite all the rumors to the contrary, they conducted an almost life long love affair, which was rather tragic - MacDonald was pressured by the studio to dump Eddy, and because of a momentary lapse in judgment, she married Gene Raymond instead.
The two at this point were trapped by fear of ruined careers, and suffered greatly. They continued to love one another all their lives, and I think this shows straightforwardly in their films - the way that MacDonald listens simply and rapturously to Eddy when he sings, and the way Eddy is constantly vigilant to protect MacDonald, offering a hand to help her as she steps around in dainty heels. I have now completely fallen for these two and their movies, in which they had their only moments to pour out their love to one another.
And I thank Dorothy Parker for setting the example for all future pairings of the screen lovers.... there is something in their screen relationship anyway, that will never die.
Last edited by JackFavell on April 28th, 2011, 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jacks,I remember watching (as a very VERY young child ) This is Your Life, when they featured Jeannette. When Nelson Eddy's voice was heard, she started crying...hard. It was so sweet, it was 'explained' that they had lost touch, hadn't seen each other for years....uh, huh.
Knowing their real story and full history makes their movies even more moving for me...I literally cannot watch them without coming to tears at some point in each of their movies.
One thing I appreciate now that I didn't before is the tongue in cheek approach of MacDonald and Eddy - with the old fashioned operetta storylines, their movies could have been really sappy. But they are so impertinent, it's a joy to watch them spark off one another, and poke gentle fun at the goofier parts of the stories.
Notwithstanding the superiority of Jeanette's films at Paramount with Lubitsch and Mamoulian, I have always had a soft spot for the MacDonald-Eddy films that I have seen. Perhaps it's because my grandmother and her husband recalled so vividly when I was a young lad, their fondness for those naïve Operettas? I remember that once I even saw Jeanette's version of "Smilin' Through" (1941) with both of them on a small TV set and that they were both enthralled -although the version of the story they were keen on was Norma Shearer's, from 1932 (unavailable at that time)....They always talked about "Naughty Marietta", "Rose Marie" et al. "Indian Love Call" was a song they adored....I remember that I bought a tape (from an album recorded in the 1950s) in which the Duo sang in beautiful Super Stereo sound and that I used to play it frequently. Thus, Wanting You, The Breeze and I, Italian Street Song, Giannina Mia, While My Lady Sleeps, Rosalie, Indian Love Call et al, became standards for me
The first film I remember watching of then was "Bitter Sweet", but I do not recall much from it....But the movie that really made an impact on me and which I think is superb and their best is "Maytime" (1937), a beautiful story lavishly filmed in B&W. Yo must see it if you like MacDonald & Eddy. "New Moon" (1940), "Rose Marie" (1936) and "I Married an Angel" (1942) I also enjoyed, but not so much as the former.
Well today I watched "That Lady in Ermine" (1948) (my wife condescended to watch it with me, but thought it was absolutely corny). I enjoyed the film, and I laughed at some parts, but I disliked the gaudy Technicolor (typical of Betty Grable's films) which is better suited to Fox's Tropical fantasies with Carmen Miranda set in fictitious South American countries... This filmed claimed for B&W or a softer palette of colors and for another actress in the title role; Betty Grable is miscast as the Countess and Doug Fairbanks Jr. is right as the Colonel. In all a pleasant musical, but not up to the level of Lubitsch's best; well, most of thew film was directed by Preminger.
I also like the MacDonald/Eddy Duo movies. I own most of thos listed above and adore her being courted by Nelson. I do not like unhappy endings but I think Bitter Sweet was a very good movie. I am a Jeanette fan and adore her innocent personna in most films. I also loved her maturity in Three Daring Daughters with Jane Powell. Jeanette MacDonald is someone I would love to curl up to and tell Bedtime Stories.
Uncle Stevie
"Great Marriages Are Made In Heaven,
So Is Thunder and Lightning"
JackF, thanks for that homage to JM & NE. I recorded Rose Marie when I first got set up, but never took it that seriously. I didn't watch it again for years, but when I saw it recently, I was completely absorbed. "I must be losing my mind," I thought, "I'm hanging on every scene, every note."
I think I must have arrived at the same place you did, as you wrote:
One thing I appreciate now that I didn't before is the tongue in cheek approach of MacDonald and Eddy - with the old fashioned operetta storylines, their movies could have been really sappy. But they are so impertinent, it's a joy to watch them spark off one another, and poke gentle fun at the goofier parts of the stories.
They were in the cheese, but not of the cheese, if I may put it that way.
I may not go out and get their entire catalog, but I'm much more inclined to get Maytime on my next acquisition go-around.
"Immorality may be fun, but it isn't fun enough to take the place of one hundred percent virtue and three square meals a day."
Goodnight Basington
I knew I could find others here who felt as I do, that MacDonald and Eddy are still relevant in 2011. Their poise, humor, glamour and longing for one another seem very appropriate to me on this royal wedding day.
Let me add my name to the list of admirers. I have all eight of their movies. I feel that their best movie was Maytime (1937). It was also Jeanette`s favourite. I also found the first part of Smilin` Through (1941) to be very moving.
I am back home again at last, and back to my own computer. This may give me a bit more time to access SSO.
It is interesting to note that my 10 year old Lhasa Apso b**** is called Buttons. However she does not dance, preferring to sleep on my lap while I watch movies.
Based on Uncle Stevie's comments, I'm not real eager to watch:
