Musical Endings

[Uncle Stevie]

I find that the end of movie musicals are mostly awful. It is as though the writers do not know how to end a plot. The forever quest for a "happy ending" has destryed plausability. Stars take an hour and a half to meet, love, and break apart. Then in about 2 minutes reconcile with a kiss. I feel very unfulfilled by many of the endings and long for some lasting indications they will stay together again.

A case in point is "The Dolly Sisters" (1945) with Betty Grable, June Haver, and John Payne. I liked this movie but except for 10 minutes of lovey dovey Betty and John are at each other's throat because of career successes in different direction. Then in the final moments he sings and she joins him and in an instant all is well in this Fairytale adventure. I needed some more personal emotion added in. This equation seems to be very common in musicals. Endings are something no one wants to tackle

[stuart.uk]

James Cagney singing Overthere while walking on a march after leaving the Whitehouse.

Howard Keel and Katherine Graysone reuniting after his moving reprise of Make Believe from Showboat.

Ginger Roger's as Irene Castle receiving word her husband Vernon, played by Fred Astaire has been killed in flying accident in WW1

A Beatle melody finishes of A Hard Days Night

Barbara Striesand's closing number in Yental

Striesand again with With One More Look At You/Are You Watching Me Now number from A Star Is Born

Elvis Presley's last song in Jailhouse Rock

Elvis singing his greatest hits melody at the end of Loving You

Cliff Richard melody at the end of The Young Ones

[Rita Hayworth]

This equation seems to be very common in musicals. Endings are something no one wants to tackle

A perfect example of this: In Rita Hayworth's Down to Earth as Terpsichore wore a blue gown up in heaven practically 99% of the time; and then the writers awkwardly trying to make an ending by making her more divine when Larry Parks comes to Heaven (he played Danny Miller) ...

Terpsichore was rewarded that indeed he will rejoin her in due faith and she saw image of herself wearing a white gown - older but wiser and I felt it was done in a weird way because its like having two stories woven into one when I just saw the movie more than 3 weeks ago.

The problem is that their were very little romance in it and I for one felt that Rita should had kept the blue gown on instead the white one.

But, the writers wanted to shift gears and made her an angel of great importance. This is one example of a Rita Hayworth's musicals gone bonkers at the end. This is one of Rita's worst endings in a movie in her legendary career.

[Fossy]

I must agree with Uncle Stevie. Some endings just do not ring true. Of course there would be exceptions. A couple that spring to mind are;

Maytime (1937)

Smilin` Through (1941) MacDonald / Aherne—not MacDonald / Raymond

And a non-musical The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)

Co-incidentally they all ended in death

[Uncle Stevie]

Death, unfortunately, is always a conclusive ending.

I am also reminded of "Beloved Infidel" (1959) with Deborah Kerr and Gregory Peck. This was the real life story of Hollywood columist Sheila Graham and her romance with novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was a mature love story that ended in his early death. Death is always the final word.