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Post by I Love Melvin on Apr 30, 2024 15:27:08 GMT
As promised, I want to pay a little attention to Elvis. He entered the film medium full of promise, but we all know what happened once the sausage making began. But early on there was more of an attempt to feature him as a vocalist rather than just as a frontman to some backup combo as he gyrated to distract us from how truly dismal some of it was. Even middling Elvis could be entertaining, but the longer his movie career went on the less selective they were about his material and the way it was presented, more often than not featuring the diversionary tactic of a gaggle of women showing their stuff for the camera. Taken individually, some of them aren't all that bad, but a sameness to most of the later stuff created a lowered expectation and his film career basically petered out as social changes made them seem more trivial. But Elvis loved movies, musicals too, and rose to the occasion many times, like this nicely staged song from King Creole (1958), with Kitty White as the crawfish seller. "Crawfish".
His first color film was Loving You (1957), the previous year, featuring this song, "Lonesome Cowboy". He played a singer trying to build a career, so he was shown mostly in what became a common context for him, fronting a small combo, to the point where numbers not featuring that format stood out. The song is no stand-out, but it's a solid vocal performance.
And here's a good example of the Elvis and combo format in a gimmicky but fun number from Fun in Acapulco (1963), the one with Ursula Andress, fresh off Dr. No (1962) with Sean Connery. "Bossa Nove Baby". It's one of the best examples of a generic type of musical number which the later films favored. If you have any favorites, please feel free to post them.
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Post by Fading Fast on Apr 30, 2024 17:14:04 GMT
⇧ Like you - and so many - I weep for what could have been with Elvis and Hollywood versus what it was. But since it is what it is, there are still some fun things to take out of it, like this particular (silly) favorite from "Viva Las Vegas," where Ann-Margret proves the King's equal in this number.
This clip from Elvis' 1968 "Comeback Special" shows he still had it all those years in Hollywood if they had only let him let it rip:
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 1, 2024 12:19:39 GMT
⇧ Like you - and so many - I weep for what could have been with Elvis and Hollywood versus what it was. But since it is what it is, there are still some fun things to take out of it, like this particular (silly) favorite from "Viva Las Vegas," where Ann-Margret proves the King's equal in this number. Their work together was a good example of the level to which he instinctively rose when cast opposite strong actors and personalities. He got to work with actors like Barbara Stanwyck, Angela Lansbury, Stella Stevens, Mary Tyler Moore, etc., and in each case it seemed to bring out much more than casting him alongside frat-boy costars like Bill Bixby did, which only seemed to lead to dumb shenanigans and a juvenile atmosphere as a whole. I remember reading in one of the biographies how pleased he was to work with Gene Nelson as a director because he loved all those old musicals he did with Doris Day, etc. His personal instinct was toward elevated material but apparently the crass opportunism of the Colonel prevailed. The biggest shame is that he never allowed himself (or was allowed by you-know-who) to do A Star is Born. Streisand was a fish out of water in the rock world and absolutely needed a costar with real credibility. No disrespect to Kris, but he wasn't it; Elvis could fill stadiums many times over and if the project had been re-tailored for him specifically it could have been a knockout and a real redemption moment for Elvis. Unfortunately, it was a moment which never came.
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Post by Fading Fast on May 1, 2024 16:16:12 GMT
I've never seen the movie that this video is from, but taken as a music video, it is an incredibly impressive bit of acting by Elvis. In two minutes, he walks in, picks up a girl and takes her home, but he does it with a perfect nonchalance that is hard to make look genuine on screen.
He enters the party like a cat on the prowl, sees his prey and, then, moves in - all with a confidence that he conveys in his every motion. Look at how focussed he stays as she starts to dance and then how fluidly he steps into the car's backseat and then drops into the driver's seat - that is hard to do while singing and looking completely at ease.
Dancing as you sing in a music video is easy for a singer used to performing live, but what Elvis does here, from beginning to end, is acting.
Also, it was 1968 and the cutting-edge fashion and look was flower power, but Elvis' look - a white turtleneck and a double-breasted navy suit - while a bit dated for the time, is classic enough that it could still be worn today. He looks so much better in this video in 2024 than if he had been sporting the hippie look in it.
Last point, it is also one kick-*ss song.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 1, 2024 23:00:16 GMT
I've never seen the movie that this video is from, but taken as a music video, it is an incredibly impressive bit of acting by Elvis. In two minutes, he walks in, picks up a girl and takes her home, but he does it with a perfect nonchalance that is hard to make look genuine on screen.
He enters the party like a cat on the prowl, sees his prey and, then, moves in - all with a confidence that he conveys in his every motion. Look at how focussed he stays as she starts to dance and then how fluidly he steps into the car's backseat and then drops into the driver's seat - that is hard to do while singing and looking completely at ease.
Dancing as you sing in a music video is easy for a singer used to performing live, but what Elvis does here, from beginning to end, is acting.
Also, it was 1968 and the cutting-edge fashion and look was flower power, but Elvis' look - a white turtleneck and a double-breasted navy suit - while a bit dated for the time, is classic enough that it could still be worn today. He looks so much better in this video in 2024 than if he had been sporting the hippie look in it.
Last point, it is also one kick-*ss song.
Elvis was credited for the choreography of the Jailhouse Rock number in the movie and I wouldn't be surprised if he contributed to many of his other numbers, so you're right to acknowledge him for what he did here. Smooth. And you're right about the number being kick-a-**; there was also a kick-a** remix a while back, which was later used in a Nike commercial. So far, every generation seems to pick up on bands such as The Beatles and The Who, so I hope new generations also keep picking up on Elvis or they'll be missing something special.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 1, 2024 23:26:29 GMT
The Ann-Margret number reminded me how rare it was or Elvis to duet with his leading ladies. Usually he sang at them, preferably in a clinch. In Speedway (1968) he partially duetted with Nancy Sinatra, in that she joined in on one chorus for one number, "Ain't Nothing Like a Song", but otherwise she got sung at. But she did get a solo spotlight for this endearing bit of stupidity, "Your Groovy Self". The sound has been remixed, so it really sounds great.
And speaking of stupidity (the movie, not Nancy), she also appeared in the American-International movie The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966). "Geronimo", with The Bobby Fuller Four. I know I spend lots of time on more historically "significant" musical moments, but I have a real fondness for this nonsense too.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 5, 2024 23:17:22 GMT
Dave Karger just showed the Columbia musical Tonight and Every Night (1945) on his Saturday Musical Matinee and revealed that the male dancer who partnered Rita Hayworth for this number was injured, so that choreographer Jack Cole has to step in. I'm a big admirer of Jack Cole's work, so I was pleasantly surprised; he worked with some of the best (Rita, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, etc.) but behind the scenes, so I was unaware of this onscreen appearance. So, thank you, Dave. Rita, as usual, was dubbed, this time by Martha Mears. Jack comes in at 1:40.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 6, 2024 13:29:02 GMT
On the subject of Jack Cole, there are some signature numbers I haven't posted yet, including this particular one with Marilyn from There's No Business Like Show Business (1954). It was the first wide-screen musical using Fox's new CinemaScope process and the movie as a whole really benefitted from Cole's ability as a choreographer to fill a screen with interesting images and movement, because now there was a whole lot more screen to fill. He'd already established a good working relationship with Marilyn on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and the two had already devised some ways to work around her limitations as a dancer. For Cole, it was all about spatial relationships and precision in movement, so for Marilyn it became a matter of twisting body movements and poses, as well as variations on "arm dancing", which stole focus from the feet, all of which became a signature style throughout her career. She insisted on working with Cole any time she had a musical number in films and called on his services in private life sometimes too. At the time Gwen Verdon was Cole's muse / assistant, so it was Gwen who rehearsed Marilyn in Cole's choreography, and Marilyn was quoted as saying something to the effect that if Gwen Verdon can't teach you to dance, you can't dance. As for this number itself, it was still the early/mid 1950's so there was some outcry from conservative factions about indecency and, admittedly, there are some moves normally associated with burlesque, but it's so colorful and energetic that today I think it just reads as fun. Also on the "decency" front, it's interesting to note that navels were forbidden from being shown onscreen, so for the low-cut bare midriff look of both the women and the men there's a weird kind of extra belting to obscure the offending area, a strange but clever work-around which, in my opinion, only emphasizes how low the cut is. Movie censorship took many forms in those days. Anyway, here's the "offending" number, Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave".
This'll be a first because I've already posted this number sometime last year, but I'd like to have them side-by-side because Jack used much of the same style and many of the same costuming and design elements in this number from a Betty Grable / Jack Lemmon musical for Columbia the next year, Three for the Show (1955). If someone else had done it we might cry foul, but for me it's fun seeing how close he came to ripping himself off; other numbers in the film referenced his work in Kismet (1955) and Kiss Me Kate (1953), so it was obviously intentional and not an indicator of lack of imagination. I think he was just having fun and also maybe getting in a dig at anyone who'd been outraged by "Heat Wave". "How Come You Do Me Like You Do?".
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 9, 2024 23:32:49 GMT
Hit the Deck (1955) isn't one of my favorite musicals but, on the other hand, it's jam-packed with music and dance. Debbie Reynold in particular came off really well, with at least three sold dance numbers to her credit. To hear Debbie tell it, she was sort of railroaded into dancing in the beginning, but she stuck with it and will be forever associated with the musical genre, especially after her film career when she kept the memory of her musical achievements alive in live shows. In Hit the Deck she got a chance to perform this cute number with Russ Tamblyn, who was also able to branch out from the genre but will also always be remembered for what he did there.
Here she is again with a screenful of sailors; the song is a little generic, but a decent showcase for Debbie. It gets interrupted by some plot business about Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn and Vic Damone on the run from the shore patrol, so prepare to be confused if you haven't seen the movie. What a cast, though. Ann Miller's also on board, always a plus, as is Jane Powell. I've mentioned it before, but I'm still looking for a good copy of the tipsy dance to "Tequila" Debbie did with Cantinflas after crawling out of a giant jug in Pepe (1960), and I'll post it if I ever find a decent copy. Here's Debbie as "Loo-Loo" in Hit the Deck.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 9, 2024 23:43:55 GMT
P.S. I sort of half-heartedly checked YouTube again, and lo and behold someone posted the number from Pepe about nine months ago, so here's Debbie and Cantiflas in Dan Dailey's drunken imagination. Yay.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 10, 2024 14:39:33 GMT
Since Russ Tamblyn just came up, let's take a look. He started in movies in mostly dramatic roles but his biggest break came in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954). The barn raising dance was featured in the That's Entertainment series and has been widely referenced, so I'll assume most people have seen it, but it's always worth a second look. You'll notice that Russ and Jacques d'Amboise were the only two who attempted a back flip on the beams, which puts him in very select company.
The Fastest Gun Alive (1956) was a dramatic western with Glenn Ford as a retired gunslinger trying to stay out of the game, but the movie found room for this great sequence, which had been cut but then restored, of Russ' character at a barn dance. He was certainly one of the most athletic of the movie dancers; his early gymnastic training is on full display here and this probably represents his best dancing on film.
After receiving an Academy Award nomination for Peyton Place (1957) Russ made Tom Thumb (1958), an original musical featuring some George Pal animation. Again, the combination of dancing and gymnastics was noteworthy. The best available clip of his dancing features him interacting with the animated toys, but sorry about the Portuguese subtitles.
He later did a "Gypsy Dance" with Yvette Mimieux in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962) but, considering that it was filmed in Cinerama, I don't want to post the faded, cropped version that's available on YouTube, so let's end with one of the best. Russ was part of a very talented dance ensemble in West Side Story (1961), but even there he stood out. It's probably his best remembered dance role.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 12, 2024 14:06:21 GMT
cmovieviewer has posted TCM's (partial) June schedule and the Esther Williams movie Duchess of Idaho (1950) is on it. Honestly, it's nothing special and stays right on track with the formula for those things, but it's actually historically significant for being Eleanor Powell's last screen appearance. She'd been out of films for 5+ years but returned for a cameo as herself and for a final dance. Esther said in her autobiography ("The Million Dollar Mermaid", 1999) that Eleanor rehearsed the number so much that her feet bled, which is the kind of commonplace tale you often hear applied to dancers, but in Eleanor's case I believe it. It's nice that she wanted to say goodbye this way and it's nice that we get to say the same to her.
The movie also marked Lena Horne's swan song at MGM, though she returned on a per picture basis later, so the end of an era for Lena as well as for Eleanor. I imagine it was a good thing for Lena to regain control of her own image, because after this appearance in what I'd call an overly modest look, she went for sexy and slinky and never really looked back. "Baby, Come Out of the Cold".
Esther, on the other hand, persisted at MGM for another handful of films in somewhat the same vein, until she rounded out her career with some dramatic roles, including a couple of torrid ones at Universal, The Unguarded Moment (1956) and Raw Wind in Eden (1958). And naturally, even in Idaho, Esther stumbled onto a suitable venue, complete with water slide, to be able to take the mandatory plunge. I hope I'm not ruining the movie for anyone by giving so much away, but it's the kind of generic fun you normally watch knowing pretty much what to expect anyway.
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Post by Fading Fast on May 12, 2024 14:37:29 GMT
"Esther said in her autobiography ("The Million Dollar Mermaid", 1999) that Eleanor rehearsed the number so much that her feet bled, which is the kind of commonplace tale you often hear applied to dancers, but in Eleanor's case I believe it."
I believe it too. Fred Astaire is said to have insanely practiced his routines as well.
I think a great actor could possible show up and do a scene without much prep, but you are not just dancing a highly choreographed number without hard work and plenty of practice. It's a different type of skill.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 12, 2024 14:40:33 GMT
Esther reminds me that I had this one earmarked to post eventually, so why not now? Hail, Caesar (2016) was a fanciful Hollywood tale which skewered the industry and industry types, including this over-the-top but freakin' amazing parody of an Esther Williams number, with Scarlett Johansson doing the honors.
Also in the film is a sly take on the dancing sailor boy numbers of old, featuring Channing Tatum mining the genre for all it's worth, including a nod to the erotic potential old Hollywood wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole. For a classic movie fan the film itself is a real treat and centers on George Clooney as a kind of vain and clueless male lead in a Biblical epic who is the subject of a kidnapping plot by bungling amateurs. It's a little looney, but fun, and most of the sharp humor hits it target, so check it out if you haven't seen it. It's nice to see how love of classic films still persists in some quarters of the industry, because it sure seems to have vanished in other quarters.
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Post by I Love Melvin on May 12, 2024 14:44:11 GMT
"Esther said in her autobiography ("The Million Dollar Mermaid", 1999) that Eleanor rehearsed the number so much that her feet bled, which is the kind of commonplace tale you often hear applied to dancers, but in Eleanor's case I believe it."
I believe it too. Fred Astaire is said to have insanely practiced his routines as well.
I think a great actor could possible show up and do a scene without much prep, but you are not just dancing a highly choreographed number without hard work and plenty of practice. It's a different type of skill. Yes, and it's a skill we could always count on movies bringing to us on a regular basis. It's so rare to see it now, other than in these great old films.
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