IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963)

Studio: United Artists

Producer: Stanley Kramer

Director: Stanley Kramer

Awards: It received the Oscar for Best Effects and was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Music Score & Original Song, Best Film Editing & Best Sound. On top of those it won two Laurel Awards and was nominated for four additional achievements.

Interesting Fact: This film was a favorite of Harry Snyder, the original founder of In-and-out burger. In honor of this film, palm trees are placed crossing each other at each location to replicate the "Big W" in the film.

My Favorite Scene: The flying sequence with Rooney & Hackett is among my top favorite scenes of all time. There were so many cameos in those scenes, including the three stooges.

"It's buried under a big W, I tell ya. A big W."

This film has the biggest casting of comedians ever made and included countless cameos. Switching back and forth from multiple stories at a time, it keeps the audience entertained and on the edge of their seat. Your never sure if you are rooting for the bad guy or good guy. In the end you laughed at them all. Whoever was in comedy wanted to be in this picture with very few exceptions. The writing is excellent, the acting superb and the comedy is out of this mad, mad world.

Here is the first part of seven segments in a documentary for the film.

If you want to watch the rest of them, you can find them on YouTube.

ROAD TO UTOPIA (1946)

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Producer: Paul Jones

Director: Hal Walker

Awards: It was nominated for Best Writing at the Oscars.

Interesting Fact: Originally the scene with the bear was used with a tame one. When they first shot the scene the bear did not sleep next to Bob like it had been trained. Instead it began to sniff at him and growl. Bob & Bing refused to do the scene with the bear and the next day it tore off the arm of its trainer.

My Favorite Scene: I love the part when they come in and act tough in the middle of the posse. What gets me most of all is when Bob asks for lemonade... IN A DIRTY GLASS.

Chester Hooton: Everything is cold! My nose is an iceberg.
Duke: Iceberg? That's a glacier.

I know that Road to Morocco is the popular one, but I love Utopia more than any of them. Though many of their films contained an element of breaking through the fourth wall, this one tops them all by adding a narrator and random comments concerning the filming industry. My favorite scene of this type of writing is when Bob tries to cuss on the screen and all you see is animated lip movement. Bing then says in return: "I told you they wouldn't let you say that." Below I have included a clip of Bob Hope commenting on the film in 1983.

THE COURT JESTER (1956)

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Producer: Melvin Frank & Norman Panama

Director: Melvin Frank & Norman Panama

Awards: It has been nominated for a Golden Globe and in 2004 was inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Interesting Fact: Basil Rathbone as an expert sword fighter used his talent to prevent any injuries on the fighting scene. He admitted that he was almost skewered a few times by Danny's wild sword.

My Favorite Scene: I love the scene when he enters the court and give his Jester song and on into when he is arrested for being the princesses secret love.

This movie has it all: singing, acting & comedy. This has always been a family favorite. Among my other favorite scenes is his impersonation of an old man, the sword fight, the vessel with the pessel & the jousting. Danny Kaye gives his all and never comes up for air. Here he showcased a large portion of his talents that he had done in previous films while also creating a whole new suitcase of tricks. What I love most about this film is not just the comedy, but the magnificent sets and backdrops. This is my all-time favorite comedy of vintage Hollywood.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE?

MY TOP TEN COMEDIES

In honor of April Fools day, I have dedicated April to the fools of Hollywood. I have been anticipating this month since I started the blog. Below are my top ten, and I would love to hear about your own top ten to compare lists. You may notice that I did not list a Laurel & Hardy movie. I love the duo dearly and enjoy many of their short films. To keep it centered around the big films themselves, I've left them out. You can bet that there will be a post on them later this month though.

I want to give a special mention to my all-time favorite comedy, "What's Up Doc" (1972). Since this site is dedicated to the golden age of Hollywood, I felt that I needed to point more attention to the previous years before this film was made. If you have not seen this movie, it is a must see. It is based on Grant & Hepburn's, "Bringing Up Baby" (1938). In fact, Ryan O'Neil visited with Grant to get inspiration for his part. He was told by the movie legend only one thing... "wear silk underwear." So wear them he did.

1. "The Court Jester" (1956)
2. "Road to Utopia" (1946)
3. "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963)
4. "Mr. Blanding's Builds His Dream House" (1948)
5. "Hold That Ghost" (1941)
6. "Were No Angels" (1955)
7. "The Great Race" (1965)
8. "The Caddy" (1953)
9. "The Great Dictator" (1940)
10. "Duck Soup" (1933)

THE MUSICAL JIMMY DURANTE

Jimmy is his own species of musical comedy. He had a way of incorporating such a genre into a heart-felt melody. Beside his talent as a comedian and singer, he would often write his own songs. Among them are "Inka Dinka Do," "I Ups to Him and He Ups to Me" & "You Ever Have the Feeling that you Wanted to Go" to name a few.
AS AN ACTOR:
Jimmy had an eye for taking a dramatic scene and throwing in something to mellow it out. In "It Happened In Brooklyn" (1947) he discusses the troubles of his new roommate, Frank Sinatra, in his small kitchen and keeps running into his cabinet doors. At first I thought that this was a blooper that they kept in the film. It wasn't until he kept doing it over and over that I realized it was a humorous distraction. Below is a genuine look at his honest performances.

AS A SINGER:
His voice had a certain raspy texture to it, and has become one of the most well known voices of yester-year. Not only did he grace us with "Frosty the Snowman" but even found a place in our day in "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993). I guess it was that tilted head, shaking chin and ear to ear smile that just made his singing look so effortless and tender. It feels like listening to a man off the street tell his story with music.

AS A COMEDIAN:
It's been said that no one that ugly should have been that successful. Jimmy did just that, but by talking about the elephant in the room... his nose. While other actors and actresses went through hours and hours of preparation for a film, Jimmy just walked on as himself, and everyone loved it. What's interesting about his comedy is that it did not involve a lot of slapstick or movement. All he did was smile, sing and add in a funny store every now and then. That was his formula, and everyone loved it.  Below is a clip from "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944) with the real-life band leader, Harry James.

Another thing you may be wondering about Jimmy. Is that him playing the piano or just a back up? Well, the answer is, that is Jimmy tickling away at the ivory keys. In his youth he made a living playing the piano for money, and he used this talent to write his own music. Name me another actor that can do that.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE OF HIS?

THE MUSICAL JUDY GARLAND

To post on Judy Garland is a vast undertaking. I would contest that there are very few women who have done as much for Hollywood as her. From a little girl in "Pigskin Parade" (1936) to her last film "I Could Go Singing" (1963), every performance was astounding and mesmerizing. She did it all: Singing, Dancing & Acting.

Generally, an Actor can only go so far before they lean on their crutch of musical or comedic talent. Judy, however, used her other talents to expound her acting not conceal it. She was the female voice of Christmas and the poster child/adult of MGM.

AS AN ACTOR:
How can you mention Judy without mentioning "The Wizard of Oz" (1939). This film catapulted her out of the Hardy neighborhood and over the rainbow. It wasn't just her singing that got her there though. Even at the age of 16, she amazed audiences with her acting, which won her one of the youngest Oscars ever presented. My favorite acting of hers is in "The Judgement of Nuremberg" (1961). Her performance is gripping and moving.

AS A SINGER:
Her voice was mellow, pure and original. "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944) showcased a range of her singing talent and gave her a new list of popular songs to perform. My personal favorite is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song." It's amazing that with all the personal struggles in her life she could sing songs that were so beautiful and encouraging. Later in her concerts she would sing the song "San Francisco," which was originally Jeanette MacDonald's song in the movie with the same name. Jeanette was asked if she was upset by this, of which she replied: "Oh, I don't mind... as long as it's Judy!"

AS A DANCER:
From Mickey Rooney to Gene Kelly to Fred Astaire she held her own on the dance floor. Her favorite of mine is "Easter Parade" (1948). Though their wasn't a lot of swooshing and flying through the air, her dance was right on step. In the dance sequence of "When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'" we see her fast paced feet which generally moved a little slower with the tempo in her other films.

Though she had a rough life, the films she was in contained a Judy that enjoyed what she did and knew how to do it better than most. Her musical talent far surpassed many of the other Actresses in her day, as her acting grabbed a hold of the audience who filled the box office every time her name was on the screen. What a talent was Judy!

100th POST!!!

This post marks my 100th post since I created this blog on December 18th 2011. I have a post for almost everyday since then, and I'm still posting.

I started this blog with the purpose of sharing some of my favorite films and movie stars. It quickly transitioned into setting a theme for each month and posting around it. Personally, It has given me a chance to tour some of the many sides of Hollywood that I've never known about or ever thought existed.

I greatly appreciate any comments that I have received. Each one has helped me to shape this blog to become better and hopefully more interactive. If you have any other ideas on how I can make my posts to become more interesting, I look forward to your feedback. It is my goal to create multiple critic discussions on any one of these topics. With some of my posts on Actors or Directors, I want to hear what film is your favorite and which scene you like the most. Some of them may be new to me, and could cause me to add them to my favorites.

All in all, I look forward to the next 100 posts and hope for an even greater appreciation of VINTAGE MEDIA.

THE MUSICAL DANNY KAYE

To start off the posts of the week right, I've turned my attention to the quadruple threat, named Danny Kaye. In Acting, Dancing, Singing & Comedy, he excelled with flying colors that have never been duplicated to this day. From "The Court Jester" (1956) to "Hans Christian Andersen" (1952), he created a Musical genre on his own.

What I love about him was his clean humor. He never had one inappropriate moment, not one dirty joke, just PURE comedy. No one can successfully imitate his speedy limericks or his dizzy tongue twisters, but this wasn't all he had to offer the world. His voice was honest and his acting moving.

He may not have danced like Gene Kelly nor sung like Frank Sinatra but he created his own space in the universe of Hollywood.

AS AN ACTOR:
"Hans Christian Andersen" (1952) & "Wonder Man" (1945) are the first to come in mind. To me, he will always be the author from Denmark. He was the perfect fit for the film, since his voice was matched with his acting. In "Wonder Man," we see him take on two completely opposite roles. From the book worm to the party animal, he never compromised his special something that he always gave in a performance.

AS A DANCER:
With "White Christmas" (1954) as popular as it is in our day, I don't see it needful to elaborate on his talent of dancing. In fact I may only be able to mention a little known fact from the movie itself. As he & Bing Crosby finished off the "Sisters" routine, he had Bing laughing so hard, they had to re-shoot it. With each new take, the laughing got worse until they finally abandoned the idea and stuck with the first shot they had, which is in the film today.

 AS A SINGER:
He had one of the most soft and pure voices of the big screen. My favorite songs of his were "Inchworm" in Hans & the lullaby "I'll Take You Dreaming" in the Jester. Then all of sudden, he becomes a humorous opera singer in "Soliloquy for Three Heads" & "Gypsy Drinking Song" for "The Inspector General" (1949). Another is when he finds himself disguised as the lead in an Opera on "The Wonder Man."

AS A COMEDIAN:
I think the best film to portray his Comedy spectrum was "The Court Jester." It contains all of his shape-shifting, tongue twisting, facial expressing, cowardice best. What a spectacular movie! Each time he was in front of the camera, he presented to us a new side of himself. To find a twin of a comedian, I would have to turn to the great Red Skelton. Both with red hair and each with there own unique pantomimic expressions.

I wish I could show all of my favorite clips but this post would take up the whole site. Instead, I have created this collage to portray his alter egos.

EVERYTHING MUSICAL

For my last week of Musical March I'm going to post on some of the composing duos of Hollywood. Many of them reached their fame on Broadway first and reached the big screen through their successful songs. With this in mind, I apologize if I dont give enough credit for their contributions to the stage. If I have time, I hope to also post on some of the entertainers in musicals like Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Betty Hutton, Doris Day, Judy Garland & the many others.

MEREDITH WILLSON (1902-1984)

ROBERT MEREDITH WILLSON

Born: May 18th, 1902 (Iowa)

Died: June 15th, 1984 (heart failure)

Marriages: Elizabeth Wilson (1920-1948), Relina Zarova (1948-1966 Her death) & Rosemary Sullivan (1968-His death)

Children: NONE

Interesting Fact: From 1921-1923 he played the flute and piccolo in John Philip Sousa's band.

Successful Era: In the late 50's and early 60's was when "The Music Man" started on Broadway and transitioned to the screen in 1962.

Awards: He has been nominated twice for an Oscar in Best Music: "The Great Dictator" (1940) & "The Little Foxes" (1941). He was also nominated for a Golden Globe & Tony Award on "The Music Man" (1962) and received 5th place for a Laurel Award. He also has a Star on the Walk of Fame for Radio and was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.

My Favorite Film: "The Music Man" is my favorite of his. The music has so much energy and humor.

Now that I realized he composed the music in "The Great Dictator" now I can see the brassy music connection in "The Music Man." He also had one of his songs, "Till I Met You," adopted by the Beatles.

He has always had a love of music and instruments and dedicated his life to it. It was his play and film, "The Music Man," that became the capstone to his memorial of service to music. He also made the film to give appreciation to his home state of Iowa. Below is one of my favorite songs from the film. To contrast it, I have included music of his from "The Great Dictator."

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II (1885-1960)

OSCAR GREELEY CLENDENNING HAMMERSTEIN

Born: July 12th, 1985 (New York)

Died: August 23rd, 1960 (stomach cancer)

Marriages: Myra Finn (1917-1929), Dorothy Hammerstein (1929-His death)

Children: He had three children in all: William Hammerstein & Alice Hammerstein Mathias by first wife and James Hammerstein with Dorothy.

Interesting Fact: He would often write while standing on a bookkeepers desk given to him by his friend Jerome Kern to keep his creative juices flowing.

Successful Era: Though he began to have his lyrics in films as early as the 30's, it wasn't until the 50's and 60's that he became the legend he is known of today.

Awards: He has won two Oscars: Best Music for "Lady Be Good" (1941) & "State Fair" (1945). He was also nominated three other times for: "The Lady Objects" (1938), Centennial Summer" (1946) & "The Strip" (1951). He has also received five Tony Awards the Pulitzer Prize for Drama on "South Pacific" (1950).

My Favorite Film: "The Sound of Music" is my favorite of his work. Each song in the movie is still celebrated in our day and some of them have been redone. I can't express how much the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" made sense when I was that age.

Hammerstein is a true dreamer and it shows through his lyrics. He was very proper in giving credit where it was due and would often request that the ending credits be changed if he was not the sole author of the lyrics. He was also often frustrated by the talents of his collaborators who could write music to a lyric in a matter of hours that took him many weeks to prepare. He, with his composers, gave us some of the best music of the 50's & 60's.

The song "Edelweiss" would be the last song he would write before he died of cancer in 1960. Can you imagine writing the last words you would be remembered by, and pondering on what message to give the world. Can you imagine the trust he had in his friend Rogers to give it justice when put to music. The result is one of the sweetest and most tender lullaby's written in our day. A song of hope, a song of piece, a song to remind us of the small and beautiful things in life. The most notable lyric in the song is the last word "forever." 

Here is his last song "Edelweiss."

The applause at the end goes to Hammersein himself.

STEPHEN SONDHEIM (1930-LIVING)

STEPHEN JOSHUA SONDHEIM

Born: March 22nd 1930 (New York)

Died: LIVING

Interesting Fact: He was taught by Broadway legend, Oscar Hammerstein II

Successful Era: Known more for his Broadway contributions, he has been successful from the early sixties to our current time.

Awards: He won the Oscar for Best Music on "Dick Tracy" (1990). For the same film he was nominated for two Grammy's & two Golden Globes. In 1974 he won a Edgar Allen Poe award for the film "The Last of Sheila." He also has five Tony Awards.

My Favorite Film: "West Side Story" (1961) has my favorite lyrics out of all his work. The "Jet Song" & "Cool" is especially amazing 'from the womb to the tomb.'

I've chosen to post on Stephen for two reasons: One, I seem to have been following a pattern of Lyricist rather than composers and two, it's his Birthday. After he wrote his first musical, he played it for his friends father, Oscar Hammerstein II. Hammerstein was unhappy with the music and proceeded to educate him on how to write a musical. He later said that he learned more in those moments than all the schooling he had dedicated to it.

"Cool"

JERRY BOCK (1928-2010)

JERROLD LEWIS BOCK

Born: November 23rd, 1928 (Connecticut)

Died: November 3rd, 2010 (heart failure)

Marriage: Patricia (?-His death)

Children: He had two children.

Interesting Fact: For his hit Musical "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971) they had a new comer conduct for the music. The composer they chose was a young John Williams.

Successful Era: He wrote many songs for Broadway hits from the 50's on into the 70's.

Awards: For the 1959 Musical "Fiorello!" he received a Tony Award as Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  He also won another Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist on "Fiddler on the Roof" (1964). In 2010 he received a Daytime Emmy for "The Wonderful Pets" (2006). In 1972 he was inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame. He is also a memebr of the Theater Hall of Fame.

My Favorite Film: "Fiddler on the Roof" was really the only one of his films with his music to make it on the big screen. That was just fine with me. The film is filled with energy, culture & beautiful music.

Known for his Broadway contributions rather than his Hollywood experience, I still chose to post on Jerry for his marvelous work on the music of "Fiddler on the Roof" (1971). Each song, though religious, reaches out to every group of mankind. From "To Life" to "Do You Love Me" it causes an individual to pause and think on the lyrics. What wonderful music he wrote!

 

"Tevye's Dream" goes from a slow-paced celebration

to a fast-paced nightmare.

ALAN JAY LERNER (1918-1986)

ALAN JAY LERNER

Born: August 31st, 1918 (New York)

Died: June 14th, 1986 (lung cancer)

Marriages: Ruth Boyd (1940-1947), Marion Bell (1947-1949), Nancy Olson (1950-1957), Micheline Muselli Pozzo diBorgo (1957-1965), Karen Gunderson (1966-1974), Sandra Payne (1974-1976), Nina Bushkin (1977-?) & Liz Robertson (1981-His death).

Children: All together he had five children.

Interesting Fact: He was on the Yearbook Committee of his High School with John. F. Kennedy.

Successful Era: Wrote Lyrics to songs in popular musicals from the early 50's on into the late 60's.

Awards: He has won three Oscars: Best Writing "An American in Paris" (1951) along with Best Writing & Best Music for "Gigi" (1958). He was nominated for: Best Music "Royal Wedding" (1951), Best Writing "My Fair Lady" (1964) and two Best Music Oscars for "The Little Prince" (1974). He has received six other achievements with nominations for an additional three.

My Favorite Film: From "My Fair Lady" (1964) to "Camelot" (1967) to "Brigadoon" (1954) I'm finding it hard to choose. Brigadoon would win as my favorite though. The story is more impressive to me.

Earlier on he became a Lyricist but found true success when he was teamed with Frederick Loewe in 1942. Since he lost the sight in his left eye from a boxing incident he was rejected during the war to serve in the military. Their first real hit together was "Brigadoon" in 1954. They went on to write songs for "My Fair Lady," "Camelot" & "Gigi" to name a few. Before his death he was approached by Andrew Lloyd Weber to write lyrics to a new play "Phantom of the Opera." Unfortunately his failing health did not allow him to participate as much as he would have liked.

Here is one of his best songs, "How to Handle a Woman"