10 FAVORITES (53): Disney's More Delightful "Duds"

Thanks to a charming if (mostly) predictable Academy Awards this past Sunday, I am in a Disney kind of mood.  So I return to my beloved 10 FAVORITES, but this time with a little twist.  The House of Mouse has given us a plethora of movies that range from the phenomenally brilliant (see Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins or The Lion King) to the primarily average (see Cinderella or Peter Pan) to the awfully misguided (see Song of the South or even Pocahontas).  But among the many films, there are a few that get lost in the shuffle.  Some of them even get derided as below average or bad (by audiences, critics or by the studio itself!).  These Disney films listed below are among the ones that are ultimately good/decent films (despite a few flaws here or there), yet they are often regarded in the "Failure" category (be it commercially, critically or creatively).  So, here are:

THE 10 BEST DISNEY FILMS

THAT OFTEN GET A "BAD RAP"

HONORABLE MENTION
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
This one is the "HM" because it is the most recent one on the list.  It hasn't had the time to gain the "Bad Rap" that it seems to be on the path to gaining.  Now, you might be saying to me: "But critics seemed to like this movie and I remember it making some decent money back in 2009!"  Yes critics liked it, but critical praise was not what the Disney Studio was going for here.  And yes it made money, but not as much as the studio wanted it to make considering the amount they spent on promoting it and highlighting their innovation of creating the first African-American Disney Princess.  And yes Princess Tiana has been integrated into the Princess franchise, but not to the prominent extent that say Mulan (who isn't even a Princess!) has been.  Despite all these "Yes...But"'s, the movie is one of the best traditional animated movies the Disney studio has made in the last decade with some memorable characters (like villain Dr. Facilier) and charming performances (especially leading lady, the always amazing Anika Noni Rose!).

MOVIE #10

The Fox and the Hound (1981)

This is one of Disney's most emotional ventures and one of its most taxing.  Why is it derided?  Well, the studio does not exactly have the happiest of back stories regarding the making of this film.  In the late '70s and early '80s, the Disney studio was in complete disarray.  Frustrated animators were exiting left and right (see Don Bluth!) and the creative department were turning down potentially lucrative projects in favor of what we would call "safe bets."  Despite all this, this film went through an arduous filmmaking process (squabbles over the rights to the novel, condensing said novel, finding animators to work on the film, etc.) and was released the same year as Don Bluth's innovative The Secret of NIMH.  Bluth's project was a critical and box office success, while Fox and the Hound did relatively well (box office-wise) and was liked by some critics (not all).  It just did not do well enough for a studio that felt like it had just been to hell and back making it.

MOVIE #9

Pete's Dragon (1977)

This one may not be as good as some of Disney's live-action musicals (certainly no Mary Poppins), but its pros outweigh its cons.  The songs (by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschorn), while not as charming as any of the Sherman Brothers' tunes, are for the most part delightful.  The character of Elliot the Dragon (voiced by comedy clown Charlie Callas) is a loving character that I certainly would like to have seen used more (say in Animated shorts or, as Disney loves to do, a direct-to-video sequel).  And the cast is actually a pretty good cast for the characters created.  Its an eclectic mix that includes pop-star Helen Reddy, screen legend Mickey Rooney, Oscar-winners Shelley Winters and Red Buttons, Mr. Magoo and Gilligan's Island star Jim Backus and Broadway powerhouse Jim Dale (brilliantly cast as the wicked Dr. Terminus).  The one major flaw I always find in the film is the character (and the casting!) of Pete, who just comes off as an irritating little brat as opposed to a kid beaten down by life that the audience should root for and understand.

MOVIE #8

Hercules (1997)

This is another one whose "Bad Rap" is due to lack of critical praise and its inadequate (at least in the studio's eyes) box office.  And I have talked with peers of mine about my liking for this film.  Some of them think I just have a love for Disney (which I kinda do!), but others I have been able to convince that this film is not as bad as say Pocahontas.  The Disney studio still was riding high from their successes (Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.) that they were just trying to churn out a potential money-maker.  True, they Disney-fied the Greek Myths and that doesn't sit well with a lot of the audience members (especially the college-age ones that study those Myths and some of the darker tidbits within them!).  But they don't do any more to the Myths than what they do to the Fairy Tales, and considering what they had to cut-out (for logic's sake!), they did pretty well.  The villain Hades (voiced perfectly by James Woods) is one of Disney's better villains.  And Alan Menken's score (with its gospel-influenced style) is toe-tapping and a nice throwback for Menken (who cut his "professional teeth" with the Off-Broadway hit Little Shop of Horrors).

MOVIE #7

Newsies (1992)

I know that this may seem like a plug for the new Broadway version that will be opening this Spring, but I actually enjoyed this movie (despite it having some major problems).  It was originally supposed to be a live-action drama.  But after the success of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the powers-that-be decided that a musical would serve the story better (especially if it had a lot of Janet Jackson-style pop-and-lock routines!).  Now, the film was such a flop that some of the cast members wanted it removed from their resumes (I won't name names, but they both have Academy Awards!).  Despite that, the film has gained an underground (almost cultish) following.  The score (by Alan Menken and frequent Manillow collaborator Jack Feldman) is actually quite delightful and very Broadway in its style.  And the cast, despite their objections, is actually quite good with what they have to do (even if they are embarrassed to be doing it!).  The problems in this film lie in the sloppy script and the lack of character development (mostly for the supporting characters).  But the well-performed musical numbers and the charming cast make this movie an enjoyable watch.

MOVIE #6

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

This is a "lost-in-the-shuffle" pick.  After the hard years at the beginning of the decade and the debacle that is known as The Black Cauldron, Disney combined its powers with Hollywood power broker Joel Silver and his production company Silver Screen Partners.  One of their first projects together was this charming adaptation of the Basil of Baker Street stories.  It eventually got overshadowed by the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the Disney Musical Renaissance, but the movie is a great mix of adventure, mystery and even musical numbers.  The villain, Professor Ratigan, is brilliantly performed by Vincent Price and is clearly one of the film's strongest highlights.

MOVIE #5

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

This makes the list because it never fully got the respect it deserved and it was mostly the Disney studio's fault.     After the death of Walt Disney, the studio clearly faltered.  And in the making of this film, which they wanted to be half as successful as Mary Poppins, they were extremely budget conscious.  They made severe cuts to the over 2 hour film (to put it under 2 hours) that made the film seem sloppy and unprofessional.  It wasn't until the 2001 DVD release (in which most of the cut scenes were restored to the film) that fans and detractors of the film realized how good the film could have been if the studio had allowed it in its original form.  Despite this, the film is an absolute delight and the always phenomenal Angela Lansbury (who shows off her Tony-winning musical talent) is a major reason for it.

MOVIE #4

Robin Hood (1973)

This one is another film that the studio just has bad memories of making.  Frustration among the Disney animators was growing and the studio was cutting budgets in almost every department.  So it is rare that this film gets a classic DVD or video release.  But most people I talk to only have really good memories of this movie.  I know I have always enjoyed it.  Though they do excise the classic characters of Will Scarlet and Guy of Gisbourne, the characters they do use are a mix of clever, funny and important to the Robin Hood tale.  I also love the brilliant cast that includes the always jazzy Phil Harris as Little John, country legend Roger Miller as minstrel Alan-a-Dale and (in the most amazing piece of voice casting) Sir Peter Ustinov stealing the movie as the spoiled and whiny Prince John.

MOVIE #3

Oliver and Company (1988)

Like Great Mouse Detective, this one also gets lost in the shuffle of the praise for the Disney Musical Renaissance.  This stylish modern (at least modern for the late '80s!) update of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist is clever and thrilling.  Its soundtrack was a staple in my house when the movie came out and its pop-infused score was filled with good songs (from the Huey Lewis-sung opening "Once Upon a Time In New York City" to the Bette Midler diva number "Perfect Isn't Easy").  The highlight (for most people who remember this film) was the performance of Billy Joel as the doggy Dodger character with his bouncy theme "Why Should I Worry?"  With cheerful songs like these, why should we worry? Really?

MOVIE #2

A Bug's Life (1996)

This film also gets forgotten for the unfortunate reason that it was the Disney/PIXAR collaboration to follow the masterpiece that was Toy Story.  Most people should have known that no movie could follow Toy Story no matter what it was and this simple story has just become to pedestrian in the light of PIXAR's other great films (like The Incredibles, Up or Finding Nemo).  So when friends of mine list the best PIXAR films, they always tend to forget how charming this movie really was.  I liked it a lot more than Dreamworks' bug movie (Antz) and I thought it was really clever at the time.  I too fall victim to the overshadowing of PIXAR's more impressive fair.  But each time I go back to this film, I recall how much I enjoyed the witty writing, the clever cast (that included Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, David Hyde Pierce and Denis Leary) and the Oscar-nominated score by PIXAR fave Randy Newman.

AND...
MOVIE #1
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
This film is a favorite of mine even though it does have some problems (Disney-fying Victor Hugo, quirky gargoyles, etc.).  The main problem it had was it had to follow Pocahontas, which the critics just hated (for good reasons).  Anything that followed a critical failure like that was going to have to impress on a major level and this film just did not impress them.  True, they Disney-fied a literary classic, but look at some of the stuff they left in the story (like the sexual perversion of the main villain, something you just don't see in a lot of kid films!).  And as far as musical scores go, this qualifies as Alan Menken's most ambitious one.  And the lyrics by Stephen Schwartz are mix of poignant, funny and beautiful.

10 FAVORITES (50) - Hollywood's Golden Age

It is now almost 2 years ago when I began this blog with a list of my 100 Favorite Movies of All-Time.  One of the things I noticed on the list was the number of movies from certain eras and decades.  Naturally, as a member of what was once known as "Generation X," a majority of the films came from the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s.  The decades that seemed to be the least prominent on the list were the 1930s and the 1940s, two decades that together have been called "Hollywood's Golden Age."  Together, there were a total of 10 films from both decades on the list.  So, technically, the "Top 10 of the Golden Age" were: 

1. The Wizard of Oz (1939) (at #10)

2. Casablanca (1942) (at #15)

3. Citizen Kane (1941) (at #26)

4. The Philadelphia Story (1940) (at #36)

5. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) (at #38)

6. Gone With the Wind (1939) (at #40)

7. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) (at #48)

8. Duck Soup (1933) (at #61)

9. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (at #65)

10. Going My Way (1944) (at #82)

But over the last few months (in large part, thanks to my father!), I have been watching several Hollywood classics from those decades (Bless you, Turner Classic Movies!).  And I started thinking about what movies from that era do I love.  Which films from that Golden Age just missed making my Top 100?  So, for the 50th  edition of 10 FAVORITES, I decided that this week would be devoted to: 

THE SECOND 10 

BEST MOVIES OF 

THE 1930s & 1940s

MOVIE #20
Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)
Since the #1 movie of the '30s and '40s is the film that sky-rocketed Judy Garland to Hollywood stardom, then it seems only fitting that one of the other movies from that era to make such a list would be the one that introduced her to the director who used her best in her career (and her husband!): Vincente Minnelli.  In Meet Me In St. Louis, Garland sings two of her (other) most iconic songs: the poignant Christmas ballad "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"  (of which I have already spoken about on this blog!) and the jaunty "Trolley Song" in which she sings the legendary line "Clang Clang Clang! Went the Trolley!"  This film became one of three films that are considered "definitive" Judy Garland (the other two being The Wizard of Oz and 1954's A Star Is Born).

MOVIE #19
Rebecca (1940)
Long before Alfred Hitchcock was making masterpieces like Psycho or North By Northwest or Rear Window, he began his career as a title designer and art director in the Silent Era.  And his flair for the picturesque is never more obvious than in his 1940 Oscar-winning adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's gothic novel Rebecca.  It was his first American project and it starred Joan Fontaine as a young woman who marries a dashing widower, Maxim de Winter (played by the always brilliant Laurence Olivier).  But de Winter has one flaw as a husband, the lingering memory of his first wife (the titular character) dominates everything within his large and gloomy household.  The mystery surrounding Rebecca's death becomes the focal point of Fontaine's character and Hitchcock's mastery of the psychological thriller entices the audience even more.

MOVIE #18
Ball of Fire (1941)
When it comes to the slang and the jargon of the era, no film uses it more perfectly than the 1941 classic Romantic Comedy Ball of Fire.  Gary Cooper is well cast as the smart and stiff ring leader of a band of professors compiling an encyclopedia about the entire world up to that date.  When he realizes that his article on slang is incomplete, he sets out to find out everything he can about the subject.  Enter the amazing Barbara Stanwyck as Sugarpuss O'Shea, a night club singer who Cooper asks to teach him about slang.  As a mobster's girlfriend on the run from the law, she uses this opportunity to take residence in the professors' home and shakes everything up.  It is a hilarious and well-acted twist on the Snow White tale, especially with the delightful character actors who fill the parts of the other professors (just look up S. Z. Sakall or Henry Travers or Richard Haydn to get an idea of the track record of these actors!).

MOVIE #17
Modern Times (1936)
A couple people pointed out to me that my 100 Favorite Movies list neglected to recognize the genius of Charlie Chaplin.  To be honest, I have never been a great fan of his films but I do respect his artistry (especially in his classics like The Gold Rush or City Lights).  But, for me, it is his 1936 semi-silent satire of industrialism and trying to make it in tough economic climates (something we all know too well these days!).  Chaplin's iconic Tramp character is charming, endearing and hilarious with his knack for physical comedy.  The scene in the factory alone makes the movie a pure classic!

MOVIE #16
42nd Street (1933)
It is considered the ultimate backstage movie musical.  It contains the classic line "You're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"  It features some of the most notable of Busby Berkeley's filmed dance sequences.  It is also the film that introduced us to the likes of Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers, three of the biggest names in Hollywood's finest musicals.  It is a love letter to Broadway from Hollywood (which Broadway has since utilized fully well!).

MOVIE #15
It Happened One Night (1934)
Before Frank Capra moved us with emotional powerhouses like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington or It's a Wonderful Life, he created one of the most enduring Romantic Comedies in film history.  The movie follows the now-standard narrative of "Opposites Attract" as beautiful heiress Claudette Colbert, running away from her domineering father, falls for brash and married-to-the-job journalist Clark Gable.  The film further joined the pantheon of legendary classics when on Oscar night 1935 it became the first film to win the top 5 major awards of the evening: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay (for Robert Riskin's wry and witty adaptation of Samuel Hopkins Adams' magazine story).  Only two other films have since been able to match that record (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1976 and The Silence of the Lambs in 1992).

MOVIE #14
Stagecoach (1939)
Another criticism I received from my 100 list was for my lack of appreciation of Westerns.  It's true, I have never been a fan of the genre (most Westerns I tend to gravitate towards are more non-traditional with unconventional elements).  But if I had to pick which "traditional" Western would be considered my favorite, I would have to say that John Ford's 1939 Stagecoach is definitely a top contender.  The film is filled with great character actors in some of their best performances (like Claire Trevor as a prostitute with a good heart, John Carradine as a Southern gambler and Thomas Mitchell as a kind-hearted but alcoholic doctor - a role which won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor).  The film also features John Wayne in a breakout role as the Ringo Kid, a fugitive out to avenge the killing of his father and brother.  But the true highlight of the film for me is Ford's camerawork that has influenced countless of other films.

MOVIE #13
His Girl Friday (1941)
If I had to pick a favorite actor from Hollywood's Golden Era, Cary Grant would be the first one to come to my mind (with Jimmy Stewart not too far behind, but I already discussed The Philadelphia Story!).  Grant was the ultimate in some of the two decades most enduring Romantic Comedies.  In His Girl Friday (which was an adaptation of the 1931 film The Front Page), Grant plays Walter Burns, a nose-to-the-grindstone newspaper editor who is stumbling on the story that will make his paper the best in the business.  As the movie begins, he is losing the one person he trusts more than anyone else, his ex-wife and star reporter Hildy Johnson (played to perfection by the dynamic Rosiland Russell).  She is leaving the newspaper business to get married and live in the suburbs, a life Walter knows deep in his heart that Hildy doesn't want.  The chemistry between Grant and Russell is pitch perfect.  Every word they speak to each other (in their mile-a-minute dialogues) is filled with wit and verve.

MOVIE #12
Pinocchio (1940)
As Walt Disney's second full-length Animated feature, Pinocchio set the standard for the emotional pull that most Disney films have mastered over the years.  It perfectly combines music ("When You Wish Upon a Star," "I've Got No Strings" or "Hi Diddle Dee Dee") with poignant storytelling and characters that range from the comical ("catty" conman Gideon!) to the downright scary (Monstro!).  It also featured a lead character who, as a child-like character that certainly had flaws, was learning lessons right along with the target Disney audience members: children.

AND...
MOVIE #11
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
When it comes to showbiz biographical films, Hollywood tends to sanitize the facts so much that the final story doesn't even come close to matching what really happened (look at the biographies of Florenz Ziegfeld, Cole Porter or George Gershwin for examples).  But the 1942 film about Broadway legend George M. Cohan is different from most of the other Hollywood biopics.  While the darker parts of Cohan's life are subject to the usual Hollywood sanitation cycle, the film does stick pretty close to the chronological happenings in Cohan's life and captures the nationwide sensation that the master showman was.  It really helps that the man cast as George M. Cohan really shines in a dazzling performance.  James Cagney, who before was known for his work in 1930s gangster films (Grapefruit anyone?), truly surprised everyone with his musical talents and he struck a chord with audiences with his moving portrayal of the iconic man who "Gave His Regards to Broadway."

10 FAVORITES (44) - Musical Mouse

As a follow-up to last week's Best Movie Songs, this week I want to focus on the one studio that has perfectly combined the art of movies and the beauty of music for over 80 years: The Walt Disney Company.  Ever since 1928's Steamboat Willie (with Mickey Mouse whistling a merry tune), Disney and music have been combined in an artistic marriage that has been extremely fruitful.  So, in traditional 10 FAVORITES fashion, I would like to discuss:

THE BEST DISNEY SONGS OF ALL-TIME

HONORABLE MENTION"A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins (1964)
The only song from a live-action Disney film on this list (hence, it being Honorable Mention!), with the lovely voice of Oscar-winner Julie Andrews, every kid truly believed that "a spoonful of sugar helped the medicine go down."  What made this song more memorable were the scene's visuals that the magic-makers in Disney's effects department were able to design (which were truly groundbreaking at the time!).  I know I always wanted my room to suddenly clean itself with the snap of my fingers (and so did my mom!).

SONG #10
"Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp (1956)
When you think of iconic Disney scenes, one cannot forget one of the most romantic scenes in film history (you know, when Tramp nuzzles the meatball towards Lady and they accidentally kiss after sharing a noodle!).  And when you think of this clever scene, you cannot forget the song accompanying it, "Bella Notte" (you know, where the two stereotypical Italian waiters are singing to the canine couple!).  Just watch the scene below (and ignore Disney's inherent ethnic insensitivity!).

SONG #9
"Heigh-Ho" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
Kids love it when songs have repeating choruses and verses, so of course I loved this cute Dwarf number from Disney's inaugural feature film.  Plus, Dopey makes anything hilarious!

SONG #8
"Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty (1959)
When Disney music maestro George Bruns was adapting Piotr Ilyich Tchaicovsky's haunting themes from the Sleeping Beauty ballet for Disney's adaptation of the fairy tale, he recruited top songwriters Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain to churn out lyrics that would make the central waltz a chart-topping hit.  What resulted was the gorgeous "Once Upon a Dream," which was beautifully sung by the voices of the leading lovebirds, Mary Costa and Bill Shirley.  (NOTE ON THE VIDEO: The video is of the entire scene in which the song appears, the song does not officially begin until about 4 1/2 minutes into the video!)

SONG #7
"You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story (1995)
Randy Newman has done quite well for PIXAR (winning two Oscars in the process!).  But it is with PIXAR's first feature film that Newman gave us a song that has stuck with us.  In a way, it has become the computer animation giant's unofficial theme song.

SONG #6
"The Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book (1967)
Since I mentioned my appreciation for Phil Harris' work in this film previously, you cannot be surprised that this song makes it onto this list.  The cleverness of the song involves mixing delightful wordplay with a jazzy tune.  Also, it's about relaxing, which every kid loves to do!

SONG #5
"Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid (1989)
The first of four songs on this list to come from that era in Disney's history known as "The Musical Renaissance," this song is the perfect "I Want" Song (see a previous 10 FAVORITES for info!).  I know everybody loves the Oscar-winning showstopper "Under the Sea" or the deliciously villainous "Poor Unfortunate Souls" that Ursula sings to our heroine, but my personal favorite from this film has to be Ariel's yearning for a life above the ocean (and the gorgeous Reprise when she meets the prince of her dreams!).

SONG #4
"A Whole New World" from Aladdin (1992)
When it comes to love duets, Aladdin followed the true musical form and let the hero give the princess what she wanted: To see the world (No dirty jokes people!).  The "soaring" duet won an Academy Award for songwriters Alan Menken and Tim Rice and was the first song the pair wrote together after Menken's previous songwriting partner, Howard Ashman, passed away in the middle of production on Aladdin.  The song is perfectly sung by the characters' singing voices, Broadway stars Brad Kane and Tony-winner Lea Salonga.

SONG #3
"Circle of Life" from The Lion King (1994)
In the Rodgers and Hammerstein tradition of musical songwriting, the opening number of a musical has to set up the world.  What Elton John and Tim Rice did with this song (with the help of Hans Zimmer and South African songwriter Lebo M), was nothing short of amazing.  In the first four minutes of the movie, you get the different types of animals that live in Pride Rock, the way in which these animals live and feel about each other and the momentous occasion that sets the events of the film in motion.  In the stage production, this is one of those opening numbers that is so phenomenally done that once over, you can read the phone book and the show would still be worth the ticket price! (It's also the reason Julie Taymor's ego blew up to the size of the Spider-Man musical's budget!)

SONG #2
"Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast (1991)
I've mentioned how I love this film and how I love Angela Lansbury's work as Mrs. Potts in this film.  So, once again, this song and its placement on this list cannot be that much of a surprise.  The Oscar-winning song says it all: "Tale as old as time, True as it can be..."

AND...
SONG #1
"When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio (1940)
Only one song could rise above "Beauty and the Beast" and that is the iconic song that opens up Disney's classic Pinocchio.  The song, with its beautiful melody and its hopeful lyrics, have become such a part of Disney that the tune is practically the unofficial-yet-official theme song of the studio.

Next week, a brand new GOLDEN PLACES and tomorrow, a very special IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS.

10 FAVORITES (43) - The Movies In My Songs

It has been over a year since I first started this blog with my 100 Favorite Movies, so I thought that one of my 10 FAVORITES should be dedicated to another aspect of Movies I just love: the Music (especially the Songs!).  If you remember from my list, a lot of the films that were featured on it were musicals.  And just like any typical "Broadway Baby," I do believe songs help move the story along or enhance a feeling the movie's story has given the audience.  There are so many songs that appeared in some of my favorite movies and I want to go over some of them.  This week's 10 FAVORITES is about the Best Songs from Movies.  Two quick notes: None of the films featured in this list are Disney Movies, because Disney has used Music and Songs so well that they are deserving of their own (soon-to-be-published) list!  And Eight of the films featured on this list appeared in my Top 100 Movies of all-time, you'll just have to see which of those 100 films received this "extra special" honor.  With that out of the way, on with the list!  Here are:

THE 10 BEST SONGS FROM MOVIES

(NON-DISNEY EDITION!)

HONORABLE MENTION SONG

"Fame" from Fame (1980)

This song has been a constant presence in my life as I have spent a lot of time around artists and actors who are all in the pursuit of the song's title.  Every time I hear those opening chords and Irene Cara's velvet-y voice I want to get up and start dancing...just not as well as the dancers in Fame.

SONG #10

"Springtime For Hitler" from The Producers (1968)

With quite possibly the funniest song I have ever heard, Mel Brooks had storm troopers and ladies with pretzels on their heads dancing in my brain ever since I first saw this hilarious movie.

SONG #9

"My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (1997)

I know, I know, you're probably extremely annoyed now, but I just cannot deny the power this song had.  I mean, it was everywhere in 1997-1998.  And when you get past all of the hoopla and radio play this song received, you realize that there was something about it that people just couldn't resist. 

SONG #8

"Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

When you end your movie with your title character getting crucified, how do you want to fade to black?  Only Eric Idle could deliver a sprightly tune that could lift up our hero's spirits.

SONG #7

"Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail (1986)

Just because I said Non-Disney, doesn't mean I meant Non-Animation!  Don Bluth (who left the Disney Company in 1982) teamed with Steven Spielberg for his 1986 hit An American Tail, and the song "Somewhere Out There" (which was featured both in the film and at the End Credits) was one of those songs every kid wanted to hear.  I went even further, I had the soundtrack, the single, the music video and the sheet music! 

SONG #6

"The Way We Were" from The Way We Were (1973)

When it comes to popularity both in films and on the music charts, we cannot forget Ms. Barbra Streisand.  Her #1 hit made weepy audiences everywhere want to remember lost loves and happy memories.

SONG #5

"The Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie (1979)

For the first scene in the Muppets' first motion picture, they could not have done better.  When you have Kermit the Frog (sweetly performed by the late Jim Henson) singing a song about his hopes and dreams, the child that is in all of us is awakened.

SONG #4

"Mrs. Robinson" from The Graduate (1967)

I almost chose "The Sound of Silence" to be a part of this list, but the movie and this song almost go hand-in-hand that I simply had to give it precedence on the list.  People think the song pre-dated the movie, but actually Simon & Garfunkel sang the song first for the movie and then expanded it for their album the next year.

SONG #3

"Singin' In the Rain" from Singin' In the Rain (1952)

When you think of iconic songs in movies, you cannot hesitate to mention Gene Kelly singing the 1929 radio hit in his fantastic 1952 MGM song-and-dance extravaganza.  The jaunty melody and his (seemingly) improvised choreography are such a part of our culture that we will never forget them.

SONG #2

"As Time Goes By" from Casablanca (1942)

The command is in the song: "You must remember this."  Though the song was originally written over a decade before the film was ever made, now we cannot think of this song without a flood of images from this movie (trenchcoats, French police, Nazis, seedy Moroccan bars, etc.) and "on that you can rely."

AND...

SONG #1

"Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

It has been named the "Song of the 20th Century" by both the Recording Industry and the National Endowment for the Arts.  It's one of the few songs to be honored on a U.S. Postage Stamp (when lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg was honored in 2005, pictured right). And it was the #1 song on the American Film Institute's list of Greatest Movie Songs, so who am I to argue with such distinguished organizations?  Whenever I hear this song (especially Judy Garland's wistful original version), I am immediately brought back to my childhood (just like I believe everyone else is when they hear it!).

In a few weeks, I will cover the Disney songs (and, believe me, there are plenty to choose from!!).

10 FAVORITES (38) - Movie Musical Miscasts!

After taking a much needed break last week (for the beginning of Summer!) and before taking another much needed break next week (for the 4th of July holiday!), 10 FAVORITES returns with a subject I've wanted to cover for a while.  If you read my 100 Favorite Films list, you know that I am a huge fan of Movie Musicals. I just can't get enough of them, good or bad.  And believe me, there have been some doozies!  Now there have been ones that have been bad from conception to production (most of the Esther Williams movies!) and ones that have been bad because of one major mistake: Casting!  This week's 10 FAVORITES goes through the biggest crimes in Movie Musical history as far as Casting goes.  This week:

THE 10 BIGGEST

MOVIE MUSICAL MISCASTS

MISCAST #10
Ava Gardner, Show Boat (1951)
There were several factors going into this Casting choice and there are two big reasons why it was the wrong choice.  For MGM's splashy colorized film version of the landmark Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical, the studio wanted a glamorous star in the role of the tragic leading lady Julie LaVerne.  Several insiders thought that jazz sensation Lena Horne was the perfect choice (she had done the role, sort of, in the 1948 Jerome Kern biopic Til the Clouds Roll By).  But the studio was uncomfortable putting a black woman in such a prominent role in a film with a large budget behind it.  They wanted a sex symbol! And they got one in Ava Gardner.  One problem, she couldn't sing!  And the dubber they used (professional singer Annette Warren) didn't quite match Gardner's natural sexual energy.  Watching this film, I cringe at the dubbing that doesn't quite match Gardner's flirtatious movements and I can't help but wonder what the fantastic Miss Horne would have been like in the role (I guess I have to keep watching Til the Clouds Roll By!).

MISCAST #9
Omar Sharif, Funny Girl (1968)

I'm gonna say it: I'm NOT a fan of Omar Sharif (except in Lawrence of Arabia!).  I didn't care for him in Doctor Zhivago and I didn't care for him in this movie (which is otherwise quite delightful!).  My biggest problem with him as gambler Nicky Arnstein, who married then divorced Ziegfeld star Fanny Brice (brilliantly played by Barbra Streisand): He just doesn't pull off the sleaze quality you need!  Yes, he's a smooth-talker and a player and a complete and utter tool, but from what I've read about the real Nicky Arnstein, he was NOT Yuri Zhivago, which is how Sharif plays him.  Seriously, watch Doctor Zhivago then watch Funny Girl (and I apologize in advance for the suggestion!) and you will see NO difference between Sharif's two characters!

MISCAST #8
Vanessa Redgrave, Camelot (1967)
This Miscast has bothered me for years.  Don't get me wrong, I love Vanessa Redgrave as an actress and in a straight dramatic version of the King Arthur story, she would have been at the top of my list to play Queen Guinevere back in the day.  But, even though Dame Redgrave has a charming singing voice, it in NO WAY matches the lilting glory that was Julie Andrews' voice.  Andrews played the part in Lerner and Loewe's seminal musical on Broadway in 1960 and was a critical dynamo opposite Richard Burton's King Arthur.  In Joshua Logan's film version of the musical, the late Richard Harris was well-cast as Arthur (long before he was the original Professor Dumbledore!) and, once again for star power, Vanessa Redgrave got the part of Guinevere (a role she would have been perfect for if the score was not so musically ambitious!).  Sadly, her high notes (or the notes where Andrews would have hit say a High C) just are not lyrical enough for what this musical should be.

MISCAST #7
Barbra Streisand, Hello, Dolly! (1969)
I may be thrown out of the "Musical Lovers Club" for this one, but Miss Barbra was NOT right for playing Dolly Levi, at least not at that time in her career (something she herself has said several times since, by the way!).  Hello, Dolly! was her second film and she was not yet 30! Dolly Gallagher Levi (played on stage by legends like Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman) was supposed to be a middle-aged widow.  So Streisand, who was in full glorious voice and had her usual star power, just wasn't right for this Grande Diva role.

MISCAST #6
Diana Ross, The Wiz (1978)
Yet again, this is another case of right star + right role + wrong time in star's career.  Diana Ross would have been perfect to play Dorothy in The Wiz...10 or 15 years earlier! (And I know that means the musical wouldn't have existed yet, but go with me for a sec!)  The Supreme Diva Miss Ross was in her thirties when she played the role on film (something screenwriter Joel Schumacher-YES, Joel Schumacher-addresses), but Dorothy is supposed to be a teenager.  That's what made Dorothy so innocent in ALL incarnations of the Oz tale.  Yes, Judy Garland was over 18, but at least she was under 25!  All this being said, though, I do love Diana Ross' rendition of Dorothy's final song, "Home."  Below, is a song written by Quincy Jones specifically for the film version and specifically for Miss Ross.

MISCAST #5
Peter O'Toole, Man of La Mancha (1972)
Just like Dame Redgrave above, Peter O'Toole would have been perfect as Don Quixote de la Mancha...in a straight dramatic version of the tale.  But add a little song and dance, and the actor loses some credibility.  In fact, O'Toole (who had done a dismal musical version of Goodbye, Mr. Chips in 1969) was so terrified of the beautiful Mitch Leigh-Joe Darion La Mancha score that he demanded a dubber.  But the dubber makes a big-yet-understandable mistake: Instead of trying to tackle the score with a deep glorious tenor (like original star Richard Kiley or Broadway vet John Cullum had done), he tries to match O'Toole's breathless vocal quality and so the songs lose the power they had in the stage production.  It's really sad, especially when co-star Sophia Loren (no great singer herself!) is warbling her way through the leading lady songs (sans dubber!).

MISCAST #4
Janet Leigh, Bye Bye Birdie (1963)
This is another case (like Redgrave and O'Toole) where I compare the film version to the original Broadway version.  And here, the argument ends when I say who played the part on Broadway: Chita Rivera.  Now, I grant that she was not a movie star like Janet Leigh and therefore not a household name, but her talent far outweighs anything Janet Leigh brought to the role (if indeed she brought anything to the role!).  For Leigh, they diminished the score, cut songs and the choreography by the legendary Onna White (who would have been thrilled to work with the fabulous Chita Rivera) is extremely limited to mostly supporting players and original star Dick Van Dyke.  Below, hear Janet Leigh sing the reprise of "One Boy" (her part begins about 3 and half minutes into the video clip).

MISCAST #3
Elizabeth Taylor, A Little Night Music (1977)
On the surface, the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor was the right choice for the part of fading star Desiree Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's ambitious musical.  But watching this film (which is really hard even for those who love the musical to begin with!), I get the feeling that Miss Taylor's heart just wasn't in this role.  Her insecurity comes leaping across the screen and she unsuccessfully tries to pass it off as part of the character's vulnerability.  My heart sinks when I watch this film because I know Taylor could have done better and I know that there were other actresses/stars who might have gone beyond better and into the superb.

MISCAST #2
Lee Marvin, Paint Your Wagon (1969)
There really isn't much I can say about this one.  I mean, Lee Marvin + musical western + lackluster score + Lee Marvin singing!  It's just...just...just watch the video below and judge for yourself!

AND...
MISCAST #1
Lucille Ball, Mame (1975)
This one is wrong on all levels of Miscasting!  Many people "loved" Lucy, but not here.  Lucille Ball spent millions of her own money to secure the rights to play Mame on film.  She would have been better to put her millions under a mattress.  Not only did she side-step the glorious original star Angela Lansbury, but Lucy was trained as a dancer/chorine and became a natural comedic talent, but nowhere in her career history was she a singer.  Let's face it, there was a reason Ricky never let her be in the show!  Suffice it to say, Mame was huge commercial and critical flop (and Broadway revivals of the show have not had much success since!).  It's rare where the film version can pretty much kill almost any credibility the stage version had (Paint Your Wagon is another example, but you've realized that by now!).

There they are: the biggest crimes in Movie Musical Casting.  As I said earlier, 10 FAVORITES will be taking another break next week.  When I return, there will be some significant changes made in this blog and in 10 FAVORITES.  See you all soon! And Happy 4th of July!