Singin' and Dancing Back in Time.: lena horne

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Monday, May 10, 2010

Lena Horne, singing : Stormy Weather.

She made her debut with MGM in 1942's Panama Hattie, and performed the title song of Stormy Weather (1943), which she made at 20th Century Fox, on loan from MGM.

Rest In Peace Lena Horne (1917-2010)

Lena Horne has passed away at age 92.

Horne was born in June 1917 in Brooklyn. By her teens she began singing in nightclubs, including the famed Cotton Club as a chorus girl.

Although her Hollywood career spanned six decades, she never really achieved any huge success in that arena often because of her African American heritage was seen by studios as a deterrent when casting for lead roles or roles that might necessitate an interracial relationship on screen.

She was best known in the entertainment world for her singing and showcased that in more nightclubs, on Broadway and on TV variety shows, including "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Judy Garland Show." Later in her career she appeared on "The Cosby Show" and "The Muppet Show."

She won several Grammy awards over her career and received a best actress Tony nomination for the musical "Jamaica." Later, she received a special Tony for her one-woman show, "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music."

Her contributions to the Civil Rights movement include working alongside Paul Robeson and Medgar Evers, participating on the March on Washington and collaborating to end desegregation and lynching.

Horne is survived by her daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley, and granddaughter Jenny Lumet, screenwriter of "Rachel Getting Married."

Friday, January 8, 2010

UNTIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY (1946)

Until the Clouds Roll By (1946) musical. Based on the life story of composer Jerome Kern. Cast: Cyd Charisse, June Allyson, Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Lena Horne, Van Johnson, Tony Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Shore. Esther Williams has a Cameo appearance.

On 27 December 1927, after the opening night performance of his Broadway musical Show Boat composer Jerome Kern visits the neighborhood where he began his career. As he sits in his limousine, Jerome remembers back to his early days as a young songwriter:

James first thinks Jerome is a waste of time song writer until he hears one of Jerome's beautifully composed songs. James believes Jerome will one day become a great song writer. The two composers become fast friends, and before James leaves for England, he tells Jerome to "think big". Not having any luck on Broadway, Jerome decides to try his luck in England. Reunited, the three spend an afternoon together at the fair, where Jerome gets an idea to use swings to go along with his new song. One day, while riding his bicycle through the English countryside, Jerome meets Eva. A romance develops, but Jerome soon finds himself on a ship headed for America, where rehearsals for Frohman's new show are about to begin. Jerome's first Broadway show, The Girl from Utah , is a great success, but while he and James working on songs for a new show, Frohman leaves for England to look for new talent. On his way England, Frohman's ship sinks and he dies. Jerome goes back to work and composes one Broadway hit after another.

This movie has a wonderful collection of Kern's songs. It begins with almost 20 minutes of Showboat (including Lena Horne's plaintive reading of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man") and the hits just keep on coming. Judy Garland, who appears in a few scenes as stage star Marilyn Miller, contributes "Look for the Silver Lining" and a wonderful production number on "Who?" Young Angela Lansbury, singing "How'd You Like to Spoon with Me?" Lucille Bremer, sings a wonderful duet with Van Johnson on "I Won't Dance,". It ends with Frank Sinatra's, "Ol' Man River."
http://www.archive.org/details/till_the_clouds_roll_by
Click to watch movie.

Soundtracks:

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"Show Boat"
(uncredited)
Premiere Sequence:
1. Cotton Blossom
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by chorus
2. Where's The Mate For Me?
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Tony Martin
3. Make Believe
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Tony Martin and Kathryn Grayson
4. Life Upon The Wicked Stage
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Virginia O'Brien and Women's Chorus
5. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Lena Horne
6. Ol' Man River
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Caleb Peterson, Frieda Shaw's Ethiopian Chorus, and MGM Chorus

"Ol' Man River"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Performed by Frank Sinatra

"The Last Time I Saw Paris"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Dinah Shore

"A Fine Romance"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Sung by Virginia O'Brien

"All the Things You Are"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by Tony Martin

"Cleopatterer"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by June Allyson

"How'd You Like to Spoon With Me?"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Edward Laska
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by Angela Lansbury

"Long Ago (and Far Away)"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by Kathryn Grayson

"Look for the Silver Lining"
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by Judy Garland

"The Siren's Song"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse
Sung by Chorus in Opening Credits

"They Didn't Believe Me"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Herbert Reynolds
Sung by Dinah Shore, Robert Walker and Dorothy Patrick (dubbed by Ruth Clark)

"Till The Clouds Roll By"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse
Sung and Danced by June Allyson, Ray McDonald and Chorus

"Leave It to Jane"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse
Sung by June Allyson
Danced by June Allyson, Ray McDonald, and Chorus

"Sunny"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Chorus, with Judy Garland, and stunt double

"Who?"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Judy Garland and Chorus

"One More Dance"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)

"I Won't Dance"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, and Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Van Johnson and Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin)

"She Didn't Say 'Yes'"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach
Sung by Lyn Wilde and Lee Wilde (as The Wilde Twins)

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach
Danced to by Cyd Charisse and Gower Champion

"The Land Where the Good Songs Go"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse
Sung by Lucille Bremer (dubbed by Trudy Erwin) and Chorus

"Why Was I Born?"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Sung by Lena Horne

"Yesterdays"
(uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach
Sung by the Chorus

"Ka-lu-a"
Music by Jerome Kern
Performed by the studio orchestra

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Bob Fosse

Was a musical theater choreographer and director, screenwriter and film director. He won an eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction. He was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning for his direction of Cabaret. He was identified with his third wife, Gwen Verdon. She was both the dancer/collaborator who he choreographed much of his work and, together with dancer/choreographer Ann Reinking, a guardian of the Fosse legacy after his death. Fosse is considered to be one the most influential coreographers of the 20th Century.

Esther Williams.

JANE POWELL

After rising to fame as a singer in her home state of Oregon, Powell was signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer while still in her teens. Once there, the studio utilized her vocal, dancing and acting talents, casting her in such musicals as Royal Wedding, with Fred Astaire, A Date with Judy, with friend Elizabeth Taylor and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, with Howard Keel. In the late 1950s, her film career slowed, only to be replaced with a busy theater and television career.Click picture to enter websight.

Jeanette MacDonald

Singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (Love Me Tonight, The Merry Widow) and Nelson Eddy (Naughty Marietta, Rose-Marie, and Maytime). During the 1930s and 1940s she starred in 29 feature films, four nominated for Best Picture Oscars (The Love Parade, One Hour With You, Naughty Marietta and San Francisco), and recorded extensively, earning three gold records. She later appeared in grand opera, concerts, radio, and television. MacDonald was one of most influential sopranos of the 20th century. Click picture to view fan website.

Joan Crawford.

Click picture to view website. Joan Crawford, born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre. Starting as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway, Crawford was signed to a motion picture contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1925. Initially frustrated by the size and quality of her parts, Crawford began a campaign of self-publicity and became nationally known as a flapper by the end of the 1920s. In the 1930s, Crawford's fame rivaled MGM colleagues Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo. Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well-received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States, but her films began losing money and by the end of the 1930s

Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Richard Rodgers (1902 – 1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 – 1960) the songwriting duo, on our musical page. They created many popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age. With Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein writing the lyrics, five of their shows, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music. They won thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two Grammys. Click picture to read movie reviews.

Cab Calloway

Calloway was a master of energetic scat singing and led one of the United States' most popular African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s. Calloway's band featured performers including trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham, saxophonists Ben Webster and Leon "Chu" Berry, New Orleans guitar ace Danny Barker, and bassist Milt Hinton. Calloway continued to perform until his death in 1994 at the age of 86 .Click picture to view official website.