Singin' and Dancing Back in Time.: easter parade(1948)

Showing posts with label easter parade(1948). Show all posts

Saturday, September 17, 2011

It's MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS vs EASTER PARADE for a spot in the FINAL FOUR (40's Era)

As expected Meet Me In St. Louis beat For Me and My Gal 18-3 and Easter Parade defeated The Harvey Girls 11-6 to set up one heck of a finals match of the 40's Era. The winning film earns a trip to the Favorite Classic Musical Film Tournament Final Four, where Swing Time is waiting as the winner of the 30's era. Judy Garland dominated the 40's era like no one else with all four of her films making it to the semi-final matches. And guaranteeing that a Judy Garland would be present in the final four. So Meet Me In St. Louis faces off against Easter Parade which should make for an exciting match. Starts immediately and runs through Tuesday night 8 pm EST.

1940'S ERA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

3 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)

4 EASTER PARADE (1948)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

WHOA! Judy Garland places all four of her films in the semi-finals....a remarkable feat

Judy Garland started off the 40's era with four films competing out of the 16 films chosen. Those same four films each made it to the semi-final matches. How impressive is that. Look at the final tally: The Harvey Girls knocked off top seed Yankee Doodle Dandy 14-4 in a blow-out win. Easter Parade edged out On The Town 12-7. For Me and My Gal upset 2nd seed Going My Way 11-5. And sentimental favorite Meet Me In St. Louis just beat down Holiday Inn 15-3 like it stole something, in the most lopsided match. So it is safe to say that one Judy Garland film will reach the final four. Hats off to the remarkable Ms. Garland. Here are the two semi-final matches which start immediately and will run through Saturday night 8pm EST.

SEMI-FINAL MATCH 1

3 MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)

7 FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942)

------------------------------------------

SEMI-FINAL MATCH 2

4 EASTER PARADE (1948)

8 THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946)

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy!! Easter Parade(1948).

Easter Parade(1948). Musical. Cast: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Ann Miller. featuring music by Irving Berlin, including some of Astaire and Garland's best-known songs, such as "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and "We're a Couple of Swells."

Loved the three musical scenes: first, Ann Miller's tap dance 'Shakin' the Blues Away'. Not only a great song, but a wonderful dance number. Then there is Fred in the toy shop ( blog video). The timing of the dance is fun to watch. Lastly, 'Down the Avenue' is a very cute song. I laugh every time I see Judy Garland and Fred Astaire dressed up as bums!! There are a few laughs, but I mainly watch this movie for the dance numbers. It is a perfect way to celebrate Easter.

The film won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. It also received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical. It was the most successful picture for both Garland and Astaire.

Gene Kelly was originally cast to play Don, but he broke his ankle in a volleyball game. It was his suggestion that he be replaced by Fred Astaire. Cyd Charisse was to play Nadine, but a torn ligament in her knees forced her to drop out. She was replaced by Ann Miller.

Soundtracks:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Happy Easter"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Performed by Fred Astaire
Performed also by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"Drum Crazy"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire

"It Only Happens When I Dance With You"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire and Ann Miller
Performed also by Judy Garland

"Everybody's Doin' It"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Performed by chorus

"I Want to Go Back to Michigan"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Judy Garland

"Beautiful Faces Need Beautiful Clothes"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"A Fella with an Umbrella"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Peter Lawford and Judy Garland

"I Love a Piano"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Judy Garland
Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"Snooky Ookums"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"Ragtime Violin"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam'"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"Shakin' the Blues Away"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung and Danced by Ann Miller

"Steppin' Out with My Baby"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire and Chorus

"A Couple of Swells"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

"The Girl on the Magazine Cover"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Richard Beavers
Danced by Ann Miller

"Better Luck Next Time"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Judy Garland

"Easter Parade"
(uncredited)
by Irving Berlin
Sung by Judy Garland, Fred Astaire

"Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon"
(uncredited)
Written by Irving Berlin
Played as second number by orchestra in restaurant as Nadine and Don reminisce

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

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.