Singin' and Dancing Back in Time.: south pacific 1958)

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Monday, January 10, 2011

South Pacific - The first Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical I ever saw

Me and Dawn decided the theme for this month on Singin and Dancing would be the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein and I thought of this story to share. My first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that I saw was South Pacific (1958) starring Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr, Juanita Hall, and the unforgettable Mitzi Gaynor as Ensign Nellie Forbush. I was around 17 or 18 I believe and my mom bought it from the Columbia Video Club on VHS. It came in as a two tape set since it was early 3 hours long. I remember watching as soon as I got it in the mail and I was amazed. It seems strange that while my buddies was out playing football and video games, I was watching classic movies. But that was me, and I loved it. I still love watching classic movies. Anyway South Pacific was a terrific movie with a star making performance by Mitzi Gaynor. Her rendition of I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair is a show-stopper. I still have the movie after all these years. I will need to re-watch again now, but from my memories I know it's a good movie. How does it compare to the other R&S musicals like Oklahoma, State Fair, The King and I, and Carousel? That's why I need to see it again, because it's been so long. Anyway, I just wanted to share this little story with everyone. And I will be posting more stuff on R&S films the whole month.

Monday, October 11, 2010

South Pacific.(1958)

South Pacific(1958). Based on James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific. The film was directed by Joshua Logan. Cast: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Ray Walston.

The movie also features, Juanita Hall, a musical theatre and film actress. She is remembered for her roles in the original stage and screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals: South Pacific, as Bloody Mary and Flower Drum Song, as Auntie Liang.

The film begins when Marine lieutenant Joseph Cable, is sent on a mission to set up camp in Japanese territory, along the coast, in order to keep track of enemy. Meanwhile, Sailor Luther Billis, is trying to sell grass skirts to Bloody Mary, the island trader. Billis does not like the fact that the island of Balai Ha'i, is off limits to his enlisted men.

While, waiting for the war in the South Pacific, one of the nurses finds herself having to choose between love and prejudice.

Rodgers and Hammerstein have given us some truly wonderful music scores, and the movie South Pacific has many of them.

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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.