"She could hold a note longer than the Chase Manhattan Bank." That was "the Merm", the former secretary who took down her lyrics in shorthand and became a star on her opening night even though she wasn't the lead. Today, most people remember her as the crazy mother-in-law in "It's a Mad Mad Mad World!" and for her funny cameo in "Airplane!", but when you look at her early shorts and 1930s film appearances, you see quite a different person. She truly had rhythm, and for 40 years, every show she starred in (with the exception of two that were only moderately successful) was a smash hit. But when she sang songs by Porter, Gershwin and Berlin, everybody heard true genius, and they vowed never to write a bad lyric for her, knowing everybody would hear it. This is the depression years, so a different type of musical took over, and this goes into great detail in showing the variety of shows that opened and managed to have a decent run. Footage in color of the original "Of Thee I Sing!" is amazing to see, and it helped depression era audiences get through the last of the Hoover years and bring in the beloved FDR.
"Sweet Mama String Bean" was the nickname given to Ethel Waters, the first genuine black female superstar in any medium, and this goes into great depths of her tragic life and her rise to fame. Her life alone could become a miniseries, and in hearing the tragedy, it helps you understand what drove her. You get to see her covering her two big hits from the musical review "As Thousands Cheer", including the still sung "Heat Wave" and the heartbreaking "Supper Time", and of course "Stormy Weather", would she introduced in Harlem cabarets. To hear the story behind what "Supper Time" dealt with is tearjerking, and it's one of the few Broadway standards that you can listen to and understand and appreciate but for some reason wish it did not have to be written.
Then, we got our first glimpse of Cole Porter, previously mentioned but not covered. It's interesting to hear the narrators cover each aspect of him, and while you really only get film clips of him, the point is made of how sophisticated his music and lyrics were, pretty much the first Broadway artist to not have a collaborator in either way. As they cover his career from "Paris" in 1928 through the Ethel merman musicals of the 1930's, they talk about his private life a little bit and of course show film clips, and the witty lyrics really represent an era.
Then we get into the Gershwin era, and Kitty Carlisle Hart gives us a humorous view of her impressions of him. Of course, the 1930's had him represented with the folk opera "Porgy and Bess", as groundbreaking as showboat was 8 years before, and still performed in a variety of ways nearly 90 years later. We got the original Porgy, Todd Duncan, singing songs from the show years later, and you can see the proud feelings he has of being associated with the show. Footage from a 1942 revival with the cast album in the background is utilized, and it's thrilling to see what little footage there is. Stephen Sondheim talks about what the show means to him, and that would bring him back into the spotlight when a much altered version of the show was revised in 2011, which he objected to. "There's Porgy and Bess", he says "and everything else", and you certainly can respect his passion for the show even if you don't agree with him. The death of George Gershwin in 1937 was as tragic as the same year's death of Irving Thalberg and Jean Harlow in Hollywood, and to quote John O'Hara, "George Gershwin died today, but I don't have to believe it if I don't want to."
A groundbreaker in her own way, Micki Grant gets to perform the solemn "Joe People" from a 1960's revival of "The Cradle Will Rock", and the history behind the show's controversial history is explain through footage of John Houseman and the Tim Robbins movie that covered what happened. This show is still performed in New York (two revivals within 10 years), and from this, you can see rebellious musicals of the future like "Hair" and "Rent" being influenced by it.
Then there's a return of Rodgers and Hart after several years in Hollywood and a string of hit musicals with songs that are still sung today. The melodies and lyrics are even better as far as I'm concerned then Rodgers' later pairing with Oscar Hammerstein. Once again, we get footage from an early musical, in this case "Pal Joey" which was probably the first intentionally cynical musical to open on broadway, not a smash hit like it would be in a 50's revival, but filled with standards and a realism that Richard Rodgers pushed to advance musical comedy. It's great to see a young Gene Kelly before his film debut, and Hollywood's gain unfortunately was Broadway's loss.
Then, we get to the war era, especially the creation of this is the army, Irving Berlin's war relief musical revue that had probably one of the most faithful film versions ever made. Once again, Broadway moves along with the times, and this reflects how history can be told through on apparent frivolous piece of culture. Irving Berlin's daughter speaks with such pride over her father's involvement in the show, not only writing the songs but appearing in the actual show. It's a delightful bit of sentiment that is profound not only in the sense of family pride she has but in the sense that all of these cast members were actually soldiers who were going off to risk their lives. And no, Ronald Reagan was not in the original Broadway show, just the movie. God bless America, and God bless the Broadway musical, and long may it wave without any further interruptions.
"Sweet Mama String Bean" was the nickname given to Ethel Waters, the first genuine black female superstar in any medium, and this goes into great depths of her tragic life and her rise to fame. Her life alone could become a miniseries, and in hearing the tragedy, it helps you understand what drove her. You get to see her covering her two big hits from the musical review "As Thousands Cheer", including the still sung "Heat Wave" and the heartbreaking "Supper Time", and of course "Stormy Weather", would she introduced in Harlem cabarets. To hear the story behind what "Supper Time" dealt with is tearjerking, and it's one of the few Broadway standards that you can listen to and understand and appreciate but for some reason wish it did not have to be written.
Then, we got our first glimpse of Cole Porter, previously mentioned but not covered. It's interesting to hear the narrators cover each aspect of him, and while you really only get film clips of him, the point is made of how sophisticated his music and lyrics were, pretty much the first Broadway artist to not have a collaborator in either way. As they cover his career from "Paris" in 1928 through the Ethel merman musicals of the 1930's, they talk about his private life a little bit and of course show film clips, and the witty lyrics really represent an era.
Then we get into the Gershwin era, and Kitty Carlisle Hart gives us a humorous view of her impressions of him. Of course, the 1930's had him represented with the folk opera "Porgy and Bess", as groundbreaking as showboat was 8 years before, and still performed in a variety of ways nearly 90 years later. We got the original Porgy, Todd Duncan, singing songs from the show years later, and you can see the proud feelings he has of being associated with the show. Footage from a 1942 revival with the cast album in the background is utilized, and it's thrilling to see what little footage there is. Stephen Sondheim talks about what the show means to him, and that would bring him back into the spotlight when a much altered version of the show was revised in 2011, which he objected to. "There's Porgy and Bess", he says "and everything else", and you certainly can respect his passion for the show even if you don't agree with him. The death of George Gershwin in 1937 was as tragic as the same year's death of Irving Thalberg and Jean Harlow in Hollywood, and to quote John O'Hara, "George Gershwin died today, but I don't have to believe it if I don't want to."
A groundbreaker in her own way, Micki Grant gets to perform the solemn "Joe People" from a 1960's revival of "The Cradle Will Rock", and the history behind the show's controversial history is explain through footage of John Houseman and the Tim Robbins movie that covered what happened. This show is still performed in New York (two revivals within 10 years), and from this, you can see rebellious musicals of the future like "Hair" and "Rent" being influenced by it.
Then there's a return of Rodgers and Hart after several years in Hollywood and a string of hit musicals with songs that are still sung today. The melodies and lyrics are even better as far as I'm concerned then Rodgers' later pairing with Oscar Hammerstein. Once again, we get footage from an early musical, in this case "Pal Joey" which was probably the first intentionally cynical musical to open on broadway, not a smash hit like it would be in a 50's revival, but filled with standards and a realism that Richard Rodgers pushed to advance musical comedy. It's great to see a young Gene Kelly before his film debut, and Hollywood's gain unfortunately was Broadway's loss.
Then, we get to the war era, especially the creation of this is the army, Irving Berlin's war relief musical revue that had probably one of the most faithful film versions ever made. Once again, Broadway moves along with the times, and this reflects how history can be told through on apparent frivolous piece of culture. Irving Berlin's daughter speaks with such pride over her father's involvement in the show, not only writing the songs but appearing in the actual show. It's a delightful bit of sentiment that is profound not only in the sense of family pride she has but in the sense that all of these cast members were actually soldiers who were going off to risk their lives. And no, Ronald Reagan was not in the original Broadway show, just the movie. God bless America, and God bless the Broadway musical, and long may it wave without any further interruptions.
