Musicals | Hollywood Yesterday

Cabin in the Sky: Great Behind the Scenes Photo

January 20, 2021 By Joi Leave a Comment

Cabin in the Sky: Behind the Scenes

Cabin in the Sky was a deliciously unique comedy/drama/fantasy film from 1943. Directed by the wonderful Vincente Minnelli, the film featured an uncommonly talented cast including Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, Eddie Anderson, Rex Ingram, Louis Armstrong, and Oscar Polk.

If you’ve never seen this one, I hope you’ll watch it as soon as possible. Trust me, you’ll never forget it!

You can find Cabin in the Sky on dvd or watch it on Prime Video (links directly to the movie on Amazon Prime)

Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, and Ann Miller: Behind the Scenes of Kiss Me Kate

December 28, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, and Ann Miller

Apparently I am incapable of ever having a conversation about Ann Miller without wondering why she never got the “leading lady, star treatment.” She was incredibly talented – great actress AND great dancer… and beautiful? Please! She was so beautiful that she often outshined those who did get the “leading lady, star treatment.”

She also had a great deal of charisma and personality that came through onscreen… again, often outshining the rest.

Okay, I’m through bellyaching now. She had a tremendous career and all of us who are huge fans of musicals KNOW the beautiful footprints she left all over the genre. I believe she HAD to have made other stars step up (literally) their game.

Kiss Me Kate is one of my favorite Ann Miller movies – I think it’s just adorable. The film also stars Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, and Keenan Wynn.

You can find the Kiss Me Kate dvd on Amazon or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Shall We Dance (1937)

November 16, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Fred Astaire

Some stars in Old Hollywood were just so RIGHT that we kind of take them for granted. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, IMO, fall into this category. They were so perfect (every move, every step, every inflection, every expression…) that we kind of take them for granted.

By that I mean, how often do we fail to list Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers on our lists of favorite old Hollywood stars…. but, yet, truth be told, we love them as much as anyone!

Many times, when making a mental (or physical) list of favorites, we tend to go through the dramatic movies… the epics!… and gather up favorite stars. This is all fine and good, but let’s not forget the musicals and comedies. Comedy is even harder for an actor/actress and, let’s face it, there is no better legacy than leaving laughter behind!

When you add to this the fact that musical stars had to act AND sing AND dance, you can’t help but be blown away by their talent.

Ginger Rogers

Recently, on Twitter, I answered a poll that asked for your favorite 20 old Hollywood stars. Given that I watch every single genre from silent films through the 70s, I have many, many favorites. I was kind of proud of myself that I was able to narrow the usual suspects to 22 (I mean, just cheating by two is hardly even cheating, right?), but as soon as I hit “Tweet,” I realized I had forgotten two of the stars who, over the years, have brought me as much joy and happiness as any star – Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

I took them for granted! I replied to myself almost immediately and added them. It made me feel a little better anyway.

Whether they’re together in one of their lovely, perfectly flawless musicals or apart in one of their individual films… I simply love these two to distraction.

And I vow to never leave them out of a favorite list ever again.

You can find Shall We Dance (link to the dvd) on Amazon or watch it on Prime Video.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Shall We Dance

BOTD in 1918, The Beautiful and Talented Rita Hayworth…

October 17, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier

Rita Hayworth has been one of my absolute favorite actresses for as long as I can remember. I remember being very, very young and walking through the living room and saw what looked like a princess from one of my storybooks come to life. I sat and watched her with my mom. While I’d give just about anything to be able to sit and watch anything with my mom again, some things haven’t changed – I still think of Rita as a fairytale princess that came to life – if only for a brief time, before leaving us.

The first Rita Hayworth film I saw (the one I watched with my mom) was You Were Never Lovelier (1942) and, to this day, I don’t know why Gilda is so much more popular than this one. Granted, Gilda is an extraordinary movie… but so is You Were Never Lovelier.

Truth be told, though, I am absolutely wild about just about every Rita Hayworth movie. The Lady from Shanghai and The Loves of Carmen aren’t high on my list, but Rita’s in them… and that’s good enough for me!

If you’ve never seen You Were Never Lovelier (link to the dvd on Amazon), I hope you’ll find it and watch it soon. If you HAVE seen it, watch it again! Each time I do, I love it even more.

Ann Miller: Kiss Me Kate Promotional Photo

August 26, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Ann Miller, Kiss Me Kate (1953)

I just ate an entire bowl of butter pecan ice cream and proceeded to sit down and post a picture of the fit and stunning Ann Miller.

Who does that to themselves!?!

If my legs looked like Ann’s legs did, I would simply never cover them up. Summer, winter, fall, spring… weather wouldn’t matter. I’d have those pins on display for the world to see every day of the year!

Now that we have that settled, have you seen the musical Kiss Me Kate (1953)? I saw it recently for the first time and liked it a lot. Ann Miller is one of my favorite musical stars and I had read that this was her favorite role – so I was especially anxious to see it. The film was wonderful and she was even more so.

The film also stars Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, and Keenan Wynn.

You can find Kiss Me Kate (link to the dvd) on Amazon. It doesn’t appear to be on Prime Video yet.

Carmen Jones: The Magic of Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte

July 20, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte: Carmen Jones Lobby Card

Do you happen to have a favorite movie (literally, one of your all-time favorites) that hardly anyone you talk to has ever seen? You want to talk about its stars, quotes, and scenes with someone but…. it seems only you, within your circle of family and friends… has even seen it?!

Carmen Jones is one of mine that fits this description as perfectly as Dorothy Dandridge fit a dress (A Woman’s Secret and The World, the Flesh, and the Devil are two more).

Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte are two of my absolute favorites. One of my greatest “old Hollywood” regrets is that these charismatic and talented stars weren’t in more. I can’t tell you how much I’d LOVE to have shelves filled with their dvds. There’s just something about the acting styles and charisma of these two that lights up the room for me.

Carmen Jones is a fascinating film. It’s almost like director Otto Preminger took an old black and white film-noir, added color… then took a musical and added it to the mix. Then, for good measure grabbed a sexy mystery and threw it in the pot. The result is fascinating, in every sense of the word.

When I first watched Carmen Jones (years ago), I was really upset that Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte were dubbed by opera singers. I mean… come on… Belafonte can MORE THAN sing for himself and Dorothy Dandridge had a lovely singing voice. At the time, I thought this “dubbing” was the one drawback of the film.

However, when I watched it a second time (and then third, fourth, fifth…), I actually “got” what Otto Preminger was selling. The opera absolutely, positively adds to the entire ambiance of the film and helps it to stand out as an even more unique and mesmerizing work of art.

Many movies you can say, “THIS film is a lot like THAT one…” but not with Carmen Jones. Why? There is absolutely not another film like it and I’m certain there never will be. This cast and its director and writers struck pure gold. The film and its stars should have won as many awards as were available. Seriously, the Academy Awards that year should have been a Carmen Jones invitational.

(Continued below Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte)

Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte

Dorothy Dandridge was, at least, nominated as lead actress – but she wasn’t given the award. I refuse to say, “..she lost” because that’s not quite true. She wasn’t given her award – and, make no mistake about it, it was her award and should have been in her hands.

I often wonder what winning would have done for this beautiful actress.Her troubled life ended far too soon (she was only 42 when she died) and she was never given the type of (or number of) roles she deserved. I often wonder if she had been given this award if her life would have changed.

For that matter, I often wonder what a win would have meant for black actors and actresses – would they have earned the respect and chance they deserved sooner? Questions like that frustrate me because, trust me, the award should have been Dorothy’s. I’ve seen each of the films from which the actresses in the category with her were in – and Carmen Jones multiple times.

The Oscar was given to the wrong lady. Period.

What’s even more frustrating – more should have been nominated! Harry Belafonte gave an absolutely phenomenal performance. He took his character on one heck of a journey and did so flawlessly. He begins the film as such an innocent young man… then here comes beautiful Carmen and my guy didn’t stand a chance!

If you love great acting, great chemistry, film-noirs, musicals, wonderful stories, and movies with endings that leave you speechless (and thinking about them for days!), I am begging you to see Carmen Jones.

Watch Carmen Jones on Amazon Prime.

Buy Carmen Jones on DVD (Amazon link).

Buy Carmen Jones on Blu-Ray (Amazon link).

Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly, Behind the Scenes of An American in Paris

June 7, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, An American in Paris (Behind the Scenes)

I think I have stated my unpopular opinion on the blog before but, if not, look out – I’m about to let it fly again. An American in Paris (1951) isn’t just one of my favorite musicals of all-time… it is my favorite Gene Kelly musical.

Yes, above Singin’ in the Rain.

In fact… considerably above it. I am the rare, rare, rare bird who thought Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly were mismatched. Love him. Love her. Together… not so much. Ironically, I love the chemistry and dynamic she and Donald O’Connor had. In fact, I love the dynamic between Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

At any rate, An American in Paris is simply breathtakingly perfect. The chemistry between Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron is perfection – textbook chemistry and compatibility. Add in the always, always, always entertaining Oscar Levant and you have a can’t miss movie. I am actually in esteemed company by preferring An American in Paris – it was Gene Kelly’s favorite of his musicals.

You can buy An American in Paris (link to the dvd on Amazon) or watch on Prime.

P.S. Sincerest apologies to anyone who loves Singin’ in the Rain! I am totally and completely in the minority here meaning that I am the odd one out. I love the movie and love the cast… I simply do not buy into the pairing of the great Gene Kelly and the great Debbie Reynolds.

The Cabin in the Sky Lobby Card… LOVE IT!

May 25, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Cabin in the Sky Lobby Card: Rex Ingram, Kenneth Spencer, Eddie Anderson, and… of course, Lena Horne!

I’ve already declared my undying love for Lobby Cards – the design, the font, the colors… I am obsessed. I’ve begun collecting them and am having the time of my life.

The one above is one I’d like to get my mitts on. First of all, I collect anything and everything related to Lena Horne, so this is a must have for my collection. Also, I love the colors and the overall design of this lobby card. Bonus… the movie, itself, is outstanding!

You can find Cabin in the Sky (link to dvd on Amazon) on dvd or Watch on Prime. I haven’t been able to find any Cabin in the Sky lobby cards on Amazon yet, but there are a few gorgeous posters – including one very similar to the lobby card above as well as one (shown below) featuring the wonderful art on the front of the dvd.

As you’d imagine, the collector in me is beside herself.

Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley, Viva Las Vegas (One of My VERY Favorites!)

May 15, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley, Viva Las Vegas

Ann-Margret…. one of my favorite actresses and entertainers.

Elvis Presley….. one of my favorite actresses and singers.

Viva Las Vegas…. how could it NOT be one of my favorite movies. As in EVER?!

I am in love with this 1964 movie more than I could ever say. It epitomizes the Sixties in many ways and makes visiting the colorful and fun era unspeakably entertaining.

The Only Thing Better than One Fred and Ginger Movie…Two Fred and Ginger Movies

April 17, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, The Gay Divorcee

As far as I’m concerned, there is just nothing quite like sitting down and enjoying a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musical. The world outside your window can be barking mad (and is it ever right now?!), but if Fred and Ginger are on the tv… everything suddenly feels fine… perfectly fine.

Oh, sure the madness will be there as soon as the ending credits finish rolling (it comes more into focus the closer the credits get to the end, doesn’t it?), but for a blissful few hours, the only thing that matters is helping “him” straighten things out with “her,” so that “you” get that happy ending you need.

(Continued Below…)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Roberta

Today, I did something I seldom do (simply because I don’t often have the opportunity) – I watched not one but TWO films back to back and just let the laundry and dishes fend for themselves. When I met up with my cats in the den – with my raspberry tea and popcorn in tow – I knew I had carved out the entire afternoon for a double feature. The only thing left to do was decide which two movies it’d be.

A Western? Maybe a Film-Noir? A Musical? A Comedy? Drama?… Possibly a combination of two different genres??

Nah. Fred and Ginger – cheek to cheek, toe to toe, and back to back. I hadn’t seen The Gay Divorcee in two forevers, so I decided to start with it. Then, I decided to follow it up with Roberta because Ginger is especially adorable in it… too adorable for her own good, actually.

Four hours of BLISS and I don’t regret a single second. The dishes, the laundry, and supper (Uh oh.. I’d better get that started…) can wait. When your psyche needs the magic of Fred and Ginger.. that’s all that matters.

Sigh. They really were something else all together, weren’t they? I love them both dearly.

Hmmm… wonder what my cats have any plans for tomorrow afternoon?