WHAT MUSICALS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[Fossy]

Feaito
I have only two of Danielle`s films, “Rich Young and Pretty” (1951) and “Mayerling” (1936), which is French with English sub-titles.

I agree with your comment---Jane Powell and Deanna Durbin have both strong and beautiful operatic voices and I feel they were better equipped -vocally- than Jeanette MacDonald for instance. Jane's version of Will You Remember? in "Deep in My Heart" (1954) is very good. Her voice is clear as springwater.
I feel that Jane`s version of “Will You Remember” is probably better, but of course it was in colour and sound recording was improving all the time. Of the three sopranos, Jeanette was the only one who actually performed in opera. Jane and Deanna only sang a few arias in their movies. Here is one of Jane`s arias, a shortened version of the “Gavotte” from Manon, as she sang it in her movie “Luxury Liner”.



And a fuller version by Grace Moore from her movie “ I`ll Take Romance”.

[feaito]

Thanks for the links Fossy... I have never seen a Grace Moore film, she has a beautiful voice, she was actually an Opera Star like Lily Pons. Wasn't she?

[Fossy]

Uncle Stevie and I have similar tastes. Lily Pons is also one of my favourites. Unknown when she made her U.S. debut at the Metropolitan on 3 Jan 1931, people thought her a joke. Barely five feet tall, and with a twenty two inch waist she looked more like a doll than a singer,---and then she “brought the house down”.

Here she sings from her movie “Hitting a New High (1937)"


Evelyn Laye did most of her work in England, so she did not get the exposure enjoyed by other film sopranos. British sound at the time lagged behind U.S.A. and this did not help her. She was most successful in stage musicals. Film critics of the day panned her, but she seems to be appreciated more today.

Here she sings from her movie “Princess Charming (1934)"

[Fossy]

Fossy, why are sales banned to Australia? (Inquiring minds want to know ) Or make "Inquiring" "Nosy"?????

Here is a sample of messages I receive

WB Archive tells me
PURCHASING THIS ORDER FROM OUTSIDE THE USA?
We are unable to continue checkout because this order contains items that cannot be requested from outside the USA.
The following items in your cart cannot be shipped or purchased internationally.

And from Amazon
This item cannot be shipped to the address you selected. (Learn more.) You may either change the shipping address or remove the item by clicking Delete.


And this, while not a refusal to sell, is an active attempt to discourage sales to Australia.
I have highlighted a fairly new alteration. By (Australian) law it is illegal to sell a DVD player which will not play all regions.

Please note: Your order contains at least one Region 1 (Canada and U.S.) encoded DVD or NTSC-format VHS videotape. These products may not play in DVD and VHS players sold in the country where this order is being delivered. Please also note that some Region 1 DVDs contain a Regional Coding Enhancement. Some of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on their “region-free” DVD players. Learn more about DVD and VHS formats. To modify your order, edit the quantities below.

[charliechaplinfan]

The WB archive doesn't ship to the UK either, I can't understand why they would limit their market.

[Fossy]

Last night`s movie was So This Is Love (1953), starring Kathryn Grayson. This movie is based on Grace Moore`s autobiography, up to the time of her Metropolitan debut on 7 Feb 1928 at age twenty nine.(twenty seven in the movie). This is a good story, with plenty of singing and is probably the most accurate of any biographical movie I have ever seen. Kathryn is definitely at her peak in this film. There are no songs from this movie on youtube.
Here is a song from her movie “Seven Sweethearts (1942)

[Fossy]

And now a book ban, I think the monkeys at Amazon have fallen out of their tree.

Important Message · Virginia Bruce - Under My Skin cannot be shipped to the selected address.

[Fossy]

Yesterday I watched Yes Giorgio (1982).
This film featured Luciano Pavarotti at age 46. He sang twelve times in this movie and he was great.

However I did not like the story. At the beginning there was written on the screen the words "This story is dedicated to lovers everywhere". It should have been "This story is dedicated to adulterers everywhere", because the film went on to glorify adultery.

Perhaps I am just a square.

[feaito]

I saw the charming Deanna Durbin film "Mad About Music" (1938) in which she plays the "concealed" daughter of a famous Hollywood star (Gail Patrick). She's studying in a Boarding School in Switzerland where she's used to tell tall tales about her non-existent father, to the annoyance of a jealous classmate (Helen Parris- didn't she play her spiteful cousin in "First Love" (1939) too?). Miss Durbin has a unique freshness and charm that makes her rise above her material. She's so likable, so natural in her portrayals, so unaffected! She's grown on me quite a lot. The print used for the TCM DVD release is flawless and it includes a Robert Osborne introduction and other interesting Extras (Lobby Cards, Publicity Stills, etc.). The film benefits from some priceless character actors such as Arthur Treacher, Christian Rub (he seemed to have been featured in every 1930s film set up in Central Europe), William Frawley et al. I think I'l, get "That Certain Age" too!

[Fossy]

Mad About Music is definitely one of my favourites. Helen Parrish actually appeared in three of Deanna`s movies. She was an extra in "It Started With Eve"(1941). Helen never achieved star status but she was listed as co-star in 7 of her 45 movies, her debut being in 1927 at age 3, 4 or 5 depending on which birthday one believes. Tragically she was claimed by breast cancer in her mid 30`s

[JackFavell]

I really love Deanna in those early movies, the ones where she is still the little sister or the girl who brings everyone together. I have not seen those films for such a long time, but I guess I need to start looking around for her on dvd rental. You really pinned down her personality in your post.

I thought Arthur Treacher was in several movies with her, or is it my memory playing tricks on me?

[Uncle Stevie]

I too am in love with Deanna Durbin. I do love her early movies but my most favorite is a little older when she did "His Butler's Sister". With Pat O'Brian and Franchot Tone she was the most versatile in this flick as an adult and to me she was the most beautiful of any of her 21 movies. She sings a Russian Melody in this movie in Russian and I have read she became the darling of Russia for doing that. Deanna was very appealing in this movie and of course falls in love with franchot Tone. Pat O'Brian plays her Brother.

My favorite Deanna Durbin Movies are:

Three Smart Girls
Mad About Music
Lady On A Train
Can't Help Singing
I'll Be Yours
For The Love Of Mary
Hers To Hold
Spring Parade

I like most all of them but mostly the ones above. I absolutely did not like Christmas Holiday. It was too morose for Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelley played a sleazebag. This was not even a musical and should never have been made by either of them. Although I read that Deanna liked it and wanted to do more like it.

[feaito]

Hi Wendy,

I have liked most of Deanna's films, buy you should watch "It Started With Eve" (1941) and "First Love" (1939) first, which are IMO among her very best films and first-fate romantic comedies.

I don't recall if Arthur Treacher was featured in many of Deanna's films, but I always remember him as the butler in Shirley Temple's "Heidi" (1938)

[moira finnie]

I love It Started With Eve. That movie made me swallow all my past mean words about Robert Cummings' lack of talent. He and Laughton, along with the charming Deanna, make this a brilliant, lighter than air farce with music.

[Fossy]

I Have all of Deanna`s Movies, including the short movie “Every Sunday”. I feel that her voice kept improving right up to her retirement. Last night I watched (yet again) “The Amazing Mrs. Holliday”

Arthur Treacher has been mentioned on the forum.
Here is a short resume of his appearances in movies.


Arthur Treacher 26 Jul 1894—14 Dec 1975

Mostly cast as butler or valet roles. He appeared in 69 movies and made 16 TV appearances. He starred in only two of his movies, “Thank You Jeeves (1936)” and “Step Lively Jeeves (1937)”

He appeared with Shirley Temple in four movies, and twice in “Shirley Temple Theatre” on TV. He also appeared in two of Deanna Durbin`s movies and twice in movies with Peggy Ryan. Other singers he appeared with were Irene Dunne (1) , Lawrence Tibbett (1), Ann Blyth (1), Jane Powell (1), Kathryn Grayson (1), Mario Lanza, (1), and Julie Andrews (1).