C.D. Review: Doris Day: Hooray for Hollywood Vol II

 Doris Day's Hooray for Hollywood is a two C.D. set with each C.D. released a few months apart.  Vol II was released in January of 1959.  It features Day's clear voice singing show tunes from Broadway and accompanied by the Frank De Vol and his orchestra.  De Vol also arranged the songs.  This includes music from of the the great composers such as Irving Berlin, Ira and George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.  She sings from several different musics, many of them old and forgotten and others still remembered.  The most recognized song is "It Might As Well be Spring" from State Fair.  "Three Coins from a Fountain" is also very memorable.  The majority of the musicals are from the 1930s.

It is an enjoyable arrangment of songs, but most obscure to me.  

Movie Review: ****Cinderella (1957)

This is the original presentation of this Rogers and Hammerstein musical.  This musical was written for television and was first performed live in 1957 with Julie Andrews in the starring role.  Jon Cypers plays the prince.  Many of the songs form this musical taught me about love, although I was watching a later version.  "Do I love you because you're beautiful; or are you beautiful because I love you." and the "Ten Minutes Ago" is classic: "I have found her, she's an angel, with the dust of the stars in her eyes!  We are dancing, we are flying and she's taking me back to the skies.
Those kinds of melodies and lyrics make a home run every time.
This film is in black and white, but beautifully done.  The songs carry the day.

Musical Movie Review: ***^Cinderella (1997)

There is lots to love in this made for TV version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.  This was originally performed in 1957 in another made for television version.  The 1997 version was made for Wonderful WOrld of Disney.  This version features Brandy Norwood as Cinderella.  The prince is played by Paolo Montalban.  The king and queen are played by Victor Garber and Whoopi Goldberg.  Bernadette Peters takes the roll of the stepmother and the step sisters are played by Veanne Cox and Natalie Desselle Reid.  The foot man, Lionel, who announces the ball is played by Jason Alexander.  The fairy godmother is portrayed by Whitney Houston.
The musical features tremendous vocals.  The music from Richard Rodgers is wonderful.   And of course the book from Oscar Hammerstein is also superb.
But the thing that overshadows this version the use of mixed race of the families.  This is a story that lends itself to not seeing color, and the performances over power this aspect.  The show was presented on Wonderful World of Disney in 1997, when rolls for minorities in movies was much talked about.  In fact it is still talked about today.  It would be nice to arrive at a place where color of skin is not important.  It isn't in this movie.

Music Review: Ella Fitzgerald: The Rodgers and Hart Songbook Volume I

This is Ella Fitzgerald singing songs form the 20s 30s and 40s.  You can tell the quality of Fitzgerald's vocals, a big band jazzy style.  However I am not much into this type of music.  It seems to get boring easily.  Rodgers and Hart wrote many songs for musicals together.  So the music here is representative of the early era of musicals.  I much prefer the music of today with the rousing melody's and cutting lyrics.

Musical Movie Review: State Fair

I finally sat down to watch this movie, an found it delightful.  Jeanne Crain stars as Margy Frake, a young woman who just knows there is something better than her expected life with the farmer next door, and perhaps at the fair she will meet someone; and her brother Wayne (Dick Haynes) who is let down as his girl can't go to the fair.  I love the portrayal of their parents as they participate at the fair.  Mrs. Frake in the mince meat and pickle contest, and her husband in the swine contest.  It provides a very nice background.  Well of course both siblings meet people at the fair.  Margy meets Pat Gilbert (Dana Andrews) a reporter who is covering the fair, and writes about the mince meat competition.  Wayne meets Emily Edwards (Vivian Blake) a singer with a traveling group at the fair.  Harry Morgan, portraying a fair barker is instrumental in their meeting.   Wayne learns that sometimes city life and country life don't mix, as there are different values.  Only one relationship spills over into a relationship that lasts after the fair, which shows that sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't.  However, this may be for the best as Wayne meets up with his girl.  Some of the music for this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is lovely.  "Our State Fair" leads off, but then there is also "It Might As Well Be Spring" in which Margy sings of her expectation that something new is coming.  "It's a Grand Night for Singing" is a favorite.

Music Review: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2013)

The music CD for the updated Cinderella is very good.  The music is clear, and includes many familiar songs.  I questioned how they could say "original" when this musical has been presented before.  However this musical was written for television, first starring Julie Andrews in 1957.  It has been reproduced for television twice since, each time adding new songs.  This is the first Broadway Production and features Laura Osnes as Cinderella and Santino Fontana as the prince.   I love "In my Own Little Corner", "Impossible" with Victoria Clark as the fairy Godmother and "10 Minutes Ago", especially when the prince sings "I have found her."  I love that.

Music Review: South Pacific: In Concert from Carnegie Hall

South Pacific: In Concert from Carnegie Hall, Rhino Entertainment Corp., 2006.

This is not a musical, but in fact a concert, although they did add some action and some costuming.  I mean, what would the scene with Luther Billis (Alec Baldwin) in the Thanksgiving program be without Billis dressed up with a coconut brassiere.   Reba McEntire takes the roll of Nellie Forbush and Brian Stokes Mitchell as the love struck Frenchman Emile de Becque.  The Orchestra of Saint Lukes provides the music.  The other notable roles are Jason Danieley as Lt. Cable who does an excellent job of singing “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” dealing with racism.    Lillian White portrays Bloody Mary, who is intent on her daughter marrying the Lieutenant, but thwarted by prejudism, and then the war takes his life. 

The thing this movie has going for it is MeEntire and Stokes Mitchell.  They are both veterans of the music scene, McEntire in country music and Stokes Mitchell in musical theater and opera.  Their voices carry the presentation.  The rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening” is very beautiful.  As are all of the reprises.  Even though I would never have cast Baldwin as Luther Billis, “Honey Bun” is just a hoot.  Maybe it’s the music, or just the scene but even in the medium of a concert this song is very enjoyable. 

This presentation is enjoyable, and except for a couple parts of people finding their places in the script, it flows very well.

Music Review: Oscar Hammerstein: The Legacy

Oscar Hammerstein was a prolific lyricist, and wrote with many composers.  This included George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and of course Richard Rodgers.  This anthology of music includes all of these composers.  The music is presented from State Fair, Show Boat, Carousel, South Pacific, and Oklahoma.  The different presentations are from the musicals (which I like best) as well as jazz, big band and solo versions of popular artists.  For example, Frank Sinatra singing "Some Enchanted Evening" was nice, but lacked the energy of the song.  However Sinatra's "Ol' Man River" was very nice.  There are also some original artists, including Mary Martin as Juanita Hall singing "Happy Talk" and "Bali Hai" Mary Martin singing "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy." This collection concludes with Judy Garland singing "You'll Never Walk Alone."  This is a showstopper. 

Music Review: ****Carousel: Original Broadway Cast

***Carousel.  I listened to the musical selections from Carousel.  I can't get enough of "When You Walk Through a Storm."
This C.D. is the original Broadway cast (1945), and I prefer the movie cast, but still the story is poignant, and this one song is as good as it gets in musical theater. The rest of the music is not quite as good, but Soliloquy and If I loved you are also very nice.  However I can't get excited about the clam bake song.