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: 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.

Movie Musical Review: ****Oklahoma (1955)

This is a movie presentation of the original musical.  It seems to be very true to the original, including the overture, interacte music and all of the dance music. It starts with Gordon MacRae as Curly McClain singing "Oh what a Beautiful Morning,"  and just gets more delicious from there.  Laurey (Shirley Jones joins him with her beautiful voice.  Curly is courting for Laurey but she is not sure if she wants him, as she has promised to go to the party that night with Jud (Rod Steiger), their ranch hand.  Jud has a chip on his shoulder for anyone who thinks he is better than him.  At the same time there is a love interest between Will (Gene Nelson) and Ado Annie (Gloria Grahame).  I really like the song "Pore Jud is Daid."  If Jud is just playing along, or really thinking about what people will say when he is dead, I don't know.  However this song is a premonition of what is to some.  Laurey and Curly finally hit it off, and get married in the final scene.  This creates bad blood between Curley and Jud, which boils over on the wedding night. 
My only complaint about this movie is too much dancing.  Some of the dancing is cute, but the scene where Laurey is confused, the dance goes for ever.  The entire movie is two and a half hours.  They could have shortened it at least 15 minutes.  I do love the music,  "Oklahoma" is always a favorite, as is "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top."

Movie Review: ****Carousel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_NOweJAlq4

This is a classical musical picture.  It is the 1956 adaptation of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein Musical.  It has the classic song, "You'll Never Walk Alone" twice.  For this alone it is worthy of watching.  This show presents the unlikely marriage of Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae) and Julie Jordon (Shirley Jones.)  Billy is a carousel barker and Julie a factory worker.  Some of the music is contrived and forgettable.  People singing about the clams they are eating doesn’t quite cut it.  However this musical has more great music than I remembered.  “If I Loved You” is fun as the characters explore whether or not the really would ever get married, and then they do.  MacRae does the "Soliloquy" after finding out his wife is pregnant in which he sings to his future baby.  When he realizes he might have a baby, he realizes he needs some money.  For some reason he is not willing to take a job in the fish industry.  He decides to go with his pal and rob a business man.  This doesn't work out, and he ends up dead.  However, he is given a chance to come back and influence his daughter for good.  The speech of Dr. Seldon at his daughter's graduation is classic:   I - I can't tell you any sure way to happiness. I only know that you've gotta go out and find it for yourselves. You can't lean on the success of your parents. That's their success. And don't be held back by their failures...
Makes no difference what they did or didn't do. You just stand on your own two feet. The world belongs to you as much as to the next fella, so don't give it up. And try not to be scared of people not liking you, just you try liking them. And just keep your faith, and your courage, and you'll turn out all right. It's like what we used to sing every morning when I was a boy. Maybe you still sing it: "When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high." You know that one?
 The show then ends with "You'll Never Walk Alone."

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.