Pygmalion (BBC Play of the Month, 1973) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-23 | ONE OF THE FINEST TELEVISION ADAPTATIONS of George Bernard Shaw's 1912 class satire, this 1973 British production of Pygmalion stars Lynn Redgrave as a marvelously accessible, non-cartoonish, and likable Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower girl who becomes the subject of a socio-scientific experiment by phonetics expert Henry Higgins (James Villiers). Betting that he can turn the yowling, filthy guttersnipe Eliza into a proper lady who can pass herself off as an aristocrat, Higgins puts the poor girl through some difficult paces, then develops an affection for her that he's ill-equipped to show. Ronald Fraser is on hand as Colonel Pickering, the warm and considerate Watson to Higgins's imperious Holmes. (Fraser would play Pickering again in a 1981 TV version.) Emrys James is wonderful as Eliza's father, a chimney sweep who laments the fact that Higgins' influence has inadvertently turned him into a middle-class patriarch with unwanted responsibilities. Shaw's piercing comedy about the limits of class and personal character, and their impact on one another is both potent and enjoyable in this excellent showcase. ~Tom Keogh, Film Critic
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (John Rawlins director, Universal 1942) Cantara Christopher 2023-07-15 | As part of my appreciation of playwright/scenarist LYNN RIGGS I'm including this flick here because, coincidentally, it also happens to be my favorite of the Rathbone-Bruce-Universal Sherlock Holmes series. For Riggs, scripts like this—as well as the script for the Dietrich-Boyer-Selznick sexy weeper The Garden of Allah youtu.be/o6Y0bJWaKPY—put food on the table until those OKLAHOMA! checks started rolling in. For more info, check out my blog, "I'll Be Dead Before You Break My Heart" https://cantarachristopher.blog
Carola by Jean Renoir (Norman Lloyd director, WNET 1973) Cantara Christopher 2022-04-17 | JEAN RENOIR's 1960 French play was produced as a televised stage production on the series program "Hollywood Television Theater" on WNET in New York, on February 3, 1973. The production starred Leslie Caron and Mel Ferrer, and was produced by Norman Lloyd. A beautiful, troubled stage actress in Nazi-occupied Paris finds her attentions torn between a Resistance leader whom she is hiding and a handsome Nazi officer.
Dobie Gillis Season 1 Episode 37 (21 June 1960) Here Comes the Groom Cantara Christopher 2022-02-25 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 29 September 1959 to 5 June 1963. The series and several episode scripts were adapted from the "Dobie Gillis" short stories written by Max Shulman first collected in 1951. Dobie Gillis broke ground by depicting elements of the current counterculture, particularly the Beat Generation, primarily embodied in Maynard G Krebs, a stereotypical version of the "beatnik".An especially bright but somewhat plain-looking Zelda Gilroy is smitten with the handsome clean-cut Dobie, who in turn had his romantic sights on the most beautiful girls such as Thalia Menninger. Though most of them eventually shun him for various reasons, Zelda is always there for Dobie and Maynard.
Rings On Her Fingers (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Fox 1942) Cantara Christopher 2021-10-18 | RIngs On Her Fingers is a Preston Sturges-like comedy directed by Sturges pal Rouben Mamoulian and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney about a working man who gets mistaken for a millionaire and is swindled out of his life savings. [more later; for more information about Rouben Mamoulian, visit my blog http://cantarachristopher.com]NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
We Live Again (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Sam Goldwyn 1934) Cantara Christopher 2021-10-03 | We Live Again is a 1934 film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Anna Sten and Fredric March. The film is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1899 novel Resurrection (Voskraeseniye). The screenplay was written by Maxwell Anderson with contributions from a number of writers, including Preston Sturges and Thornton Wilder. Producer Samuel Goldwyn made the film to showcase Russian actress Anna Sten, his newest discovery, who he hoped would rival Garbo in popularity. It was Goldwyn who named the film "We Live Again", on the theory that it meant the same thing as "Resurrection" and was easier to understand. Unlike many films made in the 1930s, We Live Again met with the approval of the censors. To quote the Hays Office: "Though dealing with a sex affair and its attendant consequences, the story has been handled with such fine emphasis on the moral values of repentance and retribution, as to emerge with a definite spiritual quality. We feel that this picture could, in fact, serve as a model for the proper treatment of the element of illicit sex in pictures."Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Of Human Bondage Starring Felicia Montealegre (Studio One CBS-TV, 21 Nov 1949) Cantara Christopher 2021-03-17 | Felicia Cohn Montealegre (3 March 1922 – 16 June 1978) was a Chilean stage and television actress born in San Jose, Costa Rica. From 1951 until her death, she was married to the American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. She established herself in New York, where she took piano lessons from her Chilean compatriot Claudio Arrau. Montealegre met composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein in 1946 at a party given by Arrau. Their first engagement was broken off, and she subsequently had a several-year relationship with Broadway and Hollywood actor Richard Hart. After Hart's death she married Bernstein, with whom she had three children. For Felicia's crucial letter to her husband, go to my blog posting at bit.ly/feliciasletter.
The Good Companions (Victor Saville dir, Gaumont 1933) Cantara Christopher 2021-02-15 | The Good Companions is a 1933 British backstage comedy directed by Victor Saville starring Jessie Matthews, John Gielgud and Edmund Gwenn. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by JB Priestley. Gielgud had appeared in the 1931 theatrical version of the novel, written by Priestley, which had ran for more than three hundred performances in the West End. Adele Dixon who had played Susie Dean on stage was replaced by Jessie Matthews.It was shot at the Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alfred Junge while the costumes were by Gordon Conway. Henry Ainley narrated the prologue.This entire film is available to watch at: bit.ly/goodcomp1
Stephen Sondheim on The American Musical Theatre (WCBS, 15 October 1961) Cantara Christopher 2021-01-29 | Lyricist-Composer Stephen Sondheim, Baritone/Host Earl Wrightson, Orchestrator-Conductor Irwin Kostal.In an episode of this television series, originally broadcast exclusively in New York City, Sondheim speaks before a workshop of NYC high school students, discussing the genesis of such songs as “Small World”, “I Feel Pretty”, and “One Hand, One Heart,” which are performed by Martha Wright and Ralph Curtis.This show also includes question and answer period with Irwin Kostal, arranger and conductor for West Side Story. Hosted by Earl Wrightson. Produced by Ned Cramer. Directed by Neal Finn.More on my blog posting at: bit.ly/sondheim1.
Blonde Venus Trailer (JOSEF VON STERNBERG director, Paramount 1932) Cantara Christopher 2021-01-14 | Josef von Sternberg returned Marlene Dietrich to the stage in Blonde Venus, both a glittering spectacle and a sweeping melodrama about motherly devotion. Unfolding episodically, the film tells the story of Helen (Dietrich), once a German chanteuse, now an American housewife, who resurrects her stage career after her husband (Herbert Marshall) falls ill; she then becomes the mistress of a millionaire (Cary Grant), in a slide from loving martyr to dishonored woman. Despite production difficulties courtesy of the Hays Office, the director’s baroque visual style shines, as do one of the most memorable musical numbers in all of cinema and a parade of visionary costumes by von Sternberg and Dietrich’s longtime collaborator Travis Banton.This complete film is available to watch here: bit.ly/bvenus1
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (Roy William Neill director, Universal 1943) Cantara Christopher 2020-12-27 | Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the sixth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films. Made in 1943, it is a loose adaptation by screenwriter Bertram Millhauser of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes 1893 story "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual." Its three immediate predecessors in the film series were World War II spy adventures with Holmes and Dr. Watson as characters, but this one marks a return to the pure mystery film form. Though several characters are military men and there are frequent mentions of the war, it is not the focus of the story.Sherlock Holmes Faces Death dispensed with the Nazis and had Sherlock using his powers of deduction to solve crimes committed by devious criminals. This film captured an almost Gothic atmosphere and the script implied an acceptance of the supernatural, for the first four lines of the Musgrave ritual—"Who first shall find it, were better dead; who next shall find it, perils his head; the last to find it, defies dark powers; and brings good fortune to Hurlstone Towers"—take on the air of prophecy when it comes true. Scenarist Bertram Millhauser wove a number of great classic mystery elements together—the dark stormy night, secluded manor, hidden passages, and the old chestnut of the clock striking 13—into an engrossing and sprightly paced film. ~SilverScenesBlog
This Could Be the Start of Something Big from The Tonight Show (NBC, 1956-60) Cantara Christopher 2020-12-22 | In this clip from 9 February 1958 Steve Allen is joined by actress-singer Ann Sothern and singers Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, and Dinah Shore and a "special mystery guest" singing Steve's theme in an incredible tracking shot down in Burbank Studio 1 (where Allen taped The Tonight Show) and ends over at Studio 4 (where Dinah Shore taped her show).More on blog: http://bit.ly/somethingbig3.
Donkey Serenade from The Firefly (Robert Z Leonard director, MGM 1937) Cantara Christopher 2020-12-12 | The Firefly is a 1937 musical film starring Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones. The film is an adaptation of the operetta of the same name by composer Rudolf Friml and librettist Otto A Harbach that premiered on Broadway in 1912. The film used nearly all of the music from the operetta but jettisoned the plot in favor of a new storyline set in Spain during the time of the Emperor Napoleon I. It added a new song, "The Donkey Serenade" (a reworking by Herbert Stothart of Friml's 1918 orchestral piece "Chanson"), which became extremely popular, as was one of the Friml songs, "Giannina Mia". The original release prints of the film were elaborately tinted with sepia-blue, sepia-orange and sepia-blue-pink.This entire film is available to watch here: bit.ly/fireflyjones1
Torturing Terence from The Mask of Fu Manchu (Charles Brabin director, MGM 1932) Cantara Christopher 2020-12-10 | The Mask of Fu Manchu is a 1932 PRE-CODE adventure film directed by Charles Brabin and written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf and John Willard, based on the 1932 novel of the same name by Sax Rohmer. Starring Boris Karloff as Fu Manchu, and featuring Myrna Loy as his depraved daughter, the film revolves around Fu Manchu's quest for the golden sword and mask of Genghis Khan.More: https://cantarachristopher.blog/2023/08/23/pre-code-thrillers-and-the-first-porn-movie-i-ever-did-2/
Dobie Gillis Season 3 Ep 19 (20 Feb 1962) The Marriage Counselor Cantara Christopher 2020-11-15 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 29 September 1959 to 5 June 1963. The series and several episode scripts were adapted from the "Dobie Gillis" short stories written by Max Shulman first collected in 1951. Dobie Gillis broke ground by depicting elements of the current counterculture, particularly the Beat Generation, primarily embodied in Maynard G Krebs, a stereotypical version of the "beatnik".An especially bright but somewhat plain-looking Zelda Gilroy is smitten with the handsome clean-cut Dobie, who in turn had his romantic sights on the most beautiful girls such as Thalia Menninger. Though most of them eventually shun him for various reasons, Zelda is always there for Dobie and Maynard.
Dobie Gillis Season 4 Ep 30 (24 Apr 1963) The Rice and Old Shoes Caper Cantara Christopher 2020-11-15 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 29 September 1959 to 5 June 1963. The series and several episode scripts were adapted from the "Dobie Gillis" short stories written by Max Shulman first collected in 1951. Dobie Gillis broke ground by depicting elements of the current counterculture, particularly the Beat Generation, primarily embodied in Maynard G Krebs, a stereotypical version of the "beatnik".An especially bright but somewhat plain-looking Zelda Gilroy is smitten with the handsome clean-cut Dobie, who in turn had his romantic sights on the most beautiful girls such as Thalia Menninger. Though most of them eventually shun him for various reasons, Zelda is always there for Dobie and Maynard.
Dobie Gillis Season 3 Ep 10 (12 Dec 1961) This Town Aint Big Enough for Me and Robert Browning Cantara Christopher 2020-11-15 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 29 September 1959 to 5 June 1963. The series and several episode scripts were adapted from the "Dobie Gillis" short stories written by Max Shulman first collected in 1951. Dobie Gillis broke ground by depicting elements of the current counterculture, particularly the Beat Generation, primarily embodied in Maynard G Krebs, a stereotypical version of the "beatnik".An especially bright but somewhat plain-looking Zelda Gilroy is smitten with the handsome clean-cut Dobie, who in turn had his romantic sights on the most beautiful girls such as Thalia Menninger. Though most of them eventually shun him for various reasons, Zelda is always there for Dobie and Maynard.
Dobie Gillis Season 2 Ep 16 (7 Feb 1961) The Bitter Feud of Dobie and Maynard Cantara Christopher 2020-11-15 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, also known as simply Dobie Gillis or Max Shulman's Dobie Gillis in later seasons and in syndication, is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 29 September 1959 to 5 June 1963. The series and several episode scripts were adapted from the "Dobie Gillis" short stories written by Max Shulman first collected in 1951. Dobie Gillis broke ground by depicting elements of the current counterculture, particularly the Beat Generation, primarily embodied in Maynard G Krebs, a stereotypical version of the "beatnik".An especially bright but somewhat plain-looking Zelda Gilroy is smitten with the handsome clean-cut Dobie, who in turn had his romantic sights on the most beautiful girls such as Thalia Menninger. Though most of them eventually shun him for various reasons, Zelda is always there for Dobie and Maynard.
City Wakes from Love Me Tonight (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, MGM 1932) Cantara Christopher 2020-11-05 | That snooty critic fart Andrew Sarris once mock-praised my old boss Rouben Mamoulian for his early cinema innovations that never quite caught on. Hah! When’s the last time you were so proud of your old boss’s work you wanted to make sure the world never forgot it?Love Me Tonight is a 1932 Pre-Code musical comedy produced and directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princess with whom he falls in love. It also stars Charles Ruggles as a penniless nobleman, along with Charles Butterworth and Myrna Loy as members of his family. The film is an adaptation by Samuel Hoffenstein, George Marion Jr and Waldemar Young of the play Le Tailleur au château (The tailor at the castle) by Paul Armont and Léopold Marchand. It features the classic Rodgers and Hart songs "Love Me Tonight", "Isn't it Romantic?", "Mimi", and "Lover". "Lover" is sung not romantically, as it often is in nightclubs, but comically, as MacDonald's character tries to control an unruly horse. The staging of "Isn't It Romantic?" was revolutionary for its time, combining both singing and film editing, as the song is passed from one singer (or group of singers) to another, all of whom are at different locales.Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Isnt It Romantic? from Love Me Tonight (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Paramount 1932) Cantara Christopher 2020-11-05 | That snooty critic fart Andrew Sarris once mock-praised my old boss Rouben Mamoulian for his early cinema innovations that never quite caught on. Hah! When’s the last time you were so proud of your old boss’s work you wanted to make sure the world never forgot it?Love Me Tonight is a 1932 Pre-Code musical comedy produced and directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princess with whom he falls in love. It also stars Charles Ruggles as a penniless nobleman, along with Charles Butterworth and Myrna Loy as members of his family. The film is an adaptation by Samuel Hoffenstein, George Marion Jr and Waldemar Young of the play Le Tailleur au château (The tailor at the castle) by Paul Armont and Léopold Marchand. It features the classic Rodgers and Hart songs "Love Me Tonight", "Isn't it Romantic?", "Mimi", and "Lover". "Lover" is sung not romantically, as it often is in nightclubs, but comically, as MacDonald's character tries to control an unruly horse. The staging of "Isn't It Romantic?" was revolutionary for its time, combining both singing and film editing, as the song is passed from one singer (or group of singers) to another, all of whom are at different locales.In 1990, Love Me Tonight was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".Find the entire film LOVE ME TONIGHT here on my YT channel.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Memorizing this room from Queen Christina (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, MGM 1933) Cantara Christopher 2020-11-03 | Queen Christina is a pre-Code Hollywood biographical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1933 by Walter Wanger and directed by Rouben Mamoulian. It stars Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in their fourth and last film together.The film fictionally portrays the life of Queen Christina of Sweden, who became monarch at the age of six in 1632 and grew to be a powerful and influential leader. She falls in love with a visiting Spanish envoy whom she is forbidden to marry because he is a Roman Catholic, and must choose between love and her royal duty. The film was a major commercial and critical success in the United States and worldwide. The film was released in December of 1933. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulian and written by H. M. Harwood and Salka Viertel, with dialogue by S. N. Behrman, based on a story by Salka Viertel and Margaret P. Levino.The "memorizing the room" is one of the most iconic scenes of any Garbo film.This entire film is available to view here: bit.ly/queengarbo1Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Rain (Lewis Milestone director, United Artists 1932) Cantara Christopher 2020-11-01 | Rain is a US 1932 drama that stars Joan Crawford as prostitute Sadie Thompson. Directed by Lewis Milestone and set in the South Seas, the production was filmed in part at Santa Catalina Island and what is now Crystal Cove State Park in California. The film also features Walter Huston in the role of a conflicted missionary who insists that Sadie end her evil ways, but whose own moral standards and self-righteous behavior steadily decay. Crawford was loaned out by MGM to United Artists for this film.The plot of the film is based on the 1922 play Rain by John Colton and Clemence Randolph, which in turn was based on the 1921 short story "Miss Thompson" (later retitled "Rain") by W. Somerset Maugham. Actress Jeanne Eagels had played the role on stage. Other movie versions of the story include: a 1928 silent film titled Sadie Thompson starring Gloria Swanson, and Miss Sadie Thompson (1953), which starred Rita Hayworth.
Stereophonic Sound from Silk Stockings (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, MGM 1957) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-24 | THIS IS THE FILM THAT CLINCHES MY **2-DEGREES** CONNECTION TO ENGLISH CONDUCTOR JOHN WILSONFrom me to Rouben Mamoulian to Andre Previn to John Wilson—Cantara's two degrees from her beloved conductor.As I said in an earlier post, I'm three degrees away from my beloved John Wilson with one particular MGM musical, Give a Girl a Break, as the bridge. But! I'm only TWO degrees away from the man I love with this MGM musical, Silk Stockings—from me to Rouben Mamoulian to Andre Previn to John.Silk Stockings was adapted from the 1955 stage musical of the same name, which itself was an adaptation of the film Ninotchka (MGM, 1939). It was directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, produced by Arthur Freed, and stars Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse (who wound up as Mamoulian's neighbor up on Schuyler Road). Musical director was Andre Previn. It was the last movie my old boss Mamoulian, aka The Old Man, ever did (at 60—he died at 90), and "Stereophonic Sound" is one of the numbers on John Wilson+Orchestra's 2014 Cole Porter album. But watch the clip instead. Janis Paige is the focus in this number but Fred Astaire at 58 is still a joy.This entire film is available to view at: bit.ly/silkstockings1Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Larrivée from Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (Jacques Demy director, Comacico 1967, IN FRENCH) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-22 | Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a 1967 French musical comedy written and directed by Jacques Demy. The ensemble cast is headlined by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, along with Gene Kelly, and features Jacques Perrin, Michel Piccoli, Danielle Darrieux, George Chakiris, and Grover Dale. The choreography was by Norman Maen, a former principal dancer under Jack Cole.Michel Legrand composed the score, to Demy's lyrics. The most famous songs from this film score are "Chanson des Jumelles" and "Chanson de Maxence". The film was a success for Demy in France. In the US, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.
The Red Blues from Silk Stockings (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, MGM 1957) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-22 | Silk Stockings is a 1957 MGM musical filmed in CinemaScope, adapted from the 1955 stage musical of the same name, which itself was an adaptation of the film Ninotchka (MGM, 1939). Silk Stockings was directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, produced by Arthur Freed, and stars Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The supporting cast includes Janis Paige, Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin, and George Tobias repeating his Broadway role. It was choreographed by Eugene Loring and Hermes Pan. The music of course is by Cole Porter, as are the song lyrics.It's not the greatest musical and "The Red Blues" is nothing more than a chord progression for a dance number, but come on, check out the camera work in this scene. It's as good as Renoir's best.Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika (Wolfgang Liebeneiner director, Divina-FIlm 1958, IN GERMAN/ENGLISH) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-22 | Die Trapp-Familie in Amerika is a 1958 West German comedy-drama directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Hans Holt, and Josef Meinrad. The film's art direction was by Robert Herlth. It is a sequel to the 1956 film, Die Trapp-Familie, about the real-life Austrian-American musical family, the von Trapps. Music by Franz Grothe.More notes on my blog: wp.me/p7oPQd-11p.
Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (Paris, 2003) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-22 | The Young Girls of Rochefort is a musical comedy adapted by Alain Boublil and directed by Daniel Moyne, based on the 1967 film written and directed by Jacques Demy. It was produced in Paris in 2003.
Brief Encounter (David Lean director, Eagle-Lion 1945) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-21 | Brief Encounter is a 1945 British romantic drama directed by David Lean, about a passionate extramarital affair in England shortly before WWII. The protagonist is Laura, a married woman with children, whose conventional life becomes increasingly complicated following a chance meeting at a railway station with a married stranger with whom she subsequently falls in love.The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey. The screenplay is by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play, Still Life. The soundtrack prominently features the Piano Concerto No 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, with Eileen Joyce on piano.Brief Encounter was met with wide praise from critics upon its release and is today considered to be among Lean's finest works. In 1999, the British Film Institute voted Brief Encounter the second greatest British film of all time. In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine saw it ranked the twelfth best British film ever.
Lady of Burlesque (William Wellman director, Hunt Stromberg 1943) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-21 | Lady of Burlesque is a 1943 comedy-mystery directed by William A Wellman and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea. It is a faithful (if sanitized) film adaptation of the 1941 mystery novel The G-String Murders, written by burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee. The film was produced by Hunt Stromberg, with costumes by Edith Head, and filmed on a 21-day shooting schedule on (rented) sound stages at RKO's Encino movie ranch.The film depicted as much as censors would allow with respect to the nature of "bumps and grinds", as well as the slapdash nature of burlesque shows. Stanwyck sings the nifty song, "Take It Off the E String, Play It on the G String".
A Star Is Born (William Wellman director, United Artists 1937) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-21 | A Star Is Born is a 1937 showbiz film produced by David O. Selznick, directed by William A Wellman from a script by Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and her husband Alan Campbell. It stars Janet Gaynor as an aspiring Hollywood actress, and Fredric March as a fading movie star who helps launch her career. The supporting cast features Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander, and Owen Moore.It is not known how much Dorothy Parker contributed to the finished script. When she first saw the film, Parker was proud of her contribution and boasted about both the script and the film, but in later life she believed that she had contributed nothing of significance. Early in their careers, Budd Schulberg, then a script reader for Selznick, and Ring Lardner Jr, who was working in Selznick's publicity department, were assigned to write some additional dialogue for the film, a collaboration which produced Janet Gaynor's—and the film's—final words: "This is Mrs Norman Maine."Some film historians believe that the marriage of Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay was the film's real-life inspiration.
Love Me Tonight (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Paramount 1932) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-20 | Love Me Tonight is a 1932 Pre-Code musical comedy produced and directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, with music by Rodgers and Hart. It stars Maurice Chevalier as a tailor who poses as a nobleman and Jeanette MacDonald as a princess with whom he falls in love. It also stars Charles Ruggles as a penniless nobleman, along with Charles Butterworth and Myrna Loy as members of his family.The film is an adaptation by Samuel Hoffenstein, George Marion Jr and Waldemar Young of the play Le Tailleur au château (The tailor at the castle) by Paul Armont and Léopold Marchand. It features the classic Rodgers and Hart songs "Love Me Tonight", "Isn't it Romantic?", "Mimi", and "Lover". "Lover" is sung not romantically, as it often is in nightclubs, but comically, as MacDonald's character tries to control an unruly horse. The staging of "Isn't It Romantic?" was revolutionary for its time, combining both singing and film editing, as the song is passed from one singer (or group of singers) to another, all of whom are at different locales.Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.blog.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Gone to Earth (Powell & Pressburger directors, British Lion 1950) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-20 | The original version of Gone to Earth was fully restored by the British Film Institute's National Archive in 1985. A New Statesman review claimed the restored film to be "One of the great British regional films" and, according to Powell's cinematographer, Christopher Challis, "one of the most beautiful films ever to be shot of the English countryside".Although he had been involved throughout the filming, executive producer David O Selznick disliked the finished film, and took The Archers, Powell and Pressburger's production company, to court to get it changed. He lost the court case, but discovered that he had the right to have the film changed for its American release.Consequently, Selznick had the film re-edited and some extra scenes shot in Hollywood under director Rouben Mamoulian to make the version known as The Wild Heart (1952). Selznick's changes were mostly additions to the film: a prologue; scenes explaining things, often literally, by putting labels or inscriptions on them; and more close-ups of his wife, Jennifer Jones. The most infamous of the alterations are the scenes at the end when Jones is supposedly carrying a tame fox—in the additional scenes, she is carrying what is obviously a stuffed toy fox.Selznick also deleted a few scenes that he felt weren't dramatic enough, some of which were major plot points, so the story doesn't make as much sense as it does in the original film. In his autobiographies, Powell claimed that Selznick only left about 35 minutes of the original film, but, in fact, about two-thirds remains intact. Overall, Selznick cut the film's length by 28 minutes, from the original 110 minutes to 82 minutes.
High, Wide and Handsome (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Paramount 1937) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-20 | High, Wide, and Handsome is a 1937 film musical starring Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Alan Hale Sr, Charles Bickford, and Dorothy Lamour. The movie was directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, and written by Oscar Hammerstein II and George O'Neil, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Jerome Kern. The movie includes the classic Kern-Hammerstein song "Can I Forget You?", as well as "The Folks Who Live On the Hill". Director Mamoulian saw to it, with Kern and Hammerstein's help, that most of the songs were firmly integrated into the plot. Reviewing the film in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review, characterizing it as "two hours of a long, dumb and dreary picture". Greene notes that the Hollywood aesthetics from director Mamoulian sets an unrealistic—and thus improbable—scene.A better-quality version of this entire film can be found here: bit.ly/highwide1Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Golden Boy (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Columbia 1939) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-19 | Golden Boy is a 1939 American melodrama directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou and William Holden. It is based on the 1937 play of the same title by Clifford Odets.In 1938, Columbia purchased the rights to Odets' play for $100,000, intending to produce a film starring Jean Arthur and directed by Frank Capra. Actors considered for the role of Joe Bonaparte included John Garfield, who played Joe in the play, Elia Kazan, Richard Carlson, and Tyrone Power. However, director Rouben Mamoulian expressed interest in Holden after seeing his screen test, and convinced Columbia to purchase 50 percent of Holden's contract from Paramount Pictures. Golden Boy was Holden's first starring role and jumpstarted his career.The producers were initially unhappy with Holden's work and tried to dismiss him, but Stanwyck insisted that he be retained. Thirty-nine years later, when Holden and Stanwyck were joint presenters at the 1978 Academy Awards, he interrupted their reading of a nominee list to publicly thank her for saving his career. In 1982, Stanwyck returned the favor during her acceptance speech for an Honorary Oscar at the 1982 Academy Award ceremony, saying of Holden, who had died in an accident a few months earlier: "I loved him very much, and I miss him. He always wished that I would get an Oscar. And so tonight, my golden boy, you got your wish".Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Becky Sharp (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, RKO 1935) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-19 | THE FIRST FULL-LENGTH FILM IN TECHNICOLOR AND IT IS **GORGEOUS**.Becky Sharp is a 1935 film directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, and starring Miriam Hopkins, who was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. In the supporting cast are William Faversham, Frances Dee, Cedric Hardwicke, Billie Burke, Alison Skipworth, Nigel Bruce, and Alan Mowbray.The film is based on the 1899 play of the same name by Langdon Mitchell, which in turn was based on William Makepeace Thackeray's 1848 novel Vanity Fair. The screenplay was written by Francis Edward Faragoh. The film was considered a landmark in cinema as the first feature film to use the newly developed three-strip Technicolor production throughout, opening the way for a growing number of color films to be made in Britain and the United States in the years leading up to World War II. Lowell Sherman, the original director, had fallen ill while working on Night Life of the Gods before starting Becky Sharp, but had continued to work on the project; he died of double pneumonia four weeks into production. After Sherman's death, Rouben Mamoulian was brought in to finish the film. Mamoulian did not use any of the footage shot by Sherman, deciding instead to reshoot the entire film.Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Give a Girl a Break Trailer (Stanley Donen director, MGM 1953) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-14 | THIS IS THE MOVIE THAT CLINCHES MY 3-DEGREES CONNECTION TO ENGLISH CONDUCTOR JOHN WILSONFrom me to Gerard Damiano to Helen Wood to Andre Previn to John Wilson—Cantara's three degrees from her beloved conductor.Degree rule: You have to have personally worked with the person in the next degree. I (as Simona Wing) worked with Damiano in his classic Beyond Your Wildest Dreams; Damiano wrote and directed another porn classic, Deep Throat, which Helen Wood (as Dolly Sharp) was in; Helen Wood co-starred in the musical Give a Girl a Break, on which the musical director was Andre Previn; Previn worked on the 2012 BBC Proms My Fair Lady with MY BELOVED JOHN WILSON.Give a Girl a Break is a US 1953 musical comedy film starring Debbie Reynolds and the dance team of Marge and Gower Champion. Helen Wood, Richard Anderson, Kurt Kaszner and a young Bob Fosse have featured roles. At only 88 minutes, Give a Girl a Break shows residual elements of the big project it started out to be, with a passable score by Burton Lane and Ira Gershwin, direction by Stanley Donen, and musical direction by Andre Previn.More on my blog: http://bit.ly/previnjohn2
I Wont Dance from Lovely to Look At (Mervyn LeRoy director, MGM 1952) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-13 | With Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Howard Keel and MARGE AND GOWER CHAMPION. Song by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields (1935). NIfty orchestration by Lyon-born Leo Arnaud, composer of the famous theme for the Olympics. Conducted by Carmen Dragon, the Captain's dad. Written reconstruction of the entire film score by my beloved English conductor, John Wilson.This entire film is available to watch here: bit.ly/lovelyto1
The Garden of Allah (Richard Boleslawski director, Selznick International 1936) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-12 | Dietrich loves and leaves Charles Boyer for God in this Selznick Technicolor feast. With a stellar cast, including Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, and Joseph Schildkraut.The Garden of Allah is a US 1936 American romantic melodrama directed by Richard Boleslawski and produced by David O Selznick. The screenplay was written by William P Lipscomb and LYNN RIGGS who based it on the 1904 novel of the same title by Robert S Hichens. This third film version was the first sound version. The music score is by Max Steiner.It was the third feature film to be photographed in three-strip Technicolor. Uncredited cinematographers W Howard Greene and Harold Rosson received a special Oscar for advances in color cinematography. The filming locations were in Buttercup, California and Yuma, Arizona.
The Song of Songs (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Paramount 1933) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-12 | The Song of Songs is a 1933 US Pre-Code romantic drama directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, and starring Marlene Dietrich as a naive German peasant named Lily who moves to Berlin and suffers romantic heartache. This version of the film was based on the 1908 novel by Hermann Sudermann, Das Hohe Lied. The novel's title, which translates to English as "The High Song," refers to the Song of Solomon, which is often described in German as "Das Hohe Lied der Liebe." The 1914 play The Song of Songs by Edward Sheldon also contributed to this version. It is a remake of the 1918 silent film The Song of Songs starring Elsie Ferguson and the 1924 silent film Lily of the Dust with Pola Negri.Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.A better-quality version of this entire film can be found here: bit.ly/songofsongs1NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Applause (ROUBEN MAMOULIAN director, Paramount 1929) Cantara Christopher 2020-10-12 | Applause is a 1929 backstage melodrama directed by my old boss, Rouben Mamoulian, and starring singing star Helen Morgan, Jack Cameron, and Joan Peers. It was shot at Paramount's Astoria Studios in Astoria, New York, during the early years of sound films. The film is notable as one of the few films of its time to break free from the restrictions of bulky sound technology equipment in order to shoot on location around Manhattan.In 2006, Applause was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.Trivia: Mae West was originally considered for the part of Morgan's role of the alcoholic has-been singer, but Paramount decided West's glamorous stage presence would undermine her portrayal.The National Board of Review named Applause one of the 10 best films of 1929. In 2006, Applause was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".Visit my blog for more about Mamoulian's life, films, stage work, and my personal memories of our relationship: http://cantarachristopher.com.NEW! City Streets (1931) now available in zip file and downloadable from my personal blog here: bit.ly/mamoulian1.
Thou Swell, Thou Witty: The Songs of Rodgers & Hart Cantara Christopher 2020-09-25 | Interview: Mary Rodgers, Author & ComposerMarch 11, 2003Mary Rodgers, the daughter of Richard Rodgers, is an author and a composer in her own right; her Broadway credits include the 1959 musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” which launched the career of Carol Burnett. She spoke with GREAT PERFORMANCES Online about her father and his collaborations with Lorenz Hart for the broadcast of THE RODGERS AND HART STORY: THOU SWELL, THOU WITTY.GP: What do you feel was the special chemistry at work between him and Lorenz Hart?MR: To start with, they were both so talented, and they had higher aspirations for musical theater than anyone before them, with the obvious exception of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Jerome Kern’s “Show Boat.” Daddy used to say that with Larry Hart he had met the partner of his life and the most irritating man he had ever known. But then, talented people are often very difficult people.GP: Did one spark the other more than the other way around, or was it fairly equal?MR: One fed off the other’s ideas, and theirs was a mutual respect. Daddy was very good with languages and a very good lyric writer himself, and Larry was very musical. He couldn’t have written those genius rhythms of his if he had not understood music so well. Interestingly enough, in their work together, the music usually came first, where with Oscar and Daddy the lyrics came first.GP: Could you compare the music your father wrote with Hart with what he wrote with Hammerstein?MR: It is completely different. With Larry, Daddy’s music was quirkier and more mischievous. It was the music of his youth, less folksy and more sophisticated. Both of these qualities existed in my father. What Oscar did was to bring out the deep-seated, perfectly beautiful sounds of German Romanticism that were latent in Daddy’s writing. These enabled him to reach a new dimension in moments like the death scene in “Carousel” or the opening of “South Pacific,” when Nellie and Emile first meet. There had been no opportunity to write anything like that in a Rodgers and Hart musical. The subject matter wouldn’t have brought it out, and the art form hadn’t advanced to the point where you could present extended musical ideas.GP: Did your father ever yearn, like George Gershwin, to write something substantial for the concert hall?MR: Never! He was not remotely interested in abstract music. He needed the stimulus of a story and the stimulation of the theatrical experience. Then, too, although he wrote complete manuscripts and was a trained musician, he was not an orchestrator. And you don’t write a symphonic piece and let someone else orchestrate it.GP: Why did Hart turned down “Oklahoma!”?MR: It was just too folksy for him, and besides, he was coming to the end of his emotional tether. He was a prime candidate for Prozac, if it had only been available then. If he could have dealt with his emotional problems, God only knows what more he might have done.GP: Was writing easy for your father?MR: It was very easy. Noël Coward once said that Daddy just “pissed melody.” That doesn’t mean that a lot of thought didn’t go into his songs, however.GP: Was your father close to his contemporaries, such as George Gershwin and Kurt Weill?MR: I don’t believe he knew Weill or even particularly liked his music, but Gershwin was a close friend. If he was ever jealous of anyone — and I don’t mean “jealous” in any nasty or competitive way — it was Gershwin. But then everyone was. But Daddy was secure about his talent, and he knew that there was only one Richard Rodgers, like there was only one Frank Loesser, one Cole Porter. If you gave the same book and lyrics to three composers this good, they would have written three completely different shows.GP: One last question: How would you compare the lyrics of Hart and Porter, which both have such a marvelous sense of word play?MR: The difference, I think, came with what interested Porter as opposed to what interested Larry. I guess the lyrics for “The Lady Is a Tramp” could have been written by either one of them, but Porter, in general, never had the wistful, sentimental, slightly cynical quality you found so often in Larry’s lyrics. Porter was much more up front about joy, humor, wickedness. There was something that was more sly and complicated about Larry. They were both wicked — Porter could even be dirty — but they were wicked in very different ways.Interview by the late John Ardoin for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online.
Broadway Originals: The Songs of Kern, Gershwin, Porter and Rodgers (Evening at Pops, PBS) Cantara Christopher 2020-09-25 | First TV broadcast 23 August 1990. Hosted by Kitty Carlisle Hart, with Rebecca Luker, Jason Graae, Davis Gaines, Paige O’Hara, Judy Kaye, Kim Criswell, Brent Barrett, Chris Groenendaal, Shelley Freydont, and Gary Pierce. Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by John McGlinn.John! MY BELOVED JOHN WILSON! I swear, I found this on the record label website unbidden:Nick Garrod (Northampton UK) 11/21/2019 5:04 PMI watched this disc just after watching Premiere’s DVD (14147) of the 2015 BBC Proms's Leonard Bernstein: Stage and Screen. John McGlinn’s 1990 Pops concert is just like his recordings—note-perfect but somehow lifeless. His approach to the material is reverential to the point of boredom. Jump forward 25 years. ENGLISH CONDUCTOR JOHN WILSON, like McGlinn, strives for authenticity(!!!) [ed], yet his concerts fizz with excitement and passion. I suppose Wilson is more of a showman. The singers on the Pops disc are top notch but it’s more Palm Court than Broadway. Also, it is noticeable that the Pops audience is mostly middle-aged whereas the Proms audience is much more of a mixture of ages. Don’t get me wrong, the Pops concert is enjoyable, just genteel.
Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa from the Opera Noli Me Tangere (Manila, 2011) Cantara Christopher 2020-09-25 | "Awit ng Gabi ni Sisa" is a soprano aria from the opera Noli Me Tangere; Music by Felipe de Leon, libretto by Guillermo Tolentino. Noli Me Tangere is based on Dr. Jose Rizal’s 1887 classic novel of the same name. More information on my blog @ http://bit.ly/31URp70.
Molly Picon stars in Occupancy, August 1st (21 Aug 1962) in Car 54, Where Are You? Season 2 Ep 6 Cantara Christopher 2020-09-25 | The great Molly Picon teaches "Oyen Pripetchik" to the city of New York.Car 54, Where Are You? is a US workplace series created by COMEDY GREAT NAT HIKEN that featured absurdity, farce and slapstick. It aired on NBC from September 1961 to April 1963 and took place in the fictional 53rd precinct in The Bronx, New York. Car 54 was the patrol car assigned to the two main characters, NYPD officers Toody and Muldoon. The series was filmed on location and at Biograph Studios in the Bronx.
NIchols and May: The Mother and Son Sketch Cantara Christopher 2016-04-04 | Another routine from the legendary team of MIKE NICHOLS and ELAINE MAY, circa 1961, the JFK + NASA years.Nichols and May was an American improvisational comedy duo act developed by Mike Nichols (1931–2014) and Elaine May (b 1932). Their three comedy albums reached the Billboard Top 40 between 1959 and 1962. Many comedians have cited them as key influences in modern comedy. "You can't get any better than they were," TV host Dick Cavett remembered, "They were one of the comic meteors in the sky." Woody Allen declared, “the two of them came along and elevated comedy to a brand-new level".Nichols and May met as students at the University of Chicago in the early 1950s.They began their career together at The Compass Players, a predecessor to Chicago's Second City which included Paul Sills, Del Close, and Nancy Ponder. Nichols dropped out of college in 1953 and moved to New York in 1954 to study acting with Lee Strasberg. May remained in Chicago at Compass, and Nichols returned in 1955.Both Nichols and May held various jobs and pursued their craft until 1957, when Compass began an expansion to St. Louis, Missouri. Nichols rejoined the company but was fired in 1958, because May objected to Nichols' treatment of Close, and because the producer suspected Nichols and May were honing an act they planned to take with them.They soon auditioned for agent Jack Rollins in New York, and within weeks they were booked on The Steve Allen Show and Omnibus. Soon they were touring the country and doing voiceover work for ads, most notably a cartoon campaign for Jackson Brewing Company and Narragansett Brewing Company.The duo discontinued the act in 1961, with each pursuing different careers. Nichols worked as a film director, and directed such films as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director. (May appears in an uncredited cameo in The Graduate.) May primarily worked as a screenwriter, writing such films as A New Leaf, which she also directed and played the lead role, and Heaven Can Wait.Find the tell-all Vanity Fair exclusive 2012 interview with Nichols and May here: vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/nichols-and-may-reunion-exclusive
