OST-Gypsy

Broadway month continues to roll on here at the show and I am still at the time of this writing waiting for Houston to dry up after the weekend that Harvey struck.  Hopefully I can go back to work in another day or so.  This was $1.  I got it mainly because I love Rosalind Russell.

Which is strange as the vocals on this record are not 100% hers.  Rather, they are blended with contro-alto Lisa Kirk.  Russell, who was not stranger to singing having performed on Broadway in Wonderful Town, found that the vocals were beyond her scope (or more likely this was found for her).  Oddly enough, Russell and her husband had flirted with a straight drama adaptation of the source material. the 1957 autobiography of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee but were unable to get the rights.  The actress who played Gypsy Rose Lee, Natalie Wood, sung her own songs, which is surprising as she did not do so on West Side Story.

But here is this 1962 movie, based on the 1959 production of which some critics have called the perfect musical.  With a script written by Leonard Spigelgass based on the original book by Arthur Laurents with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and music by Jules Styne, the film was a critical and financial success, earning three Oscar nominations.  The film also stared Karl Malden and was produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

For a sample, I went with “Some People”.

Satisfactory.  Again, I would expect to hear more about the Broadway production when that album comes up. For the record, I liked Russell’s version of “Rose’s Turn” better then Merman’s but felt perhaps that song should go to the originator.

 

OST- The Music Man

dscn5286-800x773This was $3.00.  It is not a stretch to say that this musical is perhaps the greatest of the last century.  At the very least, it would be in the top five.meredith_willson_1967

Meredith Willson wrote the music, lyrics, and book for this effort, his first musical.  Before this, he had worked in Hollywood, composing scores for movies, radio, and television.  He started adapting a story based on his Iowan boyhood for Broadway after being rejected for television and movies.a33cc024e00c9393de3fabbe4befc3c2

A smashing success in 1957, The Music Man ran for 1,375 performances and won five Tony awards.  This album also was a hit, winning a Grammy while remaining on the album charts for 245 weeks. In 1962, a film adaptation was made.  Numerous revivals and smaller productions have gone on thru the years and continue today. Wilson’s second musicals, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, was a modest success.  He made two more musicals with limited success.  Wilson would die in 1984 of heart failure.  He was 82.

Broadway Database info on The Music Man

s_aec04_-_cm_-_robert_preston_-_1_-_0806

One of the things I found amazing about this musical is the background of its star, Robert Preston.  I was a bit shocked to find out that Preston had no background in vaudeville.  He had started acting after high school and to this point, had mainly been in a B-level actor in westerns.  Granted, he is no Gene Kelly, but he does manage to do a good job of both singing and dancing in his role of Harold Hill.  In one such anedote, it was his acting skills that helped him get the job.  Most singers trying out for the role had trouble with “Ya Got Trouble”whereas Preston nailed the song with little difficulty.  1101580721_400

For his efforts, he won a Tony for a role.  Furthermore, Wilson insisted he revisit his role for the movie version as Jack Warner wanted Frank Sinatra. I just can’t see Ol’ Blue Eyes doing the role justice.  Preston would die in 1987 of lung cancer.  He was 68. The clip below is pretty bad quality but I think it is one of the best in the movie version and it also illustrates Preston’s abilities in both song and dance. Granted, you don’t have to be a great dancer to perform the routine but you do need some level of skill.

I also came across this video of a flashmob doing the same act that I thought was ok. I really liked it when I first saw it. Now, a little less so.

As far as the musical goes, it is a lesson in syncopation, juxtaposition, and onomatopoeia. For an example of this, I would look no further than the opening number.

The songs are infectiously catchy and have become classics.  As stated before, the songs have been covered and parodied extensively.  Most notably in The Simpsons and The Family Guy.

For samples, I went with the perhaps one of the more popular numbers, the above mentioned “Ya Got Trouble”.  I also went with “Pick A Little Talk A Little/ Good Night Ladies” because it is a good example of the components I spoke of in the a couple of paragraphs prior.  I originally wanted to use “Piano Lessons” which features a great duet between Barbara Cook, who originated the role of Marion Paroo, and Pert Kelton, who performed the role of Mrs Paroo on both Broadway and on the screen.  Alas, it skipped and I was too lazy to go upstairs to clean it.f1649944a6e3719ae648ad2890c59b49

Top Rated album for sure.

OST- Annie Get Your Gun/ Showboat

DSCN3896This was $5.00.  I got it for the Annie side.  I have not listened to the Showboat side at  all.  For the sake of this blog, it is if that side did not even exist. This is a two record set but like most double albums of the time, has side 1 and 4 on one side and 2 and 3 on the other.  From what I have been told, this was to facilitate the self playing record players.poster2

Annie Get Your Gun was the 1950 MGM production of the popular 1946 musical.  Staring Howard Keel and Betty Hutton, the film was popular in its own right and did well at the box office.  It also was nominated for 4 Oscars, wining one for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

IMDB for Annie Get Your Gun

Judy Garland was originally cast for the role of Annie Oakley.  However, due to various reasons, she parted ways with the production.  There are a few scenes with her in it that float around Youtube.  Having watched this, I think it would have been a huge mistake to cast Garland.  Hutton just seems right for the part.  Garland seems to uptight for the role.

annie-get-your-gun_howard-keel_betty-hutton

Maybe because she replaced Garland, or maybe for other reasons, Hutton was not well liked on the set.  Howard Keel was down right cold according to all I have read.  In later interviews, Hutton would claim the only person who was nice to her on the set was Louis Calhern, who played Buffalo Bill. As the years went by, cast and crew acknowledged Hutton’s contribution to the success of the film.

I like the movie and like the songs, but feel that the record kind of lacks without the visual aspect.  That really speaks volumes about good Hutton’s performance was.DSCN3898

Anyway, here is the sample, “There’s No Business Like Show Business”.  It is my favorite song from the musical and perhaps musicals in general.  I always liked the line about “There’s no people like show people/ they smile when they are low”.  That always painted a powerful image in my head.Annex - Hutton, Betty (Annie Get Your Gun)_02

Meh soundtrack.  Would rather watch the movie.

DSCN3896

OST-Carousel

DSCN3879This was $3.20.  My grandparent’s on my mother’s side had this soundtrack album although I believe it was blue instead of red.  Oddly enough, the HGO is putting this on at the end of their season this year.poster_carousel

HGO link about Carousel

Carousel is the 1956 movie adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1945 musical, adapted from a 1909 Ferenc Molnar play.  It was the second musical they worked on together, coming right off the heels of Oklahoma.  The film as well as Gordon McCrae and Shirley Jones, came right off the heels of the movie version of Oklahoma as well.  Although not as successful as the first musical, Carousel has remained popular.  It got good reviews but critics were not as surprised as they were with Oklahoma.  Rodgers and Hammerstein knew this when working on Carousel. The same can be said for the movie.  It got good reviews and the album was a best seller. Rodgers, by the way, considered it his favorite piece of music.

IMDB Page for Carousel

I am not a big fan of the musical or the movie despite liking Shirley Jones and Rodgers and Hammerstein in general. The reasons being are threefold.  First, I am sorry that your marriage to a carnie did not work out.  Who would of thunk?  Second, I think the ending is pretty weak.  What did Billy Bigalow really do for his daughter other than slap her?  And on that note, thirdly, if you are in Heaven and you get to come back to Earth, perhaps you may want to think twice about hitting your daughter.e085c2aa04e7865850f7a9f5312d9138

Carousel-1The songs are pretty good, however, as most Rodgers and Hammerstein songs tend to be.  “June is Busting Out All Over”, “A Real Nice Clambake”, “What’s the Use of Wonderin” and “Blow High, Blow Low”.  Songs that are more musical specific include “You’re a Queer One, Julie Jordan”, “Mr Snow”, and the one that sticks in my mind from when I listened to the album at my grandparents, “Soliloquy” in which Billy frankly realizes that it is his job to keep his unborn daughter off the pole and to this end, he needs money.  Finally, there is the most famous song from this album and the anthem for all Liverpool fans, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

For a sample, I decided for no reason other than it was stuck in my head, to go with “Stonecutter’s Cut It on Stone”. DSCN3880

Satisfactory album.  Meh for the movie.  I realize I may be in the minority for this.

DSCN3879