SDMB Musical Lovers' Salon and Debating Society

Cafe Society
1

There seems to be some interest in starting a film group for us lovers of movie musicals. Here’s the idea: We’ll take turns picking a movie musical for the group to watch, and announce the title and the date of the start of the discussion (three weeks seems to be doable for people) in this thread. Everyone then scurries off and finds a copy of the movie and watches it. On the appointed date, the person who chose the film will start a thread and kick off the discussion with a brief plot summary/song-and-dance highlights list and a couple of comments or criticisms about the movie. Everyone can then chime in and post to the thread, well, the way we always post.

In order to pick a film, you have to state your intention to be a member of the group. If you want to watch the films, and even post, without joining, you’d obviously be welcome to – the only significance of declaring membership is to get in the queue of movie pickers. We will pick in the order of joining, and the lovely and talented ThatDuckIsEvil will be the official keeper of the list. (Thanks for volunteering!)

As I read the other thread, the current membership is:

twickster
supervenusfreak
Maureen
TheDuckIsEvil
cervaise
amarinth

Just to keep some momentum going, I suggest the on-deck picker announce his or her pick for the next film around the same time as the discussion starts on the previous film.

Note: Your pick is your pick, and you don’t have to justify it (though a couple of words about why you chose it would probably be interesting). Go for a classic – go for a personal fave that’s a bit on the obscure side – go for something you know sucks but might provide an opportunity for some quality snarkiness – whatever.

And with that, let me announce the first pick:

Neptune’s Daughter 1949
Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Keenan Wynn, Betty Garrett, Ricardo Montalban, Mel Blanc

The cast list provides an idea of the delights in store. The song highlight is Baby, It’s Cold Outside. I picked it because it’s a personal fave that I’m guessing not everyone has seen a billion times.

Discussion will commence Wednesday, July 14th.

2

Can I join? I know I’m rather a nerd but HEY! I can bring pizza!

Besides I have nothing better to do all summer and my housemate is going nutz because I haven’t seen so many movies… so I might as well drive him even more crazy by watching OLD movies! hahahaha

'Sides I already have a copy of Kiss Me Kate… from my Cole Porter phase a couple years ago :smiley:

3

I wish I could join, but I am 99% sure that my local video doesn’t carry Neptune’s Daughter. Darn it! And I have access to My Fair Lady, Gigi, On the Town, Singing in the Rain, There’s No Business Like Show Business, etc., etc.

Ah well - I’ll just chime in on the titles I know something about!

4

I’d like to join. I’ve been giving the Musical a lot of thought lately, in context with other “escapist” genres like Westerns. Where do I send my check?

5

Dang, JayElle – we did talk about the availability thing a little bit, but the folks out in the serious boonies seemed to think that Netflix would solve that problem. You might want to check out some places other than Blockbuster; my usual store is Hollywood Video, a chain outlet but one with about three times as many movies in stock as the local Blockbuster (plus they don’t re-edit the films to suit their own persnicketyness). Also, sometimes indie stores in big cities (such as the one you live in?) have better selections. Or check your local library – the copy of Umbrellas of Cherbourg that I mentioned in the other thread came from the neighborhood branch of the city library.

Or, as you say – you can just chime in on the movies you can get hold of.

6

Good ideas, twickster! I’ll ask the local young’uns about the indie shops. Until then, I won’t commit to membership, but I’ll be eagerly reading the threads.

7

Go for the obscure, why not?

Luckily, both greater Seattle area library systems have multiple copies (which is strange enough on its own - why 6 copies of this movie? Even more strangely, many of them are checked out. Who on earth is checking out Esther Williams movies?) - so I’ll be getting one soon.

8

I’mhereI’mhereI’mhere!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Neptune’s Daughter. Looking forward to it, tho.

As Krisfer the Cat has already gobbled up my favorite choice pouts, and because Twickster wants some of the lesser known films, I’ll take Daddy Long Legs with Astaire and Leslie Caron.

9

I’m going to officially register as the Club Lurker. Why? Because I know me, I’ll never coordinate things so I can see the movies in time, it’ll get all bollixed up. But I dig the idea, and wish to have access to the inevitable t-shirt given out to members only.

I’ll provide fresh baked goods and free-range non-abused hand-dried unmangled herbal teas, served in lead-free porcelain mugs whose clay was dug up by workers paid a living wage with full medical benefits and boots and gloves provided by their employer.

:stuck_out_tongue:

Cartooniverse, who has a faaaaaaaaabulous Esther Williams story to share but my computer battery is almost dead and I dare not start what I can not finish.

10

Oh, do tell!

And Krisfer, Maureen – it’s not your turn to start picking yet. The next person to pick will be supervenusfreak. (See above for The Official Rules.) Behave, you two!

11

Hell, I’ll join. Like lissener, I’ve been considering the musical’s place in film history for a while. Like the Western, it allows the audience to project their fantasies onto the film. However, I believe that as an escapist genre that also mirrors the collective mores and psyche of the times, it outstrips the Western, which is often given to being more reflective of the personal idiosyncracies of the director rather than of the audience’s expectations.

12

Am ordering it from Netflix asap twickster. Can’t wait to see it. Am rolling around a few ideas here myself for the next pic.

13

LOL spoke too soon. It isnt available from Netflix. Will call around and find a copy though. Is it out on DVD yet?

14

Yeah, what he said. And there’s catchy tunes, too!! :smiley:

I’m sorry, Twick, I’ll be patient. It’s only one more til my turn.

15

Count me in. I’ll probably need a reminder (a thread bump) before 7/14, though.

16

Yeah, Cervaise, I’ll probably bump a couple of times as necessary – if only to try to recruit more fans.

supervenusfreak – dunno about DVD, I’m planning to watch my own copy, which is VHS. If you and jayjay want to venture into the big city, we could probably work out a movie night. (No shit? Netflix doesn’t have?)

And Ilsa – you’re obviously going to provide an interesting perspective to our discussion. :eek:

17

Video Library seems to have a copy on VHS you can rent by mail.

18

Ooohhh, okay. :smiley:

On the corner of 10th avenue and 54th street is Sony Music Studios. Before that, it was The Camera Mart Stages. But, for many decades before that, it was the Fox/Movietone Stages.

Story has it that the main stage ( which for many years was the largest sound stage in NYC ) was in fact a hollow floored stage. Underneath it was a huge swimming pool, used to shoot some Esther Williams water ballet numbers.

When the pool was “filled”, it was filled with wrecked autos to stop the sound from reverberating as much. Then, the flooring was built onto a frame and finished. There were- and, I saw these myself when I worked on some Billy Joel music videos in the early 1980’s- signs clearly stating the weight limit of cranes that could be driven onto the studio floor.

Story has it that someone ignored that sign, used a crane during a shoot and the crane cracked the flooring, reavealing a long-forgotten truth. When I first heard the story, I thought it was absolute bullshit. Until I dropped a sandbag from a scaffolding, down about 25 feet onto the floor.

I heard the thud. That floor is without doubt hollow. So, I’m figuring that Esther Williams really did swim around in the Fox/Movietone stage at one time. Kinda neat. Got to spend endless hours working on that stage. It ranks up there with the much-beloved and much-missed Mothers Film Stages that used to be on the east side, just off 4th Avenue. They shot the Honeymooners there…

19

Not that I would ever dream of calling into question the slightest of your utterances, sir – but why would they use scrap cars to deaden sound? Wouldn’t they be very metallic and echo-y and, um, not sound-deadening?

20

I’m in.

I’m 3rd in line at the library for Neptune’s Daughter. Looks like the Seattle chapter has been gearing up.