# SDMB Musical Lovers' Salon and Debating Society **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785 "2004-06-23T12:12:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/141 "2004-10-11T19:16:51Z")
A thousand apologies, **Archive Guy** – I should have scrolled up to see who the other person was who’d weighed in on that film. My inclination is to move on – has anyone found a copy yet? I’ve been busy and haven’t even started looking. ---
**Author:** ![singersargent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@singersargent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singersargent)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/142 "2004-10-11T22:15:44Z")
I’d like to join. Musicals are my favorite type of movie. Netflix, for those with DVD players, is great for hard-to-find titles, although I think I checked out The Umbrellas of Cherbourg from my local library. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/143 "2004-10-11T22:46:00Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > **Lissener** has been banned. (See the “overrated directors” thread if you want to know why – yep, Paul Verhoeven. Who’da thunk?) > > Should we stay with this film and wait for a volunteer ( **Ilsa** , I’m looking at you) to be the OP on it, or move on to the next chooser? That would be **koeeoaddi**. Well, I’m after **lissener** , not **koeeoaddi**. Not that I’m keeping track! 😉 I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t really be the OP. If **ArchiveGuy** doesn’t care one way or the other, I vote for moving on. I have a film chosen already. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/144 "2004-10-12T00:06:19Z")
I am last on the list, so this won’t affect anything, but I have to bow out, regretfully. I have been reading the threads, but haven’t been able to watch any of the movies since Victor/Victoria, and that one was so late everyone was already done talking about it. It would be easier if my husband were a fan of musicals, but he’s just not. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/145 "2004-10-12T01:18:47Z")
**singersargent** (love your username, btw) – welcome to the club. Always glad to get a new member! **Ilsa\_Lund** – I’m having a day, what can I tell you? Sorry, yes, you’re up next – why don’t you go ahead and announce your pick? **jsgoddess** – as you see fit, though I’ll leave you on the list for now – we’ve got quite a few rounds before we get to you, so who knows what your ability to participate will be like? Keep in mind that it’s okay to resurrect a thread even after it’s dropped off the first (or even second or third) page – you may not be the only one to be running late on watching things. I _still_ haven’t had a chance to watch _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_. Here’s the current list, including past picks – pls. correct me if (hard to imagine the possibility, I know) I screwed anything up – order, missing people, attributing films to the wrong people, etc. **twickster** – _Neptune’s Daughter_ **supervenusfreak** – _Victor/Victoria_ **Maureen** – _Daddy Long Legs_ **ThatDuckIsEvil** – _Kiss Me Kate_ **cervaise** – awol **amarinth** – _Gentlemen Prefer Blondes_ **KrisfertheCat** – passed **lissener** – banned **Ilsa\_Lund koeeoaddi Eonwe TwoTrouts DeVena Draelin Lamia ArchiveGuy inDisGuize Kizarvexius jsgoddess singersargent** ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/146 "2004-10-12T01:26:17Z")
I feel bad, only having participated in two of the discussions so far (:o), but I can’t find most of these films in New Zealand! At any rate, my choice is: _**[State Fair](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038116/combined)**_ (1945, Walter Lang), starring Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes and Jeanne Crain. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/147 "2004-10-12T02:02:31Z")
Interesting choice! I’ve seen the 1962 version with Pat Boone and Ann-Margret, but have never seen the 1945 version. Three weeks from today would be the 25th (for your OP). ---
**Author:** ![singersargent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/edb3f5/32.png) [@singersargent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singersargent)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/148 "2004-10-12T13:21:55Z")
I was thinking of the 1962 Pat Boone version as well. My mother had a major crush on him as a teenager. Dana Andrews is a distant cousin of mine, several times removed. Now, I’ll have to go & see if I can find his & Steve Forrest’s family tree. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/149 "2004-10-12T13:27:50Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Three weeks from today would be the 25th (for your OP). :smack: Three weeks from last night would be November 1st for **Ilsa\_Lund** ’s OP on the 1945 _State Fair_. Did I mention I was having “a day” yesterday? ---
**Author:** ![ThatDuckIsEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@ThatDuckIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatDuckIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/150 "2004-10-13T17:13:53Z")
All RIGHT! the 1945 version of State Fair is the only one I’ve seen. I didn’t even realize that Pat Boone had tried one. Thanks \*\*twickster \*\* for updating the sign-up list. You beat me to it. I’m still here lurking… -Duck ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/151 "2004-10-15T16:23:42Z")
> [@ThatDuckIsEvil](#): > > I’m still here lurking… I’ve been lurking too, but have been reading with interest. I’d like to choose **Nashville** , but I thought someone said somewhere that it wasn’t a _really_ a musical. I searched the thread and can’t find the reference now. So, if **Nashville** is kosher, that’s my choice. Otherwise, I may make you all watch **Woodstock**. Then we can all discuss the significance of the pot-o-san footage and why those who took the _brown_ acid had to go to the _yellow_ tent. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/152 "2004-10-15T17:43:46Z")
Well, we’ve actually got till November 1st for you to announce your pick, since we’re all currently tracking down our copies of **State Fair**. (Watching it is on my agenda for this weekend, BTW – I was delighted to discover that the one **State Fair** at the neighborhood branch of the Free Library was the 1945 version. I also took out **Tommy** , which I haven’t seen since I saw it in the theater when it came out – should make for an interesting double feature. But I digress.) Okay, fellow Salonians – how do we feel about films like **Nashville** and **Woodstock** as appropriate viewing for our purposes? Is having music in the movie enough? Does it need to be somehow apart from the story, as in the unintegrated musicals we’ve been discussing? I haven’t seen **Nashville** since I saw it in the theater when it was first released – how much music is there? And how is it associated with the rest of the movie? My personal tendency would be to vote “no” on **Woodstock** (despite my fondness for the Port-O-San man), as a documentary, rather than as a musical – is there such a thing as a nonfiction musical? Opinions, please! ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/153 "2004-10-15T17:56:54Z")
I was kidding about **Woodstock**. But I do think **Nashville** is an honest to God musical. If you guys disagree, though, I’ll think of something else. \*hurrys off to find **State Fair**. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/154 "2004-10-15T21:01:10Z")
I think a fundamental component of musicals is performance (which is why _DV,SL_ was a provocative choice for a movie I wouldn’t consider a musical). **Nashville** does not follow the traditional story trajectory of most musicals, but there are a lot of musical numbers, all written for the film and performed on-screen (even if it’s in a genre that one also doesn’t directly associate with musicals). I say it counts. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/155 "2004-10-16T06:43:07Z")
I’d say **Nashville** counts as much as any of the “Hey kids, let’s put on a show!” type musicals. The songs themselves don’t do much to futher the narrative, but the story does require that there _be_ songs and that the characters be musicians. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/156 "2004-10-17T02:22:36Z")
Well, as long as it’s not “wholesome,” I’m in favor of it – just watched **State Fair** and am in the mood for a little soul-cleansing (er, soul-besmirching?) depravity. I will look forward with _great_ interest to **Ilsa\_Lund** ’s OP on this! ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/157 "2004-10-17T03:00:46Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Well, as long as it’s not “wholesome,” I’m in favor of it – just watched **State Fair** and am in the mood for a little soul-cleansing (er, soul-besmirching?) depravity. > > I will look forward with _great_ interest to **Ilsa\_Lund** ’s OP on this! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/158 "2004-11-05T02:34:44Z")
For those who missed it, **Ilsa\_Lund** wrote a very interesting OP on \*[State Fair\*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284019&). Plus, let’s make the next pick official – **koeeoaddi** will kick off a discussion of Robert Altman’s _Nashville_ in three weeks – November 25th. Wait – that’s Thanksgiving. Do you want more time or less, **ko**? ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/159 "2004-11-05T03:09:58Z")
I’m a day late and a movie short – still waiting for _State Fair_ to come in at the library. But I did watch _Nashville_ a couple of weeks ago, so… whenever. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785/160 "2004-11-05T14:17:27Z")
**Nashville** is pretty easy to come by, and the avid Salonians already knew it was next up, so let’s start the discussion on Monday, Nov. 22nd. And **Eonwe** – you’ve got the next pick, so you can announce that then as well. Thanks, all! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-musical-lovers-salon-and-debating-society/251785.md?page=9)