From the 1980 horror flick The Monster Club, it's vocalist Stevie Lange with the most unusual Halloween song ever. Granted, the lyrics don't sound very Halloweenish but what happens between the lyrics definitely is. And not just because the dancer who fills in the gap between Stevie's singing has a slight resemblance to Lady Di. After all, I suspect that said resemblance was strictly unintentional.
Movie Song of the Week: "Mother, What Do I Do Now?"
From the 1940 musical Dance, Girl, Dance!, it's Lucille Ball demonstrating quite obviously that she actually did play other roles long before she played Lucy Ricardo.
Yes, it seems like a mere cover version of the classic Eddie Cochran song but some of those visuals literally made my mouth drop open. Who knew Ms. Harry was making videos like this in the 1990s?
I was tempted -- no pun intended -- to post the official version of this video next week just before Pilgrim Day but for some odd reason, I like this version better even though I doubt the Pet Shop Boys had anything to do with it.
This version is definitely not safe for work. Or school. Or church. Or even CCD. And I'm probably going to have do some heavy penance for posting it so I hope you all appreciate it.
Movie Song of the Week: “The White Virgin of the Nile”
Actress Marilyn Maxwell plays the title character of this number, which has been taken from the 1958 Jerry Lewis movie Rock-a-Bye Baby. Her character, of course, is not to be confused with a similar character which has been portrayed by Claudette Colbert and Elizabeth Taylor. However, I doubt Ms. Maxwell will not be flattered by the obvious comparison -- even if she does appear to be auditioning for a part in Robert Altman's Popeye.
Movie Song of the Week: “But We Must Rise (The College Song)”
This pre-Code Busby Berkeley number from 1932's The Kid from Spain has absolutely nothing to do with taxes. I sincerely hope you all aren't disappointed to hear that.
Is this the all-time best title for a comic book or what?
No, wait. Maybe this one is.
And to think they were sold at the same newstands as regular comics. Too bad they're basically romance comics and the titles don't necessarily mean what I would like to think they mean.
For that matter, neither title lasted all that long. Apparently there wasn't that big a market for romance comics back in the 1970s and both comic books changed to more conventional titles after the first four issues. In addition, they both also became conventional horror anthologies. So much for those titles.
I'm not sure there's an official title for this number from 1931's Flying High but it provides yet another good example of what Hollywood used to get away with before the Hays Code. And as you might guess, choreographer Busby Berkeley staged the dances for this movie so I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this sketch/number/whatever-it-is was one of his ideas too.
This time, we see a 1930s take on health care. And by the way, that's Charles Winninger from Night Nurse playing the doctor.
I hope you all enjoy it -- even if the humor seems a bit dated.
From 1933's Sitting Pretty -- which is not to be confused with the Clifton Webb movie of the same name -- it's yet another kitschy movie song with water imagery.
This time out we also have the vocal talents of Jack Oakie, Jack Haley (aka the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz), Ginger Rogers and the Pickens Sisters -- as well as yet another reminder of the stuff people got away with before the advent of the Hays Code.
For those of you who are confused by the little boy at Ginger's side toward the end of the song, no, she is not rehearsing for her future role in Bachelor Mother. The boy is supposed to be her little brother. At least, that's the screenwriters' story and so far they're sticking to it.
I'm not sure I even want to comment on this song. Taken from the 1933 flick Meet the Baron, it's probably best seen as an example of what filmmakers managed to get away with before the advent of the Hays Code.
Granted, it's tame by modern standards, but not exactly safe for work either. Unless you work in a very liberal workplace.
And ay, those accents. Not to mention such lines as “Spic and Spanish.”
From 1931's Palmy Days, it's yet another shameless and politically incorrect musical number from the 1930s, this time featuring gym instructor Charlotte Greenwood and the Goldwyn Girls. Plus you get the choreography of a pre-42nd Street Busby Berkeley and a guest appearance by a very very young Betty Grable (she played the girl with the wink).
I have tried to find a more condensed version but alas, none were available for posting. For that matter, I have tried to resist posting this -- but between all the holiday desserts that have been available and all the New Year's Resolutions that are being made as I write this, it is kinda hard for me to convince myself that this is an inappropriate song to post this week. At least that's the explanation that I intend to stick with.
I was going to postpone posting this song until later in the month. However, after finding this item via another blog, I couldn't resist.
From 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it's one of the most famous Halloween songs of all time. A song that presents you with the spectacle of a young Susan Sarandon, a young Barry Bostwick, a shameless imitation of Dwight Frye and an even more shameless imitation of Ruby Keeler. Plus you get to see Hammer Studios film star Charles Gray play dance instructor. How often do you get to see that?
It was one of my favorite movies when I was in my late teens. I hope you enjoy it too.
Did those folks in the Weimar Republic know how to live or what?
As you might guess, this is the song from the 1972 movie Cabaret that inspired that week's Pop Song of the Week. It's not quite as dark as later versions of this song would be, but it's dark enough. Good thing we're not in a recession right now, right? Er, right?
Yes, I know. This tune from 1933's Footlight Parade is not the most politically correct song ever written, but it's still a lot better than much of what passes for music today. Like most Busby Berkeley tunes, the song is so over-the-top that I can't help but love it -- though I could have done without the Pidgin English and the yellowface acting. It's from one of the few movies outside of a certain Oscar-winning musical to showcase Jimmy Cagney's dancing ability -- and quite frankly, he isn't half bad. Plus you get close-order drills, a flip-movie, and a patriotic number that almost comes off as a parody of patriotic numbers.
Add to that the fact that this song includes a routine which could be seen as a salute to interracial relationships and excludes the black stereotypes that would become all so common in movies of the 1930s and I can forgive this song a lot. Yes, it's basically a Sino-American version of Madame Butterfly with a happy ending, but, hey, happy endings aren't a bad thing in this big parade of tears.
I'm probably tempting fate by posting this song so close to April 15, but then again I really, really like this song. It's “We're in the Money” from Gold Diggers of 1933.
If nothing else, it got me to appreciate Ginger Rogers in a way I never did before. Granted, it's a young Ginger Rogers but still...
And, hey, I'd promise you all that I'd post something cheerier.
