#Danny Lockin

[ulrichgebert]

Hello, Dolly! haben wir jetzt auch wirklich viel zu lange nicht mehr angeschaut. Dafür kommt es allerdings relativ oft vor (siehe hier).

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Michael Crawford, Barbra Streisand - Put On Your Sunday Clothes 1969

Hello, Dolly! is a 1969 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1964 Broadway production of the same name, which was based on Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker. Directed by Gene Kelly and written and produced by Ernest Lehman, the film stars Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Tommy Tune, Fritz Feld, Marianne McAndrew, E. J. Peaker and Louis Armstrong (whose recording of the title tune had become a number-one single in May 1964). The film won three Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Score of a Musical Picture and Best Sound and was nominated for a further four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Michael Crawford was later cast as the original Phantom of the Opera, in the West End and Broadway productions.

The songs "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes A Moment" were later used in the 2008 Disney/Pixar film WALL-E. WALL-E keeps a recording of the song on him and listens to it while he works cleaning up the garbage. An instrumental version of "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" is also used as WALL-E's theme song in the game Dreamlight Valley.

"Put On Your Sunday Clothes" received a total of 69,6% yes votes!

[yssa3002]

Old-Time Tradition: Folk Musical: Hello Dolly by Gene Kelly, 1969

Opening Thoughts

Gene Kelly's Hello Dolly (1969) is set in New York City in the 1890s, and follows the charming antics of widowed matchmaker, Dolly Levi (Barbara Streisand). While working as the marriage broker for wealthy business man, Horace Vandegelder (Walter Mathau), Dolly begins meddling in the romantic lives of Vandegelder's niece who is in love with a man he does not approve of, and of his head clerk whom he never gives a night off. All the while, Dolly is scheming to advance her own romantic aspirations. The story takes us from Yonkers to the shining streets of New York City where the characters experience life and love like never before.

What do the musical numbers signify about identity in the course of the film's narrative?

The film opens with a solo sung by Dolly, clearly conveying her charming, meddling, and involved personality. The song, "Just Leave Everything to Me", asserts her as someone who knows people, and whom specializes in arranging people's lives, singing, "I'll arrange for making all arrangements". This opening number sets the tone for the rest of the film as the rest of the characters soon fall into Dolly's respective plans for them. The firmness of her personality is further asserted in a musical number towards the end of the film, "So Long Dearie", where she does not bother to waste her efforts anymore on a man who rejects her. The next song, "It Takes a Woman" sung by Horace and an ensemble of men working at his shop, is a bit ironic as it is about how "it takes a woman, all powdered and pink/ To joyously clean out the drain the sink". This song makes audiences aware of the time period, as it speaks strongly to female identity, and how they were expected to perform all of the home keeping tasks, but with a smile of course. However, the song is quite silly as even though it puts the man in the position of power, it is Dolly who takes charge not only over her life, but of those around her including Horace's.

The film's narrative is one of finding love, and therefore, over the course of the film, the music creates a joyous and light hearted sense of being swept away in the various emotions love brings. Since the cast is primarily white, and follows the stories of white characters, the story is void of social issues that would be present in the lives of the cast were they not white during this time period. It is because of this I think, that the film is able to tell this story of love taking precedence over social and economic status.

What is the purpose of the songs in the character's lives?

Over the course of the film, the musical numbers convey the desires of the main cast, whether they are waiting for love, wanting to experience new things in life, or moving on from mourning. For example, Cornelius (Michael Crawford) and Barnaby (Danny Lockin), two young men who work for Horace, conceal their identity to pose as prominent figures in the New York City social scene in order to woo the girls whom Dolly has set them up with. Without much money to their name, they see it necessary to pretend to be something they're not so that they might get to experience love and luxury even just for a day. Listen below, musical number "Elegance".

Many of the songs also serve as catalysts, connecting one segment of the narrative into the other. Especially with large ensemble numbers with no dialogue, and music coming from outside the diegesis. For example, the number, "Dancing", is a cheery song about overcoming fears surrounding not knowing how to dance--which really represents the Cornelius' fear of being caught in the lie that he is rich. For Cornelius, learning to dance is a way of freeing himself from his reservations as he gains the confidence to pursue his love.

In his essay, "Is Car Wash A Musical?", Richard Dyer argues that a musical number in white musicals "embodies a sense of release from the confinement of everyday space and time, a glorious escape from the restrictions of modem living" (Dyer 95). This is how the numbers incorporate themselves into the character's lives, and how they create meaning in them. This is seen used in the film a lot in numbers like "Dancing", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", and "Hello, Dolly!". In these scenes, the characters break into large scale, choreographed routines. The ensemble makes use of their space, whether they are in a park, a restaurant, or a platform at a train station.

In what ways are the songs and/or musical performances racialized and/or gendered?

Circling back to the beginning of the film, "It Takes a Woman" is clearly a very gendered number. Not only is the ensemble performing all male, but it talks about the want for a woman who does everything to keep herself pretty and "fragile", yet who is also happily willing to do several miscellaneous chores from "setting the table" to "cleaning the stable". Another example of a gendered musical number is Irene Molloy's (Marianne MacAndrews) "Ribbons Down My Back". This song speaks to her desire to find love, and how she will gladly wear ribbons down her back to be noticed by someone. The song looks to love with hope, and reinforces traditional female gender expectations by portraying Irene as the passive figure, simply waiting to catch a man's eye.

Moving away from the content of the songs, the way in which the songs themselves are performed and inserted into the narrative is a whole different story. The film falls within the characteristics of what it is that makes a white musical. These characteristics include non-diegetic music, reprises, cheery/love songs, and an escape from reality, topics I'll discuss further below.

What elements of the film align with White musicals’ longing to transform the ordinary into utopia?

Dyer speaks to the differences between white and black musicals, informing readers how race dictates how stories are communicated to their audiences. White musicals allow their white protagonists "opportunities for expansion and freedom", not confined to their reality alone as we briefly covered above when talking about how these numbers play into the character's lives (Dyer 95). The musical numbers are meant to remove the characters from the world, and insert them into some sort of utopia where music comes from nowhere and everyone knows the same dance.

A strong element of the white musical utilized in the film is reprise. Dyer says reprise is "generally used either to mark the change that has occurred in the narrative (...) or to signal the closure of the show" (Dyer 95). Reprise, of course, is repetition, but it serves the purpose of expressing growth, resolve, and a happy ending for our characters. the number "Hello, Dolly!" has a reprise at the end of the film, a big number with the whole cast to celebrate the marriage of Dolly and Horace, and effectively welcome her "back into the world" after she was away so long in mourning. In black musicals, repetition in the form of the reprise isn't common, rather repetition remains a more consistent part of the narrative.

Another way the film aligns itself with the longing to transform the ordinary into utopia is how characters burst into song. Unlike in black musicals where the music often comes from within the narrative space, such as a radio or someone playing an instrument. These sudden musical numbers work to create spaces, as Dyer says, "freed from labor" (Dyer 97). Whereas white protagonists are encouraged to experience joy outside of the material world, black musicals often convey black joy as being experienced while working. This reinforces social expectations, and limits the black experience in musicals to a more stationary life devoid of growth. The film, however, makes it very clear that white joy lies outside of work, as Cornelius and Barnaby's whole journey involves abandoning their jobs and eventually quitting as it isn't worth giving up their newfound love for.

How does the film reflect the temporal circularity of Black musicals?

To further on this concept of growth within black and white musicals, Dyer talks about the concept of temporal circularity in black musicals. In black musicals, this circularity encourages stasis, as there is this understanding of "spatial boundedness" and of how "Black people don't get out of their situation, eventually or geographically" (Dyer 102). With this, the possibility for characters in a black musical to change their circumstances for the better is discouraged, as Dyer writes, "The musical numbers do not take the characters out of the moment, "transport" them, resolve their problems; the emotions and experience of the music do not lead to fundamental changes in their situation" (Dyer 104). However, these themes more commonly seen in black musicals are reflected in the film.

Though white musicals are able to provide a vision for a better world, it is often just that. Hello, Dolly! reflects this to an extent. The film ends where it began, Yonkers, New York, but we still see growth despite the circularity. The final scene is of Dolly and Horace's wedding, and the two other couples, (Cornelius and Irene, and Vandegelder's niece, Ermengarde (Joyce Ames) and Ambrose (Tommy Tune)) are also to be married. So despite this circularity, the characters were able to fulfill their desires expressed throughout the film.

Discussion questions

From what you can gather, how do both white musicals and black musicals imagine happiness?

Why is it that black musicals and white musicals focus on "two different constructions of happiness"?

Why do you think white musicals, in all their longing for utopia, still often fall short of that hope for change in the narrative space?

Can you think of any examples of contemporary black musicals that challenge the characteristics of black musicals? How about contemporary white musicals? Have you seen characteristics of either being utilized in any contemporary musicals today?

[yourdailyqueer]

Danny Lockin (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 13 July 1943

RIP: 21 August 1977

Ethnicity: White

Occupation: Actor, dancer

[starlightinkwell]

Thanks to Susan Lloyd for finding this.

[hyaenagallery]

Danny Lockin part 4 Police found a book of pornographic pictures in Hopkins’ apartment which showed men being tortured during sexual orgies. Prosecutors initially intended to seek a first degree murder conviction, and to use the book to prove that Hopkins had planned the murder. Hopkins’ trial began in May 1978, but was delayed for two months after the prosecutor was injured in an unrelated accident. During the delay, the Supreme Court of the United States held in United States v. Chadwick, 433 U.S. 1 (1977), that police may not engage in warrantless searches in the absence of an exigency. On July 31, the trial court ruled the pornographic book inadmissible as evidence. On August 8, the trial court judge held that the death penalty could not be applied to Hopkins due to lack of evidence of premeditation. On September 28, 1978, Hopkins pleaded innocent to the charge of First Degree Murder By Torture, but was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to a three-year prison term. Since the court was permitted to consider suppressed evidence if the evidence was not seized merely to obtain a lengthier prison sentence and it did not “shock the conscience of the court,” the trial judge increased Hopkins’ sentence from the usual three years to four years. Prosecutors said that with good behavior, Hopkins would be released in two years (considering time served). Danny’s family and friends called his sentence a travesty of justice. Lockin was interred at Westminster Memorial Park cemetery in Westminster, California. He was 34-years old at the time of his death. On Danny’s death certificate, Chuck Barris Productions is listed as his last employer. Hopkins, Danny’s murderer, reportedly died in 2006 of a heart attack and lung cancer. #destroytheday (throwback post from April 25th, 2019) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCghehkBF83/?igshid=mc4mv0xqvmem

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

Hello Dolly! with Grace Clarke

This week Julie, Miranda, and Zane will chat with Grace Clarke about which of life's truths can be gleaned from her current musical obsession and overall classic musical Hello Dolly!

The New York Times theatre critic Howard Taubman wrote:

Hello, Dolly! ... has qualities of freshness and imagination that are rare in the run of our machine-made musicals. It transmutes the broadly stylized mood of a mettlesome farce into the gusto and colors of the musical stage. ... Mr. Herman's songs are brisk and pointed and always tuneful ... a shrewdly mischievous performance by Carol Channing. ... Making the necessary reservations for the unnecessary vulgar and frenzied touches, one is glad to welcome Hello, Dolly! for its warmth, color and high spirits.

- FURTHER READING -

Wiki - Musical, Film

IMDb

Broadway

- CELEBRITY SHOUTOUTS -

Carol Channing, David Burns, Charles Nelson Reilly, Mary Martin, Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Danny Lockin, Marianne McAndrew, Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, Gavin Creel, Taylor Trensch, Kate Baldwin, Carole Cook, 

Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!

Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.com

Visit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.com

Our theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

[irene-molloy]

The book is about "Hello, Dolly!" language: russian

Author Tatiana Nazarova

[danny-lockin]

DANNY LOCKIN AND BARNABY TUCKER ARE BOTH CINNAMON ROLLS PASS IT ON

[hyaenagallery]

Danny Lockin part 3 On Sunday, August 21, 1977, Danny and female friend, fellow dance instructor Billie Jo Conway, were booked to appear on TV’s The Gong Show. Their song and dance act was fun and visually quirky, as Billie Jo weighed 230 pounds. They were given 10s across the board from the celebrity judges, including one from Jaye P. Morgan who joked that Billie Jo looked like singer Paul Williams. Danny and Billie Jo ended up tied with another act for first place, winning the episode. The winning duo celebrated their win with his mother, having dinner and drinks. Afterwards Danny asked Jean to drop him off at The Mug, a gay bar in Garden Grove, so he could unwind and “play the pinball machine.” Danny was wearing his skin-tight dance pants (with no pockets to carry ID) when she dropped him at 11pm and he told her he had $5 for a taxi to get home. He called a taxi around midnight, but did not take it. Instead, Lockin left the bar with Charles Leslie Hopkins, a 34-year-old Air Force veteran, medical dispatcher for UCI Medical Center, and a “known homosexual" with a police record. Hopkins was a bar regular and was on probation at the time. They went to Hopkins’ place at the Kona Palms Apartments in Anaheim, a place managed by "admitted homosexual” Dennis Reeves who rented to “other gays."   Several hours later, Hopkins called police to say that a man had entered his apartment and tried to rob him. Upon arrival, police found Lockin’s body on the floor of Hopkin’s apartment. He had been stabbed 100 times, and bled to death. His body had also been mutilated after death. Hopkins claimed he had no idea how the dead body got in his apartment. He was arrested immediately. Because he did not have his ID, it took investigators two days to identify the body. He was ultimately identified using fingerprints on file from his drunk driving arrests. #destroytheday https://www.instagram.com/p/CCghLawBnix/?igshid=eekt3evlcsxl

[goodlookingforagirl]

Falling in love with Danny Lockin all over again. How could anyone watch “Hello, Dolly!” and not want to pinch his little cheeks?

[jdmara]

I’m watching the Hello Dolly movie and getting unreasonably emotional about how unfair it is that Danny Lockin was murdered and didn’t get to see a more illustrious career as the fantastic dancer and actor that he was. Seriously, I’m in awe of his talent.

[captainkopter]

Hello, Dolly!

Hello, Dolly! ist ein „Big-Budget“ Musicalfilm, der auf dem gleichnamigen Broadway-Musical von Jerry Herman aus dem Jahr 1964 basiert und im Jahre 1969 unter der Regie von Gene Kelly entstand …

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[irene-molloy]

[hyaenagallery]

Danny Lockin part 2 Lockin had a number of guest-star and incidental roles on television as well. He appeared on Father of the Bride, Dr. Kildare, Mr. Novak, My Three Sons, and the Sid Caesar Show. In 1967, he was cast in a minor role in the film The Graduate, but was contractually bound to continue in a regional production of Hello, Dolly! in Las Vegas, Nevada, and could not take the job. In 1967, Lockin married dancer Kathy Haas, who was a bit-part dancer in a production of Hello, Dolly! in San Francisco. Their son, Jeremy Daniel Lockin, was born in 1969. The couple divorced in late 1969. Lockin was cast in the 1969 film version of Hello, Dolly! on the basis of his dancing. He underwent 13 screen tests before he got the part. He later said that doing the film was “the dream of my life." He felt a strong need to compete with the film’s director, legendary dancer Gene Kelly. At one point during filming, he did a series of four "butterflies” (a cartwheel in which a person does not put their hands on the ground) while Kelly looked on. Kelly suggested an improvement and, to demonstrate, leaped into six technically superior butterflies of his own. Lockin, chastened, reportedly sulked for three days. In April 1970, he guest-starred on The Dean Martin Show on television. After his divorce, Lockin went back on tour with Hello Dolly!, continuing his role as Barnaby. He stayed with the tour until it ended. After, with his career in decline due to substance abuse issues, Lockin moved into his mother’s apartment in Anaheim. Around 1974, Lockin began assisting his mother in running the Jean Lockin Dance Studio. The studio closed in early 1977, and Lockin began teaching at another dance studio. Around this time, Danny was “out” as a bisexual and had become a heavy drinker. Due to several DUI arrests, relied on rides from friends and his mother for transportation. #destroytheday https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgg7obBuqP/?igshid=dgle0lzv1242