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ladyjaneasherr · 6 months

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Jane Asher and Gawn Grainger as Juliet Capulet and Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet” presentation while being on tour in the USA, 1967. Part 2. 🩶

Previously posted pictures with my old username, updating it with the new one.

Old Vic Brings First Spoken Drama to The Music Center. By Cecil Smith. Los Angeles times— March 5th, 1967.

It seems a curious bit of scheduling to have the Bristol Old Vic in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of The Music Center, opening a three-week season of Shakespeare Tuesday night.The company is doing the first spoken drama ever performed in the new complex and it arrives on the threshold, the very eve, of the twin openings of the new theaters designed primarily for drama next month. Not that the spoken word is a stranger to the Pavilion. Some of the more interesting musical plays produced there, notably "Fiddler on the Roof," have been as dependent on their dramatic as on their musical structure. And if the Pavilion is fundamentally a music hall, still the verbal music of Shakespeare can be as stirring and compelling as any instrumental or vocal music ever devised. No one plays this music better than a British ensemble and among the great companies of England the Bristol Old Vic is considered one of the best. No less an authority than Sir Tyrone Guthrie says it is among the world's finest acting companies and that its managing director, Val May, is an immensely vital force in the English-speaking theater.

Suited the Action

Sir Tyrone suited the action to the word by staging the production of "Measure for Measure" that opens the BOV season here. May directed the production of "Hamlet" that enters the repertory Thursday and the "Romeo and Juliet" that will open next week. The three plays will rotate through March 25. The Bristol Old Vic was initially formed in 1946 as an offshoot, a sort of farm club for London's justly celebrated Old Vic. When the latter was melded into the British National Theater three years ago, the BOV became an independent entity.

It is supported by an annual grant of 40,000 pounds from the Federal Arts Council, plus a grant from the city of Bristol and its thriving box offices in two theaters-the legendary Theater Royal and its new Little Theater. But even in its days as m the outpost of the London company, the Bristol Old Vic had an individuality and a spirit all its own. I remember when the parent organization was in the Philharmonic on one of its tours some years ago, I asked John Neville, who was playing Hamlet, what his plans were after the tour, and he said he was leaving the London company to return to Bristol. I asked him why. "It's more adventurous, more experimental, more daring and," he smiled, "more fun."

Although the BOV is only doing Shakespeare on this first American tour under the sponsorship of S. Hurok, the Bard is not its primary product in England. The company is known as an innovator, launching new plays and new playwrights, trying new areas of stagecraft, new methods and new approaches. It was in the vanguard of the new wave of British drama that spawned Pinter, Shaffer, Osborne, Arden, Wesker, and others. It was the first company to produce an English version of Erwin Piscator's "War and Peace" (later staged with immense success in this country by the APA) and it first provided a stage for such plays as "A Severed Head" and "The Killing of Sister George." ⠀⠀⠀

The company has a vigorous acting school and training program that has a spawned a legendary crop of stars, among them Rosemary Harris, Peter O'Toole, Dorothy Tutin and Paul Rogers. m Although the concentration is on youth, many an established star has played at Bristol, including Wendy Hiller, Moira Shearer, Pamela Brown and Neville.

The Hamlet of the current company is one of England's brightest young stars, Richard Pasco. He's little known in this country, though he was in the movie "Room at the Top" and played Broadway with Laurence Olivier in

"The Entertainer." Pasco, who also plays the key role of Angelo in "Measure for Measure," told a Times correspondent in Bristol recently that he sees Hamlet as "a fish out of water." "He's plunked right in the middle of all this political intrigue and violence and that's what he hates most— violence," Pasco said.

He approves director May's decision to set the play in the Napoleonic era-"lots of conspiracy and blood around in those days." Pasco said his first West End job as an actor was in "Hamlet"-playing Fortinbras to the prince of Paul Scofield. He feels Scofield saw the character as "an angry young man." "Yet," said Pasco, "he's really pretty cool. He likes to think about things-in a world that likes to act. Not that he's unable to take care of himself—he learned that as a soldier. But he's a scholar who knows that violence only leads to more violence. It's not in his nature to do the things that have to be done.

That's the terrible part." Pasco was the original angry young man—he played Jimmy Porter in the English Stage Company's famous production of "Look Back in Anger" in 1956, which launched the new wave of British drama. Most of his career has been in classical repertory though he's also starred in British television and movies. He joined the Bristol Old Vic in 1964 for its first tour of Europe, which extended as far as Israel.

Famous member⠀⠀⠀

Actually, the most famous member of the current troupe is its Juliet, 20-year old Jane Asher-particularly with the miniskirt set. The fame that preceded her had nothing to do with her acting but her fan magazine reputation as the girl friend of Beatle Paul McCartney, which has brought out swarms of teenagers on the cross-country tour. In proper repertory fashion, she balances Juliet with the tiny role of Julietta in "Measure for Measure." There are other players quite celebrated in Britain among them, John Franklyn Robbins, Frank Barrie, Madge Ryan, Frank Middlemass, Gwan Granger, Barbara Leigh-Hunt. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

But as in the National Theater, the Comedie Francaise, the Moscow Art Theater, one goes to see an ensemble, not an individual. This is a new wrinkle in this country but with the success of such ensembles as the APA, ACT and others, it's gaining momentum. There's an immense sense of pride in the Bristol company and in its homebase theater, the 200-year-old Theater Royal in cred Eritain on a heater where Sarah Siddons played and Edmund Kean, William Charles Macready, Jenny Lind, Henry Irving and Ellen, Terry-the ghost of Mrs. Siddons is said to stalk its stage.

Some feel it prophetic that the Blitz, which levered much of Bristol, spared the theater. Val May accompanied his players to this country and stayed with them through their highly acclaimed New York openings, then returned to Bristol to prepare his spring season, which includes such varied offerings as "The Hostage," "The Taming of the Shrew," Galsworthy's "Strife" and Pinter's "The Homecoming."

Among three new plays to be produced is one by American author Robert Rich, "Message from the Grassroots," a play about Malcolm X with an all-white cast.

Dr. Guthrie met the troupe in Philadelphia to brush up his initial staging of "Measure for Measure," that blackest of black comedies, which was much condemned in Victorian England for its outspoken attitudes on sex and morals and its cynicism. Dr. Guthrie told me later he was quite pleased with the production and it was greeted in Philadelphia, Boston and New York with warmth and a goodly share of critical hosannas.

The play is out of Shakespeare's middle period when he was at the height of his powers, written at about the time he wrote "Othello," after "Hamlet" and prior to "Lear." Although labeled a comedy, it is quite a serious work and tragedy is narrowly averted and then only through good fortune. It's easy to see how it shocked the Victorians, dealing with the stern enforcer of a Viennese law holding fornication illegal and punishable by death.

When a young man gets his girl with child, he is sentenced to die, and his sister, a novice in a nunnery, offers her own chastity in exchange for her brother's life. What particularly upset the Victorians was Shakespeare's straightforward appraisal of humanity, as when he has the wry Pompey ask the young governor if, to enforce the law, he plans "to geld and spay all the youth of the city?" Eras change. The candor that delights one age shocks another and can delight a third. But what endures is the essential truth in the poet in his evaluation of man for all his vice and folly.

When he has Angelo say: "They say best men are moulded out of faults, and, for the most part, become much the better for being a little bad," it's downright comforting.

#jane asher #the beatles #60s #beatles girls #actress #lady jane asher #something about jane asher #model #beatles women #redhead #red hair #1960s #1967 #romeo and juliet #beatles girl

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popculturebuffet · 1 year

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Little Retrospective of Horrors: The Original Corman Film (Comission for Emma Fici)

Happy halloween all you happy people! For those new here i'm jake and I review various media and for this halloween we have a special event as I take a look at all three major versions of Little Shop of Horrors.

This retrospective came about as a result of my love of the 1986 Frank Oz Film adapting the musical. It's one of my favorite films and was a favorite of mine long before I properly got into horror a few years ago. And while originally it was JUST going to be the mean green mother from outer space itself, the project slowly grew much like Audrey II/Junior itself into what it always should have been: A full look at the three pillars of this franchise and how it evolved , grew and eventually took Manhattan. And Peoria. And Demoines, and clevland, and where you live.

So first up is the original film by King of The Low Budget Film, Emperor of On Time, and mentor to countless film legends Roger Corman. Corman is someone who i've slowly become fasicnated by and plan to watch more of his work.

Originally I just saw Mr. Corman as a low budget schlockmeister who made whatever would make him money with a neat title and misleading poster. And he's simply not just that.. he's the KING of the low budget schlockmeisters, the master of his craft. Corman was famous for making his films on time, often under budget, and fast as possible in an industry where that's INCREDIBLY hard to do and still make an enjoyable product.

Granted part of the under budget part was his cheapness: The man would reuse props, sets, whatever he could to save a buck. His films were made not just on a budget of a paper clip and a piece of string but often reusing bits of the same paper clip and string. The man would stretch every dollar like they were reed richards. It's a mix of admirable and sketchy as hell: On the one hand the fact the man could still make decent effects or lovingly clunky ones with such a low budget is admirable.. on the other he underpaid his actors if he could which is not a good look in the slightest, especially with the SAG AFTRA strike going on at the time of this review.

That being said while Corman was a cheap bastard sure, he wasn't a total bastard, working hard with his actors and crew and helping mentor the younger set on his sets so they'd learn the craft well. It's telling that legends like Ron Howard, Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Copolla, Joe Dante, Jonathan Demme and James Cameron were not only all mentored by the guy but have nothing but great things to say about him. Dante in particular really loved the man and made a point to use his staple actor Dick Miller in his own films. His impact on the industry cannot be overstated and he's STILL working as a producer to this day. The guy has his faults, again he REALLY should've paid his actors fair wages... but I can't deny he fostered a whole generation of talent or had a genuine love for his cast, as well as a love of women: While he'd gladly make fanservicy films, as the decades went on he made a point of putting women in the lead and was more prone than most producers to giving women a turn at the camera in the 70's and 80's.

It's also hard, even with his cheapness, to not admire how he bucked the hollywood system: at the time the studio system nightmare was falling apart, with courts forcing studios to sell their theaters. As a result Corman could offer his films decently cheap to distributors, and make a quick buck.

Little Shop was one of these films

See Corman had just finished making Bucket of Blood, another low budget horror comedy, and thus shopped around ideas to reuse the sets. After having to nix one starring a cannibal chef due to the hayes code, aka the 1950's and 60's equilvent of

So writer Charles P Griffith came up with a workaround that was goofy enough but still bloodtastic: a man eating plant. Thus the sets were converted and Little Shop of Horrors was born.

Famously the film was mostly shot in two days. They also did some night shots outside of the famous two days, but it's still bonkers and impressive they shot most of a film in only two days, with three days rehearsal.

The film did.. fine. Corman managed to staple it onto another feature after struggling with distribution and used neat tactics like doing short runs on college campuses, the perfect home for low budget wonderfully cheesy horror frankly. So he got his money back as always. But the film REALLY took off once it started running on tv, an easy film to run on creature features and eventually part of the public domain. It's why you can find the film on youtube and most streaming services and find plenty of grumpy amazon reviews mad they got "lied to" about what film they were buying because they didn't bother to check what film they were buying. As a result the film became a cult classic... and eventually a musical. But that's a story for next time, for now let's look at the original and see how it stands on it's own vines after all this time.

Watching this film was something long overdue for me: I had heard about it as a tween, researching it on wikipedia but I never really sought it out despite my deep love of the 86 film. It's weird too as it's not like it was hard to find: walmart and various other stores tended to have cheap copies of it pop up since the film somehow fell into the public domain. I simply just either didn't care or had other things to spend my money on. It just never occured to me. It may of simply been that for most of my life I wasn't a horror fan so I just never thought to seek it out. Samesies for the musical, though at least with a stage show I simply didn't think to look on youtube or the corners of the net for a good recording.

It wasn't till watching the Dead Meat Podcast episode on it that I finally decided to just buckle down and actually watch the film. And i'm glad I did as it's neat to see the same premise, an average dork working at a flower shop in 1960 (Or 61 for the musicals), works with a cranky father figure and his crush at a struggling flower shop. The shop turns around when his latest strange and intresting plant he's worked on brings in customers.. but also has a catch: the plant wants blood and he dosen't have more than enough.

The big difference is tone. The musical is purposfully cheestastic, from the wardrobe to both villians, Orin and Audrey II, being large hams beyond any earthly measure, and the comedy is a nice mix of goofy comedy like the "Dentist!" number with black comedy based on the situation, my faviorite bit of which being Tooey's glee when Seymour angrily suggests "What do you want me to do slit both my wrists?" A nice bit that's funny, disturbing, and tells our hero just what kind of monster her's created. What grounds it is the characters: Seymour is a down on his luck nerd working a dead end job who either tragically turns from decent person to self serving monster and only backpedals too late, or a decent person slowly doing worse and worse things due to circumstance who either only NEARLY learns his lesson too late, or once again is far too late to avoid the tragedy to come depending on the cut. Audrey has a unique and goofy high pitched voice.. but her abuse and self loathing is taken dead seriously. And the deaths themselves likewise are all tragic. Even the abusive shitstain that is Orin dies pathetically choking on his own gas begging for help as he slowly realizes the only person who CAN help him won't.

In sharp contrast the original Corman film.. is goofy as all hell and intentinally too. What's a tragedy on broadway and in the 80's movie.. is a farce here. The characters are slightly broader, the premise stupid and the murders played for pure black comedy.

As a result Semyour is less one of horror's biggest woobies or a tragic cautionary tale, and more a dumb goofus whose on the cusp of being fired from his failing job. Mushnik's treatment of Seymour in the 80's film is sad, his only parent left constantly abusing him for simply being a bit clumsy at worst despite working damn hard and genuinely respecting the man.

Here the genuine respect remains.. but you can undrestand why Gravis hates semyour here: instead of taking his failures out on someone who didn't deserve it, he's enraged by someone constantly fucking up at their job and making his attempts to save his shop from closing down HARDER simply by existing. The best example of this is the very incident that gets seymour fired: he has to cut some flowers for the local dentist, Dr. Phobeus Farb, whose just as much of a sadistic asshole as his musical counterpart, minus any connection to Audrey. Seymour cuts them.. but rather than just hold the two flowers together and cut the diffrence to make them match, he keeps noticing their mismatched and then cutting it lower till he eventually has just the buds and a pink slip.

Seymour hits just the right amount of comedic stupidity: he's utterly incompitent to the point his clumisiness later KILLS people , a lot, and his brain power

Isn't the most impressive. You get WHY Gravis hates him, but you can also see why Audrey has a thing for him: he's got a charming innocence to him. I also love his outfit

He ONLY keeps his job thanks to the best character in the film: Burson Fouch. Burson is absent from the other adaptations, loosely adapted into christopher guest's weird as hell customer guy. And it's a bit of a shame as Burson is a lot of fun. He's played by Dick Miller, Corman and Joe Dante Regular and loveable character actor I honestly didn't even realize was the guy in gremlins till watching the Kill Count on Bucket of Blood, done in honor of Miller's passing.

Fouch is what you'd EXPECT to be a one off joke character with a simple gimmick that I find utterly hilarous: he casually eats flowers. And not edible ones, which I found out while researching this are a thing it turns out, no just casual gardenias. The way he just casually brings it up, Mushnik looking utterly baffled before deciding "eh why not" (His exact words" and the coup de grace, the guy just pulling out a salt shaker and eating them in the background is great.

Fouch however ends up being a major engine of the plot, and shows up in most shop scenes, the part clearly made for him after Miller turned down Seymour. WHen Seymour tries to bring up his "Strange and intresting plant" to keep his job, it's Fouch who convinces Mushnik the stupid plan will actually work. And it's done organically too: Fouch is a Flower Foodie, and thus has traveled the world and seen this work. We even get another fantastic gag out of it

Fouch: I Knew one guy had a whole wall covered in ivy Mushnik: And it made him rich? Fouch (Casually): No he itched himself to death in an insane asylum.

Fouch is the reason Seymour brings Audrey Junior here. And yes that's as weird to type as it is to read. It's here we get the biggest thing the musical changed basic setup wise: Seymours Mom, a hypochondriac whose there... whose there for.. she's there because.. she's...

The bits with her just aren't funny. I think the intention at the tim ewas "Get it she's kinda nuts, that's funny right" but nowadays she comes off as having Munchahusen's syndrome and of either needing help or for Seymour to get away from her, as she constantly feeds both of them food that's allegedly healthy, to the point Seymour is UTTERLY BAFFLED when he has a pb and j with audrey late in the film and it's just.. to eat. It comes off way more messed up than they intended. Her roll in the film is to not want audrey to marry seymour so he leaves, and to faint at the climax. That's about it. Her actress does do her best, she's just not a well written character and is one of the down spots in this comedy.

At any rate Seymour brings in Audrey Junior.. which is still weird to type but is a nice gag. I can see why they changed it in the play as it works for the tone here.. but not so much for the name of their main villian there. Here Junior isn't an alien bent on conquest, but a crossbreed of a venus flytrap and a bullwort Seymour got and raised.. and as you'd expect finds out late at night needs blood. The blood helps Junior grow.. but as always Seymour's a tad tapped out.

It's here where things mostly pivot: Aside from some narration from a cop whose barely in the film for a half assed dragnet spoof, so far the film and the musicals line up decently enough: the shop is dying, seymour brings in twooey/junior to fix it, he feeds it with his fingers before realizing that just wont' do forever.

The diffrence is in HOW they get fed. In the film and musical Seymour seeks out his first target, is either talked into the second or gladly does it to save his own ass, and the third is a tragedy. Here.. the death's are just straight up wacky shenanigans. Every one of them barring the last is just some goofy accident that happened because Seymour was just out living his life. I'm still not entirely sure he wasn't clumsily accidental murdering people his whole life and this just happened to be the first time he noticed. This first death isn't even remotely his fault: he's simply throwing stones at a bottle some guy left on a rail, not aware the guy is around and simply asleep or something, and accidently pegs him and gets him run over with a train when the weirdo stands up. Granted he takes the flying leap to feed the body to his plant, but unlike the musical versions, he's not at all culpable. it was just a wacky accident. In fact unlike the musical version while Audrey is Sapient.. they aren't manipulating seymour. He tries not to feed it and only keeps doing so because he keeps wandering into crime scenes that look very bad for him. Their really just an animal for most of the runtime. Towards the end of the film they gain hypnotisim powers

And make Seymour go get them food, and they won't shut up during a date.. but in the former case it's clear Corman just needed another ten minutes on the runtime and in the latter Seymour himself ruined it by not you know.. not letting audrey could know the plant could talk. And given it only gives a few one liners before it's hypno antics at most, he has NO risk in telling her.

It's really just an animal that wants to be fed. Even the Hypnosis Bullshit is just a way for it to eat. The worst it does is snark to Mushnik "he looks fat enough" when asking to be fed. It's a take I like too, that the threat our heroes face, is their own incompetence (Seymour) and greed (Mushink). It also adds to the comedy, that this whole thing really woudln't keep happening if these two weren't stupidly keeping the murder plant around for their own selfish benefits.

That also brings us to another big diffrence: Mushnik himself. He's not only one of the funniest parts of the film, with his frantic outbursts and comical overeactions being comedy gold, paticuarlly when he declares Seymour son.. then disowns him when it looks like Audrey Junior's going to die.. he's also the deutragonist. In the musical he's largely blind to what Seymour's up to and learning it gets him killed either due to Seymour's greed or his own depending on the version. Here he finds out quickly, being witness to Seymour feeding audrey the railcar guy.. which also gives us the most chilling shot of the film and the one really creepy moment: Seymour giving the man's bloody foot to audrey.

What's neat is that Mushnik DOSEN'T kill audrey.. but also dosen't want people to die. Granted he dosen't know Seymour isn't doing the murder parts intentionally, but he veiledly asks semyour if audrey junior is all grown up, and asks again if Junior is full after another murder, before deciding to watch the plant himself. While he makes the very dumb mistake of keeping Junior around, I do like how active Gravis is: he TRIES to stop these murders best he can, and instead of just stupid logic, it's his own greed that keeps Junior alive, which is a character flaw rather than a flaw. I WILL say that having a very jewish character's main flaw be greed is

But it's a 1960's kind of yeesh, though many critics at the time did not care for that. However Mushnik is still a guy who tries his damndest to stop all the killing and tries to save Seymour by going along with the cops at the end to try and get them to you know, not kill him or something. He's an intresting character who lights up the screen every time shows up.

Getting back to the murders the next is The Deeennnnttttiiiiiisttttttt. Unlike the musicals where Seymour is going SPECIFICALLY to unalive the guy for being the worst, here he actually has a tooth ache. And in this case the murder's self defense, as Dr. Farb , much like his sucessor Orin, gets off on the pain he inflicts and plans to pull as many of Seymour's teeth as he can and saves the last one for laughs. He's a diffrent SORT of sadist from Orin in how he does it. Orin gets high as balls, thrills and revels in it. He knows he's an asshole and he'll gladly sing about it at length.

Farb on the other hand dosen't seem to get he's a bit off and shoudln't be practicing dentstiry, asking Seymour "Whose the dentist here you or me. Naughty boy Seymour practicing dentistry without a licensee." He's a loveable ham, and his exit suits that, with Seymour defending himself with a dental thing leading to a DENTAL SWORDFIGHT. I.. I love this job so much sometimes. Seymour accidently stabs him but like.. the guy might of killed him with pure neglegence.

This also leads to the appearance of the films most notable actor, Mr Jack Nicholson in his first roll. And despite being his first roll my god does the man nail it. Not enough to justify this 80's era box art

Where he's both drawn to look like his later self more and is holding a plant not at all like audrey and somehow billed over Dick Miller. But he's still one of the film's highlights easily. He plays a smiling masochist with this lon chaney style voice, Wilbur Force. WIlbur is delightfully off, badly wanting his apointment and happily reading pain magazine. Seymour is forced to pull it, and his teeth and it's VERY obvious that much like his later successor played by comedy legend and unprofessional asshole bill murray, he's INTO this. Nichelson REALLY nails the roll and while I get why this part isn't in the stage show, as Orin's death is even grislier there, i'm REALLY happy Oz put a version of this character into his movie.

The next victim is a burglar. While Seymour and Audrey have dinner at his place, Mushinik plans not to feed the plant.. but given the guy plans to rob him, the place was barely alive before Junior, and the guy you know, casually robs the place, it's not hard to blame him. It's an easy slip up to make.

The final victim.. is easily the weakest part of the film. As I said it's VERY clear the film ran short as they mention early Junior only needs to have three meals, like a flytrap. He ends up needing a fourth because the running time got padded out. So we get the goofy hynotism stuff which is just not goofy enough to really work and dosen't fit. The bhit after is also just.. eh. A sex worker, Lenora Clyde keeps following Seymour because he dosne't notice her. I don't think Roger Corman knows how sex work, hypnotisim, or dentistry works, but Seymour ends up killing her and feeding her to the plant.

The climax is decent: a fancy lady is having a sunset celebration to give seymour an award, with all the main cast minus dick miller present. That includes two giggling teenagers who convinced their school comittee to use Mushik's to buy the flowers for their float.

The reveal of Audrey's buds' opening up.. is mildly chiling, the faces of all of the victims on them in this weird uncanny valley type translation. It's a nice reveal. It's undrecut however as we get a nearly 5 minute chase with the police that acomplishes nothing> Seymour escapes and we get the real climax of him climbing into Junior to kill it.. and as his successor would learn, that not quite worknig, becoming a bud himself that wails out a "I didn't mean it" before dying. Granted his chopping could've killed it or Audrey Junior just died, but it's still a nice, weird, tragic ending.

Overall The Little Shop of Horrors is a pretty solid horror comedy. The third act isn't very good... but the first two are fun, most of the jokes land and those that don't are fun on just how goofy they are. The cast gets what their in and has fun with it accordingly and while it's super cheap the audrey junior puppet mostly works. Granted it's really jus ta shell filled with whatever craft suplies Corman could get, but the actual pupetry bits, while rare, are really impressive for his budget, and the cotton all inside gives Audrey 2 this unerving feeling when it' smouth is open, like this otherworldly jungle has opened up in this store. It's a fun film and I highly recommend watching it this spooky season. Thanks for reading and i'll have the next part in the next two weeks as Little Shop of Horrors goes off broadway!

#little shop of horrors #halloween #the little shop of horrors #roger corman #dick miller #seymour krelborn #audrey II #audrey junior #jack nicholson #horror

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01sentencereviews · 1 year

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Sept 2023

Caniba (2017, Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel)

The Faculty (1998, Robert Rodriguez)

Black Book (2006, Paul Verhoeven)

Foxfur (2012, Damon Packard)

Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984, Ray Cameron)

+++

Boomerang (1992, Reginald Hudlin)

House of Usher (1960, Roger Corman)

It’s What Each Person Needs (2022, Sophy Romvari)

Massacre at Central High (1976, René Daalder)

The Pit and the Pendulum( 1961, Roger Corman)

Vamp (1986, Richard Wenk)

New Releases:

May December (Todd Haynes)

Rotting in the Sun (Sebastián Silva)

Stop Making Sense - IMAX (1984, Jonathan Demme)

Strange Way of Life (Pedro Almodóvar)

The Swan (Wes Anderson)

Theater Camp (Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman)

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson)

#new to me #personal #lists #best of 2023

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world-cinema-research · 5 months

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Short Essay: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

by Rachel Powers

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is one of Stephen Spielberg’s earlier films, released just two years after the success of Jaws. It was made with an estimated budget of $20 million and has grossed over $306 million worldwide, making it a huge financial success.

The film ultimately had three versions: the first original version in 1977, a special edition in 1980, and a director’s cut in 1998.

The plot remains the same in all three versions, with some small changes. Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss, becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about aliens after his first encounter with a UFO. This obsession engulfs his life and deteriorates his relationship with his family. Roy, Jillian Guiler played by Melinda Dillon, and other people who are having the same experiences are unexplainably drawn to Devils Tower in Wyoming in their search for truth. Scientist Claude Lacombe (played by filmmaker François Truffaut who founded French New Wave) had been studying extraterrestrial activity and communications. His assistant David Laughlin, played by Bob Balaban, discovered coordinates to Devils Tower in extraterrestrial communications. He and the U.S. military had already descended on Wyoming and evacuated the nearby town to further study what was happening. Roy and Jillian sneak into the zone, escape the guards, and reach the tower where they see UFOs flying over in a spectacular show. They walk down into the site as the aliens begin to appear out of the spaceship. Roy is ultimately selected by the aliens to go onto the spaceship and travel with them, which he happily accepts. This original version has Roy leaving his family, as he was still married with children. He also kisses Jillian at the site in this version. Stephen Spielberg later regretted this chain of events for the character Roy.

"I know that 'Close Encounters,' because I wrote the script, was about a man whose insatiable curiosity and a developing obsession and a kind of psychic implantation drew him away from his family and with only looking back once, walked onto the mother ship. Now, that was before I had kids. That was 1977. So I wrote that blithely. Today, I would never have the guy leaving his family and going on the mothership." – Stephen Spielberg

In 1980, a Special Edition was released. This version remedied Roy’s abandonment of his family by depicting him having a nervous breakdown ending with his wife leave him before he went to Wyoming. This version also included a scene from inside the mothership.

The Director’s Cut was released in 1998 and included scenes from both earlier versions – but notably left out the interior spaceship scene.

The film was received well overall by critics, but they did still offer a few disagreeable points.

“The first 100 minutes, however, are somewhat redundant in exposition and irritating in tone… but there’s no denying that the climax is an absolute stunner, literate in plotting, dazzling in execution and almost reverent in tone.” -A.D. Murphy for Variety, November 8, 1977

I do somewhat agree with A.D. Murphy. Earlier parts of the film seemed to drag a bit, between the more exciting scenes of UFO encounters, but the final scene does make up for it.

Roger Ebert had a much more glowing review, which describes the audience’s experience of leaving the theater and reentering their normal lives, which seem changed after seeing the film. “The film had reached out and touched us with violence and ecstasy, and then we were in the midst of the mundane again -- but in an everyday world touched with mystery.”- Roger Ebert, 1977

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was not the only event that touched on extraterrestrial activity in 1977. That year, NASA had launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 into space.

It was also the year that The Wow! Signal, a strong radio signal from space, was recorded from a telescope in Ohio. The origin of this signal is still unknown, as has been widely assumed to be extraterrestrial communication.

“Seeing the consecutive letters, the mark of something strange or even alien, Ehman circled them in red ink and wrote "Wow!" thus christening the most famous and tantalizing signal of SETI's short history: The "Wow!" signal.” -Ross Andersen for The Atlantic

Both historic events show interest and progress in space exploration at the time. The population was very interested in the extraterrestrial world, and audiences were ready for a sci-fi blockbuster.

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The light cascading in through the keyhole, the camera shot dropping down the chimney, and the vent slowly and mysteriously unscrewing are small details that contribute to the overall mood and tone of the film.

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Backlighting was used well in this scene. Rather than showing high detail of what an alien would look like, they are shown mostly in silhouette form with a soft haze slightly obscuring them. This maintains an air of mystery to the life form, while still letting the audience “have a peek.” It also helped this film maintain an almost timeless nature, as technology and special effects have advanced greatly since this movie was released and more detail in 1977 could have dated the film.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a conventional film with a large budget, recognizable names, and a plot that had gained increasing audience interest at the time. The story was easy to follow, with an ending that wowed the audience. It paved the way for other sci-fi blockbusters such as E.T., granting lifelong success to Stephen Spielberg and the future films he would make. Close Encounters is a notable classic blockbuster for the ages.

#Youtube

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denimbex1986 · 8 months

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'Andrew Scott’s career has been a slow yet steady one. Like many other British actors, he started in the theater and had small roles in both movies and TV. With his talent, little by little, he earned better roles until they hired him to play Moriarty in Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock. For many, he came out of nowhere, but by then, he had been a working actor for more than a decade.

After that role, many new opportunities arose: a villain in Spectre, and especially, his performance in the second season of Fleabag. With that, some new, interesting offers came. Later this year, he’ll be Ripley in the Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s character, made popular by Matt Damon. This year, he should have gotten a nomination for an Academy Award for his incredible performance in All of Us Strangers. Today, we’re looking at his TV career and his best performances in that medium.

10. The Hollow Crown (2012-2016)

The Hollow Crown was an interesting project: using Shakespeare’s plays about the different English Kings, with every episode being about one of them. Ben Wishaw had one of his best performances ever playing King Richard II, and so did Jeremy Irons as King Henry IV.

This Role Wasn't His First Shakespeare Rodeo

The actor has worked in the theater before, so this wasn’t his first time saying the words of Shakespeare, and it shows. Scott appeared as King Louis XI of France in the story of Henry VI (Tom Sturridge), and he makes his Louis both regal and noble yet capricious and irascible, making his time on screen count while also moving the plot along.

9. Band of Brothers (2001)

Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, Band of Brothers is still one of the greatest TV shows about war, even all these years later. The show follows the Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division during World War II.

The Actor Leaves a Mark

The show was one of the first chances for many actors who would become known, from Simon Pegg and Damien Lewis, to Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, and Andrew Scott. The actor only appears in one episode, “Day of Days,” as John “Cowboy” Hall. They say there’s no small part, only small actors, and Scott proves it here, as even if it’s a small role, the actor leaves a mark, especially on the audience and the character played by Damien Lewis.

8. Black Mirror (2011-Present)

Black Mirror has become the smartest sci-fi show on TV. Every episode is its own thing, and that allows for great closed stories like "San Junipero" or "The Entire History of You" and getting fantastic actors to play those parts. Bryce Dallas Howard, Mackenzie Davis, Jesse Plemons, Daniel Kaluuya, Hayley Atwell, and Scott are just some of the actors to appear in this anthology series.

The Actor Plays Tragic, Broken, and Devastated, Spectacularly

Scott was the lead actor in season five's “Smithereens,” playing a tragic character named Chris. The character is a ride-share driver who kidnaps a worker at the social media company, Smithereen. The actor plays tragic, broken, and devastated, spectacularly. As the story goes forward, he portrays even more dark and sad layers to this character, who is completely lost in life after a tragic accident.

7. Oslo (2021)

Based on the play of the same name written by J.T. Rogers, Oslo is a TV movie about the secret negotiations in the Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine. The accords wouldn’t have worked without a Norwegian couple, diplomats in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mona Juul (Ruth Wilson) and her husband, Terje Rød-Larsen (Scott).

He Plays the Doting Husband With Grace

Scott is great at playing the doting husband, who is trying to help while acknowledging their roles might put both him and his wife in trouble. As the host, his character tries to take some weight off the conversations by creating a space with free-flowing whiskey and food, and the actor sells that idea and how much in his element is when he’s able to know more about the people who are with him, and not their position in the negotiations.

6. The Pursuit of Love (2019)

Written and directed by Emily Mortimer, The Pursuit of Love adapts the book of the same name written by Nancy Mitford. This is the story of two cousins in 1945, Fanny (Emily Beecham) and Linda (Lily James), as the two couldn’t be more different and want different things in life.

He Steals Every Scene He’s in

Scott has the most eccentric and fun character in the whole show, Lord Merlin, a neighbor for whom the word dandy was created. The character and Linda are two peas in a pod, and Lord Merlin tries to protect her from her many romantic adventures, good and bad. The actor steals every scene he’s in, as his Lord Merlin always knows what funny things to say, loves parties, and even dyes his pigeons in strange colors. If you’re still not convinced, watch his introduction in the show to understand how crazy the character he plays is.

5. School of Roars (2017-Present)

School of Roars is an English-animated show for kids. Their lead characters are five monsters who go to Monster Preschool to learn how to deal with many problems, from not breaking things to not being a sore loser.

Scott’s Voice Acting Talent on Full Display

It might feel weird to find the actor who has played Moriarty and the “Hot Priest” and who is going to be playing Mr. Ripley, doing voices in a kids' show, but such are the talents of Andrew Scott. The actor has done voiceovers before, and in this show, he voices many adult characters. He’s the narrator, but also Mr. Snapper, Mr. Bogglelots, and Mr. Marrow, having his voice-acting talent on full display and proving he can do anything.

4. Modern Love (2019-Present)

Modern Love is one of the most underrated series on Prime Video. Based on the weekly column of the same name, published by The New York Times. This anthology series is all about those kinds of stories with an incredible cast, from Anne Hathaway to Dev Patel, Tina Fey, Julia Garner, and Andrew Scott.

He Perfectly Sells His Character’s Evolution

Scott’s biggest role is in the episode “Hers Was a World of One,” where he plays one-half of a gay couple adopting the future baby of pregnant Karla (Olivia Cooke). The actor plays the uptight member of the couple; the one who isn’t comfortable with the arrangement, especially when she moves with them. Once they live together, his character has many problems with Karla’s way of life in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Scott and Cooke have great chemistry together, and both perfectly show how their characters find common grounds and evolve just before she goes into labor.

3. His Dark Materials (2019-2022)

Based on the novels by Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials was a TV series about Lyra (Dafne Keen), an orphan girl who is looking for a missing friend and finds a conspiracy to get the most important material in the whole world, Dust. In this alternate reality, every character has an animal companion named daemon.

The Actor Is Having the Time of His Life With This Character

He’s an explorer; he’s a powerful being; he has lived many lives. The actor is having the time of his life playing this magical character with a traumatic past, as it allows him to display all his acting talents. Scott appeared in seven episodes as John Parry/Jopari, a marine and explorer and father to Will (Amir Wilson), one of the most important characters in the show. Fun fact: the show has a Fleabag reunion, as Scott’s character daemon is voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

2. Sherlock (2010-2017)

Sherlock was the latest look at the famous character. This time, by moving him to present-day London. It has a breakout performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as the detective, with the support of Martin Freeman as Watson. The show had three 90-minute episodes a season, and its last season was in 2017. Even then, audiences are still hoping it might come back.

He Played Sherlock’s Nemesis, Moriarty

Scott appeared in nine episodes as Sherlock’s nemesis, Jim Moriarty, in the performance most first saw him in. This Moriarty was a much more unhinged and cruel villain, a full-on sociopath whose only objective was to kill Sherlock, and Scott sold the hell out of that character. The creators were so impressed by his performance that they kept adding him in new episodes, so he could continue doing his crazy Moriarty thing, tormenting the heroes and creating absolutely Machiavellian plans.

1. Fleabag (2016-2019)

Scott was the most important part of Fleabag’s season two, after Phoebe Waller-Bridge herself, as he played the “hot priest”. The character was as complicated a mess as the show’s heroine, and that’s why they understood each other and fit together so well, so much so that he was the only one who could see Fleabag was breaking the fourth wall and looking at the audience every once in a while.

A Nuanced and Beautiful Performance

For many, Fleabag is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and Scott’s performance had a hand in that. His priest is not the typical one, as he’s conflicted and has his own crisis of faith. He’s also in love with Fleabag. The actor is able to convey those conflicting feelings perfectly, with nuance, and show them to the audience all at once. His “It’ll pass,” is one of the most devastating yet beautiful words said by the actor in his career, as it says everything it needs, making for one of the best endings in TV history.'

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kevinpshanblog · 8 months

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RIP Trixie Norton

Joyce Randolph, the last surviving cast member of "The Honeymooners", died on Saturday at the age of 99. She passed away of natural causes at her home in New York City, according to her son.

Randolph was best known for her role as Trixie Norton, the witty and loyal wife of Ed Norton (Art Carney), the sewer worker and best friend of Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason). Trixie often teamed up with Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) to deal with their husbands' antics and schemes.

"The Honeymooners" was one of the most influential sitcoms of all time, depicting the struggles and joys of working-class families in the 1950s. The show first aired as a sketch on "Cavalcade of Stars" and "The Jackie Gleason Show", before becoming a standalone series on CBS in 1955 and 1956. Although it only produced 39 episodes, the show has been rerun and syndicated for decades, and inspired countless other comedies.

Randolph was born in Detroit to a Finnish American family. She started her career in theater and television, appearing in shows such as "Buck Rogers". Gleason spotted her in a commercial and cast her as Trixie in 1951. She became so identified with the role that she had difficulty finding other parts after the show ended. She later appeared in some TV shows and commercials, and remained active in charity and fan events.

Randolph was married to Richard Lincoln Charles, a film editor, from 1955 until his death in 1997. She is survived by their son, Randolph Richard Charles.

Joyce Randolph will be remembered as a talented and beloved actress, who brought laughter and warmth to millions of viewers. She was a true icon of television history, and a part of the "Honeymooners" family that will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Trixie.

#rip #Joyce Randolph #trixie Norton #the honeymooners

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oozzy · 2 years

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I just figured out why Blitz and Moxxie are more developed than the other characters. Their personalities are based off of their voice actors. After watching the lastest episode I noticed that none of Moxxie upbringing would indicate that he would be into Musical theater. But his voice actor Richard Horvitz is a huge musical theater buff. Both Brandon Rogers and Richard Horvitz are big on improv.

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #vivziepop critical

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lands-of-fantasy · 2 years

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Persuasion

Adaptions from 1971, 1995, 2007, 2022

The sixth of Jane Austen’s novels, first published in 1817, posthumously, has had many adaptions over the years. The ones pictures above are detailed below:

Persuasion (1971 Miniseries)

5 episodes x 45min Written by Julian Mitchell, directed by Howard Baker

Starring Ann Firbank as Anne Elliot, Bryan Marshall as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, David Savile as Mr. William Elliot, Morag Hood as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Basil Dignam as Sir Walter Elliot, Marian Spencer as Lady Russell, Georgine Anderson as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (1995 TV Film)

While made for british TV, the film was later released in US theaters Written by Nick Dear, directed by Roger Michell

Starring Amanda Root as Anne Elliot, Ciarán Hinds as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Samuel West as Mr. William Elliot, Sophie Thompson as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Corin Redgrave as Sir Walter Elliot, Susan Fleetwood as Lady Russell, Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (2007 TV Film)

Written by Simon Burke, directed by Adrian Shergold

Starring Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot, Rupert Penry-Jones as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Tobias Menzies as Mr. William Elliot, Amanda Hale as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Anthony Head as Sir Walter Elliot, Alice Krige as Lady Russell, Marion Bailey as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

Persuasion (2022 Film)

While made for Netflix, this film was first released in US theaters The film departs from the original novel in some points (a lot in tone)

Written by Ronald Bass & Alice Victoria Winslow, directed by Carrie Cracknell

Starring Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot, Cosmo Jarvis as Capt. Frederick Wentworth, Henry Golding as Mr. William Elliot, Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mary Musgrove (née Elliot), Richard E. Grant as Sir Walter Elliot, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Lady Russell, Agni Scott as Mrs. Sophia Croft, among others

*****

I’m not big on Persuasion but I prefer the 2007 version myself. Then 1995. I also like 2022, but it feels different.

#persuasion #period drama #anne elliot #frederick wentworth #captain wentworth #jane austen adaptations #persuasion 2007 #persuasion 1995 #persuasion 2022 #persuasion 1971

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terrainofheartfelt · 2 years

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Gossip Girl Playlists: Theatre Kid AU edition!—Serena’s

[Blair's] [Dan’s] [Nate’s]

I don’t even remember exactly how this started, but it’s @strideofpride’s fault.

The concept began as: if they were in this world, what would be in the GG mains’ MT books? What would be their go-to song? Their 16 bar cut? And then, I got on spotify, and got wayyyy too carried away (typical me), and it sort of morphed into: what are the NJBC’s (plus Daniel’s) senior musical theatre recital programs? And now I have this: a quartet of playlists of repertoire handpicked by me for these fake people, and I am very proud of them.

All selections based on my very particular taste, honed from a childhood in community theater, an adolescence in high school musicals, and a 4 year degree from a majority musical theatre school

And, as in the tradition of Glee and all plays within a play, the rep reflects something profoundly personal about the character, because you know I love a theme.

the meta:

So Serena’s type…it’s the same with Nate, too, in that people try to pigeon-hole her into one, but she’s not really into it. She isn’t one for the leading ladies for multiple reasons: a): her personality does not vibe, because the villains and the old ladies (and the overlap of both) is so much more fun to her, b): she’s kind of shut herself out of wanting to be for Blair’s sake, because she doesn’t want to compete with her for the same stuff, and c): she’s as tall/taller than most male leads in her program.

Her voice: hmmmmmm she IS a belter, or can be one, but it’s not — it’s not this weak sauce, nasal belting, and it isn’t high, like she’s not up in the stratosphere, yk? It’s a little rough and tumble, deeper, rounder, lower. She can get Up There, but it’s not where she lives. (Like S floated Laura Bell Bundy, but her voice is SO high, and rings in a way that’s so specific to her that I don’t really hear it for Serena. It’s a vibe, idk.)

Oh, and she’s a ~dancer~ like Natie.

References: Bernadette Peters, Jane Krakowski, Kristin Chenoweth (for the Comedy and for that oldies golden-age country crooner kind of belt), and early Idina Menzel, pre-Elphaba pre-let’s write roles that shouldn’t be physiologically possible, and a girl from my voice studio I’ll call Heather, because she looked a bit like Blake Lively and had the voice I’m casting in this playlist.

the tracklist:

Don’t Tell Mama — Cabaret

It’s just…so perfect. On so many meta-levels

Sally Bowles does not want you to tell her mother about her career change

A Trip to the Library — She Loves Me

Bc S’s au was so SPOT ON with this casting choice, omg.

The darling, if a little bit ditzy, Ilona is definitely over her ex now, after a meet cute in the library.

A Cockeyed Optimist — South Pacific

The only leading lady that both Blair and Serena are perfectly suited for. Imagine a plot where they both go out for it, then are double cast, all that delicious blairena drama…

Nellie talks to the dapper Emil, and reveals her personality, unshaken despite literally living in the middle of a world war

Sonya & Natasha (duet w/ Blair) — Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

I really think this works best with the duet and solo ballad playing one right after the other. it’s all that stuff all those web weaving posts are about, girls loving with claw marks and teeth and blood but nobody else will love you as fiercely and as loyally. It’s the best friendship of it all.

Natasha’s cousin-but-good-as-sister Sonya discovers and calls her out on her emotional affair with a RAKE to whom she is not engaged. Absolutely brutal girl-best-friend fight ensues.

Sonya Alone — Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

When her cousin shuts her out, Sonya remains determined to save her from herself.

Through the Mountain — Floyd Collins

A hidden gem in a hidden gem of an esoteric kind of musical. But the song is gorgeous (also composed by Richard Rogers’ grandson Adam Guettel, in a genre I’m calling neoromantic bluegrass)

I picked the Audra performance bc I love her, and for the guitar, because musician!Dan my most beloved

While her brother, Floyd, is trapped in an underground cave, Nellie sings this promise to save him.

Over the Moon — Rent

Like, ~serena the actress~ not doing Maureen is so implausible I cannot entertain the notion. Also, like, just imagine her in a performance—not even the whole show, just her recital or a cabaret—getting the crowd to moo with her. Only thee SVDW could.

Take It Like a Man (duet w/ Dan) — Legally Blonde

I stand by what I said earlier re: Laura Bell Bundy, and while Serena is not a “so much better” belter, she could so sell this. And with Dan!!! It’s perfect!

Okay I have strong opinions on this but this is actually a perfect, feel-good musical. So many bangers, a genius adaptation of a beloved film, a balance that not many musicals in the same genre strike. (a guy judged me recently for calling it perfect and honestly fuck that guy. anyways).

Elle takes her best law school friend, Emmett, shopping for grownup lawyer clothes for their case. Feelings ensue.

Gorgeous — The Apple Tree: Passionella

Okay so I’ve never seen this show, but this song is basically about a “homely” girl who magically becomes ~sexy~ and she is Living for it — it’s a twist on the Cinderella myth, essentially. It was made famous by KChen in a revival.

Turn Back, O Man — Godspell

For no other reason than I can imagine Serena having the most fun with it.

The legendary Stephen Schwartz musical in which the only named characters are Judas and Jesus, it’s a…loose storytelling of the gospel.

The designated soloist opens Act II with this song, which, for telling people to forswear sin and give up things of this world, it sounds hella sexy. (I chose the revival w/ Morgan James bc she’s one of my fave singers and hoooo. She can wail.)

Hard to Be the Bard — Something Rotten

A gender-bender song because Serena would. And let us never forget Serena, Founder of the Shakespeare Club my beloved.

Poor ol’ Billy Shakes is struggling with the trappings of fame.

Changing My Major — Fun Home

Harold.

College-age Alison wakes up after a night of passion (her very first one) and is adorably and emotionally changed forever.

The Life of the Party — The Wild Party

It’s Serena (one aspect of her character) wrapped up into one MT song. It’s perfect.

A musical about a Fitzgerald kind of bacchanal, during which things get truly wild: alcohol, abuse, adultery….murder. Kate, a flapper if there ever was one, opens Act 2 with a salute to the party life.

If You Ever See Me Talking to a Sailor — The Last Ship

Remember when Sting wrote a musical about some gruff northern english shipbuilders? No? Well, it kind of flopped, BUT I think it’s great. And the music slaps (it’s by Sting, hello) and this song slaps.

Meg, a badass MILF who’s been hurt one too many times tells everyone in the pub of this seaside town why sailor’s ain’t shit. because her first love ran away on a boat after he (unknowingly) knocked her up? maybe so.

If You Hadn’t But You Did — Two on the Aisle

Written for a 50s Bway revue, KChen revived this into one of her staples on a studio recording. The wronged woman, but make it both deadly AND hilarious. And patter.

Mamma Mia — Mamma Mia

Because S said it belonged here and she is RIGHT. Like, in a ~serena the Actress~ world, I see her starting off with the Maureens and the comic sexy relief before happily aging into Donna and everything Bernadette Peters ever did.

Donna, on this, the eve of her daughter’s wedding, discovers that not one, but three of her exes (and all incidentally the possible biological father of said daughter) have been invited. Shenanigans and Abba ensue.

People — Funny Girl

Idk if I would have her do this whole role, but I think she would love Babs and love this song (and she can absolutely do “Jingle Bells?” as a party trick at holiday gigs).

Fanny Brice, charismatic comedienne full of ambition sings this number towards the close of act 1, as she begins to fall for Nicky Arnstein.

Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again (duet with Blair) — as performed by Judy and Barbra

It’s about the BEST FRIENDS. And about that gorgeous, full, round, vibratoed belt.

A mashup duet made famous from Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand’s performance on the Judy Garland show. Judy sings Harold Arlen’s “Get Happy” which she made famous in the movie Summer Stock, and Babs sings Milton Ager’s pop standard “Happy Days,” one of her most famous singles.

#gossip girl #serena van der woodsen #*ggmt #playlist #theatre kid!serena is actually something that can be so personal #i think this is my favorite of them all #on today's episode of liz was a music major and she's gonna make it everyone's problem #help i can’t stop thinking about serena playling maureen #source: homeofthenutty #source: senamarais #fun fact one of my best friend's married a man named Joe. so he sings 'changing my major' but makes it 'changing my major to joe'#and it's the sweetest fucking thing #they're Goals tbh #i know I said she wouldn't play elle woods and then put legally blonde on the list #but let me defend that by saying 'take it like a man' and 'so much better' are not in the same vocal universe #so much better does slap though

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