joseph952001

I have to admit that when I first saw West Side Story, I didn't like it, but there are other movies that I didn't like when they first came out such as Gigi, but as the years roll by, these movies now are very entertaining. I believe that movies like West Side Story and Gigi were not really good for the time that they appeared. They are more for today than yesterday and will be much more appreciated for what there are in the future years to come. As far as casting goes, they could not have done a better job. The original cast on Broadway just could not have done it. There has been a lot of criticism about not casting Broadway Stars in the movie versions, but the Broadway Stars could not bring the American movie going public into the theaters to make the movie pay for itself. At first, Jack Warner was criticized for not casting Julie Andrews in the movie version of My Fairf Lady, but as Warner stated in his autobiography, nobody in Des Moines knew who Julie Andrews was, but they certainly knew who Audrey Hepburn was because the financial boom that was made off of her portrayal in The Nun Story proved that, and he was right in his casting her as Eliza even though most of her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon. We will never know what My Fair Lady would have been like with the original soundtrack with Audrey Hepburn doing her own singing, but some of the songs were partially sung by Hepburn, but we do know that Marni Nixons voice was not suited for Audrey, but it was suited for Deborah Kerr in The King and I and definitely suited for Natalie Wood in West Side Story. Most of the singing for Anita was done by Rita Moreno for West Side Story, but only one song was dubbed and that was her duet with Maria for A Boy Like That. But as we know, dubbing is not a new thing in Hollywood. Rosalind Russell who can sing said in her autobiography that no matter what anyone says, that's Roz singing up there, but that's not entirely true. All of the songs were sung by Russell except for one. She just could not get Everythings Comin' Up Roses off the ground, so Warner hired Lisa Kirk to do the honors and for a hefty sum of moolah! But, back to West Side Story. First time around I hated this movie. Just couldn't stand it, but as the years roll by, now I see it as a great movie and a true work of art. The only flaw that I see is at the beginning of the movie when the boys start dancing while bouncing the basket ball. Still does't set well with me. Being an ex-dancer myself, it could have been done with less of a ballet-ish beginning. The guys look too much like sissy's that rough tough gang guys! But, thank God I can remember when it first came out and I saw it on the great big wide screen with stereophonic sound. This is the way movies like this should be seen. If you haven't seen it that way, you have never seen the glory of West Side Story. When I was in the Army, I went to Paris, France, and the Parisians wouldn't let it go. It was still playing at one of their theaters for three years running. Now, that proves that that West Side Story is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made!

Deep In My Heart was recently shown on Turner Classics and for some reason it was shown in a Letter-Box presentation. I remember when this film first came out and there were no widescreen movies at that time, but I do remember that when the widescreen process did appear, many of the old film were redone over in a widescreen process such as "The Wizard of Oz" and Disney's Fantasia which was preprocessed in Super-Scope with the advertisement "Fantasia Will Amazya!", even though Disney originally had planned to make Fantasia in a widescreen process it didn't happen because of World War II, but all it did in a Super-Scope presentation was to have it's fans run out of the theater screaming! So, I don't remember "Deep In My Heart" being released at that time in a Widescreen process, but maybe they did. This film ages like a fine bottle of wine. I really didn't like it then, but I do now, and I remember that the M.G.M. Soundtrack album was a very big seller at the time. So, let's not bring up the negative parts about the film. Instead, remember that no one knew that Jose Ferrer could sing and dance, and above all, he was an accomplished piano player as well. Yes! That was Ferrer playing the piano. And what about Helen Traubel. Well, anyone that didn't like her performance in the movie should be hung Softly As a Morning Sunrise! All her songs were perfection and her rendering of "Stout Hearted Men" was so effective that it's a wonder that everyone wasn't standing at attention during her singing of it. Sure, the movie has its flaws, but the overall effect is wonderful. I thought Jose Ferrar playing all those different parts when they were trying to write the show for Al Jolson was kinda dumb, but he did it so well. Tony Martin I've never really liked. He always sounded to me like a singer with a tight girdle trying to strangle him. Ann Miller? Well, there's something very obnoxious about Ann Miller. Probably because she was always given these parts of a girl with an abnormal appetite for the opposite sex, but her best role was playing Lois Lane in "Kiss Me Kate"; she was great! So, why aren't films like this appreciated today? Once again, this is another one of those wonderful films that you have to see on the large silver screen in a movie theater to really enjoy! Television only gives you some of the enjoyment of it. Again, I wish they would release these films nationwide in movie theaters so all the young people could see what all the drum beating is all about, but Deep In My Heart I know that When I Grow To Old To Dream, I'll Have This Film To Remember!

Sure, this is not a very good musical, but on the other hand, like most bad movies, it's the behind-the-scenes activity that makes it all the m ore entertaining to watch it. It's just like Liz and Dicks version of "Cleopatra": Even before the movie was released in the theaters, everyone was so informed as to what went on behind-the-sense that they went in droves just to see what all the hall-a-bah-loo was all about. Well, in Esther Willimas very funny autobiography "Million Dollar Merimad", she said that, first of all, Joan wanted her director Charles Walters to be her director on her first musical in her return to M.G.M. and, of course, Joan wanted Charlie-Boy in the sack as well as her director, but one thing wrong with that. Walter's is/was Gay, but Joan was sure she could convert him. So, she asks Esther if she can have him, and Esther says yes, while thinking, "Oh, please don't let her kiss me" and Joan plants one big kiss on Esthers lips with her famous "Bless You"! . So, in Joans first creative number, she and the director of the film, Charles Walters, do a dance number to a song that sounds very familiar. Well, of course, "You're All The World To Me" which as the song that Fred Astair did his famous dancing-on-the-ceiling-and-walls number in "Royal Wedding". Yes, people, same soundtrack whittled down for Foan and Charley-Boys big number. Later on you have "Two Faced Woman" sung by India Adams which was deleted from "The Band Wagon" with Cyd Charisse doing the number. Cyd's version was deleted because the film was too long, but you can see it on one of "That's Entertainment" films. I'm not sure that Cyd's version was better than Joan's, but for some reason I really like Joan Crawfords version. But, the film is just there. Heaven knows, it's entertaining once you get over the fact that Joan Carwford in her masculine portrayal could possibly fall in love with a blind man in which she claimed to him that he should get an eye-seeing human. That was a little too crass for even Joan Crawford to recite. But it's entertaining even if all the numbers that were sung by India Adams was deleted from the Band Wagon. I guess that's as good as any reason to use the numbers somewhere else, but you know what? For some reason I liked the movie. You really have to see in in a movie theater on the big screen in its glorious technicolor to really appreciate it for what it is, or maybe what it could have been. Quien Sabe! It's a good diversion for one who is bored on a weekend without nothing to do unless a White Rabbit runs by you say, "Oh my fur and whiskers; I'm late for a very important date. I'd fallow the rabbit! It would be my luck that the Queen of Hearts would be Joan yelling, "Off with his head!"