Il était une fois Broadway

Mr. Rupp is a very a skilled and professional actor. I look forward to seeing Mr. Rupp's productions, and go out of my way to search for productions featuring Veryle Rupp. I hope to be able to see more of V. Rupp in the future. Mr. Rupp is the best new and upcoming actor that I have witnessed in quite some time. I am curious why the acting guild has not used his obvious talents more? Please see what you can do to show more of Mr. Rupp's talents in the very near future. Mr. Rupp is an obvious "Overlooked Diamond in the Rough". Mr. Rupp appears to have all of the Charm, and Good looks that any Actor possesses. Please keep me informed of any new productions which Mr. Rupp is part of and again I thank you for your assistance.

If you like the jargon and swagger of "Guys & Dolls," you should enjoy "Bloodhounds of Broadway," another collection of Damon Runyon stories pieces together to make an ensemble film, without quite as much music. This one unfolds much like a three-act play. The first act takes place during the day on December 31, 1928. The second rings in the New Year and the third shows our characters meeting their (mostly) happy endings the next morning. The fact that 1929 will not be universally kind to all of them adds a bittersweet note to the final frames. Madonna has a small role, and it's not her finest performance, but saddled with the clichéd "showgirl with a heart of gold" character, she does well, and her final moments with co-star Randy Quaid are charming. Quaid himself gives a marvelous performance, as does Julie Hagerty as a "society dame" who'd rather be a gun moll, and Rutger Hauer as a dying gangster in an effective and underplayed morality story.

Love, laugh and a tragic comedy from the Broadway of the 1920s. Based on novells by Damon Runyon director Howard Brookner (who died of AIDS) in his first and last movie "Bloodhounds" shows the world of gangsters, go-go girls and other bastards. Madonna, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Esai Morales , Steve Buscemi are all very good, but Randy Quaid takes the palm. Gotta see it!

After touring the world in 1987, Madonna decided to surprise her audience once again with a total departure from her previous work. Her part in ´Bloodhounds of Broadway´ is an absolute delight. She is funny and touching (something she hadn´t showed in her movies since ´Desperate seeking Susan´) as Hortance Hattaway, a twenties show girl who´s been around the block a few times and has footprints all over her back. Two of the most entertaining highlights are her performances in the nightclub where most of the action takes place (it´s New Years Eve). Especially the duet with Jeniffer Grey (who´s not dubbed, but took singing lessons to do the job herself!) is a real treat. Shame there´s no soundtrack available.

Hmmm, unreleased, huh. This film might be the At Long Last Love of gangster musicals. From a Guys and Dolls perspective, BLOODHOUNDS is a funny and quite lavish Damon Runyan inspired semi musical with an astonishing cast. It was not released in cinemas in Australia and it really should have been. There is nothing at all preventing this film from doing good business if it has been promoted to be exactly what it is: an all star gangster musical with a huge and famous cast. I saw it on tape promoted as "Found! The lost Madonna movie" which is an outrageous deceit, given the many other more interesting actors, all gussied up and frantically rushing about from one nightclub to the other in snowy city streets. Madonna's great duet with Jennifer Grey, fresh from Dirty Dancing would alone have been enough to propel this funny pretty pic into any number of luxury cinemas (we still had them in the 80s). But, no, it wasn't to be and this easy to love 30s farce is still rather lost. What a waste! Lets see if a DVD release (with possibly fascinating interviews and extras) sees BLOODHOUNDS OF Broadway deservedly find its delighted audience. Apparently it opened in ONE New York cinema in 1989 with a reel missing. It was reviewed that way and unknowingly played like that for several weeks. Thus damaging its survival and any further plans.