Really Rosie

When the writer/singer of "I Feel the Earth Move" teams up with the author of "Where the Wild Things Are", you know you're in for something good. And "Really Rosie" is just that. Carole King had written a number of songs for other performers, having sung only a few personally, but this is one of her high points. She provides the voice of a woman who fancies herself a star and sings songs about it to the children in her Brooklyn neighborhood. Each character has a song, in fact.

I first learned of "Really Rosie" when I was in fifth grade and my class was putting on a production of it. We listened to the songs on the soundtrack - side 2 had some songs that weren't in the special - but changed one of the lines in "Alligators All Around" to avoid racially insensitive lyrics. We watched the movie, but only got about two thirds of the way through. My task in the production was operating the flood light, but I was having braces put in the day of the performance, so naturally I was in no condition to operate any machinery. I later watched the class's production on the video that they made of it.

The main point is that "Really Rosie" is one of the greatest animated TV specials ever. A fine achievement for both Carole King and Maurice Sendak. And remember, always care!

SOOO many memories. This is actually "before my time" since I'm a child of the 80's, but my mother got me the record, and singing Alligators all around (and Pierre, and Chicken Soup and Rice, and One was Johnny, and pretty much everything on this album!) was all part of my childhood experience. I stumbled across the CD on amazon.com, and started talking about it to my boyfriend, who surprised me with the CD. LOVED IT! Cant wait to share it with my own kids one day. If this is a lovely reminder of your childhood, as it is for mine, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of the CD--after all, you're in it for the songs, not the images (although those don't hurt, and I suppose brainwashing the next generation to really appreciate Really Rosie may require some visual stimuli).

I had a copy of this video when I was a kid and used to watch it all the time! It was my first exposure to the awesomeness that is Carole King, and further proof of the awesomeness of the late great Maurice Sendak! I highly recommend this movie to both kids and adults, both for the educational and musical value it has! Screaming and Yelling may seem superfluous, but it's not terrible, Carole still does a great job, as usual! Also, fun fact, her two daughters were back up singers on the album! I've heard that she's lost her talent in recent years, but I don't want to know about it, because I want to think of her as I've heard her, perfect and pure!

My children just love this. After a long time, a friend of ours had the video (we live overseas) and we saw it again. Everyone (and I mean everyone) was singing along. Not a great story perhaps but just a great collection of wonderful music geared toward adults. As my 10 year old sits in the bath right now, she is singing Pierre at the top of her lungs. Is this what these shows should be about! Making children happy and helping their imaginations. Well, IMDb says 10 lines so 10 lines it is. 30 years later and I do not see one Disney soundtrack even coming close to the talent and beauty of Carole King's work and Maurice Sendaks story. I have to say.

I like Maurice Sendak's work. I mean, who doesn't like Where the Wild Things Are?

And Carole King never bothered me too much.

But pair them together and you end up with this lame special that CBS aired at least a handful of times, from the unfortunate feel-good / let's-use-our-imaginations / "Free To Be You and Me" era of the mid-1970s.

I think you had to be a little rich girl living in Manhattan to appreciate this yawner of a cartoon. Or maybe you had to be a little rich girl living in a suburb of New York. Because all the girls in my class were singing the mostly forgettable songs the next day. Then it was back to their overpriced and equally pretentious Shel Silverstein books.

Having said that, the song "Chicken Soup with Rice" has stayed with me all these years. I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse.

All I know is if this thing was on at eight p.m., I'd play with my Legos until it was over and come back to the TV set at 8:30 for the infinitely superior Rikki Tikki Tavi.