- Awards
- 11
- Awards
- 24
Love musicals and love the history of this movie genre and how it changed, evolved, died and returned several times. It's a genre that can not go away for too long cause there's always a hit bio or a new music craze that can be used for a successful movie.
You all mentioned most of the best known periods/studio eras of musicals. Of course M-G-M ones are my favorites, it is the studio that capitalized the most on this genre and built it into a pure art form, reaching some of the peaks that are hard to be repeated. By the mid 50s, as the Metro musicals started to fade out, it was these grand Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptations, mostly done at Fox, that took over and ruled the box office into the mid 60s. Out of all of these, I only really love The Sound of Music (1965) and Oklahoma! (1955). Everything else I find to be overlong, boring at times and the songs don't do much for me either, to be honest.
Going back in time, I also love the early Warner Pre-code musicals, mostly done by Busby Berkeley. 42nd Street (1933), Footlight Parade (1933), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Dames (1934), etc were all so much fun and exciting, just like most movies done in this period. Berkeley's mind-spinning choreographies and dance numbers art still unmatched. There's a lot of realism in these movies, the characters are people struggling in the show biz during Depression era, just like in any other Warner movie of that time. The casts are also great, I love Ruby Keeler and her clumsy dancing, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Ginger Rogers, James Cagney etc. If you haven't checked these out, be sure to do it, you'll have a blast.
At the same time, the refined Astair/Rogers musicals developed over at RKO and I still haven't seen any of these. Somehow I don't feel much excitement about doing it either.
Back to MGM, their true golden age of musicals started in the early 40s, with the formation of Arthur Freed unit. Of course they made many musicals during the 30s as well, developing many stars like the amazing Eleanor Powell and her step dancing, the aforementioned Jeannette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy series of movies which I can't get into, sorry but these operettas LB Mayer loved so much are not my thing. They continued this tradition with Kathryn Grayson and Jane Powell to a lesser extent. During the 30s, it was also interesting to see many of their dramatic stars appear in musicals, having to sing, dance or perform, usually with embarrassing results.No one was spared, Stewart, Crawford, even Gable had to do a dance or two.
From Metro-s golden period, I love Kiss Me Kate (1953) with Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and the fab Ann Miller. Grayson's operatic singing is actually fitting here and she does a fine job with a juicy role. She was paired with Keel several time successfully. But it's Annie who spins the dancefloor and steals the show, as usual.
I also love It's Always Fair Weather (1955), a lesser known and a very different Gene Kelly musical with a pessimistic, sarcastic tone, somehow fitting since it came at the end of the studio's golden age of musicals. Cyd Charisse has a marvelous dancing scene in the boxing ring/gym.
Dolores Grey is also great in this, she appeared in a few MGM movies in the mid 50s and always left an impression on me.
I also enjoy some truly lesser known MGM musicals, oddities like Athena (1954) that are just a lot of fun. This one includes a bunch of bodybuilders parading their goods around, the goody two-shoe Debbie Reynolds, operetta singing Jane Powell and Louis Calhern residing over a family of new age, Greek mythology gym freaks. Yes, it has to be seen to be believed.
As I type this, a Nelson Eddy, sans Jeannette Macdonald, movie called The Chocolate Soldier (1941) starts on TCM. A woman called Risë Stevens is his partner, operetting in this one. Maybe I'll give it a look....
Nothing compares to this...
- Awards
- 11
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES is easily one of my favorite Old Hollywood musicals. It's beautifully photographed in Technicolor, and Monroe and Russell make for a very good on-screen partnership. As one biographer writes, they turned "a routine musical comedy into a cinematic classic". It's a shame the two of them never worked together again, despite their good on-screen chemistry and the fact that they retained a solid friendship through Marilyn's death in 1962.
- Awards
- 11
I watched GREASE yesterday for the first time in ages. Many years ago, I used to watch it regularly when I owned a special edition DVD copy of the film and when ABC Family (now Freeform) would air it, which was quite often, as I remember.
The movie is just as fun and bright as I recall, with catchy songs, good dancing, and lots of laughs along the way. John Travolta is the perfect Danny Zuko, a greaser and resident bad boy whose fallen in love with a girl from the opposite side of the tracks. Olivia Newton-John is charming and pretty as Sandy Olsson, and despite her sweetness, she never comes across as fake or too goody-goody that it's off-putting. Travolta and John (who wasn't nearly as experienced as an actress) are very appealing leads. They look great together, and they have great on-screen chemistry. I could totally see the two of them finding summer love on a beach and being totally excited when their paths cross again at Rydell High School. Danny is the leader of a gang known as the T-Birds, and his greaser image doesn't automatically put him as a suitable suitor for someone well-read like Sandy. It's a classic star-crossed lovers tale.
The remainder of the T-Birds gang includes Jeff Conaway (who played Danny on the stage) as Kenickie, Danny's closest friend since childhood, and a trio of Three Stooges-like buffoons -- Doody (Barry Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci), and Putzie (Kelly Ward) -- who provide some laughs, but are perhaps best-known for mooning the TV audience when their high school takes part in a televised "National Bandstand" dance competition. In counterpart to the T-Birds are the Pink Ladies, a group of fast-moving, fast-talking, hip-swinging young women, led by Stockard Channing as Rizzo, perhaps the funniest and "realest" character in the entire movie. The remainder of the group is ironed out with Frenchy (Didi Conn), who is Sandy's closest friend (although it's never explained how they know each other, considering Sandy was from Australia), Marty (Dinah Manoff), and Jan (Jamie Donnelly). I think the Pink Ladies might be more memorable than the T-Birds overall. Then, of course, there's the adults, many of them played by well-known TV personalities from the 1950s. Eve Arden is Principal McGee; Dody Goodman as her secretary, Blanche; Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun; Alice Ghostley as shop teacher Mrs. Murdock; Joan Blondell as waitress Vi; and Ellen Travolta as another nameless waitress from the group's favorite hangout, the Frosty Palace.
Being a musical, GREASE has a lot of music for you to sample. Some of it I like, and some of it, I don't. I've always really liked the opening song, "Grease", that the Bee Gees sing over the opening credits. Danny and Sandy's duet of "Summer Nights" is a standout, although I could probably do without their respective solos -- "Sandy" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You". The latter, in particular, just seems to come out of nowhere, and I just can't get with it and enjoy it, John's strong vocals aside. Two of my favorite songs in the entire movie are Rizzo's "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and Frankie Avalon's rendition of "Beauty School Dropout". Of course, the two final numbers, "You're the One That I Want" and "We Go Together" are two highlights.
Those are the positives, now let's tackle some of the negatives.
None of the core cast look like actual teenagers. I know teenagers in the late 1970s (when the movie was filmed) and in the late 1950s (when the movie was set) looked quite different from teenagers in 2026, but none of these actors "look" like teenagers. Which, as we know, none of them actually were. For example, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were, at the time of the movie's release in June 1978, were twenty-four and twenty-nine, respectively.
Personally, I can get over the fact that the teenagers aren't played by teenagers. It's a movie, after all, and movies are supposed to echo some form of fantasy, especially musicals like GREASE that don't really reach for realism.
The biggest negative for me is the message the film sends towards women, teenage girls in particular. Sandy is sweet, wholesome, and innocent, who throws all of that away to paint up, dress provocatively, and shake her hips to be the kind of girl Danny would feel comfortable being seen with around his friends. Danny, on the other hand, had gone in the opposite direction and taken up track to impress Sandy. The message promoted for Danny and young guys, I'd argue, is "better" than the one used to make Sandy into Danny's idea of a "hot girl". I know this conclusion doesn't bother many, but it's one I've had an issue with for a very long time.
Anyway, I like GREASE, the issues aside.
The movie is just as fun and bright as I recall, with catchy songs, good dancing, and lots of laughs along the way. John Travolta is the perfect Danny Zuko, a greaser and resident bad boy whose fallen in love with a girl from the opposite side of the tracks. Olivia Newton-John is charming and pretty as Sandy Olsson, and despite her sweetness, she never comes across as fake or too goody-goody that it's off-putting. Travolta and John (who wasn't nearly as experienced as an actress) are very appealing leads. They look great together, and they have great on-screen chemistry. I could totally see the two of them finding summer love on a beach and being totally excited when their paths cross again at Rydell High School. Danny is the leader of a gang known as the T-Birds, and his greaser image doesn't automatically put him as a suitable suitor for someone well-read like Sandy. It's a classic star-crossed lovers tale.
The remainder of the T-Birds gang includes Jeff Conaway (who played Danny on the stage) as Kenickie, Danny's closest friend since childhood, and a trio of Three Stooges-like buffoons -- Doody (Barry Pearl), Sonny (Michael Tucci), and Putzie (Kelly Ward) -- who provide some laughs, but are perhaps best-known for mooning the TV audience when their high school takes part in a televised "National Bandstand" dance competition. In counterpart to the T-Birds are the Pink Ladies, a group of fast-moving, fast-talking, hip-swinging young women, led by Stockard Channing as Rizzo, perhaps the funniest and "realest" character in the entire movie. The remainder of the group is ironed out with Frenchy (Didi Conn), who is Sandy's closest friend (although it's never explained how they know each other, considering Sandy was from Australia), Marty (Dinah Manoff), and Jan (Jamie Donnelly). I think the Pink Ladies might be more memorable than the T-Birds overall. Then, of course, there's the adults, many of them played by well-known TV personalities from the 1950s. Eve Arden is Principal McGee; Dody Goodman as her secretary, Blanche; Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun; Alice Ghostley as shop teacher Mrs. Murdock; Joan Blondell as waitress Vi; and Ellen Travolta as another nameless waitress from the group's favorite hangout, the Frosty Palace.
Being a musical, GREASE has a lot of music for you to sample. Some of it I like, and some of it, I don't. I've always really liked the opening song, "Grease", that the Bee Gees sing over the opening credits. Danny and Sandy's duet of "Summer Nights" is a standout, although I could probably do without their respective solos -- "Sandy" and "Hopelessly Devoted to You". The latter, in particular, just seems to come out of nowhere, and I just can't get with it and enjoy it, John's strong vocals aside. Two of my favorite songs in the entire movie are Rizzo's "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and Frankie Avalon's rendition of "Beauty School Dropout". Of course, the two final numbers, "You're the One That I Want" and "We Go Together" are two highlights.
Those are the positives, now let's tackle some of the negatives.
None of the core cast look like actual teenagers. I know teenagers in the late 1970s (when the movie was filmed) and in the late 1950s (when the movie was set) looked quite different from teenagers in 2026, but none of these actors "look" like teenagers. Which, as we know, none of them actually were. For example, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were, at the time of the movie's release in June 1978, were twenty-four and twenty-nine, respectively.
Personally, I can get over the fact that the teenagers aren't played by teenagers. It's a movie, after all, and movies are supposed to echo some form of fantasy, especially musicals like GREASE that don't really reach for realism.
The biggest negative for me is the message the film sends towards women, teenage girls in particular. Sandy is sweet, wholesome, and innocent, who throws all of that away to paint up, dress provocatively, and shake her hips to be the kind of girl Danny would feel comfortable being seen with around his friends. Danny, on the other hand, had gone in the opposite direction and taken up track to impress Sandy. The message promoted for Danny and young guys, I'd argue, is "better" than the one used to make Sandy into Danny's idea of a "hot girl". I know this conclusion doesn't bother many, but it's one I've had an issue with for a very long time.
Anyway, I like GREASE, the issues aside.
- Awards
- 11
So, I decided to go ahead and watch GREASE 2 because it's also streaming on Paramount+. I had a friend in high school that raved about GREASE 2, preferring it to the original, but I had only seen pieces of it before now. I don't ever remember seeing the whole thing before.
GREASE 2 is one of those sequels that really has no reason to exist. The original GREASE didn't leave the door open for a sequel, but the producers decided to roll the dice and make a follow-up to one of the most successful movie musicals there's ever been. Which, thinking with a business head, I can see why the suits decided to make a sequel. I'm sure they saw it as a quick, "safe" cash-grab. There, I can't fault them. GREASE 2 doesn't bring anything new to the table, and it almost feels like a direct-to-video follow-up that takes place in an alternate universe with just a few exterior characters tying it to the original.
That said, there are some genuine good things about the movie. For one, Michelle Pfeiffer as very good as Stephanie, the new leader of the Pink Ladies, and Maxwell Caulfield (best-known to my friends here as Miles on THE COLBYS) as Michael Carrington (a surname perhaps foreshadowing his destiny to be intertwined with the Carrington clan in Denver). Michael is the British cousin to the Australian Sandy from the first film, who is shown around Rydell High School by Frenchy (Didi Conn). A few other actors reprise their roles from the original, like Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun, Dody Goodman as Blanche, and Eddie Deezen as Eugene Felsnick.
GREASE 2 is basically a gender reversal of GREASE. This time, it's the guy who is new to the school, and he sets his eyes on wooing the girl that's apart of the cool "it" clique. I mean, it worked before, so why not? The main issue I have with the set-up is that Michael merely becomes infatuated with Stephanie. There is no "falling in love" sequence that leads into his infatuation. That all comes after he's decided to win her over. It just seems a little backwards. The only standout in the rest of the Pink Ladies is Lorna Luft (Judy Garland's daughter) as Paulette, all the T-Birds are Temu versions of the originals, but I like Tab Hunter and Connie Stevens as the teachers. They both have some quirky, funny moments, even if I found it a little odd that Stevens' Miss Mason flirts with the boy students.
"Cool Rider" is easily the best song in the movie, but there are some other good ones, too. "Back to School", the opening number, is good, and I liked "A Girl for All Seasons" as well. But then there's some songs, like "Reproduction" and "Do It for Our Country", that are laughable and quite weird, if I'm being honest.
To make a long story short... You're not missing anything by missing GREASE 2. I can see why it's gathered a cult following, but I prefer the original.
GREASE 2 is one of those sequels that really has no reason to exist. The original GREASE didn't leave the door open for a sequel, but the producers decided to roll the dice and make a follow-up to one of the most successful movie musicals there's ever been. Which, thinking with a business head, I can see why the suits decided to make a sequel. I'm sure they saw it as a quick, "safe" cash-grab. There, I can't fault them. GREASE 2 doesn't bring anything new to the table, and it almost feels like a direct-to-video follow-up that takes place in an alternate universe with just a few exterior characters tying it to the original.
That said, there are some genuine good things about the movie. For one, Michelle Pfeiffer as very good as Stephanie, the new leader of the Pink Ladies, and Maxwell Caulfield (best-known to my friends here as Miles on THE COLBYS) as Michael Carrington (a surname perhaps foreshadowing his destiny to be intertwined with the Carrington clan in Denver). Michael is the British cousin to the Australian Sandy from the first film, who is shown around Rydell High School by Frenchy (Didi Conn). A few other actors reprise their roles from the original, like Eve Arden as Principal McGee, Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun, Dody Goodman as Blanche, and Eddie Deezen as Eugene Felsnick.
GREASE 2 is basically a gender reversal of GREASE. This time, it's the guy who is new to the school, and he sets his eyes on wooing the girl that's apart of the cool "it" clique. I mean, it worked before, so why not? The main issue I have with the set-up is that Michael merely becomes infatuated with Stephanie. There is no "falling in love" sequence that leads into his infatuation. That all comes after he's decided to win her over. It just seems a little backwards. The only standout in the rest of the Pink Ladies is Lorna Luft (Judy Garland's daughter) as Paulette, all the T-Birds are Temu versions of the originals, but I like Tab Hunter and Connie Stevens as the teachers. They both have some quirky, funny moments, even if I found it a little odd that Stevens' Miss Mason flirts with the boy students.
"Cool Rider" is easily the best song in the movie, but there are some other good ones, too. "Back to School", the opening number, is good, and I liked "A Girl for All Seasons" as well. But then there's some songs, like "Reproduction" and "Do It for Our Country", that are laughable and quite weird, if I'm being honest.
To make a long story short... You're not missing anything by missing GREASE 2. I can see why it's gathered a cult following, but I prefer the original.
- Awards
- 8
I haven't seen GREASE 2 since maybe 1986 -- and somehow "Cool Rider" still pops into my head randomly.