I hate milk. How about a cup of hot Diet Coke?
Good morning, all! And a special good morning to DRMichaelShayne, who's keeping me company. Michael, are you coming to NYC in October?
As FOLLIES is my favorite musical, this is going to require a lot of thought. I think DR Stuart has some excellent ideas, however.
Oooh, Stuart, I like that casting, especially Joan Blondell and Jeanette McDonald. Good Work!
I've had a radical idea for sometime now on how to film Follies, but it would involve a huge revision of the book.
I see the setting of the show being updated. It would now be a reunion of a 1950s/60s TV variety show--The Danny Wise Show. It would still take place in a NY theatre--something along the lines of the Ed Sullivan Theatre--that is still destined to be demolished. This Follies would be taped on video, and as the camera enters the theatre, we would see that the party has just started, with the guests gathered in groups throughout the auditorium. There are monitors everywhere, each showing tapes of various Danny Wise Shows throughout the years it was broadcast--some in kinescope, some in pristine B&W video, others in muddled color. As the evening and the show progresses, the figures in the videos begin to escape from their monitors, intermingling with the party guests, while some of the reunionees start to appear within the tapes from the past. The "Loveland" segment would take place as an idealized past broadcast of The Danny Wise Valentine's Day Special, with a full and appreciative 1950's audience in place. Ben's breakdown would set off a video breakdown, with ghosting, burnouts and over-saturations occurring as mismatched video images of the other characters collide with one another, culminating in the screen going blank except for that little white dot in the middle.
As far as casting is concerned, I would mine for the TV stars of the 50s and 60s (those that are still around, anyway.) Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Ben and Phyllis? Shirley Jones and Bob Newhart as Sally and Buddy?
Sally: Deanna Durbin
Phyllis: Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Nan Wynn)
Ben: Gordon MacRae
Buddy: Gene Kelly
Roscoe: Allan Jones
Carlotta: Joan Blondell
Solange: Simon Simone
Stella: Doris Day
Hattie: Patsy Kelly
The Whitmans: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
Heidi: Kathryn Grayson
Dimitri Wiseman: Clifton Webb
Another....hmmm......Solange, I think: Miss Lena Horne.
I am auditioning for MY THREE ANGELS and the run will conclude a couple of weeks before the release of the DVD - how fortuitous.
I hate milk. How about a cup of hot Diet Coke?You HATE milk? Seems like a waste of emotion, to spend it on an inanimate object.
And I am sure there are those who think Bernadette Peters should just play ALL the roles, she is SO multi talented.
But JMK - Frances' theme song could be "I'm Still Here" - LOL.
Terror Alert for mass transit systems in the US was just elevated to Orange.
Belated question for BK:
A few weeks ago, you compared Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a play starring Elaine Stritch called Night of the Predators. Is this the same play that Ms. Stritch was referring to in At Liberty when she talked about the scene where a married couple are eating dinner and the actor playing the husband, realizing that the prop gun was missing, grabbed a jar of jam and exclaimed, "I'm going to kill you with this poison jelly?"
Shouldn't it really be "Losing My Mind?" (Or at the very least, "You Could Drive a Person Crazy", with her various personae doing 3-part harmony). ;)
Elaine had completely forgotten about the play - Time of the Barracudas. When I met her to do Drat! The Cat! I reminded her of it and we talked about it for quite a while. I believe that memory jog was why that story ended up in her show.
The kids demand to know where are those people who did Hair.
Above the fold AND in color!
Well DRMBARNUM - Allison declared that it was her dream to one day tackle St. Joan onstage - but I am not sure what that means.A football dream, perhaps?
Page Three Dance:
[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%]Bolero D'Amore![/move]
(Well, duh!)
I would love to see the Allison Hayes version of FOLLIES on stage...however, I might subsitute Frances for Joi Lansing.
You know I don't think we have ever discovered any Allison Hayes stage work, have we (or did Sara Shane mention some...one of these days I will get to transcribing her interview).
Rodzinksi, once again you impress me by you knowledge that you know who George Nader is!
THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS, baby!
The first Bernadette Peters Photo of the Week:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y63/hotcouturewhite/bern1.jpg)
Off to the theatre to get ready for opening night.
DR Jason: Thanks for being a lone voice of concern for the terror attacks in London. I'm guessing the entire West End would have had to be leveled to get much notice around these parts.
I read that Zsa Zsa Gabor suffered as serious stroke today.
You know, they just don't make movies like that anymore.
Is this the replacement for the Allison Hayes photo of the week...oh, that just will not do!
Well, I'm still struggling with the Follies casting. I've added a couple of theater people (no, not Bernadette), but I'm having trouble thinking of a good Sally and Buddy (I do have Gene Kelly in my cast, but somewhere else ;)).
You know, they just don't make movies like that anymore.
I thought DRStuart's cast was so good, I stopped thinking about it.
I thought DRStuart's cast was so good, I stopped thinking about it.
Speak for yourself! ;) I love Bernadette!!
Thank you for passing on that Larry.
Sally: Rose Marie
Phyllis: Cloris Leachman
Ben: Dan Hagerty
Buddy: Morie Amsterdam
Roscoe: George Nader
Carlotta: Sandy Duncan
Solange: Rula Lenska
Stella: Joan Bennett
Hattie: Diane von Furstenberg
The Whitmans: Ethel Merman and Groucho Marx
Heidi: Dale Evans
Dimitri Wiseman: Mark Hamill
I had hoped Lynn Redgrave might pop in with my DVD...just for grins, but I'll take it via UPS.
The UPS guy just delivered!
"Georgy Girl" is here, and it's not only anamorphic widescreen BUT it was remastered in High Definition.
That will be good news for Matt H.
Rodzinski -- You are a sick man.
Ha! Well, I did spend Pride Week in the Bay Area.
Alas, the pride alluded to above was from the honor of being called sick by the Grand Master.
Good evening everyone. I'm new to the board, but some of you may already know me as "The Gal."
Good evening everyone. I'm new to the board, but some of you may already know me as "The Gal."
Hi Elmore, I'm a close, intimate friend of Rodzinski ;)
And yes Elmore, he has been known to raid my closet from time to time.
He's sick! That's why I like him. Has he told his current employers to stick it?I think he's still determining his best course of action...but I would sure like him to! >:(
DR Joey, you will be arriving in NYC right after I have left. But if this is your first time in the city, I know you will enjoy yourself.