tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post4263318269921954166..comments2024-03-03T10:32:45.969-08:00Comments on Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur: Most Friendship is FeigningMr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-77801884762347652642012-08-23T16:12:14.864-07:002012-08-23T16:12:14.864-07:00Lovely piece, and good points about Dailey's a...Lovely piece, and good points about Dailey's and Kidd's marginalization. I love the Charisse solo and the satire of television, which is a few years ahead of A Face in the Crowd. I am a sucker for the widescreen dance numbers, especially with the trashcan lids wielded as shields, that make the trio resemble urban counterparts of Roman legionnaires or figures from a Philip Guston painting.Carriehttp://www.carrierickey.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-45802473567544619602009-01-07T20:03:00.000-08:002009-01-07T20:03:00.000-08:00Anonymous—Thanks very much for your extensive comm...Anonymous—<BR/><BR/>Thanks very much for your extensive comments, which have gotten me to think even more about the film. The 50s context was one of the things that really stood out for me while watching it and makes me wonder if the movie had been slightly better and more successful it could have paved the way for other serious musicals of that sort made by the studio. But I guess that just wasn’t meant to be. And yeah, the dance numbers really are the best parts. It’s not a great film or a great musical…but I believe that there are great things in it.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-23824618239766729452009-01-07T09:50:00.000-08:002009-01-07T09:50:00.000-08:00"It's Always Fair Weather" has never received the ..."It's Always Fair Weather" has never received the notoriety that it deserves. The notion of a melancholy musical was a truly original idea. When viewing the picture I had the feeling that an optimistic post WWII future had eroded into pessimistic cold war reality.<BR/><BR/>The songs and the story are just okay for me but what I like most about the film are the novel dance performances. <BR/><BR/>The garbage can lid dance looks like a lot of fun. It must have been hard for Dan Dailey to keep up with Kidd and Kelly though.<BR/><BR/>Gene's performance of "I Like Myself" convinces me that there is nothing he couldn't do. The use of a prop like roller skates shows that he was pulling out all of the stops.<BR/><BR/>Cyd's routine in Stillman's gym is......what can I say? This generation of young men should know of her. It's too bad that there will never be another Cyd. I like that the boxers actually look the part.<BR/><BR/>"Thanks a Lot But No Thanks" is an interesting take on the increasing social power of women at the time. Glamorous and sexy Dolores Gray delights in massacring an all male chorus line. The suggestion of violence is quite overt. I wonder what the average guy would have thought of this number when it hit the screens back in 1955. It's athletic, edgy, and almost corrupt. It's my favorite part of the film.<BR/><BR/>It's a shame that Michael Kidd's solo was dropped. Cyd and Gene's only dance duo 'Love is Nothing But a Racket" got the axe too. I have seen both on Youtube. They're great. The movie could have used them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-13518802041662950252009-01-05T17:39:00.000-08:002009-01-05T17:39:00.000-08:00Watching this film in the middle of the night at t...Watching this film in the middle of the night at the Silent Movie sounds like a great time. That can really be a fun place. <BR/><BR/>I went out after I posted this then when I came back was surprised to find this movie airing on TCM. So I sat down and watched it from the roller-skate sequence to the end, still enjoying it. Yes, it’s flawed, but the emotional element makes me like it more than some musicals which may be ‘better’. It’s something I can connect with easier. I can imagine that I’ll return to it in the future and I may wind up liking it even more than I do now.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-79484593723639985912009-01-03T23:10:00.000-08:002009-01-03T23:10:00.000-08:00Caught this at a movie marathon Nicky Katt was hos...Caught this at a movie marathon Nicky Katt was hosting at the Silent Movie Theatre. The audience voted whether to watch this or Revenge w/ Kevin Costner. It was a tie and Katt broke it by picking this movie. I'm glad he did. I agree that it's a bit all over the place unlike "Singin'", but it's still a good time and the audience really seemed to enjoy it as well -- especially considering it was around 2:40 am when it screened.EFChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03707319383245900449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-32535922647115441422009-01-03T18:30:00.000-08:002009-01-03T18:30:00.000-08:00I stumbled on "It's Always Fair Weather&q...I stumbled on "It's Always Fair Weather" about ten years ago on laserdisc and it has since become one of my all-time favorite films. I think it is a movie well ahead of its time and still has much to say about modern America what with its back from the war blues & clever jabbing at mass media marketing. The "Baby, You Knock Me Out" number does just that and I can watch that bit over & over again. <BR/><BR/>- BobAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com