Fred Astaire was an Oscar-nominated song and dance man best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside many female dancer, but especially Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their first starring vehicle came just one year later: “The Gay Divorcee” (1934).
Their subsequent films, including “Top Hat” (1935), “Follow the Fleet” (1936), “Swing Time...
- 5/4/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Steve Lawrence, a king among easy-listening crooners who rocketed to fame in the ’50s and ’60s as half of the duo Steve and Eydie, died Thursday at age 88. Lawrence died at home in Los Angeles, and the cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, according to a spokesperson for the family, Susan DuBow.
Lawrence’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis had finally put an end to his touring career in 2019, after a run in the public eye that spanned six and a half decades.
Lawrence was preceded in death in 2013 by his wife, Eydie Gormé, with whom he enjoyed nearly unparalleled success as a performing couple during their heyday as touring artists and TV stars in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The couple had continued to tour together through 2009.
His colleagues began to weigh in Thursday. “Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show,” Carol Burnett said,...
Lawrence’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis had finally put an end to his touring career in 2019, after a run in the public eye that spanned six and a half decades.
Lawrence was preceded in death in 2013 by his wife, Eydie Gormé, with whom he enjoyed nearly unparalleled success as a performing couple during their heyday as touring artists and TV stars in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The couple had continued to tour together through 2009.
His colleagues began to weigh in Thursday. “Steve was one of my favorite guests on my variety show,” Carol Burnett said,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Steve Lawrence, the charismatic Grammy- and Emmy-winning crooner who delighted audiences for decades in nightclubs, on concert stages and in film and television appearances, died Thursday. He was 88.
Lawrence, who partnered in a popular act with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a publicidst announced.
With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.
“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein.
Lawrence, who partnered in a popular act with his wife of 55 years, the late Eydie Gormé, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, a publicidst announced.
With his boyish good looks, silky voice and breezy personality, Lawrence broke into show business when he won a talent competition on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS show and signed with King Records as a teenager. The singer chose to stay old school and resist the allure of rock ‘n’ roll.
“It didn’t attract me as much,” Lawrence once said. “I grew up in a time period when music was written by Irving Berlin and Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and Sammy Cahn and Julie Stein.
- 3/7/2024
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paul McCartney played The Beatles’ “Yesterday” for a major 1960s singer. He accidentally gave her the impression he was offering her the song. The 1960s star recorded the track anyway. Surprisingly, her cover sounds happy.
Paul McCartney played The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ for a singer when he was worried
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul said he went to the home of a famous singer after writing “Yesterday.” He worried the track sounded too much like a preexisting song, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “I took it round to Alma Cogan at her flat in Kensington and asked, ‘What’s this song?’ because Alma was a bit of a song buff; there are a lot of people around like that and I admire them a lot,” Paul recalled. “Alma was very songy, knew a lot of Jerome Kern and Cole Porter and that kind of thing,...
Paul McCartney played The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ for a singer when he was worried
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul said he went to the home of a famous singer after writing “Yesterday.” He worried the track sounded too much like a preexisting song, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “I took it round to Alma Cogan at her flat in Kensington and asked, ‘What’s this song?’ because Alma was a bit of a song buff; there are a lot of people around like that and I admire them a lot,” Paul recalled. “Alma was very songy, knew a lot of Jerome Kern and Cole Porter and that kind of thing,...
- 12/13/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Tl;Dr:
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” to start with a certain lyric. The band’s producer, George Martin, didn’t think that line was impactful. The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit once in the United States and twice in the United Kingdom.
George Martin said Paul McCartney‘s original version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” lacked a proper hook. He discussed how a simple musical change made the track more interesting. Subsequently, he revealed what he thought about Paul as a solo artist.
George Martin added a musical surprise to The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin discussed the evolution of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Paul wanted the song to begin with the lyric “Money can’t buy me anything to keep me satisfied.” Martin felt that line wasn’t impactful.
“I...
Paul McCartney wanted The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” to start with a certain lyric. The band’s producer, George Martin, didn’t think that line was impactful. The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” was a hit once in the United States and twice in the United Kingdom.
George Martin said Paul McCartney‘s original version of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” lacked a proper hook. He discussed how a simple musical change made the track more interesting. Subsequently, he revealed what he thought about Paul as a solo artist.
George Martin added a musical surprise to The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’
During a 1995 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Martin discussed the evolution of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Paul wanted the song to begin with the lyric “Money can’t buy me anything to keep me satisfied.” Martin felt that line wasn’t impactful.
“I...
- 8/22/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The Academy Museum’s Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 is not to be missed. Not only does the exhibition celebrate Black representation in film, it serves as an important reminder and lesson about the contributions of Black filmmakers and stars to the world of cinema.
Opening Aug. 21, seven galleries make up the exhibit exploring Oscar Micheaux’s low-budget dramas in the silent-film era to the works of Melvin Van Peebles.
The exhibition also introduces audiences to stars largely unknown to mainstream moviegoers — Ralph Cooper, Clarence Brooks and Francine Everett — alongside iconic screen legends Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.
Poiter’s Oscar for “Lillies of the Field” is just one of the many artifacts on display in this historic exhibition. Alongside the award are tap shoes worn by the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
Cowboy Boots worn by Herb Jeffries in 1937’s...
Opening Aug. 21, seven galleries make up the exhibit exploring Oscar Micheaux’s low-budget dramas in the silent-film era to the works of Melvin Van Peebles.
The exhibition also introduces audiences to stars largely unknown to mainstream moviegoers — Ralph Cooper, Clarence Brooks and Francine Everett — alongside iconic screen legends Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.
Poiter’s Oscar for “Lillies of the Field” is just one of the many artifacts on display in this historic exhibition. Alongside the award are tap shoes worn by the Nicholas Brothers and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.
Cowboy Boots worn by Herb Jeffries in 1937’s...
- 8/19/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay and Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Six years before his death in 1996, “Rent” composer Jonathan Larson began performing a solo semi-autobiographical musical “Tick, Tick…Boom!” about a young struggling composer named Jon who fears that he has made the wrong career choice. After his death, Larson’s show was expanded into a three-person piece by David Auburn that ran in London, off-Broadway, and as a national tour. Now it is an acclaimed new Netflix movie directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who appeared in a Encores production of the musical in 2014) and starring Andrew Garfield.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age. But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen.
- 12/7/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“Alfie.” “9 to 5.” “The Power of Love.” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” I’m sure at least one of these classic songs brings back memories of a favorite film, and the tune is probably playing repeat in your head now. It’s not surprising that all of these songs were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. What is surprising is that they all lost. So which ones are best “losers?”
The Best Song category at the Academy Awards has a long and varied history. Introduced at the seventh ceremony, initially any song in a film, original or not, was considered; however, this rule was changed after 1941, when composer Jerome Kern was upset because his winning song, “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” had previously been recorded, and he felt a song written for a film should have won. Since then, only songs written specifically...
The Best Song category at the Academy Awards has a long and varied history. Introduced at the seventh ceremony, initially any song in a film, original or not, was considered; however, this rule was changed after 1941, when composer Jerome Kern was upset because his winning song, “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” had previously been recorded, and he felt a song written for a film should have won. Since then, only songs written specifically...
- 4/16/2021
- by Susan Pennington and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
“Alfie.” “9 to 5.” “The Power of Love.” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” I’m sure at least one of these classic songs brings back memories of a favorite film, and the tune is probably playing repeat in your head now. It’s not surprising that all of these songs were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. What is surprising is that they all lost. So which ones are best “losers?”
The Best Song category at the Academy Awards has a long and varied history. Introduced at the seventh ceremony, initially any song in a film, original or not, was considered; however, this rule was changed after 1941, when composer Jerome Kern was upset because his winning song, “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” had previously been recorded, and he felt a song written for a film should have won. Since then, only songs written specifically...
The Best Song category at the Academy Awards has a long and varied history. Introduced at the seventh ceremony, initially any song in a film, original or not, was considered; however, this rule was changed after 1941, when composer Jerome Kern was upset because his winning song, “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” had previously been recorded, and he felt a song written for a film should have won. Since then, only songs written specifically...
- 4/14/2021
- by Susan Pennington, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Let’s be real: Navigating the list of Oscar nominees represents a challenge this year, so I was intrigued by one filmmaker’s winning formula. “The key is to mix and match,” he advised. “I watch the characters trudge across Nomadland, then turn to Fred Astaire dancing in Top Hat. I move from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to Easter Parade.” The objective: “It’s the real vs. the unreal; I need them back-to-back to appreciate them. Or survive them.”
His explanation may seem glib, but it reflects the escape mechanism adopted by some film devotees in coping with the isolation of the lockdown year – a re-excavation of Hollywood glitz. The current slate of nominees vividly reflects the themes of the moment — race, caste, sexual politics, immigration. It also embodies the angst-ridden mood of Hollywood.
All of which would have puzzled Fred Astaire. In his movie Funny Face, when Astaire...
His explanation may seem glib, but it reflects the escape mechanism adopted by some film devotees in coping with the isolation of the lockdown year – a re-excavation of Hollywood glitz. The current slate of nominees vividly reflects the themes of the moment — race, caste, sexual politics, immigration. It also embodies the angst-ridden mood of Hollywood.
All of which would have puzzled Fred Astaire. In his movie Funny Face, when Astaire...
- 3/25/2021
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
With his Best Actor Oscar nomination for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Chadwick Boseman is the first actor posthumously nominated for an Academy Award since Heath Ledger.
Ledger was nominated and won Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 ceremony for “The Dark Knight.” It’s widely anticipated Boseman will also win an Oscar at the 93rd annual Academy Awards in April for his “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” performance.
See 2021 Oscars nominations full list
Throughout Oscars history, there have been multiple people nominated for an Academy Award after their death. Before Boseman, the most recent posthumous nominee was “Fences” playwright August Wilson, who received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2017 ceremony. Before Wilson, Walt Martin received a nomination for Best Sound Mixing for “American Sniper” at the 2015 ceremony.
The last posthumous Oscar winner was producer Gil Friesen, who won Best Documentary at the 2013 ceremony for “20 Feet From Stardom.”
Boseman almost...
Ledger was nominated and won Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 ceremony for “The Dark Knight.” It’s widely anticipated Boseman will also win an Oscar at the 93rd annual Academy Awards in April for his “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” performance.
See 2021 Oscars nominations full list
Throughout Oscars history, there have been multiple people nominated for an Academy Award after their death. Before Boseman, the most recent posthumous nominee was “Fences” playwright August Wilson, who received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2017 ceremony. Before Wilson, Walt Martin received a nomination for Best Sound Mixing for “American Sniper” at the 2015 ceremony.
The last posthumous Oscar winner was producer Gil Friesen, who won Best Documentary at the 2013 ceremony for “20 Feet From Stardom.”
Boseman almost...
- 3/15/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
MGM’s remake of the grand musical can’t be ignored — the restored transfer is stunning, demonstrating the studio’s technical skill at full tilt. There are good aspects to this version, even if it’s mostly a missed opportunity more notable for production backstories than for itself. It’s Kathryn Grayson’s high water mark at MGM, and Howard Keel does yeoman’s work on his side. MGM’s musical arrangements of the Hammerstein / Kern songbook is as good as ever. Most critics in 1951 thought it superior because it was in Technicolor; and it was one of the top $ money earners of the year.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1951 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 108 min. / Street Date February 23, 2021 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, Joe E. Brown, Marge Champion, Gower Champion, Robert Sterling, Agnes Moorehead, Leif Erickson, William Warfield, Regis Toomey, Adele Jergens, Owen McGiveney,...
- 3/2/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Willie Nelson explores the deep corners of the Frank Sinatra catalog on his new album That’s Life, out February 26th. In addition to tackling classics like “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Nelson interprets lesser-known Sinatra recordings like 1959’s “Just in Time” and “A Cottage for Sale.” “I’m just glad to be able to do another tribute to him,” said Nelson, who released his first Sinatra tribute, My Way, in 2018. “I’m anxious to get it out there.”
On Friday, Nelson released another track,...
On Friday, Nelson released another track,...
- 2/12/2021
- by Patrick Doyle
- Rollingstone.com
Ava Gardner and Howard Keel in Show Boat (1951) will be available on Blu-ray February 23rd from Warner Archive. Oredring info can be found Here
From novel (by Edna Ferber) to Broadway smash (by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) to three film versions to stage revivals. Like Ol’ Man River, Show Boat just keeps rollin’ along. Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by George Sidney, this 1951 version of the saga of riverboat lives and loves has glorious stars in Technicolor® radiance, a made-from-scratch 170-foot paddle wheeler, timeless songs and an equally timeless outcry against racial bigotry. “This was music that would outlast Kern’s day and mine,” Ferber said in recalling her first reaction to hearing “Ol’ Man River.” She was right as rain.
Special Features: Commentary by Director George Sidney; “Till the Clouds Roll By – Show Boat” (1946) Sequence; “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” Ava Gardner Audio-only...
From novel (by Edna Ferber) to Broadway smash (by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II) to three film versions to stage revivals. Like Ol’ Man River, Show Boat just keeps rollin’ along. Produced by Arthur Freed and directed by George Sidney, this 1951 version of the saga of riverboat lives and loves has glorious stars in Technicolor® radiance, a made-from-scratch 170-foot paddle wheeler, timeless songs and an equally timeless outcry against racial bigotry. “This was music that would outlast Kern’s day and mine,” Ferber said in recalling her first reaction to hearing “Ol’ Man River.” She was right as rain.
Special Features: Commentary by Director George Sidney; “Till the Clouds Roll By – Show Boat” (1946) Sequence; “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Bill” Ava Gardner Audio-only...
- 2/5/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Renee Zellweger won the Best Actress Oscar for playing Judy Garland in “Judy,” and she just made history by earning a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Album for the soundtrack. That made her the first person since Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” to receive a Grammy nomination for a film they won an acting Oscar for. But can she win? If she does, she should thank Tony Bennett for not being nominated.
SEEHow to win Grammys in 4 easy steps: This year’s nominations showed us which campaigns worked, and which didn’t
Zellweger could be helped by the fact that the recording academy already loves Judy Garland. In 1962 the legendary entertainer claimed Album of the Year and Best Female Solo Vocal Recording for her comeback concert “Judy at Carnegie Hall.” That was only seven years before her death in 1969 when she was just 47. Then in 1998 she was honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
SEEHow to win Grammys in 4 easy steps: This year’s nominations showed us which campaigns worked, and which didn’t
Zellweger could be helped by the fact that the recording academy already loves Judy Garland. In 1962 the legendary entertainer claimed Album of the Year and Best Female Solo Vocal Recording for her comeback concert “Judy at Carnegie Hall.” That was only seven years before her death in 1969 when she was just 47. Then in 1998 she was honored with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
- 1/2/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Even before Chadwick Boseman’s unexpected passing in August, his name had been part of the year’s awards conversation. “Da 5 Bloods,” released in June, was one of the first successful, critical releases of 2020. His rise in predictions for industry awards continued to strengthen with the arrival of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” earlier this month and multiple film critics accolades.
Boseman won with both Chicago and Los Angeles Film Critics for playing Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and was awarded Best Supporting Actor by the New York Film Critics as Stormin’ in “Da 5 Bloods.” Apart from potential wins with other critics and industry bodies, the Gotham Awards, where Chadwick is also nominated for Best Actor, will be honoring him with an tribute for “all of his historical and groundbreaking contributions.”
Could he reap Oscar bids for both performances? He leads our combined odds for Best Actor and...
Boseman won with both Chicago and Los Angeles Film Critics for playing Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and was awarded Best Supporting Actor by the New York Film Critics as Stormin’ in “Da 5 Bloods.” Apart from potential wins with other critics and industry bodies, the Gotham Awards, where Chadwick is also nominated for Best Actor, will be honoring him with an tribute for “all of his historical and groundbreaking contributions.”
Could he reap Oscar bids for both performances? He leads our combined odds for Best Actor and...
- 12/31/2020
- by Nick Ruhrkraut
- Gold Derby
7 random things that happened on this day, December 27th, in showbiz history
1927 Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's "Show Boat" opens on Broadway. It will utterly change the musical artform linking plot and characters and song in a way that had never been done. Plus it has truly amazing songs. Here's a good 5 minute overview of how revolutionary it was. It's had three film versions but honestly it seems ripe for a remake given today's much more evolved takes on race relations and appropriate casting processes. In short Hollywood is always remaking the wrong projects and ignoring famous but non-definitively made titles that are perfect for redos...
1927 Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein's "Show Boat" opens on Broadway. It will utterly change the musical artform linking plot and characters and song in a way that had never been done. Plus it has truly amazing songs. Here's a good 5 minute overview of how revolutionary it was. It's had three film versions but honestly it seems ripe for a remake given today's much more evolved takes on race relations and appropriate casting processes. In short Hollywood is always remaking the wrong projects and ignoring famous but non-definitively made titles that are perfect for redos...
- 12/27/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Earlier this year Renee Zellweger won her second Oscar: Best Actress for playing troubled singer and actress Judy Garland in the biopic “Judy.” But soon she may win another industry award that’s just as meaningful, if not more: a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album. As Billboard’s Paul Grein points out, Zellweger would be the first since Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” to receive a Grammy nomination for the film they won an acting Oscar for.
Seea new wave of Grammy campaigns: 3 ways the Covid-19 pandemic could affect the race
It’s all the more special given Garland’s own awards history. The legendary entertainer never won a competitive Oscar, though she did receive an honorary Juvenile Award for her work in film the year she appeared in “The Wizard of Oz.” So Zellweger’s victory at the Oscars was also a way for the academy to symbolically give Garland an overdue hug.
Seea new wave of Grammy campaigns: 3 ways the Covid-19 pandemic could affect the race
It’s all the more special given Garland’s own awards history. The legendary entertainer never won a competitive Oscar, though she did receive an honorary Juvenile Award for her work in film the year she appeared in “The Wizard of Oz.” So Zellweger’s victory at the Oscars was also a way for the academy to symbolically give Garland an overdue hug.
- 10/21/2020
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Composer Max Steiner, whose scores for “King Kong,” “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca” placed him in the movie-music pantheon, isn’t much discussed today. He seems to belong to that old-school, pre-synthesizer world of orchestral scoring from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
But as author Steven C. Smith points out in his engrossing new biography of the three-time Oscar winner, “Music by Max Steiner” (Oxford University Press), the Austrian wunderkind pioneered the art of film scoring and ranks as “Hollywood’s most influential composer.”
His music essentially saved Rko’s “King Kong,” the 1933 giant-ape-wrecks-Manhattan fantasy, forcefully demonstrating the power of dramatic underscore to create mood, propel the action and provide emotional support (and disproving the widely held studio-executive theory that audiences of the time would “wonder where the music came from”).
Steiner went on to score some 300 films over a 35-year career, mostly for Rko and Warner Bros., although...
- 6/5/2020
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
One of the best and most melodic of filmic transpositions from Broadway, James Whale’s beautifully directed movie showcases all-time great performances by Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger. If you didn’t grow up with an awareness of this 1936 show, it’s because it was tossed in a vault and kept from view for more than forty years. Criterion’s new disc is a wonderful surprise that does the movie justice.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
- 3/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One of the best and most melodic of filmic transpositions from Broadway, James Whale’s beautifully directed movie showcases all-time great performances by Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger. If you didn’t grow up with an awareness of this 1936 show, it’s because it was tossed in a vault and kept from view for more than forty years. Criterion’s new disc is a wonderful surprise that does the movie justice.
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
Show Boat
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1021
1936 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date March 31, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson, Helen Morgan, Helen Westley, Queenie Smith, Sammy White, Donald Cook, Hattie McDaniel, Arthur Hohl, Charles B. Middleton, J. Farrell MacDonald, Clarence Muse, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.
Cinematography: John J. Mescall
Original Music: Jerome Kern and Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Written by Oscar Hammerstein II from the...
- 3/21/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
James Taylor will take on the Great American Songbook on the singer’s upcoming album American Standard, due out February 28th. The LP is Taylor’s first since 2015’s Before This World and 19th overall.
“I’ve always had songs I grew up with that I remember really well, that were part of the family record collection — and I had a sense of how to approach, so it was a natural to put American Standard together,” Taylor said in a statement. “I know most of these songs from the original...
“I’ve always had songs I grew up with that I remember really well, that were part of the family record collection — and I had a sense of how to approach, so it was a natural to put American Standard together,” Taylor said in a statement. “I know most of these songs from the original...
- 1/23/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Composer-arranger Sid Ramin, a longtime associate of Leonard Bernstein who won an Oscar, an Emmy and a Grammy for his work in film, TV and theater, died of natural causes Monday (July 1) at his home in New York City. He was 100.
Ramin won a 1961 Academy Award for adapting the music of “West Side Story,” which he had originally orchestrated for composer Leonard Bernstein on Broadway in 1957 (with fellow arranger Irwin Kostal). He won a 1961 Grammy for the “West Side Story” soundtrack album, and a 1983 Daytime Emmy for music for TV’s “All My Children.”
Ramin’s musical career encompassed every aspect of show business. He started in the early days of live television, arranging for Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre” from 1948 to 1956. “There was no second take,” Ramin once reminisced about the insane pace of live TV. “What you did was on the air, good or bad.”
He began...
Ramin won a 1961 Academy Award for adapting the music of “West Side Story,” which he had originally orchestrated for composer Leonard Bernstein on Broadway in 1957 (with fellow arranger Irwin Kostal). He won a 1961 Grammy for the “West Side Story” soundtrack album, and a 1983 Daytime Emmy for music for TV’s “All My Children.”
Ramin’s musical career encompassed every aspect of show business. He started in the early days of live television, arranging for Milton Berle’s “Texaco Star Theatre” from 1948 to 1956. “There was no second take,” Ramin once reminisced about the insane pace of live TV. “What you did was on the air, good or bad.”
He began...
- 7/3/2019
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Swing Time
Blu ray
Criterion
1936 / 1.33 : 1 / 103 Min.
Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
Cinematography by David Abel
Directed by George Stevens
The image of a tuxedo clad Fred Astaire hopping an empty boxcar sums up the double-edged appeal of Swing Time, a transcendent musical-comedy in which Fred and Ginger meet the depression head-on – Runyonesque sentimentality is avoided thanks to George Stevens’ no-nonsense direction and the clear-eyed love songs of Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern.
Astaire plays a down-on-his-luck hoofer named Lucky who catches sight of a beautiful dance instructor named Penny and naturally falls in love (those too-perfect names will hang over the movie like a curse). The smitten hoofer trails her to the studio where she coaches would-be romantics in the art of… being Fred Astaire. Penny does her best with the supposedly flat-footed interloper but only succeeds in getting fired by her bad-tempered boss played by Eric Blore.
Lucky...
Blu ray
Criterion
1936 / 1.33 : 1 / 103 Min.
Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers
Cinematography by David Abel
Directed by George Stevens
The image of a tuxedo clad Fred Astaire hopping an empty boxcar sums up the double-edged appeal of Swing Time, a transcendent musical-comedy in which Fred and Ginger meet the depression head-on – Runyonesque sentimentality is avoided thanks to George Stevens’ no-nonsense direction and the clear-eyed love songs of Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern.
Astaire plays a down-on-his-luck hoofer named Lucky who catches sight of a beautiful dance instructor named Penny and naturally falls in love (those too-perfect names will hang over the movie like a curse). The smitten hoofer trails her to the studio where she coaches would-be romantics in the art of… being Fred Astaire. Penny does her best with the supposedly flat-footed interloper but only succeeds in getting fired by her bad-tempered boss played by Eric Blore.
Lucky...
- 6/18/2019
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Fred Astaire would’ve celebrated his 120th birthday on May 10, 2019. The Oscar-nominated song and dance man is best remembered for a series of musicals he made alongside Ginger Rogers. Yet his filmography extends well past those titles. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
SEEOscars flashback: Gold Derby celebrates 84 years of Best Original Song at the Academy Awards
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their...
As a dancer, Astaire was known for his perfectionism, doing multiple takes to get the most precise movements correct. His immaculate steps were matched only by his outfits, which often consisted of top hats and coats.
SEEOscars flashback: Gold Derby celebrates 84 years of Best Original Song at the Academy Awards
After making a name for himself on the stage in London and on Broadway, Astaire came to Hollywood. He first appeared with fellow dancer Rogers in “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), where they played second fiddle to Dolores del Rio and Gene Raymond. Their...
- 5/10/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In good news for fans of Ingmar Bergman and Bruno Dumont, the Criterion Collection has announced its June titles. Three from the Swedish master are making the upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray, with Dumont’s “La vie de Jésus” and “L’humanité” making their Criterion debut. Also joining the collection are John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” George Stevens’ “Swing Time,” and Sergei Bondarchuk’s epic adaptation of “War and Peace.”
More information below, as well as the ever-alluring cover art:
A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman
In 1960, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman began work on three of his most powerful and representative films, eventually recognized as a trilogy. Already a figure of international acclaim for such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal and The Magician, Bergman turned his back on the expressionism of his fifties work to focus on a series of chamber dramas exploring belief and alienation in the modern age.
More information below, as well as the ever-alluring cover art:
A Film Trilogy by Ingmar Bergman
In 1960, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman began work on three of his most powerful and representative films, eventually recognized as a trilogy. Already a figure of international acclaim for such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal and The Magician, Bergman turned his back on the expressionism of his fifties work to focus on a series of chamber dramas exploring belief and alienation in the modern age.
- 3/16/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Lady Gaga shared in the Best Original Song Oscar win for “Shallow.” She sang the smash hit in “A Star is Born” and is credited as a co-writer alongside a trio of men: Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson. This win makes make her the 14th woman to take home an Oscar for songwriting. Her co-writers bring the total tally of male winners in this category to a whopping 146.
Two of Lady Gaga’s female predecessors won twice each: lyricist Marilyn Bergman and composer Kristin Anderson-Lopez. Their songwriting partners and husbands number among the two dozen men to have won this award at least twice since it was first handed out at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934.
See 2019 Oscars: How were winners for the 91st Academy Awards chosen?
The first woman to win the Best Original Song Oscar was lyricist Dorothy Fields who prevailed in 1936 for “The Way You Look Tonight,...
Two of Lady Gaga’s female predecessors won twice each: lyricist Marilyn Bergman and composer Kristin Anderson-Lopez. Their songwriting partners and husbands number among the two dozen men to have won this award at least twice since it was first handed out at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934.
See 2019 Oscars: How were winners for the 91st Academy Awards chosen?
The first woman to win the Best Original Song Oscar was lyricist Dorothy Fields who prevailed in 1936 for “The Way You Look Tonight,...
- 2/25/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
‘Shallow’ will make Lady Gaga 14th woman to win Best Original Song Oscar and bring male total to 146
Lady Gaga is all but certain to win at least one Oscar on Feb. 24 as part of the team that wrote the song “Shallow.” She sings the smash hit in “A Star is Born” and is credited as a tunesmith alongside a trio of men: Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando and Mark Ronson. That win will make her the 14th woman to take home an Oscar for songwriting. Her co-writers will bring the total tally of male winners in this category to a whopping 146.
Two of Lady Gaga’s female predecessors won twice each: lyricist Marilyn Bergman and composer Kristin Anderson-Lopez. Their songwriting partners and husbands number among the two dozen men to have won this award at least twice since it was first handed out at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934.
The first woman to win the Best Original Song Oscar was lyricist Dorothy Fields who prevailed in 1936 for “The Way You Look Tonight,...
Two of Lady Gaga’s female predecessors won twice each: lyricist Marilyn Bergman and composer Kristin Anderson-Lopez. Their songwriting partners and husbands number among the two dozen men to have won this award at least twice since it was first handed out at the 7th Academy Awards in 1934.
The first woman to win the Best Original Song Oscar was lyricist Dorothy Fields who prevailed in 1936 for “The Way You Look Tonight,...
- 12/29/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Concord Music has acquired 188-year-old theater publisher and licensing mainstay Samuel French, combining it with other assets in its burgeoning Concord Theatricals unit.
The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, “fulfills a significant and ongoing commitment to theater,” the company said.
Concord Theatricals represents a list of top-shelf musicals from the catalogs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill and Irving Berlin. Its roster also includes younger musical theater talent such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Shaina Taub and Michael John Lachiusa, as well as classics like A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly!, Bye Bye Birdie and Dreamgirls.
Through a joint venture called The Music Company, Concord Theatricals also works with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group to license the composer and his collaborators’ shows including Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
In announcing the deal, Concord Theatricals...
The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, “fulfills a significant and ongoing commitment to theater,” the company said.
Concord Theatricals represents a list of top-shelf musicals from the catalogs of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill and Irving Berlin. Its roster also includes younger musical theater talent such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Shaina Taub and Michael John Lachiusa, as well as classics like A Chorus Line, Hello Dolly!, Bye Bye Birdie and Dreamgirls.
Through a joint venture called The Music Company, Concord Theatricals also works with Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group to license the composer and his collaborators’ shows including Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.
In announcing the deal, Concord Theatricals...
- 12/17/2018
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”) is in a heated Best Actress Oscar race with Glenn Close (“The Wife”) and Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), but even if she comes up short there, chances are she’ll still leave Oscar night a winner. Gaga is considered a near lock to prevail in Best Original Song with “Shallow,” which would make her just the 14th woman to win the category.
Best Original Song was first introduced at the 7th Academy Awards, honoring the films of 1934, but like nearly all of the non-gendered categories, it’s been dominated by men. Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win the category for co-writing “The Way You Look Tonight” from “Swing Time” (1936) with Jerome Kern, but it would be another 32 years before a second woman triumphed; Marilyn Bergman won for penning “The Windmills of Your Mind” from “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968) with Michel Legrand and her husband Alan Bergman.
Best Original Song was first introduced at the 7th Academy Awards, honoring the films of 1934, but like nearly all of the non-gendered categories, it’s been dominated by men. Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win the category for co-writing “The Way You Look Tonight” from “Swing Time” (1936) with Jerome Kern, but it would be another 32 years before a second woman triumphed; Marilyn Bergman won for penning “The Windmills of Your Mind” from “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968) with Michel Legrand and her husband Alan Bergman.
- 11/6/2018
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
This article marks Part 3 of the Gold Derby series analyzing 84 years of Best Original Song at the Oscars. Join us as we look back at the timeless tunes recognized in this category, the results of each race and the overall rankings of the Academy Awards winners.
The 1941 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Out of the Silence” from “All-American Co-Ed”
“Blues in the Night” from “Blues in the Night
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company” from “Buck Privates”
“Baby Mine” from “Dumbo”
“The Last Time I Saw Paris” from “Lady Be Good”
“Dolores” from “Las Vegas Nights”
“Be Honest with Me” from “Ridin’ on a Rainbow”
“Chattanooga Choo Choo” from “Sun Valley Serenade”
“Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye” from “You’ll Never Get Rich”
Won: “The Last Time I Saw Paris” from “Lady Be Good”
Should’ve won: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B” from “Buck Privates...
The 1941 Oscar nominees in Best Original Song were:
“Out of the Silence” from “All-American Co-Ed”
“Blues in the Night” from “Blues in the Night
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company” from “Buck Privates”
“Baby Mine” from “Dumbo”
“The Last Time I Saw Paris” from “Lady Be Good”
“Dolores” from “Las Vegas Nights”
“Be Honest with Me” from “Ridin’ on a Rainbow”
“Chattanooga Choo Choo” from “Sun Valley Serenade”
“Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye” from “You’ll Never Get Rich”
Won: “The Last Time I Saw Paris” from “Lady Be Good”
Should’ve won: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B” from “Buck Privates...
- 7/30/2018
- by Andrew Carden
- Gold Derby
It certainly seems to be the year of the woman at the Academy Awards. Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman to receive a Best Director Oscar nomination for “Lady Bird.” For the first time in the academy’s 90-year history, a woman, AFI Conservancy alum Rachel Morrison, has been nominated for Best Cinematography for “Mudbound.” And the drama’s director Dee Rees made history as the first black woman to receive a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film’s star Mary J. Blige not only received a supporting actress nomination, but she is also nominated for Best Original Song for “Mighty River” from the film, alongside co-writers Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson.
But it’s been baby steps for women behind the camera in terms of Oscar nominations, let alone wins.
Here is a look at some of the trailblazers:
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards...
The film’s star Mary J. Blige not only received a supporting actress nomination, but she is also nominated for Best Original Song for “Mighty River” from the film, alongside co-writers Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson.
But it’s been baby steps for women behind the camera in terms of Oscar nominations, let alone wins.
Here is a look at some of the trailblazers:
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards...
- 1/29/2018
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
The family of Irving Berlin, in conjunction with his publishers Concord Music North America and Universal Music Publishing Group rest of World, has announced the launch of a new website to honor Irving Berlin in celebration of his 130th birthday. Created to pay tribute to Berlin's life and legendary works, this is the first time a dedicated digital resource has existed online for the man epitomized by Jerome Kern's famous maxim 'Irving Berlin has no place in American music - he is American music.'...
- 1/18/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The star of Broadway’s new Harold Prince revue is Stephen Sondheim. Impressive turns are also delivered by Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Kern in “Prince of Broadway,” a musical-theater compilation that opened Thursday at Mtc’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. “Prince” enters Broadway heaven when these three composers’ work is delivered by an ensemble of eight that’s often vocally stunning. Much less enthralling are those moments that serve up tunes by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jason Robert Brown and other songwriters. “Prince on Broadway” is an odd hybrid. Unlike “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” which revolved around the music of Fats Waller,...
- 8/25/2017
- by Robert Hofler
- The Wrap
Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Cut to the Feeling” may be the song of this never-ending summer, but audiences in France and the UK have been grooving to this irresistible pop masterpiece since last December (about six months before it was available for digital download). Recorded during the creation of Jepsen’s monumental “E•Mo•Tion” LP, “Cut to the Feeling” was deemed “too cinematic” for inclusion on the record, and set aside for future use. For mere mortals, this euphoric jam would have been a career-defining milestone; for Jepsen, it was merely a B-side.
Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long before the song found a home, as its singer — one of post-Gretzky Canada’s finest cultural exports — offered it to a Montreal animation studio when she agreed to voice one of the characters in their animated feature, “Ballerina.”
Retitled “Leap!” for its impending U.S. release, the harmlessly inspirational kids...
Fortunately, it wouldn’t be long before the song found a home, as its singer — one of post-Gretzky Canada’s finest cultural exports — offered it to a Montreal animation studio when she agreed to voice one of the characters in their animated feature, “Ballerina.”
Retitled “Leap!” for its impending U.S. release, the harmlessly inspirational kids...
- 8/22/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Steve Ross C'mon and Hear: An Irving Berlin July 4th Celebration Birdland Jazz Club, NYC June 26, 2016
In a letter to Alexander Woollcott, Jerome Kern wrote that "Irving Berlin has no place in American Music… He is American Music." What better person to present the art of Irving Berlin than venerable singer and pianist Steve Ross, who presented this great American composer's work in a sterling evening entitled C'mon and Hear: An Irving Berlin July 4th Celebration, at the historical Birdland Jazz Club on Manhattan’s West 44th Street, where he shared the stage with seasoned bassist Jered Egan.
Steve deeply understands the art behind Berlin's voluminous body of work, in a manner unique to himself. His renderings of both well-known, lesser known, and even obscure Berlin songs are historically astute and performed in an exceedingly skillful manner which is at once serious and at the same time carefree. The word...
In a letter to Alexander Woollcott, Jerome Kern wrote that "Irving Berlin has no place in American Music… He is American Music." What better person to present the art of Irving Berlin than venerable singer and pianist Steve Ross, who presented this great American composer's work in a sterling evening entitled C'mon and Hear: An Irving Berlin July 4th Celebration, at the historical Birdland Jazz Club on Manhattan’s West 44th Street, where he shared the stage with seasoned bassist Jered Egan.
Steve deeply understands the art behind Berlin's voluminous body of work, in a manner unique to himself. His renderings of both well-known, lesser known, and even obscure Berlin songs are historically astute and performed in an exceedingly skillful manner which is at once serious and at the same time carefree. The word...
- 7/19/2017
- by Jay Reisberg
- www.culturecatch.com
Tony Award nominee and renowned Broadway actor Michel Bell makes his Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston debut this month. Bell will revive the role of Joe, the performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination in Hal Prince's 1995 Broadway production of Show Boat. Bell's bass-baritone delivery of the iconic song 'Ol' Man River' brought audiences to their feet on Broadway. Bell brings his immense talents to the Reagle stage now through July 16 for 8 performances only, in this intimate Goodspeed Musicals version of the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II masterpiece. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...
- 7/7/2017
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Lady Gaga, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Billy Joel will perform with Tony Bennett at a special concert celebrating the crooner's 90th birthday that will air December 20th on NBC, Variety reports.
The all-star lineup for Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come also features Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, k.d. lang and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom will perform with Bennett. The show will also feature appearances from Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Bruce Willis and even Homer Simpson.
The all-star lineup for Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come also features Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, k.d. lang and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom will perform with Bennett. The show will also feature appearances from Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Bruce Willis and even Homer Simpson.
- 8/2/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Anne Marie is tracking Judy Garland's career through musical numbers...
Believe it or not, 1946 actually represented a change of pace in Judy Garland's career. Judy only had three credits to her name that year: one starring role (The Harvey Girls), one cameo delayed by reshoots (Ziegfeld Follies), and one appearance in a biopic (Till The Clouds Roll By). In fact, this change of pace was a conscious choice on the part of Mr. & Mrs. Minnelli. If Judy looks like she's glowing a bit more than usual under those arclights, that's because Judy Garland was pregnant.
The Movie: Till The Clouds Roll By (1946)
The Songwriter: Jerome Kern (music), Buddy G. DeSylva (lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Robert Walker, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Lucille Bremer, directed by Richard Whorf & Vincente Minnelli
The Story: Till The Clouds Roll By is a Jerome Kern biopic, which (in the true MGM style) fabricates...
Believe it or not, 1946 actually represented a change of pace in Judy Garland's career. Judy only had three credits to her name that year: one starring role (The Harvey Girls), one cameo delayed by reshoots (Ziegfeld Follies), and one appearance in a biopic (Till The Clouds Roll By). In fact, this change of pace was a conscious choice on the part of Mr. & Mrs. Minnelli. If Judy looks like she's glowing a bit more than usual under those arclights, that's because Judy Garland was pregnant.
The Movie: Till The Clouds Roll By (1946)
The Songwriter: Jerome Kern (music), Buddy G. DeSylva (lyrics)
The Players: Judy Garland, Robert Walker, Van Heflin, June Allyson, Lucille Bremer, directed by Richard Whorf & Vincente Minnelli
The Story: Till The Clouds Roll By is a Jerome Kern biopic, which (in the true MGM style) fabricates...
- 6/15/2016
- by Anne Marie
- FilmExperience
Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.
- 5/19/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
“There’s still not enough room on this boat for the two of us!”
Show Boat (1951) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved musicals and you’ll have a chance to see it on the big screen at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, May 14th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
Show Boat (1951) a colorful version of the Edna Ferber novel may not be held in as high regard as the 1936 adaption directed by James Whale and starring Irene Dunn and Paul Robeson, but is a big, fun musical nonetheless.
The songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein are considered some of the best either ever composed and are sung by those talented performers Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. Both do excellent work both musically and dramatically even...
Show Boat (1951) is one of Hollywood’s most beloved musicals and you’ll have a chance to see it on the big screen at St. Louis’ fabulous Hi-Pointe Theater this weekend as part of their Classic Film Series. It’s Saturday, May 14th at 10:30am at the Hi-Pointe located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, Mo 63117. Admission is only $5.
Show Boat (1951) a colorful version of the Edna Ferber novel may not be held in as high regard as the 1936 adaption directed by James Whale and starring Irene Dunn and Paul Robeson, but is a big, fun musical nonetheless.
The songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein are considered some of the best either ever composed and are sung by those talented performers Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel. Both do excellent work both musically and dramatically even...
- 5/9/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A pure-gold Savant favorite, Sir Richard Attenborough's first feature as director is a stylized pacifist epic of the insane tragedy of WW1, told through contemporary songs, with the irreverent lyrics given them by the soldiers themselves. And one will not want to miss a young Maggie Smith's music hall performance -- luring young conscripts to doom in the trenches. It's the strangest pacifist film ever, done in high style. Oh! What a Lovely War DVD The Warner Archive Collection 1969 / Color / 2:35 enhanced widescreen / 144 min. / Street Date September 22, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 16.99 Starring: Too many to name, see below. Cinematography Gerry Turpin Production Design Donald M. Ashton Art Direction Harry White Choreography Eleanor Fazan Film Editor Kevin Connor Original Music Alfred Ralston Written by Len Deighton from the musical play by Joan Littlewood from the radio play by Charles Chilton Produced by Richard Attenborough, Brian Duffy, Len Deighton Directed...
- 2/23/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The recording academy has presented the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Performance since 1991. Exactly half of those trophies (12 out of 24) have gone to music legend Tony Bennett, including last year when he prevailed with Lady Gaga for their collaboration "Cheek to Cheek." Is he unstoppable again with Bill Charlap for "The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern"? -Break- Subscribe to Gold Derby Breaking News Alerts & Experts’ Latest Oscar Predictions We have nine Expert journalists predicting the Grammys, and six of them are expecting Bennett to continue his winning streak, giving him and Charlap 8/13 odds: Phil Gallo, Glenn Gamboa (Newsday), Tim Gray (Variety), Edna Gundersen, Tom O'Neil (Gold Derby) and Paul Sheehan. Bennett's track record in this category is even more impressive when you consider that he has only lost twice when nominated, both times to younger crooner Michael Buble,...
- 2/10/2016
- Gold Derby
Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.
- 1/5/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
It's sweet, all right, not to mention sentimental and corny -- As Adeline Schmidt, Irene Dunne leaves her father's beer garden to sing in New York, where she falls prey to a predatory playboy. Set in nostalgic 1898, this Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical features several unfamiliar but marvelous songs. Dunne shows the film world the voice that brought her fame on Broadway -- "Why Was I Born?", "Lonely Feet" -- supported by Donald Woods, Louis Calhern and Dorothy Dare. Warners' new restoration makes this a must see for Irene Dunne fans. Sweet Adeline DVD-r The Warner Archive Collection 1934 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 87 min. / Street Date October 20, 2015 / available through the WBshop / 18.95 Starring Irene Dunne, Donald Woods, Louis Calhern, Hugh Herbert, Ned Sparks, Wini Shaw, Joseph Cawthorn, Dorothy Dare, Noah Beery, William V. Mong. Cinematography Sol Polito Film Editor Ralph Dawson Art Director Robert Haas Ensembles Director Bobby Connolly...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Happy Birthday, Ira Gershwin A lyricist, Gershwin collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. With George he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as 'I Got Rhythm', 'Embraceable You', 'The Man I Love' and 'Someone to Watch Over Me'. He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess. The success the brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. However, his mastery of songwriting continued after the early death of George. He wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern 'Long Ago and Far Away', Kurt Weill and Harold Arlen.
- 12/6/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
"I've never been more successful than I am now," Tony Bennett says with wonderment, sitting in his art studio overlooking Central Park. The 89-year-old crooner is here to talk about his new album, The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, a covers collection dedicated to the early 20th-century composer who wrote such classics as "The Way You Look Tonight," "All the Things You Are," and "I'm Old Fashioned." It's Bennett's 45th LP to chart on the Billboard 200, following last year's Cheek to Cheek, his No. 1 duet album with Lady Gaga. Perched on a couch surrounded by his paintings, Bennett discussed the Great American Songbook, memories of Amy Winehouse and Ella Fitzgerald, why he's not a fan of Goodfellas, and what he and Gaga have in store for their next album.To start off, when were you first introduced to the songs of Jerome Kern? Well, for many years,...
- 10/21/2015
- by Dan Reilly
- Vulture
The New York Philharmonic presentation of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat in concert, airs on PBS October 1th at 900pm, check your local listings. Don't miss Kern and Hammerstein II's groundbreaking musical about the lives, loves and heartbreaks of three generations of show folk on the Mississippi River. Check out Tony-nominee Norm Lewis singing the iconic 'Ol' Man River...
- 10/16/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.
- 5/19/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
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