tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post416916199055938838..comments2024-03-23T21:46:50.843-04:00Comments on the passionate moviegoer: blasphemy & sacrilege!joe baltakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-16897079242851453502017-07-09T15:19:50.660-04:002017-07-09T15:19:50.660-04:00Like most people, I've no idea who she is or w...Like most people, I've no idea who she is or what she is really like. I know only what I read and it's rarely flattering. One consolation is that her threatened remake of "Gypsy" (talk about a bad idea!) seems to be stone-cold dead. There's no reason to remake it. The 1962 Warner version is definitive and I've seen just about every possible stage production of the show. Mervyn LeRoy and Leonard Spielgass improved upon Laurents' flawed (yes, <i>flawed!</i>) stage book. End of (gratuitous) rant. joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-55022992471603183022017-07-09T14:42:15.934-04:002017-07-09T14:42:15.934-04:00Isn't it a fact that much of the Streisand hat...Isn't it a fact that much of the Streisand hatred is less about her talent and more about the fact that she's a horrid human being? After all, when was the last time you heard something derogatory about Julie Andrews or Angela Lansbury?mike schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824197221204862706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-25876130432279668382017-07-09T10:53:01.370-04:002017-07-09T10:53:01.370-04:00Paul- Yes, "lifeless" is the word to des...Paul- Yes, "lifeless" is the word to describe both the movie version of "Funny Girl" and Streisand's performance in it. As big and splashy and colorful that the movie tries to be, it is indeed lifeless. -Jjoe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-43433281587727603192017-07-09T10:43:44.141-04:002017-07-09T10:43:44.141-04:00My wife and I were barely 21 years old and visitin...My wife and I were barely 21 years old and visiting New York when we were able to score two great seats for "Funny Girl" on Broadway. We loved the show. The songs were all serviceable, and a few were terrific. The story was certainly good enough, and the very young Streisand was an awesome force of nature. The movie version was much more polished and "classy." and by then Streisand had become a grand lady of the theater. Lifeless.<br />Paul Gottliebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14062464400324829622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-23545102855146144402017-07-09T09:09:04.130-04:002017-07-09T09:09:04.130-04:00Kevin- Shirley was neither sour nor cranky when we...Kevin- Shirley was neither sour nor cranky when we met at a function honoring Jack Lemmon. However, the encounter was rather unusual, off-putting actually. It took me aback and was a surprising disappointment, given how much I had looked forward to finally meeting her. -Jjoe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-76463430763242850672017-07-09T07:11:04.998-04:002017-07-09T07:11:04.998-04:00I met Shirley MacLaine at a tribute to Billy Wilde...I met Shirley MacLaine at a tribute to Billy Wilder at Lincoln Center in the eighties and I had the same experience. She was unbelievably sour and cranky and I was terribly disappointed because I have always had a crush on her. But I remain a fan of both Shirley and Barbra because I admire their talent and I enjoy their work. I learned years ago that liking the people we admire is a lost cause. However, Billy Wilder and his lovely wife Audrey were delightful. I have the fond memory of listening to Wilder tell a story about the making of Sunset Boulevard in a small group that consisted of Shirley MacLaine, Ginger Rogers, Joan Fontaine, and John Huston (Eleven Oscars among them!). I was the only one in the group that I never heard of.Kevin Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951372389921640120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-38366329156090636882017-07-09T06:56:15.616-04:002017-07-09T06:56:15.616-04:00Kevin- That is an absolutely priceless story. Than...Kevin- That is an absolutely priceless story. Thanks for sharing. I'm impressed that you are still a fan after that encounter. I had a vaguely similar experience with Shirley MacLaine, someone whom I had admired for decades, and the incident killed it for me. -J joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-43037117475314381412017-07-08T20:36:39.088-04:002017-07-08T20:36:39.088-04:00Both of those films are very enjoyable and Streisa...Both of those films are very enjoyable and Streisand directs in a smooth old-school Hollywood style. There are a lot of Streisand haters out there and I attribute that to the stories of her perfectionism and difficult behavior, which probably wouldn't matter as much if she was a man. However, I can share a funny first hand experience. My father knew the manager of the Winter Garden theatre and, as a birthday surprise, arranged for Streisand to meet me at the stage door after a performance of Funny Girl (I was 12). When we made our way to the stage door we were greeted instead by Kay Medford, who said she would take me backstage as soon as she walked Barbra's dog, Sadie. When I finally met Streisand she was quite cordial but made it obvious that she was doing someone a favor, easing me towards the stage door. As she got into her Bentley, she asked, "Are you going to tell all your little friends at school tomorrow that you met me?" I wasn't sure how to answer, so I said, "Probably." She made a face and said, "I hate name droppers."Kevin Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951372389921640120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-81755626944004139952017-07-08T18:01:33.075-04:002017-07-08T18:01:33.075-04:00Actually, Kevin, "The Prince of Tides" a...Actually, Kevin, "The Prince of Tides" and "The Mirror Has Two Faces" are pretty good, especially the latter.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-12923324399619861272017-07-08T17:23:48.455-04:002017-07-08T17:23:48.455-04:00No, she won the Golden Globe but was not nominated...No, she won the Golden Globe but was not nominated for an Oscar. Her subsequent films as director were not as good.Kevin Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951372389921640120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-58928030177251599282017-07-08T17:01:10.230-04:002017-07-08T17:01:10.230-04:00Thanks, Kevin. "Yentl," yes. I reviewed ...Thanks, Kevin. "Yentl," yes. I reviewed it when I was working in Philadelphia. Frankly, I remember the screening - all the hubbub - but not the movie itself. You've jogged my memory and made me curious about the movie. I can't recall - did Streisand get a nomination for her direction? Again, so little about it has stayed with me.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-86632000532478354282017-07-08T16:08:00.462-04:002017-07-08T16:08:00.462-04:00Streisand deserved a best director nomination for ...Streisand deserved a best director nomination for Yentl, a glorious and unique original. All of the songs were unified, sung by a single character - sometimes in voice-over - and I think Michel Legrand's score is more effectively used than his score for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. She could have played it safe, but Yentl is a daring movie with real emotional power and one of the few screen musicals to give new energy to the liberated concepts that Lubitsch, Mamoulian and Rene Clair were exploring in the thirties.Kevin Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951372389921640120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-46861962515063106872017-07-08T14:40:15.816-04:002017-07-08T14:40:15.816-04:00OMG, Joe. You reminded me how much I can't sta...OMG, Joe. You reminded me how much I can't stand Barbra Streisand on film! The cry for her to get a Best Director nom, etc, is laughable. Don't get me started!! LOL j.p.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-43134281522286294532017-07-08T14:37:06.093-04:002017-07-08T14:37:06.093-04:00Jimbo- Yes, Tommy Rall. One of the great dancers o...Jimbo- Yes, Tommy Rall. One of the great dancers on film - "My Sister Eileen" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," among his credits. Thanks for mentioning him, although I still find that Swan Lake number execrable. As for "Don't Rain on My Parade," as noted here by someone else, that's where Barbra's lip-syncing is way off, almost embarrassing. But I assume that Wyler couldn't get her to get it right.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-15613414588882548492017-07-08T14:22:40.480-04:002017-07-08T14:22:40.480-04:00There is one great moment in "Funny Girl"...There is one great moment in "Funny Girl" that would the the pride of any director's resume, bad lip syncing be damned–"Don't Rain on My Parade." Nothing else in the film, or in fact most of Barbra's oeuvre matches that moment.<br />By the way, you failed to mention the cameo appearance of the wonderful Tommy Rall as the only reason to sit through that dreadful Swan Lake number.<br />Jimbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05027786373775510140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-35225147986628574062017-07-08T07:33:55.864-04:002017-07-08T07:33:55.864-04:00My father also took us to see musicals on stage an...My father also took us to see musicals on stage and he enjoyed movie musicals a lot. He was a very macho man but had no hang-ups. He never gave the impression that he thought musicals were a feminine thing. Quote the oppositeLauranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-4265296944856254022017-07-08T07:21:46.792-04:002017-07-08T07:21:46.792-04:00Great lines.Great lines.joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-12297724014546535092017-07-08T01:56:35.698-04:002017-07-08T01:56:35.698-04:00I think it was Howard Stern who called the Tonys &...I think it was Howard Stern who called the Tonys "the Oscars for gay people." Which itself was a riff on people who call the Oscars "the Super Bowl for gay people."mike schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824197221204862706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-54867098228386910062017-07-07T21:23:43.789-04:002017-07-07T21:23:43.789-04:00Streisand overrated? Can't be.Streisand overrated? Can't be.Rickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-44454017610060669712017-07-07T21:10:51.081-04:002017-07-07T21:10:51.081-04:00Chris- I didn't forget. -JChris- I didn't forget. -Jjoe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-82440125555620511492017-07-07T21:03:15.486-04:002017-07-07T21:03:15.486-04:00In your list of directors new to musicals, you for...In your list of directors new to musicals, you forgot Robert Wise, who did both "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music."Chris S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-84518534418406452302017-07-07T20:25:41.879-04:002017-07-07T20:25:41.879-04:00I guess the fractured logic is that, since largely...I guess the fractured logic is that, since largely gay men craft musicals both on stage and for film, it's a gay genre. But one can propose the same excuse for French films made by Frenchmen. They aren't just for the French. But there is no logic here. Brian Lucasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-48320800734496365362017-07-07T20:08:28.213-04:002017-07-07T20:08:28.213-04:00Good point, Natalie. Neil Patrick Harris, whenever...Good point, Natalie. Neil Patrick Harris, whenever he hosted, was always making references to the gayness of musicals and musical numbers. I think, "How gay was that?," was a line he used repeatedly. None of this helps. joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-54273536438680456612017-07-07T19:43:22.550-04:002017-07-07T19:43:22.550-04:00I think you can also blame the Tony Awards for con...I think you can also blame the Tony Awards for continually pushing musicals in particular - and Broadway in general - as the pervue of the gay community. Natalienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-31225950027063443782017-07-07T18:37:00.339-04:002017-07-07T18:37:00.339-04:00A classic episode of "Seinfeld," but I d...A classic episode of "Seinfeld," but I don't think you can blame it for the denigration of the musical. That was already underway; "Seinfeld" simply mirrored the ridiculousness of it. Alexnoreply@blogger.com