Love of an Era: Musicals
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SIDNEY: I have a secret. I love musicals, and I’m almost tone deaf. I also can’t remember a name to save my life, so I concentrate on remembering the names of people around me, which means actors are forever relegated to, “That guy with the face and the eyes.” I can’t tell you Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly’s names, but I know their faces, I know their moves and their voices, which I think they would be okay with. There’s something timeless about the male leads of that era. They’re classic, versatile men who could wear many hats. They could be the smooth talking player bound to get caught up with a sweet southern belle, a lucky man who happens onto the path of the woman he will love, the bad boy who just needs the right woman. Not only that, but they sang and danced and wooed their intended’s heart. There is something that makes me sigh and loose myself in the process of falling in love.
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My fave pairing was Rock Hudson and Doris Day. I loved their chemistry on screen and I must admit I have a box set with Pillow Talk, Don’t Send Me Flowers and Lover Come Back. I adore Lover Come Back. It’s about two competing advertisers who want VIP, a product they know nothing about. When Doris mistakes Rock as the scientist to woo, Rock takes advantage and uses it to seduce ideas out of her. But he ends up liking her and you can see where this is going. Nowhere good. LOL It’s also the romance I adore in musicals.
SIDNEY: The romance plays a huge part in the draw of the genre. There’s something sweet about it, how the culmination of the romance is a touch and a kiss. Those gestures become so much more because of it. I’m also a huge sucker for the music, period. The other day, someone tweeted that they were watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and I broke out singing “Bless Her Beautiful Hide,” without breaking a beat! The music from that time period and all of the productions that went on have stayed with us. Who doesn’t know a few bars of, “Singing in the Rain,” or , “Don’t Rain on my Parade,” or “White Christmas.” There was a magic quality knowing any moment could bring about another song, a huge dance number or something. I think one of my favorite dance numbers is from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, when all of the brothers are dancing and fighting over the girls. Do you have a favorite, Jodie?
SIDNEY: Musicals somehow made everything glamorous and innocent. I really like Gigi, which is about a teenage girl being raised to become a courtesan to her best friend. Her entire point in life is to go from man to man, whoever can afford to keep her. Now, of course she goes against the rules and falls in love with her man, and he with her. It breaks all the social rules to fall in love with your Mistress, and yet everyone is smiling and singing these happy songs while they’re unhappy. There’s a line at the end after the two have gone through the wringer about wanting a relationship. Gigi says to Gaston, “I’d rather be miserable with you than miserable without you.” Okay, I might have said that to a boyfriend once when we were going through a rough patch…
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