BIFF Countdown: Best Musical Number

This weeks's nomination for the best musical song is the murderers row convicts singing "Cell Block Tango" in the movie Chicago (2002). Set in the 1920s, murderess Velma Kelly (Played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together. Roxie Hart (Played by Renee Zellweger) killed her boyfriend when she realized that he wasn't going to make her a star. Both Velma and Roxie find themselves on death row and fight for fame while trying to avoid the gallows. John C. Reilly (Roxie's faithful husband), Richard Gere (Lawyer Billy Flynn) and Queen Latifah (Corrupt jail matron) also star. The film won six Oscars (Academy Awards) including Best Picture, Zeta-Jones as Best Supporting Actor, Art Direction, Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

Note: Brief break in video at 4 min plus

The movie was based on the 1975 Broadway production of the same name. Music for both the play and film was written by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse.

Cell Block Tango lyrics:
Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

And now the six merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail in their rendition of 'The Cell Block Tango'

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

He had it coming, he had it coming

He only had himself to blame

If you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it

I betcha you would have done the same

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh Uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

You know how people have these little habits

that get you down. 

Like Bernie. Bernie he like to chew gum. 
No, not chew. POP. 

So I came home this one day and I'm really irritated, 

and I'm looking for a bit of sympathy
and there's Bernie layin' on the couch,

drinkin' a beer and chewin'. 

No, not chewin'. Poppit. 

So, I said to him, "you pop that gum one more time..." 
and he did. 
So I took the shotgun off the wall and I fired two warning shots
... in to his head. 

He had it coming, he had it coming

He only had himself to blame

If you'd have been there 

If you'd have heard it 

I betcha you would have done the same!

I met Ezekiel Young from Salt Lake City 

about two years ago

And he told me he was single

and we hit it off right away.

So we started living together

He'd go to work, he'd come home,

I'd fix him a drink, we'd have dinner.

And then I found out, 

single he told me, single my ass

Not only was he married, oh no, he had six wives

One of those Mormons, you know

So that night when he came home from work

I fixed him his drink . . . as usual

You know some guys just can't hold their arsenic

He had it coming, he had it coming 
He took a flower in its prime 
And then he used it 
And he abused it 
It was a murder but not a crime!

Now I'm standing in the kitchen

carvin' up the chicken for dinner,
minding my own business.
In storms my husband Wilbur in a jealous rage. 
"You been screwin' the milkman,"  he says. 

He was crazy and he kept on screaming, 
"you been screwin the milkman." 
And then he ran into my knife. 
He ran into my knife ten times!

If you'd have been there, 

if you'd have seen it

I betcha you would have done the same

(Hungarian)

Mit keresek, én itt? Azt mondják, 
hogy a híres lakem lefogta a férjemet én meg 
lecsaptam a fejét. De nem igaz, én ártatlan 
vagyok. Nem tudom miért mondja 
Uncle Sam, hogy én tettem. Probáltam 
a rendõrségen megmagyarázni de nem értették meg... 

[The foreign woman's words roughly translate to: "What am I doing here? They say my famous tenant (Lakem isn't Hulgarian, but lakom is) forced my husband down, and I cut his head off. But it's not true, I'm innocent. I don't know why Uncle Sam says I did it. I tried to explain it to the police, but they couldn't understand me."]

But did you do it?

Uh uh, not guilty!

My sister, Veronica and I had this double act 
and my husband, Charlie, traveled around with us. 
Now for the last number in our act, 

we did 20 acrobatic tricks in a row
one two three four five...splits, spread eagles, 
back flips, flip flops, one right after the other.

Well, this one night before the show

we're down at the hotel Cicero, 
the three of us, boozin' having a few laughs 

and we ran out of ice so I go out to get some. 
I come back, open the door 
and there's Veronica and Charlie

doing number seventeen - the spread eagle. 

Well, I was in such a state of shock, 

I completely blacked out

I can't remember a thing, 

it wasn't until later

when I was washing the blood off my hands

I even knew they were dead

They had it coming, they had it coming

They had it coming all along

I didn't do it, but if I'd done it

How could you tell me that I was wrong?

They had it coming, they had it coming

They had it coming all along

I didn't do it, but if I'd done it

How could you tell me that I was wrong?

I loved Al Lipschitz more than I could possibly say

He was a real artistic guy, 

sensitive, a painter

but he was always trying to find himself

He'd go out every night looking for himself

and on the way, he found Ruth,

Gladys, Rosemary and Irving

I guess you can say we broke up because of artistic differences

He saw himself as alive

and I saw him dead

The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum

The dirty bum, bum, bum, bum, bum

They had it comin', they had it coming

They had it comin', they had it coming

They had it comin' all along

'Cause if they used us and they abused us

How could they tell us that we were wrong?

He had it coming, he had it coming

He only had himself to blame

If you'd have been there, if you'd have seen it

I betcha you would have done the same

You pop that gum one more time

Single my ass

Ten times

Miert csukott Uncle Sam bortonbe

Number seventeen, the spread eagle

Artistic differences

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh uh, Cicero, Lipschitz!

BIFF's Worst for the Week

We have already selected one bad musical number from Paint Your Wagon (1969) but in that movie, the team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe provided us with a 'twofer.' Who can forget the crooning of a young Clint Eastwood? Rex Harrison once talked with the animals. In Paint Your Wagon Clint timidly talked to the trees.

The song "I Talk to the Trees" merits this 'Worst of the Week' nomination. Selection was based not solely on his singing - - though Clint's voice is not the greatest - - rather the song clinches this award with its sappy lyrics.

Clint also sang "Gold Fever" in the musical movie. More recently Clint Eastwood has moved his focus toward tree descendants with last year's Spoken Arts performance: "I talk to the chair" and the chair didn't answer!

For the record - - in Clint's long and successful acting and directing career, he has never totally given up on singing. Here are a few examples:
Rowdy - from the Rawhide television series
Burning Bridges - title song in Kelly's Heroes
Beers to You - with Ray Charles in Any Which Way You Can
Bar Room Buddies - with Merle Haggard in Bronco Billy
Gran Torino theme song - with Jamie Cullum, song played over the ending credits

Lyrics:

I talk to the trees

But they don't listen to me

I talk to the stars

But they never hear me

The breeze hasn't time

To stop, and hear what I say

I talk to them all

In vain

But suddenly, my words

Reach someone elses ear

At someone elses heart

Strings too

I tell you my dreams

And while you're listening to me

I suddenly see them

Come true

I can see us some April night

Looking out across a rollin' farm

Having supper in the candlelight

Walking later, arm in arm

Then I'll tell you

How I pass the day

Thinking mainly how

The night would be

Then I'll try to find

The words to say

All the things you

Mean to me

I tell you my dreams

And while you're

Listening to me

I suddenly see them

Come true

This Week's Best Musical Number

In 2007 the musical film Hairspray followed plump teenager, Tracy Turnblad (Played by Nikki Blonsky), as she taught 1962 Baltimore "a thing or two about integration" while securing her spot on a local television dance show (Film based on the 1988 comedy film and the 2002 Tony Award winning Broadway stage play, all three of the same name). Watch the official trailer of the musical comedy that featured an all-star cast including John Travolta (Playing Edna Turnblood, Tracy's mother and agent), Queen Latifah (As "Motormouth" Maybelle, a Baltimore rhythm and blues radio DJ who hosts "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show), Michelle Pfeiffer (As racist and weightist Velma Von Tussle, the manager of station WYZT), Christopher Walken (As Tracy's father, Wilbur Turnblad, the easygoing proprietor of the "Hardy-Har Hut" joke shop) and Zac Efron (As a leading dancer on The Corny Collins Show). Hairspray set the record for biggest sales for an opening weekend by a musical movie until it was surpassed by Mamma Mia! and shortly thereafter High School Musical 3: Senior High. Hairspray now ranks as the fourth highest grossing musical movie in US cinema history.

The tunes crafted by Marc Shaiman (music) and Scott Whitman (lyricist) and delivered by a talented cast are with one or two exceptions all outstanding. There's the incomparable Michelle Pfieffer number "Miss Baltimore Crabs" and Christopher Walken and John Travolta (Mr. and Mrs. Turnblad) singing "Timeless to Me." But this week's Best of the Best selection is the opening song is a showtune from start to finish - - "Good Morning Baltimore."

Background narration in Portuguese from Brazil

The outstanding songlist and performances for Hairspray continues with numbers like "Welcome to the 60s" (Tracy & her mother), "You Can't Stop the Beat" (Featuring John Travolta as Mama Turnblad), "I Know Where I've Been" (Queen Latifa) and "I Can Hear the Bells."

Lyrics to "Good Morning Baltimore" by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Oh, oh, oh woke up today feeling

The way I always do

Oh, oh, oh hungry for something that I can't eat

Then I hear that beat

That rhythm of town starts calling me down

It's like a message from high above

Oh, oh, oh pulling me out to the smiles and the

streets that I love

Good morning Baltimore

Every day's like an open door

Every night is a fantasy

Every sound's like a symphony

Good morning Baltimore

And some day when I take to the floor

The world's gonna wake up and see

Baltimore and me

Oh, oh, oh look at my hair

(Would) you can compare with mine today?

Oh, oh, oh I've got my hairspray and radio

I'm ready to go

The rats on the street all dance round my feet

They seem to say, "Tracy, it's up to you

So, oh, oh don't hold me back

'Cause today all my dreams will come true

Good morning Baltimore

There's the flasher who lives next door

There's the bum on his bar room stool

They wish me luck on my way to school

Good morning Baltimore

And some day when I take to the floor

The world's gonna wake up and see

Baltimore and me

I know every step, I know every song

I know there's a place where I belong

I see all those party lights shining ahead

So someone invite me before I drop dead

Before she drops dead

So, oh, oh give me a chance

'Cause when I start to dance I'm a movie star

Oh, oh, oh something inside of me makes me move

When I hear the groove

My ma tells me no but my feet tell me go

It's like a drummer inside my heart

Oh, oh, oh don't make me wait

One more moment for my life to start

Good morning, good morning

Waiting for my life to start

I love you Baltimore

Every day's like an open door

Every night is a fantasy

Every sound's like a symphony

And I promise Baltimore

That some day when I take to the floor

The world's gonna wake up and see

Gonna wake up and see Baltimore and me

Yes, more or less we all agree

Baltimore and me

Someday the world is gonna see

Baltimore and me

Neil Diamond sings "You Baby" in The Jazz Singer

This week's nomination for worst number in a musical: "You Baby" sung by Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer (1980). It is an embarrassing blackface segment that showcases Diamond's wooden, going-through-the-motions acting along with a lackluster pop song.

In this remake of the classic Al Jolson film (1927), The Jazz Singer, Neil Diamond played the son of a Jewish cantor who defies his father (Laurence Olivier) to pursue his dream of being a pop singer. Neil sang the likes of 'Love on the Rocks," (Nominated for ASCAP's Best Song of the Year) but that's not the musical moment here. As a homage to Al Jolson, an early scene featured Diamond performing in a four-piece group wearing blackface because a promoter wants to see "four brothers" on stage. It doesn't work . . . on so may levels.

The 1927 version of The Jazz Singer was the first movie to include dialogue and music on the film strip itself. Before that, there were silent films that often were accompanied by a live orchestra or music performed in the theater. In the Twenties, Bell Laboratories developed a way (Vitaphone announcement includes video at the New York premier of The The Jazz Singer) to allow an audio tract be placed on the film. This made way for the future of "talkies."

In 1996, The 1927 version of The Jazz Singer was selected for preservation in the U.S. Library of Congress's National Film Registry of "films that continue to have cultural, historical or aesthetic significance." In 1998, the movie was chosen in voting conducted by the American Film Institute as one of the best American films of all time, ranking at number ninety.

View a video clip of Al Jolson singing "Mammy" in the finale of The  Jazz Singer. Note: Warner Brother's use of blackface production in the film witnesses the overt racism of an era - - a practice that goes back to the minstrel shows of the 19th century.

Lyrics to You Baby:

One, two, three, four, brother!

Takes a lot of time if you want it right

Takes a lot of time in believing babe

Gotta see the signs and or you'll get it right

Thats even signs in your eyes

And I know that it's true, baby, baby

Ooh, baby, baby now

Ooh, baby, baby

Only a blind man would leave you behind

But not me

Takes a lot of lovin' to make it good

Ooh it takes a lot of lovin' believe it, babe

I'm sayin' it again so it's understood

Me, I believe in the things I keep seein' in you, baby, baby

Ooh, baby, baby now

Ooh, baby, baby

Ooh, baby, baby now

Ooh, baby, baby

Ooh, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby

Ooh, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby

You, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby now

You, baby, baby now

Another Nomination for Best of . . .

So what is a musical? Musicals are an American art form. they were developed in theater as early as 1866. Originally musicals had four elements: a story that integrated dialogue with music, lyrics, and dancing. The first musical is considered to be The Black Crook which premiered in New York. Broadway and the London stage both became popular by featuring musicals that appealed to a more general audience than did opera. Musicals were typically lighter in tone, more frank and sometimes bawdy. It was composers W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan (a.k.a. Gilbert and Sullivan) who brought widespread popularity to the form with their 1878 hit, The H.M.S. Pinafore. Today's musicals are plays or movies in which music, singing and often dancing play a major part.

This week's selection for the 'Best of the Best' is Gene Kelly's Singin' in the Rain in the film of the same name. The MGM film musical (1952) directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly is one of the most celebrated of all time; ranked #5 on the American Film Institute's 2007 list of Greatest American Films and is AFI's top ranked musical of all time (2006).

The movie focused on an original story set in the late 1920s during the age of the coming of the 'talkies.' The film's title sequence has become movie legend with Gene Kelly (Playing the 20's movie star Don Lockwood) singing and dancing in a downpour, swinging his umbrella around, stomping in puddles and leaping onto a lampost. His on-screen romantic partner was Lina Lamont, played by Jean Hagen. Donald O'Connor played Don Lockwood's friend and sidekick Cosmo Brown. Nineteen year old Debbie Reynolds playrd ingenue dancer and aspiring actress Kathy Selden. The trio (Kelly, O'Connor and Reynolds) later sang the popular song Good Mornin'.

See and listen to part of a 1979 interview by Roddy McDowall at KCET in Los Angeles (7:20 length); Gene Kelly talked about the song and film in a PBS Pledge Drive program. 

Singin' in the Rain did not win an Oscar, but today it would be chosen blindfolded over the 1952 winner of Best Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth. By consensus of movie critics and lovers, Singin in the Rain is the greatest musical ever.

Singin' in the Rain - The song lyrics were by Arthur Freed with music by Nacio Herb Brown (1929). More about the song at Wikipedia: Singin' in the Rain (Song).

Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo

Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo 

Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo 

Doo-dloo-doo-doo-doo-doo...

I'm singing in the rain

Just singing in the rain

What a glorious feelin'

I'm happy again

I'm laughing at clouds

So dark up above

The sun's in my heart

And I'm ready for love

Let the stormy clouds chase

Everyone from the place

Come on with the rain

I've a smile on my face

I walk down the lane

With a happy refrain

Just singin',

Singin' in the rain

Dancin' in the rain

Dee-ah dee-ah dee-ah

I'm happy again!

I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain...

Another Week: Countdown to BIFF

This week's 'bad' candidate for the worst musical number: "When All Is Said and Done' (2008) sung by Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Steep from Mamma Mia. This musical was an adaptation of the 1999 British West End musical and later Broadway stage production (2001) of the same name.

In the movie, Brosnan belted out his part in a number of songs including runners up for this week: S.O.S. (Metaphor for relationship is a maritime distress signal) and Our Last Summer (Ensemble performance by Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierce Brosnan & Meryl Streep).

The songs were successful pop tunes from the group ABBA with additional numbers composed by ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. ABBA, a Swedish pop group active from 1972 – 1982, was an internationally popular act who topped the charts again and again in Europe, North America and Australia.

Later this week, we will add a 'best' musical selection. Let us know what your choices are for the best and the worst in musical numbers.

Lyrics to "When All is Said and Done" (Original version by ABBA 1981); modified / reworked for the musical by Björn Ulvaeus:

Here's to us one more toast and then we'll pay the bill

Deep inside both of us can feel the autumn chill

Birds of passage, you and me

We fly instinctively

When the summer's over and the dark clouds hide the sun

Neither you nor I'm to blame when all is said and done

It's been there in my dreams the scene i see unfold

Who at last flesh and blood to cherish and hold

Jealous fools will suffer yes i know and i confess

once i lost my way when something good had just began

lesson learned its history all is said and done

In our lives we have walked some strange and lonely treks

Slightly worn but dignified and not too old for sex

We're still striving for the sky

No taste for humble pie

Thanks for all your generous love and thanks for all the fun

Neither you nor I'm to blame when all is said and done

It's so strange when you're down and lying on the floor

How you rise, shake your head, get up and ask for more

Clear-headed and open-eyed

With nothing left to try

Standing calmly at the crossroads,no desire to run

There's no hurry any more when all is said and done

Standing calmly at the crossroads,no desire to run

There's no hurry any more when all is said and done

Countdown to BIFF 2013 Continues . . .

Earlier this week, we got started with a candidate for the worst musical number in a movie.

Now it's time to nominate a best musical number. What is the first tune that comes to mind when you think of the best musical you've seen and heard? Our nomination is from West Side Story (1961).

'Tonight" is probably the most famous song from this classic film - - a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. It was inspired by the balcony scene (Earlier this week Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno did a brilliant spoof of this). 

West Side Story follows star-crossed lovers Maria and Tony as they struggle to be together against all odds. Maria was played by Natalie Wood (Natalia Nikolaevea Zacharenko spoke fluent Russian), a sensational box office draw in movies of the early Sixties. Natalie's singing in West Side Story was dubbed in by Marni Nixon, and Richard Beyner's (Playing Tony) singing voice was dubbed in by Jimmy Bryant (Not to be confused with the session guitarist of the same name). The duet was reprised with a full cast version later in the production.

Remember to send us (email or add a comment here) your nominations for best and the worst musical numbers!

Note: Not all Puerto Rican's or other hispanic and latina persons are dark-skinned, but the casting and painted-on makeup in this classic movie reflects the typical unawareness and inattention of the time.

There are many great songs in West Side Story (Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) including America, Gee Officer Krupke, Somewhere, Cool, and the Jet Song.

Lyrics to the Duet version of Tonight:

(Maria)

Only you, you're the only thing I'll see forever

In my eyes in my words and in everything I do

Nothing else but you

Ever

(Tony)

And there's nothing for me but Maria

Every sight that I see is Maria

(Maria)

Tony, Tony

(Tony)

Always you, every thought I'll ever know

Everywhere I go you'll be

(Tony & Maria)

All the world is only you and me

(Maria)

Tonight, tonight

It all began tonight

I saw you and the world went away

Tonight, tonight

There's only you tonight

What you are, what you do, what you say

(Tony)

Today, all day I had the feeling

A miracle would happen

I know now I was right

(Tony & Maria)

For here you are

And what was just a world is a star

Tonight

Tonight, tonight

The world is full of light

With suns and moons all over the place

Tonight, tonight

The world is wild and bright

Going mad

Shooting sparks into space

Today, the world was just an address

A place for me to live in

No better than all right

But here you are

And what was just a world is a star

Tonight

Good night, good night

Sleep well and when you dream

Dream of me

Tonight

Countdown to BIFF 2013 (It's musical again!)

It's the first week of April - - and time to begin thinking about this year's BIFF (Bicknell International Film Festival). So how about a Best and Worst posting each week?

For the Worst, this offering from Lee Marvin comes to mind.

BIFF will bring music to the Wayne Theater this year, lots of music. The working title for this year's theme is Singin' In the Red Rocks: Bad, Bizarre and "B". 

The song "Wanderin' Star" was written in 1951 by Alan J. Lerner (Lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon.

When the movie of the musical was made in 1969, Lee Marvin was cast as prospector Ben Rumson. Marvin rejected the idea of miming to another or better singer's voice and sang all of his songs in the film. Orchestrated and arranged by Nelson Riddle, the soundtrack recording of Wanderin' Star was something of a success. In 1970 in Ireland and the United Kingdom, Lee Marvin's version was number one for three weeks (Beating out a recording of "Let It Be" by a little-known group (NOT), The Beatles). Fitting for BIFF: Wanderin' Star was so bad, it was good!

Watch later this week for a Best entry. Join in and send us your own ideas for Best and the Worst song from a musical. Add a comment here or email larrjoh@gmail.com

Lyrics to the Lerner and Loewe tune:

I was born under a wanderin' star.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

Wheels are made for rollin', mules are made to pack.

I've never seen a site that didn't look better lookin' back.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry.

Snow can burn your eyes but only people make you cry.

Home is made for comin' from, for dreams of goin' to.

Which with any luck will never come true.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

Do I know where hell is, hell is in hell-o.

Heaven is good-bye forever it's time for me to go.

I was born under a wanderin' star, a wanderin', wanderin' star.

Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry.

Snow can burn your eyes but only people make you cry.

Home is made for comin' from, for dreams of goin' to.

Which with any luck will never come true.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

When I get to heaven tie me to a tree.

Or I'll begin to roam and soon you'll know where I will be.

I was born under a wanderin' star.

A wanderin', wanderin' star.