John Franceschina
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199754298
- eISBN:
- 9780199949878
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199754298.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Dance, Popular
Hermes Pan moves to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to choreograph The Barkleys of Broadway with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland but is released at Garland’s request after the completion of the “Shoes With Wings ...
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Hermes Pan moves to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to choreograph The Barkleys of Broadway with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland but is released at Garland’s request after the completion of the “Shoes With Wings On” routine. He contracts with Mike Todd to choreograph As the Girls Go on Broadway and joins composer Jimmy McHugh, lyricist Harold Adamson, and director Howard Bay at Todd’s Irvington Estate to begin work. After five weeks of rehearsal the show opens in Boston with costumes by Oleg Cassini on 13 October 1948 to devastating reviews. After three weeks of reworking, the musical opened in New Haven to excellent notices anticipating a triumphant premiere in New York City on 13 November.Less
Hermes Pan moves to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to choreograph The Barkleys of Broadway with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland but is released at Garland’s request after the completion of the “Shoes With Wings On” routine. He contracts with Mike Todd to choreograph As the Girls Go on Broadway and joins composer Jimmy McHugh, lyricist Harold Adamson, and director Howard Bay at Todd’s Irvington Estate to begin work. After five weeks of rehearsal the show opens in Boston with costumes by Oleg Cassini on 13 October 1948 to devastating reviews. After three weeks of reworking, the musical opened in New Haven to excellent notices anticipating a triumphant premiere in New York City on 13 November.
Brent Phillips
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780813147215
- eISBN:
- 9780813151502
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813147215.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
During his lifetime, Charles “Chuck” Walters enjoyed a reputation as one of the foremost director-choreographers of Hollywood motion pictures. From his earliest directorial triumphs, Good News, ...
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During his lifetime, Charles “Chuck” Walters enjoyed a reputation as one of the foremost director-choreographers of Hollywood motion pictures. From his earliest directorial triumphs, Good News, Easter Parade, and The Barkleys of Broadway, to his victorious Lili, High Society, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, musicals directed by Walters seamlessly fuse movement, storytelling, and song. He was one of Broadway’s most prominent dancers in the 1930s, creating featured roles in Rodgers and Hart’s I Married an Angel and Cole Porter’s Jubilee and Du Barry Was a Lady. He supplied choreography for entertainment on Broadway (Let’s Face It, St. Louis Woman) and at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood (Meet Me in St. Louis, Girl Crazy). Especially renowned for the manner in which he showcased his stars, Walters skilfully guided Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Cary Grant, Shirley MacLaine, Lucille Ball, Esther Williams, Grace Kelly, and Joan Crawford. He enjoyed a unique rapport with Judy Garland, creating some of her most indelible stage and screen performances. Personally, Walters was one of the few “uncloseted” gay film directors to excel in studio-era Hollywood, living openly with his partner, a top industry talent agent. This detailed study is long overdue. Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance corrects both the historical oversight and reassesses the career of this Academy Award nominated film director, whose boyhood dream of dance led to a firmly — and now finally — acknowledged position as a major contributor to American popular culture.Less
During his lifetime, Charles “Chuck” Walters enjoyed a reputation as one of the foremost director-choreographers of Hollywood motion pictures. From his earliest directorial triumphs, Good News, Easter Parade, and The Barkleys of Broadway, to his victorious Lili, High Society, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, musicals directed by Walters seamlessly fuse movement, storytelling, and song. He was one of Broadway’s most prominent dancers in the 1930s, creating featured roles in Rodgers and Hart’s I Married an Angel and Cole Porter’s Jubilee and Du Barry Was a Lady. He supplied choreography for entertainment on Broadway (Let’s Face It, St. Louis Woman) and at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood (Meet Me in St. Louis, Girl Crazy). Especially renowned for the manner in which he showcased his stars, Walters skilfully guided Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day, Cary Grant, Shirley MacLaine, Lucille Ball, Esther Williams, Grace Kelly, and Joan Crawford. He enjoyed a unique rapport with Judy Garland, creating some of her most indelible stage and screen performances. Personally, Walters was one of the few “uncloseted” gay film directors to excel in studio-era Hollywood, living openly with his partner, a top industry talent agent. This detailed study is long overdue. Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance corrects both the historical oversight and reassesses the career of this Academy Award nominated film director, whose boyhood dream of dance led to a firmly — and now finally — acknowledged position as a major contributor to American popular culture.
Brent Phillips
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780813147215
- eISBN:
- 9780813151502
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813147215.003.0007
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
In this chapter, Walters does his initial work in the movies, staging dances for RKO’s Seven Days Leave. John Darrow finds success in Hollywood, negotiating movie contracts for his clients, including ...
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In this chapter, Walters does his initial work in the movies, staging dances for RKO’s Seven Days Leave. John Darrow finds success in Hollywood, negotiating movie contracts for his clients, including Gene Kelly. At Kelly’s suggestion, Walters accepts a four-week offer of work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) for the film adaptation of Du Barry Was a Lady. This chapter takes a succinct look at the history of M-G-M (pre-1942) and the studio’s dedication to the “star system.” It also explores M-G-M’s role in the development of the “integrated” movie musical and producer Arthur Freed’s “Unit” of film musical production. Walters’ professional relationships with Lucille Ball and Roger Edens are discussed. The chapter concludes with Walters’ accepting a seven-year contract with M-G-M.Less
In this chapter, Walters does his initial work in the movies, staging dances for RKO’s Seven Days Leave. John Darrow finds success in Hollywood, negotiating movie contracts for his clients, including Gene Kelly. At Kelly’s suggestion, Walters accepts a four-week offer of work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M) for the film adaptation of Du Barry Was a Lady. This chapter takes a succinct look at the history of M-G-M (pre-1942) and the studio’s dedication to the “star system.” It also explores M-G-M’s role in the development of the “integrated” movie musical and producer Arthur Freed’s “Unit” of film musical production. Walters’ professional relationships with Lucille Ball and Roger Edens are discussed. The chapter concludes with Walters’ accepting a seven-year contract with M-G-M.
M. Todd Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807835746
- eISBN:
- 9781469601465
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/9780807837467_bennett.9
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
Mrs. Miniver (1942) is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's portrait of the war's disruptive effects on English family's life. Its political context earned it wide acclaim and the film resonated strongly among ...
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Mrs. Miniver (1942) is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's portrait of the war's disruptive effects on English family's life. Its political context earned it wide acclaim and the film resonated strongly among American viewers because of its compelling narrative. This chapter discusses how films romanticized the Anglo-American alliance to foster an impression of an international harmony. It discusses wartime cinematic discourse highlighting the idea that Americans and Britons shared a “special relationship”, which was a direct result of their wartime experiences.Less
Mrs. Miniver (1942) is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's portrait of the war's disruptive effects on English family's life. Its political context earned it wide acclaim and the film resonated strongly among American viewers because of its compelling narrative. This chapter discusses how films romanticized the Anglo-American alliance to foster an impression of an international harmony. It discusses wartime cinematic discourse highlighting the idea that Americans and Britons shared a “special relationship”, which was a direct result of their wartime experiences.
Holly Van Leuven
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- February 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780190639044
- eISBN:
- 9780190639075
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190639044.003.0005
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
Chapter 4 focuses on the societal and cultural impetus for the creation of Radio City Music Hall, which would resurrect vaudeville by hosting two eight-act shows daily; it was part of Rockefeller ...
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Chapter 4 focuses on the societal and cultural impetus for the creation of Radio City Music Hall, which would resurrect vaudeville by hosting two eight-act shows daily; it was part of Rockefeller Center, a fifteen-building campus enshrining media, big business, and modern architecture in the heart of Manhattan. Bolger served as the master of ceremonies for Radio City Music Hall’s opening performances. The chapter also examines Bolger’s brief stint in Earl Carroll’s Vanities as well as his career development thanks to his agent, Abe Lastfogel, of the William Morris Agency. Included is information on Bolger’s Broadway show Life Begins at 8:40 and the importance of his signing his first film contract for a major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).Less
Chapter 4 focuses on the societal and cultural impetus for the creation of Radio City Music Hall, which would resurrect vaudeville by hosting two eight-act shows daily; it was part of Rockefeller Center, a fifteen-building campus enshrining media, big business, and modern architecture in the heart of Manhattan. Bolger served as the master of ceremonies for Radio City Music Hall’s opening performances. The chapter also examines Bolger’s brief stint in Earl Carroll’s Vanities as well as his career development thanks to his agent, Abe Lastfogel, of the William Morris Agency. Included is information on Bolger’s Broadway show Life Begins at 8:40 and the importance of his signing his first film contract for a major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
