“Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!” And, in Gene Kelly’s case, gotta act, gotta produce, gotta choreograph and gotta direct as well. The uber-talented multi-hyphenate of so many classic films—musicals and otherwise—would have been celebrating his 100th birthday on August 23. But…
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My kids were in a production of Bye Bye Birdie over the last month. So, playing the part of the good father, I attended several shows. My kids had small parts in the chorus, so it wasn’t just their limited…
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Pizzazz! The very word came into being with Funny Face in 1957. Stylish and energetic, Funny Face is a collaboration extraordinaire involving some of the great talents of the era: Producer Roger Edens and director Stanley Donen, screenwriter Leonard Gershe,…
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At times his on-screen dancing seemed to enable him to defy gravity. MovieFanFare founder Jerry Frebowitz offers a special birthday salute to Fred Astaire, whose dapper presence set the tone for Hollywood musical from the 1930s to the ’60s.
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Among the most-requested movies from DVD collectors around the world is Rose Marie (1936), and continues to be one of the most popular works of screen singing team Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. The 1954 version of Rose Marie…
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State Fair 1945 film classic Brief plot: The Frake family travels to the annual Iowa State Fair, entering their mincemeat, pickles, and prize hog Blue Boy into contests. The two children find romance at the fair, but it is uncertain if it will continue…
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Guest blogger Katie Scarlett writes: Sky-diving, bungee-cord jumping, watching a classic musical in a theatre; these are all things that make life a thrilling experience. Everyone should have the experience to watch a vintage film on a big screen with…
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The new film Mozart’s Sister puts an unprecedented spin on the legend of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, focusing on the life of his older sister Maria Anna, known familiarly as “Nannerl.” Herself a musical prodigy, Nannerl’s expertise at composition and violin…
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“They just don’t make movies like they used to.” That’s the sort of line you’ll likely hear from older filmgoers who yearn for the days of Saturday matinee twin bills at the local picture house and wouldn’t be caught dead at a…
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It’s interesting how some of the best Hollywood movies of the early ’50s—thinking specifically of Singin’ in the Rain and 1950’s Sunset Blvd. but several others fit the bill as well—seized the moment to look back acidly on the transition of…
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