Merry Christmas, fellow filthy Broadway animals! We've moved on from the movie musical into the holidays, and this Irving Berlin musical covers all of them. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Arbor Day, Labor Day... Let's check into the Broadway adaptation of the classic ’40s movie musical "Holiday Inn," filmed live in 2017 for Broadway HD. This musical has everything: jump rope tapping, firework dancing, and a little Hallmark Channel romance realness. So snuggle up with your apple pie and a cup of hot chocolate (or whatever floats your Christmas boat), and welcome to the Holiday Inn!

 

Note: This episode contains some (mostly irreverent, but still) discussion of blackface. If this topic is any way triggering for you, skip ahead after the plot summary to the next musical break. 

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Film: BroadwayHD | Amazon Video

Cast recording: iTunes | Spotify | Amazon Prime 

Filmed and distributed exclusively by Broadway HD

Music: 

• "I'll Capture Your Heart," performed by Bryce Pinkham and Corbin Bleu
• "Blue Skies," by Bryce Pinkham
• "Heat Wave," by Corbin Bleu and Megan Sikora
• "You're Easy to Dance With," by Corbin Bleu and Ensemble
• "Shaking the Blues Away," by Megan Lawrence, Bryce Pinkham and Ensemble
• "White Christmas," by Lora Lee Gayer and Bryce Pinkham

Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin

Album distributed by Ghostlight Records

Show Notes:

• No show notes this week, just this music video of Holidae In by Chingy that should've been a musical number. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

 

City of stars...sry I can't see you in this smog. HERE IT IS, FOLKS: the final episode in this DOOZY of a season! We have spent the last few months going through defining movies of each decade, and we are finally to the 2010s. In this episode, Alex and Daisha examine the cinematic and musical tools used from the popular movie musicals of decades past. They also talk about the plot and how some of the holes in the story took away from beauty of the film. After this giant episode, we want to turn the mic to our listeners: what did you think about the progression of the movie musical through the decades? What do y'all think the future of movie musicals entails? We had so much fun with this season, what do y'all think our next season should be? 

Film: DVD/Blu-Ray | iTunes | Amazon Prime | Google Play

Soundtrack: iTunes | Amazon Prime | Spotify

Distributed by Lionsgate Pictures.

Music Clips:

• “Another Day of Sun,” performed by “La La Land” cast
• “Someone in the Crowd,” by “La La Land” cast
• “Herman’s Habit,” by Justin Hurwitz
• “A Lovely Night,” by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling
• “City of Stars,” by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling
• “Audition (Fools Who Dream),” by Emma Stone

Music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Album distributed by Interscope Records.

Show Notes

• And Best Picture goes to … “La La Land?!”
• Emma Stone’s own reaction to the mix-up debacle.
• Here’s your guide to the backlash of “La La Land” if you’re feeling in the mood.
• SNL’s La La Land interrogation… awwww, Moonlight, it’s so important.
• The movie’s choreographer Mandy Moore breaks down the opening freeway scene’s choreography for Vanity Fair.
• Jimmy Fowlie’s “So Long, Boulder City!” featuring a long-ass costume change and set change and a climactic fake-dance duet breakdown.
• This channel explains some of the specific movie-musical references that we might have missed from the film — and the dream dance sequence, in particular.

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Our movie musicals of the decades, ranked:

Daisha’s:

1. Top Hat
2. Meet Me in St. Louis
3. An American in Paris
4. Grease
5. The Lion King
6. Moulin Rouge
7. La La Land
8. Broadway Melody of 1929
9. Umbrellas of Cherbourg
10. Labyrinth

Alex’s:

1. Grease
2. The Lion King
3. Moulin Rouge (yes, I moved this up)
4. Meet Me in St. Louis
5. Top Hat
6. Labyrinth
7. La La Land
8. An American in Paris
9. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
10. The Broadway Melody of 1929

And “New York, New York” isn’t even allowed on the list, BYE

Seasons may change, winter to spring, but we love this movie until the end of time! Our movie musical for the week is the overwhelming Baz Luhrmann mélange of major Romantic operas: Moulin Rouge! It’s hard not to love this glitter-covered jukebox musical as it takes us through a rollercoaster of emotions and pop song medleys. Join Alex and Daisha as they discuss how the modernity of the movie works well with the turn of the century setting, the music (of course), and how the movie handles its many themes, including the bohemian lifestyle, sickness, and jealousy. Do you think Moulin Rouge! is spectacular spectacular? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. Enjoy the show! 

Film:

iTunes | Amazon Prime

Soundtracks:

iTunes (Vol. 1 / Vol. 2) | Spotify (Vol. 1 / Vol. 2) | Amazon (Vol. 1 / Vol. 2)

Show Notes

• Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor had a reunion last year, and it’s so goddamn cute... and insightful, of course!
• YouTube channel ScreenPrism actually just made a video essay about Nicole Kidman and her unique screen persona, just like we were talking about.
• This couple is...actually kinda cute covering “Come What May”?
• The Broadway musical is all about “Beauty” this week…
• An interesting history of the actual Moulin Rouge dance hall and Toulouse-Latrec's paintings. 

 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Here is a lion! Welcome to Pride Rock, the glamorous, regal, iconic site of this week's movie musical, Disney's epic AF "The Lion King." Featuring a cast of what feels like 50 famous actors, this 90s nostalgia trip is one helluva ride into the Pridelands, as young Simba must face his destiny after his father meets a tragic fate at the paws of his scheming, fabulous uncle Scar. 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Film (only available for purchase):

iTunes | Amazon

Cast recording:

iTunes | Amazon Music | Spotify

Music:

• "The Circle of Life," performed by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M.
• "I Just Can't Wait to be King," by Jason Weaver, Rowan Atkinson and Laura Williams
• "Be Prepared," by Jeremy Irons, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings
• "Hakuna Matata," by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams
• "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" by Joseph Williams, Sally Dworsky, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella and Kristle Edwards
• "King of Pride Rock/Circle of Life (reprise)," composed by Hans Zimmer, featuring Lebo M.

Music by Elton John; lyrics by Tim Rice; arranged by Hans Zimmer.

All music is owned under copyright by the Walt Disney Records, under the Walt Disney Corporation. This music is used under fair use doctrine for comment, criticism and educational purposes.

Show Notes

• The teaser trailer for the “live” remake came out JUST after we recorded this. Go watch it NOW.
• Disney’s official making-of featurette of “The Lion King” released on its 1995 VHS, hosted by the late Robert Guillaime (the voice of Rafiki). There are lot of behind-the-scenes clips of the actual recordings, performances and animations, as well as the live animals used to model the characters.
• Here’s another, more recent, much better filmed documentary about the making of the film and its legacy since — reuniting the original animation team, some of its actors and its directors, as well as discussing the Broadway musical and interviewing Julie Taymor.
• This YouTuber animated over a minute of the Broadway musical’s song “The Madness of King Scar,” with Scar going all creepy-Frollo on Adult Nala, apparently based on a scene removed from the film. We wonder why…
• Here’s the AFI’s top 10 Animated Films. It’s a bit...skewed.
• This article from Grantland explains why “The Lion King” has a perfect first scene. Because magic. Simple movie magic.

Welcome back, dear listeners! We took a brief hiatus so Alex could get his silly laptop in the shop. So now that we're back, after a brief update on what's happened in the world of Broadway, it's onto the weirdest movie we've watched yet: Jim Henson's "Labyrinth," starring minor-age Jennifer Connelly as a feisty heroine, dozens of dirty-looking puppets, and David Bowie's codpie- we mean, David Bowie! This week, we go all in on the plot of this super-’80s movie that just so happened to be a musical. Like, how ridiculous it is that Jennifer Connelly didn't just check her baby brother's diaper, the level of creepiness of a 40-something rockstar romancing a teenager, and how familiar this story and its themes actually were once we got past the Shart Lake City of it all. Join us as we go for a trip into the "Labyrinth"...hope we don't meet any scary headless birds or talking hands!

(Episode not sponsored by Squatty PottyTM)

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Film: iTunes | Amazon Prime 

Recording: iTunes | Amazon | Spotify

Music*:

• "Magic Dance"
• "Chilly Down," performed by Charles Augins, Richard Bodkin, Kevin Clash and Danny John-Jules
• "As the World Falls Down"
• "Within You"
• "Underground"

All music performed by David Bowie unless noted otherwise; all music written by David Bowie. 

Distributed by EMI 

Show Notes

• Here are some of the “Labyrinth” concept designs from Brian Froud that inspired 
• Princess Diana meets Ludo at the film's Royal premiere
• Lin-Manuel Miranda in the New York Times on his love for movie-musicals — one of them he grew up on was “Labyrinth,” the “David Bowie musical.”
• Jennifer Connelly’s audition is kind of...better than her in the movie...?
• A Life magazine memorial feature-obit about Jim Henson’s life and death, which talks about “Labyrinth’s” legacy

“Grease” is the word this week, as Alex and Daisha chat about the movie everyone knows and loves, Grease, from 1978! Join the Broadway Babies as they dive into this teen drama that is either loved, or dismissed as problematic. Topics for the week are: performing gender in the film, Grease as satire, viewing a 1978 film with a 2018 lens, and OF COURSE, we chat about Grease’s take on nostalgia. We hope you enjoy!  Songs:

• “Grease,” performed by Frankie Valli*
• “Greased Lightnin,’” by John Travolta, Jeff Conaway and T-Birds
• “Beauty School Dropout,” by Frankie Avalon
• “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” by Stockard Channing
• “You’re the One That I Want,” by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John**
• “We Go Together,” by cast of “Grease”

Music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

*By Barry Gibb

**By John Farrar

Distributed by RSO Records

Show Notes

• ScreenPrism has a really insightful video about how this movie demonstrates the teenage performance of gender.
• Director Randal Kleiser did a “Notes on a Scene” session with Vanity Fair about shooting the carnival and “You’re the One that I Want.”
• Another piece by Vanity Fair about how "Grease" beat the odds to become the biggest movie-musical of the 20th century...and the story of its eccentric producer, Allan Carr.  
• There are no words about this *cringe* music video reunion of Travolta and OLN…
• On the other hand, what's basically this “Summer Nights” recreation from “Glee” isn’t that...bad?
• The trailer for Disney's "Teen Beach Movie" — up to you to decide to watch it or not.

 

Hello Listeners! We are back with a new Movie Musical episode, and it’s about to get WEIRD. This week we are discovering the magic of a musical comprised fully of recitative.....The Umbrellas of Cherbourg! Join us as we butcher the French language, discuss the plot, and if this movie musical worked as a whole without the use of songs. Also, BONUS CHALLENGE for listeners: say “parapluie” five times fast with correct French pronunciation. Let us know in the comments if you succeeded! 

Music

• Danielle Licari dubbing Genevieve, José Bartel for Guy, Christiane Legrand as Mme. Emery
• Music by Michel Legrand, libretto by Jacques Demy

Released by 20th Century Fox 

Show Notes

• This music set to ice skating by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, it’s just divine.
• Composer Michel Legrand performing the theme song “I Will Wait for You” in English in the 1970s.
• Legrand, again, conducting the Brussels Philharmonic playing the theme music.
• A brief video essay explaining the French New Wave of the late-50s/early-60s, which undoubtedly had influence on this and many other films of the same time period
• A show clip of “Umbrellas’” stage production in the West End in 2011, with creative staging and ensemble involvement

Music:

• “I Got Rhythm,” performed by Gene Kelly
• “Tra-La-La (This Time It’s Really Love),” by Gene Kelly and Oscar Levant
• “Love is Here to Stay,” by Gene Kelly
• “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise,” by Georges Guétary
• “An American in Paris,” danced by Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron

Music by Ira Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Show Notes

• How “An American in Paris” changed the Hollywood movie musical for good
• Martin Scorsese’s personal journey through musicals in Hollywood
• The Broadway production of “An American in Paris” performing the title number at the White House
• Julian Ovenden’s (from “Downton Abbey”) rendition of “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” will just blow you away.
• Get tickets to see the Broadway production in cinemas later this month!

“CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!” went the podcast! And despite all the noise, we are excited to chat with y’all about the heartwarming, fun-filled Classic from 1944; Meet Me in St. Louis! Join us as we dissect this sweet love letter to St. Louis starring Judy Garland. We will be discussing the musical choices as related the the direction of the film, our favorite scenes, and St. Louis’ own little serial killer sweetheart: Tootie. This episode is a load of fun and we are starting to get into the meat and potatoes of movie musical production. Let us know what you think about Meet Me in Saint Louis and the season so far! Join us on social media to discuss what 3 decades of movie musicals has added to the tradition you know and love. 

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Recording: YouTube | Amazon | iTunes 

Songs:

• “Meet Me in St. Louis” Performed by Judy Garland
• “The Boy Next Door” by Judy Garland
• “Under the Bamboo Tree” by Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien
• “The Trolley Song” by Judy Garland and the MGM Studio Chorus
• “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland

Music and lyrics are by various artists. Some songs are traditional and adapted from the turn of the century, while others were written for the film by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.

Distributed by Loew’s, Inc.  

Show Notes:

• The first look photo of Renee Zellweger as Judy in her upcoming biopic, set in her later years.
• A side-by-side of the Trolley scene and Judy Davis’ recreation from “Me and My Shadows.”
• Article about Margaret O’Brien’s Oscar getting stolen and returned to her 50 years later.
• The ugly side of old Hollywood beauty. 
• Info on the Cakewalk

It’s time to tip your hat and tap your toes to movie musical of the week: Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This is one of nine of their collaborations together and is so fun! Join us as we compare the major advances of this movie to The Broadway Melody, as well as the drama surrounding “the feather dress.” Show us love and let us know what you think about our season so far!

Podcast cover art: David Taylor

Twitter: @bwaybabies Facebook: Facebook.com/broadwaybabiespodcast

Recording: Netflix | Amazon | YouTube

Songs:

• Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
• No Strings (Fancy Free)
• What a Lovely Day
• Cheek to Cheek
• The Lil Piccolo (Ensemble)

Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin 

Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures

Show Notes:

• • Settle for Me, squeeeeee!

  • TCM on Top Hat 

  • The dress!