Search Results for: blog the music man 1962

Tristi’s Favorite Musicals

I grew up watching musicals. I love Doris Day, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire – in fact, there are very few movie stars from Hollywood’s golden era that I don’t like. There’s just nothing like a man and woman gazing into each other’s eyes and then breaking into song. Some of my all-time favorite musicals are, in no particular order: “Oklahoma!” Who could forget Shirley Jones in her first role as shy and idealistic Laurie, caught up in her feelings for that rascally cowboy, Curly? “Show Boat” took on a tough topic – that of race discrimination – and brought us … Continue reading →

Gypsy (1962) (1993)

“Gypsy” is a Sondheim musical based on the true life story of Gypsy Rose Lee, the most famous stripper in our history. This may seem like a strange movie for me to review, but let me explain why I found it worth discussing. Two versions of the film were done, one in 1962 and starring Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell, the other made in 1993 and starring Bette Midler and Cynthia Gibb. I’ve seen them both, the Bette Midler version just last night. This review will encompass both films. Madame Rose has two daughters, one named Louise and the other, … Continue reading →

The Music Man (1962)

Seventy-six trombones led the big parade, and I think that’s how many times I’ve seen this classic Meredith Wilson movie. Robert Preston stars as Professor Harold Hill, a traveling salesman who is also a traveling swindler. With a new gimmick every month and thousands of unsuspecting “customers” to approach, he keeps himself busy traveling from town to town, fleecing the populace. But he’s never been anywhere like River City, Iowa, a town where the people are prejudiced against anyone who’s not just like them. His job may be a little more tricky than usual. His line this time around is … Continue reading →

Winners of the Caldecott Medal: 1958-1962

Come read the books deemed worthy of the Caldecott Medal! Since I do not know a lot about art except what I see, I am giving a brief synopsis of each book along with a comment about the artwork here and there. I am also including lists of the Honor winners for each year. I hope you enjoy my series. Feel free to leave comments!! 1958 “Time of Wonder” by Robert McCloskey In this book, Robert McCloskey takes the reader on a tour of the imagination. From tiny islands and beaches to sailing in a boat being followed by dolphins, … Continue reading →

How Much Would You Pay for Famous Stuff?

How much would you be willing to shell out for the desk and chair Charles Dickens used to write “Great Expectations?” Unless you would have been willing to fork over $850,001 then you wouldn’t have gone home with the items. According to reports, the new owner of the historic mahogany desk and walnut chair paid $850,000 for the right to call it his. (By the way the buyer told auction officials that he made the money to buy the lot from his tarot card psychic readings business. Perhaps, his winning bid was made in the cards.) Dickens’ desk and chair … Continue reading →

Movies Week in Review – March 3rd-8th

I had so much fun watching movies this week! I’d like to share with you the highlights of the films I saw. I’ll be adding some reviews from the previous week, as well. “McLintock!” is a classic John Wayne movie and one of my dad’s favorites. Possessing one of the longest fight scenes in history, this is definitely a man’s movie, although there were elements of it I enjoyed as well, despite Maureen O’Hara’s tendency to overact. “Gypsy” is a Sondheim musical which tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, first famous exotic dancer. The show explores her past and … Continue reading →

Ike Turner Dead at 67

One of my earliest memories of television was seeing the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. I remember them singing “Proud Mary.” It amazed me how slowly the song started out with Ike’s deep baritone voice, then switched to a quick tempo with Tina and the back up singers lively dancing. To this day, I love that song, so it sadden me a bit to hear that Ike Turner died today at his home in San Diego today the age of 67. Of course, I was a child when I fell in love with “Proud Mary” and had no idea of … Continue reading →

Celebrity Tragedy: Alan Freed

In case you have not noticed, Michele and I are the yin yang of the pop culture blog. She usually concentrates on cheery stories about weddings and babies while I tend to focus a bit on the darker side of fame. I mean, after all, you have to admit that Hollywood has its share of tragedies. But, all areas of fame have their dark side, their tragic stories of the good gone bad. Such is the case of 50’s super disc jockey Alan Freed. I had briefly mentioned Alan Freed when I was talking about Jesse Blevin, a singer who … Continue reading →

Inspector Gadget (1999)

I grew up watching the cartoon, so when I saw that the adventures of the lovable cyber-sleuth had been made into a movie, I was excited to see it. The jury’s still out on what I thought of it – perhaps writing this review will help crystallize my opinion. Matthew Broderick stars as John Brown, a security guard who longs to be a real policeman. He is the guardian of Penny, a pre-teen girl with a puppy named Brain, and he lives a simple, uncomplicated life, watching over the laboratory owned by Dr. Brenda Bradford (Joely Fisher) and her father, … Continue reading →

WarGames (1983)

“WarGames” stars Matthew Broderick as David, a seventeen-year-old high school student who’s obsessed with computers and computer games. He’s got a pretty sweet setup in his bedroom with computer, modem, printer, the works – and he enjoys hacking into the high school computer system to change his grades as needed. (And it’s needed plenty often.) One day he sees an ad for a new game being produced by a nearby toy company, and he decides to hack into that computer and see the schematics for the new game. Harmless, right? What he doesn’t realize is that he has hacked into … Continue reading →