All tagged The Wizard of Oz

Why the Hate For Musicals Based on Films?

Why the Hate For Musicals Based on Films?

Mark Robinson
Music That Makes Me Dance

In the last ten years or so, there have been a great many musicals opening on Broadway that are based on movies. I have also noticed a wave of disgust for these adaptations, people citing that we need more original story ideas. Though I often find myself frustrated with the results of these adaptations, I can’t necessarily say that I am opposed to musicals being the basis for a Broadway musical. After all, we have received many quality musicals that were based on films: Waitress, The Band’s Visit, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Applause, Carnival!, Sunset Boulevard, The Full Monty, The Producers, Nine, Billy Elliott, Spamalot, Silk Stockings, Dogfight, Grand Hotel, Grey Gardens, Kinky Boots, A Man of No Importance, Promises, Promises, Shrek, and Woman of the Yearare all fine examples. So, why all sour faces and crinkled noses (mine sometimes included) for the influx of musicals based on films? 

Best Song Oscar – Clips of Every Winner

Best Song Oscar – Clips of Every Winner

Mark Robinson
Cinematters, Second Star to the Right

Here’s a binge list that I think many of you will love. I went, year by year, and found clips of every Oscar-winning Best Song, from 1934 to the present. It’s one hell of a list, full of great songs an loads of terrific performances. Wherever I could, I tried to find clips from the actual films. Only a few eluded me, so I had to stray outside that format. I enjoyed putting it together for you. In honor of this year’s nominees, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

The Ten Best Film Performances of Judy Garland

The Ten Best Film Performances of Judy Garland

Mark Robinson
Cinematters

If you love musicals then there is a pretty good chance that you are a fan of Judy Garland. No female star of classic Hollywood shown as brightly in musicals as Judy, who often held her own against (or out-shown) co-stars such as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Van Johnson. They called her “the little girl with the big voice”, but what she really was had more to do with her extreme talent and the unbridled energy she poured into each performance. This article may not be the perfect topic for the holidays, but as I was thinking of what gift I could give to my readers, it was clear: I should share my favorite moments of my favorite film star. I hope you enjoy watching these clips as much as I enjoyed assembling them for you!

1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year

1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year

Robbie Rozelle
Cinematters

Most movie buffs are aware that a disproportionate number of Hollywood’s greatest films were released in 1939. The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington are among the 510 titles of the golden age of the Silver Screen that opened in 1939. What film fans may or may not know is the myriad number of films that came out in that amazing year. Whether you are cognizant of this or not, you will most definitely enjoy a new book that has just been released by Rowan & Littlefield Press: 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year by Thomas S. Hischak.

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