It's December. "We need a little Christmas, right this very minute." I'm in the mood for some seasonal music and, you know me, I love show tunes. So, I'm posting a few Broadway-based tunes inspired by Hollywood movies.
Even though she had three Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations to her credit, Hollywood never really did utilize the musical comedy gifts of Angela Lansbury. Broadway did and the recognition revived her career in a dazzling way. AUNTIE MAME by Patrick Dennis was a best-selling comedy novel turned into a hit Broadway play of the same name starring Rosalind Russell and then turned into a hit Oscar-nominated movie also starring Rosalind Russell. It was turned into a smash Broadway musical called MAME starring Angela Lansbury. She became the Toast of Broadway four years after brilliantly playing the evil mother in 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Here's one of the songs Lansbury introduced as Auntie Mame.
I've heard this song played for decades during the holidays by top recording stars. I had no idea until this year that it's from a Broadway musical. Meredith Willson, of THE MUSIC MAN fame, wrote the score for a Broadway musical version of the classic 1947 movie, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET. The 1963 show was called HERE'S LOVE. A song from Willson's score is "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas." Perry Como wasn't in the show, but he recorded the song.
Billy Wilder's classic comedy, SOME LIKE IT HOT, has a new musical adaptation that's now getting raves in previews before its official Broadway opening. Wilder's classic film, THE APARTMENT, was turned into a 1968 Broadway musical called PROMISES, PROMISES with music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The Christmas office party scene in THE APARTMENT got a production number in PROMISES, PROMISES called "Turkey Lurkey Time." Two of its chorus dancers, Baayork Lee as "Miss Wong" and Donna McKechnie as "Miss Della Hoya," were also in the original Broadway cast of the highly acclaimed 1975 Broadway musical drama, A CHORUS LINE.
"Turkey Lurkey Time" was performed on the Tony Awards.
Happy Holidays!
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