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Posted: |
Oct 25, 2008 - 7:17 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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He may have been joking, but on the "WOOF" closing thread, our Mr. Lukas said:
.....Now leave me alone so I can get back to my very heterosexual life of producing a CD of a classic M-G-M musical...
Lukas.....
Can this be possible?
For years I have felt that Lukas should invest just a bit of time in producing the occasional MGM Musical CD from the library for those "Golden-Agers" who love them---and then offering them in very limited pressings of 1000-1500 so they'd sell out immediately.
There are some wonderful things still untapped in the MGM 1950s-60s catalog including THE BELLE OF NEW YORK and DEEP IN MY HEART (in stereo)---both available on download but not hard-copy CD, and also Cole Porter's LES GIRLS, Friml's ROSE MARIE, Romberg's THE STUDENT PRINCE (all also in stereo), and many more like EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS, MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID, GIVE A GIRL A BREAK, EASY TO LOVE, THE MERRY WIDOW, JUPITER'S DARLING, THE TOAST OF NEW ORLEANS, THAT MIDNIGHT KISS, INVITATION TO THE DANCE, and a refurbished HIGH SOCIETY, to name just a few.
If we'd add in the 1930s and 1940s, there are vastly more.
What makes many of these scores particularly wonderful, besides the songs, is the orchestral underscore. Listening to the scoring of ATHENA, HIT THE DECK, BRIGADOON, SHOW BOAT, and others which have already been released on CD, is a revelation, and you begin to realize, once you've heard this music in the clear, how much effort has gone into this aspect of the musicals, by such giants as Johnny Green, Adolph Deutsch, Conrad Salinger, Sandy Courage, Hugo Friedhofer, Carmen Dragon, Bronislau Kaper, and others.
Are there any takers besides myself, who would buy every single release?
Any speculation on Lukas' offhand comment?
Any suggestions for MGM favorites not already released on Rhino (or FSM, for that matter)?
I know that there will be some filmscore purists who feel that old musicals are a prostitution of the film scoring process that they hold dear, but there are others, like myself, who simply feel that, given the same talents involved in both dramas and musicals, it is simply an extension of the scoring catalog. I hope those of you who are not interested in this form of film scoring won't rain on the parade of those who do hold an interest. I don't think we're asking that musicals take over anywhere near the majority of FSM releases.
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Posted: |
Oct 26, 2008 - 2:06 AM
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By: |
shicorp
(Member)
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That's outstanding news!
Of course, the first thing to go would be a complete "High Society", but I doubt this will ever happen without the support of the Sinatra estate. Others I can think of are "The Barkleys Of Broadway", "The Belle Of New York" (uncompressed!), "Till The Clouds Roll By", "Words And Music", "Anchors Aweigh", "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", "On The Town", "Deep In My Heart" and "Les Girls". I guess, "Pagan Love Song" or "Small Town Girl" would be great too. I just love that MGM sound.
I wouldn't bet on any Sinatra or Lanza-related releases, though. I would love to see them, but I guess these things aren't happening...
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Are there any takers besides myself, who would buy every single release?
Yes.
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Posted: |
Oct 26, 2008 - 10:41 AM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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That's outstanding news!
Of course, the first thing to go would be a complete "High Society", but I doubt this will ever happen without the support of the Sinatra estate. Others I can think of are "The Barkleys Of Broadway", "The Belle Of New York" (uncompressed!), "Till The Clouds Roll By", "Words And Music", "Anchors Aweigh", "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", "On The Town", "Deep In My Heart" and "Les Girls". I guess, "Pagan Love Song" or "Small Town Girl" would be great too. I just love that MGM sound.
I wouldn't bet on any Sinatra or Lanza-related releases, though. I would love to see them, but I guess these things aren't happening...
I think "On the Town" might have a case made for it as a "missing classic" on CD.
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Posted: |
Oct 26, 2008 - 11:11 AM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....Do you know if there are still problems with "The Student Prince" soundtrack and RCA ?
If Lukas can't use Lanza's tracks, could he not issue all the other music from the film, so that we could make up an album from the Lanza tracks we already have?.....
I imagine there ARE still problems with the Lanza, CH-CD, but you never know when they might be worked out. As I understand it, RCA/BMG has now been sold completely to Sony Music group, so they now apparently own the Columbia and RCA libraries.
I don't know that Sony would ever want to issue a complete STUDENT PRINCE on their own---they'd certainly have to negotiate with Turner/Warner for the underscore and Blyth material---so why not the other way around where Turner/Warner (via FSM) negotiates for the Lanza material? Who knows?
The Sinatra material is also always an issue, but the estate DID agree to a massive 6-disc box set of Sinatra film material (crossing various labels and studios) on Rhino some years ago, so who knows about that either?
I've also always had the same thought that you expressed, wherein Lukas might issue in a simple batch in a box, some of the other material from the film scores in which either of these two participated and then we could re-assemble them on our own, using other existing material.
A Lanza, including TOAST OF NEW ORLEANS, THAT MIDNIGHT KISS, THE GREAT CARUSO, BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE, and THE STUDENT PRINCE---and a Sinatra, including ANCHORS AWEIGH, IT HAPPENED IN BROOKLYN, THE KISSING BANDIT, ON THE TOWN, and HIGH SOCIETY would be of value.
George Feltenstein has been ingeniously issuing original session HIGH SOCIETY material on a number of various Turner/Warner compilations from "Louis Armstrong at MGM" to the "Hollywood Swing and Jazz" collection to the Sinatra Rhino box for some years now, so this title is nearly complete (if you wanted to assemble it yourself), except for the underscore. (.....As is much of ANCHORS AWEIGH and ON THE TOWN)
It seems to me the musicals CD idea is the next logical step for Lukas---not as a massive effort---but including 2-or-3 musicals releases among the 20-or-so regular scores each year---but particularly, in limited editions.
I believe there is a very extended market of interest out there in the collectors' field for classic movie musicals and their performers which is not, for the most part, reflected in the collectors' group that inhabits this particular board. You have only to peruse the internet (eg. Home Theatre Forum, CASTRECL, among others), to find the discussions and fans.
The popularity of box sets of musical movies on DVD---"Classic MGM Musicals", "Frank Sinatra-The Early Years", "Alice Faye Collection", "Betty Grable Collection", "Carmen Miranda Collection", "Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Collection", "Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney Collection", "Esther Williams Collection", the various Bing Crosby musical two-fers, and many others, certainly reflects this public interest. There's no reason why Lukas shouldn't get on board and get a piece of this specialized interest for himself.
(......and Nick Redman, with Varese and Intrada, too!  )
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Yeah, first of all . . . ORDERED!!!
--No matter what it is.
Secondly, would an FSM-movie-musical release perhaps have to have some other non-movie-musical angle going for it? For instance, if it's the work of one of the "usual FSM suspects," so to speak? I'm thinking of the way John Barry did "Alice's Adentures in Wonderland," Alex North worked on "I'll Cry Tomorrow," John Williams worked on "Goodbye Mr. Chips." In other words, should we be concentrating on musicals which happen to have been scored by one of the regular-dramatic-underscoring greats?
Another thought is, could this release have something to do with a sudden, unexpected archival discovery? Did Lukas turn up the original orchestrations of "Gigi," for instance? Something like that?
Also, what do we mean by "classic MGM musical"? Could this also include classic musicals whose music rights happen to belong to MGM nowadays?
Why is this starting to feel like a Kritzerland guessing thread . . . and what's it doing on the non-music discussion board?
WOOF!
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Posted: |
Oct 26, 2008 - 5:55 PM
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By: |
manderley
(Member)
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.....Why is this starting to feel like a Kritzerland guessing thread . . . and what's it doing on the non-music discussion board?.....
I started it here so it would be seen by the Golden Age filmscore fans who frequent this side of the board because it's often more interesting , and, because when we talk of ewwwww---Musicals---on the other side, we often get slapped-down.....
As for this possible release, I think it would not be a re-hash of one of the previously released Turner/Rhino CDs, because those were often quite complete.
It could be INVITATION TO THE DANCE with music by Previn, Ibert, Rimsky-Korsakov, and, perhaps, the discarded score by Malcolm Arnold, but, other than the song sequence with Kelly, "Dance Me A Song", which was also discarded, there are not songs in this film. Is INVITATION TO THE DANCE a "classic" MGM musical?
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Posted: |
Oct 27, 2008 - 10:26 AM
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By: |
CH-CD
(Member)
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It could be INVITATION TO THE DANCE with music by Previn, Ibert, Rimsky-Korsakov, and, perhaps, the discarded score by Malcolm Arnold, but, other than the song sequence with Kelly, "Dance Me A Song", which was also discarded, there are not songs in this film. Is INVITATION TO THE DANCE a "classic" MGM musical?
M....I think that, compared to today's dross - anything from that period could be called a classic. Even when it was only a low budget piece from MGM, it always had a certain "something" about it.
"Invitation to the Dance" is not perfect, but nonetheless, very enjoyable.
Wasn't there a 10" LP issued from this ????
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Posted: |
Nov 13, 2008 - 6:18 PM
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By: |
sammyp
(Member)
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i
The popularity of box sets of musical movies on DVD---"Classic MGM Musicals", "Frank Sinatra-The Early Years", "Alice Faye Collection", "Betty Grable Collection", "Carmen Miranda Collection", "Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Collection", "Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney Collection", "Esther Williams Collection", the various Bing Crosby musical two-fers, and many others, certainly reflects this public interest. There's no reason why Lukas shouldn't get on board and get a piece of this specialized interest for himself.
(......and Nick Redman, with Varese and Intrada, too! )
Actually the recent Carmen Miranda and Alice Faye DVD box sets include some isolated score tracks complete with vocals:
ROSE OF WASHINGTON SQ (already on CD through Varese)
FOUR JILLS ON A JEEP
HELLO FRISCO HELLO
IF I'M LUCKY
DOLL FACE
They all sound superb. You can actually create your own CD if you wish.
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"Now leave me alone so I can get back to my very heterosexual life of producing a CD of a classic M-G-M musical."
It's been almost five months!
What's the usual lead time -- if there is such a thing -- on an FSM release?
Could there be a clue somehow in the choice of the term "leave me alone"?
As in "I vant to be alone"? Garbo? "Ninotchka"? An expanded "Silk Stockings"?
How 'bout the term "very heterosexual life"?
"The Opposite Sex"? "Les Girls"? "I Love Melvin"?
Please, Lukas, sir . . .
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"Now leave me alone so I can get back to my very heterosexual life of producing a CD of a classic M-G-M musical."
It's been almost five months!
What's the usual lead time -- if there is such a thing -- on an FSM release?
Could there be a clue somehow in the choice of the term "leave me alone"?
As in "I vant to be alone"? Garbo? "Ninotchka"? An expanded "Silk Stockings"?
Rhino/TCM released an expanded "Silk Stockings" but it is no longer available on CD except from non-Amazon sources. I bought my copy some time ago and it is nice.
Amazon does give you the option of downloading individual songs from the soundtrack.
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