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Just a smattering of musicals worth bothering with
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
I noted there were no musicals on your recent list of favorite movies. I have only one on mine. Are there any which were close to making your list? How about Westerns?
JOE TRIONE, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Dear Astute Observer,
I recall many years ago when Grandfather Smithee sat down in his most comfortable chair and, at the insistence of feminine female members of the Smithee clan, deigned to watch “West Side Story.”
The film’s opening progressed ever so slowly. There was the majestic New York skyline in various hues and, eventually, a camera above the city moving along at inchworm speed.
Then the Jets and/or Sharks made their entrance. And, suddenly, these young men broke into balletic dance moves.
At that very moment, Grandfather Smithee rose from his most comfortable chair, walked briskly to his black-and-white television set and turned the channel.
In other words, musicals have not been very prominent in my life.
Certainly, I like some of them.
But I’d rather watch “The French Connection” than “Funny Girl.” Or “Seven” without the added “Brides for Seven Brothers.”
I hate “Moulin Rouge!” and every other musical with an exclamation point at the end of the title. That’s right, I’m talking about you, “Oliver!”
I don’t relish “Singin’ in the Rain” (though parts of it are very good), and I’d rather rip out my own eyeballs than be subjected to one second of “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.”
But I do like some musicals. Here they are:
1. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) —- Smart, funny, inventive.
2. “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) —- Somebody explain to me why Bert Lahr did not win a supporting-actor Oscar.
3. “White Christmas” (1954) —- Bing Crosby is in some kind of other movie, calling Danny Kaye’s character a “weirdsmobile.”
4. “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) —- Anytime I or my once-wee sons D.W. and Cecil B. arrive in Sin City for poker and blackjack, the title song is on our I-Pods and car stereo.
5. “Top Hat” (1935) —- Fred Astaire is the Man.
6. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) —- You have to admire a film made for next to nothing and ends up having a life of its own.
7. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) —- Best animated musical ever.
8. “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) —- Second best animated musical ever.
9. “Dancer in the Dark” (2000) —- Anybody who knows me knows how much I admire Lars von Trier.
10. “The Sound of Music” (1965) —- A perfect piece of movie fluff.
As for Westerns, I am a big fan of these: “The Searchers,” “Red River,” “The Wild Bunch,” the original “Stagecoach,” “The Magnificent Seven” and, most definitely, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
ALAN
P.S. You get an “Idlewild” flask and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Dear Mr. Smithee,
What is your favorite Deborah Kerr movie and why?
JIM ANDERL, St. Paul, Minn.
Dear Getting To Know You,
You seem to presume that there’s been a Deborah Kerr movie I have liked.
I do understand her popularity in her day, her professionalism and her ability to make well-known films. But I don’t know that I’ve ever thought to myself, “Let’s see, which Deborah Kerr movie would I like to watch today?”
That said, I will honor her recent passing by remarking on a couple of instances where I found much reason to respect her work.
My favorite Kerr films are (in order) “The Night of the Iguana” (1964), “The Innocents” (1961) and “The King and I” (1956).
Note that the latter isn’t on my list of top musicals.
I think I prefer “Iguana” most of all —- it’s dark, brooding and sexually charged.
“From Here To Eternity”? I’m not a big fan of big-screen soap operas.
There may be a huge fan base for “An Affair to Remember,” but I can’t bring myself to watch it. I just can’t.
ALAN
P.S. You get a “Grindhouse” T-shirt and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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