From, of course, the inimitable “Auntie Mame” (1958, dir Morton Da Costa). Well, it was just ghastly. Joanna Barnes as the out-of-her-depth debutante Gloria Upson, trying desperately to play catch up with Mame Dennis. Watch out for the film-buff favorite Lee Patrick (“Well, it was amusing.”), an actress woefully underappreciated today, if remembered at all.
From Bette Midler’s 1976 tour, Live at Last. A little schtick, a little ballad. I saw it at the Century Theater in Buffalo and remember this bit vividly.
The Housemartins sing “Are You Ready?” from 1986. It’s lovely, if burdened by the director (?) struggling with finding something for the boys to do. It was probably the biggest curse of 80s videos in which the musicians were expected to match their actions to lyrics written months or years earlier.
This most sparkling video from 1985 for the recently reunited Spandau Ballet shows just exactly why the New Romantic subset of New Wave has the most lasting appeal. “Listening to Marvin all night long. . .”
This classic clip from the Three Stooges (doubly so, as it’s in color) shows the triad with a bevy of Columbia-brand cuties getting into the mood, with a most unlikely inspiration (date and director unknown).
Hard to believe that a woman of Elliott’s size could be a pop star, but it’s actually what helped her get there. Of course, it also helped her leave this world, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Here is a great pop tune, an ode to 70’s style go-it-alone-ism.
Dedicated to none other than Keith H, who I can still see doing the shimmy to this song all these years later. From “Lust in the Dust” (1985, dir Paul Bartel).
Nothing is more enjoyable than trolling through video sites that feature some great singers enjoying each other’s company. That feeling is present here, as Eddie Fisher, Andy Williams, and Bobby Darin begin singing “Do Re Mi,” a little self-consciously at first, then warming to it as they feel the audience responding. The formal wear, the simple stage, and that beautiful Technicolor all make for a dazzling number.
And in this video you can see why and hear what the term means. Dorothy Loudon had a hit on Broadway in “Annie” just before her turn in “Ballroom,” from which this song comes. Sentimental odes to marital infidelity don’t come around that often, much less sympathetic ones, but Loudon pulls it off.
The ever-delightful Jean Arthur delightfully conveys to tyro Senator James Stewart how a bill is introduced to the US Senate. From, of course, “Mr Smith Goes to Washington” (1939, dir Frank Capra).
