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Posted by Fred Goodwin, CMA on 07/11/06 13:17
Rat Pack, Stooges in Western
<http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/preview/articles/0707mullercol0707.html>
http://tinyurl.com/s2aqn
Bill Muller
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
This week I find the link between Dean Martin and the Three Stooges,
look into the plight of Porgy and Bess and Song of the South, locate
Jericho and a South African Oscar winner.
[excerpt for SOTS]
Q: Are the studios ever going to release Porgy and Bess or Song of the
South on DVD? I realize they would not be politically correct at these
times, but I think these are great old movies.
A: So far, those films remain out of circulation because they contain
racial stereotypes about African-Americans.
The 1959 Otto Preminger version of Porgy and Bess, which was set to the
music of George Gershwin and starred Sydney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge
and Sammy Davis Jr., remains out of print. (since 1974, Imdb.com
reports). But if you're interested in hearing the Gershwin opera, you
can buy the 1993 TV movie on DVD. (It starred Willard White and Cynthia
Haymon).
Probably even deeper in the deep freeze is Song of the South, which
featured Uncle Remus (James Baskett) telling stories about Br'er Rabbit
and his animated pals. The movie has a Web site devoted to its DVD
release, but such an event is not likely, considering Disney's
nervousness on the subject.
Earlier this year, Disney's dilemma over Song of the South was parodied
on Saturday Night Live. On the show's animated segment, TV Funhouse,
two kids travel to the Disney vault and not only see an outrageous
re-edit of Song of the South, but also bump into Walt's frozen head.
You can find that clip at the fan site:
http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/index.html
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