Posted by Frank R.A.J. Maloney on 07/04/06 17:40

Derek Janssen wrote:
> Frank R.A.J. Maloney wrote:
>> Howard Brazee wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Why has the musical _Flower Drum Song_ mostly disappeared? Because
>>> it isn't about white folk?
>>
>> I suppose you know "Flower Drum Song" was revived and revised for
>> Broadway in 2002, with a new book by David Henry Hwang, and some
>> changes to the lyrics and numbers. It ran for 169 performances
>> compared to the 600 performance-run of the original production.
>>
>> I find it more than interesting that one of the more positive user
>> comments was by the son of Dong Kingman, the artist who created the
>> beautiful opening and closing title paintings for the film.
>>
>> The son wrote in part: "In many ways a beautiful film, and a case
>> can be made, a pioneering one. Okay so it is a bit corny, a few
>> young members of audience uneasily snickered at the stereotypes,
>> scenes could have been cut, especially one fantasy sequence. Yet the
>> Flower Drum Song endures and to enjoy."
>>
>> All of which confirms the opinions of this Irish-American that
>> _Flower Drum Song_ is far from the most egregious thing that has
>> ever been filmed about the Chinese in America.
>
> And a viewing of "State Fair" will continue the debate about whether
> FDS really *IS* the lamest and least immortal Rodgers & Hammerstein
> ever filmed.
> Derek Janssen (it's the "I Enjoy Being a Girl" one...How good could
> it BE??) djanss@comcast.net

Tastes very. I enjoy the 1945 version quite a lot. The only thing about the
1962 version that I prefer is Wally Cox as the mince meat judge over Donald
Meek but both are terrific.

In 1945 MGM came up with a cast that featured the lovely Jeanne Crain, the
lovely Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Charles Wininger, Fay
Bainter, Percy Kilbride, and Harry Morgan inter alios.

The songs are sweet and sentimental and schmaltzy and cheesy and tuneful
delights, whether it's "It's Might As Well Be Spring" or "It's a Grand Night
For Singing", "Isn't It Kinda Fun?" or "All I Owe I-O-Way."

And It's gorgeously photographed and produced. I just wish Haymes had run
off with Vivian Blaine instead of settling for that simpy girl friend back
home.

BTW, _State Fair_ is based a novel by Philip Strong. It was also the source
of a non-musical version from 1933 with Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers, and Lew
Ayres. I'd love to see it.

--
Frank in Seattle
____

Frank Richard Aloysius Jude Maloney
"Millennium hand and shrimp."

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