Juanita Hall sings "Happy Talk" on YouTube

[marknyc]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 3:48pm

I'm pretty proud of this one - it was very difficult, because Muriel Smith made no attempt to match Hall's phrasing, and the tempo in the last half was far slower than the OBC recording.

But in this song in particular, I really prefer Juanita's voice. See what you think.

(I tried to ger rid of those damn color filters, but it's impossible!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGfMLnMowhw

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 4:05pm

I love Muriel Smith, but there was really no reason to dub Juanita's voice in this movie. Just one of the many bad judgment calls made in this film.

With all those changing disco filters... and Joshua Logan off his meds... I can barely even watch this anymore.

EDIT: And nice job with the syncing, BTW!

Updated On: 9/9/08 at 04:05 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 4:09pm

Just for comparison... here's the final movie version with Muriel's voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMORAZCog5A&feature=related

[marknyc]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 4:13pm

Thanks - would love to see your comment on the youtube page, too!

Mark

[PalJoey]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 4:29pm

Whoever finally figures out how to remove those filters should be give an Oscar.

Then they can try to figure out how to remove Mitzi Gaynor.

[Patash]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 4:46pm

Wow. I so much prefer Juanita Hall's own voice to the dubbed version.

[marknyc]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 5:31pm

Logan had directed the stage version and he set off the songs by giving them different lighting - he wanted to do the same thing for the film.

In Hawaii, they shot most of the songs with the filters and also without the filters, as protection. Fox and Magna (the producers of the film) thought this was costing too much and ordered Logan to shoot only with the filters.

In the original tests, the change to color filters was a very subtle effect.

When Logan finished the film, he did not stay with it through postproduction as he was scheduled to direct a Broadway play. When he saw the film, Fox had pumped the color very high during the color filters - not what Logan wanted at all.

......In the beginning it was cinematographer Shamroy's purpose to use the filters only to pep up aspect of the beach scenes, which were the first scheduled for shooting after arrival on location at Kauai, and perhaps to give an emotional fillup to one or two of the love scenes in the closing sequences.

But as Josh Logan saw the results of Shamroy's first efforts, he decided to extend the technique to more and more of the picture.
At one time, the irascible Shamroy, perturbed by Logan's repeated requests for a filter effect, demanded: "What the hell are you trying to make, Josh? You just don't do things this way in pictures!"

When Shamroy's first footage was processed by Technicolor and screened for Fox executives, opinion was strongly against his color innovation, and he was so advised by cable. When he explained the filters were employed to offset the bad weather and permit the company to continue it's regular schedule of shooting, one executive cabled: "What are you trying to do? Control the elements, too?"......

[Li'l_Devil]

Posted: 9/9/08 at 7:06pm

Then they can try to figure out how to remove Mitzi Gaynor.

IMO Miss Gaynor was one of the best things about the film and besides the wonderful score probably one of the only reasons I watch the film today.