Musicals Ruined On Film

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:03pm

To me, the following were not faithfully adapted on the big screen

1. Funny Girl - More than 1/2 the score gone
2. A Funny Thing - Again 1/2 the score gone
3. Annie - The less said the better
4. Irma La Douce - The entire score gone
5. The Unsinkable Molly Brown - More than 2/3 of score gone
6. On A Clear Day - Again half the score gone

The sad part is that with the exception of # 3, the above all had great casts & had they retained the scores or most of them they would have been much much better

Updated On: 10/1/03 at 11:03 PM

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:05pm

I liked the television remake of ANNIE.

Also liked the remake of Cinderella (the one that was touring)

But in terms of musicals that were ruined when they turned them into movies are definately

A CHORUS LINE
and even though it was not a film per say
JEKYLL AND HYDE

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:12pm

Yes, the Aileen uinn version of ANNIE was an abomination. I also ejoyed teh Alicia Morton-Victor Garber-Kathy bates television remake more.

I am not a fan of some of the alterations made to CAROUSEL for the screen version.... those things range from the scenes of Billy polishing stars at teh beginning and not being shown when first arriving in heaven down to changing the word "damn" to "hang" in "Soliloquy".

[CJR]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:17pm

Definitely agree on ACL -- although I love the movie because Vicki Frederick was in it, it does NOT do the stage show justice!

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:18pm

Now shows that went from Movie to Stage are something totally else...

Even though they were not works of art, I still enjoyed (in a mindless fun sort of way)

Footloose
Saturday Night Fever
and
Debbie Does Dallas

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:22pm

Nearly every Broadway musical bought by a Hollywood studio from 1929 to the 1950s was severely compromised in its film adaptation. Cole Porter's sophisticated and risque lyrics were especially 'cleaned up' or discarded after the Production Code came into full effect in 1935. It was more common than not for nearly the entire original Broadway scores to be junked in favor of all new (usually lesser) songs by secondary hands. In the 1950s, Hollywood adapted a somewhat more respectful stance towards Broadway originals. It's astonishing to realize that both "Moonshine Lullabye" and "I Got Lost In His Arms" were not included in MGM's ANNIE GET YOUR GUN - but it's equally astonishing (for other reasons) that "I'm A Bad, Bad Man", "Col. Buffalo Bill" and "I'm An Indian Too" were cut from the recent Broadway revival.

Updated On: 9/30/03 at 11:22 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:27pm

"To me, the following were not faithfully adapted on the big screen..."

To me, in general and not judging any one film/musical, the transformation from stage to screen or screen to stage does not mean to duplicate and display in a different form, it means to transform a work so that its storyline can be presented to the best magnitude in a different format. Some things work better on stage, others on screen, others on paper.

DUH!

And I must say that CHICAGO was much better as a movie than a stage musical.

[superperson]

Posted: 9/30/03 at 11:47pm

Oh man! I thought I was the only person who prefered the Chicago movie to the show! And I also thought the ABC Annie remake was cute. Ugh, I remember the helicopter scene in the first Annie movie and laughing hysterically. It was just so bad.

[billyweeds]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:16am

The worst movie adaptation of a great musical was the travesty they made of "Carousel." The stage-bound sets and the uninspired acting and singing serve to make one of the greatest musicals of all time seem mediocre and dull. What a bummer.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:18am

amen Billy.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:31am

why does everyone hate the movie Annie?? I grew up on that film, and it was the moviwe that made me fall in love with musicals!! And how can you NOT love Carol Burnet and Burnadette Peters and Tim Curry in that?? I did Annie a couple years ago, and i gotta say I like thge movie better than the stage version, but i HATED the tv remake! the cast was bad (with the exception of Kristin Chenoweth-LOVE her!) and the Annie in that version stunk..
Oh, and I also like the movie Chicago better than the stage show =)

[StinKer Roadmann]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:39am

The original Annie movie has a warm spot in my heart just because I'd watched it endless times as a kid and still enjoy the occasional rerun on tv.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 1:03am

I have to also chime in on the film of Annie's having a special place in my heart--and probably was my first introduction to musicals. I love Carol Burnett in that film!! =)

[CJR]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 1:04am

wow. I think I'm gonna fall over and die..... You thought Chicago was better on film than on stage?! *sigh* I'm not EVEN gonna go there....

And I too, love Annie the movie (the FIRST one)

[King Stevos]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 3:14am

I couldnt stand the Kiss ME KAte Movie, what did they do to To Darn Hot? is that how it was supposed to be done?

STEVOS

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 7:03am

Gee, the "Too Darn Hot" number is one of the best in the KISS ME KATE film. Yes, it isn't the same setting or place in the story...but how can you dislike the fabulous Ann Miller fer Pete's sake?!?!

And the KISS ME KATE film is one of the BEST Broadway-to-film adaptations. I think only 'Bianca' was dropped.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 8:16am

Wasn't Kiss Me Kate originally released in 3D? I remember when I was in San Francisco we went to see "Kiss Me Kate in 3D" at the Castro theater. It was really fun. I just thought it was bizarre that they made a 3D musical. I guess it was released at the height of the 3D craze?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 8:26am

I had a very good time seeing the 3-D version of Kiss Me, Kate, replete with glasses in a very large screen theater. And that Keenan Wynn!! The Paul Baressi of his generation.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 8:33am

Congratulations, darling Namo. That is the first time in recorded history that the names "Paul Baressi" and "Keenan Wynn" have been in the same sentence.

Did Keenan smoke cigars?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 9:08am

I would bet dollars to Krispy Kremes that Keenan did! He probably did in "Kiss Me, Kate," now that I think about it, given that he was playing a gangster. I do have a memory Wynn's big, long cigar popping off the screen and hovering in front of my face thanks to the magic of 3-D. Or maybe it was a dream.

As for Mr. Baressi, when I think of what he looked like back in the '80s, it's clear what Mr. Travolta saw in him.

[Jaynrand]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 10:51am

A CHORUS LINE - where do you begin? Some of the performers were good - but some of the casting was way OFF base, and the changes to the story...and the "new" song...and the "Flashdance" choreography. Sad...sad...sad...as George and Martha would say.

Keenan Wynn :) He had big cigar in EASY TO WED with Lucy and Esther Williams and Van Johnson (this was shortly before Van ran off with Keenan's wife)...and in all those war movies. :)

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 10:54am

"this was shortly before Van ran off with Keenan's wife..."


Oh, Lordy, Jaynrand! I had forgotten that! Only in Hollywood, kids!

[Deena Jones2]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 7:25pm

A Chorus Line without a doubt! What happened to the cutie who played Paul?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 7:46pm

To Namo

I also saw Kate in 3 D & it was a real gas. Hollywood ruined 3 D by coming out with every cockamamie movie in 3 D instead of picking their spots. Off topic, House of Wax in 3 D is the ultimate Halloween movie. The paddleball sequence alone is worth the price of admission

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/1/03 at 8:08pm

TWHM (the world's sorriest film!)
MAIMED
ON THE TOWN (where was that great Bernstein score?)
PAINT YOUR WAGON
FANNY (where was any of the score?)
CAN CAN (Sinatra's accent? MacLaine's accent? Ugh!)
GUYS AND DOLLS (Sinatra?)
PAL JOEY (half the score was missing)