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womzillaPiece the first:
Earlier this year, Charles Sperling (who is not on LJ though he damn well should be) took me to the Spring Film Forum Members' Brunch; the main show we saw was Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill, Junior with a live piano accompanist. It was breath-taking--somehow Keaton and his cohorts can wring laughter out of two people simply looking past each other.
But Steamboat Bill Jr. is not a long film, so the Film Forum padded the show out with some short features, a trivia competition, and special surprise guests, including Marge Champion, who was the rotoscope model for both Snow White and Dopey in the Disney feature film (they showed parts of her film work--eloquent and charming). But of the short features, the high point was an excerpt from the 1942 film Stormy Weather. There's a five-minute nightclub sequence which begins with Cab Calloway and his orchestra performing "Jumpin' Jive" that segues into a tap-dance routine by The Nicholas Brothers. Fred Astaire once said that was the finest piece of tap dancing ever filmed, and you can go watch it on Google Video right now.
Piece the second:
Digging through the links in the comments to the aforementioned Making Light thread on That Song, I found a recommendation by Lucy Huntzinger:
It is, indeed, terrific--a simple idea, brilliantly executed. Follow the links to the "Here It Goes Again" video and download in the format of your choice.
Piece the third:
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sarah_ovenall mentioned that she has never seen The Lawrence Welk Show. Here's my favorite moment from it; sorry that the video is so blurry.
[Error: unknown template video]
Earlier this year, Charles Sperling (who is not on LJ though he damn well should be) took me to the Spring Film Forum Members' Brunch; the main show we saw was Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill, Junior with a live piano accompanist. It was breath-taking--somehow Keaton and his cohorts can wring laughter out of two people simply looking past each other.
But Steamboat Bill Jr. is not a long film, so the Film Forum padded the show out with some short features, a trivia competition, and special surprise guests, including Marge Champion, who was the rotoscope model for both Snow White and Dopey in the Disney feature film (they showed parts of her film work--eloquent and charming). But of the short features, the high point was an excerpt from the 1942 film Stormy Weather. There's a five-minute nightclub sequence which begins with Cab Calloway and his orchestra performing "Jumpin' Jive" that segues into a tap-dance routine by The Nicholas Brothers. Fred Astaire once said that was the finest piece of tap dancing ever filmed, and you can go watch it on Google Video right now.
Piece the second:
Digging through the links in the comments to the aforementioned Making Light thread on That Song, I found a recommendation by Lucy Huntzinger:
You must watch this video: go to http://www.okgo.net/news.aspx . . . . This is the greatest thing I have seen all year.
It is, indeed, terrific--a simple idea, brilliantly executed. Follow the links to the "Here It Goes Again" video and download in the format of your choice.
Piece the third:
sarah_ovenall mentioned that she has never seen The Lawrence Welk Show. Here's my favorite moment from it; sorry that the video is so blurry. [Error: unknown template video]
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-20 10:00 pm (UTC)Despite that, he really should be here. I miss him. (I assume he is the anonymous Sparrow who sometimes comments on Nellorat's LJ.)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 12:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-20 11:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 03:08 am (UTC)I grew up with wide range of influences (ie as a kid I'd watch almost anything) which included Lawrence Welk. At what he does, he's the best, and I admire that. His music wasn't always my cup of tea, but it was pleasant and danceable and I can dig it, man. Waltzes done well are a high art form, and we should encourage the best.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 12:30 pm (UTC)I picked up an LP of a live 50s performance by Welk & Co. at Madison Square Garden. The fact that Lawrence duets with Myron in "Clarinet Polka" made it irresistible, despite the somewhat worn appearance of the disk.
I'm trying to figure out how old I was when I learned that the Lennon Sisters didn't originate "Little Boxes."