Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies (1996) (TV)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Kevin Burns

Writers:

Steve Bell (writer)
Louise Gallop-Roholt (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot Keywords:

Trapp Family Singer | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Julie Andrews	...	Herself
Charles Boyer	...	Liliom (clip from 1934 film of 'Liliom') (archive footage)
Charmian Carr	...	Presenter
Charles Farrell	...	Liliom (clip from 1930 film of 'Liliom') (archive footage)
Shirley Jones	...	Hostess / Julie Jordan (archive footage)
Nancy Kwan	...	Presenter
Rita Moreno	...	Presenter
Marni Nixon	...	Herself
John Raitt	...	Billy Bigelow (clip from 'General Foods Anniversary Show') (archive footage)

Also Known As:

The Sound of Movies (International: English title) (short title) (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G (video rating) | UK:U (video rating)

Goofs:

Factual errors: The film misleadingly gives the impression that the 1956 film version of "The King and I" premiered in 6-track stereo. It was not shown that way until its 1961 re-release.

Movie Connections:

Features General Foods 25th Anniversary Show: A Salute to Rodgers and Hammerstein (1954) (TV)

Fascinating account of the R&H films full of tidbits on their making

Shirley Jones hosts this look at all the films made of the R&H stage shows plus those originals (two versions of STATE FAIR). She is able to supply us with lots of tidbits and tantalizing pieces of background knowledge on the making of the films (some known, some new). Most fascinating is a screen showing two letterboxed versions of the same scene from OKLAHOMA!, the top the original TODD-AO version and the bottom the CinemaScope version. The cleaner, brighter version is the original, of course, but for years who knew there had been two separate films made simultaneously.

She is able to tell us that the Soliloquy in CAROUSEL was shot in Carmel, CA, not in Maine, and that much of that location work was reshot in the studio.

Marni Nixon's expert dubbing of Deborah Kerr in the recorded, filmed and deleted number SHALL I TELL YOU WHAT I THINK OF YOU? from THE KING AND I is delineated by cutting from photo to photo of each singer as the individually dubbed portions are played.

An entire Technicolor outtake of Dick Haymes singing a reprise in the shower (STATE FAIR) is preserved and shown.

It's a great treat to have all the films discussed in one video. A must for fans of musicals and R&H.