*Some goodies, to watch on TCM:

[elleng]

8:00 PM -- THE MUSIC MAN (1962)
A con artist hawks musical instruments and band uniforms to small-town America.
Dir: Morton DaCosta
Cast: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett
C-151 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Winner of an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Ray Heindorf

Nominee for Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Paul Groesse and George James Hopkins, Best Costume Design, Color -- Dorothy Jeakins, Best Sound -- George Groves (Warner Bros. SSD), Best Film Editing -- William H. Ziegler, and Best Picture

Despite Robert Preston's Tony-award winning performance in the Broadway production, Warner Bros. executives wanted a bankable star in the lead role of Professor Harold Hill for the movie. Frank Sinatra was offered the part, but turned it down. Cary Grant was also approached, but told the Warner Bros. executives, "Not only will I not star in it, if Robert Preston doesn't star in it, I will not see it." Preston finally got the part, and the movie was a big success, despite Warner Bros' misgivings. The same Hollywood legend is told about My Fair Lady, that Cary Grant was offered the part of Henry Higgins but told the producer that if Rex Harrison wasn't given the part he wouldn't even go see it.


10:45 PM -- BYE BYE BIRDIE (1963)
A rock star's personal appearance turns a small town into a disaster area.
Dir: George Sidney
Cast: Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret
C-112 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

Nominee for Oscars for Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment -- Johnny Green, and Best Sound -- Charles J. Rice (Columbia SSD)

Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde, both veterans of the 1960 Broadway hit, were displeased with the film version. Van Dyke especially felt it had become too much of a vehicle for Ann-Margret. In the Broadway version of the show, Van Dyke's role of Albert was much more prominent than that of Kim, who Ann-Margret played in the film version. In his autobiography, Van Dyke said he knew Ann-Margret's role was going to be expanded when he once came on the set and found her sitting in the lap of George Sidney, the director. Interestingly, in HER autobiography, Ann-Margret mentions being cast in the role and that the film was a big hit, but makes absolutely no mention of anything that happened during the filming.

[frazzled]

1. I may be alone

But it’s my opinion that they made a mistake in casting Preston. He may have been great on stage, but you can’t bring that bellowing stage voice onto the screen. I find it like nails on a blackboard. Whenever we see a film where an actor is overplaying it with a stage voice, we say, “Oh my, he must have gone to the Robert Preston School of Acting.”

I did like him in Victor/Victoria, however. It worked there.