So it seems that I am the only movie musical fan in my family for quite some time. I remember being forced to watch Singing in the Rain in my basement's computer before I could upgrade to a new standard of DVD player. When my happy Gene Kelly overture would start playing, I would burst into fits of giggles for the joys that await me. Only to be accompanied by fits of shouting "What are you watching!!! I hate this part!!! Why do you watch that scene over and over again!" It would bring a touch of salt to my sweet pie of MGM. As I said, I know that I am the only one, but I always feel I could use a companion to reply to my exclamations of wonder. Oh, to know that somebody feels that the shuffle step holds a place in my heart! The rhythms of Fred Aistaire match no other man's. But I digress.
As usual, I am watching a rapturous scene in Kiss Me Kate when there's a marvelous dance break by Bob Fosse (the master of dance himself!) and my mother walks into the front room and explains, "I've seen this one moviebuffy, it's boring." How could she know the disaster those words could bring to a girl? Boring? Bob Fosse? Never. Sure, I liked the idea of Howard Keel not being a Seven Brother, but this was icing on the cake. It was just a surprise to me that Bob Fosse had a career in movies. And isn't it great that there was a song called "I Hate Men" and that such a song exists? Not to wear a husband beater or anything. Ah, this is the stuff dreams are made of. It's just a minor setback when those in my family, I do not name names, feel that dancing just isn't up to their entertainment bar. I would say, let them be that way, but I know that they are one in many, and I am one in few. I feel just like Kermit the Frog when he said "It's not easy being green" and I would add "or a musicalphile". I just wish I had a support group for my guilty pleasure. And that's saying something, when I think of guilty pleasures as the occasional Dr. Pepper or that library notice on the kitchen table.
So to my mother I would say, let it be a mantra I stamp on my head: Long live those INCREDIBLY cheesy, enough to make you gag, stuck in a time warp, giggle when I hear the word "gay", MGM musicals.
4 comments:
I support you!! (Who wouldn't love watching Gene Kelly singin' and dancin' in the rain over and over and over . . .)
Kiss Me Kate was more interesting than Newsies. Kiss Me Kate had more interesting characters and had better music. Not only that it had better dancing. I guess that boys doing basic to medium dance moves is not as interesting as the medium to advance. Who doesn't like people jumping off walls. However the Newsies was much more historical.
Hey I like musicals too, I watched the Tony awards last night!
I would agree, and add that any musical discussions coming my way would be greatly encouraged!
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