Midweek Madness feels the need for a little Christmas now
Yes, I know it's way past midday on Midweek Madness day as I post this. So sue me. I had stuff to do. Big, important stuff. And at least two boxes of bonbons to get through.
To lift your spirits, how about a little Christmas now? Oy, could we all use a little Christmas now.
I probably shouldn't have picked sharing this clip, since it really isn't quite awful enough to be thoroughly laughable -- well, maybe it is, at that -- and because I really do love Lucy (Ricardo more than Ball, if truth be told).
This is the "We Need a Little Christmas" scene from "Mame," the film version of the Jerry Herman musical that was based on the book, play and film "Auntie Mame." Now everyone knows that the "Auntie Mame" film is a masterpiece that cannot be bettered, thanks to the divine Rosalind Russell, but the musical does have its points.
Still, if you're going to do a movie of the musical, shouldn't you at least cast it with a star who can sing? Lucy gives it her all, I suppose. And, every now and then, she does ...
register something genuine (even if it is hard to see, given that she was filmed through linoleum). But she's no Roz Russell.
The movie is a tough slog (I can't share the enthusiasm of the person who uploaded the video clip), and this would-be rousing number sure does feel flat (partly, to my ears, because Herman already wrote something awfully similar, melodically speaking, in "Hello, Dolly" -- check out "It Takes A Woman").
I am not sure what is worse in this scene -- Lucy's basso not-so-profondo and stiff arm gestures? The cheap accent for the smiley servant ("neighbor-ry")? The washed-out look of the production?
Heck, I guess this does qualify for Midweek Madness after all. I sure hope it gets you in a great holiday mood:
Categories: Clef Notes, Drama Queens, Midweek Madness
