musicals Archives * Spellbound with Beth Ann

Dita Von Teese on Her Love of Technicolor & Red Lipstick

Beth Ann Gallagher
Betty Grable, Make-up, Movies, Musicals, Quotations, Technicolor
Jul 4, 2018
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Dita Von Teese tells how Technicolor movies influenced her look.

TCMFF 2017’s Early Announced Films, How Classic Are They?

Beth Ann Gallagher
Film Festivals, TCM Film Festival, The Road to TCMFF 2017
Mar 5, 2017
6 Comments

Let’s review what’s being offered together!

We Want Ice Cream!

This weekend I celebrated a milestone birthday, and my confectionery of choice was ice cream. That got me thinking of the technicolor conclusion of Kid Millions (1934). If you’ve never seen the film, watching the above clip won’t spoil you. It’s pure fantasy that’s mostly unrelated to the film’s complicated comedy plot. In this film,…

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Beth Ann Gallagher
Dancers, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gower Champion, Holidays, Marge Champion, Musicals, Romance, Valentine's Day
Feb 14, 2013
5 Comments

For Valentine’s Day, here is one of my favorite romantic scenes from a musical. The film Lovely to Look At, a remake of Roberta, may not be memorable as a whole, but it showcases some imaginative dance sequences featuring Marge and Gower Champion. While they had the unenviable task of replacing Ginger Rogers and Fred…

Say It With Firecrackers

bethanngallagher
Available on DVD, Dance, Fred Astaire, Holiday Movies, Tap
Jul 3, 2011
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Somehow it’s a little too dry and a little too chilly for fireworks in the Bay Area, but I’m going to wish you a happy Fourth of July and say it with fireworks anyway. From the original jukebox (movie) musical, here is Fred Astaire tapping out his tribute to tomorrow’s holiday: This is one of…

Amália Rodrigues & Fred Astaire

I’ve been enjoying NPR’s 50 Great Voices series, and the holiday break gave me a chance to catch up with some missed episodes, including their piece on Amália Rodrigues. Since I’m half Portuguese, I enjoy finding instances where Portuguese and American culture collide, mix, and transmute. Rodrigues embraced other cultures’ musical traditions in order to…

Er’way in-hay the oney-may.

bethanngallagher
1930s, Biographies & Memoirs, Era, Ginger Rogers, Gold Diggers of 1933, Movies, Pre-Code
Dec 30, 2008
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I’ve been reading Ginger: My Story by Ginger Rogers. My favorite parts of the book are the behind-the-scenes scoop. Rogers doesn’t offer too much gossip. She focuses more on the making of her films and stage shows. Driven, she sought comfort in work even when her personal life went on the fritz. Sometimes she skimps on…

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