Bob Fosse, Posterized

Today would have been Bob Fosse's 82nd birthday if he hadn't smoked and sexed himself to death while choreographing dirty musical numbers and flirting with angels of death in Nineteen-Seve... oh wait, I'm thinking of Joe Gideon, his All That Jazz altar ego. Fosse died of a heart attack at 60 in 1987. He's best remembered today as the most important choreographer of the 20th century this side of Martha Graham, totally affecting everything that came after him. But he was also a brilliant film director and in the realm of cinema he rarely gets his due. When great actors die young they often become legendary. When great directors die after just a handful of movies, not so much... especially if they made their mark in the musical genre.

Fosse acted and danced in other movies but these are the six filmed entertainments he directed. All are worth seeing and two are among the greatest films ever made.

Sweet Charity (69) | Cabaret (72) | Liza With a Z (concert telefilm, 72)

Lenny (74) | All That Jazz (79) | Star 80 (83)

How many have you seen? If the answer is less than six, do yourself a huge favor, and put them on your rental queue. Have a Fosse completist festival at home. You won't be disappointed. And maybe you'll even wonder why he's not lumped in with the biggies when people talk about the great 70s directors. I know I do.

I like Rob Marshall's Chicago (2002) just fine but it's hard not to think about what Fosse's version would have been like. And if they do remake Damn Yankees like they keep saying they will, will they keep his awesome choreography, or chuck it and go with unskilled dancers in the big roles?

God... it's so great when you can see entire bodies in dance scenes.
Almost no filmmakers understand this anymore.

If you've seen all of Fosse's films, why not a double feature of Damn Yankees! (1958) and All That Jazz. Think about it: In the former you can watch Fosse and the legendary Gwen Verdon together (like in the scene above) and then in the latter you can watch Roy Sheider and Leland Palmer pretend to be them, acting out their very difficult relationship with Oscar calibre aplomb.

As a takeaway please enjoy Bob Fosse doing a minute of Fosse-isms in 1953's Kiss Me Kate.



Incidentally, that musical was in 3D. I actually saw it in 3D the very first time I saw it at a special showing in the 80s (there was a mini 3D fad ... i think it lasted about a year and half round about 1984 or something?). I'm reading that 3D might die out again and am crossing my fingers that history repeats itself. I like my movies flat. The best performers burst out of the screen in multiple dimensions anyway. You don't need glasses to witness those miracles. Now if only they'd give me film grain back... if anyone ever tries to clear the grain from Cabaret it won't even remotely be Cabaret, you know?
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Kiss Me Kathryn

Here's the lovely Kathryn Grayson singing "You, The Waltz and I" from Seven Sweethearts (1942). She died yesterday in Los Angeles at 88.



The Grayson performance I've seen most often is her ornery stage star 'Lilli Vanessi' from her penultimate film, the 3D musical Kiss Me Kate (1953). No, James Cameron didn't invent 3D. If I recall correctly Kathryn does throws things at the screen during her temper tantrums. She even made a blink and you'll miss her cameo in my diva loving music video "She's a B****".

<-- Ann Miller and Grayson in Kiss Me Kate (1953)

I have only seen a handful of her films -- including the Gene Kelly musicals of course -- but I'm always sad when the golden age performers go. Especially the singing stars. Sigh. We shan't see their like again. We definitely shan't hear the likes of Grayson again... since this style of soprano singing is only heard nowadays when someone pops in a Snow White DVD. That wasn't Kathryn's voice... I'm just saying.

Rest in peace, Kathryn. And thank you for the musicals.

Tom, Dick or Harry?

one of the 25 greatest musical numbers of all time


Ann Miller isn't picky. In Kiss Me Kate (1953) she's a maid who wouldst marry and she'll take with no qualms any Tom, Dick or Harry... any Harry, Dick or Tom. (Not their real names... that'd be Hortensio, Lucentio and Gremio I think. Movies where actors are playing actors playing roles are so confusing)


If you're not picky, however can you decide?

Harry promises riches "and if thou wouldst attain the upper brackets... marry me." Dick is poor but "if for love unending thou arst pining... marry me" I'm not sure what Tom is promising --he's still "spraying his decaying family tree" er... -- I guess it's class "to give a social lift to thy position ... marry me"


Bianca (Miller) finally tips her hand before the dance break in the middle of the song...

Any Tom, Dick or Harry,
Any Tom, Harry or Dick.

Dick, dick, dick,
A dicka dick,
Dick, dick, dick,
A dicka dick,
Dick, dick, dick,
A dicka dick,
Dick, dick, dick,
A dicka dick!

The men sing with her! Just how interested are they in Bianca anyway? And then they launch into what has to be one of the most thrilling tap and clap numbers ever performed.

Still even after Bianca has chosen her man later in the movie (Dick) they're still quite a lovey-dovey quadrangle. It's probably the friendliest love quadrangle in all of the movies. I have to say: Ann probably made the right decision choosing Dick. In the "From This Moment On" sequence very late in the film, Harry reveals himself to be none other than...

Bob Fosse himself! Trying out his signature moves for the first time on film. Ann Miller chose well. She could've ended up a character in All That Jazz and Fosse didn't treat the ladies that well, don'cha know. [see previous All That Jazz review].

Tom, Dick or Harry? A question (and a musical number) for the ages.

Here's a couple videos to enjoy if you're in the mood. To your left, the "Tom, Dick or Harry" number from the movie. To your right, "Bianca" (it starts a little ways in) by Michael Berresse (Lucentio in the 2000 Broadway revival), who I met the other night (thus, this movie being on my mind) and who is one of my favorite stage performers. He's got a role in the new Russell Crowe movie so maybe we'll talk to him again soon for the podcast