This was written by a lot of the same team that did Hairspray 20 years ago, and some of the music is terrific. Joe and Jerry have two great numbers in the beginning, "You Can't Have Me (If You Don't Have Him)," explaining how their close relationship defies the social mores of the time, and "Vamp!" when they're dressing as women. Sugar joins the guys in drag for "Take It Up a Step" and recalls how she felt better "At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee." "Ride Out the Storm" is her big ballad late in the show after she realizes Joe has lied to her twice about who he is.
Too bad this only ran a little over a year on Broadway and lost the Tony to the more unique Kimberly Akimbo. Either they played a little too much with the source material, or said source material isn't familiar enough to many younger and international audiences nowadays. At any rate, the cast album has enough good music and performances to be worth recommending.
I took the laundry downstairs after I finished eating, then dressed the dolls for the 4th of July and our much-warmer weather. Molly is ready to head off to camp in her Camp Gowanigan uniform and saddle shoes. (And I need new saddles shoes for her. Her current ones are flaking, and the bottoms are coming off.) Samantha is ship-shape in her Middy Dress, tam, black stockings, and black and white boots. Whitney's ready to dance in Oaklyn's 4th of July Parade in the AG Dance Dress and tap shoes borrowed from Molly (her red ones are falling apart). Jessa keeps things simple in the red t-shirt from the 90's Blue Jeans Basics outfit, shortalls, and Springfield Collection sneakers.
Felicity keeps things fresh and cool in her airy white Summer Gown with the wide blue, white, and flower-print sash. Josefina wears her Indigo School Skirt and Camisa. Ariel's ready for the Bicentennial in her red, white, and blue print peasant top with the satiny shorts and blue platform sandals. The closest thing Kit has that's appropriate for the holiday is her red and white polka-dot Reporter's Outfit, which she wears with the red shoes from her BeForever meet dress. Barbara Jean is the only one who can get away with wearing a red, white, and bright pink terrycloth tube top romper with her own white shoes.
Ate lunch between dolls while listening to the double Calamity Jane/Pajama Game soundtrack. Very disappointing. Calamity Jane is just Day and Keel singing the songs. That works for Day's hit "Secret Love" and the opening montage, but I miss Allyn Ann McLearie joining her on "A Woman's Touch," and Day sings Lerie's "It's Harry I'm Planning to Marry." Pajama Game includes more of the numbers, including "Hernando's Hideaway" for Carol Haney, the big "Once a Year Day" chorus routine, and "Hey There" for John Raitt. I think I'll just look for the Pajama Game LP and be happy with occasionally watching Jane.
After I finished the dolls and put the laundry in the dryer, I reorganized their boxes. Moved Barbara Jean's clothes to the shoe box my new sneakers came in. That'll do for now. Cleared out a few things the dolls no longer needed. Rearranged the other dolls' boxes so that their warm-weather outfits are in one pile, their cold weather outfits are in another, and any extra clothes are in a third.
Listened to one of the soundtrack albums I dug up at Abbie Road while I worked. The teen military musical Best Foot Forward is the best and best-known of the three musicals on what I suspect is a bootleg LP. Though the story involves star Lucile Ball taking a cadet on a date, the real attraction is "The Three Bs," sung by newcomers Gloria DeHaven, June Allyson, and Nancy Walker, and the hit "Buckle Down Winsocki." The Bing Crosby-Marion Davies Busby Berkeley imitation Going Hollywood isn't a great movie, but it does have a good score by Freed and Brown, including "Beautiful Girl," "After Sundown," and "Temptation." The rare Too Much Harmony is a similar story with less memorable music, except for the Crosby hits "Please" and "Black Moonlight."
Switched to the soundtrack from The Goonies while having a quick dinner. I was a bit surprised to run across this brand new at Barnes & Noble. Apparently, the LP did exist in 1985, though I don't ever remember seeing it. If my sisters and I had seen it, we would have begged Mom for it. We loved this movie in the mid-80's, and it remains a favorite of mine. "Goonies R Good Enough," which Cyndi Lauper is seen singing in the movie, was the major hit here. Other good songs include "Eight Arms to Hold You" by Goon Squad (which was apparently intended for the octopus sequence that got cut) and "Wherever You're Going (It's All Right)" by REO Speedwagon.
Moved to Bing Crosby's Greatest Hits as I folded the laundry. Most these songs, like the hits "White Christmas," "Swinging On a Star," and "I Surrender, Dear," came from movies originally. We also get the less familiar Bing hits "The Whiffenpoof Song," "Pistol Packin' Mama," and "Deep In the Heart of Texas." The Andrews Sisters join him for delightful versions of "Accentuate the Positive" and "Don't Fence Me In." The slow rendition of "Blue Skies" from the movie of that title is as drawn-out and overly serious as the movie it was recorded for. I like it much better as a fast number.
It was still bright, sunny, and too hot earlier in the day. By 5:30, dark clouds had begun to gather. They let loose around 6 PM, just as I went online. And when it rained, it monsooned. I know we needed rain badly, but not all at once! Another, slightly less violent thunderstorm passed through an hour later. I haven't heard another since, but I think it's supposed to be off and on through morning.
Finished the night online with another marathon of random Match Game episodes from their peak years of 1974 through 1978. The most famous show seen here was likely the one where a sheepish Richard answered "Benedict" to "__ Canyon" in the Head-to-Head and admitted that as an Englishman, he wasn't up on his US geography. Charles also gave him one of those tall furry Russian hats, which lead to him sporting a bad Russian accent for a whole episode. In another episode, Charles sported an orange, white, and red bucket hat to cover his lack of toupee. Marcia Wallace shocked herself in a 1977 episode by getting every answer right. There were at least two episodes where Patti Deustch got to show off her uncanny ability to imitate sportscaster Howard Cosell.
Some of the contestants could occasionally get pretty strange, too. One lady from Louisiana brought her own breath spray to kiss Gene. Another made a joke about joining him in Encino and pulled out his handkerchief. A younger woman was a dead ringer for a brunette Patti Deustch. A perky female farmer with the whitest hair I ever saw prompted several down on the farm and outdoors jokes.
You'll never know what will pop up next in this surprising marathon!
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