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SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 037: COUNTRY MUSIC (Episode 04) (2019)

Tell a lie long enough and it begins to smell like the truth. Tell it even longer and it becomes part of history. Throughout "Country Music," the omnibus genre documentary from Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, there are moments of tension between the stories Nashville likes to tell about itself - some true, some less so - and the way things actually were. 

And while from a distance, this doggedly thorough eight-part, 16-hour series, hews to the genre's party line, viewed up close it reveals the ruptures laid out in plain sight. Anxiety about race has been a country music constant for decades. In positioning country music as, essentially, the music of the white rural working class, Nashville streamlined - make that steamrollered - the genre's roots, and the ways it has always been engaged in wide-ranging cultural dialogue. 

But right at the beginning of "Country Music" is an acknowledgment that slave songs formed part of early country's raw material. And then a reminder that the banjo has its roots in West African stringed gourd instruments. The series covers how A.P. Carter, a founder of the Carter Family, traveled with Lesley Riddle, a black man, to find and write down songs throughout Appalachia. And it explores how Hank Williams's mentor was Rufus Payne, a black blues musician.

It goes on and on, tracing an inconvenient history for a genre that has generally been inhospitable to black performers, regardless of the successes of Charley Pride, Darius Rucker or DeFord Bailey, the first black performer on the Grand Ole Opry. Over and again, "Country Music" lays bare what is too often overlooked: that country music never evolved in isolation. 

Each episode of this documentary tackles a different time period, from the first Fiddlin' John Carson recordings in the 1920s up through the pop ascent of Garth Brooks in the 1990s. Burns has used this multi-episode approach on other American institutions and turning-point historical events: "The Civil War," "The Vietnam War" and "Jazz." These are subjects that merit rigor and also patience - hence the films' length. But country music, especially, demands an approach that blends reverence and skepticism, because so often its story is one in which those in control try to squelch counternarratives while never breaking a warm smile. 

"Country Music" rolls its eyes at the tension between the genre imagining itself as an unvarnished platform for America's rural storytelling and being an extremely marketable racket where people from all parts of the country, from all class levels, do a bit of cosplay. Minnie Pearl, from "Hee Haw," came from a wealthy family and lived in a stately home next to the governor's mansion. Nudie Cohn, the tailor whose vividly embroidered suits became country superstar must-haves in the 1960s and beyond, was born Nuta Kotlyarenko in Kiev, and worked out of a shop in Hollywood. 

The only constant in this film is Nashville's repeated efforts to fend off new ideas like a body rejecting an organ transplant. Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Hank Williams Jr. - they're all genre icons who first met resistance because of their desire to make music different from the norm of their day, then ended up establishing new norms. 

Those moments pockmark an otherwise straightforward and oft-told story about country music's birth and growth : The 1927 Bristol Sessions, in which Ralph Peer first recorded the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and several others; the rapid climb and accelerated demise of Hank Williams; the feminist potency of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton; the roller coaster life of Johnny Cash; the importance of bluegrass, countrypolitan, outlaw country, Sourthern rock and pop country.

It's a taut narrative, and by design incomplete - 16 hours is enough time to tell a long story, but not always a deep one. But given that this history is being painted with broad strokes, it's especially crucial that attention is drawn to the inventions and elisions that hover over each era of the music. 

Throughout the film are reminders that in Nashville, institutional memory is almost comically short. Concern about the Olivia Newton-John invasion of country music in the mid-1970s discussed in the film felt eerily reminiscent of the anxiety induced by the almost yearlong run at the top of the Billboard hot country songs chart by the pop singer Bebe Rexha, for her collaboration with Florida Georgia Line. The current battle for women performers to be heard and promoted is echoed around once per decade in the documentary. And time and again, those who appear to be rebels - Waylon Jennings, Haggard, Buck Owens - are in fact the ones most interested in the genre's traditions, agitating against a company town that specializes in smoothing out rough edges. 

"Country Music" moves with the signature even-keel tempo of other Burns documentaries, which makes the handful of disruptive moments - some lighthearted, some sad - all the more striking: Mel Tillis describing the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the 1960s by wisecracking, "You could churn butter on that damn thing"; anything that comes out of the mouth of the journalist and gadfly Hazel Smith, who, when she was the office manager for the Hillbilly Central studio where Jennings and others recorded, coined the phrase "outlaw music". 

At one poignant moment, Dwight Yoakam attempts to sing Haggard's "Holding Things Together," about a father raising his children after his wife has left him. Yoakam makes it through the first line, then gathers himself for a full 12 seconds before managing to get out the next one. 

The raw pulse of songs like that - blissfully, there is ample music in this documentary - is grounding, a nod to the triumph of a genre that often steps on its own foot on the path to clarity. But rather than simply celebrate those creative peaks, "Country Music" makes it plain that the story of the genre is merely a pocket version of the story of the American musical experiment writ large: Everyone trying on poses and costumes, borrowing wildly at every turn, pointing fingers at others trying similar things, and, as soon as things become complacent, agitating for something new. 

But before we get to the main feature, let's enjoy... 

The Pre-Show: 

Once again, it's a case of double feature. A two-for-one experience! To enhance Chapter 04 of Country Music, we get: "My Darling Vivian". A 2020 documentary where the light shines on Johnny Cash's first wife, Vivian Liberto. His first wife comes to life through the daughters testimonies and many wonderful private photos and home-made videos. A real treat for Johnny Cash fans. Plus, you can't miss "The Gothan Rhythm Boys" a 1929!! Yes, you've read correctly ... a 1929 musical treat! 

And we continue with our 60s-70s comedy sitcoms plus our cartoon delight and last but not least the last remaining chapters of The Batman! You're not gonna miss it, are you? 

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The Main Feature: 

Title: Country Music: Episode 04 - I Can't Stop Loving You 

Director: Ken Burns 

Cast: Documentary 

Release Date: 2019 

Country: United States Of America 

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On Your Way Out: 

As our motto goes: "Grab 'em, Use 'em, Enjoy 'em". You all know by now this section is here to hopefully, enhance your experience of viewing today's flick. The pictures, the reading material plus the listening extras, all have one common goal: pleasure through learning! 

Cheers.

Shade. 

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SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 036: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Director's Cut) (1986)

 

At a time when so many movies show such cold-blooded calculation, here's one heedless enough to be fun. "Little Shop Of Horrors" arrives with enough baggage to make it into a thoroughly timid project - what is less likely to make a fresh movie than a long-running stage hit? - and yet the movie has the offhand charm of something that was concocted over the weekend. 

This is not only a musical and a comedy, as we expected, but also a revue of sorts: Comic actors such as Bill Murray and John Candy have walk-ons, and Steve Martin almost steals the show as a sadistic, motorcycle-riding dentist. Yet at the heart of the movie is a basic sweetness, an innocence that extends even to the centerpiece of the story, which is a man-eating plant named Audrey II. 

The plant makes its appearance one day in a flower shop window, having arrived from another planet. It immediately begins to grow, to look around itself, to attract attention and to exhibit an appetite for human blood. It also changes the lives of three people who work in the store: the shop assistant, Seymour (Rick Moranis); the salesclerk, Audrey (Ellen Greene) and their kindly, blustering old boss Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). Suddenly, they have the sort of fame thrust on them that is usually reserved for lottery winners and people who survive freak accidents. 

There are all sorts of people with ideas about how to exploit the wonderful plant, and others wish it no good. The movie uses them as the occasion for gentle satire and broad comedy, and there's the sense that "Little Shop" is amused by just about whatever comes into its mind. There is also a romance; Seymour falls in love with Audrey (I), but must win her away from the evil dentist (Martin), who roars around on a motorcycle and gives her black eyes. 

Meanwhile Audrey (II) inexorably grows, nourishing itself with blood from a nick on Seymour's finger and developing a taste for human flesh. The progressive growth of the alien plant was, of course, one of the glories of the stage version of "Little Shop," and the movie's Audrey, designed by Lyle Conway and directed by Frank Oz, is a marvel of technique. The plant actually does seem to have a personality and is remarkably accomplished during its musical numbers. 

Moranis also has developed a personality in this movie and, in a way, that's as surprising as Audrey II's achievement. After being typecast as a nerd on SCTV and in such limited and predictable films as "Strange Brew," he emerges here as a shy, likable leading man in the Woody Allen mode. The movie sometimes makes his work look easy. But he has to carry a lot of the exposition and hold most of the conversations with the plant, and without him the movie might not have been half as confident. 

Greene repeats New York and London role as the human Audrey, and by now the wide-eyed, daffy blonde with the pushup bra has become second nature. Her big musical number, "Suddenly Seymour," has the bravado of a Broadway show-stopper even while undermining itself with satire. 

The show is punctuated by musical commentary delivered by a Supremes-style trio (Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell and Michelle Weeks), that bounces around the flower shop's inner-city neighborhood with a message of hope that seems somewhat optimistic, inspired as it is by a carnivorous plant, but fits right in with the movie's good heart. 

All of the wonders of "Little Shop Of Horrors" are accomplished with an offhand, casual charm. The movie doesn't labor its jokes or insist on its virtuoso special effects, but devotes its energies to seeming unforced and delightful. The big laughs when they come, are explosive (such as the payoff of Martin's big musical number), but the quiet romantic moments are allowed to have their coy innocence. This is the kind of movie that cults are made of. 

"Little Shop" is a love story. It's also a story about conquering your demons and discovering the best you can be - even if it takes a blood-guzzling talking plant to get you there. That said, it's not really about the story, it's about the experience. Because from the second the liquor bottle in the brown paper bag hits the dirty puddle, and the first fast chords of the keyboard begin, we know we have 90 minutes of fabulousness ahead of us! 

But before we get to the main feature, let's enjoy... 

The Pre-show: 

If you are the type of person who enjoys a good (in a weird kinda way), cult type, musical with great catchy tunes and excellent performers as well as magnificent actors, as is the case of "Little Shop Of Horrors", you're in for a treat with the Pre-show. There are a total of 14 great videos to accompany today's main feature, which will at least showcase some interesting production notes, concerning the film. Plus, very interesting revelations, which I will not disclose so as not to spoil the surprise. But I gaurantee, you won't regret it. 

And we continue with our 60s-70s comedy sitcoms plus our cartoon delight and last but not least the last remaining chapters of The Batman! You're not gonna miss it, are you? 

TPS001  TPS002  TPS003  TPS004  TPS005  TPS006  

The Main Feature: 

Title: Little Shop Of Horrors 

Director: Frank Oz 

Cast: Rick Moranis / Ellen Greene / Vincent Gardenia / Steve Martin / Levi Stubbs / John Candy / Chistopher Guest / Bill Murray and "Crystal", "Ronette" and "Chiffon"

Release Date: December 19, 1986

Country: United States 

TMFLSOH001  TMFLSOH002  

On Your Way Out: 

As our motto goes: "Grab 'em, Use 'em, Enjoy 'em". You all know by now this section is here to hopefully, enhance your experience of viewing today's flick. The pictures, the reading material plus the listening extras, all have one common goal: pleasure through learning! 

Cheers Shade. 

OYWO001  OYWO002  

Note: Password for all files: Shade'sVintageRadio 

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SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES 035: JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957)

In a time when the family image needed to appear picture perfect, Elvis infused rebellion into his music and channeled it directly to the teenagers who, after struggling under the repressive thumb of a picture perfection they never wanted, were desperate to espouse and enact. What was it about this man that brought such a craze and drove teenagers away from what was expected of them? Bob Dylan himself said that "when I first heard Elvis' voice, I just knew nobody was going to be my boss." Indeed, in either a tribute or a prophecy, Dylan continued, "hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail." 

Elvis was the start of something that was never seen before: fervent, vital, rebellious, energy. One of the first, of many to come, to reject the establishment and to attempt to create a new one based in joy and levity. Nowhere is this more evident than in his movie Jailhouse Rock which features his classic hit record of the same name. This musical is one that any lover of music should own. 

Elvis masterfully captures a sense of the exhilarating and the rebelious that leaves even the modern viewer with a sense of wicked joy, and although the music is so sinfully hypnotic as to suggest that it was created out of dark voodoo magic, two of the things actually responsible for engrossing listeners, both contemporary and modern, are first the novelty of his willful taboo breaking, and second, his choice to present a (paradoxically) flagrant, yet restrained display of sex appeal that artists have tried and failed to reproduce ever since. 

The movie is about a rebellious young man that gets thrown into jail. This concept of the jail house created a sense of wicked exhilaration and rebellion that appealed to the teenagers, hungry for anything with the Elvis trademark. The idea of rebellion frames every scene and is in every song. Elvis presents the idea that going against the status quo is desirable. In Jailhouse Rock, Elvis gets thrown into jail and through song and dance; the audience discovers that it is a party:

Shifty Henry said to Bugs, "For Heaven's sake

No one's lookin', now's the chance to make a break." 

Bugsy turned to Shifty and he said, "Nix nix

I wanna stick around a while and get my kicks."

 

His performance in the movie also shocked viewers with his daring dance moves and lyrics. He dances and shakes his hips in such an undesirable fashion to the parents that all of the children, desperate for a way to break out of the norm, craved his music and performances. 

In 1957 most reviewers recognized Jailhouse Rock as a step up in Presley's Hollywood career. Unlike his two previous movies, this one was built entirely around Elvis. He makes his first appearance just 15 seconds after the opening credits and is front and center in nearly every scene throughout the movie. Judy Tyler, the female lead, isn't seen until 26 minutes in, and the other main actor, Mickey Shaughnesay as Hunk Houghton, is off camera for a half hour in the middle of the film. For the first time the success of a major motion picture was placed squarely on the shoulders of Elvis Presley. 

The implied fear that Jailhouse Rock would lead to more teenage riots appears to have been just another overestimation of Elvis' negative influence on young people. There's no doubt the film's main audience of adolescents warmed up to Elvis' "bad boy" character in Jailhouse Rock. This is no evidence, however, that the film resulted in a surge of teenage hooliganism in the final months of 1957. 

Jailhouse rock is also famous for possibly handing us the best line in Elvis' movie career. It occurs in the definitive scene in the film, apart from the Jailhouse Rock dance sequence, when Vince Everett forcibly kisses Peggy Van Alden and responds: 

"That ain't tactics, honey. That's just the beast in me." 

The film is covered with "little" innuendos here and there, even oozing out of songs like Jailhouse Rock. It's one of the last numbers in the show and one verse contains the following lyrics: 

Number forty-seven said to number three, 

You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see; 

I sure would be delighted with your company, 

Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me. 

Even though songwriters didn't generally dwell on such subjects back in 1957, these lyrics may refer to homosexual acts practiced within the walls of American penitentiaries. You don't say!

There's innocence and an evocative brashness in what Elvis does/says. He can be sexier with his PG winks and dances and hints than anyone today can with their blatant displays. In fact, it's the subtlety that makes it sexier than any crude content that is modernly presented. Elvis's performance in Jailhouse Rock is timeless. He will always be the king of rock and roll that was sinfully hypnotic through his willful novelty of taboo breaking and have undeniable sex appeal that has yet to be reproduced.  

But before we get to the main feature, let's enjoy... 

The Pre-show: 

In our "Film Extras" folder we have 6 interesting docs (three on Elvis and three on Judy) which will enable us to understand their legacies to a fuller extent. And we continue with our 60s-70s comedy sitcoms plus our cartoon delight and last but not least the last chapters remaining of The Batman (boy were we innocent back then - The Bat guy wasn't much of a "sport enthusiast"!). 

TPS001  TPS002  TPS003  TPS004  TPS005  TPS006  TPS007  

The Main Feature: 

Title: Jailhouse Rock 

Director: Richard Thorpe 

Cast: Elvis Presley / Judy Tyler / Mickey Shaughnessy / Vaughn Taylor / Jennifer Holden 

Release Date: November 8, 1957 

Country: United States 

TMFJHR001  TMFJHR002  TMFJHR003  

On Your Way Out: 

As our motto goes: "Grab 'em, Use 'em, Enjoy 'em". You all know by now this section is here to hopefully, enhance your experience of viewing today's flick. The pictures, the reading material plus the listening extras, all have one common goal: pleasure through learning! 

Cheers Shade. 

OYWO 001  OYWO 002 

Note: Password for all files: Shade'sVintageRadio