Showing posts with label Elizabeth Taylor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elizabeth Taylor. Show all posts
September 9, 2021
March 21, 2021
20,000 vinyl LPs 279: The Student Prince, Mario Lanza & drama
~
vinyl LP front cover
album cover photographer unknown
This entry of the recording of The Student Prince, without any doubt, rightfully belongs in my "Music & Mayhem" category (link below).
I
have loved musicals since I was a little kid in the forties. I remember
my first one, mostly because of the situation. My father wanted to take
me to the fights, he was big into boxing and wrestling (link below), and my mother wanted to take me
to see the Student Prince, which is technically NOT a musical, it is an operetta by Sigmund Romberg, but back then I didn't know the difference.
I actually wanted to go to the fights with my dad as I loved them.
I remember the huge argument between them and my father hitting her, it
is my first memory of that happening. My mother won the argument,
however, so,
split lip and all, off she and I went. My first recollection of the
event is
sitting in a plush seat that popped up when empty; it was my very first
theater
experience and thought that was the most fun thing EVER and kept letting
the seat pop up and pushing it back down until my mom irritably told me
to cool
it. Looking back I think she was still sore about the fight with my dad.
The next memory is the house lights dimming, the goose bumps
when the orchestra tuned up (I
still get them) and the giant red velvet curtain slowly opening to
the most magnificent scene imaginable. Between the spectacle I saw that
night on the stage and the anger toward and fear I felt of my dad, I was hooked on musicals forever!
The Student Prince was made into a film in 1954 with Mario Lanza cast in the title role with John Ericson, Louis Calhern, Edmund Gwenn, S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall and Betta St. John. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak.
During most of his film career, Lanza suffered from addictions
to overeating and alcohol which had a serious effect on his health and
his relationships with directors, producers and, occasionally, other
cast members.
The legend goes, like Liz Taylor in the filming of Cleopatra,
he had erratic weight problems during filming which made it impossible
for him to fit into the costumes at times; thus, the role of the prince
was recast with Edmund Purdom . . .
. . . with Lanza singing the songs, which had been recorded early on during the filming, dubbed in (link below) and the film credits read, "the singing voice of Mario Lanza".
The Student Prince - 1954
lobby card
However, the real story is, there was a dispute during the filming; a disagreement with director Curtis Bernhardt
over Lanza's singing of one of the songs in the film led to Lanza
walking off the set. MGM refused to replace Bernhardt, and the film was
subsequently made with English actor Edmund Purdom. Ann Blyth
appears as the love interest for the Prince in the film; she had
previously appeared as Lanza's love interest and wife in the 1951 film, The Great Caruso. A true twist of fate.
The hit songs from The Student Prince with Lanza singing was released by RCA records in 1954 with songs from other musicals included on the "B" side but subsequently released an album with only the music from the film in 1960.
vinyl LP front cover
One of the most beautiful love songs ever written, Serenade, is sung by Lanza in the film; he also sings the very wistful, Golden Days. His stunning voice is resplendent in the rollicking drinking song, Drink, Drink, Drink (links below).
publicity photo
Depressed by his dismissal, and with his self-confidence severely
undermined, Lanza became a virtual recluse for more than a year,
frequently seeking refuge in alcoholic binges. During this period, Lanza
also came very close to bankruptcy as a result of poor investment
decisions by his former manager, and his lavish spending habits. And to boot, he was left
owing about $250,000 in back taxes to the IRS.
In April 1959, Lanza fell ill, mainly with heart problems as
well as pneumonia. On September 25, 1959, he entered the Valle Giulia
clinic in Rome for the purpose of losing weight for an upcoming film. While in
the clinic, he underwent a controversial weight loss program
colloquially known as "the twilight sleep treatment", which required the patient to be kept immobile and sedated for prolonged periods. On October 7, Lanza died of an apparent pulmonary embolism at the age of 38.
In 1991, his son Marc Lanza died of a heart attack. He was 37, a year
younger than Mario was when he died. In 1998, the daughter of Marios Lanza, Colleen Lanza, was
killed by a car as she crossed a street. She spent two weeks in the
hospital in a coma from which she never recovered. The son of Mario Lanza, Damon Anthony
Lanza, died on August 16, 2008 in California at the age of 55.
Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper
wrote that "his smile, which was as big as his voice, was matched with
the habits of a tiger cub, impossible to housebreak." She adds that he
was the "last of the great romantic performers".
Lanza was a fan of opera star Richard Tucker but they only met once in 1958 at the Covent Garden in London. Tucker stated that Lanza possessed “the voice of the [twentieth] century.”
Placido Domingo
declared Lanza possessed “one of the truly great natural tenor voices
of the past century – a voice of beauty, passion, and power!”
In a summary, author and astrologer Eleonora Kimmel recognized that Lanza "blazed like a meteor whose light lasts a brief moment in time".
It is a tragedy that the life of Mario Lanza rose to the dizzying heights of fame and stardom but ended in disaster.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Orchestral Introduction
A2 - Serenade
A3 - Golden Days
A4 - Drink, Drink, Drink, words by Donnelly*
A2 - Serenade
A3 - Golden Days
A4 - Drink, Drink, Drink, words by Donnelly*
A5 - Summertime In Heidelberg, Soprano Vocals – Elizabeth Doubleday, words by Webster*, written by Nicholas Brodszky
Side 2:
A6 - Beloved, words by Paul Francis Webster
A7 - Gaudeamus Igitur, written by Traditional
A8 - Deep In My Heart, Dear, Soprano Vocals – Elizabeth Doubleday, words by Donnelly*
A9 - I’ll Walk With God, written by Nicholas Brodszky
B1 - Yours Is My Heart Alone, written by Franz Lehár
B2 - Romance, words by Walter Donaldson, written by Edgar Leslie
B3 - I’ll See You Again, written by Noel Coward*
B4 - If I Loved You, words by Oscar Hammerstein II, written by Richard Rodgers
B5 - I’ll Be Seeing You, words by Irving Kahal, written by Sammy Fain
B6 - One Night Of Love, words by Gus Kahn, written by Victor Schertzinger
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Radio Corporation Of America
Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis
Credits:
Conductor – Constantine Callinicos (tracks: A1 to A9), Ray Sinatra (tracks: B1 to B6), written by Sigmund Romberg (tracks: A1 to A4, A6, A8)
Notes:
Full title on sleeve: "MARIO LANZA Sings the hit songs from THE STUDENT PRINCE And other Great Musical Comedies".
Full title on vinyl label: "Songs from "The Student Prince" and other Famous Melodies".
The A-side is the songs from "The Student Prince", the B-side the other songs.
B1 from "Land Of Smiles"
B2 from "Cameo Kirby"
B3 from "Bittersweet"
B4 from "Carousel"
B5 from "Royal Palm Revue"
B6 from "One Night Of Love"
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): E4RP-8166
Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): E4RP-8167
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A (stamped)): E4 RP8166-18S I A3
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B (stamped)): E4 RP8167-12S I B2
Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): E4RP-8167
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A (stamped)): E4 RP8166-18S I A3
Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B (stamped)): E4 RP8167-12S I B2
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
LA Times ~ Mario Lanza
mariolanzatenor ~ Myths about Mario Lanza: the Man
Opera Vivra ~ Mario Lanza
Singing Voice Success ~ Tenor Who Took Hollywood by Storm!
Villages News ~ What killed Mario Lanza at age 38?
YouTube links:
"I sing each word as though
it were my last on earth!"
~ Mario Lanza
November 16, 2020
20,000 vinyl LPs 253: Burgess Meredith & Howard O. Sackler ~ Everyman
~
vinyl LP front cover detail
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
detail photo by Styrous®
The Somonyng of Everyman (The Summoning of Everyman), usually referred to simply as Everyman, is a late 15th-century morality play. Like the John Bunyan 1678 Christian novel The Pilgrim's Progress, Everyman uses allegorical characters to examine the question of Christian salvation and what Man must do to attain it. An excellent topic for our world today!
In 1955 Burgess Meredith recorded a reading of the play with a cast of a stunning array of artists under the direction of Howard O. Sackler. Today is the birthday of Meredith and this is my tribute to him.
vinyl LP front cover
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
photo by Styrous®
The play is set in a wooded world of mystery and intrigue, this 600 year-old play
follows the journey of the character "Everyman" who is tasked by "Death"
to meet his maker "God" for a reckoning. Stalling for time, Everyman
begs for the chance to bring a single companion with him to his death.
He tries to enlist his Kin, Cousin, Goods, Beauty, Strength, and 5 wits,
but none will follow him to his death.
vinyl LP front cover detail
woodcut ca 1500
coloring & calligraphy by Gogin Stair
detail photos by Styrous®
This
was a seminal project as many of the readers on the recording went on
to other famous, fun and strange projects that influenced many segments
in the world of entertainment.
Cavada Humphrey would appear in the very weird soap opera, Dark Shadows: the show's inhabitants were ghosts, werewolves, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel, and a parallel universe (link below). John Heldabrand would appear in The Immoralist, a 1955 play written by Augustus and Ruth Goetz based on the novel by André Gide, which also starred James Dean, Louis Jourdan, and Geraldine Page. Heldabrand also in the 1956 television play A Night to Remember for the Kraft Television Theatre.
David Hersey is is one of the readers. however, he is a lighting designer who designed the lighting for over 250 plays, musicals, operas, and ballets. His awards include the Tony Award for Best Lighting Design for Evita, Cats, and Les Misérables, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Cats, Miss Saigon, and Equus, and the 1996 Laurence Olivier Award for Lighting Design.
Janet Ward appeared in the films Fail Safe (1964), The Anderson Tapes (1971) and Night Moves (1975). She appeared in the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason, The Defenders, N.Y.P.D., Cannon, Barney Miller, Kojak and Law & Order.
Darren McGavin has a role in the reading; he was one of the stars in Summertime and in The Man with the Golden Arm (link below) which starred Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang (both 1955). From 1958 to 1959, he played the title character in the 1950s television series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, and subsequently starred in the NBC Western series Riverboat, first with Burt Reynolds and then with Noah Beery Jr.
McGavin went on to have a prolific career in television,
appearing in numerous guest-starring roles throughout the 1960s and
1970s. He starred in the successful TV movie The Night Stalker
Julian Barry is an American screenwriter and playwright; his script for the 1974 film Lenny about comedian Lenny Bruce won him an Oscar-nomination. Barry adapted the script from his successful Broadway play of the same name. The film, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine, was nominated for the so-called Oscar Grand Slam, one of some 40 films to be so honored. Barry wrote or rewrote screenplays for several notable films including The River starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, Eyes of Laura Mars starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones, and Rhinoceros, starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder, Me, Myself and I, starring George Segal and Jobeth Williams, and the American Playhouse production for PBS, A Marriage - Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, starring Christopher Plummer and Jane Alexander.
Frederick Rolf has been active in American theatre for over six decades. On Broadway he was featured as the Inquisitor in Saint Joan and in Time Remembered with Helen Hayes and Richard Burton. Some of his film credits include (Witness with Harrison Ford, Street Smart with Morgan Freeman and five Woody Allen films).
Stefan Gierasch made over 100 screen appearances, mostly in American television, beginning in 1951. He appeared in many films including in The Hustler (1961), The Traveling Executioner (1970), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), What's Up Doc? (1972), High Plains Drifter (1973), Carrie (1976), Silver Streak (1976), Victory at Entebbe (1976), Blue Sunshine (1977), The Champ (1979), Blood Beach (1980), Perfect (1985), and in 1994 he appeared in the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito film Junior.
Terence Kilburn is known for his roles as a child actor, in films such as A Christmas Carol (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.
He was in the film National Velvet with a VERY young Elizabeth Taylor and the notorious 1962 film Lolita directed by Stanley Kubrick. He was also in Slaves of Babylon, a film with Richard Conte, Linda Christian and Julie Newmar,
I loved Newmar and thought she had the strangest looking face that was
sensual and exotic in a bizarre way, I guess that's why she was cast in
so many films like Babylon.
The Portland Community College For the Performing Arts Center staged a brilliant production of Everyman with stunning lighting and sets (link below).
Burgess Meredith was born in 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Methodist revivalists, a religion to which he adhered throughout his lifetime. He became a reporter for the Stamford Advocate. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After transferring to the Office of War Information, he made training and education films for America's armed forces.
In 1943 he performed in the USAAF's recruiting short The Rear Gunner and the U.S. Army training film A Welcome to Britain for troops heading to the UK in preparation for the liberation of Europe.
He was released from duty in 1944 to work on the movie The Story of G.I. Joe, in which he played the war correspondent Ernie Pyle.
He was known later in his career for his appearances on The Twilight Zone and for portraying arch-villain The Penguin on the 1960s TV series Batman (link below) and boxing trainer Mickey Goldmill in the Rocky film series. For his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and Rocky (1976), he received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He later starred in the comedy Foul Play (1978) and the fantasy film Clash of the Titans (1981). He narrated numerous films and documentaries during his long career, including Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
Meredith played the Penguin in the television series Batman from 1966 to 1968 and in the 1966 film based on the TV series.
His role as the Penguin was so well-received that the show's writers
always had a script featuring the Penguin ready whenever Meredith was
available. He and Cesar Romero (the Joker) are tied for number of appearances on the show. He also made a brief cameo appearance as the Penguin in the 1968 episode of The Monkees titled Monkees Blow Their Minds.
My favorite film of his is Of Mice and Men (link below) based on the book by John Steinbeck. He portrays George trapped in his friendship with his sidekick, Lenny, played by Lon Chaney, Jr. The story takes place during the Depression. The score for the film was by American composer Aaron Copland.
His autobiography, So Far, So Good, was published in 1994. In the book he wrote that he suffered from violent mood swings caused by cyclothymia, a form of bipolar disorder.
Meredith died from complications of Alzheimer's disease and melanoma on September 9, 1997, aged 89, at his Malibu home. Friend Adam West spoke briefly at his memorial service.
Burgess Meredith & Howard O. Sackler ~ Everyman
vinyl LP record labels, side 1 & side 2
photos by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
Everyman, Written By – Anonymous
A Part One
A Part One
Side 2:
B Part Two
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – Caedmon Publishers
Credits:
Directed By – Howard Sackler
Performer [Beauty], Voice Actor – Cavada Humphrey
Performer [Confession], Voice Actor – John Heldabrand
Performer [Cousin], Voice Actor – David Hersey (3)
Performer [Death], Voice Actor – Frank Silvera
Performer [Discretion], Voice Actor – Janet Ward
Performer [Everyman], Voice Actor – Burgess Meredith
Performer [Fellowship], Voice Actor – Darren McGavin (2)
Performer [Five-Wits] – Julian Barry (4)
Performer [God], Voice Actor – Frederick Rolf
Performer [Good-Deeds], Voice Actor – Sybil Baker
Performer [Goods], Voice Actor – Richard Purdy
Performer [Kindred], Voice Actor – Stefan Gierasch
Performer [Knowledge], Voice Actor – Carol Veazie
Performer [Messenger], Voice Actor – Terence Kilburn
Performer [Strength], Voice Actor – Richard Farmer (2)
Notes:
Includes a 24 page booklet
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (A runout): TC 1031 A // C0101 SC E4
Matrix / Runout (B runout): TC 1031 B // E4RP- 10110 - 1A // A1 // R
Matrix / Runout (A label): TC-1031-A
Matrix / Runout (B label): TC-1031-B
Burgess Meredith, Howard O. Sackler* – Everyman - A Moral Play
Label: Caedmon Records – TC 1031
Series: Monuments Of Early English Drama – Volume Two, Caedmon Literary Series –
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Non-Music
Style: Spoken Word
Styrous® ~ Monday, November 16, 2020
Label: Caedmon Records – TC 1031
Series: Monuments Of Early English Drama – Volume Two, Caedmon Literary Series –
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Non-Music
Style: Spoken Word
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Batman '66 Reunion (1989) Adam West, Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith
Of Mice and Men (1939) Burgess Meredith & Lon Chaney Jr (1 hr., 46 min.)
Portland Community College ~ Everyman (49;18)
November 21, 2018
Jim Stewart ~ Perfervid Photographer
~
Jim Stewart
1977 CARNIFAIR ~ Dancin' for the Seamen
Leatherneck bar, San Francisco, 1977
Leatherneck, Pillow, a Hungry i
Leatherneck posters
Bay Area Reporter ~ Jim Stewart obit
Bilerico Project ~ Jim Stewart: SoMa Survivor obit
Found San Francisco ~ Folsom Street: The Miracle Mile
Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970’s SoMa review
BARtab ~ Jim Stewart: Folsom Street Leather
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, November 21, 2018
A month or so ago my friend and photographer Jim Stewart (links below) died just short of his seventy-sixth birthday. I was his model in 1982 for a series of photographs he did for advertisement posters for the Leatherneck Bar (link below), articles in the Bay Area Reporter and he photographed several performances of mine as well.
Jim was born on November 11, 1942. He earned his master's degree at Western Michigan University and documented the Leather Lifestyle in the mid to early 80's with his 2011 memoir, Folsom Street Blues which included many of his photographs.
Styrous® ~ performance - 1977
photo by Jim Stewart
Folsom Street Blues
by Jim Stewart
book cover photo by Jim Stewart
by Jim Stewart
book cover photo by Jim Stewart
He was a columnist for the Bay Area Reporter BARtab section (link below), a Folsom Street leather pioneer, a gay man, the cover model of his award-winning 2011 memoir, "Folsom Street Blues," and a photographer for Drummer magazine (link below). In 1976, he was among the first leather artists to move South of Market to Clementina Street.
According to BARtab editor Jim Provenzano, Stewart contributed to the nightlife section several years ago. He also wrote the section's BARchive gay bar history column in 2013 and 2014, which included many of his historic 1970s gay nightlife photos of South of the Slot bars, Halloween, and the Russian River scene.
While managing a movie theater in 1973, Jim met Jack Fritscher, a writer, who sponsored his move to San Francisco in 1975.
Although our names are not mentioned, Jim and I were subjects in the Fritscher book, Some Dance To Remember.
Fritscher said that as a member of the SOMA Open Studio movement, Jim chronicled the creative epiphanies of the Folsom Street art scene with intimate friends he wrote about such as Tool Box bar founder Chuck Arnett, leather poet Camille O'Grady, whose performance at the Ambush Bar on Harrison Street I recorded in the early 80's . . .
. . . Old Reliable Studio photographer David Hurles and 1974 Oscar streaker Robert Opel who ran naked behind David Niven flashing a peace sign while Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor.
As a working carpenter in 1977, Jim built the interior of Fey-Way Studio, at 1287 Howard Street, where founder Opel exhibited his work alongside Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom of Finland, and Rex, in the gallery where Opel was murdered in 1979. I did the sound design for a couple of the exhibition openings at the gallery. Jim appeared in Uncle Bob, the 2010 documentary film about the Opel killing.
Jim wrote fiction for the Jim Moss, Folsom magazine, he shot photos for the Society for Individual Rights and documented the Christo and Jeanne-Claude "Running Fence." He founded his Keyhole Studios in 1976.
Jim's images of Folsom Street sexuality, including his iconic photos shot in the Slot Hotel, appeared in exhibits at bars like the Ambush; in Drummer as early as issue 14, May 1977; and in the 2008 book "Gay San Francisco."
He managed and photographed various Folsom leather bars in San Francisco; Allan Lowery's Leatherneck (links below) and later, at the same location after the Leatherneck closed and it became the Drummer Key Club, at 11th and Folsom streets, which is now the Oasis nightclub.
According to BARtab editor Jim Provenzano, Stewart contributed to the nightlife section several years ago. He also wrote the section's BARchive gay bar history column in 2013 and 2014, which included many of his historic 1970s gay nightlife photos of South of the Slot bars, Halloween, and the Russian River scene.
Tom Hinde - 1979
photo by Jim Stewart
While managing a movie theater in 1973, Jim met Jack Fritscher, a writer, who sponsored his move to San Francisco in 1975.
Jack Fritscher - 1979
photo by Mark Hemry
Although our names are not mentioned, Jim and I were subjects in the Fritscher book, Some Dance To Remember.
Fritscher said that as a member of the SOMA Open Studio movement, Jim chronicled the creative epiphanies of the Folsom Street art scene with intimate friends he wrote about such as Tool Box bar founder Chuck Arnett, leather poet Camille O'Grady, whose performance at the Ambush Bar on Harrison Street I recorded in the early 80's . . .
Camille O'Grady
photo by Glenda Hydler
. . . Old Reliable Studio photographer David Hurles and 1974 Oscar streaker Robert Opel who ran naked behind David Niven flashing a peace sign while Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor.
46th Academy Awards - 1974
As a working carpenter in 1977, Jim built the interior of Fey-Way Studio, at 1287 Howard Street, where founder Opel exhibited his work alongside Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom of Finland, and Rex, in the gallery where Opel was murdered in 1979. I did the sound design for a couple of the exhibition openings at the gallery. Jim appeared in Uncle Bob, the 2010 documentary film about the Opel killing.
Jim wrote fiction for the Jim Moss, Folsom magazine, he shot photos for the Society for Individual Rights and documented the Christo and Jeanne-Claude "Running Fence." He founded his Keyhole Studios in 1976.
Jim's images of Folsom Street sexuality, including his iconic photos shot in the Slot Hotel, appeared in exhibits at bars like the Ambush; in Drummer as early as issue 14, May 1977; and in the 2008 book "Gay San Francisco."
He managed and photographed various Folsom leather bars in San Francisco; Allan Lowery's Leatherneck (links below) and later, at the same location after the Leatherneck closed and it became the Drummer Key Club, at 11th and Folsom streets, which is now the Oasis nightclub.
Jim left San Francisco in the 1980s when he was hired as
head of the Chicago Public Library Social Sciences and History
Department.
Jim Stewart died on October 15, 2018, at his home in Ludington, Michigan, where he had retired. The
cause of death was pneumonia two days after he broke his ankle
in a fall. He was 75 years old. He is survived by Kenneth Warner his partner of 35 years; they were married in California in 2008.
Viewfinder links:
Jim Stewart
1977 CARNIFAIR ~ Dancin' for the Seamen
Leatherneck bar, San Francisco, 1977
Leatherneck, Pillow, a Hungry i
Leatherneck posters
Net links:
Bay Area Reporter ~ Jim Stewart obit
Bilerico Project ~ Jim Stewart: SoMa Survivor obit
Found San Francisco ~ Folsom Street: The Miracle Mile
Foreward Reviews ~ Folsom Street Blues review
Lambda Literary Foundation ~Folsom Street Blues: A Memoir of 1970’s SoMa review
BARtab ~ Jim Stewart: Folsom Street Leather
Jim was intense and impassioned
but a sweeter soul never lived!
but a sweeter soul never lived!
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, November 21, 2018
~
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