"Oklahoma!""Carousel" "The King and I" coming to UK (1 Viewer)

[John Skoda]

I just know Shirley Jones says (in the DVD commentary) that the company was on location in Maine when Sinatra arrived for his first shooting day, asked about the two cameras, and walked off the production. From what you're saying, MacRae must have been called to report to Hollywood immediately to do his pre-recordings while the company shot other things. Listening to his recordings, though, it's hard to believe he was rushed in any way--he's magnificent.

In fact, one section called for Julie to sing, but Shirley Jones was already in Maine, so Marni nixon sang one line as a temp track ( and I always say two heads re better than one to figure it out), but Shirley never did redub the line.

If you notice, the "take" of this line in the film is a different one than on the LP. I wonder if either of them is Shirley?

 

[GMpasqua]

MacRae had already played Billy so he already knew the score. I believe he had asked for two weeks to lose some weight before flying to Maine. Since the orchestra track was already recorded Macare could have over dubbed the songs before flying out or the orchestra could have been called back - it probably only took one day for MacRae to record those numbers (He only sings two songs "If I Loved You" and "Soliloquoy") The company shot around him while he was getting ready. According to Jones, MacRae (who was performing in Vegas) was called immediately to replace Sinatra

 

[Joe Caps]

Greg, you are quite right. Macrae recorded them in one day.
This story of Frank quiting because he found out he would shoot everything twice is a bit stretched. they would certainly have explained to him before he agreed to dothe film, how the film was being shot.
What happened fromcontract to shooting?
Twosources here. Fox vocal director Kendarby said the problems started when prerecording the songs. - Frank was fine on If I LLoved you.
He had commercially recordedthe Soliloquoy before but in a lighter way than was needed for the film, which really required a bigger liegitamate barintone sound. when Frank went to record this version for Fox he kept blowing various notes. So He flew to the Maine location (where the soliloqquoy should have been shot) without having recorded the number.
SecondSource is from a boof about Hollywood filming by producer Henry Ephron, He and his wife wrote many screenplays together. This was first time acting as producer on a film.
Frank Sinatra had been having doubts forsometime that he was right for thepart. Ephron was startingto feel the same way. Ehron knew that Richard Rodgers did not want Sinatra intherole. Ephron mentioned this to Sinatra who immediately packed his bags and left the production.

 

[ahollis]

 

[Charles Smith]

Damn.

 

[ajabrams]

Too bad they didn't license "Flower Drum Song" from Universal to complete the cycle.

 

[moviepas]

Hmm I already have South Pacific on UK Blu Ray. The problem for me at the time was that I had ordered South Pacific & The Robe from Amazon US but when I got them they would not play, along with parts of some Disney Blus on my computer Blu drives. So I got a Blu Ray Recorder from Panasonic but this was on Region B for Blus and the UK did play on that beautifully when I got it. But prior to this I got a local Blu Ray player that plays all Blus with a code on the remote. The Disneys played but the Fox still did not until I got the UK. Amazon, a year or more later, refunded all my costs. Whether I gained or lost thru exchange changes is immaterial. I still have those discs but await a Region B of The Robe as I don't want to trust another Region A one even if I can get it refunded. I was told that the software coding Fox used at the time is the culprit.

South Pacific. I am sure there is a lot more material on this film around. One would be material in the Williamson/R&H files. I have seen a very poor DVD(hard to view) from a 16mm of the London stag show that was commissioned by R&H. I assume they have a superior copy that should get onto the Blu Ray.

As a family we saw this on a rerun in a Fox-owned suburban theater(not the one mentioned below) that is now partly demolished and shops and a car park in the shell near were I had for many years. Only time I remember going there. Wow was the volume up high. Got a headache and I was only a kid then. The local cop precinct was next door and I saw a copy getting a "free" view from the back stalls.

Carousel. The French film was issued by Kino with so-so quality with Charles Boyer. The version on the FOX Carousel DVD was superior visually in my view. There are the Fox early 30s versions(2?). There is the Hungarian original, Liliomski & I am not sure of a film made in the Hungary about the same time called, in Engish, Merry Go Round. Although some films made from 1938-45 in Hungary are missing(the film archives were bombed in the closing days of the war in Budapest(1945) and this building was opposite the Danube of which area suffered a fair amount of bombing) these are said to exist and Merry Go Round was shown on Foreign language TV in Australia a good few years ago.

No matter what the Sinatra story really is, he was back for the large format Can-Can with Maurice Chevrolet(my joke) and all was forgiven if anything was to be.

State Fair. I await and await the 1933 Will Rogers version of which I have only seen some restored scenes in FOX documentaries on their company. There was also a 1950s 20th Century-Fox Presents version for TV that contained footage from this 1933 version. I have been awaiting a Blu of the 1945 version believing this will improve even the excellent DVD version(a favorite of mine). Whatever happened to Centennial Summer? Meet Me in St Louis is coming on Blu so it is time for this too.

Oklahoma. Gordon was in the original London stage version and on EMI records singing songs from this version. I would love to have essential early recordings added to Blus as an extra.

The King & I. I guess the 1940s drama version, Anna & the King of Siam, should be added. I think the Siam depicted in that those films is more appealing to me than the current Thailand.

The Flower Drum Song is a family favorite and we saw this as a family at a Fox owned theater(not a Fox film, I know) about 2 miles from my house when it was on a suburban second run. One and only time we had been in that place and it now a supermarket site we pass often. The Laserdisc I have and it contains the trailer that was not on the DVD. One of the many missing off DVD versions along with overtures on other discs and now we are hearing stuff missing on Blus that had previously been attached to Home Theater versions(VHS, DVD) of good films. I can understand commentary tracks missing due to rights, particularly, if the original disc(Laser) had been a Criterion release under license and they had originally commissioned and paid for a commentary track, but not other material that is not "lost".

Now for a boxet in Blu of choice Fox 1940s musicals in Fox Technicolor.

 

[Joe Caps]

Preordering showed up this morning over at Amazon UK
release date seems to be Sept. 2012 !!

 

[Matt Hough]

No wonder we've heard nothing about it here. If we get a similar release, they'll wait until late spring/early summer to announce it, I suspect.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by MattH. /t/316350/oklahoma-carousel-the-king-and-i-coming-to-uk#post_3873929
No wonder we've heard nothing about it here. If we get a similar release, they'll wait until late spring/early summer to announce it, I suspect.

Hopefully this will give them time to do it right and they will be spectacular transfers as SOUTH PACIFIC and THE SOUND OF MUSIC are. Especially the Todd-AO transfer of OKLAHOMA!

 

[GMpasqua]

Why announce something that's not coming for almost a year - is FOX pulling another "Star Wars"?

Why do they do this, most other companies announce only two months before street?

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by GMpasqua /t/316350/oklahoma-carousel-the-king-and-i-coming-to-uk/30#post_3873942
Why announce something that's not coming for almost a year - is FOX pulling another "Star Wars"?

Why do they do this, most other companies announce only two months before street?

I don't think there was ever a formal announcement just a remark made by Fox-UK on Blu-ray.com that the titles would be in a box set in 2012. They never issued a date or information on the set. Warner's has said this past summer that Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and Singin' In The Rain would be in 2012, but again no formal announcement just a remark. Both are the same thing and I am glad to know they are working on the titles.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by ahollis /t/316350/oklahoma-carousel-the-king-and-i-coming-to-uk#post_3873935

Hopefully this will give them time to do it right and they will be spectacular transfers as SOUTH PACIFIC and THE SOUND OF MUSIC are. Especially the Todd-AO transfer of OKLAHOMA!

That's the one I'll be most anxious to see, too. Fingers crossed.

 

[Will Krupp]

Originally Posted by MattH. /t/316350/oklahoma-carousel-the-king-and-i-coming-to-uk/30#post_3873974
That's the one I'll be most anxious to see, too. Fingers crossed.

Hear Hear! I never liked OKLAHOMA as a "movie musical" until I saw the Todd-AO version; so much better in every respect.

 

[Joe Caps]

Well Amazon UK is now taking orders for the Box set with a price around 37 pounds.
It says it is six discs, which means, probably, only one version of Oklahoma, Souuth Pacific,, state Fair.
Someone needs to release the lIVe version of State Faoir broadcast about a year ago from Broadway. Excellent revival.

 

[kagemusha98]

But the box set is not coming out until September 2012!!! That's a very long time away for pre orders !

 

[John Skoda]

Hear Hear!  I never liked OKLAHOMA as a "movie musical" until I saw the Todd-AO version; so much better in every respect.

HDNet Movies is showing OKLAHOMA! this month. I caught some of it last night--unfortunately, their HD version is of the CinemaScope filming.

 

[haineshisway]

HDNet Movies is showing OKLAHOMA! this month. I caught some of it last night--unfortunately, their HD version is of the CinemaScope filming.

Yes, I saw a little of it - it doesn't look very good so hoping the Blu-ray is not this transfer.

 

[NY2LA]

Necessity:
Pipe dreaming:
Include the entire 13 episode run of ANNA AND THE KING (the sit-com based on THE KING AND I and its progenitors).

That really WOULD be fun, along with the ability to play it with overture and intermission, as it was when reissued in 70, and to play it through as when it was first released. With MOD becoming more common, why not offer extra supplementary discs to regular releases in MOD, so those of us who want them can have them and they don't have to mass produce them?

 

[Doctorossi]

So... Todd-AO Oklahoma! to be transferred at 60i... ? Anybody know?