Blu-ray Review Annie: 30th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray review (1 Viewer)

[Todd J Moore]

The TV version is decent, but the politically correct reworkings make me want to grind my teeth. Of course, the TV version of THE MUSIC MAN is even worse!

 

[Rick Thompson]

Peters was an established star had a name. She was on Carol Burnett and talk shows and America knew her. Whether or not she would specifically have been cast as Grace wasn't my point. Reinking, who wasn't known much beyond Manhattan, was the only non-star in a leading role (except for Quinn). If she was such a terrific actress, why didn't anyone (who wasn't involved with her) cast her in a movie after this? Yeah I do think Huston was not so committed to the casting that he would have ignored the head of the studio saying AR should have the role. As for reshooting Easy Street - he was shortsighted enough to have gone along with shooting the overproduced version in the first place. The whole movie is overproduced.

Whatever star quality Peters had on Broadway at the time, it wouldn't mean very much in Hollywood. If Broadway stardom cut any mustard there, Gypsy would have starred Ethel Merman, not Rosalind Russell (who couldn't sing the part), and Gwen Verdon would have starred in Sweet Charity — which was directed by the same guy who did it on Broadway (Bob Fosse).
As for why Reinking wasn't in a movie after that, maybe it's the same reason I haven't seen much of Bernadette Peters on film: The right part hasn't come along.

 

[Rick Thompson]

As for my feelings about the film itself, I kind of liked it until Miss Hanigan turned up on the elephant at the end loved by everyone. It ripped the bottom out of a movie that didn't have much grasp on reality to begin with.

 

I wrote to Sony regarding the audio issues. The rep. said he would forward my concerns to the production dept.

 

[NY2LA]

Whatever star quality Peters had on Broadway at the time, it wouldn't mean very much in Hollywood. If Broadway stardom cut any mustard there, Gypsy would have starred Ethel Merman, not Rosalind Russell (who couldn't sing the part), and Gwen Verdon would have starred in Sweet Charity — which was directed by the same guy who did it on Broadway (Bob Fosse).
As for why Reinking wasn't in a movie after that, maybe it's the same reason I haven't seen much of Bernadette Peters on film: The right part hasn't come along.

That's a rather broad brush you're swinging there... And you kind of proved my point more than yours. Reinking's Broadway rep did not earn her the role in Annie. Her husband did. Peters was already better known ON SCREEN than Reinking, is a better overall performer, definitely more popular, and she actually went on to do several move movies on TV and theatrically after Annie. Reinking not so much. You can't compare their careers. Look 'em both up on IMDb. If Reinking can't dance, she's done. Gwen was too old for Charity by 1968 when Charity was filmed. She may have been for the stage, too, but it's easier to hide it there. She knew it, and worked with Shirley on preparing the movie. And, like Reinking, Gwen, who I have lots of affection for, was not a Movie Star. Shirley was. Still Is. Reinking wasn't. Still isn't.

 

[NY2LA]

As for my feelings about the film itself, I kind of liked it until Miss Hanigan turned up on the elephant at the end loved by everyone. It ripped the bottom out of a movie that didn't have much grasp on reality to begin with.

Idunno if the stage version had Hannigan and/or Rooster suggesting they actually murder Annie after getting the money, I really tend to doubt it. Again in another overblown sequence in Huston's film, i think I recall they have Hannigan turning soft in that bridge climbing scene, showing she's a bitch but not a murderer. She's supposed to be comically-mean but not evil. I wouldn't be surprised if I heard Carol Burnett had objected to the murder business, certainly to her character condoning it, but we don't know how it was in the original screenplay. I doubt Tom Meehan had that in there. So in the film it's a short leap (no pun intended) from the "hey don't kill her" bit for Hannigan on the bridge to being completely reformed to give them a happy ending. The show, grounded enough in reality to let you feel the emotions, worked. The movie, overblowing it all for the screen, stretched credibility so far that there wasn't much to invest in in the first place. And, when you think about it, with the movie being so far flung out there into fantasy - land, the murder plot really didn't fit, so yeah, just bad decisions all around.

 

BTW, "Wizard of Oz" Munchkin Jerry Maren's wife Elizabeth was Aileen Quinn's double in this film. I knew Elizabeth, and she was a wonderful lady.

 

[Rick Thompson]

Idunno if the stage version actually had Hannigan and/or Rooster suggesting they actually murder Annie after getting the money, I really tend to doubt it. Again in another overblown sequence in Huston's film, i think I recall they have Hannigan turning soft in that bridge climbing scene, showing she's a bitch but not a murderer. She's supposed to be comically-mean but not evil. I wouldn't be surprised if I heard Carol Burnett had objected to the murder business, certainly to her character condoning it, but we don't know how it was in the original screenplay. I doubt Tom Meehan had that in there. So in the film it's a short leap (no pun intended) from the "hey don't kill her" bit for Hannigan on the bridge to being completely reformed to give them a happy ending. The show, grounded enough in reality to let you feel the emotions, worked. The movie, overblowing it all for the screen, stretched credibility so far that there wasn't much to invest in in the first place. And, when you think about it, with the movie being so far flung out there into fantasy - land, the murder plot really didn't fit, so yeah, just bad decisions all around.

But the stage version's last scene had Hannigan, brother and his girl friend being carted off to the pokey. The movie suddenly has her being a good guy. I buy that saying you want to kill someone and actually doing it are completely different breeds of cat, but that doesn't get her not sent to jail. There are still the fraud charges, being part of the murder conspiracy, and her hating little girls. Just doesn't wash.
As for the Peters-Reinking bit, the fact remains that Reinking was a far better fit for Grace Farrell than Bernadette Peters. Grace Farrell is not a kewpie doll part; she's a woman with a business head on her shoulders, good enough that Warbucks valued her opinion.

 

[NY2LA]

BTW, "Wizard of Oz" Munchkin Jerry Maren's wife Elizabeth was Aileen Quinn's double in this film. I knew Elizabeth, and she was a wonderful lady.

How cool is that? I hear both the Marens were very nice. I suspect Elizabeth ended up doing more movies than Aileen, though Aileen seemed quite talented. Did anybody ever get Aileen Quinn's solo album that came our right after Annie? On Columbia records no doubt, I think it was called Bobby's girl or something like that. I think it landed in the bin with the Ethel Merman Disco Album. (OMG)

 

[Rick Thompson]

How cool is that? I hear both the Marens were very nice. I suspect Elizabeth ended up doing more movies than Aileen, though Aileen seemed quite talented. Did anybody ever get Aileen Quinn's solo album that came our right after Annie? On Columbia records no doubt, I think it was called Bobby's girl or something like that. I think it landed in the bin with the Ethel Merman Disco Album. (OMG)

Believe it or not, the Ethel Merman Disco Album was issued on CD. It's out of print now, but you can buy one on Amazon for $35.65 plus shipping. Better hurry -- just one copy left!

 

[GMpasqua]

Anyone Know why the original "Easy Street" number is never included as an extra on any video release? With those stars you would think it would make an interesting extra

 

[NY2LA]

But the stage version's last scene had Hannigan, brother and his girl friend being carted off to the pokey. The movie suddenly has her being a good guy. I buy that saying you want to kill someone and actually doing it are completely different breeds of cat, but that doesn't get her not sent to jail. There are still the fraud charges, being part of the murder conspiracy, and her hating little girls. Just doesn't wash.

No argument there.

As for the Peters-Reinking bit, the fact remains that Reinking was a far better fit for Grace Farrell than Bernadette Peters. Grace Farrell is not a kewpie doll part; she's a woman with a business head on her shoulders, good enough that Warbucks valued her opinion.

I guess you missed the part way back where where I said that Peters herself was not my point. I just grabbed her name as an example of a female lead in the film who was better known than Reinking was. My point was Reinking, without her marital advantage, was not a shoo-in for a movie where every other lead was a star. By the way, I never saw Grace as a sharp, savvy businesswoman. She wasn't written that way in the show.

 

[NY2LA]

Anyone Know why the original "Easy Street" number is never included as an extra on any video release? With those stars you would think it would make an interesting extra

Oh yeah for sure it would. Did I hear it is still in one of the trailers? Still better to see the whole thing. Doesn't the new Little Shop of Horrors now have both endings? What's the Glenn Close-Michael Douglas movie where they reshot the ending after test screenings and put the original one on the DVD as an extra? Oh, Fatal Attraction. So yeah, definitely the first version of Easy Street would be interesting.

 

[MatthewA]

In the production I saw of the play two years ago, Rooster did imply they would get rid of her by brandishing a knife. And there was a short, transitional scene where Annie was planning her adoption party, and she invited Miss Hannigan.

Originally Posted by GMpasqua /t/324494/annie-30th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-review/30#post_3990181
Anyone Know why the original "Easy Street" number is never included as an extra on any video release? With those stars you would think it would make an interesting extra

This was probably the best chance for getting the PBS documentary, too. Many of the scenes it shows being shot are the ones that ended up on the cutting room floor. They need to find those scenes.

 

[NY2LA]

Believe it or not, the Ethel Merman Disco Album was issued on CD. It's out of print now, but you can buy one on Amazon for $35.65 plus shipping. Better hurry -- just one copy left!

Did you get one?? (please forgive the off topic swerve here but this is too funny) Could you just imagine Merman actually singing disco songs in that blasty voice of hers? Like "Love to Love You, Baby?" "Bad Girls?" "Call Me?" What it actually turned out to be is just her old recordings with an added disco beat. i just can't picture the kids at Studio boogeying to "Alexander's Ragtime Band!" Back in that period, (when I actually worked in several discos) they would set ANYTHING to a disco beat. "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" "I Love Lucy" "Star Wars" "the Lord's Prayer" "Beowulf" (shudder)

 

[NY2LA]

In the production I saw of the play two years ago, Rooster did imply they would get rid of her by brandishing a knife. And there was a short, transitional scene where Annie was planning her adoption party, and she invited Miss Hannigan.
This was probably the best chance for getting the PBS documentary, too. Many of the scenes it shows being shot are the ones that ended up on the cutting room floor. They need to find those scenes.

Did you save the program from that production? Was the original writer quoted or any subsequent writers? At least it showed that Annie was more forgiving than Hannigan in the script.
Definitely agree about the PBS special - really would like to have seen that again. Wonder if it has ever shown up online anyhere?
It's a lost opportunity almost as bad as Sony leaving the original Doc Short that League of Their Own was based on off the DVD and Blu.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by NY2LA /t/324494/annie-30th-anniversary-edition-blu-ray-review/30#post_3990206
Did you save the program from that production? Was the original writer quoted or any subsequent writers? At least it showed that Annie was more forgiving than Hannigan in the script.
Definitely agree about the PBS special - really would like to have seen that again. Wonder if it has ever shown up online anyhere?
It's a lost opportunity almost as bad as Sony leaving the original Doc Short that League of Their Own was based on off the DVD and Blu.

I still have the program, and it only lists Thomas Meehan as a librettist. The production also had parts of "We Got Annie" (with lyrics not in the movie) mixed in with the title song.

Lights, Camera, Annie is on YouTube in 6 parts. John Huston's barely in the thing:



Part 5 is the one with Easy Street, which shows the first verse being pre-recorded by Carol and Bernadette:



Supposedly, Sony hasn't been able to locate a copy (but that may just be an Internet rumor; I think future generations will refer to the old kids' game of Telephone as "Internet").

I've always thought the biggest problem with this movie was the editing, and this special illuminated that, and a lot more.

 

[NY2LA]

I still have the program, and it only lists Thomas Meehan as a librettist. The production also had parts of "We Got Annie" (with lyrics not in the movie) mixed in with the title song.

"We got Annie" mixed into "Tomorrow?" Yee-ikes! I wonder if this new version is a hybrid of the original show and the sequel Annie Warbucks.

Lights, Camera, Annie is on YouTube in 6 parts. John Huston's barely in the thing... Part 5 is the one with Easy Street, which shows the first verse being pre-recorded by Carol and Bernadette... Supposedly, Sony hasn't been able to locate a copy (but that may just be an Internet rumor; I think future generations will refer to the old kids' game of Telephone as "Internet")... I've always thought the biggest problem with this movie was the editing, and this special illuminated that, and a lot more.

Very resourceful of you to find that. You think editing was a bigger problem than being overproduced? I suppose they might have hidden some of the excess by cutting it out. Thanks for the links. (I'm getting "embedding disabled by request" on both links here offering a link to the whole special on Youtube) Interesting thought about net vs telephone game!

 

[MatthewA]

"We got Annie" mixed into "Tomorrow?" Yee-ikes! I wonder if this new version is a hybrid of the original show and the sequel Annie Warbucks.!

No, the song "Annie," where she walks down the stairs.

 

[NY2LA]

No, the song "Annie," where she walks down the stairs.

Oh right, you did say Title Song, and in the movie "Tomorrow" is wasted over the credits, so I got confused.
So the song "Annie" like the finale of the play: "Since you came our way, it's Christmas... Bad times, sad times, now they're all yesterday's news since Annie kicked out the blues..." something like that? if I'm even remotely on the mark there it's amazing since I haven't listened to that album in years.
Now please believe me, I'm not BP's publicist, but while on a net search to prove she had a far more full career than whatsername, I found this interesting development: http://www.cominguproses-movie.com/about/ if you're in NY in early November, keep your eye on the old Loews (now AMC) Village 7 (which was unremarkable way back when it was new and I saw Thelma and Louise there) as I don't think that intriguing little picture will get a much broader release.
And I still wonder about Annie Warbucks...