The Band Wagon


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For the musical, see The Band Wagon (musical).
The Band Wagon

DVD cover
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Produced by Arthur Freed
Roger Edens
Written by Comden and Green
Alan Jay Lerner
Starring Fred Astaire
Cyd Charisse
Oscar Levant
Nanette Fabray
Jack Buchanan
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Howard Dietz
Cinematography Harry Jackson
Editing by Albert Askt
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) August 7, 1953
Running time 111 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $2.2 million
Gross revenue $5.7 million

The Band Wagon is a 1953 musical comedy film that many critics rank (along with Singin' in the Rain) as the finest of the MGM musicals, although it was only a modest box-office success. It tells the story of an aging musical star who hopes a Broadway play will restart his career. However, the play's director wants to make it a pretentious retelling of Faust, and brings in a prima ballerina who clashes with the star.

The music was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz originally for the 1931 Broadway musical, also called The Band Wagon, with a book by George S. Kaufman and starring Fred Astaire and his sister Adele. The film popularized the song "That's Entertainment!", which has become a standard. Another song, "Dancing in the Dark", is considered part of the Great American Songbook and was from the original Broadway production.

The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay (for Comden and Green). In 1995, The Band Wagon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2006, this film ranked #17 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.

Contents

Plot

Singer, dancer and movie star Tony Hunter (Fred Astaire) is concerned that his career might be in decline. His good friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have written a show that they believe is perfect for his comeback. Tony signs up, but the trio are taken aback when the director they have selected, Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), changes the light comedy into a dark, overly dramatic reinterpretation of the Faust legend, with himself as the Devil. Tony is also uneasy about the choice of his female costar, star ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse). He feels intimidated by her classical background, youth and beauty. Unbeknownst to him, she is just as insecure in his presence, awed by his long stardom.

Eventually, it all proves too much for Tony. He walks out, but Gaby speaks with him alone and they work out their differences. They also begin to fall in love, though Gaby already has a boyfriend, Paul Byrd (James Mitchell).

When the first out-of-town tryout proves to be a disaster, Tony persuades Jeffrey to let him convert the production back into what the Martons had originally envisioned. That proves to be a hit on its Broadway opening. Afterwards, Gaby lets Tony know how she feels about him.

Cast

Musical numbers

in chronological order

  1. "By Myself" — Tony
  2. "Shine on Your Shoes" — Tony and Shoeman
  3. "That's Entertainment!" — Tony, Lily, Lester, and Jeffrey
  4. "The Beggars Waltz" — danced by Cyd Charisse, James Mitchell, and corps de ballet
  5. "Dancing in the Dark" — Tony and Gabriella
  6. "You and the Night and the Music" — Chorus, danced by Tony and Gabriella
  7. "Something to Remember You By" — Chorus
  8. "High and Low" — Chorus
  9. "I Love Louisa" — Tony, Lester, and Lily
  10. "New Sun in the Sky" — Gabriella
  11. "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" — Tony and Jeffrey
  12. "Triplets" — Tony, Jeffrey, and Lily (The three performers dance on their knees, dressed in baby clothes)
  13. "Louisiana Hayride" — Lily and Chorus
  14. "Girl Hunt Ballet" — Tony and Gabriella (This was a spoof of Mickey Spillane hard-boiled detective novels)
Source: [1]

One musical number shot for the film, but dropped from the final release, was a seductive dance routine featuring Charisse performing "Two-Faced Woman". As with the other Charisse songs, her singing was dubbed by India Adams. Adams' recording of the song was reused for Torch Song for a musical number featuring Joan Crawford. The retrospective That's Entertainment! III released the Charisse version to the public for the first time. This footage was not, however, included with the later DVD release of The Band Wagon itself.

Stage adaptation

A musical stage adaptation, titled "Dancing in the Dark," premiered at The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego) March 4-April 20, 2008, with plans to bring the show to Broadway. Gary Griffin directs, with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and choreography by Warren Carlyle. The cast includes Patrick Page as the "deliciously pretentious" director-actor-producer Jeffrey Cordova, Mara Davi playing Gabrielle Gerard and Scott Bakula as "song-and-dance man" Tony Hunter. [2][3] [4][5]

In the Variety review of the musical Bob Verini wrote: "There's no reason this reconstituted "Band Wagon" can't soar once it jettisons its extraneous and self-contradictory elements. But "Dancing" is some distance from finding its footing, despite finale's admonition to "Admit we're a hit and we'll go on from there." Not yet."[6]

According to an October 16, 2008 article in Playbill, this musical is undergoing revision. A late October 2008 reading in New York City of the rewritten musical, now titled The Band Wagon, is expected.[7]

References

  1. ^ soundtrack
  2. ^ "Douglas Carter Beane Lovingly Steers "Band Wagon" to Create Dancing in the Dark", playbill.com article, December 23, 2007
  3. ^ Old Globe site
  4. ^ playbill.com article, March 4, 2008, "The Band Wagon" Has a New Shine on Its Shoes in Dancing in the Dark March 4-April 13"
  5. ^ playbill.com article, March 19, 2008, That's More Entertainment: Old Globe Gives Dancing in the Dark an Extra Week
  6. ^ "Variety" review, March 16, 2008
  7. ^ Jones, Kenneth."New Sun in the Sky: Cheyenne Jackson Jumps Onto The Band Wagon",playbill.com, October 17, 2008

External links

v • d • e
The films of Vincente Minnelli
1940s
1950s
Father of the Bride • Father's Little Dividend • An American in Paris • The Bad and the Beautiful • The Story of Three Loves (with Gottfried Reinhardt) • The Band Wagon • The Long, Long Trailer • Brigadoon • The Cobweb • Kismet • Lust for Life • Tea and Sympathy • Designing Woman • Gigi • The Reluctant Debutante • Some Came Running
1960s
1970s
v • d • e
Arthur Schwartz






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