A musical double feature on TCM - The Student Prince and Rose Marie

Today we have an Ann Blyth musical double feature on Turner Classic Movies.  -- The Student Prince on at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and Rose Marie on at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

These two big hits from 1954 are both covered on my Another Old Move Blog at these posts - The Student Prince here, and Rose Marie here.

For more on the movie, and her career, have a look at my book on Ann's career -- Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition available at Amazon and also my Etsy shop.

audiobook edition

Also available in eBook at:

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

...and a variety of other online shops!

For more on my other books and plays, please see my website: JacquelineTLynch.com  

"Lynch’s book is organized and well-written – and has plenty of amusing observations – but when it comes to describing Blyth’s movies, Lynch’s writing sparkles." - Ruth Kerr, Silver Screenings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer." - Deborah Thomas, Java's Journey

"One of the great strengths of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is that Lynch not only gives an excellent overview of Blyth's career -- she offers detailed analyses of each of Blyth's roles -- but she puts them in the context of the larger issues of the day."- Amanda Garrett, Old Hollywood Films

"Jacqueline's book will hopefully cause many more people to take a look at this multitalented woman whose career encompassed just about every possible aspect of 20th Century entertainment." - Laura Grieve, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings''

"Jacqueline T. Lynch’s Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is an extremely well researched undertaking that is a must for all Blyth fans." - Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood

Ann Blyth dumps porridge on Howard Keel's head

Ann Blyth dumps a bowl of porridge on Howard Keel's head.  How many times in how many takes?  For her sake, I hope it was at least a few, because it looks like fun.

Here Ann starred with Howard Keel in the lavish musical Rose Marie (1954).  From my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Sgt. Howard Keel catches her again.  Have a look at the image of him holding her, one-armed, from his horse, dangling her like a rag doll.  An indignant, frustrated rag doll.  There is no remnant of the slick sociopath Veda Pierce.  Nothing resembling the haughty, conniving fashion plate Regina Hubbard, the graceful elegance of the Countess Marina, and no sign of the poised, demure high school graduate Gail Macaulay.

Few of Ann Blyth’s contemporaries were as versatile.  Catch the little groan, equal parts despair and discomfort, when he hoists her into the saddle after she capitulates.

Howard Keel at first was not happy with the Mountie’s role in this film, finding him too weak and ineffectual…perhaps as clownish as Dudley Do-Right…but his requested changes to the script were made and he signed on, noting in his autobiography, Only Make Believe, that it was a fun shoot.

I didn’t sing with Ann Blyth, but she was a delightful cutie and sang beautifully.

Ann with Fernando Lamas - ROSE MARIE (1954)

Ann Blyth appears in the above publicity photo with Fernando Lamas.  The film is Rose Marie (1954), a glorious CinemaScope color movie that casts a new spell on an old-fashioned hit.  

From my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Ann Blyth was twenty-four going on twenty-five when she played the title role in this musical, and one is impressed by her ability to appear so young, so naturally and effortlessly a teenager when in her teen years she often played characters who were older, or least more poised and sophisticated.  Very light, natural-looking makeup, a tan, and her loose woodsman’s buckskins covering her shape help to create this illusion, but two things she does herself complete the picture—her animated expressions which, with the innocence of youth, do not mask her emotions, but let us see every flickering thought passing through her mind, and also the way she moves.  With an animal-like ease and strength, she lives the outdoor life like someone completely at home in the woods, not stomping about in her buckskin with exaggerated mannishness like Doris Day in Calamity Jane, but hiking, climbing on rocks, and running with the grace of an athlete. 

The picture of her seeming physical change was overshadowed in the press of the day, which took greater notice, with greater surprise, at her singing voice.  This was her first big singing role after her one song in The Great Caruso.  A review in the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times:

The surprise in Rose Marie is Ann Blyth’s singing voice, which is gloriously pitched, full, and strong.

The “new Ann Blyth” of the headline “New Ann Blyth Emerges in Classical Rose Marie,” (in pretty much every film she did she was always “new”), emphatically declares herself with her first song, the exhilarating “Free to Be Free.”  Just like the character Rose Marie, who wants to live life in the wild without being forced into a “ladylike” life of restricted freedom in town, Ann Blyth is declaring her freedom in a way that says, “Look at me.  I can really sing.  This is my movie.”  Her range is quite demonstrably large in this song, even drifting down into the mezzo area, and her control is stunning, bang-on notes with no vibrato or trilling.  It’s a magnificent delivery and a great song to come charging out of the gate in this movie, as if to make the audience take notice—this is Rose Marie, the old chestnut you thought you knew, but didn’t.

Deep in My Heart - Ann Blyth on CD

Ann Blyth demonstrated an exquisite singing voice in her films, radio and musical stage appearances and concerts, but fans have one great regret --  that her discography is so limited.  With someone so accomplished a vocalist, we might naturally expect a number of recordings, but unfortunately, we are left with only a few singles and cast albums of movie soundtracks.  

However, there was a compilation CD produced by Flare Records, a company in London, England, in 2007, Deep in My Heart - The Golden Voice of Ann Blyth, which is a very nice collection of some of Ann's hits from her four M-G-M musicals.

It is a pleasure to focus in on her musical moments from The Great Caruso (1951), Rose Marie (1954), The Student Prince (1954) and Kismet (1955).  Her duets with Mario Lanza, Howard Keel, Fernando Lamas, and Vic Damone are included.  A special added feature is the inclusion of the song "Rhymes Have I," sung with Howard Keel that was cut out of Kismet.  It's an energetic, soaring performance from both, and a real shame that it was left out of the movie.

Flare Records, established in 1995, is dedicated to re-issuing pop music from the past.  Have a look here for their catalogue. 

Clowning off set at Rose Marie

The cast of Rose Marie (1954) clowns around at the Mammoth Lakes, California, shooting location.  Here we have Fernando Lamas, Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Joan Taylor, and Bert Lahr.  Tomorrow, Thursday the 13th, Turner Classic Movies is showing Rose Marie in a lineup of splashy 1950s MGM musicals.  NOTE:  Kismet (1955) with Ann Blyth is also part of the lineup.  Catch Rose Marie at 2 p.m. ET, and Kismet at 6 p.m. ET.  Howard Keel costars in both -- it's actually Howard's day, so enjoy a string of great Howard Keel performances.

We discussed Rose Marie here on my Another Old Movie Blog, and of course, there's more in the book -- Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

*****************************

The audio book for Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is now for sale on Audible.com, and on Amazon and iTunes.

Also in paperback and eBook from Amazon.

Also in paperback from CreateSpace, and from my Etsy shop: LynchTwinsPublishing.

Rose Marie (1954) - Pressbook by MGM

Here are pages from the Rose Marie pressbook, which provide an interesting glimpse of film publicity under the studio system and some behind-the-scenes background on the making of this movie.

Pressbooks were issued by the studios to promote and market their movies to exhibitors. Chock-full of illustrations and general press release articles, the material would be used for newspaper and magazine ads and filler.

This pressbook for Rose Marie (1954) is 24 pages, the large pages measuring 12 by 17 inches.  Issued by MGM, it features a wealth of camera-ready ads, and sample publicity photos that could be ordered for display or publishing.

We are given brief features on stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, and Fernando Lamas -- on Keel's new crew cut for his role as the mountie, Marjorie Main's opulent movie wardrobe, and a funny story about how Jack Benny became an extra in one scene.

One article notes Ann's hectic schedule in preparation for the film:

During the rehearsal period she reported on the M-G-M back lot every morning at 10 for riding lessons, went to a rifle range an hour later for shooting instructions, and spent two hours after lunch in rehearsing her Rudolf Friml love songs.  In between, she als had to learn to ride the rapids of a mountain stream in a canoe!

The pressbook gives a bit of the background of former versions of Rose Marie (for more on that background, please see my previous post on Another Old Movie Blog here).

The eye-catching ads are a lot of fun to look at, and usually leave blanks to fill in the name of the theater being advertised.  There are also suggestions for contests and events to promote the movie, including dance competitions on the stage of the theater, puzzles and coloring contests.  Cartoon-like line illustrations of Ann Blyth, Fernando Lamas, and Howard Keel would be ordered by the exhibitors from the studio publicity department for the kids to color.  The promotion notes:

The kids do the coloring, and their folks are reminded of the film right in their home environment--where advertising impact has been proven greatest.

Also included are one-minute live announcement radio scripts to promote the movie, as well as half-minute scripts, and script so 35 words.  One anachronistic example of promotion at this time is the TV slide or "teleop," a slide of a single image with the title, like a movie poster, that remains on TV for 10 seconds with a voiceover.  The prepared slide could be purchased for $7.50 from the QQ Title Card Company of New York.  I wonder what the advertising rates for the local VHF station would be?

Lobby cards could be purchased as well, or "2-color heralds", and the vibrant posters with which we film buffs today consider collectibles: the one sheet, the 3 sheet, the 6 sheet.

I don't know how many classic film fans collect pressbooks, but they provide another view of the giant promotional machine that had been perfected by the Hollywood studios.

***********************

"Lynch’s book is organized and well-written – and has plenty of amusing observations – but when it comes to describing Blyth’s movies, Lynch’s writing sparkles." - Ruth Kerr, Silver Screenings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer." - Deborah Thomas, Java's Journey

"One of the great strengths of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is that Lynch not only gives an excellent overview of Blyth's career -- she offers detailed analyses of each of Blyth's roles -- but she puts them in the context of the larger issues of the day."- Amanda Garrett, Old Hollywood Films

"Jacqueline's book will hopefully cause many more people to take a look at this multitalented woman whose career encompassed just about every possible aspect of 20th Century entertainment." - Laura Grieve, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch’s Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is an extremely well researched undertaking that is a must for all Blyth fans." - Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood

Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. 

by Jacqueline T. Lynch

The first book on the career of actress Ann Blyth. Multitalented and remarkably versatile, Blyth began on radio as a child, appeared on Broadway at the age of twelve in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, and enjoyed a long and diverse career in films, theatre, television, and concerts. A sensitive dramatic actress, the youngest at the time to be nominated for her role in Mildred Pierce (1945), she also displayed a gift for comedy, and was especially endeared to fans for her expressive and exquisite lyric soprano, which was showcased in many film and stage musicals. Still a popular guest at film festivals, lovely Ms. Blyth remains a treasure of the Hollywood's golden age.

The eBook and paperback are available from Amazon and CreateSpace, which is the printer. You can also order it from my Etsy shop. It is also available at the Broadside Bookshop, 247 Main Street, Northampton, Massachusetts.

If you wish a signed copy, then email me at JacquelineTLynch@gmail.com and I'll get back to you with the details.


**************************


My new syndicated column SILVER SCREEN, GOLDEN YEARS, on classic film is up at Go60 or check with your local paper.