These months are usually a slow-down period for my channels, and this year has been no different. I would’ve liked to regain momentum at the beginning of May (after all, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was big around then) but it wasn’t to be. What this time has allowed me to do though, is circle back to a couple of projects I’ve had in mind at one time or another, and complete the mission. Consider this Retro Rankings a newly slow churning of the wheels to get Today Junior back kicking.
WARNING: If you’re a mega fan of these works, then you’re not going to be happy with this attention. Apart from The Sound of Music, this was my first time viewing this collection, or any production based on the works of Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II, and I was expecting more. If asked, I would proclaim myself a musical enthusiast, it’s just that I must be more in class with Gilbert & Sullivan, or other notable musicals like Chicago and Guys and Dolls, and Disney. I was expecting a couple of these titles ahead to be irrevocable heavyweights of the genre, but either, I missed the magic, or, more likely, I missed their heyday.
For the purpose of my education, I recently made my way through six recognisable titles, although my research tells me that Rogers and Hammerstein’s work stretches further than the movie adaptations I present here. A few titles I didn’t get to are, State Fair, a movie whose music was written by Rogers and Hammerstein, and which version never existed as a stage musical first. Allegro, Me & Juliet, and Pipe Dream, do not have cinematic companions as of 2023. Cinderella was a 1957 adaptation written for television. And A Grand Night For Singing, which was Rogers and Hammerstein’s revue, a celebration of their entire catalogue. Out of these, I probably could’ve covered State Fair, but I haven’t.
And so, for the purpose of this Retro Rankings, I have made my way through Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, The Flower Drum Song, and The Sound of Music, and I watched them in order of their cinematic debuts. I’ve decided it would be easier to list these movies in order that I watched them, and since Rotten Tomatoes hadn’t been invented at the time of these movie’s release, I will replace that detail from my previous Retro Rankings with my actual ‘retro’ Ranking! I also realise that these movies shouldn’t go to completely reflect the works of Rogers and Hammerstein when their artistic control over their own content existed in the original stage productions. And yet still, you could view their name over this subset of movies as merely a grouping mechanism, but these movies do make up my impression of these creators and their works at this point of my living existence – it’s just how the cookie crumbles, and I would hope to gain a more favourable perspective on these works somehow in years to come, if possible.
So here they are – Rogers and Hammerstein’s plays on film… Let’s Rank:
Oklahoma!
Directed by: Fred Zinneman
Written by: Sonya Levien & William Ludwig
Release: 1955
Retro Ranked: 3rd
Women in the 1950s had Laurey’s ‘Many a New Day’, where the 2020’s have Lizzo’s ‘Good As Hell’. Oklahoma! holds some delightfully rough characterisations, but if it wasn’t a famous name, I wouldn’t give it a second thought. If this was ever remade, there’d be a lot of fat to trim.
2.5
Carousel
Directed by: Henry King
Written by: Phoebe Ephron & Henry Ephron
Release: 1956
Retro Ranked: 6th
All I want to say about this one is that I never knew not being able to ride a carousel could be so burdensome 😖
1.5
The King and I
Directed by: Walter Lang
Written by: Ernest Lehman
Release: 1956
Retro Ranked: 4th
The King and I presents a clash of culture and staunch morality that I fear doesn’t hold up anymore. It’s antiquated. I did enjoy the way the Prince sashays around the palace floor though.
2.5
South Pacific
Directed by: Joshua Logan
Written by: Paul Osborn
Release: 1958
Retro Ranked: 2nd
Oh, now we’re getting somewhere! Making my way through Rogers and Hammerstein’s filmography has been a grind, but South Pacific is terrific in taking advantage of the benefits of film – huge sets, playful lighting, and a couple of songs that merely take place inside the characters minds, thanks to ADR. The jokes translate, and the story is the most compelling so far, with a suspicious Frenchman, the loom of war, and a horny sailor out to do anything to… um… feast. What about Javier Bardem as Emile de Becque in a remake? Can he sing? Will it matter if he’s not French?
3.5
The Flower Drum Song
Directed by: Henry Koster
Written by: Joseph Fields
Release: 1961
Retro Ranked: 5th
What’s more off-putting – the one-dimensional plot, or the outdated customs? Perhaps the Crazy Rich Asians of its time, but I couldn’t get into it.
1.5
The Sound of Music
Directed by: Robert Wise
Written by: Ernest Lehman
Release: 1965
Retro Ranked: 1st
The Sound of Music is iconic, and rightfully so, with one familiar song after another. It’s an absolute classic, and a showpiece for Julie Andrews. But holy heck, it’s long. And there are a lot of reprisals.
4.0
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Under the desire to present a neat and orderly list, my results yield the following:
1 – The Sound of Music
2 – South Pacific
3 – Oklahoma!
4 – The King & I
5 – The Flower Drum Song
6 – Carousel
Although I’ve been quite disappointed in my findings, I’ve had the song, ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” stuck in my head ever since I’ve watched Oklahoma! and that ain’t half bad. And it’s been rewarding to fill in a blind spot in my musical knowledge, actually giving my father and I something new to bond over as well, as he remembers seeing these shows on stage as a boy with his father 😊 I didn’t know before I started watching these, but my father doesn’t like Carousel neither; phew, that makes two of us!
What do you make of the works of Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II? And what is your favourite musical of all time?
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