Musical Film Quiz

HONDO

    Bruce said:

76 Duchess of Idaho

Correct, and well spotted. Duchess Of Idaho was a 1950 release. I had thought that the other image # 77 would have been the first and easier of the two images to have been identified.

 

jayn_j

Good job Bruce.  I had no clue

77 is Anchors away (1945)

Gene gets to dance with not only Frank Sinatra, but also Jerry the mouse.  Opera from Kathryn Grayson and orchestra with Jose Turbi.  Not only that, but the kid is a very young Dean Stockwell, who later played Al in Quantum leap (and many other TV shows)

HONDO

jayn_j said:

77 is Anchors away (1945)

Gene gets to dance with not only Frank Sinatra, but also Jerry the mouse.  Opera from Kathryn Grayson and orchestra with Jose Turbi.  Not only that, but the kid is a very young Dean Stockwell, who later played Al in Quantum leap (and many other TV shows)

Correct, and some good information as well.



It crossed my mind that the following information may possibly be of interest to some members here.

I had the pleasure in 1994 to have seen Kathryn Grayson perform on stage with Van Johnson in Sydney, They premiered a new show of theirs here in Australia, before touring in the U.S.A.. I got to line up after the performance to briefly speak to Kathryn and receive her autograph. She was very sweet and actually held my hand briefly while I spoke to her. She was 72 years of age at the time, It was her eighth tour of Australia, Kathryn mentioned during the show that she still practiced singing for many hours a day, and this did show results with her voice still sounding great. Just in case you may be wondering Van Johnson didn't sing, but his reminiscences of his past career in Hollywood were extremely entertaining to watch and to listen to.

G’Day Hollywood Productions (Aust) who had brought the show to Australia was launched in 1994. It’s first major project was “The Legends Of Hollywood Series”, G’Day Hollywood imported great Hollywood legends to tour Australia. Stars featured in that series were, Mickey Rooney, Donald O’Connor, Kathryn Grayson, Van Johnson, Florence Henderson And The Mills Brothers. My wife and I also got to see Mickey Rooney perform in  Parramatta  with his talented wife at the time ( number ? ). An enjoyable performance of variety was also presented to us that night. .

HONDO

 78  79  80

Three more images to possibly test you. but then again maybe not.

Bruce

I'm hoping 79 is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg because I watched it last year and it was still wonderful to me.

But I did not realize when I watched it as a teen that all the singing of the leads was dubbed. They lip synched very well.

If it is not this movie, I apologize for wasting time!

Bruce

And isn't 80 The Five Pennies? I only know that because of the Red Nichols sign in the background. It is not like you Lawrence to leave identifying words in your images. Maybe you are getting soft?

HONDO

Bruce said:

I'm hoping 79 is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg because I watched it last year and it was still wonderful to me.

But I did not realize when I watched it as a teen that all the singing of the leads was dubbed. They lip synched very well.

If it is not this movie, I apologize for wasting time!

Firstly Bruce you never have to apologize for having a go. I have a feeling that you got the numbers for 78 and 79 mixed up.

Your answer for 79, or if it is meant for 78 is unfortunately incorrect. Both 78 and 79 images are of American origin and not French.

I will provide some clues if required at a later time.

HONDO

Bruce said:

And isn't 80 The Five Pennies? I only know that because of the Red Nichols sign in the background. It is not like you Lawrence to leave identifying words in your images. Maybe you are getting soft?

Correct. The Five Pennies was a 1959 release. 

I was a little lax but as I have a couple of images waiting in the wings that should be super hard to identify, I though that I would make a few images hopefully a little easier to identify before I produce what should be some definitely tougher entries to solve.

 

jayn_j

79 is Guys and Dolls. (1955)
Those bright colors in the store window did it for me.

HONDO

jayn_j said:

79 is Guys and Dolls. (1955)
Those bright colors in the store window did it for me.

Correct. I had a feeling that you would know this one Jayn_J.

HONDO

 78

 Clues for 78 are that the male lead was an actor and dancer, but not a singer. Don't let the costumes throw you as the film is set in America.

Bruce

78 Nob Hill?

HONDO

Bruce said:

78 Nob Hill?

It sure is, Pleased you ended up answering this one Bruce. Nob Hill was set in San Francisco nightclub, The film was originally released in 1945. 

  

HONDO

 81  82

Two more images that you should be able to answer.


 83 

The first of a number of images that I intend to include here that should prove to be extremely difficult to answer. I hope you can prove me wrong though.

jayn_j

Challenge accepted
83 is Yes Sir Mr Bones (1951)
But image search

HONDO

jayn_j said:

Challenge accepted
83 is Yes Sir Mr Bones (1951)
But image search

Correct and well checked out. I had thought if anyone was going to correctly answer it would be you, so good work.

60 minutes of a poverty row studio musical film that I am sure very few people have ever heard of, let alone seen.  

Too much in the way of clues in the image I see now, so the next challenge image will have to be more difficult to guess.

HONDO

HONDO said:

 81  82

Two more images that you should be able to answer.

Clue for 81 is one of the screen's musical legends appears pictured above, and for 82 there is a huge star at the top of the ladder in this scene..

theartofmovieposters

82.  Down to Earth

HONDO

theartofmovieposters said:

82.  Down to Earth

Yes it is. A follow up image appearance to the one displayed on the Screening Venues thread just solved. Down To Earth was released in 1947. Rita Hayworth certainly was a stunner to look at as well as being blessed as to being a top actress and dancer as well.


  

HONDO

 81

A clue is that the pictured actress / dancer went on to bigger things in her career.

HONDO

HONDO said:

 81

A clue is that the pictured actress / dancer went on to bigger things in her career.

I should have said that she could sing as well.

jayn_j

Nobody else?

Too Many Girls (1940)
Ann Miller in the picture.  Lucy was the star, and this was where she met Desi Arnez on his first film.  Desi is on the right in this image.

HONDO

jayn_j said:

Nobody else?

Too Many Girls (1940)
Ann Miller in the picture.  Lucy was the star, and this was where she met Desi Arnez on his first film.  Desi is on the right in this image.

Correct answering of # 81. Ann Miller was to go on from RKO Radio to working at Columbia pictures, then from there to the more prodigious MGM studios.

Bruce

Ann Miller was born Johnnie Lucille Ann Collier in Chireno, Texas in 1923. Her father had wanted a boy badly, and she got stuck with "Johnnie" as her first name, but she was called Annie. She had rickets as a child, and started dancing to strengthen her legs.

Her mother left her father and took her to California when she was 13, and because her mom could not keep a job for very long, Ann had to support them, which she did working as a dancer in the "Black Cat Club" in San Francisco (she had matured early, and told them she was 18!).

She was signed by RKO when she was 14 (they too believed she was 18), and she appeared as a dancer in 10 movies from 1937 to 1940, working her way up to playing the third lead in some of them.

In 1941, she moved to Columbia and was in 12 movies through 1946. In 1948, she moved to MGM, and big budget musicals were all the rage there, and then found room for Ann to tap dance in most of them. As many of us suspected, she could not really tap 500 times per minute, as the studio claimed (she actually would perform in regular shoes, and then they would add in the sound of the taps!).

But she WAS an incredible dancer (on a par with Eleanor Powell), and she had the most amazing legs, and if you look at the movie poster for any movie she appeared in from the 1930s to 1950s they almost always prominently show her legs on the poster!

When musicals declined, Ann hung up her tap shoes and retired from movies in 1956. She starred on Broadway in the musical "Mame" in 1969, where they added a tap dancing number just for her (she had lost none of her ability, even though she had been dancing professionally for over 30 years!).

The following year, master commercial writer Stan Freberg wrote a commercial for Heinz Great American Soups where housewife Miller is asked by her husband "What's for dinner?" and she rips off her dress to reveal a sequinned outfit, and she tap dances on a giant soup can, and at the end he says, "Why do you have to make such a big production out of everything?"!

In 1979, Miller returned to Broadway in Sugar Babies (with Mickey Rooney) and once again amazed audiences with her tap dancing! She stayed with the very successful show for nine years as it toured the country. She continued performing until the late 1990s, and she passed in 2004, at the age of 80.

HONDO

Excellent information on Ann Miller Bruce.  I will just add that David Lynch's cult classic Mulholland Drive released in  2001 was her last feature film appearance.



Ann Miller with Naomi Watts in a scene from Mulholland Drive.



Kiss me Kate ( 1953 ).  Ann's too darn Hot number as seen above is the musical number I always remember her for first of all when I think about her performed screen musical numbers.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

HONDO

 83  84  85

Three more images to have a think about. Three films well known to musical fans.

jayn_j

85 - Summer Stock (1950)


Got the other 2, but let others figure it out.

HONDO

    jayn_j said:

85 - Summer Stock (1950)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Well done as usual.


 


Summer Stock U.S.A. insert poster and a less impressive Australian retitled as If You Feel Like Singing daybill poster.

theartofmovieposters

83 would have to be Xanadu surely?

HONDO

theartofmovieposters said:

83 would have to be Xanadu surely?

It surely is Xanadu from 1980.