Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine for the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis, performed by 21-year-old Judy Garland (who married the film’s director Vincente Minnelli in 1945). The original lyrics were considered depressing by the MGM producers, and Hugh Martin re-wrote them, crafting this poignant perennial.

More:

“The Story Behind ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,’” NPR Music

“The history of a popular holiday song,” Chris Willman, Entertainment Weekly

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Audio Anxiety

When a movie wants to inspire fear, unease, or anxiety, a film’s composers and sound designers use the “drone of dread” to introduce a sense of impending doom. A Quartz video.

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100 Years: Evolution of the Car Chase

“How Car Chase Scenes Have Evolved Over 100 Years,” a video by Movies Insider.

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America

“America,” composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, from the 1961 film West Side Story. Rita Moreno (Anita) and George Chakiris (Bernardo) are the principal singers in the movie; their roles were originally created on Broadway by Larry Kert and Chita Rivera in 1957.

“Life is all right in America, if you’re all white in America”

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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

 

Jacksonville Was Almost Hollywood

In the early 1900s, New York film companies searched for a warm-weather home, and they looked at Jacksonville, Florida, down the East Coast. J’ville’s town fathers recoiled at the thought of film actors running wild through Florida’s sunny streets, so the film folks decamped for far-off California. A Vox video by Phil Edwards.

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Art of the Car Chase

Justin Lin describes five breathtaking movie car chase scenes (including of one his own) and explains what makes them so effective. A New York Times video.

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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

 

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine for the 1944 movie Meet Me in St. Louis, performed by 21-year-old Judy Garland (who married the film’s director Vincente Minnelli in 1945). The original lyrics were considered depressing by the MGM producers, and Hugh Martin re-wrote them, crafting this poignant perennial.

More:

“The Story Behind ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,’” NPR Music

“The history of a popular holiday song,” Chris Willman, Entertainment Weekly

_____________
Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-vPC

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Christmas Comes But Once a Year

“Christmas Comes But Once a Year,” Fleischer Studios, 1936. Voice actors: Jack Mercer and Mae Questel. Director: Dave Fleischer. Animation: William Henning, Seymour Kneitel. Music: Bob Rothberg, Tot Seymour, Sammy Timberg.

Related:

“A Very Fleisher Christmas,” FleischerStudios.com

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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Social Distancing

Social distancing in an integral part of Wes Anderson‘s filmmaking vocabulary. A supercut video by Luis Azevedo.

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Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

America

“America,” composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, from the 1961 film West Side Story. Rita Moreno (Anita) and George Chakiris (Bernardo) are the principal singers in the movie; their roles were originally created on Broadway by Larry Kert and Chita Rivera in 1957.

“Life is all right in America, if you’re all white in America.”

______________

Short Link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-ruL

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.