Ask 411 Movies for 01.18.10: Once More with Feeling!

Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 01.18.2010

Batman TV Series, Sam Elliott, Guys and Dolls, Cannibal! The Musical, Avenue Q, Once, Buffy the musical episode, Andy Kaufman sings Elvis and more are discussed in the latest edition of Ask 411 Movies!

From YouTube this week, Andy Kaufman from "Andy's Funhouse" special impersonates Elvis Presley. He's just kind of messing around here, but Kaufman actually did a really good Elvis impression vocally.



Q: Chillicothe Ohio is also mentioned in the pilot episode of Deadwood. My dad's side of the family is from there, so it's always a thrill to see it mentioned in pop culture.
-Zachary

A: It's always interesting when you're from a small town and it gets mentioned out of the blue on something. I'm from Zanesville, Ohio, and the only reference I can remember is a movie where Bob Hope is playing poker on a cruise ship and he says he's from there. I can't remember the name of the movie. I wish there was, like, a column or something people could write into with obscure movie questions and get answers to them. (Ok, I researched it, it's The Great Lover)

Q: The Batman movie that served as the pilot for the series is available on DVD.

The Superfriends Super Powers show was tying into the awesome (for the time) Super Powers action figures.
I still have a few that my brother didn't destroy. Little bastard.
-demOcratic

A: There have been various reports as to why the series has not been released on DVD. Mostly it revolves around rights issues among any combination of DC Comics, parent company Warner Brothers, Twentieth Television, parent company Twentieth Century Fox, original network ABC and parent company Disney. There are also possible rights issues with music, costumes, various characters, the specific version of the Batmobile in the series and production company Greenway Productions. There is also a rumor that DC Comics doesn't want that campier version of Batman out there to the masses diluting the current depiction of the character in live action and animation.

The series remains in syndication through a deal between Fox and ABC and the feature film made after the first season of the series has been released on DVD, it's not the pilot as you mention. Adam West and Burt Ward do a great commentary track. Lee Meriwether replace Julie Newmar as Catwoman because she had already contracted to film McKenna's Gold with Gregory Peck.



I was surprised by how many manly musical suggestions we had in the comments last week and we'll go over more of those below. Also, I was surprised by the lack of love for Sweeney Todd. I remember it being pretty well loved by most on initial release.

Q: For a musical, I don't think you can go wrong with Guys and Dolls... it's about gamblers, Sinatra being cool, and freaking Marlon Brando tries his hand at singing
-stone2k

A: I almost had that on my list last week, but I thought it was too traditional of a musical. In the movie from 1955, Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) is bet that he can't take a Salvation Army sister (Jean Simmons) to Havana, but he actually falls for her. Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) made the bet with Sky and needs the money to finance a high rolling crap game, against his fiancee's (Vivian Blaine) wishes. The trick here is that Brando the dramatic actor has the heavier singing part and Sinatra the singer has the heavier acting part. Brando had such a difficulty with the singing parts they took all of his audio takes and stitched them together to make the best overall segments. Sinatra wanted to play Sky and producer Samuel Goldwyn wanted Gene Kelly, but couldn't swing a deal for him. A couple new numbers were written for Sinatra to sing and "Luck be a Lady" sang by Sky later became a staple of Sinatra's nightclub act.

Blaine reprises her role from the Broadway cast, but originally Marilyn Monroe wanted the part. Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz didn't want to work with her again after All About Eve and pretended he never got her phone message. Betty Grable then got the part, but was fired after she held up production due to a sick dog. Judy Holliday was also considered briefly. Grace Kelly was first up for the female lead.



Q: As for musicals guys can enjoy? The South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, made their first full-length feature in college that was then distributed by Troma (home of the Toxic Avenger and Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD) named Cannibal: The Musical!. If you haven't seen it, especially if you like Trey and Matt's style of humor, then you need to get it. The songs are good ("The Trapper Song" is near-perfect), the movie is hilarious, and it lets you see how genius Trey and Matt were even pre-South Park.
-Andrew Crow

A: When people were surprised that the "South Park" movie turned out to be a musical I told these ‘people' that they must not be familiar with Parker and Stone's earlier work. Made in 1993, but released in 1996, this is very loosely based on the only convicted cannibal in Colorado history, Alfred Packer (Trey Parker). Moira Kelly, most recently of "One Tree Hill," was to be in the film as Polly, but imdb says she didn't take the part because she didn't want to damage her Hollywood aspirations. The movie was made while Parker and Stone were students at the University of Colorado at Boulder and many people in the film are their friends, classmates and professors.



Q: I'd add Once to the list of musicals that at least this guy likes. I really dig the nonconventional style it uses whilst still being fully driven by and about the music.
-neverAcquiesce

A: From 2006, two lonely musicians (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova) meet and team up to write songs and play music that detail their whirlwind love affair. I haven't seen it, but I'm not getting a dude vibe from it. Hansard was in a band with director and writer James Carney and the film is semi-autobiographical for Carney.



Q: Re: Musicals
Avenue Q.
Imagine Sesame Street on crack.
-Vordeo

A: And Meet the Feebles is "The Muppet Show" on crystal meth.

"Avenue Q" is a Broadway musical that won several Tony Awards and has had many successful international productions. The show's creators admit that it's inspired by "Sesame Street," but not a parody or cruel send-up. The musical deals with adult themes and features puppet sex, which some from my review of Team America: World Police might remember disturbs me to no end. The basic plot sees Princeton, a puppet, fresh out of college and looking for an apartment. He moves to Avenue Q and meets the people and puppets who live there. They are mostly puppets, except for Brian, his Japanese fiancée Christmas Eve and building superintendent Gary Coleman. Yes, that Gary Coleman, but not played by that Gary Coleman.



And only loosely connected, Dave Chappelle busting on "Sesame Street."



Q: It's not a movie but I would say that the Buffy musical episode is pretty good. Good story and some catchy songs, plus Willows girlfriend goes down on her!!
-Paco Smith

A: "Once More With Feeling" was the seventh episode of season six of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Creator Joss Whedon had apparently wanted to do a musical episode since the first season, but didn't get the chance until the show moved from the WB to UPN. The episode ranked 14 in TV Guide's greatest 100 TV episodes of all time list. Anthony Stewart Head, who plays Giles, had the most musical experience of the cast starring in several musical in London. He is the brother of Murray Head who had a hit with "One Night in Bangkok" from the musical "Chess."

In the episode, everyone in Sunnydale is forced to reveal their innermost feelings through song and dance. The cause is a demon named Sweet who kidnaps Dawn to be his queen, because he thinks she summoned him, but it was really Xander.



Q: West Side Story has gang fights, hot chicks, people die, real manly stuff...
Oklahoma has cowboys, traveling salesmen, stalking, a big fight on a haystack...
Grease has teen pregnancy, racing cars, leather jackets, Olivia Newton John in tight pants...
Little shop of Horrors has sadomasichism, female abuse, murder...
Spamalot is Monty Python and that's enough...
The Commitments is Irish drunks singing R&B....
Team America World Police has violence, humor and most importantly, puppet sex......
-jbgs2

A: Thank you for those suggestions, some of which we went over last week. I would say that I think that West Side Story and Oklahoma are probably too traditional for most guys to get into. West Side Story is often mocked for the notion that tough street gangs solve their problems by doing intricately choreographed fight scenes. A bit of trivia, Elvis Presley was up for Tony, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, declined because he didn't want to sully Elvis' image by having him romantically involved with a Puerto Rican character. And for Oklahoma I don't think most men would get through the second number, The Surrey with the Fringe on the Top.



Q: The greatest character actor of all time has to be Sam Elliot. The guy made Ghost Rider watchable
-Poochinski

A: Sam Elliott, 65, was born in Sacramento, Calif., to a mother who was a physical trainer and a father who worked for the Department of the Interior. His family later moved to Oregon and he got the acting bug while in college. He later moved to Los Angeles to study acting. He worked for a time in construction. He is married to Katherine Ross and they have one daughter. His films include Up in the Air, Thank You for Smoking, The Big Lebowski, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, The Golden Compass, The Hulk, Tombstone, Gettysburg, Prancer, Road House, Mask, Lifeguard and Frogs.



Don't die.

"He looks like he's asleep and it's a shame that he won't keep, because it's summer and we're running out of ice."