Truly ‘The World’s Greatest Entertainer’

March 27, 2014
By Steve Crum

Al Jolson performs for the troops in Korea, 1950. Alistair Cooke wrote, “He [Jolson] had one last hour of glory. He offered to fly to Korea and entertain the troops hemmed in on the United Nations precarious August bridgehead. The troops yelled for his appearance. He went down on his knee again and sang Mammy, and the troops wept and cheered.”
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Enjoy some rarely seen footage of Jolson singing for our troops during both WWII and Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtSVhe6FN4

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Capitalizing on ‘the worst’ to make some bucks…

March 27, 2014
By Steve Crum

The Cherry Sisters had an act in the early 1900’s that toured in vaudeville for 10 years before hitting Broadway at Hammerstein’s Victoria. While billed at Hammerstein’s as “America’s Worst Act,” a net was spread in front of the stage to catch the vegetables and hen fruit tossed from the audience. It’s a show biz tradition to this day to term a nadir act “a road company of the Cherry Sisters.” (from Show Biz from Vaude to Video…1951)
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No known footage of The Cherry Sisters exists.
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Check into ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ Wes Anderson’s funniest yet

March 21, 2014
By Steve Crum
It has to be some kind of a Guinness record that I held a smile for all 100 minutes of The Grand Budapest Hotel’s running time. From Tom Wilkinson’s astute-turned-askew opening to the cute end credit addendum, the movie is indelibly Wes Anderson. In fact, it’s the best of his lot. And that hilarious lot includes the impressive Moonrise Kingdom, Rushmore, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. 
Wes Anderson fans already know his body of work, but names are included for future viewing by newbies for whom Grand Budapest is a first exposure. 
One not only watches a Wes Anderson-directed and written (as is this one) comedy, but gladly hops aboard for the ride. That ride includes a loopy story filled with eccentric characters, set in unexpected environments, and a myriad number of subplots that careen back to the opening premise. Expect the bizarre and surreal. Go with Anderson’s flow. 
Add takes and double-takes in the tradition of silent film comedy, Buster Keaton in particular, as well as deadpan, face on delivery. Again think of Keaton. Also think of Bill Murray, pretty much a Wes Anderson regular, whose own stone faced style is tailor made for The Grand Budapest Hotel and a half dozen other Anderson flicks. Then imagine another dozen actors doing the same Murray schtick. By the way, Murray’s sequence in Budapest comes during the fourth act of this five parter. He plays M. Ivan, a support character involved with helping Ralph Fiennes’ M. Gustave, the central guy in the story, during a major chase. Let me add that the entire film, typical of a Wes Anderson film, includes one chase after another. 
Movement becomes the punch line, set up by dialogue, and prompted by anxiety. For example, a meticulously planned jailbreak leads to car chase, which eventually ends on an incredibly lengthy, crazy ski chase. It is hilarious, made more so by Anderson’s use of stop-motion miniatures. The use of  miniatures is yet another Anderson trademark. Exteriors of the Grand Budapest Hotel, including surrounding mountains and ski lift, are miniatures morphed with what appears to be real people in long shots. Real or animated, it all makes for pleasingly surreal visuals. 
Set in present day Europe in the make believe alpine Republic of Zubrowka, the story is a story within a story that begins with Tom Wilkinson as, simply, “The Author,” relating his younger days at The Grand Budapest Hotel, when the hotel was in its waning years. The younger writer (Jude Law now) befriends Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who agrees to tell him of his association with the hotel in its glory days, circa 1932. At that time, we discover, he was the lobby boy known as Zero (played by Tony Revolori). Without either spoiling or complicating the tale, just know that Fiennes’ M. Guastave H. is the hotel’s concierge, intimately involved with many of the guests. His character is the crux of the plot, and Fiennes carries it superbly in a very uncharacteristic comedy role. 
Sure the movie is brimming in other star names (Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, and Tilda Swinton amongst), but it is Anderson’s story telling that uses them so effectively. Their presence is not primarily as star value as, say, in 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express. Instead, each part is plum and comedically necessary. Who would have even thought of casting Tilda Swinton or Ralph Fiennes in a wild comedy? Voilà, they seem perfectly cast. 

Besides Anderson’s expected use of wide-angle shots and of characters running from right to left and vice versa, there are his endless track shots. Pacing is key. Orson Welles once said, and I paraphrase, that a sign of a great director is not noticing the direction. Yet we do notice Wes Anderson’s direction, and feel better entertained because of that awareness. 
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GRADE on an A to F scale: A
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A ‘Temptation’ of a story from 1969…

March 18, 2014
This Feb. 20, 1969 story of mine, published in The Bulletin (Emporia State’s newspaper), was deemed good enough to garner a Best Investigative News Story award. At that time, Emporia State University was called Kansas State Teachers College.
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SHADOW OF MYSTERY STILL LOOMS OVER TEMPTATIONS APPEARANCE
By Steve Crum
It all began with an innocent question: “I wonder who is sponsoring The Temptations?” Little did we know. 
The Teachers College Union Activities Council and Special Events Department were contacted and they knew nothing of any Temptations booking. Maybe the College of Emporia had something to do with it? They denied any such knowledge. Maybe an independent organization with the schools? Still negative.
Then who? Signs proclaiming “The Exciting Temptations In Concert” were posted throughout the city. Both D. & E. Drug Stores had been selling tickets to the concert for one day, and had already collected approximately four hundred dollars from ticket sales. The Temptations were to appear at the Civic Auditorium, March 7. And no one knew anything about it. Hence, a phone call to the manager of D. & E. Drugs, Ed Streit.
Streit was naturally disturbed at our interrogation, because he was selling tickets to the concert under the knowledge the Teachers College was sponsoring the group. And that the group was indeed THE Temptations. And that the tickets, which priced at $2.50 and $3.00, were “legitimately” supported by the college. Imagine his surprise. And imagine our bewilderment.
Onward we delved.
Tony Gregory, an agent for the William Morris Agency who books The Temptations, was called. He informed us that The Temptations would be appearing in Philadelphia on the evening of March 7. The Teachers College was definitely not on The Temptations agenda.
A Gary Stevens of Wichita had scheduled the Emporia Civic Auditorium for The Temptations, March 7. When contacted about the matter, Stevens reported he had been asked by a friend, Jack Skinner, to do a favor in securing the use of the auditorium, and that he (Stevens) knew nothing of the group that was to appear. Stevens added he had made “no contact” with Streit, no contact with the ticket printer, no contact for ushers, and that he did not know anything about about the group. It was just a favor for a friend.
The friend: Jack Skinner, a Las Vegas nightclub performer. When called, Skinner denied any knowledge of booking the group. However, Skinner admitted knowing Stevens. 
Hence the paradox. “The Temptations” are not coming to Emporia. That is, the nationally known, famous group. D. & E. Drugs is cordially returning ticket money to those who desire a refund. And “The Exciting Temptations”?
It could have been a sellout. 
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Addendum: After the story was published, signs for the “Temptations” concert rapidly disappeared around town. There was never even a wannabe concert of Temptations impersonators. I have always felt that those who planned the concert definitely capitalized on The Temptations name, but thought they could legally get around any fraud by advertising the act as “The EXCITING Temptations.”
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And now…the REAL Temptations…in concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpPPGYLN3ik

 

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Shades of ‘The Bad Seed’ + ‘All About Eve’…it’s ‘Ruthless!’

March 14, 2014

Published Dec. 22, 1995 in The Kansas City Kansan.


KCK NATIVE’S PRODUCTION ‘RUTHLESS!’ IS WITTY MUSICAL


By Steve Crum 


Tina has “Broadway on the brain.” Tina has talent. Tina will kill for a good part. Eight year-old Tina is the central character in the brilliantly conceived Ruthless!, a knockout-witty showbiz musical spoof playing through Dec. 31 at the Unicorn.


Cleverly mounted by KCK native Marvin Laird (music) and Joel Paley (book and lyrics), Ruthless! takes affectionate jabs at dozens of media (particularly film) cliches. The Bad Seed plot hook is supported by hat tips to Gypsy, All About Eve, and A Star is Born, among other stage and movie classics. We are talking one-liners, set pieces, and musical numbers. The 20-plus very tuneful songs, in fact, are parody-laced, and the dialogue is savvy, snappy, and funny.


Director J. Kent Barnhart has fashioned a well-paced production complemented by an energetic, talented cast. Co-producer Marvin Laird recently said that of the many Ruthless! touring productions over the last couple of years (it is playing in four cities now), the KC package is the best he has seen.


The two-act story opens in a 1950’s kitsch-deco, Denmark home wherein pathetically perfect mother Judy (Teri Adams) has focused her life around precocious daughter Tina (real-life 11 year-old Samantha Barrett). Enter Sylvia St. Croix (Terry O’Reagan), a would be talent agent who pressures Mom Judy to place Tina in her stage career care. After a deadly school play incident, the young trouper is sent to reform school for the criminally talented aka “The Daisy Clover School for Psychopathic Ingenues.” 


While her daughter serves time, Judy discovers her own showbiz genes, changes her name and attitude, and becomes the crustless toast of Broadway. Mama is surrounded by a personal secretary (Vicki Baker), an obnoxious theatre critic (Rosanna Coppedge); and inquiring reporter Emily Block (Cheryl Benge). The terrific cast is topped by Adams, Barrett, and O’Reagan.


A triple conflict resolution that includes hidden identities amongst hilarious hokum is the capper. Ruthless! is a farcical gem. 
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Since this review was published, Marvin Laird and Joel Paley have remade their award winning Off Broadway play, Ruthless!, in preparation for another run in New York City. The best selling 1994 Los Angeles Original Cast recording is evidently out of print, but available on several web sites.
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Besides being my friend and fellow Kansas City Kansan, the very gifted Marvin Laird has been Bernadette Peters’ arranger, conductor, and pianist for decades. 
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Enjoy this promo for Ruthless! The Musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgbSMDkZilI

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