{"product_id":"the-musical-from-broadway-to-hollywood-paperback","title":"The Musical: From Broadway to Hollywood (paperback)","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Musical: \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrom Broadway to Hollywood\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCopyright ©2022 by Michael B. Druxman. All Rights Reserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e 214 pages\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e8.5x11\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e The Musical - From Broadway to Hollywood\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eby MICHAEL B. DRUXMAN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN 9781629338989\u003c\/strong\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e              Combining as it does the elements of drama, comedy, music, dance, photography, and design, the film musical is a unique and favored genre, with, it would seem, almost unlimited possibilities for artistic expression and satisfying entertainment. This potential has, at times, been realized with particular success. Some of the best-loved films in motion-picture history have been musicals.  And, with the exception of several MGM originals and a few of the show-business biographies, the most admired musical films have been those adapted from the stage. Of the seven musicals that have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, four—\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWest Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOliver!\u003c\/em\u003e—had their origins in the theatre. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e              However, the transfer of a production from stage to screen is, to say the least, a precarious affair. Many of Broadway’s most successful shows have bombed on celluloid.  Why does this happen?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn an attempt to answer that question, film writer Michael B. Druxman here provides an excellent survey of the movie musical, focusing on twenty-five musicals adapted from the stage.  The films span three decades, and hits as well as flops are included. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhat happens when a musical play is adapted from the stage to the screen?  Should the resulting film be a carbon copy of the play, or is it better to utilize the screen’s greater flexibility to create a new, original, and completely different work of art?  Can one go too far in this direction, and by tampering with a script divest an established hit of the appealing qualities that made it popular in the first place?  Or, is it true that, as Norman Jewison said in speaking of his enormously popular film, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFiddler on the Roof\u003c\/em\u003e, “A bad musical film is one that sticks to the play”?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn the other hand, can a movie version that is \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003etoo\u003c\/em\u003e imaginative and opulent distract audiences from the plot and score and smother a production that was successful in the theatre?  More specifically, how did the producers and\/or directors of the films highlighted in this volume approach their material? How were the productions received? These and other important questions regarding movie musicals are dealt with extensively herein.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSome of the films treated at length are \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGentlemen Prefer Blondes, Oklahoma!, Guys and Dolls, Carousel, Pal Joey, Damn Yankees, Porgy and Bess, Gypsy, Finian’s Rainbow, Cabaret, Man of La Mancha, \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eJesus Christ Superstar.\u003c\/em\u003e A full chapter is devoted to each film; plots, characters, songs, musical scores, stars (singers, actors, dancers), directors, producers, composers, costumes, sets, choreography—all are given their due. In addition to the twenty-five chapters on individual movies, there is a background introduction to the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAnd, of course, there are photographs—over 200 of them! All the twenty-five musicals discussed in detail are well represented, but there are over 50 stills from other musical films as well—from \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Vagabond King \u003c\/em\u003e(1930) to \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHair \u003c\/em\u003e(1979).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMichael B. Druxman was born in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from the University of Washington with a major in sociology.  His avid interest in motion pictures and the theatre stems from early childhood.  As he grew older, he became active in Seattle’s community theatre movement, and eventually formed his own group, Actors’ Theatre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMoving to Los Angeles in 1963, Mr. Druxman produced and directed a film, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eGenesis.\u003c\/em\u003e In 1966, he formed his own public relations firm, which catered to both show business and commercial clients.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe has contributed to \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFilms in Review\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as to \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCoronet\u003c\/em\u003e, for which he wrote a semi-regular feature, “Yesterday at the Movies”. He is the author of \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePaul Muni: His Life and His Films\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBasil Rathbone: His Life and His Films\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMake It Again, Sam: A Survey of Movie Remakes\u003c\/em\u003e; \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMerv\u003c\/em\u003e; and several other titles. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe is also a screenwriter, with credits that include \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKeaton’s Cop\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCheyenne Warrior\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDillinger and Capone\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Doorway\u003c\/em\u003e, which he also directed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMr. Druxman has a son, David, and now lives with his wife, Sandra, in Austin, Texas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BearManor Media","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44712760901674,"sku":"wfy1787291808439","price":17.92,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0664\/4380\/4714\/files\/the-musical-from-broadway-to-hollywood-paperback_1.jpg?v=1787291818","url":"https:\/\/streetstylestore.shop\/products\/the-musical-from-broadway-to-hollywood-paperback","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}