First things first - let me apologise for not updating this blog or the site at all for the past few weeks. This is a combination of uni assessments, work and laziness getting in the way.

At the moment I'm considering whether or not to expand Procrastination In Swing time - that is, by actually coughing up money to do so - and therefore I'm reconsidering the role of this blog. So if there's not much activity around here for a while, take heart in knowing it's in preparation for an eventual explosion of musical goodness :)

If you'd like to keep up to date with what's going on, you can always subscribe to the blog and you won't have to keep checking back here for news. And there will be news! Just not now.

For now I'm off to study for my English exam and maybe try persevere through The Ice Follies of 1939. Wish me luck!

Good news for all of us in the Australian region - yesterday morning Apple finally opened an Australian iTunes store. I jumped online today to check it out and, while I've had a bit of trouble with navigation, I'm glad to say that many of the material from TCM and Rhino Records are available, just like with the US store.

The albums are generally $16.99 each and songs are $1.69 each. I haven't been able to find a way to bring up the entire TCM/Rhino catalogue available, but so far I've come across plenty of Rhino releases including the That's Entertainment CD (released in stores here as Musical Wonderland, but at iTunes it's under its US title), the American In Paris ST, Annie Get Your Gun ST, Silk Stockings ST and the Latin music anthology for all the Cugat and Miranda fans out there. Of course, aside from the Rhino releases there are other CDs from other labels like Fred Astaire's Finest Hour, a 17 song compilation from Verve, and plenty of Judy Garland songs and CDs on offer.

Unfortunately for Gene Kelly deprived me, I can only find songs from An American In Paris. Some people may be a bit disappointed at what they don't find, but at least our favourite musical performers are represented in some way!

So, get your credit cards ready, my antipodean friends, and head on down to... http://www.apple.com/au/itunes/music/

10 reasons why Pal Joey isn't as bad as you think it is:

1. The opening credits. Instead of the usual quick scroll on painted backdrop, the film opens with Joey (Frank Sinatra) getting thrown out of town. The credits play over the action of Joey travelling to San Francisco, eyeing off ladies, looking down in the dumps, and so on. It's a great way to start the movie, and a sequence that wouldn't be out of place in a film made today.

2. Frank Sinatra's performance as Joey. There a few performances that emanate... how can I put this? Randiness, as much as his performance here. Even in a Hays-code stunted script, his performance ensures much of the bite of the original stage play is not lost. Look at the way he eyes up the women he meets, how he delivers his lines, how he approaches people with that twinkle in his eye. How he subtly (ahem) kicks the bedroom door open with his foot while he's trying to seduce Rita Hayworth, and then try look nonchalant as he does it. This man was born to play Pal Joey.
3. Rita Hayworth's rendition of 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' is justifiably agreed upon to be a highlight of the film, and it's a gorgeous sequence, with a teasing shower scene at the end. But I prefer her other number 'Zip', a strip number where she never strips a thing. She pulls off her gloves, and then proceeds to mime zipping off the rest of her clothes, all the while playing with her dress (beautifully designed, one of the best she ever wore) and its two long trains. She flips the trains into Sinatra's face, wraps them around her, whips them about her body. Sinatra's reaction shots to all this are priceless, knowing what he's thinking of (and what most of the audience are thinking of). It's like a fun version of 'Put The Blame On Mame' from Gilda, and endlessly enjoyable.

4. Kim Novak's entrance at the nightclub. Her entrance is part of a dance number, where we are introduced to all the other girls in the chorus before Kim comes out at the last. It's like the opening sequence of Cover Girl, which I discussed in an earlier post. In that movie, the emphasis is on the girl's faces, and Rita's face, as the sequence is played out in close-ups on the girls faces as they emrege from the curtain. In this movie the sequence is in a mid-long shot, showing us all the girls' bodies, and the closeup on Kim when she appears is just as much on her body as on her face. Sinatra even asks his friend who the mouse with 'the build' is. It's a subtle shift (well, maybe not so subtle) that fascinates me.
5. Frank's rendition of 'The Lady Is A Tramp'. One of his signature songs, this is my favourite version of it as he sings it to Rita's Mrs Prentiss-Simpson. Wonderfully shot, superb reactions from Rita, and Frank's performance is swaggering and charming at the same time as he takes a few gentle digs at Rita's character. For some reason I adore how instead of just singing "Hates California 'cause it's cold and it's damp", he sings "'cause it's so cold and so damp." And look at that shrug he gives at the end as he states "That's why the lady is a tramp!" This number is unmissable for any Frank fan!

6. Kim Novak's strip number. So it starts a little badly with the whole crinoline and French maid thing (yawn), but it's great because it is such an amibivalent number. Like Joey, we don't really want to see her strip, because she's been established as the nice girl who's only doing the strip because he asked her to. We feel Kim's character Linda's nervousness as well, knowing how she feels about it. And we feel Mrs Prentiss-Simpson's shock when she finds out Linda has decided to stay at the club and do the strip, knowing what this may mean for her and Joey's relationship. And on top of all that, there's a certain voyeuristic urge to see Kim go on with the number, because, let's face it, who can take their eyes off Kim Novak when she's up there strutting her stuff?
7. Barbara Nichols as Gladys. And Frank's bickering with her. Proves that not all girls fall for Joey Evan's charms, and besides Joey's smart one-liners, she provides most of the comedy.
8. The music. Rodgers and Hart, you are my gods. Nelson Riddle, your arrangements are divine.
9. Watch Rita closely when Joey tells her he's leaving her. You've just seen all this character's plans fall apart. No matter how awful she's seemed up until now, there's someting in her expression in this scene that always wants to make me give her a hug.
10. The cinematography. Makes all those dingy little numbers in that dingy little nightclub look fantastic, and really adds something to Frank's numbers.

And 5 reasons why it is:

1. That dream sequence. The Dame song is completely overshadowed by the lameness of the... everything in this scene. Some men may find comfort in seeing Kim and Rita run around in leotards, though.
2. The ending. Completely takes away the bite of the movie when the two heroes walk off into the sunset together like any other lightweight romance.

3. It's loooonnnggg.
4. Is it just me, or does the sight of Kim Novak walking around San Francisco make you think James Stewart is poking around somewhere muttering things to himself about Madeleine? No? Just me? I've been watching Vertigo too much.
5. Songs are missing, other Rodgers and Hart songs are interpolated, lyrics are changed and censored. This may not be notable to those unfamiliar with the stage play, but to those who are, it can be very annoying.

Here we go with some shameless site promotion...

Here's a quick quiz for you:

1. Do you like Gene Kelly?
2. Do you like Frank Sinatra?
3. Do you like Marlon Brando?
4. Do you like James Dean?

If you said yes to any of these questions, then make sure you get on down to The Other Fab Four. It's like a shrine to the four boys. And make sure you leave a message in the forum to tell the webmistress, Lennon, what a great job she's done!

I've returned to an old template for the blog for the time being because the other one looked shocking on any Mac computers. Or maybe it was just the ones at uni. Anyway, this one looks bad on Macs as well, but slightly less so.

In an attempt to avoid my history essay, I've decided to do a picture post. Hooray, I hear you cry. Yes, we all like some good pictures every now and then. I've chosen some very random, very unrelated pictures. They're all part of my very favourites picture list though, and I'll explain why as we go along:

I don't remember where I found this one. I really shouldn't even have it here because it has nothing to do with musicals or film or anything at all. I don't even like her dress. But one day, a long time ago, a friend asked me to find a picture on my computer that I felt represented me the best, and I chose this one.

I loooove this portrait of Janet Leigh. I would have bought the book I found it in just for this picture. Stunning.

This is from the old faithful Gene Kelly Gallery. It's taken on the set of Invitation To The Dance. You can see Gene Kelly, the director, in the background. He looks exhausted.

This is a lovely picture of Margaret O'Brien and her little dog I found in a library book one day. To get her to cry for scenes, her mother or director would tell her that the dog had been killed. Gruesomely. That's something to think about next time you see one of her films. Here she's brushing the dog's teeth. I wish I could remember its name.

My favourite picture of Rita Hayworth ever. She's nothing like her sultry Gilda image here: just beautiful and lovely.

"So if you want to see me again Danny McGuire," Rita cries, " you can just come to Broadway! To a big show!" She bursts into tears and runs out of the room, knocking over a chair as she sobs. I, meanwhile, am rolling around on the floor laughing my head off.

Cover Girl has to be one of the most melodramatic musicals I've ever seen. I can't help giggling all the way through it, but most often I giggle in parts I don't think I'm supposed to be giggling in. Like Rita's tearful exit from the nightclub, described above. Or throughout the whole 'Long Ago and Far Away' sequence. Everyone says they absolutely love that number, and that it's fantastic. But while I love the song, I just can't keep a straight face throughout the whole thing. Why? I don't know, we'll have to get back to this in a moment to ponder it some more.

You'd think that given my undying-obsessive-love of Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth that I would love this movie to smithereens. But I don't. The first time I saw it I was decidedly underwhelmed. I think I expected more comedy and less drama. Gene and Rita just seemed to mope all over the screen, while Phil Silvers and Eve Arden did their valiant best to lighten the mood.

What is it that ruins this film for me? A number of things, firstly, the length. It's just too long. Secondly, the lack of chemistry between Gene and Rita. This is incredibly important, because it's what makes those dramatic moments between them seem ludicrous.

Take 'Long Ago and Far Away', for example. Gene, stacking the chairs, is moping (which he does a lot in this film). Rita comes in to tell him she still loves him. She's a little mopey too. It's Mopesville in there - even Phil, playing at the piano, is unusually quiet. now, of course, Rita and Gene start singing. Lovely song. Gene thinks she's singing about her dream of being a cover girl, but she's really singing about her dream of being with him. So far, so good. Gene starts singing, broodily leaning his head against one of the chairs. The Rita joins in again, looking misty eyed into some kind of far-off distance. They make a little attempt at a dance, complete with yearning and deadly serious expressions on heir faces. Gene does his usual "I'll lean against her cheek and take a deep breath in" that we've all seen in every single other film he's in. And Phil is still sitting at his piano while Gene and Rita play out this silly love scene behind him.

So I don't know what it is about all these elements, but for some reason I find it incredibly over the top. It would maybe have been alright if the chemistry between the leads was stronger - but its not. Whack Judy Garland in there with Gene and think of how different that would have turned out. Because I can't feel any chemistry between Rita and Gene, what could have been a beautiful love scene becomes melodramatic as there's no basis for the way they're behaving. Maybe if the film had provided some more background on their relationship and Gene's character's past we could then have more of a basis. Instead, I get the same feeling as when you walk in on the end of a dramatic chick flick. Everyone around you is bawling their eyes out, but because you have no real foundation of knowledge about the characters, and the plot, and their relationships, you find the whole situation ridiculous (or is this just me?)

One other part I always giggle in is at the very end, when Rita turns up to Joe's Place singing 'Long Ago and Far Away' again. You can see the spotlights, the fans to blow a breeze a through her hair, and there she is staring off into that goddamn distance again...

Some other things that don't impress me are the flashback scenes. That 'Sure Thing' song is one of the most boring numbers I've ever seen. It makes the later 'Poor John' number seem wonderful. And after a steady diet of Gene's grinning, scenery chewing performances in his MGM films it's quite a let down to have him so sulky all the time. I can see Rita's character Rusty's dilemma as she has to choose between Gene's Danny and Lee Bowman's Noel:

"Oh, I love Danny! He can dance, he can sing, he fills out a suit very nicely... but he's always brooding and sulking over me! That can really cramp a girl's style. Now Noel, he's always chipper. Plus he's rich, and a big producer, and he's a really nice guy. But he looks like a wet sock. Oh dear! What's a cover girl to do?"

Despite all of what I've just said, there are some things I love about this movie. Here's a rundown:

1. Rita and Gene together. So they don't have any chemistry, but they do make a lovely pair in 'Put Me To The Test'. And, given my obsessive-crazy-love for them, it's never a bad thing to see them both on screen.
2. The opening number, 'The Show Must Go On', is one of my favourite musical openings ever. Charles Vidor, the director, presents us with girls singing the lines of the song. They'r all very pretty, but not that stunning, if you know what I mean. But then - boom! without any warning! - there's Rita! And she just completely knocks you out of your seat because she's so beautiful. As the number continues, we see they're chorus girls in a run down nightclub, dancing in an act that isn't very good at all. As they start kicking their legs all out of time, we cut to Gene standing in the wings, shaking his head at the badness of it all. I always laugh at that bit.

3. 'Make Way For Tomorrow'. It really is the highlight of the movie. I love it all, from the "Come on, pearl!" ritual, to the disapproving policeman, to the "yackety yackety yackety yack", to the drunk man leaning on the lampost. I sometimes find myself humming the tune as I walk down the street. Even yesterday as I walked through the park, I saw a couple making out under a tree, and I very nearly ran up to them and sang "yackety yackety yackety yack!" (Or is it "Yappity yappity yappity yap"?)

4. Gene and Phil reprising 'Put Me To The Test' while they entertain the soldiers. It's a chance for Gene to crack a smile and be a bit more like the Gene we all know and love, that is, making a lovely fool out of himself. And I'm not a big Phil Silvers fan, but I do like the two of them together here. Their routine here always makes me smile.
5. Rita's drunk scene. I think it's one of her best scenes as an actress ever. She's just brilliant.
6. Otto Kruger and Jess Barker as the old and young Mr Coudair. An example of perfect casting. Not only do Kruger and Barker look and act alike, but they're also able to make us not hate Coudair. While we don't agree with his actions, and we feel ashamed of him in parts (especially when he convinces Gene that he couldn't give Rita a good life), he's still a likeable character who redeems himself in the end. His actions and his behaviour are perhaps the most complex in the film, and Kruger and Barker's performances are suitably subtle and endearing.

7. The Alter Ego dance, in which a confused Gene dances with himself in the street. Who else but Gene would have the nerve and the ego to dance with himself? I know Fred Astaire danced with his shadows and projected self as well, but I don't recall him taking time out to have a chat to his other self, or chasing it down the street. At the same time, I'm not criticising Gene's ego. Without his drive and ambition, we wouldn't have such wonderful moments as these. Cyd Charisse once said that with Gene, Gene always came first. But she also said he was brilliant. That's evident here. What's not so evident is Stanley Donen's participation as well. Remember back then they were a team, so any accolades we give to Gene must also be given to Stanley. Three cheers, boys!

Cover Girl will never be one of my all time favourite films. But there are moments in it that I hold so dear that I don't think I'll ever stop watching it. There are certain movies that you may not love - that you might hate, even - but they can include certain moments, or scenes, that blow you away, or stir a certain emotion in you, or bring back vivid memories. This is what Cover Girl is for me. What movies are like that for you?

(All pictures in this post are from the Gene Kelly Gallery. Except the poster image of Rita. I don't know where that's from.)

I sometimes think I take this procrastination thing too far.

I don't think there's any feeling quite like the one you get when you realise just how much work you haven't done and how much work is due in. Today. Very soon.

On one hand, I'm actually a bit proud of my amazing time wasting abilities. But then again, it's not exactly a very handy skill to have, is it? Whereas being able to write a 1500 word essay on early Australian feminism is slightly more constructive. Slightly.

In my panic this morning when I realised that my history consultation is at 3pm, I did what any conscientious history student would do. I read about the adventures of The Cad and The Harlot (aka Brad and Ange) in a tabloid magazine, brushed my hair, ate some rice, tried reading about changes to land valuations in the newspaper and ironed some clothes before chucking it all in and reading some of my history notes. After this I panicked again, because I realised once more how little I had done. So I went and put on my Bells Are Ringing soundtrack. As you do.

Anyway, Dean Martin's solo "Do It Yourself" came on. In the song he's trying to spur himself on to work and to end his boozy procrastination. Here's a taste of the lyrics:

You gotta do it, you gotta do it,
Gotta do it all alone,
No-one else will do it for you
You're on your own.

Do it.
It may be love or war or moppin' up the floor but just do it.
Don't send a friend who's true to pitch a woo for you or you'll rue it,
Do it yourself.
Don't fake it!
If you're a fake you won't make it,
Wait for your break and then take it,
For time and tide may wait for no man:
Go go go man!

Well, in the flurry of excited saxophones and half-soused crooning, I got caught up in the determined to work atmosphere and came on the computer to check if my reserved books at the library were available yet. Well, it was a noble effort. After the song ended I kind of lost the spirit and ended up here. Listening to more Dean Martin, but this time he's singing about when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, and it's not so conducive to studying. Bad, bad Libby.

It's times like these I think I should give up all the DVDs, videos, TCM, radio, CDs, records and internet. I'd go build myself a shack somewhere in the bush west of Cobar, taking with me my history books and a tape playing "Do It Yourself" over and over again. Maybe I'd bring a picture of Dean holding a martini and pointing his finger at the camera. I'd stick it on the wall and whenever I looked at it Dean would point at me and say "Now, Libby baby, you know you gotta do that essay. I'm not going to take my eyes off you until you write that first paragraph." And I'd say "Righto Dino." and - hey presto! - essays would ensue.

So my message for today is very simple. If you've got something to do, then do it. The power of Dean compels you!
Dean: "Do it, do it yourself!" *sips martini*
Libby: "It doesn't help when you're sitting there sipping martinis."
Dean: "Honey, I'm dead, I can drink as many martinis as I want. You get nothin' until you can tell me what the major inspirations of the 19th century feminists were."
Libby: "You could at least give me a few pointers."
Dean: "Do I look like I know anything about Australian feminists? This is all the pointing you'll get from me." *points finger at Libby*
Libby: *grumbles*

It's been a long time since I've used that word in a post... but it's true, I've finally updated something. There's a new quote for the month, a new site of the week, and a new links page for Ginger Rogers. Hurrah! Now I better get back to that history essay.

Check it all out here.

Right now my video of DuBarry Was A Lady is playing and I'm kind of watching, but kind of not. It's not a great movie at all, but perhaps the only musical I know of with a song about washing the king's face and where Tommy Dorsey wears breeches and a wig. And then there's those guys who sing out of their noses... but I think it's best we ignore those fellows for the moment. I could talk about the silliness of this movie all day.

Anyway, on to other matters. What have I been getting up to lately? Well, in the words of Adolph Green from the stage version of On The Town:

"When shopping I'm a sucker for a bargain sale,
If something is marked down upon a shelf,
My sense of what is practical begins to fail,
I buy one,
Then another,
And another,
Then another,
I buy the whole store out and I'm in business for myself!"

And so it was at Borders the other day. Firstly I bought the original studio cast recording of On The Town. That's with Betty Comden and Adolph Green and Nancy Walker, and Leonard Bernstein conducting. I've been salivating over it for ages, it was released years ago, but it was only the other day that I found it in the shop when I had money in my pocket. Oh, Comden and Green and Bernstein! they're like... my gods (and goddess).

Then I had a look at their DVD section. Most of their DVDs are sold at ridiculously inflated prices, but they normally stock movies that I would have to order online otherwise. I ended up skipping out with copies of Take Me Out To The Ballgame and Leave Her To Heaven under my arm. At last my video copy of Take Me Out To The Ballgame can have a rest, and I can now enjoy the Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly goodness fully on DVD. (as I already have Anchors Aweigh and On The Town on DVD - so collection completed! It gives me a warm, happy feeling to know this.)

In other unrelated news, there's been a long-awaited addition to The Love Goddesses site. So she wasn't in any musicals (or was she? It would be interesting to see if she was) but, come on! It's Sophia. Check her out here. It's a very well written and engaging article, and the accompanying pictures are simply gorgeous.