Blame It On The Movies!
The Reel Music of Hollywood
Musical Revue in 2 Acts. Lyrics by: Billy Barnes : Music by: Billy Barnes : Musical Sequences Compiled and Conceived by: David Galligan and Ron Abel : Compiled and conceived by Ron Abel, Billy Barnes and David Galligan : From an original idea by Franklin R. Levy
Off-Broadway - Criterion Center/Stage Left - Opened 5 May, 1989 - Closed 17 May, 1989 (12 previews + 3 perfs)
Synopsis
The sound of movies is saluted in this cheerful musical cavalcade of wonderful songs and themes from the world’s favourites films.
Fresh and fast-paced, Blame It On The Movies! is a nostalgic treat that covers more ground than your average Friday night at the karaoke bar, featuring unforgettable tunes from The Wizard Of Oz, Meet Me In St. Louis, The Pink Panther, Rocky, Psycho, Jaws, Gone With The Wind, Goldfinger, The Color Purple, Footloose and countless others, in a full-filled homage to movie musicals, screwball comedies, shoot-em-up westerns, sizzling screen romances, thrillers, action-adventure flicks, historical epics and auteurs alike.
It’s the perfect celebration of the silver screen – onstage, live and in person – and a great way to get some of those movie buffs back into the theatre. So serve up the popcorn, sit back and enjoy!
Story
ACT I (Blame It On the Movies, The Forties, The War Years, Foreign Film Tribute, Fox In Love)
The cast is sitting on stage in movie theatre seats watching a scene from Now Voyager. After the clip has ended, they face they audience and sing. ("Music From the Movies") Just what would the movies be without music? They'd be nothing that's what! The rest of this revue shows us exactly what they mean.
The first section is a tribute to the 1940s using such songs as "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca, "Aurora" from Hold That Ghost, "I Get the Neck of the Chicken" from Seven Days Leave, "I've Got A Gal in Kalamazoo" from Orchestra Wives, "A Gal In Calico" from The Time, The Place, and the Girl, "I Said No" from Sweater Girl, "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancin' In A Hurry" from The Fleet's In, "In Love In Vain" from Centennial Summer, "Jungle Love" from Her Jungle Love, "Road To Morocco" from Road To Morocco, "Full Moon and An Empty Heart" from Beyond the Blue Horizon, "Dream" from Out of This World, "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" from Broadway Rhythm, "The Fleet's In" from The Fleet's In, "The More I See You" from Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe, "I'll Buy That Dream" from Sing Your Way Home, "Shoo-Shoo Baby" from Follow the Boys, "You'll Never Know" from Hello, 'Frisco, Hello, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me In St. Louis, and "Make Way For Tomorrow" from Make Way For Tomorrow.
Into the world of foreign films, the cast explores the music we have loved for so many years. This is represented by "A Man and A Moon" from A Man and A Moon which is danced for all the audience to enjoy.
Twentieth Century Fox wrote some of the best love songs ever, and they are clearly represented in this show. Songs included: "The Best of Everything" from The Best of Everything, "April Love" from April Love, "A Certain Smile" from A Certain Smile, "Ruby" from Ruby Gentry, "Laura " from Laura, "The Long Hot Summer" from The Long Hot Summer, "Affair To Remember" from An Affair To Remember, "Two For the Road" from Two For the Road, "Love Is A Many Splendored Thing" from Love Is A Many Splendored Thing.
ACT II (Saturday Matinee, Oscar Losers, A Tribute to the Hollywood Film Score: A Place In the Sun, Finale)
The act opens to reveal the cast wearing 3-D glasses and in a medley, brief sections of the following songs are used: "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World," "Jaws Theme," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Theme," "Psycho Theme," "Help," "Goldfinger," "What's New Pussycat?," "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Woody Woodpecker Song," "That's Amore," and "Maniac."
There are many famous songs which went recognised at the Academy Awards. What about all the songs that lost the Oscar? Some of the best ever are presented here! They include: "Footloose" from Footloose, "Let's Hear It For the Boy" from Footloose, "Hi Lili, Hi Ho" from Lili, "Miss Celie's Blue's" from The Color Purple, "It Might Be You" from Tootsie, "Walk On the Wild Side" from Walk on the Wild Side, "Town Without Pity" from Town Without Pity, "Sadie Thompson's Blues" from Miss Sadie Thompson, "Something's Gotta Give" from Daddy Long Legs, "My Foolish Heart" from My Foolish Heart, "Ballad of Cat Ballou" from Cat Ballou, "On the Road Again" from Honeysuckle Rose, "Mule Train" from Singing Guns, "Blazing Saddle Theme" from Blazing Saddles, "Can You Read My Mind" from Superman, "I Will Wait For You" from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" from Best Friends.
There is also a tribute to the Hollywood film score which creates a ballet from the music written for A Place In the Sun.
There certainly have been a lot of songs which got their start in the movies. The finale features even more songs that we know and love: "Eternally" from Limelight, "The Way We Were" from The Way We Were, "Alfie" from Alfie, "The Way You Look Tonight" from Swing Time, "All the Way" from The Joker Is Wild, "The Windmills of Your Mind" from The Thomas Crown Affair, and "You Stepped Out of Dream" from Ziegfield Girl.
All is completed with a reprise of "Music From the Movies"
Musical Numbers
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Character Breakdown:
Everyone sings throughout the show.
- MAN #1, sings much, incl. "You'll Never Know;" Tenor
- MAN #2, sings "On the Road Again"
- MAN #3, sings much support
Note: There are no characters. Each song depends mostly on what each performer brings to it.
- USHERETTE, the "narrator," funny, charismatic
- WOMAN #1, sings "Let's Hear It for the Boy"
- WOMAN #2, must go at least to a low E, sings "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet"
- WOMAN #3, sings "I Get the Neck of the Chicken"
- WOMAN #4, leads "Walk on the Wild Side"
You may swap songs between performers.
Instrumentation:
Bass : Drums Conga, Cowbell, Triangle, Tympani, Wind Chimes, Wood Block : Harp : Keyboard 1 Synthesizer