It was sad to hear of the death, from cancer, of beloved actor Tom Bosley. Bosley was famous for appearing as the dad in the long-running TV series “Happy Days”, but his reputation as a stage actor on Broadway was sealed by his portrayal of New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in the Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 musical, “Fiorello”.
“Fiorello” is one of 8 musicals to win the Pulitzer for drama. (The others are “Of Thee I Sing”, “South Pacific”, “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, “A Chorus Line”, “Sunday in the Park With George”, “Rent” and “Next To Normal”. Only two of these are about politics – “Fiorello” and “Of Thee I Sing.” That got me thinking about our discussion yesterday on politics and cynicism.
“Of Thee I Sing” debuted in 1932, written by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind with music and lyrics from George and Ira Gershwin. Act one describes a political campaign where the candidate runs on the “love” platform, promising voters that if they elect him, he’ll marry the woman of his dreams, thereby making the biggest campaign issue whether or not people want a happy ending to a romantic story. No need to hire a pollster to figure how that one will turn out.
That’s what you get when you let politics and musical theater collide.
“Fiorello” has a similar romantic storyline, but for lovers of musical cynicism the standouts are two songs sung by corrupt politicians – “Politics and Poker” and “Little Tin Box”. Bosley didn’t appear in either one of these songs – he was the hero and these are numbers for the villains – but they represent America’s best effort at distilling political corruption into a cheerful little ditty.
Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t offer videos of the original Broadway cast doing these songs (I’m shocked, scandalized), but Farmingdale High School on Long Island did a nice job with “Little Tin Box”. Kudos to the guy in the greenish vest.
It’s hard to imagine what sort of musical would reflect the political times we live in today, or if such a show could even exist. After all, you have to have a sympathetic protagonist, and as soon as you put someone from our current cast of characters up on a pedestal, half the audience will write you off as partisan. You could try to go entirely in the other direction and built the show around an anti-hero (Michele Bachmann, the Musical) with the same disappointing result.
Maybe the political musical for our times is really about our concurrent but weirdly separate realities. Act one tells the story from a red politics perspective. Act two brings in the same characters and re-tells the same tale, blue. But where does that leave us at the end? Ready to run from the theater and go have a drink somewhere.
What’s your favorite political drama on stage or screen?
Trail Baboon 
Rise and Shine Babooners:
This is a question I cannot answer at 6:00 a.m. Right now I can’t even remember any political dramas. The first thought that came into my head was the song, “Money, Money, Money” from the movie musical Cabaret, which was set in the political backdrop of Europe (either Paris or Berlin) with Nazi power rising. Joel Grey sings it and I think Liza Minelli joins him with both of them shimmying while singing of the joys of corruption. Love that scene.
I’ll have to order Cabaret from Netflix and watch it again. Maybe it really is a political drama. I think the Nazis take over in the end and close the club. But it’s been a long time….
Regarding the blogtionary/Glossary. Send me your terms and definitions. Dale, can we have a Glossary section?
Lurkitude: reading the blog from one step back, but not writing and participating. Giggling, chortling, guffawing, and belly laughs optional.
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Those high school kids are not too bad!
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Jacque – Jim put forth “idiotology” the other day. he would better define it.
and yes, that was SOME high school cast!
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Barb, I guess idiotology is a cynical word which can be used in describing some of the current political thinking. However, I don’t really see my self as a cynic because I am afraid that much of current political discouse has sunken to the point where there is a lot of it can be described as idiotology. I will not get into talking about the political issues that I think are being given the idiot treatment except that I think our foreign policy is extremely wrong and very much needs to be the subject to more political debate that isn’t idiotic. I realize that some of our politicans are trying to do a good job and it is very difficult for them to deal the many serious issue that they are facing.
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The movie version has a different song then the stage play. The song is Money makes the World Go Round, an even more profound statement on saddness of what the dollar rules.
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good morning, All!
first of all, i confess that i had to look up a list of political dramas because of my sieve-like mind. so, now i can say i liked “Manchurian Candidate” best. Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey (greasily handsome) and Angela Lansbury (surprisingly good at evil) and Henry Silva (love anything he did)
Frank Langella and “Nixon” would be my second choice.
hope it’s a great day for you
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Morning all… just spend a bit catching up from yesterday. Mike – sending my sympathies your way and nice to have you back!
It’s way too early in the morning for me to come up with anything by way of political entertainment, although I DID assistant direct “Of Thee I Sing” back in my Carleton days. It was a lot of fun because there would almost always be someone missing from rehearsal so I got to step in and play almost all the parts!
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mr smith goes to washington and born yesterday come to mind first. im head off to an early wednesday meeting ‘ill check back. i love musicals i just can;t think of a political one off the top of my brain this morning
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1776 is a delightfdul musical “Sit Down, John”
And Bosley was in the marvelously quirky but not political The World of Henry Orient
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Clyde… one of my FAVORITE movies. And I loved Tom Bosley as the calm, collected dad. Thanks for reminding me.
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The only movie I know–if you know others, please let me know–that portrays junior high girls sensitively and realistically.
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I’ll jump in here with my favorite political drama before someone else names it: “All the President’s Men.” I lived through that era, and I experienced the same enormous range of emotions as a commonplace odd event gradually turned into a scandal that took down the most powerful man on earth. In recent years we’ve come to learn that the Nixon White House planned the politically-motivated assassination of a journalist but didn’t quite get around to it because of the scandal.
The movie is superb at recreating the drama and oddness of those times. And it even has a bit of humor. Here’s a scrap of dialog:
Carl Bernstein: Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I – I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Bob Woodward: You’re both paranoid. She’s afraid of John Mitchell, and you’re afraid of Walter Cronkite.
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The fact that you have memorized the dialogue leaves me speechless!
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Let me restore your speech, Jacque. We’d miss you if you went silent. One of my favorite web sites is IMDB, the Internet Movie Database. It includes a wealth of information about movies, including (in some cases) “memorable lines.”
One of the funny things about that movie is that its most memorable line is “Follow the money!” It turns out that Deep Throat never said that. Or at least that line never appears in the book that was the basis for the movie.
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It’s where I got my quote from Court Jester below.
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As a suffering resident of the 6th district I need to propose a sequel to Mr Smith Goes to Washington ……Ms Bachmann Goes to Minnesota!
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Amen to that!
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I think she might be happier in Alaska.
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leave her elsewhere please.
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alaska is good, how about on a permanant chinese trade mission
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Greetings! I watched the movie “Frost/Nixon” a couple months back and was galvanized by the performances and material. It may not have been political in the larger sense, but the characterizations and the story of the machinations and maneuvering of the two involved was fascinating.
Another big day ahead for me — catch you all later.
Welcome back, Mike in Albert Lea — so sorry for your loss. Hope you stay with us and check in when you can.
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Hmmm…being an occasional smarty-pants, I feel an urge to go on about the trope about “the personal is political” and art and…yeah. Being didactic and strident at 7:25 am is just too hard.
Political drama? A favorite? Will have to ponder that. Will say that I am not a fan of “Nixon in China.” You know you’re in trouble when you sit down to watch an opera where Kissinger is the comic relief. Oy. Spectacle, yes. Easy to listen to, no. Hummable? Definitely not. For that you need something more like “Evita” (not a big Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, especially most of the stuff that came after “Cats” but “Evita” was pretty good).
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“Les Miserables”!
The fist-pumpingness of “One Day More” has become the anthem to various endpoints in my student and professional life.
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YES! Forgot Les Miz!
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bingo
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I will admit to getting so mesmerized by the workings of the stage set when I saw Les Miz I kinda forgot everything else. (It turned and swiveled and became many things and I’m sure there were pneumatics involved and…)
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And then there was the whole bridge thing when Javair ‘jumps’ off. So Cool! And cut from the second production we saw! …I was so annoyed….
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The Queen, with Helen Mirren.
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Nice!
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Totally agree.
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Morning–
Hmm, in my limited movie watching view I don’t have much to offer… short of ‘Shrek III’ where they’re trying to find a new King. Or Danny Kaye in ‘The Court Jester’… ‘1776’ is fun. ‘Oedipus’; can we consider that political? OH! How about ‘Chess’? (the first version before the re-write).
I have the soundtracks to both ‘Of Thee I Sing’ and ‘Fiorello’ and thanks to the late, great MS ‘Little Tin Box’ has been one of my favorites for years!
Mike in Albert Lea; welcome back.
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The pellet with the poison’s in the flagon with the dragon; the vessel with the pestle has the brew that is true.
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“Like”
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one of my brothers most quoted lines. didn’t you just love danny kaye? we don’t have a danny kaye equivilant in the world today.
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I only just browsed over to the BBC blog. So envious of you all! How do I participate online? I need to find a bookclub that wants to meet outdoors and share produce in the summer. Wow.
The rest of this message is for tim (catching up from yesterday).
Favourite thing about Canada so far? Being up north, being outdoors, and being reminded what life was like 15 or so years ago.
Don’t worry, I’m sure I can find a copy of Watership Down (and For Whom The Bell Tolls) at the local library.
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for those who want to sit in on the bookclub i think i can set up a phone conference ( i don’t knpow about video conference but maybe if i look into it) and we can just have you sitting on the table.
yes canda does feel about 1990 usa doesn’t it. wel observed.
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Many shows can be considered “political” even if they aren’t about voting or going to Washington. One of my favorite musicals is radically political: “Hair.”
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Good morning to all,
I think I have already said too much about my opinions related to politics in my reply on idiotology. I guess some of you could guess the Micheal Moore is one of my favorite political film makers.
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Or maybe all of you could guess that Michael Moore is one of my favorites and that my use of “the” above was a typo.
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“don’t cry for me Sarah Palin…….”
I really like your Rashomon-like idea of the same story told from opposite sides of the isle, Dale.
My, you all got busy last night!
Good to hear from you, Mike-best wishes to you and your daughters.
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Yes… the activity on the blog last night after I signed off was prodigious!
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I liked “The Contender” as campaign drama…I think Joan Allen was nominated for an Oscar, if I remember correctly.
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One of the best realistic political dramas. Not a political cartoon.
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what was the one with henry fonda against the scheister who wouldn’t withdraw. the best man?
caberet and the new one at the guthrie last month( was it the scotsboro boys?) are two on top of the list.
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statesboro boys
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I have to agree about Hair, Steve, and I loved seeing a clip of Patti Lupone doing “Buenos Aires” from Evita (Broadway’s Lost Treasures II) — WOW, I would have liked to see that on Broadway with her in it…
Mike, I’d like to add my condolences, and trust you have a lot of support there. Hope you can find time to check in now and then.
For our baboonary: DELURK, as in Catherine’s “Nice of you to delurk, Connie.” (I sometimes copy things from here in to a word file – wish I would have saved more…)
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Being a spy film buff, I hope you don’t mind if I stretch those into politics. After all, the one is usually closely connected to the other. One of my faves is easy to find, “Three Days of the Condor.” Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway have terrific chemistry and Max Von Sydow is great in anything he does. The other is very hard to find. It was a two-part mini-series on NBC back in 1989, with Peter Strauss, David Morse, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Mitchum called, “Brotherhood of the Rose.” Great spy/political thriller.
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I love 3 Days of the Condor as well. “I just read books!” is my favorite quote.
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Embarassed to say I had to google for this title, but I dearly love State of the Union with Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Angela Landsbury (who was also great with Tom Bosley in Murder She Wrote).
Would not want to be part of a political family!
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And Bosley and Lansbury are husband and wide in World of Henry Oreint
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I am going to have to find that and see it!
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Then there is Shakespeare. How could we leave all those plays out:
Macbeth, Othello, Richard III, Henrys! Others, too.
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Whew! Your voice is back!
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An outstanding but heartbreakingly cynical political film is “Traffic.” It shows the “war on drugs” to be a self-serving exercise in hypocrisy where not only do people not do the right thing but where the ethical distinctions are so muddy that there is no right course of action. I haven’t yet seen “Syriana” but it is more of the same from the same director/writer.
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We’ve overlooked the funniest cynical political film of all time: “The Mouse That Roared.”
Some dialog (from my inexhaustible memory, Jacque):
Prime Minster Count Rupert Mountjoy: My idea was sound. Only an idiot could have won this war, and he did.
And then there is this one:
Prime Minster Count Rupert Mountjoy: I move we declare war on the United States of America.
Benter: As leader of the party of the common man, I say that war is reprehensible, barbaric, unforgivable, and unthinkable. And I second the motion.
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amen, brother, amen
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the best for sure. thanks steve
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And not to be forgetting The Man Who Would be King-really need to see that one again.
AND, Ethel Merman alert!!! (anybody else miss those as much as I do?)
Call Me Madame
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theres no business like show business
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Peter Sellers has made 2 mentions here (he is the title but rather minor character in Henry Orient), so let’s mention his labor of love “Being There,” a political satire, with the funniest sex scene in any movie.
Have any of you watched “Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook” on PBS? Wonderful. Last night he told this story: Merman was on the Shanana TV show. The show started with her coming out and saying as only she could say it “Curtain Up.” The curtain rose, she turned and looked at the Shanana group and said “Curtain Down.”
I too loved the Merman Alerts, but one of the things I much appreciated about what Dale (and Tom) created on their show was that they knew when to retire a joke. I did not watch Johnny Carson for years because it was the same old schtick, which clearly Johnyy got tired of. It’s hard to quite a joke, so kudos to Dale (and Tom).
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Peter Sellers and Shirley Maclaine in “Being There” was a great movie. Clyde, do you mean the sex scene where Peter Sellers says, “I like to watch” and continues to watch TV while Shirley Maclaine does “her own thing.” Absolutely hysterical. Loved that movie.
Another good political movie is “Charlie Wilson’s War.” Tom Hanks and Julie Roberts are wonderful and it gives an interesting backdrop to our current war in Afghanistan.
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‘Tis it.
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What about Dr. Strangelove? Peter Sellers, now thrice mentioned, thanks to me.
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Thanks again for the thoughts and comments about the loss of my wife, they’re appreciated.
A brief step onto the soapbox. It’s breast cancer awareness month, but as our family found out all too well, the emphasis is on diagnosing and catching breast cancer early the first time around. What we found is that there is almost no emphasis on what happens when it comes back as metastatic breast cancer. As I mentioned, on May 27, my wife was proclaimed by her doctor as healthy, blood tests look good, etc. Yet, on July 22, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in her entire spine, pelvis and liver that the doctors in Rochester told had been there for some time. She’d had some symptoms such as joint pain that she was told was arthritis by her doctor in the spring. Point is, I’ve found in all the material about breast cancer virtually nothing about where it can recur. So, if you know anyone who has had breast cancer, please be aware that the most likely places for it to reoccur is in the liver, lungs and bones, and symptoms like weight loss, persistent cough and joint pain should not be ignored, by you or your doctor.
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Thanks, Mike. With a wife with a terminal illness, my thoughts have been with you since I heard.
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Mike, thanks for sharing that information. My thoughts are with you as you deal with the loss of your wife.
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thanks mike. i can’t imagine how hard the roller coaster must have been. the warning to check the reoccurence in other areas is not a soap box, it is a courtesy and a service to others to warn about the possiblities to be checked before rather than after the fact.
my warmest regards to you and you daughters, they are lucky to have you go through the difficult times past and coming.
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I worked on a production of Les Mis a year ago and I have tos say that when they sing One Day More you just want to jump out of your seat and join them. Of course when they sing Empty Chairs you whave to wonder if war ever gets you anywhere.
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