LOEWE AND BEHOLD
Today is the birthday (June 10, 1901) of composer FREDERICK LOEWE, who collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on some of the greatest musicals (MY FAIR LADY, GIGI, PAINT YOUR WAGON, BRIGADOON, CAMELOT) and show tunes of all time.
With such a richness of glorious music to listen to, why pour more than these brief introductory words into this post? Without further ado, then, I bring you songs from the first three of the above shows which, with a little bit of luck, I hope you will remember well:
PAINT YOUR WAGON wasn’t as highly acclaimed as MY FAIR LADY and GIGI , nor were there any big hit songs from the show. Nonetheless, I found the film and the songs (including this one) most moving:
Wouldn’t It Be Loverly if life were a song as fair as the Lady of Frederick Loewe’s inspiration?
selizabryangmailcom, 
The Observation Post 
Lynette d'Arty-Cross 10:59 pm on June 10, 2022 Permalink |
That was definitely a loverly collaboration!
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mistermuse 12:30 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
That, it was, My Fair Lady!
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obbverse 11:46 pm on June 10, 2022 Permalink |
Great lyrics; gotta say Point Blank though, Lee Marvin sure was no Sinatra!
On a personal note I recall taking my younger brother to ‘Paint Your Wagon’ and he laughed himself silly- almost to an embarrassing degree- at the burial/we struck gold! scene.
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mistermuse 12:34 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Marvin definitely was no Sinatra. On the other hand, in that particular role, Sinatra would’ve been no Lee Marvin!
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Don Ostertag 1:39 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
I love ‘And They Call The Wind Maria. And every song from Camelot.
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mistermuse 8:59 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
I love that song too, Don — and thank you for the perfect ‘excuse’ to add it here:
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Rivergirl 8:07 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Husband just watched Paint Your Wagon yesterday. I prefer My Fair Lady…
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mistermuse 9:06 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Two very different films — so different, it hardly seems fair to choose one over the other (except from a personal standpoint). Unless I miss my guess, I bet husband prefers Paint Your Wagon.
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Rivergirl 9:09 am on June 11, 2022 Permalink
He does.
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Rosaliene Bacchus 3:14 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Mister Muse, I enjoyed your selections from Frederick Loewe’s great musicals. I’ve seen all the films you’ve mentioned. There was something uplifting to the great musical movies of the period that went beyond mere entertainment.
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mistermuse 7:19 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Of the five films I mentioned, I’ve seen four multiple times — the exception being Camelot, which was a disappointment because I felt it wasn’t well done. The great musicals had that (to me) almost indefinable something which “went beyond mere entertainment” — what the late Ira Michael Heyman of the Smithsonian Institute attributed to “the great talents of stage and screen who wrote the music and penned the words, who staged and choreographed the productions, and who gave voice and presence to emotion and drama and impossible grace.” As simple as that? About as simple as life itself, I’d say.
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magickmermaid 6:39 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Great songs!
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mistermuse 7:24 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
Thanks, mm….and thanks to Frederick Loewe (and Alan Jay Lerner)!
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mlrover 6:44 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
My favorites from that movie (and I saw it in LA when it premiered at the Cinemascope) are Hand Me Down That Can of Beans and Gospel of No Name City. The rest of the songs are kind of bland, and I’ve heard Maria so many times it makes me squirm. Marvin is always great to watch, even when he was chewing the scenery and trying too hard to be funny.
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mistermuse 7:31 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
I suppose MARIA could become a bit tiresome if one hears it too many times (though I haven’t heard it often enough for it to have that effect on me). As for Lee Marvin, I agree. I think he was great in this film.
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Willow Croft 6:51 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
“that carriage ride/you walked me home” Ha!
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Willow Croft 6:51 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink |
I always liked that song…
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mistermuse 8:25 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink
….and you remember it well!
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Willow Croft 8:28 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink
The singers/waitstaff at this place called The Cantina in New Mexico always used to sing it!
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Willow Croft 8:28 pm on June 11, 2022 Permalink
Plus, I was practically raised in a theatre. Ha!
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Kara Aharon 4:41 pm on June 12, 2022 Permalink |
Nothing beats the classics. I love the way they did “Wandering Star”.
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mistermuse 7:26 pm on June 12, 2022 Permalink |
I agree. The lyrics of WANDRIN’ STAR are especially poignant, such as “Wheels are made for rollin’, mules are made to pack; I never saw a sight that didn’t look better lookin’ back” and “snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry.” Magnificent song, magnificently done..
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literaryeyes 1:29 pm on June 14, 2022 Permalink |
I Remember It Well is a classic. So poignant. I remember Maurice Chevalier, Carol Channing, and the like, which shows how old I am!
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mistermuse 2:07 pm on June 14, 2022 Permalink |
Shows which show how old you are
Show me to be even older by far,
For I’m MORE than old enough to Remember It Well.
Exactly how old am I? You may ask, but I’ll never tell!
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selizabryangmailcom 4:07 pm on June 15, 2022 Permalink |
Wonderful, heart-warming songs and memories! !
Oh, man, watched The King and I with hubby about a year ago. I had completely forgotten that Yul Brenner’s character (the king) dies. I was so annoyed and hurt, lol !! Nooooooo. Amazing how invested one can get into movies–especially musicals. I STILL wish there was a happier ending to that movie.
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mistermuse 4:47 pm on June 15, 2022 Permalink |
I too love (most of) those old musicals.Like magic, they seemed to make the world a better place for us to live in….at least, temporarily. Long may THEY live!
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