Damn Yankees
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Movie Reviews of Damn Yankees
Movie Review: A darling show
Summary: 5 Stars
Tab Hunter was as good as any and everyone else in the picture. I liked him. I never saw the show, but I've had the OBC album for years. Three songs were left out and one added (at least it isn't on the cast album, and is a bloodless little thing and is used inexplicably instead of "A Man Doesn't Know" to end the show). The other 2 left out are "Near to You" and "The Game." Maybe "The Game" was meant to be in the movie but the censors got cold feet, because the tune is in the overture/credits. It's a darling cute song and I wish they'd left it in. As near as I could tell, only one song got cleaned up and that was "A Little Brains - A Little Talent." One word (boffola) was changed to something strange, and a few lines were changed. "You've seen the sign that says George Washington once slept here. Well though nobody spied him, guess who was beside him." What they changed it too was just as risque, just more subtle. "When they turned the lamps on, guess who was with Samson." I swore that if they destroyed this Adler/Ross treasure like they did Pajama Game with their puritanical fantacism, I would return the movie (I rented it to watch and kept the one I bought the day it was released unopened). I'll keep it. Changing "bofola" is just pointless, and the rhyme lamps on/Samson is so clever, it's as good as what it replaced. I'd like it if they'd left both in. The dancing was good, the songs were good, the acting was good, the plot had enough kinks in it to keep it interesting and it was just long enough. If you like musicals, I recommend it. And I repeat in flagrant defiance of all other reviewers including Amazon's sarcastic, caustic professional, Tab Hunter did just fine. I personally dislike Ray Walston, but he was a biggie in his time. And Gwen Verdon was a dream. Finally, Edith Bunker deserved bigger billing!Movie Review: Fosse and Verdon together on screen.
Summary: 5 Stars
This classic gem of the early sixties musicals is a hidden treasure. Lesser known than some of it's counterparts, Damn Yankees deliver big with the only screen pairing of husband and wife team (Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon). During the heyday of screen musicals such as; Sound of Music, West Side Story and Mary Poppins, some lesser known projects (The Unsinkable Molly Brown,Sweet Charity) like Damn Yankees delivered big punches. With songs like,"You gotta have Heart","Good-bye Old Girl" and the Classic,"Whatever Lola Wants" this musical delivers on all angles. Two added bonuses is that all the choreography is by award-winning choreographer,director,producer and actor/dancer Bob Fosse. With his wife in the lead role, Fosse and his wife Gwen Verdon share a dance number that is priceless and not to be missed, as the only time the two having appeared on screen. Ray Walston delivers a performance of a lifetime as the devil, who tempts the older Joe Hardy (Tab Hunter) into selling his soul to become a youth again and help his beloved Washington Senators win the pennant and beat out the Yankees. The other bonus is delighting in watching Gwen Verdon steal this movie away with her remarkable talent. Her dancing and incredible charm make "Damn Yankees" a home run.Movie Review: Great 50's Musical
Summary: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, Broadway musicals were quickly adapted into successful widescreen presentations, often, but not always, with the original Broadway stars. This is an example of one of Hollywood's best.
A previous reviewer called this stagebound. I am not sure what was meant. "My Fair Lady" and "Mary Poppins" are musicals shot entirely on soundstages, and look it; "Damn Yankees!" involved several outside locations, including the old Los Angeles Wrigley Field, which was home to the Los Angeles Angels in their first season in 1961. It was a great backdrop for the "Shoeless Joe" number.
The film is not in stereo (even though the CD soundtrack is); I don't know if the stereo soundtrack album would matchup with the film soundtrack, or whether there stereo tracks recorded. In any event, Warner Bros. did not dig them out, and this DVD is bereft of any significant extras.
Apart from that, this is a must buy for classic performances (Ray Walston and Gwen Verdon, particularly), wonderful songs ((You Gotta Have) Heart, Shoeless Joe, etc.), and some great smaller roles (the crusty Senators' manager, Jean Stapleton playing Edith Bunker 15 years before she played Edith Bunker, and Bob Fosse dancing with Gwen Verdon).
Movie Review: The Great Gwen Verdon
Summary: 5 Stars
Along with Ethel Merman and Mary Martin, Gwen Verdon was one of the great stars of the American Musical Theatre, and like those other legendary ladies, she seldom got the chance to strut her stuff when her Broadway hits were turned into movies.
The one exception was her breakout role in the fabulous musical-comedy DAMN YANKEES!
Along with fellow Tony winner Ray Walston and the rest of the original Broadway cast (with one key exception), Gwen went to Hollywood to recreate her role as the vampy Lola for the 1958 movie, directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen and choreographed by Bob Fosse.
DAMN YANKEES! is the Faust legend transferred to a baseball setting. An aging Washington Senators fan sells his soul to the Devil (Walston) in order to play for his team. Turned into a 22-year-old (a poorly cast Tab Hunter), the "old guy" becomes the star player and, but then the Devil enlists the services of Lola to keep him in line.
Verdon is nothing short of terrific. She steals the film.
"Heart," "Who's Got the Pain?" and "Whatever Lola Wants" are among the show's memorable songs.
© Michael B. Druxman
Movie Review: Whenever I'm Ready For Baseball Season
Summary: 5 Stars
Certain movies really capture the feel of their themes, and this one is the one movie that really captures the magic of Baseball like no other. Of course there is a great moral lesson to be learned. But haven't we learned by now, that the Devil has no good purpose in wanting to help us achieve our goals? I hope so. What a great cast of performers. Nothing was lost from the Broadway stage in this production. And nothing is lost from the movie in this excellent transfer to DVD. Through the magic of Hollywood, when done to perfection, film can even enhance the story. And few have done the job with a Musical as well as this Gem. Thanks largely to the astounding talent of Bob Fosse's choreography. Tab Hunter's shining moment. Gwen Verdon's 'Whatever Lola Wants' is the showstopper, but Ray Walston steals the entire film as an extremely funny Devil. A film favorite for most of my life.