The 'Haiti' number
Spectacularly colorful, full-screen on my TV, I have to say it made my living room the most colorful it's ever been, lol! It's unusual nowadays to see such loud, garish Technicolor, I just love it.
shareBy far my favorite number in the film. It's so out of place with anything else in the movie you wonder why they decided to include that number in this particular film.
shareI think that, oftentimes, musical numbers like this one were done for their own sake. Remember that the 1950's were a time when the movies were trying desperately to compete with the new medium of television, which had just begun to hit its stride. The kind of eye-popping color that Technicolor offered moviegoers was one thing that the TV sets of the time couldn't really compete with and a lot of 50's movies used color to great effect.
There's a number from The Bandwagon (1953) that takes place in a penny arcade-type setting that's pretty colorful, too. Probably my all-time-favorite Technicolor film, though, is one called The Gang's All here (1943). It's one of those movies that has to be seen to be believed.
I believe that they finally got the color saturation right with a recent DVD release of that film. It's been out on DVD for a while, but the earlier prints didn't get the color quite right and the fans complained pretty loudly about it.
Anyway, yes, the Haiti number was great stuff. It's definitely worth seeking out if a local film festival (or art house) is screening Royal Wedding.
It wasn't just a metter of color and spectacle, though. The studios owned the rights to certain shows or music and had to contrive ways of getting those numbers into their musicals.
The Band Wagon is a good example: what story could possibly link all those great but disparate numbers in the stage show seen in the film? "Triplets", "Louisiana Hayride", "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans", plus the rest, not to mention the finale, haven't the slightest bond between them.
We see many fewer "stage" numbers in Royal Wedding but here again there is absolutely no commonality between them. Obviously the numbers were contrived for the movie, not the "shows" contained within the film, and this was usually the case.
There's absolutely no logic to the "I Left My Hat in Haiti" number being in the duo's show, but it's great fun and, as I've said, my favorite musical number in the film.
It was a revue, very popular at that time in the theater. It would be a series of musical numbers unrelated to each other, not a musical with a plot.
shareYes, you may very well be right.
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Loved the Haiti number! But was Jane Powell supposed to be black? It seems as if there's an implied inter-racial romance to this scene. Would have been great if they could have cast Dorothy Danedridge or Lena Horne in that number. Of course that wouldn't work with they're being Astaire's sister but the Haiti sequence is so out of context anyway who cares?
No, Jane Powell wasn't supposed to be black. Everyone in the "Haiti" number was white, and supposed to be. Just another Hollywood (or stage) fantasy. It was certainly never meant to convey the idea that this was the real Haiti -- or Haitians. Heck, that same year (1951), the TV show Adventures of Superman had an episode set in Haiti, and the Haitians there were black -- pretty amazing for early American television!
sharehobnob53,
I didn't even realize that Jane Powell was in the Haiti number until after reading some of the comments on this Message Board. I watched that part again and now I realize that the girl in blue and green was Jane. She didn't join the number until after the monkey bit. Actually, I still don't think that she resembled Jane that much in the face.
Have to echo everybody's comments that the "Haiti" number was the highlight of the show.
Really?! You didn't even recognize her? I guess she had some make-up job! Who did you think was dancing with Fred?
Not Sarah Churchill -- thank God!
hobnob53,
I just thought she was a dancer in the Haiti number. There are over 20 listed as "Dancer in Haiti Number."
Anytime I see or think of Jane Powell, a song comes into my head. It begins: "Ding dong, ding a ling dong..."
marhefka,
True, but only one woman dances solely with Fred in that number, starting as you say about halfway through. I'm just surprised you didn't recognize her because I think it's pretty obvious it's Jane Powell, and anyway Fred wouldn't have a big dance number with some extra -- he'd only do it with a co-star.
But you've stumped me -- what's the song you refer to, and where did Powell sing it?
hobnob53,
It's from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The name of the song is "Wonderful, Wonderful Day." It's near the beginning of the movie. Jane and Howard Keel had just got married and were on the way back to his house. They stopped for a rest and Jane sang that song.
Jane's voice is ok, I'm not wild about it. But she does a great job in this song. Her voice seems to be suited for it.
Good news. I just checked on youtube and it's available.
Oh, yes, okay, I recall the song from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers now. The film was never one of my favorite musicals, but I know it fairly well.
Jane's voice was almost operatic in tone, very lovely, but I agree with you, I was never wild about it or her. She's good, nothing against her, just never a great attraction for me.
This film would have been vastly better and much more notable had the two actresses originally slated for the female leads been cast instead: Judy Garland in the Powell part, and Moira Shearer (of The Red Shoes fame) in the Sarah Churchill role. But Judy was on a personal downslide and was fired by MGM, and Shearer became pregnant and had to drop out. Jane was an adequate if unconvincing (as Fred's sister) substitute, but I hope whoever thought Churchill was a good idea had lifelong nightmares about it ever after!
Judy Garland would have ruined "Royal Wedding". Thank God Jane Powell was in it instead.
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