MovieChat Forums > The Music Man (1962) Discussion > Ye Gods and Girlie-girl - stuff that lik...

Ye Gods and Girlie-girl - stuff that likely worked better on stage

posted 12 years ago by donofthedial
10 replies | jump to latest

I knew many of the songs near by heart and I thought I had seen the film, but saw it tonight and much of it did not seem familiar.

That said - "Ye Gods" and "Girlie-girl" were funny the first time, but got on my nerves in repeated utterances....as did a few of the 'repeat jokes' in the film. I bet this worked better on the stage production.

Nice that the film looked so much like a stage show, but some stage 'mannerisms' were wearying to me.

Just a thought.

[–] bradford-1 12 years ago

What do you mean by stage mannerisms?
"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"

[–] donofthedial 12 years ago

Mannerisms that are used on stage as opposed to film mannerisms.

[–] bradford-1 12 years ago

Ok, I can play this game as long as you wish. What are "film mannerisms," pray tell?

"May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?"

[–] shiftylee 11 years ago

On stage you have to "over act" to make sure everybody in the audience can understand things like body language, inflection, etc. That type of over acting isn't required on film. Think of it this way -- the stage audience is usually very far away so facial features and slight body language you would use in the real world would not be noticed. So you need to be extra animated to get seen. On film, the camera is much closer so extreme body language comes off really goofy, thus "over acting". Film mannerisms that couldn't be scene on stage such as facial features are sufficient to get the point across. You don't need to constantly yell all the time because the audience can hear you without it. I like the "stage mannerisms" in musicals though. It adds to the fun!

[–] Blueghost 11 years ago

Sometimes performances need to be tweaked up or down, depending on the intent of the line. Susan Luckey was directed to make the delivery she did; kind of impish and unopposing. Me, if I had directed her for those lines, I might've had her just go over the top with it. A big old huge "YE GODS!!!" and let the whole town know. That might've added some much needed punch to what she and her friends were really thinking.

Often you need to tone down stage performances for film because they're simply too big. But I think this one is the exception to the rule.

[–] donofthedial 11 years ago

very true.

[–] Two-Spacer 11 years ago

I find TMM very difficult to watch for this reason. I love the songs and the leads, but the direction is so ham-handed. I can't shake the feeling that the director is constantly saying, "See? See? Get it?"

....

[–] rawleyvenita 9 years ago

"I find TMM very difficult to watch for this reason. I love the songs and the leads, but the direction is so ham-handed. I can't shake the feeling that the director is constantly saying, "See? See? Get it?" "

Exactly. Like during "Pickalittle".... cut to a clip of a bunch of hens just in case the metaphor isn't clear to the low IQ members of the audience.

[–] FedoraDave 9 years ago

Yes, I've felt this way, too. I love this show, and I also love this film version of it, but I've always thought the director sort of missed the original intent of the show. Meredith Willson meant TMM to be a valentine to the Iowa of his youth. It pokes some gentle fun at those folks, but it's not meant to be mean-spirited. It's a fine line to walk, to be sure, but I just always felt it wasn't quite grasped in this case.

That's more an observation on the tone of the film, but I do agree that it's all played rather broadly, with the exception of the leads.

[–] firstevil-1 9 years ago

That 'Ye Gods' was really grating...
I think they used that line about 5 times too many.