Missing songs


Why are there so many songs missing from this DVD?
I saw an excellent performance of HTSIBWRT in St. Louis back in 1964 and I have the LP that RCA released of the Broadway cast recording. I'm pretty sure I saw the movie when it came out in the late 60's. It is obvious that "Coffee Break" was cut out on the DVD. Also omitted are "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" , "Love From a Heart of Gold" , "Cinderella Darling" and "Paris Original" . I'm almost positive some of these were in the movie.

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Take a look under the triva section for this movie. It tells about certain songs being cut from the movie.

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It's been a couple of years since I read the copy in the DVD extra feature's section, but typically film translations for books, plays or comics truncate or rework material for time considerations. Sad but true :-(

There's also a case to be made for how the trimmed material fits in with the film. I've never seen the play, so I can't comment any the dropped material, but it's likely that the extra songs and dialogue would've made for a needlessly long film. Plays are typically three hours long (not always, but generally), where films back then were usually two hours or less. Much of that's due to economics; sell more tickets to get a higher profit/time-cost ratio by trimming the film length; ergo to get more people in the seats, and to be able to repeat that process to haul in dollars ($) in a smaller segment of time. And so it goes.

Having said that there was no real reason not to include the extra material on the DVD, unless it was A) never shot, or B) the cost of a dual layer transfer to fit the entire film on side of a disk, or the addition of an extra disk for a special edition, wasn't justified by the expected return on the DVD. And that projection is based on market analysis of how popular the film has remained in popular culture.

And there you have it :)

In short; it'd be nice to have that extra stuff, but the marketing geniuses don't see the numbers for it.

Having said all that there's been a trend to create two versions of a DVD; the basic disc with just the film, and super-deluxe brand with all the extra goodies :) Hopefully that'll happen with this film.

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This is such a fun movie. I'd like to see some background info on it.

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It's weird that coffeebreak isn't in the film but appears in the box art, at least this one-- Finch gapes at riot around coffee cart. Looks like scene shot and cut. Smitty's wearing a purple and white striped dress and seems to be dancing with Bud Frump. Sorry to miss that.

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The missing number doesn't bother me so much as the quality of the current publication. I'm glad it's in widescreen format, but the film image isn't as clear as it could be.

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Nosoapradio said:

Smitty's wearing a purple and white striped dress and seems to be dancing with Bud Frump. Sorry to miss that.
I'd be sorry to miss dancing with Bud Frump, too.

I couldn't resist. Sorry...........

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If coffee break takes place right after the cart shows up, the editing for release was really bad, it was a jolt of a transition to the next scene.

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Don't know about other songs but according to TCM,the "coffeebreak" song was shot but a technical glitch ruined it.The budget was so tight they couldn't reshoot.

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It's too bad it's not in the movie.

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I don't know how it's possible that this movie is only two hours. We did this musical in school last year and it was three hours long, and that was with one of the scenes cut out!

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My school performed this show this weekend, and ours had all the songs and scenes and was only 2 hours and 15 minutes long. The dialogue had to be quick, and delivered in fashion to be effective (and to make a short production). I was the Book Voice, Ovington, the TV Announcer, and a chorus/ executive. Any of you ever been in How To Succeed...? Oh, and if I can find a way to convert VHS to my computer, I'll send anyone who wants it a copy of our version of "Brotherhood of Man".

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Paris Original is just great. I listend to the cd and read the musical score and i laughed so hard. It was just quick comedy. i loved it.

I've got one word for you, no not plastics...metal. Think about it.

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Have you found a way to convert it?

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Hello I'm in it next week! Playing Rosemary. It's such a funny show!! Haven't seen the movie though, I hate it when people cut stuff though it's so annoying!

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So far our Production is timed at 2 hrs and 45mins. And Brotherhood of man is a great song. I played Miss Krumholtz and a chorus girl.

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are there really songs missing from H2$! that's sad..my school did the musical on it it was phenominal!!!!! :] sorry you couldn't see it!
Katie

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It's a shame that the songs were cut.

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I did this show about a year ago (Twimble/Wally Womper). The songs that were cut don't really add a whole lot to the plot. "Coffee Break" and "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm" are both songs that are hilarious, but are really there to poke fun at various topics. I do like the humor in both, but really both are un-needed.

Here's a question for those who have heard the original and revival cast recordings: Which one did you like better? Why?

I kinda prefer the revival cast....it sounds better, musically, the cast sounds better trained, and the new songs are much better than some of the originals. And I think the revival's version of "Brotherhood of Man" is LEAPS and BOUNDS beyond the original version.

What do you all think?

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I was in the orchestra when we did this play in high school (good grief that was 31 years ago!!). When we realized that the first 6 notes of "Rosemary" and the first 6 notes of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" were exactly the same, but with different accents, we nearly drove the band director insane...he threatened us with bodily harm (and an "F" for the semester!!) if we screwed it up during the performances lol.

Actually this play doesn't really stand the test of time very well, but it still has its moments.

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just read your post....and sat here...trying to match "Je-sus Christ Su-per-star"...the first 6 notes....with "Suddenly there is mu.."....which are the first 6 notes of Rosemary...until I realized that you meant "Rose-ma-ry..Rose-ma-ry"...which is in fact the same as Supertar....wow!...Lloyd Webber even stole from Frank Loesser!!!....thanks for the observation...be well

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Concerning the cuts made by the film...which I saw in first release in 1967....once Hollywood owns the work....they can do as they wish...and usually do...cut it to ribbons..though this film fared pretty well...and if you write a show..then sell it to the movies...well...you take what you get...and can't expect any respect....film people are not theatre people...

When it comes to duplicating a work in the theatre...aka revivals...I think you have to do the show as written...unless you have paid for the rights to do a total 're-think' of the show..and then..you better have a really good idea about how to alter it.....the 1994(?) revival was not that kind of production...it wisely remained in the original era...1961...but it did tamper with the material..to it's detriment ...

Cutting Cinderella Darling was a mistake....it is the echo of Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm....and underscores the way marriage was viewed in 1961.....now anitquated for sure...but why try to slide in a post-modern view without re-thinking the entire show?....one can't have it both ways...

Other things: the revival cast is swell...and largely an echo of the original...Broderick..who is a wonderfull singer...seems to have stayed close to the original conductors' score....straight...true to the music...but..not as personalized as Morse....who has his own singing style...on this one..take your pick...both are just fine..and true to Loesser...

But...the re-working of Brotherhood of Man is sheer pandering....as writren in 1961..it already had a revival meeting feel...totally appropriate to the confessional aspect of the scene in which it appears...but to turn it into a gospel number is just silly...and erodes Loesser's fine original work...Frank Loesser knew what he wanted..and was conversant with all forms..from near opera...The Most Happy Fella ...to Broadway brass..Guys and Dolls..had he wanted a gospel song...he certainly would have written it that way...and ordered the orchestrator and vocal arranger to follow his wishes.... the revival was just trying to be "current"...and dropped the ball...at the worst possible time...


Concerning the assertion that the revival cast was "better trained"....the original cast was a mix of old B'way vets..and some newcomers....all trained in various ways....but...they did manage to play the show...8 times a week...for several years...without amplification...just the training that teaches you to hit the back row of the balcony...without a mic...a skill long dead in the modern musical theatre...and a sad truth indeed....today..everyone has a mic in their wig...instead of skill in their chest and throat...

Just my cranky old thoughts...feel free to write back....





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You really should check out Lauren Schell singing "Happy to Keep His dinner Warm" on youtube, it's great. I agree with most of what you said. I saw the revival twice on broadway, once with Megan Mullally and once with Sarah Jessica Parker, and it was pretty good, but the revival cast album leaves me cold. Not one of them was as good as their 1961 counterpart, and the original orchestration was better. I saw a college production this last year that featured a "Cinderella Darling" that stopped the show. I never realised how great and important a song it was before seeing this. I also hated the "How To succeed" rewrite which substituted "Cinderella" in the revival. I don't like PC when it's applied to art. Frank would probably have been pissed at his wife for allowing it...

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I bought the DVD for Coffee break but no Coffee break . Regards Raymondo

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None of the songs that you mentioned here were featured in the movie.

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In June im doin how to succeed and im smitty. Any solos known? i never heard of this until i did coffee break in a cabaret.

:I'm sorry sweetie. When she said "sex" I wasn't thinking of sex with you.
:It's like a big hug.

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Smitty has some great solos, although it depends if you are doing the original version, or are incorporating the changes done for the revival (I did this show in May 2004 (Twimble/Womper), and we incorporated some, but not all, of the changes). If you are doing the revised version, then Smitty has solos in "Coffee Break" (A duet with Frump...this is also in the original, but longer in the revised), as well as in "Paris Original" and the revised "How to Succeed (reprise)" which opens the second act in the revised version, instead of the bizarre Cinderella song (or something) from the original.

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We're also doing this show at our high school this spring (I'm playing Finch), and it seems like we're doing the same version as you. It has some of the revival's changes, but not all. We are opening the second act with "Cinderella, Darling" from the original, which, coincidentally, is not in the movie. Fun show!

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We were planning to do all the revisions, but at the last minute, we went back to the orignal "Brotherhood of Man", which I was bummed about...We cut Cinderella Darling (mainly because we all hated it), and replaced it with the revival's reprise of "How To"...I think we also cut the scene just prior to the big boardroom scene (Brotherhood), but that was because we had no place to stage that particular scene without creating some bizarre reason.

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My school just did the whole original production, and it came out amazing! The live band we hired had trouble at first with Cinderella Darling because all the other shows of H2$ they played cut it out. But most of the audience I spoke to afterwards said that it was their favourite song.

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Paris Original , Happy to Keep his dinner warm, Cinderella Darling, and heart of Gold were never shot! Coffee break was shot but cut before the final release of the film. So if the footage exists somewhere it would make a great addition to the DVD

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Obviously I saw the movie many times more than the play (which I saw in Los Angeles during its initial run). But I am pretty sure that "Coffee Break," "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm," and "Paris Original" were in the movie. (Which I'm watching now, which is what led me here.

I guess I'll know better after it's finished. :)

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of "Happy" or "Paris" but "Coffee Break" was/is a great number.

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No they werent in the movie. Not on the DVD not on VHS, not in the theaters - and I am old enough to remember when this movie was released. The only place you can hear these songs is on the original broadway cast album. The reason that most people "seem to remember" these songs being in the movie was because most of the starring roles were reprised in the movie from the original broadway cast.

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